Chapter 14: 13. A New Companion

13. A New Companion

Gu Xinyue's astonishing words left the married couple stunned.

In such a public place, to suddenly run over and ask to be a concubine—is this girl really that bold?

Chen An steadied his mood and asked, "Fellow Daoist Gu, what is this...?"

"Alchemist Chen, I have no money left to buy Ice Crystal Pills, truly no money left, but I don't want my father to die. Please, help me. In return, I will be your concubine, I will work like an ox or a horse for you..."

Gu Xinyue said a lot, and she said it very quickly; her voice was full of anxiety and unease, and it was clear that her emotions were very unstable.

Chen An was silent for a moment, but in the end, he decided to speak the truth:

"Fellow Daoist Gu, to say something cruel but true: your father is in the late stage of fire poison. Even if a Foundation Establishment expert were to come, they would be powerless. It is better to spend his remaining days well with him."

"I know, I know all of that. I just want my father to live a few more days, even if it is just one day."

As Gu Xinyue spoke, she began to shed tears, and the tears flowed down uncontrollably.

Seeing that she knew her father's condition, Chen An no longer hesitated and decided to take her in today.

Out of respect for his little wife, he handed the decision-making power to her and asked:

"Ying, what do you think?"

"Husband, I was the eldest daughter at home, and I have always hoped to have an older sister. I hope Husband can agree to Fellow Daoist Gu's request."

Song Huaying said against her true feelings.

Although she had already come to terms with the fact that her husband would take a concubine sooner or later, and knew that the sooner he did so the more beneficial it would be for her, she still felt a bit uneasy when the moment actually arrived.

After receiving his little wife's stance, Chen An went back into the house to retrieve two bottles of Ice Crystal Pills and handed them to Gu Xinyue, who was still sobbing softly, saying to her:

"Take these two bottles of Ice Crystal Pills back for your father to use first. If it's not enough, come get more from me."

"Thank you, thank you Alchemist Chen!"

Gu Xinyue thanked him from the bottom of her heart and once wanted to kneel down to kowtow, but was stopped by Chen An.

Afterwards, as her future husband, Chen An took his little wife to Gu Xinyue's home to visit her critically ill father.

The man was very ill and had already lost consciousness, though he still had a faint breath; he was no different from a vegetable in his previous life.

But fortunately, the man was a Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator who could sustain his life by absorbing the Spirit Qi within Spirit Stones, so he did not need to eat or relieve himself, making him much easier to care for.

After visiting his future father-in-law, Chen An asked Gu Xinyue about the doubts in his heart.

He asked her why she had suddenly become so wealthy a few days ago, and why she was suddenly penniless now?

Afterwards, he learned that Gu Xinyue's Divine Sense strength was naturally much higher than that of an average cultivator.

When her cultivation was only at the Qi Refining First Layer, her Divine Sense strength was already comparable to a Qi Refining Mid-Stage cultivator.

Relying on this, she joined a hunting team and acted as a support, responsible for using her Divine Sense to perceive and warn her teammates of danger, hunting Blood Demons together, and thus earned quite a few Spirit Stones.

But recently, the Blood Demons outside had all been cleared out by people sent by the Xuanhuang Sect, so there was nothing left to hunt.

Thus, she became unemployed and her income was suddenly cut off.

As for turning to hunt other Demon Beasts, that was a job only Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators were qualified to consider.

And Blood Demons were actually Bat Demons, one of the weakest Demon Beasts in this cultivation world; almost any cultivator could hunt them by forming a team.

It was just that there was a risk of death.

After briefly understanding Gu Xinyue's personal family situation, Chen An left behind only the words, "I will come to find you tonight," and soon left with his little wife.

After all, she was still just a concubine who had not yet crossed the threshold, and the two had no prior feelings for each other; caring this much was already enough, lest he overdo it.

After leaving Gu Xinyue's home, Chen An and his little wife found a nearby place with fewer people and guaranteed safety to enjoy themselves.

Boating and admiring flowers, reciting poetry and composing couplets—it was very wonderful.

During this time, when the mood struck, he even gained quite a bit of Alchemy Experience, and both his body and mind were greatly satisfied.

Seeing that the sky was about to turn dark, Chen An took his little wife to the Market to buy the things he would need for his wedding ceremony with Gu Xinyue tonight.

After returning home and putting everything away, the couple began to divide the work.

Chen An was responsible for picking up Gu Xinyue.

Song Huaying was responsible for cooking at home.

Carrying a heart full of joy, Chen An arrived at Gu Xinyue's home.

As a result, upon entering, he saw Gu Xinyue squatting in the corner with her arms wrapped around her knees, sobbing softly; her entire state looked extremely withered.

Her father had died.

He died not long after Chen An and his little wife left at noon today.

All vitality was lost; he no longer existed in this world.

Chen An stepped forward to offer a few words of comfort, and subsequently buried the man together with Gu Xinyue.

He was buried in the backyard of Gu Xinyue's home.

Afterward, they planted a willow sapling on top as a form of spiritual sustenance.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, I will come to pick you up in a few days."

Chen An had originally planned to marry Gu Xinyue tonight, but as luck would have it, Gu Xinyue's father passed away on this very day, so they could only choose another date.

Gu Xinyue sobbed an "Mm" and said nothing more.

Hearing that "Mm," Chen An could not help but feel a sense of relief.

One must know that the reason Gu Xinyue was willing to be Chen An's concubine was entirely because she needed to treat her critically ill father.

And now that her father had passed away, Chen An was worried that she might go back on her word and be unwilling.

But now it seemed that this worry was clearly a bit redundant.

Gu Xinyue had more principles than he imagined and could carry out the four words "keep one's word" to the end.

In the following days.

Chen An reduced his time spent on alchemy and often took the time to go over to Gu Xinyue's place to check on her, thinking of fostering their mutual feelings.

As his wife, Song Huaying would also occasionally go along to get a head start on getting to know this convenient sister of his.

In the blink of an eye, nearly half a month had passed since the day Gu Xinyue's father passed away.

On this day.

Chen An got up early, preparing to bring a breakfast he had made himself to Gu Xinyue, who lived across the way.

"Creak—"

He pushed open the courtyard gate and walked slowly toward Gu Xinyue's home.

But just as his front foot crossed the threshold, his back foot suddenly stopped, and his gaze fell upon the courtyard wall beside the door.

There, he saw Gu Xinyue sitting on the ground with her back against the courtyard wall, motionless, with several bulging bundles placed beside her.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, why are you here?"

"Alchemist Chen, I have come to find you to get married."

"..."

As these two sentences were spoken, the air became slightly silent.

This convenient concubine's temperament seemed a bit straightforward.

Thinking this, Chen An stepped forward, picked up the several bundles beside Gu Xinyue, and said to her with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Gu, it is hot outside, come inside the house and sit."

"Mm."

Gu Xinyue responded with a man of few words, silently stood up, and followed Chen An into the house.

PS: Setting out my bowl, begging for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets!