15: Chapter 15 Two and a half years?

Li Guidai was feeling smugly satisfied as he sensed the spiritual power fluctuations of the third level of Qi Refining within his body. Watching the tranquil sleeping face of his lovely wife in his arms, he felt that life simply couldn't get any better.

Soft rice tastes good, the Ancient Kidney Physique is strong, and the future is bright!

However, the familiar electronic prompt sounded deep in his mind again, shattering the peace and contentment of this morning.

[Ding! Detected that the host's dao companion, Zhuge Yue, has a stabilizing life force and her aptitude has slightly improved. Conditions met to trigger the 'Li Family Rise' series of missions!]

[Now issuing a time-limited family mission: 'Continuation and Foundation of the Bloodline'!]

[Mission Requirements: Within two and a half years, assist and ensure that your dao companion, Zhuge Yue, successfully breaks through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and successfully gives birth to a healthy heir possessing your bloodline.]

[Mission Rewards: Special Magical Treasure: Profound-grade high-tier melancholy phantom demonic zither (Growth-type, disrupts souls with melody, creates illusions). Exclusive Technique: 《Melancholy Phantom Demonic Art》 (Fragment · Part 1, compatible with the melancholy phantom demonic zither). Supreme-grade Pill: essence solidifying pill x1 (Significantly increases the success rate for cultivators breaking through major realms, also has miraculous effects when breaking through to the Golden Core Stage). Inheritance Fragment: Medicine God's Alchemy Memory Fragment (1%) (Contains part of the ancient Medicine God's alchemy insights and experience; the host's alchemy talent and proficiency will receive a qualitative leap).]

[Mission Failure Penalty: Randomly deprive the host of one possessed system function or physique trait, including but not limited to the Ancient Kidney Physique.]

[Note: Young man, a true rise of a family begins with excellent offspring and a powerful mother! Work hard! For the rewards, and also for... your kidneys!]

Li Guidai: "!!!"

The smile on his face froze instantly, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

Two and a half years? Foundation Establishment Stage? And have a baby?!

Yueer is only at the fourth level of Qi Refining right now. To reach Foundation Establishment, she still has the fifth, sixth... all the way to the ninth level Great Circle of Qi Refining, and only then can she attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage!

There are mountains and seas of distance between here and there! For an ordinary cultivator, even with decent aptitude, going from the fourth level of Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment takes twenty or thirty years, and that's considered fast!

Two and a half years?

This system must be dreaming!

And having a baby... this isn't planting radishes where you can just scatter seeds and they'll sprout.

It requires time for gestation. Furthermore, the higher a cultivator's cultivation level, the more difficult it usually is to conceive offspring. This is also why the Zhuge Family recruits so many sons-in-law, starting from low-level cultivators to "cultivate" them.

The failure penalty is even more vicious! Randomly deprive him of a function or physique? If he were to be deprived of the Ancient Kidney Physique... Li Guidai couldn't even imagine that scene; it would be more painful than killing him!

"System! Get out here! You're going to be the death of me!" Li Guidai wailed in his mind. "Foundation Establishment in two and a half years plus having a baby? Do you think this is forcing bean sprouts to grow? And this penalty is too toxic!"

[Ding! Detected that the host is questioning the rationality of the mission. System prompt: The dual cultivation effect of the Ancient Kidney Physique, supplemented by the host's unremitting 'efforts' and reasonable resource investment, is not an impossible mission. Please face the challenge positively and do not lie flat and give up.]

[Note: High risk, high reward. Think about the melancholy phantom demonic zither, think about the 《Melancholy Phantom Demonic Art》, think about the essence solidifying pill that can increase the chance of Golden Core formation! And that 1% of the Medicine God's memory! Even a mosquito's leg is still meat! What if it just happens to record a pill formula for some kind of fast-growing foundation establishment pill?]

Li Guidai: "..."

He was choked speechless by this "encouragement" from the system. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed... to make some sense?

He had experienced the dual cultivation effect of the Ancient Kidney Physique personally last night; it was simply heaven-defying. If he could continue to "work hard," and find a way to get some cultivation resources for Yueer, maybe... there really was a glimmer of hope?

And those rewards... the melancholy phantom demonic zither sounded very cool; the 《Melancholy Phantom Demonic Art》, even though it was just a fragment, having the word "Demonic" made it sound very powerful;

The essence solidifying pill was a treasure for breaking through realms; what made him most excited was that 1% of the Medicine God's alchemy memory! Even if it was just a tiny bit, it might contain priceless knowledge!

For him, a former "furnace-exploding expert," the temptation was too great!

He looked at Zhuge Yue, who was still sleeping soundly in his arms. Her tranquil and beautiful appearance aroused a strong desire to protect her in his heart.

"Damn it, let's do this!" Li Guidai gritted his teeth, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. "For Yueer, for the future baby, and for those rewards! Two and a half years it is! It's just Foundation Establishment and having a baby! With my Ancient Kidney Physique, even if there are no conditions, I will create them!"

He gently hugged Zhuge Yue tighter, as if confirming the person and goal he must protect.

"System, I accept this mission!"

[Ding! Mission 'Continuation and Foundation of the Bloodline' accepted! Countdown begins: 2 years, 6 months, 0 days! Please reasonably arrange your 'cultivation' and 'baby-making' plans; use both methods simultaneously for double the results with half the effort!]

Li Guidai: "...Shut up!"

Li Guidai was immersed in the passionate emotions brought about by the new mission issued by the system. Unconsciously, his arms tightened, and his movement was a bit too large, directly waking up the sleeping Zhuge Yue in his arms.

Zhuge Yue opened her eyes groggily. The first thing that came into view was Li Guidai's face, close at hand, and the "fierce light" in his eyes that had not yet faded, like a hungry wolf seeing a little lamb.

The memory of last night, which made her face flush and heart race, flooded into her mind like a tide.

Ah! The whole person seemed to have been thrown into boiling water. She turned bright red from head to toe instantly, and even her small earlobes and snow-white neck were not spared. It seemed as if shyness-induced steam was truly rising from her head.

She subconsciously wanted to cover her head with the quilt, but didn't dare to move too much. She could only, like a frightened quail, bury half her face in the quilt, revealing only a pair of watery, large eyes filled with shyness and helplessness. Her voice was as weak as a mosquito's, and still carried the hoarseness of just waking up:

"Hus... Husband... Are... Are you awake?"

Li Guidai saw this pitiful and submissive appearance of hers, especially those cheeks that were flushed so red they seemed about to drip blood, and those misty eyes. His Ancient Kidney Physique seemed to be summoned by something, and a rush of heat surged straight to his dantian.

He couldn't help himself and kissed her again with a "pfft".

"Woo—!"

Zhuge Yue screamed in shock, her whole body stiffened, and her mind went blank.

After kissing her, Li Guidai looked at the completely stunned person in his arms with tears in her eyes. An alarm sounded in his heart immediately, and he hurriedly tried to justify it to himself in his mind:

"Steady! Li Guidai! Steady! You are a man who wants to build the Li Family! Not a lecher! Everything is for completing the system mission! It is to help Yueer reach the Foundation Establishment Stage as soon as possible! It is so our future baby can have good roots! Yes! That must be it! I am working hard to 'plow' for the great family cause! It is serious business!"

System: [...]

Just like this, supported by Li Guidai's noble belief of "doing it for the mission," another hour of "diligent cultivation" passed.