Three Years, Twenty-Five Children
In the timeless flow of the cultivation world, three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Qin Changqing now had a staggering twenty-four children, and if you counted his secret son Qin Qipeng, that made twenty-five—no one in the entire Qin family could match that.
Over these years, Qin Changqing had only dabbled in cultivation now and then. Most of his time went to the kids. As a modern man from an era of information overload, he knew so much. Beyond playing games with them, he often whipped up all sorts of novel toys that the children absolutely adored.
Even kids from other families started flocking here every day.
Seeing this, Qin Changqing simply opened a little schoolhouse. While they played, he doubled as their enlightenment teacher. The children all had decent talent, but they still needed proper guidance.
It wasn't just his own kids—sons from the other live-in sons-in-law loved him too. The Qin family saw real value in what he taught, so they didn't stop it. Instead, they encouraged everyone to send their children over to learn.
Even Jia Qiang brought his boy. He'd noticed how Qin Changqing treated every child kindly in private, showing no favoritism toward Qin Qipeng—in fact, he went out of his way to protect the boy from bullying.
This left Jia Qiang feeling a twinge of shame. He'd given Qin Changqing the cold shoulder, yet here was the man repaying scorn with virtue. It shifted Jia Qiang's attitude toward him dramatically.
Jia Qiang focused on cultivation and had little time for his son. The gap between a medium-grade spiritual root and a low-grade one was no joke. As a key talent in the Qin family, he'd later taken a few concubines, but none bore children. So he'd poured everything into training and had now reached the second layer of the Qi Refining stage.
"Big Brother Qin, I'm leaving Qipeng in your hands!"
Qin Rongrong led over a chubby-cheeked little boy—Qin Qipeng himself.
"Hello, Uncle Qin!" Qin Qipeng hugged Qin Changqing's leg tight, clearly smitten with him.
Sigh, you should be calling me Dad... Of course, Qin Changqing kept that to himself. Smiling, he ruffled the boy's hair. "Leave him with me—you can relax."
Qin Rongrong was relaxed. Qin Qipeng was Qin Changqing's son, after all, and they both knew it.
Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she said casually, "Big Brother Qin, to thank you for looking after Qipeng these past few years, I've prepared some wine and dishes. Come try them?"
Qin Changqing jolted like he'd been shocked. He knew exactly what this woman was after. Waving his hands frantically, he refused, "No, no, I've got things to do. Next time for sure!"
As if! Last time he'd let his guard down and fallen for it. No way was he biting the same bait twice.
Watching him bolt like a scared rabbit, Qin Rongrong rolled her eyes, annoyed.
She was dead certain now that her infertility was Jia Qiang's fault. These years, she'd tried multiple times to sneak another child with Qin Changqing, but he'd shot her down every time.
"Am I that ugly? Hmph!" She glanced at her voluptuous curves, stomped her foot, and stormed off in a huff.
"That woman's terrifying..."
Qin Changqing wiped sweat from his brow.
He had to admit, Qin Rongrong's figure and looks were top-tier, and she'd only grown more alluring with time. Sometimes her invitations did make his heart itch.
But he knew full well what hooking up with her entailed—a hundred years shaved off his lifespan. He couldn't bear to shortchange his kids like that; he wanted the best aptitude for them all.
For now, he was stuck with the Qin family's basic spirit stone stipend. Saving up a hundred stones was no easy feat, and he didn't want their affair exposed.
Walk by the river too often, and your shoes will get wet. Who knew if someone might spot them?
"Uncle Qin, you seem really scared of my mom." Qipeng looked up with a cheeky grin, covering his mouth to stifle a giggle.
Qin Changqing flicked the boy's forehead playfully. "Your mom's no man-eating tiger—what's to fear? Go play with your big brothers and sisters."
"Got it!" Qin Qipeng chirped and dashed inside.
Qin Changqing followed into the inner courtyard, where a chaotic scene unfolded.
Dozens of kids clustered around, squabbling fiercely over a toy. Faces flushed, they were on the verge of blows.
"I'm the oldest here—I get it first!"
"Why you? Dad made this Transformer—I get first dibs! If you're so great, get your dad to make you one!"
"Mr. Qin said we're all equal here. I'm telling him!"
"Snitch, and I'll punch you!"
The kids split into two camps, the argument raging.
In the center sat a half-person-tall contraption, carved and assembled from some odd non-metal, non-wood material. It looked mighty and imposing—small wonder the boys loved it.
This was Qin Changqing's brainchild, blending knowledge from two lives. Powered by spirit stones, it transformed, combined, and even flew briefly. Even some girls were hooked.
Qin Changqing's face darkened. He strode over and barked, "What's all this noise?"
The kids froze at his voice, falling silent. His authority among them was clear.
Qin Changqing eyed his second son, Qin Qifeng—the loudest culprit, bullying with his bigger fists. Sternly, he said, "Explain yourself."
Qin Qifeng shrank under his dad's glare. "Dad..."
"You!" Qin Changqing shot him a look but couldn't stay mad at the kid.
Qin Qifeng stuck out his tongue and promptly confessed. "Dad, my bad. I should've let my little brother and sisters play with the Transformer first!"
This rascal! Qin Changqing chuckled inwardly. Among his kids, this one had the sharpest eye for the room—smart, or slick, depending on how you sliced it.
No sense dwelling on kid stuff. "Knowing you were wrong is enough. Go play—all of you. I'll make more toys later so you don't fight over them."
"Dad's the best!"
"Mr. Qin's the best!"
The children erupted in cheers, forgetting the squabble amid laughter and joy.
Best? Longevity's my goal, kids. Qin Changqing smiled at the scene.
"Dad, are you gonna spank Second Brother's butt when we get home?" A little girl scampered over and whispered.
This was his second daughter, Qin Mengrou.
Qin Changqing ruffled her hair with a grin. "Nah. Worried about him?"
Qin Mengrou scrunched her button nose. "No way! Last time he drew a big funny face on me while I slept—everyone laughed at me."
Qin Changqing laughed. "He was just teasing. You're siblings—don't hold grudges!"
Qin Mengrou tilted her head. "You don't hold grudges either, Dad?"
"'Course not. You're all my kids—why would I?"
"Yay! Second Brother was so worried—he threw a 'Spirit Explosion Talisman' while Uncle Jia was in the outhouse!"