"Oooh! I missed this. Glad to see that you've not lost your skills. Don't worry, I will make sure you cultivate them to new levels of excellence," Xinzi said while enjoying the girls' polishing skills. A'Zhi climbed on Xinzi's waist. A'Zhu on his meat, hiding it between her legs and underneath her skirt.
"Dear abbot, how can you say that you've missed this when you come back with six babies?"
"Of course I can, because you're unique, and no matter how much frolicking I indulge in, not having you by my side makes me feel like a knife stabbed into my chest—staying lodged in my heart—twisting in slow, continuous motions," Xinzi replied immediately, rubbing the twins' cheeks as he spoke.
"Dear Abbot, your tongue is as dangerous as ever. Go ahead, compared to Dong Ling and Chun Xu, how badly have you missed us?"
"How badly? Well, I don't have favorites, but if I did, then I'd have missed you more than anyone else."
"That's a lie. You're the one who taught us that it's impossible to not have favorites. Even the most outstanding of parents have their favored child. What separates good parents from lousy ones is how they let their bias affect them. Thus, wherever favoritism can take place, it's critical to be aware of our own bias, so we can make sure it doesn't affect our judgment."
"True, I did say that. And I just answered you."
"That...isn't a lie?"
"I wouldn't lie to you. Though I might not have had my most exciting adventures by your side, you've been with me the longest and are closer to the real me than anyone else can hope to be. Moreover...you listen!" Dragging the words for emphasis, Xinzi rolled his eyes—aiming one finger at Dong Ling and Chun Xu who got dragged into the dance by a pack of village women.
"Look at Dong Ling and Chun Xu, both troublemakers in their own right. I wouldn't be surprised if Dong Ling one day toppled a country, then let me clean up the mess. Incorrigible brides have their charm, but across the long river of time, men want brides that help them sleep soundly at night." Here, Xinzi paused, stroking the twins' chins.
"If I only had one heart, I'd give it to you two, so I could thank you for having been with Xinzi the Little Monk, Xinzi the Abbot, Xinzi the Eminent, and all the Xinzis to come. So beloved, never doubt your position in my heart." Xinzi smirked as he said this. The twins drank the words, and as their eyes turned moist, A'Zhi leaned on Xinzi's chest—A'Zhu on A'Zhi's back, both wrapping their arms around Xinzi for a moment of tenderness.
"Good abbot. Let your bride-disciples...reward you properly."
...
After playing to his heart's content, Xinzi lay underneath a red oak, one broad grin stretching his face as his arms hung on the side. In a whirl of lilac-colored petals, Zi Feng appeared on a tree branch, staring at Xinzi.
"You've been very quiet so far. Any particular reason?"
"I was busy studying you all—you specifically."
"Oh? Your conclusion?"
"Before that, let me ask you this. Why this festival? Why now? Should you not ride the momentum you've built to march on the Celestial Farm?"
"Taking down an immortal-caliber formation is no mean feat. According to my intel, it's an eleventh-layer Defensive Formation. Breaking it will be very expensive. I can see 100 Diabolic Shards going into the endeavor. And quite frankly, that'd be a crying shame.
Tusha's Soul Force is still too low to set up an immortal-level formation. Despite his earthshaking cultivation base, the same thing goes for Xue Yuanshao. On the other hand, if I could just get the High Command Seal, take control of the formation and spend some time studying it, I could exhaust as many Diabolic Shards as I need to enhance the formation's quality and overall potency." Xinzi explained his position.
"Indeed, why break it when you can conquer it? Fair. But can you? And while we're waiting here, are we not giving them the opportunity to launch a preemptive strike?"
"Never fear, Master is all-resourceful and has everything figured out. Also, I want to use this opportunity to remind you all that, no matter how dark and twisted the cultivation world gets, in my house, my family, my world, you're entitled to eternal happiness." Xinzi raised his head, winking at Zi Feng.
She couldn't restrain her smile but still shook her head at his audacious words. A cozy silence settled in.
"That said, this is unusual. I didn't peg you for a meticulous mind detective."
"And you shouldn't. I don't like thinking hard. It's tiring. But I have to do my best today so I can get a proper look into your mind."
"Did you get that look?"
"I think so?"
"Conclusion?"
Here, Zi Feng peered into the distance, her Spiritual Sense sweeping through the festival. Her lips curled up, and her face beamed at all that she saw.
"Mhm...master, though you're a deviously cunning whoremonger, I have to admit that a moment spent by your side is worth 1,000 years of bliss."
"Good disciple, on account of this grand occasion, master will let the insult slide. Actually, never mind, I am a whoremonger. Xinzi, first of my name, King of Harlots and Cucked Men, Lord of Ecstasy and Protector of Beauties!"
"Pfff..." Zi Feng rolled her eyes, a part of her wondering what type of punishment she just missed out on.
...
As the Festival of Youth went in full swing, little did Xinzi know that, under the command of the Bull Demon Prince, a stampede of 1,000 Gled Demon Bulls barreled across the land, racing towards the village.
All at the Nascent Soul Realm, the demon bulls formed a battle array, their combined might enough to obliterate anyone below Dao Revelation and rival even an early-stage Dao Revelation expert.
Xinzi didn't know, and he didn't need to know, because in the sky, Xin Zhong watched over the village and prairies, his right hand holding a long spear, as his Spiritual Sense watched out for any intrusion.
"For attempting to disturb my master's moment happiness, you all deserve death by 10,000 Cuts," Xin Zhong said and aimed his marble-white spear at the bulls.
But...
"Merit! Merit!" Before Xin Zhong could make his move, the Armored Lion King appeared from nowhere, expanding into a hill-sized metallic demon that crashed into the bull stampede!
"What the..." The stampeding bulls didn't have time to react. The Armored Lion King's weight blasted through the battle array, crushing 1,000 Nascent Soul Demon Bulls into a gory meat paste!
