In the world of cultivation, time flies, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Qin Changqing now had a staggering twenty-four children, and if you included his illegitimate son, Qin Qipeng, that made twenty-five—unmatched in the entire Qin Family.
In these years, Qin Changqing only occasionally practiced cultivation, spending most of his time with his children. As a modern man from an era of information explosion, he knew so much. Besides playing games with the kids, he often made new and interesting toys, which the children adored.
Even kids from other families came over every day.
Seeing this, Qin Changqing simply opened a school, where he played with them and also served as their enlightenment teacher. They all had good talent but still needed proper guidance.
Not only did Qin Changqing's own children like him, but the children of other live-in sons-in-law also adored him. The Qin Family found what Qin Changqing taught to be useful, so they didn't stop him; instead, they encouraged each family to send their children to learn.
Even Jia Qiang sent his child over because he noticed that Qin Changqing treated every child well in private, including Qin Qipeng, whom he took special care of, ensuring he wasn't bullied by other kids.
Jia Qiang felt a bit guilty about this, realizing that despite his cold attitude towards Qin Changqing, Qin Changqing repaid him with kindness, which greatly changed Jia Qiang's attitude towards him.
Jia Qiang usually focused on cultivation, so he didn't have much time to look after his child.
There was indeed a significant gap between mid-grade and low-grade spirit roots. Jia Qiang was a cultivator heavily nurtured by the Qin Family, and after taking several concubines, he had no more children, so he focused on cultivation. He was now at the second level of the Qi Refining Realm.
"Brother Qin, I'll leave Qipeng to you!"
Qin Rongrong came over with a tiger-headed child, none other than Qin Qipeng.
"Hello, Uncle Qin!" Qin Qipeng hugged Qin Changqing's leg, clearly fond of him.
Ah, you should call me Dad... Of course, this was something Qin Changqing could only say in his heart. He smiled, patting the boy's head, "Don't worry, leave him to me."
Qin Rongrong was naturally at ease, knowing full well that Qin Qipeng was Qin Changqing's son.
Qin Rongrong brushed her hair behind her ear, seemingly casually saying, "Brother Qin, to thank you for taking care of Qipeng, I've prepared some food and wine. I'd like to invite you to try it."
Qin Changqing was startled, knowing all too well what this woman was thinking. He quickly waved his hand to refuse, "No, no, I have things to do, maybe next time!"
What a joke, last time he was caught off guard and fell for it; how could he fall for the same trick again!
Watching Qin Changqing leave as if fleeing, Qin Rongrong rolled her eyes, a bit annoyed.
She was now certain that the problem of not having children lay with Jia Qiang. Over the years, she had repeatedly tried to find opportunities to have another child with Qin Changqing, but was always refused.
"Am I that unattractive, hmph!" Qin Rongrong glanced at her voluptuous figure, stomped her foot, and left with a grudge.
"This woman is really scary..."
Qin Changqing wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He had to admit, Qin Rongrong's figure and appearance were top-notch, and over the years, she had become even more charming. Sometimes, her invitations did make him a bit tempted.
But he also knew well what it would mean to have a relationship with Qin Rongrong—it would cost him a hundred years of lifespan, and he couldn't bear to let his children suffer, wanting to give them the best aptitude.
Currently, he could only receive the basic spirit stone supply from the Qin Family, and it was hard to save up a hundred spirit stones. He didn't want his affair with Qin Rongrong to be exposed.
Walking by the river often enough, you’re bound to get your shoes wet; who knows if someone might see.
"Uncle Qin, you seem to be really afraid of my mom." Qipeng looked up, covering his mouth and giggling.
Qin Changqing flicked his forehead lightly, jokingly scolding, "Your mom's not a man-eating tiger, why would I be afraid of her? Go play with your brothers and sisters."
Qin Qipeng cheerfully agreed and ran inside.
Qin Changqing followed him into the inner residence, where the courtyard was a scene of discord.
Dozens of children were gathered, arguing over toys, faces flushed with anger, nearly coming to blows.
"I'm the oldest here, I get to play first!"
"Why should you play first? My dad made this Transformer, so I should play first. If you have the guts, get your dad to make you one!"
"Mr. Qin said everyone is treated equally here, I'm going to tell him!"
"If you dare tattle, I'll beat you up!"
The kids were split into two groups, arguing fiercely.
In the middle of them was a half-human-sized object, seemingly carved and assembled from a special material that was neither metal nor wood, looking mighty and imposing, no wonder it was so popular with the boys.
This was a little toy Qin Changqing had created by combining knowledge from both his lives. It could be powered by spirit stones, transform, and even fly briefly, and even some of the girls liked it.
Qin Changqing's face darkened as he walked over, scolding, "What are you all arguing about?"
Seeing Qin Changqing arrive, the children immediately stopped their quarrel, and silence fell, showing how high his prestige was among them.
Qin Changqing looked at his second son, Qin Qifeng, who had been shouting the loudest, threatening to beat others up with his fists, and sternly asked, "Explain yourself, what's going on?"
Seeing his father angry, Qin Qifeng shrank his neck, softly saying, "Dad..."
"You!" Qin Changqing glared, but couldn't bring himself to be truly angry with the child.
Qin Qifeng stuck out his tongue, promptly admitting his mistake, "Dad, I was wrong, I should let my younger siblings play with the Transformer first!"
This kid!
Qin Changqing found it both amusing and exasperating; among his children, Qifeng was the most adept at reading situations, smart if you put it nicely, slick if you didn't.
Qin Changqing didn't dwell on this small matter; after all, they were just kids, and knowing their mistake was enough. He waved his hand, "Go play, I'll make more of these toys later so you won't have to fight over them."
"Hooray for Dad!"
"Hooray for Mr. Qin!"
The children cheered, quickly forgetting the previous incident, laughter and joy filling the air once more.
Qin Changqing looked at these children, a smile appearing on his face.
"Dad, are you going to spank Second Brother when you get back?" A little girl ran over and asked secretly.
This was Qin Changqing's second daughter, Qin Mengrou.
Qin Changqing smiled, patting her little head, "Of course not, why, do you feel sorry for your brother?"
Qin Mengrou wrinkled her nose, huffing, "I don't feel sorry for him, last time he drew a big face on me while I was sleeping, and I got laughed at."
Qin Changqing couldn't help but laugh, "He was just teasing you, you two are siblings, you can't hold grudges!"
Qin Mengrou tilted her head, asking, "Does Dad hold grudges?"
"Of course not, you're all my children, how could I hold grudges against you?"
"That's great, Second Brother has been worried for a long time about the time he threw a 'Spirit Explosion Talisman' when Uncle Jia was in the restroom!"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan