Starting with a Family System to Become an Immortal Official Chapter 94

The night had fully descended over the Thousand Empty Sea Domain.

A vast, star-strewn sky stretched above the beautiful endless dunes.

The wind had a faint chill now and the golden sands had turned silver-gray under moonlight.

In a shallow dip between two dunes.

A small campfire crackled softly.

Li Qingmu sat cross-legged on a spread cloak.

He had skewered three plump spirit rabbits onto a thick green bamboo stick.

They were already cleaned and seasoned with crushed herbs he got from Yuling and Yuxuan.

『Thank you, wives!』

He bowed several times to them in his mind.

His wives her geniuses!

He was certain that if they hadn’t pinned him to their matrimonial bed and bounced deliciously on his sweet rod again and again, he wouldn’t have been convinced to carry those special herbs with him.

『They know how to convince me.』

Especially Chen Yuxuan.

It was always hard to say no to that baby-faced lady.

『Focus! Focus!』

Every so often he rotated the stick with steady hands to let the fat drip and sizzle into the flames.

Su Liyue and Song Ruyi sat opposite him, knees drawn close and robes tucked neatly beneath them.

The fire painted orange glows across their faces.

The shade highlighted their beauties even more.

Su Liyue inhaled deeply, lovely amber eyes half-lidded in contentment.

"Mmm... it smells really nice, Qingmu."

Li Qingmu glanced up, one brow raised.

"Really?"

She nodded energetically as her pigtails bounced.

"Mhm!"

He clapped his hands together once.

"Then get ready, because I’m about to serve you two a mind-blowing dish!"

With a flourish he pulled the skewers free, blew on them lightly to cool the surface, and extended two large ones toward the girls as he grinned wide.

"Ta-da!"

Song Ruyi stared at the glistening rabbit meat for two full seconds with a flat and unimpressed look. She reached out, snatched the skewer like it was a dirty rag, and brought it close to her rosy lips.

『He’s my enemy. I don’t accept food from enemies but tonight... I’ll make an exception.』

She took a small, cautious nibble.

Her eyes instantly widened.

Li Qingmu watched her with smugness, chin propped on one fist.

"So... how’s the taste?"

Song Ruyi’s cheeks flushed a faint peach.

She chewed slowly as her mind raced.

『How is he this good at cooking spirit meat without any formal training? In the Lower Heaven Realm, spiritual chef masters are treated like sacred arts. If he ever took even one lesson he’d be terrifying—』

She caught herself mid-thought.

The face she praised him so much was horrifying.

A delicate cough.

"Too salty. And bland."

Li Qingmu let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Well, a holy daughter like you is naturally hard to please so I shouldn’t be surprised."

He paused. Then frowned.

"Wait a minute... salty AND bland?"

He frowned bitterly.

"That doesn’t even make sense!"

Song Ruyi’s ears burned. She jerked her gaze sideways and bit down harder on the skewer.

"It doesn’t have to make sense! Hmph!"

He shook his head, amused.

"Fine. Whatever."

His eyes slid toward Su Liyue.

She was already finished.

The bamboo stick lay clean across her lap.

Not a scrap of meat remained.

Li Qingmu blinked.

"You... ate it that fast!?"

Su Liyue pressed dainty fingertips to her rosy lips and giggled like an angel.

"Of course. It was nice."

She raised one finger, puffed her chest out proudly.

"But if you really want to woo your wives properly, I can give you some pointers."

Li Qingmu instantly scooted closer like an eager disciple.

"Alright—hit me. What’ve you got?"

Su Liyue smiled warmly and began rattling off tips like balancing flavors, when to add herbs, how long to rest the meat after roasting so qi redistributes evenly...

Song Ruyi watched the two of them and quietly chewed the last of her portion.

『So this is the man Auntie Yan’er fell for so hard... I can see it now. He’s handsome even when he’s being trash. Manners are mediocre at best, yet somehow he’s still sweet. Bold, but never lets a woman walk all over him. That kind of man is... dangerous.』

Her gaze dropped back to the skewer in her hand.

『I’m not flustered just because I think he might actually be a half-decent man. Maybe... I could test the waters. See if I can charm him. Or would he think I’m too young?』

The thought made her sigh hopelessly.

Li Qingmu’s voice barged in gently.

"What’s wrong?"

She looked up.

He was suddenly right in front of her.

Sitting directly across with his perfect nose almost touching hers and their eyes focused solely at each other like they were in a staring contest.

"Your sigh sounded a little depressed. Just wanted to make sure you’re alright."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Or... is the meat really that bad?"

A small smile curved his lips.

"I wonder how the food tastes back in the Lower Heaven Realm. Bet it’s fantastic."

The longer he spoke, the hotter Song Ruyi’s beautiful face became.

It was bright tomato-red now.

『How is he this close and acting like it’s nothing? Men three times his age would blush and stammer just glimpsing me through a curtain... yet here he is, nose-to-nose and yet so completely casual? It doesn’t—』

She jerked her gaze aside and harrumphed haughtily then folded her arms tight.

"I’m perfectly fine. I might look young, but you’re only a few years older than me."

Li Qingmu reached out and patted her head once.

"Whatever you say."

Her face instantly blazed hotter.

She buried her burning cheeks into the high collar of her red and black robe.

『I finally understand why Auntie Yan’er fell so easily for this strange man. He’s charismatic and genuine at the same time... it’s infuriatingly hot.』

She squeezed her own cheeks like she was punishing them for the admission.

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Meanwhile, far to the south.

Xu Lingxi stood atop a low dune.

Her sword was dripping with so much blood.

Fiend beast blood ran in streams down the blade and pattered onto the sand. Corpses of sand scorpions, dune vipers and several larger spirit beasts lay scattered behind her in a long trail of slaughter.

She hadn’t encountered any other candidates on the way here. That usually meant it was time to head to the submission array with her pill bottles.

But she still wanted to sweep the southern edge.

One last harvest of contribution points.

"Keep going, Xiao Bai."

The small dragon on her shoulder chittered happily.

Whenever she grew bored of swinging her sword, she simply let Xiao Bai leap down and unleash a powerful barrage of purple fire blasts.

The little beast loved showing off.

Auntie Chuyan walked beside her and clapped softly whenever Xu Lingxi executed a clean beheading.

"Beautiful swordplay, Young Miss."

Xu Lingxi gave a small smile then froze.

Ahead, a group of candidates was carving through a pack of fiend beasts with vicious coordination. At their head stood a tall figure in golden-trimmed robes.

Bi Haitao.

Xu Lingxi narrowed her eyes.

『Golden Sun Pavilion disciples...』

She remembered his face and bit her lower lip.

『Where’s Li Qingmu?』

Her gaze darted rapidly across the group.

No sign of that familiar broad back or careless grin.

Auntie Chuyan gave her a knowing side-eye.

"Looking for Li Qingmu?"

Xu Lingxi cleared her throat sharply.

"No. Don’t be ridiculous."

She failed to notice that Bi Haitao and his entire group had gone rigid.

These lot were clearly terrified.

Whispers hissed between them.

"She’s going to kill us..."

"Or strip us naked and make us her dogs..."

"WE SHOULD RUN!"

Bi Haitao’s mind raced through every possible attack pattern then discarded each one.

『Her durability... that holy war beast... her speed is also something else... running is suicide... it’s hopeless. I won’t even get the chance to prove I’m better than that filthy bastard Li Qingmu—』

His fists squeezed until he felt the pain in his bones.

Xu Lingxi frowned at their frozen postures.

『Maybe I should just ask where he is... No. If he overhears and thinks I’ve been missing him, that arrogant ass will never let me live it down. Useless. Hmph.』

Her royal-pink lips pushed into a tiny, irritated pout.

To the Golden Sun disciples, the expression looked like a death sentence.

They flinched as one.

Everything about Xu Lingxi is cute.

Even the way she does things can also be cute.

But right now, everything she did felt like a gruesome threat to their life.

Xu Lingxi took a steadying breath.

『Whatever. I don’t care what he thinks.』

She cleared her throat awkwardly, lifted her sword and pointed directly at them.

"Where is Li—"

Bi Haitao and the others exploded into motion.

They scattered like startled sparrows and fled urgently in every direction.

Xu Lingxi froze mid-point, sword still extended.

"...What just happened?"

Auntie Chuyan covered her mouth and giggled softly.

Xu Lingxi’s brows knit. Anger sparked.

"Ugh! That bastard Li Qingmu must have done something to shame me like this!"

She waved her sword angrily across the air.

"I’ll chase those idiots down and make them—"

A dark voice slithered from directly behind her.

"Such... a sweet voice..."

Xu Lingxi’s body locked.

Cold sweat prickled down her spine.

『When did it get behind me!?』

She spun.

Towering over her was a humanoid monstrosity nearly three meters tall.

Its body fused the grotesque bulk of a deep-sea whale with the predatory sleekness of a shark.

Its gray-black hide glistened.

It had razor-sharp teeth and blade-like fins on its muscular body that trembled powerfully.

Pale bioluminescent veins pulsed beneath its skin.

A demonic humanoid aquatic monster.

That was the best way to describe it.

Its lidless black eyes fixed on her.

"Die..."