Cultivation Nerd-Chapter 312 - The Right Time To Be A Parent

I trailed behind my disciples as we made our way back to the sect, watching their backs as they chatted quietly between themselves. They hadn’t made any noteworthy mistakes, and for their first real outing, that was enough. All things considered, they did a good job and returned safely. No injuries. No panic. Just a little blood, a few bruises, and a lesson or two learned the hard way.

The journey had gone reasonably well. There were no disasters, no sudden surprises that spiraled out of control. Just a measured taste of the real world, dangerous enough to matter, but not so perilous as to leave lasting scars. For now, that was good enough.

On the way back, my mind drifted to the logistics of setting up a laboratory, and more importantly, where it should be situated. The where part had already been decided: beneath the library, where Song San used to be sealed. It was the perfect place for something secret.

Well, almost perfect.

It would’ve been better if Song San didn’t already know about that space. Still, with the right arrays in place, even he wouldn’t be able to enter unnoticed or without effort.

For now, the lab will focus on studying the bloodlines of beasts. That’s what fascinated me the most at the moment. Some beasts, despite average talent, could reach incredible heights of power simply because of their bloodlines.

How did those bloodlines come to be? How did they work, exactly? Were they just permanent buffs that didn’t directly assist with cultivation? So many questions. So little time.

As I landed on my grassy yard, my head buzzed with boring logistics.

A secret lab came with complications: building it, supplying it, and keeping it running without drawing attention. This wasn’t some comic book scenario where a billionaire superhero had a lazy susan for his car in his secret cave.

Workers talked. Rumors spread. “One of the elders building a lab under the library” was bound to become the next hot sect gossip.

Sure, intimidation was an option… but not my first choice. Not my last either. That said, it’s not like I’d ever consider something as drastic as killing workers just to keep some dumb lab hidden.

I walked across the green grass and took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill my lungs. My whole body relaxed.

Fu Yating was nearby, watering the flowers, throwing me the occasional glance from the corner of her eye.

I nodded at her and made my way to the rocking chair on the front lawn, her usual spot. It was a nice chair, and surprisingly more comfortable than it looked.

“Hey, my beautiful, intelligent, and strong-willed wife,” I began. “How would you go about building a secret lab?”

I dumped the problem into her lap without warning.

Fu Yating stopped watering the flowers and turned to me. “A secret lab? Why would you need something like that? Why would an inner elder of your position need to hide anything?”

...Okay, wow. She didn’t even know the full story, and yet that was already a very good point.

This was why I appreciated her opinion. Fu Yating was thoughtful. She kept me grounded.

“I’m not hiding,” I replied.

“So, you just like the idea of a secret laboratory?” she asked, half-mocking, raising an eyebrow.

“Yep. Absolutely love it,” I said with a grin.

She was right. Hiding the lab would be a hassle. And honestly, I didn’t care enough about it to go through all that trouble.

“If I’m not around and Song Song shows up, tell her to get some of her lackeys to gather the resources, hire the workers, and start building under my library,” I said, playing it off like I was too busy to handle it myself.

Fu Yating sighed and went back to adding a few finishing touches with the watering can.

After a stretch of peaceful silence, she finished her work and said, “I don’t like working without getting something in return.”

“Oh, sorry, I never paid you,” I replied. “As for your wage, do you want it in spirit stones or gold? Just name your price.”

“I’m not talking about that,” she refuted, locking eyes with me as she set the watering can down and walked toward me.

I had a feeling I knew what that look meant.

“Please don’t tell me I’m right about what I think that is,” I sighed.

“I want a child,” she declared, now standing just a foot away. “And the sooner we get it over with, the easier this will be for both of us.”

She really needed to work on her phrasing.

Still, the mere thought of having a child soured me to the idea.

First off, I wasn’t sure I’d make a good father. Even if I had kids, I wasn’t going to just stop cultivating and researching. At best, I’d be a half-present, absentee parent.

Then there were the dangers: enemies, leverage, politics. Too many variables.

“I’m too weak to have children right now,” I said, shaking my head.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Weak?” Fu Yating frowned. “Then, when are you going to be strong enough? When you become a Nascent Soul Cultivator? That could take hundreds of years. By then I’ll be long dead.”

She wasn’t wrong. But she was underestimating how cautious I was. Ideally, I’d become immortal before even considering fatherhood.

Still, I compromised. “We should at least wait until I reach Core Formation.”

“And how long is that going to take?” she asked.

I winced. “At best, by the time I’m in my forties, I might reach the peak of Foundation Establishment.”

The look on her face was unreadable, but she clearly wasn’t pleased at the idea of having children that late.

“I can’t wait that long. By then I’ll be middle-aged. Who knows if I’ll even be able to have children?” she said.

I stayed silent, mulling over the situation. I wasn’t ready to bring life into this world. Maybe I never would be.

Running a hand through my hair, I sighed and told her, “Despite our relationship, I won’t stop you from finding love elsewhere. Because sadly, I can’t fulfill your requirements.”

“I don’t want someone else. I want you,” she said.

That might’ve sounded romantic if only she hadn’t said it with such a deadpan expression.

“Why?” I asked.

A part of me felt like her answer would be more logical than something simple like love. Fu Yating didn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d act foolish or make bad decisions just because she was fond of someone.

“Because with you, I can guarantee that you’ll never be someone who would throw me away or brand me as your eighteenth concubine on a whim,” she said. “Also, despite my position, I’m not into the thought or humiliation of my husband going around and lying with other women. With you, that’s something I don’t have to worry about.”

What was that supposed to mean?

“Think about it. If we have kids, then you’ll have my undying loyalty no matter what,” Fu Yating continued. “Even if you became the most evil and cruel man in the world, you’d still be the father of our children. I’d be right by your side, helping you with anything needed to enact your goals and wishes.”

Despite her reasoning, I was still hesitant.

There were many differences between this life and my previous one. But I felt that same kind of hesitation when thinking about kids back then too.

I used to work too much to have time for a child or a wife. My financial situation wasn’t great, and I never had the time to look for someone I’d even consider marrying. At the end of the day, when my life ended, I left nothing behind. No legacy, no one to really remember me... I felt… strange.

Maybe there was never a perfect time to have a child. Someone just had to bite the bullet and move forward. Plans rarely survived a collision with reality. There might never be an ideal time.

“Give me a couple of years. Three max. Then we can work on having kids,” I said.

The chances of me reaching high cultivation stages were realistically slim. And Fu Yating wasn’t a bad woman to have children with.

Despite the rather cold and disinterested way I said it, Fu Yating smiled brightly.

Her long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders as she looked at me with a gaze that could’ve dragged many men straight to the marriage altar before they had time to blink.

Fu Yating really was beautiful. It was kind of a shame that the best option she had for a life partner was me. She was smart enough to know she had no chance of changing me, so she had simply decided that I was enough for her despite that.

It wasn’t like I minded the idea of having kids. Sooner or later, I wanted to know what that felt like.

“What? Mesmerized by my beauty?” Fu Yating asked.

“Kind of, yeah,” I admitted.

That made her pause. She stared into my eyes, the smile slipping off her face as she tried to read me, trying to figure out if I was just pulling her leg.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing. I just thought… maybe this marriage might turn out better than I thought,” she admitted. “Just so you know, I also find you very attractive.”

“Okay?” I tilted my head.

Was this her idea of romance?

…

Two weeks had passed since that talk with Fu Yating about kids, and we hadn’t really brought it up again.

I was in the library, my supposed workspace, but hardly anyone ever came here. Maybe once every other month, some elder in charge of teaching would show up to request a technique or ask about something they didn’t know.

Usually, inner disciples had a supervising elder, since every inner disciple was expected to reach Foundation Establishment at minimum and eventually become an elder themselves.

Still, I didn’t mind the lack of work.

After all, if people came around more often, I wouldn’t get away with cultivating on top of a bookshelf using Jiang Yeming’s more efficient method.

My lab’s construction had already begun, and I spent work hours overseeing everything, mostly to make sure the non-cultivators weren’t bribed into installing anything suspicious in my basement.

I chuckled, remembering how the responsibility for building the lab had bounced around.

After I entrusted it to Fu Yating, she passed it on to Song Song, who then gave it to my teacher, who subsequently delegated it to Zun Gon. Honestly, I almost felt bad for Zun Gon. It often felt like he managed everything in the sect, from the smallest nonsense to the largest crises.

By midday, when it was time for lunch, I was done cultivating for the day and flew home. Fu Yating’s cooking was far too good to skip a meal. Even Song Song showed up every other week just to eat, though she’d been a bit more occupied lately, busy mastering her new Sky Grade technique.

As I landed on the grassy yard, Fu Yating came out of the stone house and approached me with a letter in hand.

What was with that serious look? Don’t tell me she was already tired of our marriage and wanted a divorce.

“This letter was sent to you, and an inner disciple handed it to me,” she said, narrowing her eyes. She looked conflicted for a moment, but then continued, “I tried to open it but couldn’t, so it was probably for your eyes only.”

I raised a brow. “You tried to open my letters?”

“Of course. There are no secrets between a husband and a wife,” she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “After all, I could’ve hidden my attempt to open it, but I didn’t.”

I smirked and opened the letter. After a quick read, I just tossed it aside. It was an invitation from Zun Gon to attend his healing ceremony the following day.

Fu Yating picked up the letter and read it.

“Why does there need to be a ceremony for something like this?” she asked.

Those were my exact thoughts too.

“I agree with you,” I said. “The healing ceremony’s probably for the injury the Nascent Soul Cultivator gave him during the beast wave.”

“Aha.”

I shrugged.

Sure, I could go to something like that. It wasn’t like I had anything better to do anyway, and I wouldn’t mind seeing the effects of a tier six pill or whatever they planned to use to heal Zun Gon.

But for now, I had to go and meet the man who used to be my worst enemy.