Eastern Fantasy: My Twin Sugar Mommies and Cheats are 100 Years Late! Chapter 1.
Vermilion Bird Continent, Righteous Flame Dynasty, Yan Clan.
"No…!"
A black-robed aged man with a head of shock-gray hair jolted awake in a rocking chair within one of the many courtyards of the renowned cultivation force, the Yan Clan. As he blinked, the familiar scent of the Fragrant Blood Flowers he had planted helped him snap out of his lucid dream.
He sighed deeply, caressing his lower abdomen as if still feeling the ghost of an old wound. Staring up at the great, pale moon in the night sky, he wiped the sweat from his forehead despite the cool evening breeze. "A hundred and thirteen years now… That damned night still won't release its clutches."
This man—who looked as if the Black and White Impermanence were expecting him in at most three decades—was a transmigrator named Yan Anle.
He had not crossed over by saving a child from a speeding truck, nor by simply falling asleep or succumbing to a terminal illness. Instead, he had been targeted by a madman who loved abducting victims on full moon nights, live-streaming as he meticulously tortured them to death.
Now, over a century after his transmigration, the trauma remained entrenched in his mind—almost as much as the bitter fact that he was surrounded by people who could fly on swords while he could not. He was the only direct descendant of the Yan Clan in generations destined to visit the Yellow Springs at such a "young" age. If he was not one of the grandchildren of the current Patriarch, he would have probably been kicked out from the moment he was discovered to be a dud.
Of course, he was "young" for members of a cultivation clan, not mortals.
He possessed neither a Spirit Root for Immortal Cultivation nor a sturdy bone structure to withstand the training of Martial Arts.
After a moment, the sound of footsteps approached.
"Young Master," a voice called.
The speaker stood six-foot-one—half a head shorter than him—with almond-shaped eyes and a heart-shaped face revealed in its full glory, her hair pulled into a ponytail with a white band. She had a strikingly thin waist and appeared no older than twenty-one or twenty-two, even though Yan Anle had rescued her from the streets over eighty years ago.
Dressed in green robes, she wore a subtle smile as she came to a halt. "Dinner is ready."
"As always, thank you, Dou E." He reciprocated her smile.
"Hehe. It's no problem, Young Master. Catering to your needs is my greatest joy in life," she said earnestly.
Yan Anle did not refute her claim, nor did he advise her to focus on her cultivation as he had in the past. Much like the idea of picking up a ring hiding a portable grandpa, he had long since given up on persuading her.
Still, he could not help but probe as they walked. "How has your cultivation been recently? Last month, you said a breakthrough was around the corner. Have you succeeded?"
"I would never lie to the Young Master. Actually, breaking through to the third level of Foundation Establishment has been quite difficult. A casual breakthrough is impossible this time." Dou E exhaled deeply and shook her head. "Unless..."
Yan Anle's steps halted. "Unless what?"
"Unless I…" The green-robed beauty's gaze shifted away. She hesitated, muttering in a tiny voice, "I will have to go into seclusion for some time."
"So that's it." Yan Anle let out a relieved sigh. "When will you begin? Have you made the necessary preparations?"
"…" Dou E remained silent, her gaze drifting away to the side.
"Dou E?" he called after a moment, his line of sight following hers. "Why are you spacing out? Did someone sneak into the courtyard?"
"N-No, that's not it," she replied. "It's just… if I go into seclusion now, I feel it will take at least two or three weeks—maybe a month—before I succeed. Then I may need additional time to stabilize my cultivation base. Staying away from you for that long, unable to care for you… I..."
She trailed off. Yan Anle grasped her meaning and felt a headache brewing. This girl was reluctant to progress because she didn't want to leave his side for a few weeks?
Ah… what if she was at the Core Formation or Nascent Soul stage? he wondered. Those breakthroughs likely require years of seclusion. Would she give up on immortality entirely, fearing that I'd be a pile of bones by the time she emerged?
"Dou E, look at me." Yan Anle bit his lip, his tone turning serious. "I am over a hundred years old; you know this. However, if you saw me on the road and didn't know my history, how old would you think I am?"
Dou E gave him a once-over from head to toe. "Young Master looks to be in his seventies."
"Exactly." Yan Anle nodded. "And look at my muscles… I'm healthy enough for farm work. With the pills mother sends over every now and then, I can live to a hundred and fifty…"
Hopefully, he added internally.
A glint appeared in Dou E's eyes. She wanted to retort, to tell him: Actually, Young Master, your mother has sent nothing. She hasn't reached out in decades. They haven't sent a grain of rice or a single copper coin, let alone a spirit stone. The same goes for your siblings. Everything you have, I acquired. They likely don't even know—or care—that you are still alive. However, she swallowed the words.
Yan Anle, missing the fleeting change in her expression, patted her head. "So, rest assured and go into seclusion. I could never be at peace if I became the reason your path to immortality was cut short. On the contrary, my heart leaps with joy whenever you improve."
"Young Master…" To say she was touched was an understatement. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator who could crush metal with her bare hands, she actually teared up.
Yan Anle smiled. "Listen to me. Recruit someone to take up your duties while you're gone."
Inwardly, he mused: When she returns, she'll probably try to send the recruit away. I'll have to convince her to let the help stay. If I'm too direct, she might kill the poor girl out of jealousy, right?
He shook the thought away. Bah! What am I thinking? Dou E is such a kind girl. She may be protective of me and her position by my side, but she isn't an extremist. At most, she'd scheme to get the recruit reassigned. I'll start brainstorming ideas after dinner.
He was, of course, terribly naive.
How could Dou E acquire money to support him and expensive life-extending resources without getting her hands bloody a few times? She was neither an alchemist nor forge master after all. The number of adversaries who had fallen by her hand on her path of cultivation thus far could not fit in a few such courtyards, were they chosen as a burial site.
Dou E nodded, reluctantly agreed, "Mm-hmm. I will listen to the Young Master."
Yan Anle nodded in satisfaction. "Good girl."