Chapter 383: Wang Qiuxin

Qingyue Market, Wei State.

In a private room, Wang Qingjing sat in a grand armchair. A five or six-year-old boy stood in front of her. The boy was a little chubby, with a round face, appearing endearingly naive and cute.

Wang Qingze and Lin Sisi stood nearby. Both looked a little nervous. Lin Sisi was heavily pregnant, clearly expecting.

Introduced by an acquaintance, Lin Sisi had become Wang Qingze's concubine, and her entire family had benefited as a result. Her parents were arranged to work in the Wang family's shops, and her younger brother secured a good position assisting a spirit chef. If he could become a spirit chef himself, his compensation would be even better.

Lin Sisi had been married to Wang Qingze for over a decade. She had borne him two sons and two daughters. Regrettably, only one daughter possessed a spiritual root, and it was a four-element spiritual root.

The boy in green was Wang Qingze's third son, Wang Qiuxin.

In Wang Changxing's lineage, aside from Wang Qingze, all other descendants had pseudo spiritual roots. Wang Qingze, however, disliked cultivation and missed the optimal age for Foundation Establishment. Now, all his hopes rested on his children.

Wang Qingjing placed her right hand on Wang Qiuxin's wrist, examining his spiritual root.

After a moment, Wang Qingjing withdrew her hand, a smile gracing her face as she said, "Congratulations! Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, Qiuxin's aptitude is quite good—a three-element spiritual root. Let me check which spiritual root has the highest sensitivity."

Wang Qingjing took out a measuring ruler and gently waved it. A large swathe of white radiant light swept out, enveloping Wang Qiuxin.

Soon, within the white radiance, three colors – gold, red, and earth – lit up.

"The gold spiritual root has the highest sensitivity, reaching seventy. Congratulations, Third Brother!"

Hearing this, Wang Qingze let out a long sigh of relief, the heavy burden in his heart lifting. Lin Sisi was overjoyed.

She knew her husband had always wanted a son with a true spiritual root to bring honor to their lineage.

"Thank you for your trouble, Eighth Sister. In a while, I'll send Qiulei back home for his grandfather to discipline him strictly. He absolutely must not follow in my footsteps."

Wang Qingze's expression turned serious, adopting the demeanor of a strict father. He deeply regretted not listening to Wang Changxing in his youth and hoped his sons would not follow his path.

His stomach rumbled.

Wang Qiuxin's stomach rumbled. He rubbed his round belly and looked at Wang Qingze, asking, "Dad, I'm hungry again. Can we go eat now?"

Wang Qingze frowned, saying, "Didn't you just eat three bowls of beef noodles an hour ago?"

"You said it yourself, that was an hour ago. It's already digested."

Wang Qiuxin replied with a pitiful expression.

Wang Qingjing chuckled softly, saying, "Third Brother, he's just a child! They get hungry quickly when they're growing."

"Wife, please take Qiuxin downstairs for something to eat first. I need to speak with Eighth Sister."

Lin Sisi acknowledged him and left with Wang Qiuxin.

"Eighth Sister, what cultivation technique do you think Qiuxin should practice? Is there a chance he could become an artifact forger?"

Wang Qingze asked, filled with anticipation. Artifact forgers were the most valued and best-compensated members of the Wang family. He had finally had a son with a three-element spiritual root, so naturally, he hoped this son could reach Foundation Establishment. He and Wang Changxing had toiled for most of their lives, and the accumulated contribution points couldn't be taken to their graves; they could only be left to their descendants.

Wang Qingjing smiled slightly and said, "Third Brother, Qiuxin is only five years old; how could we tell at this stage? Since his gold spiritual root has the highest sensitivity, he will naturally cultivate gold-attributed techniques. Don't worry, Third Brother. After returning to the clan, Third Uncle can accompany Qiuxin to the Scripture Pavilion to choose a cultivation technique, and the clan elders will recommend suitable ones for him. You don't need to be concerned."

"I can't help but worry. It's so rare to have such a promising talent; I just hope he doesn't follow my old path and instead cultivates diligently. Oh, and Eighth Sister, you reserved a banquet table, but spirit clams are out of stock, so there's no steamed spirit clam. How about we substitute another dish?"

"No problem, you can decide. All the guests are Foundation Establishment cultivators, so you mustn't make any mistakes, or they might think our Wang family doesn't understand the rules of hospitality."

Wang Qingjing had been stationed at Qingyue Market for three years. She had a cheerful personality, enjoyed making friends, and had befriended many fellow cultivators.

"Of course, you can rest assured. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

Wang Qingze turned and departed.

That evening, Wang Qingjing appeared in a private room on the fourth floor of the Four Seas Restaurant.

Besides Wang Qingjing, there were four men and one woman, all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

All five were second-tier artifact forgers. They hailed either from cultivation sects or cultivation families. Periodically, Wang Qingjing invited them to the Four Seas Restaurant to drink and dine, taking the opportunity to exchange insights on artifact forging, from which she gained much inspiration.

"Immortal Wang, you've gone to expense for us again. We truly apologize."

A refined young man in a red shirt said somewhat sheepishly. He was dressed in the attire of a Heavenly Soldier Sect disciple, clearly identifying him as one.

Wang Qingjing smiled slightly and said earnestly, "Fellow Daoist Li, you jest. We are friends; such words are too formal. I haven't prepared anything grand, just a simple home-style meal."

Having received such hospitality, these second-tier artifact forgers naturally spoke more freely when sharing their forging insights after they had eaten their fill.

"This won't do. You've hosted us so many times. Another day, I, Li, will be the host, and I sincerely hope Immortal Wang will come."

"Brother Li Yan is right, Immortal Wang. We must reciprocate your hospitality."

Wang Qingjing gave a charming smile and said, "Then it's settled. Please, everyone, make yourselves comfortable and start eating! The ingredients are all the freshest, and these are just simple home-style dishes, so I hope you won't mind."

Wang Qingjing and her guests exchanged toasts, drinking, eating, and exchanging insights on artifact forging.

"Oh, by the way, Immortal Wang, our Heavenly Soldier Sect plans to host a Heavenly Soldier Grand Meeting. This meeting will serve as both a large-scale auction and an exchange event for artifact forgers. Before the auction, there will be an artifact forging competition, with significant rewards for the first-place winner. Would you be interested in participating?"

Li Yan asked enthusiastically, his tone sincere.

"Heavenly Soldier Grand Meeting?" Wang Qingjing's interest was piqued immediately, and she pressed, "When will it be held? And where?"

"White Dragon Valley, in six months. Many artifact forgers will participate then. Our forging skills might not secure first place, but it would still be good to exchange ideas with other second-tier artifact forgers and perhaps trade for some forging materials."

Wang Qingjing nodded and smiled, "That's wonderful! I'll definitely participate then."

Her presence at Qingyue Market was more symbolic. She could certainly go to White Dragon Valley to attend the Heavenly Soldier Grand Meeting.

Knowing this information in advance meant she needed to prepare early and gather some materials for exchange. This news definitely had to be reported to the clan. Since the Heavenly Soldier Sect was holding a large-scale auction, many cultivators would surely attend. The Wang family could seize this opportunity to sell their own goods, and if managed properly, it wasn't impossible to make a substantial profit.

Two hours later, the group gradually departed, each returning home.

Three days later, Wang Qingjing left Qingyue Market with a group of clansmen, heading directly for Wang Family Fort.