Several months later—
"Smack!"
The moment Xiao Yan was born, he received a firm slap.
Stunned from the blow, Xiao Yan cried out a few times in protest, more to avoid another slap than out of genuine discomfort.
"Young Madam, it's a boy!"
After cleaning him up, the midwife gently placed Xiao Yan beside Qin Yueyao.
Despite the exhaustion of childbirth, a smile still bloomed on Qin Yueyao's face the moment she laid eyes on her son. "What an adorable little guy—his features are so delicate and radiant. He's far cuter than his two older brothers."
The two maids beside her chimed in agreeably, "The young master is so chubby and cute! No doubt, he'll grow up to be another genius of the Xiao family."
Genius? Xiao Yan nearly laughed—genius didn't even begin to cover it. If they knew the truth, they wouldn't dare believe it.
At that moment, Yao Lao, whose soul had been dormant for months, quietly released a wisp of spiritual power to sense the outside world. But what he sensed immediately gave him a fright.
Dou Qi—Tier Three!
In just a few short months, a fetus who had never learned a single Dou Qi cultivation method had somehow cultivated up to the third tier of Dou Qi.
Even a naturally gifted child, after learning the cultivation method, would typically need at least a year to reach this level.
It was hard to imagine how terrifying this child's talent could be if he were taught proper techniques from birth.
After all, during the fetal stage, he had relied entirely on his physique, without using any techniques whatsoever.
Yao Lao realized that with nourishment from this child's extraordinary Dou Qi, he might actually be able to restore his soul to its peak condition.
When that time came, they would be able to roam this remote region without fear, completely unhindered.
With lofty ambition for the future swelling in his chest, Yao Lao drifted back into slumber. The next time he would awaken would be when his future disciple condensed his Dou Qi vortex.
—
Once the room had been cleaned up, Xiao Lin and Xiao Zhan finally entered.
Seeing the plump and healthy newborn, both men were overjoyed.
But just as the atmosphere was brimming with happiness, Steward Mo rushed in, flustered.
"Patriarch! There's a middle-aged man outside demanding to see the child born to Young Madam. He's extremely powerful—our guards couldn't even touch the hem of his robe."
Xiao Zhan growled in anger, "Who dares to cause trouble at the Xiao family's door!"
Xiao Lin frowned. Unlike the younger and more impulsive Xiao Zhan, he was far more composed. "The child was just born. Besides a few of us, no one else should even know. How did an outsider learn of this?"
Xiao Zhan cooled slightly—That's true. How could anyone know?
Xiao Lin said in a low voice, "Invite him in."
"No need. I'm already here."
A sudden voice echoed from outside. The moment it fell, a middle-aged man appeared directly inside the room.
He looked to be around forty, dressed plainly in a coarse hemp robe. His face carried a gentle smile that naturally put others at ease, and his serene gaze seemed as if it could pierce into one's very soul.
Though the man looked utterly ordinary, Xiao Lin, a Dou Wang-level expert, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. A sense of inexplicable fear crept into his heart.
He hadn't sensed the man's approach at all.
"With all due respect, may I ask for your name, sir, and how you are connected to the Xiao family?" Xiao Lin asked politely.
Gu Yuan glanced at Xiao Lin—A Dou Wang… not bad, considering the current state of the Xiao clan.
He responded mildly, "No need for names. Knowing it wouldn't do you any good. I had past ties with the Xiao clan. Upon hearing that the clan's patriarch welcomed a new grandson today, I came to pay a visit."
Ties with the Xiao clan? Xiao Lin was an elder of the Xiao family, yet he had no memory of this man whatsoever.
But he didn't dwell on it. Raising his hand, he signaled the maid to bring the child over for Gu Yuan to see.
Upon receiving the baby, Gu Yuan let out a soft murmur, "To already possess Tier Three Dou Qi... could it be…"
"Tier Three Dou Qi?!" Everyone in the room turned to the newborn in stunned disbelief.
Xiao Zhan and the others were shocked by the child's unique physique—how could a newborn already have reached a stage that took others over a year of hard work?
But Xiao Lin's thoughts ran deeper.
Dou Qi, in its early stages, produced a subtle and weak energy fluctuation that was hard to detect.
Unless one activated it or used a testing stone, it was nearly impossible to determine someone's cultivation level so precisely.
This man had identified the child's cultivation at a glance—his strength was truly unfathomable.
Xiao Yan, with his pitch-black, beady eyes, looked at this man who would one day hand him a wife. His brows furrowed, and his tiny face scrunched up with discomfort.
"What's wrong? Not happy to see me?" Gu Yuan, who was soon to become a father himself, found the baby quite endearing and couldn't resist pinching his chubby cheeks.
Uh-oh… I can't hold it anymore!
As Xiao Yan relaxed his brow, the floodgates opened.
Even Gu Yuan, who had lived for countless years, was momentarily stunned when he felt the warm flood spreading across him.
As the sound of trickling liquid echoed in the room, Xiao Lin finally realized what had happened. He quickly had a maid take the baby back and apologized, "He's just a child, sir. Please don't take offense."
Gu Yuan looked down at the large damp patch spreading across his robe and let out a helpless chuckle. A Nine-Star Dou Sheng like him wouldn't stoop to anger over a newborn's accident.
His gaze deepened as he looked at the child. As expected of that man's descendant. Surely, this boy will leave his mark on the continent one day.
Waving his hand lightly, Gu Yuan finally turned to the matter at hand. "I have some pressing matters to attend to. Once my own child is born, there'll be no one to care for them. I hope to temporarily entrust the child to the Xiao clan."
Xiao Lin found it odd.
This was already the second time the man had referred to them as the "Xiao clan."
Though everyone here bore the surname Xiao, "Xiao clan" felt like an overly grand title. After all, they were merely a small noble family in Wu Tan City—it didn't quite fit.
Another strange point: with a man of this level of strength, how could there be no one to care for his child?
It was likely just a pretext. His real goal seemed to be placing his child in the Xiao family's care.
Qin Yueyao slowly sat up, pale-faced from childbirth, and addressed him gently: "Sir, rest assured. As long as the Xiao family stands, your child will never suffer the slightest mistreatment."
As the wife of the Xiao family's young patriarch, Qin Yueyao was no fool.
This man was clearly powerful, and he had come to them merely to ask for help raising a child…
Regardless of his true intentions, there was no harm in granting his request. Perhaps there would be no benefit, but there would certainly be no danger either.
It was just the matter of caring for one infant—hardly a burden to the Xiao family.
Gu Yuan glanced at the pale woman recovering in bed, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
(End of Chapter)