11: Chapter 11 Becoming a Dad for the First Time

Late August, the weather turned cool.

Yang Yuan's days became a routine of three things: cultivating, taking care of the baby, and going to work.

He would wake up at the hour of the Tiger every day to practice the Nine Yang Manual in the courtyard.

The Yang Qi in his Dantian had transformed from a ball of fire into a vast sea, circulating without end.

After practicing for an hour, he would end his session and go inside.

Cheng Ying was already awake, sitting on the bed and nursing Little Xue Jian.

Yang Yuan would take the child, let Cheng Ying get up to move around, and start changing diapers, washing diapers, and boiling porridge.

He was very proficient in this routine now.

"What day is it today?" Cheng Ying asked.

"Thirty-seven days."

Yang Yuan kept a clear count. Ever since his daughter was born, he had been counting every day.

Little Xue Jian squirmed in his arms, her dark, liquid eyes staring at him, her little mouth opening and closing, making "ah-woo" sounds.

Cheng Ying was recovering well. Her complexion was much rosier than a month ago, and her posture had straightened.

He had taught her the introductory breathing technique of the Qi Cultivation Method, and she practiced it diligently every day, so the Qi and blood in her body were much more vigorous than that of an average new mother.

"Try circulating your Qi today," Yang Yuan said, putting down the bowl. "You don't need much, a quarter of an hour is enough."

Cheng Ying nodded. She took martial arts training very seriously now. In this world, having skills in your hands made you feel less anxious.

Before going to the pharmacy, Yang Yuan first lulled Little Xue Jian to sleep. The child lay on the bed, wrapped in a small quilt, sleeping soundly. He kissed her on the forehead and tiptoed out of the room.

"I'll be back later," he told Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying was practicing stance training in the courtyard; she nodded upon hearing this but didn't speak—she was circulating her Qi.

It was about a half-hour walk from the small courtyard in the south of the city to the pharmacy, passing through two alleys and across a stone bridge.

His steps were fast now; driven by his Internal Energy, he could get there in a quarter of an hour.

Life at the pharmacy was as calm as water. Dispensing medicine, seeing patients, keeping accounts—occasionally, when a difficult patient came, he would use knowledge from his past life to handle it. Shopkeeper Sun trusted him more and more.

Days passed by like this.

A month later.

At the end of September, fog began to rise in Jiaxing.

The alleys were shrouded in white in the early morning.

Yang Yuan woke up early every day to practice, and when he returned, Little Xue Jian was usually already awake, lying beside Cheng Ying, staring wide-eyed at the rafters.

But today was different.

The moment Yang Yuan pushed open the door, he saw Little Xue Jian lying on her stomach on the bed, kicking her little arms and legs hard, and she was—crawling.

She was only three months old.

Normal children only crawl at six or seven months.

But this little thing was using both hands and feet, huffing and puffing as she moved forward, with a very clear direction—toward the edge of the bed, toward him.

"Cheng Ying!" Yang Yuan shouted.

Cheng Ying ran in from the kitchen, her hands still covered in flour. "What is it?"

Yang Yuan pointed at the bed.

Cheng Ying looked down and froze. Little Xue Jian was lying in the middle of the quilt, lifting her little head, her dark, liquid eyes staring at both of them, and then she crawled forward two more steps with effort.

"She… she is only three months old…" Cheng Ying's voice trembled.

Yang Yuan squatted down and looked at his daughter. Little Xue Jian crawled to the edge of the bed and was caught by him. She squirmed in his arms, her little hands grabbing his lapels.

Just then, a line of text flashed before his eyes—

[Abnormal development speed detected in daughter "Yang Xue Jian", far exceeding that of infants of the same age.]

[Reason: Effect of All Meridians Unblocked Physique manifested. Physical and mental development speed is three times that of a normal person.]

Yang Yuan stared at those lines of text, his heart racing.

Three times.

He looked down at the little thing in his arms. She was chewing on his collar, her drool soaking a patch of his front.

If she could crawl at three months, what about six months? A year?

From that day on, Yang Yuan paid close attention.

He stopped just simply "taking care of the baby" and began to consciously teach Little Xue Jian things.

First, gripping. He made a few small cloth dolls, stuffed them with cotton, sewed them plump, and hung them above the head of the bed.

Little Xue Jian lay on the bed, staring at the dolls, reaching out her hand, unable to grab them, reaching again, still unable to grab them. She didn't cry, just furrowed her little brows, reaching out again and again.

On the third day, she grabbed one. Her little hand clutched the doll's ear, pulling it down hard, stuffing it into her mouth to chew, drool running down her neck.

Yang Yuan watched from the side and smiled.

Then, vocalization. Every day he held Little Xue Jian and talked to her. Not baby talk, but normal speech—slow, clear, repeated over and over.

"Dad." He pointed to himself.

"Dad."

Little Xue Jian blinked her eyes at him, her mouth moved, and she made a vague syllable: "Mm."

Yang Yuan wasn't in a hurry and continued.

"Dad."

"Mm."

"Dad."

"…Dad."

Yang Yuan froze. He looked down at his daughter. Little Xue Jian was staring at his mouth, her dark, liquid eyes unblinking, and then her little mouth opened—

"Dad."

Clearly and distinctly.

Yang Yuan's hands trembled. He took a deep breath, lifted her up, and raised her above his head.

"She called me Dad!" His voice was hoarse. "Cheng Ying! She called me Dad!"

Cheng Ying ran in from the kitchen and saw Yang Yuan spinning around in the courtyard holding the child, Little Xue Jian giggling non-stop. Cheng Ying stood at the doorway, watching this scene, her eyes reddening.

That night, Yang Yuan lay on the bed, unable to sleep.

He turned to his side, looking at Little Xue Jian beside him. She was already asleep, her little fists clenched, the corners of her mouth turned up.

Just then, a line of text flashed before his eyes—

[Significant increase in daughter "Yang Xue Jian"'s favorability towards host detected.]

[Favorability +50. Current total favorability: 100.]

[Bond deepened, unlocking "Parent-Child Synchronized Cultivation" mode.]

[Mode description: When the host Cultivates, if the daughter is asleep beside the host, she will synchronously absorb the host's overflowing Internal Energy in her dreams, performing unconscious basic Internal Energy tempering.]

Yang Yuan stared at those lines of text, his breathing becoming light.

Synchronized cultivation. He was practicing, and his daughter could practice along with him.

He reached out and gently touched his daughter's forehead. Little Xue Jian wrinkled her nose, turned over, and continued sleeping.

Yang Yuan smiled. He sat up and crossed his legs to circulate his energy. The Yang Qi in his Dantian began to circulate, and warm energy seeped out from his pores, enveloping the entire bed.

Little Xue Jian's breathing became deeper and steadier, and a faint flush appeared on her little face.

Days passed by like this.

Yang Yuan went to work during the day, took care of the baby at night, and practiced at dawn. Cheng Ying's health was getting better and better, and she had mastered the basics of the Qi Cultivation Method. Little Xue Jian's growth speed was getting faster and faster.

At four months old, she could stand while holding onto things. At five months old, she began to babble some vague words. At six months old, she could already walk steadily.

That evening, he was carrying Little Xue Jian back from the pharmacy, and as soon as he turned into the alley, he saw his neighbor Old Zhang standing at his doorway, peeking toward the street entrance.

"Uncle Old Zhang." Yang Yuan greeted him.

Old Zhang turned around, and upon seeing him, his expression changed, and he walked over quickly. "Dr. Yang, you've returned just in time. This afternoon, a few strangers came to the street entrance, asking about someone."

"Asking about whom?"

"Asking about 'a young man with a pregnant woman'."

Old Zhang looked at him. "They said they were from out of town, their accents were off, sounded like people from the north."

Yang Yuan's grip tightened. "What did they look like?"

"I didn't see them myself; Auntie Liu next door told me." Old Zhang shook his head. "She said one of them was wearing black, with a scar on his face."

Scarface.

Yang Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

"Thanks, Uncle Old Zhang." Yang Yuan's voice was very calm. "I will be careful."

Old Zhang patted his shoulder and turned back to his own home.

Yang Yuan stood in the alley, looking down at Little Xue Jian in his arms. She was chewing on his collar, drool all over it, completely unaware of what had happened.

He raised his head and looked toward the end of the alley. Twilight was falling, and fog was rising. Nothing could be seen in the direction of the street entrance.

He turned, walked quickly into the courtyard, bolted the door, and moved a stone to prop it up.

Cheng Ying was cooking in the kitchen and poked her head out. "You're back?"

"Yes."

Yang Yuan handed Little Xue Jian to her, walked to the corner, picked up the single saber, and placed it within reach.

Cheng Ying saw his expression and didn't ask; she just held the child a little tighter.

In the courtyard, the leaves of the date tree rustled in the evening breeze.

Yang Yuan stood by the window, staring at the courtyard gate.

Black Wind Fortress.

Scarface.

They had found him.