Chapter 227: Upholding Hua Wuniang

Hua Changxi didn't want to stay in the main hall, so she excused herself to the old Madam Hua by teasing He Xiaoman and took Hua Wuniang to her own room.

"Xiaoman's arms and legs are really sturdy."

Hua Changxi smiled at the energetic little child constantly crawling around on the bed, then suddenly looked at Hua Wuniang. "Is the bloodline atavism rate high among the He family?"

Hua Wuniang gave an awkward smile. "I'm not really sure about that."

She was just a concubine. Although the marquess's wife now brought her along to social events for the He family, she was still excluded from the He family's internal secrets.

Seeing Hua Wuniang's embarrassment, Hua Changxi realized she had asked the wrong question and quickly explained, "I was just trying to figure out whether our Xiaoman might inherit the He family's bloodline atavism."

"The He family's golden tiger bloodline, combined with body cultivation techniques, definitely yields formidable combat power."

Hearing this, Hua Wuniang immediately asked, "Jiuniang, can you tell now whether Xiaoman has a spiritual root?"

Innate spiritual roots are generally present from birth, but they are fragile in newborns and need to be slowly nurtured until they become supple and sturdy before cultivation can begin.

Those with abundant resources can nurture their spiritual roots early and start cultivation as young as three or four.

Those with scarce resources, relying only on the body to nurture the spiritual root, are considered early if they start cultivation at ten or twenty.

Hua Changxi had used the inspection technique of looking, listening, questioning, and palpating and found no spiritual root in He Xiaoman's body. Seeing Hua Wuniang staring at her anxiously, she hesitated for a moment but still shook her head.

Hua Wuniang's face first showed disappointment, then disbelief, and she asked Hua Changxi for confirmation again.

"Jiuniang, the child is still so young. Could it be that the spiritual root hasn't appeared yet, or maybe... maybe you made a mistake?"

Hua Changxi looked at her. "Fifth Sister, Xiaoman has no spiritual root, so he can't be a qi cultivator, but he can still walk the path of body cultivation."

"There are plenty of people in our family without spiritual roots, and they're all body cultivators."

"Besides, Xiaoman still has the He family bloodline. If his bloodline can undergo atavism, his cultivation path won't be too bad in the future."

Hua Wuniang's expression improved a bit after hearing this, but then she looked at Hua Changxi as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing her like this, Hua Changxi felt a bit troubled. "Fifth Sister, just say whatever you have to say directly."

Hua Wuniang said, "...Jiuniang, I know you're very capable. I want to know if you know any method to trigger bloodline atavism in a person."

Hua Changxi looked at her. "Fifth Sister, what makes you ask that? Did Third Master He put you up to it?"

Hua Wuniang first shook her head, then nodded. "Third Master did mention it, but I also want to know myself. After all, our family's bloodline atavism rate is way too high. I just want to know if it's because of you."

Hua Changxi said, "Fifth Sister, our family's bloodline atavism has nothing to do with me."

Hua Wuniang's eyes flickered. Jiuniang only said the family's bloodline atavism had nothing to do with her, but she didn't deny having a method to trigger bloodline atavism.

"No one knows what this world will become in the future. Xiaoman has no spiritual root, so I just want to..."

Hua Wuniang grabbed Hua Changxi's hand. "Jiuniang, I just want Xiaoman to have the strength to protect himself in the future. He has no spiritual root, and relying only on body cultivation probably won't lead to much of a future. Can you help him undergo bloodline atavism?"

Hua Changxi pulled her hand back and smiled. "Fifth Sister, you're worrying too much. Xiaoman is still young."

Hua Wuniang said, "Jiuniang, you might not understand a mother's heart yet. When you have children of your own someday, you'll know—a mother wants to give the best to her child."

Hua Changxi continued playing with He Xiaoman, who was crawling on the bed, and didn't respond.

Seeing this, Hua Wuniang walked over. "Jiuniang, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Third Master, he said he wants to divorce the Third Madam."

Hua Changxi paused and looked at Hua Wuniang. "Wasn't the Third Madam of the He family sent to the estate? Why does Third Master He suddenly want to divorce her?"

Hua Wuniang was silent for a while before saying, "Third Master said that he is a concubine-born son and knows the awkward position of a concubine's child. He doesn't want Xiaoman to suffer the same cold stares from the world."

"He wants... he wants..."

Seeing Hua Wuniang's reluctant expression, Hua Changxi finished for her, "Third Master He wants to promote you to legitimate wife?"

Hua Wuniang nodded. "Yes. Before the return visit, Third Master went to the marquess to discuss this, and the marquess and the marquess's wife agreed." She paused, a hint of joy showing on her face.

"Third Master should also discuss this with the family today. Jiuniang, once I'm promoted, I won't be a concubine anymore, and I won't embarrass the family anymore."

Hua Changxi said, "Third Master He only decided to divorce his wife before the return visit?"

Hua Wuniang's eyes flickered, and she nodded. In her heart, she also knew that Third Master's decisive divorce and the marquess's lack of objection were all because Jiuniang had obtained the Divine Wood Secret Realm.

The He family saw signs of the Hua family's rise and wanted a closer relationship with them.

"Jiuniang, aren't you happy for me?"

Hua Changxi gave a faint smile: "Fifth Sister, it's your life to live; as long as you're happy, that's fine."

Hua Wuniang once again took Hua Changxi's hand: "Ninth Girl, I know the He family has its own little schemes, but once I'm formally promoted to legal wife, I'll be the marquis's proper daughter-in-law. The Hua family will finally have a powerful marriage connection."

"That's good for the Hua family, isn't it?"

Hua Changxi smiled and pulled her hand back again: "Fifth Sister, you know how things are in our house—everything is decided by Grandfather and Grandmother. You really don't need to tell me all this."

Hua Wuniang could see Hua Changxi's aloofness and was very confused. After hesitating, she still asked: "Ninth Girl, do you think I shouldn't be promoted to legal wife?"

Hua Changxi gave a wry laugh: "Fifth Sister, to be blunt, the way you live in the marquis's mansion has nothing to do with me. You can live however you want, and you don't need to care what anyone thinks."

Hua Wuniang: "But we're family! Your opinion matters a lot to me."

Hua Changxi was silent for a moment: "Fifth Sister, since you put it that way, I'll tell you what I really think."

"Whether the marquis's mansion promotes you to legal wife is their decision. I have no objection, nor do I have the right to have one."

"But I just feel that Third Master He is too cold-hearted. I'm unwilling to acknowledge him as my brother-in-law."

Hua Wuniang was genuinely puzzled: "Ninth Girl, back then when the Third Madam tried to make me die in childbirth, it was you who insisted on punishing her severely. I thought you hated her."

Hua Changxi: "I do hate the Third Madam of the He family, who wanted to take your life, but that doesn't stop me from also loathing Third Master He."

"A man like Third Master He always puts his own interests first."

"When you were giving birth, he only wanted a son to carry on the family line. So when you hemorrhaged after delivering the child, whether you lived or died made no difference to him—he could completely ignore your life and safety."

"Now that he sees the Hua family has something useful to him, he wants to win us over—and he's perfectly willing to sacrifice his original lawful wife to do it."

"How selfish and how cold-hearted is someone who profits by sacrificing women?"

Hua Wuniang was stunned. When Third Master He decided to promote her to legal wife, she had only been focused on the change in status for herself and her son, and had never thought about what Ninth Girl was saying.

Hua Changxi: "Fifth Sister, Third Master He treats women as tools—summon them when he wants, dismiss them when he doesn't. That's something I cannot tolerate. He and I are not the same kind of people."

"So Fifth Sister, I'll give you a heads-up now: in the future, don't come to me with matters of the He family. If you do, I won't pay any attention."

In the main hall, Third Master He had indeed informed the Hua family about promoting Hua Wuniang to legal wife. As he had expected, most of the Hua family was overjoyed and flattered.

The Wuyi Marquis's Mansion ranked among the nobility in the capital. The Hua family, on the other hand, was just a small, humble household.

Before this, the Hua family wouldn't have dared to even dream of reaching the level of the marquis's mansion. Now, being able to become actual marriage kin was absolutely an honor that glorified their ancestors.

However, at the dinner table of the return-visit banquet, Third Master He noticed that Hua Changxi didn't have a pleasant expression for him; in fact, there was a hint of disgust in her eyes, which left him quite puzzled.

By promoting Hua Wuniang to legal wife, the Hua family and the marquis's mansion became proper in-laws. Through the marquis's mansion, the Hua family could break into the circle of capital nobles. With such a huge gesture of goodwill, what more could Hua Jiuniang be dissatisfied about?