That’s right. In her quest to have a child, Shen Lingxue decided to go to the kitchen and make a delicious late-night snack.

Then, she would wake Jiang Xinghai up and have him eat something nourishing to build up his strength.

As for whether they should sleep together again tonight, well, according to the advice she’d found online, more frequency was the key to success.

At this thought, Shen Lingxue’s fair face flushed beet-red.

’It’s not even ten yet. I’ll make a pot of braised pork belly.’

’Then, there’s plenty of pre-cooked food in the fridge... huh? What’s this?’

Shen Lingxue saw a long, sealed plastic bag containing some kind of cooked meat. When she picked it up for a closer look, her face turned bright red again.

It was... a donkey’s...

’Who bought this? My dad or my mom? Or was it Jiang Xinghai?’

Shen Lingxue wished she could find a hole to crawl into and hide!

’Still, as the saying goes, "Dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth." Plus, it’s so nourishing. The nutritional value must be excellent.’

In the end, Shen Lingxue went online to find the most delicious way to prepare it.

As it turned out, it was similar to eating lobster—all she needed was a bowl of garlic sauce for dipping.

As time went on, Shen Lingxue busied herself alone in the kitchen.

A tantalizing aroma filled the kitchen. The braised pork belly had already been simmering in the pot for an hour and a half.

A sudden thought struck Shen Lingxue. ’Mom and Dad aren’t back yet. Don’t tell me they’re not coming home again tonight?’

To be sure, she steeled herself and called her mother, Qiao Huimin.

"Hello, Lingxue... Oh, you’re... still up?"

Qiao Huimin sounded busy, and she was slightly out of breath.

"Mom, you and Dad aren’t out for a night run, are you? It’s getting late. You should come home and rest," Shen Lingxue advised.

"Yes, yes, we’ll head home right away—oh, no, we’re sleeping at the office. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up!" Qiao Huimin hung up the phone impatiently.

And beside her, Shen Zhengye started moving again.

That was right. After undergoing the herbal conditioning provided by Jiang Xinghai, the old couple’s bodies had grown younger and younger, as if they had returned to the prime of their twenties and thirties.

The old couple had moved out of the house for two reasons.

One was to give Shen Lingxue and Jiang Xinghai enough private space.

And two, the old couple needed some private space of their own.

「Meanwhile.」

「In the Shen Family kitchen.」

Shen Lingxue tasted the braised pork belly and smiled with delight.

Then, she tiptoed upstairs and gently pushed open the door to Jiang Xinghai’s bedroom.

Jiang Xinghai liked to sleep in the nude.

He was covered by nothing more than a thin blanket.

The moment Shen Lingxue pushed the door open, his eyes shot open.

"Lingxue. You missed me, didn’t you?" Jiang Xinghai reached out and pulled Shen Lingxue over.

"No, I came to get you up for a late-night snack," Shen Lingxue replied, snapping out of her daze.

She couldn’t help it; the sight of his powerful physique when she first walked in had been too overwhelming.

"A late-night snack? Aren’t you the snack?" Jiang Xinghai threw caution to the wind. She had delivered herself to his doorstep; how could he possibly be polite?

"Just listen to me for a second."

Shen Lingxue resisted, refusing to get on the bed. "I just made a delicious meal. Hurry and put some clothes on, come downstairs to eat, and then..."

"And then what?" Jiang Xinghai released Shen Lingxue.

"And then we sleep in our own beds," Shen Lingxue blurted out before running from the room, flushed and mortified.

She was terrified that if she stayed, she wouldn’t be able to control herself and would give in to Jiang Xinghai.

Jiang Xinghai wrapped a robe around himself and followed her out, muttering to himself, "Living like this for a lifetime would be pretty blissful, but... my parents..."

For a moment, he was tempted to settle into this peaceful life.

Finding his parents, and finding their murderer, the man in the Black Cloak known as Mr. Long—these were tasks he had to complete as soon as possible.

He decided to take the initiative and contact his two senior sisters tomorrow.

If that didn’t work, he would have to prepare to head to the Imperial City ahead of schedule.

And he needed to increase his cultivation level—fast.

He had to reach at least the Late Stage of the Creation Realm to have complete confidence in facing the man in the Black Cloak, Mr. Long.

He already knew of one, the man in the Black Cloak called Mr. Hu, who was at least at the Middle Stage of the Creation Realm—roughly on par with himself.

But this was all just speculation on his part.

"Wow, that smells amazing!"

Jiang Xinghai clicked his tongue in admiration as he looked at the four delicious dishes.

Shen Lingxue stood beside him, a look of delight on her face. "Well, hurry up and sit down to eat."

"How about some wine to liven things up?" Jiang Xinghai turned and glanced at the liquor cabinet.

Shen Lingxue quickly stopped him. "We’re trying to conceive. We can’t drink."

"Have you forgotten I have a way to flush out the alcohol?"

Jiang Xinghai chuckled slyly. "Whether it’s in my system or yours, I have my ways. Let’s have a glass. It’ll help set the mood and make things more pleasant."

Jiang Xinghai’s words made Shen Lingxue’s face flush and her heart pound. She could only nod in silent agreement.

A little wine to set the mood would certainly add to the romance.

When their late-night snack was over, Jiang Xinghai and Shen Lingxue, emboldened by the wine, returned to the room.

「The next morning.」

Jiang Xinghai woke up.

Although his cultivation showed no signs of a breakthrough, his foundation at the Middle Stage of the Creation Realm had solidified.

Shen Lingxue’s strength was also gradually returning. "The Anti-Aging Cream launches today," she said. "We should get up."

"Wait!"

Jiang Xinghai grabbed Shen Lingxue’s arm. "You... you’ve actually reached the Master Realm!"

’This woman truly is worthy of having the Thousand Derivation Spiritual Body!’