Chapter 533: Finally, There Is Joy

The news that Cheng Feng was going to the Immortal Sect ultimately spread throughout the house.

It first leaked out from Zhao Wei.

Zhao Wei had intentionally dropped a hint to the female steward in charge of household procurement.

The female steward then chatted for a couple of sentences with a cook she was close with.

That woman then muttered about it in the back kitchen to several women washing and picking vegetables.

Within two days, the entire Cheng Mansion knew about it.

Sure enough, women understand women best; it could be considered Zhao Wei giving a side-handed reminder to Cheng Feng's Rear Courtyard.

When the news reached the Elegant Garden, Cheng Feng was alone in the Rear Courtyard looking over accounts.

Before he had finished flipping through the ledger, he heard the sound of chaotic footsteps behind him.

He looked up and saw over a dozen women rushing out from behind the moon gate.

Leading them was, surprisingly, Cai'er, who was usually the most composed.

"Master." Cai'er walked up close, a smile on her face, but her eyes were slightly red. "Are you... going to leave in a few days?"

Cheng Feng put down the ledger, knowing he couldn't hide it anymore, and nodded. "Yes. I have to go sooner or later, and there is still some time left."

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtyard fell silent. It was unclear who sniffled first, and then several of the younger ones already had wet eyes.

Jin Ying and Dongmei lowered their heads, their shoulders heaving.

Cuier twisted her handkerchief, biting her lower lip, determined not to let her tears fall.

Even the usually sharp-tongued Chen Min and Zheng Ya lost their usual playful demeanor and just stared at him blankly.

Cheng Feng stood up and looked at these women; his heart felt as if it had been lightly tugged by something.

He softened his voice: "It's not like I'm leaving right now. Why are you crying?"

"You are going to the Immortal Sect." Cai'er walked out from behind the crowd, her eyes red.

"Once you enter the Immortal Sect, it's not certain if you can return for years. Those of us here, we won't see you, won't hear from you, and won't even know if you are cold or warm out there..."

Cheng Feng opened his mouth, wanting to say some comforting words, but heard Cai'er say in a low voice: "Master, we women have no other expectations."

"You are a man who does great things."

"If you want to leave, we cannot stop you."

"But you must promise us one thing—before you leave, leave every sister with something to look forward to."

Cai'er said this very softly, yet very earnestly. The women beside her nodded along.

Cheng Feng was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I was already thinking that way. Otherwise, why would I have come back?"

This sentence dispelled more than half of the gloom in the courtyard.

The women laughed through their tears, though there was an indescribable urgency in that laughter.

"No wonder you said you weren't leaving before, you really put us through it."

From this day on, Cheng Feng no longer had any leisure time.

But this time, it wasn't him taking the initiative to arrange things; the women themselves had become "fierce."

Jin Ying went without saying; she moved directly into the warm chamber next to Cheng Feng's master bedroom, cooked three meals a day herself, and warmed the wine and made the bed every night, wishing she could tie Cheng Feng to her belt.

Chen Min and Zheng Ya were even more uninhibited; they dared to wear thin silk to deliver snacks during the day, and were even less reserved at night.

Meiniang, Cuier, and Xiaohua, who were usually soft-natured, also gathered their courage and lined up to squeeze into Cheng Feng's room one by one.

Zhao Wei was different; she neither fought nor scrambled, but quietly arranged the schedule clearly—which day, which room, at what time, even calculating the time for serving his baths perfectly.

Cheng Feng sometimes found it funny, yet also felt his heart warm.

A man who had rolled out of a mountain of blades and a sea of fire was now being arranged perfectly by a group of women, unable to resist in the slightest.

The days passed by like this, one by one.

Cheng Feng was young after all, and had a foundation in martial arts, plus the nourishment of medicinal herbs.

That kind of high-intensity, back-to-back schedule not only didn't drain him, but instead made him increasingly vigorous.

After another dozen days or so, people in the mansion began to show signs of morning sickness.

The first to have a reaction was Jin Ying. That morning, she had just walked into the courtyard carrying a bowl of red date porridge when she suddenly retched, almost dropping the bowl.

Meiniang was quick-witted and supported her, asking repeatedly: "What's wrong? Where are you feeling unwell?"

Jin Ying held onto a pillar, her face slightly pale, but her eyes were frighteningly bright.

Cheng Feng came out upon hearing the noise, took her pulse, and asked about her menstrual cycle, finally nodding: "You are with child."

Jin Ying was stunned for a moment, then wailed and cried, hugging Cheng Feng's neck and refusing to let go.

The women in the courtyard gathered around; some offered congratulations, some were envious, and some had red-rimmed eyes.

After this, good news came one after another.

First it was Meiniang, then Cuier, Xiaohua, Dongmei, Chunyu, Xiahe... one after another, as if they had agreed upon it. In the end, even the quietest Qiu Yue and Hong Niang were pregnant.

The women in the mansion congratulated each other, yet were a bit shy, walking lightly for fear of startling the fetuses in their wombs.

By the time Cheng Feng had diagnosed everyone and invited a familiar midwife from the mansion to verify them one by one, it was finally confirmed: all the women in the house who had not yet given birth were now with child.

When this news spread, even Zhao Wei couldn't help but shed tears.

She stood at the entrance of the Rear Courtyard, watching the women in the garden gently stroking their small bellies with smiles on their faces, and murmured: "This is truly a massive blessing."

Cheng Feng stood under the veranda, looking at the garden full of warm sunshine, and calculated in his heart: after these months of hard work, more than twenty descendants had been added, and the Fortune Points would surely rise significantly.

What was even more rare was that there was no longer any anxiety in these women's eyes; instead, there was a sense of stability.

That night, Zhao Wei prepared a family banquet and made an exception for everyone to sit at the table.

Cheng Feng sat in the main seat, looking at the hall full of beautiful women.

He suddenly felt that his life, having fought its way out of a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, was truly worth it.

After three rounds of drinks, Chen Min suddenly said: "Master, you must not be reckless these next few months. If something were to go wrong, how would we women live?"

Cheng Feng laughed and scolded, "You're lecturing me now? Who was it that came sneaking into my study every night a few days ago?"

Chen Min blushed and stopped speaking, and the whole hall burst into laughter.

The night breeze brushed past, and the autumn osmanthus flowers drifted with fragrance. The back garden of the Cheng Mansion was still lit with warm lamps,

but this time, the women under those lights all had an extra sense of heavy expectation.

Cheng Feng leaned back against the chair, slowly drank a cup of warm wine, and thought to himself: Once the children are born, the Fortune Points should be just about enough. When the time comes to go to the Immortal Sect, I will be able to be more at ease.