CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44 MATING MATING IS FOR MATING!

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

Having returned to the adjacent residence from the graveyard, the three Ren brothers sat together to discuss future plans. Apart from the youngest, Ren Feifan, who was still sobbing, Ren Woxing and Ren Changsheng had calmed down.

Ren Changsheng said, "Big Brother, you previously accompanied Father to the town below the mountain for the market, right?"

Ren Woxing replied, "Yes, what about it?"

Ren Changsheng said, "Now that we’ve received the Inherited Knowledge, we know that the deaths in our family were caused by the eruption of the Champion Bloodline’s curse. However, according to our ancestral inheritance, Emperor Guangwu’s original purpose was to preserve Cultivation Methods using the Champion Bloodline’s ability to transmit this Inherited Knowledge. To this end, he sealed our bloodline, leaving only its function of passing on this knowledge."

"Back then, the Marquis of Champion did not study books or cultivate, yet in his youth, he was unmatched under Heaven. He was versed in astronomy, geography, divination, and strategic planning, all because he had inherited the accumulated knowledge of generations of Huo family cultivators and was naturally endowed with supreme comprehension and talent."

"Now, the Spirit Vein has revived, but the heroes of the world lack cultivation techniques. Therefore, even without the Champion Bloodline, by relying on these techniques, we could become Great Cultivators, suppress the world, and assist in the restoration of the Han dynasty. Meanwhile, the resurgence of Demons across the lands will force other powers to slow their pace, granting us time to support the Han dynasty."

"Once the Han dynasty is restored, we must eradicate the Demons and help the Han dynasty suppress the Spirit Vein. When the Spirit Vein is tranquil, our Ren Family will become ordinary people and continue to live in anonymity..."

"According to the Inherited Knowledge, our Ren Family did not violate any of the shackles, so how could the Champion Bloodline have been triggered?"

Ren Woxing said, "...That would mean we have indeed violated them."

Ren Changsheng said, "Violated them? How is that possible? We never thought of rebelling against the Han dynasty or failing to eradicate the Demons."

Ren Woxing said, "Then... What if the bloodline of the Han dynasty has already ceased to exist?"

Ren Changsheng was taken aback. "...It has ceased to exist?"

Ren Woxing said, "I don’t know. Previously, there was the Yellow Turbans’ rebellion, causing great chaos across the world. Recently, I heard that eighteen lords formed the Eastern Alliance Army to fight against Dong Zhuo, who holds the Emperor captive... The world is in great turmoil. However, it is said that the Han dynasty Emperor is still alive."

Ren Changsheng said, "Then..."

Ren Woxing said, "The Han dynasty Emperor being alive doesn’t mean that Emperor Guangwu’s bloodline still exists."

The two fell silent for a while, the scene filled only with Ren Feifan’s whimpers. Ren Suo, still watching the cutscene, raised an eyebrow. This is explosive! So, the Liu Xie of this world isn’t from the legitimate bloodline?

Perhaps it’s not just Liu Xie. There was no DNA testing technology back then, so who knows... Wow, their circle was truly a mess.

"That must be the only reason," his second brother, Ren Changsheng, sighed. "Emperor Guangwu planned for everything in his lifetime, but after death, he still couldn’t contend with the hearts of men or the will of Heaven..."

Ren Woxing said, "Fortunately, although Emperor Guangwu severed the Spirit Vein and the cultivation inheritance to ensure the eternal rule of the Han dynasty, and laid down shackles threatening us descendants of the Champion Bloodline, he also pointed out a path of survival for our family."

Ren Changsheng gave a bitter smile, "Big Brother, if you think that mating with Spirits is also a path of survival..."

Ren Woxing said, "But Younger Brother, you know, we simply haven’t escaped the shackles; the shackles have instead become stronger."

"We still bear this mission. Emperor Guangwu didn’t just transform our bloodline; we, who are born from this bloodline, became incapable of escape the very moment it awakened."

"Even if we possess reason, when we encounter Descendants of Emperor Guangwu, we will still unreservedly serve them with loyalty. When we encounter Demons and Ghosts, we will still stop at nothing to exterminate them. When we encounter Spirits... we will still inevitably yearn to continue our bloodline."

Having been crying all along, Ren Feifan finally stopped. He looked at his two older brothers, puzzled, and asked, "Mating with Spirits... what does that mean?"

Ren Changsheng looked at his third brother helplessly and said, "It would be faster for you to recall the Inherited Knowledge directly than to ask... Sigh."

"The Marquis of Champion once said, ’If the Xiongnu are not destroyed, how can one establish a home?’ People at the time thought he meant he intended to exterminate the Xiongnu demons before starting a family. However, in reality, the curse of the Champion Bloodline spreads to one’s spouse."

"Any person of the opposite sex who mates with someone of the Champion Bloodline will have their body’s Spiritual Energy absorbed by the Champion Bloodline, turning into a desiccated corpse overnight. Once the Champion Bloodline awakens, not only can one live only up to the age of twenty-four, but one also cannot continue the bloodline."

"Back then, Emperor Guangwu found our ancestor—a descendant of Huo Yu, who was the younger brother of the Marquis of Champion. Through certain means, he induced the awakening of our ancestor’s Champion Bloodline and then sealed it. That is why our ancestor was able to have children with an ordinary person."

Ren Feifan, listening in a daze, asked, "S-so, does this mean I can’t marry Xiao Cui, whom I met at the market last time?"

"You can’t marry anyone," Ren Changsheng said. "Otherwise, on your wedding night, your wife will turn into a desiccated corpse right before your eyes."

Ren Feifan burst into loud sobs again. "I’m going to be a bachelor for life! I’ve failed Father and Mother... My line will end with me..."

Ren Woxing patted his third brother’s shoulder. "You don’t need to worry too much... We can’t marry humans, but Emperor Guangwu discovered that there are other living beings in this world capable of withstanding the Champion Bloodline."

"Spirits, or rather, Mountain and Earth Spirits. Any pure Spirit that hasn’t harmed humans and is a natural being can coexist peacefully with us. We can form divine connections with Spirits and have offspring with them, even though it consumes a great deal of our life force... Although most Spirits lack emotions, we can still trade with them."

Ren Feifan wiped away his tears. "So, I won’t be the last of my line?"

"Not at all, not at all," Ren Woxing assured. "Our Ren Family will surely continue! We will wait for the return of a great unified dynasty. At that time, we will offer the method to seal the Spirit Vein, thereby eradicating the generation of Demons and the curse of our bloodline... We will never perish."

His second brother, Ren Changsheng, gave a bitter smile. "Big Brother, our descendants will surely resent you for this."

"This is our fate... Let them hate," Ren Woxing replied with a grim smile. "After receiving the Inherited Knowledge, I no longer know if these emotions stem from the shackles imposed by Emperor Guangwu, or if I’ve been influenced by the will of the Marquis of Champion, who defended the world and slaughtered all demons."

"They will advance over my dead body, cleanse the world of demonic hordes, and witness the birth of a peaceful and prosperous age... They will also see the day when the Spirit Vein is pacified and our bloodline lies dormant."

"This is our mission, the responsibility of our inherited Daoist lineage, and also the curse of Emperor Guangwu’s shackles. We are born into this destiny, and by this destiny, we shall perish..."

With that, the cutscene concluded, and the game officially began.

The game screen showed the Ren family’s residence where they had just been discussing—in reality, just a wooden cabin. The perspective was from the main seat, offering a clear view of two rows of chairs and the courtyard outside the door.

The elegantly handsome second brother, Ren Changsheng, appeared in the lower right corner of the screen, seemingly serving as the game’s guide, and said:

"Now, Big Brother, you are the Family Head of our Ren Family."

"Currently, our strength is still very weak, and the outside world is in chaos. We should focus on Cultivation first. Only by possessing some strength can we address other matters."

Then, "Cultivation" appeared as an option in a list on the left. Ren Suo clicked it, and the game displayed: "Please select the focus of Cultivation for the upcoming season."

"You have 3 Action Points available to allocate."

"Cultivation options include: Attack, Defense, Scouting, Move, Healing, Management."

Three Action Points. There are three people in the Ren Family now. Is it related to the number of people?

Ren Suo made a random selection, and Ren Changsheng said, "Alright, this coming autumn, we three brothers will focus on researching Offensive Spells."

Researching spells directly? Don’t they need to practice basic Cultivation first?

Ren Suo’s lip twitched. He then noticed the timeline in the upper-left corner shift from Autumn, A.D. 190, to Winter, A.D. 190. The large tree in the courtyard outside had also gone bare. His second brother, Ren Changsheng, was wearing several layers of clothes—clothes that even had patches.

The screen displayed: "Through Cultivation, you have learned more Offensive Spells. Your attack capability has increased!"

"Ren Woxing has learned the Sword Control Technique!"

"Ren Changsheng has learned Flame Spells!"

"Ren Feifan has learned the Spirit Lance Technique!"

Ren Changsheng: "Family Head, a guest has arrived!"

Suddenly, a young girl with black hair and black eyes, dressed in a brown robe, appeared outside the door.

The girl said, "I am the Taibai Plains Spirit. I have come to request you, esteemed Cultivators, to slay the Demon Soldiers and Ghost Generals that have spread to Mount Taibai."

Ren Woxing: "What exactly is your origin? And what are these Demon Soldiers and Ghost Generals?"

The Taibai Plains Spirit said, "There is no need for concealment, esteemed Cultivators. Although you three are young, since the revival of the Spirit Vein, your cultivation has progressed by leaps and bounds, making you great sages of this era. The Demon Soldiers and Ghost Generals are slaughterous, malevolent spirits born from the accumulated resentment and death qi on the battlefield at Hulao Pass, gestating amidst piles of corpses and lingering souls. Where they pass, no grass grows; where they linger, disaster inevitably follows. They have now entered the Mount Taibai region and are not far from you, esteemed Cultivators. Thus, I have come to request your aid."

Ren Changsheng, acting as the group’s strategist, asked, "You are an Earth Spirit? If we help you drive away these Demon Soldiers and Ghost Generals, what benefits are in it for us?"

The Taibai Plains Spirit showed a hint of astonishment. "Before the Spirit Vein fell dormant, I recall that slaying demons and monsters was the sworn duty of Cultivators... But I am merely an Earth Spirit, awakened only recently by the Spirit Vein’s revival after a long slumber. I truly have nothing of value to offer you, esteemed Cultivators..."

Ren Changsheng, seemingly playing the villain, chuckled, "Our family possesses a divine union technique that allows us to mate with Spirits and produce offspring."