At my words, Hwa-eun spoke in a flustered voice.

“M-my mother?”

“Yes. If Mother-in-law gives birth to your younger sibling, wouldn’t that solve everything?”

The moment Mother-in-law gave birth to Hwa-eun’s younger sibling, every problem would be solved.

If it happened to be a son, all the better.

Then Hwa-eun would be able to lay down her burden and ascend.

But Hwa-eun, with a shocked expression, stammered.

“B-but Mother said that after she had me, she couldn’t have any more children... And now she’s older, too...”

I’d heard that story as well.

That after she gave birth to Hwa-eun, she could no longer have children.

They said she’d been gravely ill when she gave birth to Hwa-eun; that seemed to be the reason.

Honestly, if she hadn’t suffered like that, Mother-in-law wasn’t at an age where she shouldn’t have been able to bear more children.

In this era, early marriages were common, and there were many women who gave birth at eighteen or nineteen.

Mother-in-law was no different; she’d had children early as well, and was now in her late thirties.

Thinking back to my previous life, there were plenty of people having children at that age, so there was no way a Mother-in-law who was only in her late thirties couldn’t bear children.

It was only for health reasons that she hadn’t been able to have any more children, but that was something we could solve with Rebirth Transformation.

Rebirth Transformation meant returning the body to its prime, when it could best display the martial arts it had mastered, so all injuries and illnesses would be cured.

Smiling, I said,

“No, of course it’s impossible as she is right now. But we have Rebirth Transformation, don’t we?”

“Huh? Y-you mean to put my mother through Rebirth Transformation?”

“Yes, Hwa-eun. If we perform the age-reversing cleansing and I absorb natural energy and turn it into energy tailored exactly to Mother’s body and then put it into her, doesn’t that solve everything?”

At my words, both Gun Hye-rin and the princess exclaimed that it was a good idea.

“That really would let Hwa-eun ease her burden.”

“Hwa-eun, then there’s no problem, right?”

At their joyful question, Hwa-eun answered yes, though with an awkward expression.

It seemed she’d never imagined the problem being solved this way.

“I-it would... but...”

But then she let her voice trail off.

The princess and Gun Hye-rin asked her again.

“What’s wrong?”

“What is it, Hwa-eun? Is there something else weighing on your mind?”

“No. It’s just... I’m not sure my father will be okay with it... Even now at night, Mother is, um... how should I say it, at night she’s kind of...”

As Hwa-eun stammered and didn’t know what to do with herself, I instantly got the picture.

If Hwa-eun took after her mother, my father-in-law was probably having a hard time at night.

‘So this is hereditary.’

Before I reached the Flower Realm, even one Hwa-eun had been more than I could handle, hadn’t she?

If that was because she took after her mother, then I had a perfect picture of what kind of married life my father-in-law was living.

A complete day-and-night reversal.

By day, he showed a dignified face as Clan Head, but by night, he seemed to be a fragile man.

‘If Hwa-eun takes after Mother-in-law, Father-in-law must be living a very hard life.’

Smiling, I spoke.

Because this was a very simple problem.

“Then we just bundle Father-in-law in too and put both of them through Rebirth Transformation. Problem solved, isn’t it?”

If we put Mother-in-law and Father-in-law through Rebirth Transformation as a pair and reverted them both from old age to youth, wouldn’t that solve everything?

At my words, Hwa-eun spoke with an expression like she wasn’t sure if this was really okay.

“T-then it would work, but...”

I spoke quickly.

“Then let’s go right away.”

“Right away?”

“Yes, we go right away, explain the situation to them, and start Rebirth Transformation so that your younger sibling can be born as soon as possible, don’t you think?”

Leaving everyone else inside Dokmul-hyang, I took only Cho out and headed for Sichuan.

My father-in-law had been pushing into Yunnan with the follow-up troops, but after hearing the news of victory, he’d returned to Sichuan.

***

It was while I was riding on Cho’s back toward Sichuan.

Through the group chat, I heard my wives’ voices.

『So-ryong, we need something to eat.』

『I’m hungry, Master.』

After flying about a day toward Sichuan, my wives inside started clamoring that they were hungry.

My body had become such that I could go days without eating once I entered the Life-and-Death Realm, but my wives weren’t yet at that level, so they were apparently starving.

『Is there anything to eat on the boat on Geumdo’s back?』

『We looked, but the sailors haven’t been rotating in and resupplying, so I don’t think there’s anything to eat.』

I asked if there was any food on the boat Geumdo was carrying, but the answer was no.

When the Blood Cult bastards attacked, we’d sent all the sailors from the boat back to Sichuan.

It was to avoid dragging ordinary people into the fighting, and so we hadn’t resupplied since then; apparently there was no food left inside the boat either.

『There aren’t any fish in the lake or the sea, are there?』

『No, we looked around too, but there’s nothing.』

I asked if there were maybe fish or something in the inner lake or sea, but the answer came back the same.

I caught a deer nearby and tossed it inside first, then went in briefly to check the inner ecosystem, and I realized something.

There was water and earth, an artificial sun and an artificial sea, but there wasn’t a single living creature, and to make Dokmul-hyang run properly, we needed to fill it with life.

‘I’d have been in big trouble if I’d found this out later.’

Master had probably thought that with this much, living things would be able to survive, and constructed the Peach Garden Map this way.

But at this rate, it was obvious that it would soon become a place where living things couldn’t survive.

He was an ancient person without modern knowledge, so he’d clearly thought that as long as there were the five kinds of yin-and-yang energies, it would be fine, but to properly run this kind of closed ecosystem, living creatures were indispensable.

This was, in other words, an artificial ecosystem.

Something like a paludarium or an ecosphere.

A paludarium was an aquarium ecosystem half water, half land, and an ecosphere was that famous spherical ecosystem from NASA made to last years on nothing but shrimp and algae—both terms meant artificially created ecosystems.

And in such artificial ecosystems, the most important things were the proper producers, decomposers, and consumers.

You had to artificially create a system where nature could circulate.

For example, now that the trees and grasses had become real trees and grasses, the leaves would fall and pile up, and if earthworms didn’t break them down into organic matter, the fallen leaves would pile up endlessly.

It sounded simple, but that could cause all kinds of problems.

Like the rotting leaves generating methane indefinitely and raising the internal temperature.

So we needed animals.

On my way to the Tang Clan, I started scooping up every creature I saw and tossing it inside.

“Fish too... Can I put all the space from around here inside? Oh, I can!”

Flies too... Oh, that’s a boar family? Toss them in too! Should I add bears and tigers and wolves? If I do that, I’ll need to put in prey animals too, like deer and goats and sheep.”

***

“So if we don’t ascend, are you saying Hwa-eun could die?”

“Yes, Father-in-law.”

“Heh...”

“S-so... that means the two of them have to part like this?”

“No. A way has come up for them to ascend together...”

When I arrived at the Tang Clan and finished a rough explanation, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law both looked shocked.

No wonder—they’d apparently thought I would be ascending alone.

I was about to explain that part in more detail when, before I could get to what ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) came after, both of them smiled and spoke.

“Then take Hwa-eun and go at once.”

“Yes, Son-in-law. Don’t worry about the clan.”

“Judging from the fact that you’ve come all this way to explain, it seems you were hesitating because of the clan. The clan can accept an adopted heir, so don’t worry and go.”

They didn’t even take a second to think before they spoke to me so warmly.

No matter how important the clan was, they were saying their daughter and son-in-law came first.

It made me think once again that I hadn’t been wrong back then to decide to become a member of the Sacheon Tang Clan.

With that thought, I presented my plan.

“Father-in-law, in that case, there is something I’d like to say.”

“Something you’d like to say?”

“If we just leave like this, the direct line will be completely cut off, won’t it?”

“That’s true, but I told you not to worry about that. The clan can take in an adopted heir.”

“Yes, Son-in-law.”

“No, that’s not what I meant...”

But before I could go on to explain that there was another way, Father-in-law spoke firmly.

“If it’s some other idea, don’t even bring it up. They say in the martial world that children ought to be sacrificed for the clan if need be, but the only other way I see is to leave behind a pregnant Hwa-eun, or leave behind the child, and how could I let them be parted like that?

I refuse to do that, so the two of you just leave at once.”

Apparently Father-in-law had thought I was considering leaving behind a pregnant Hwa-eun and going alone, or leaving only the child and going.

“That’s not it. Even if we take in an adopted heir, in the end they’re still only an adopted heir. So I’ve thought of a good idea...”

“A way that doesn’t mean leaving behind Hwa-eun or the child, and also doesn’t involve taking an adopted heir?”

“Yes, Father-in-law.”

At my explanation, Father-in-law tilted his head.

As far as he was concerned, he couldn’t even imagine what I was about to suggest.

Smiling, I continued.

“So that the clan won’t suffer even if we leave, how about having Mother-in-law bear another descendant?”

“Hm? What was that?”

“Eh? Oh my goodness.”

The two of them jumped in surprise.

Father-in-law and Mother-in-law spoke in flustered tones.

“Your Mother-in-law can’t bear children anymore. Ahem.”

“S-Son-in-law, after I had Hwa-eun, I couldn’t have any more children... It’s impossible.”

As expected, they said the same thing I already knew, and I replied with an expression telling them not to worry.

“I know that too, but if we put Mother-in-law through Rebirth Transformation, it solves everything.”

“Rebirth Transformation?”

“R-Rebirth Transformation?”

At the word Rebirth Transformation, the two of them widened their eyes and looked at each other, and I nodded as I went on.

“If you revert from old age to youth through Rebirth Transformation, Mother-in-law will be able to bear children again. Then even if we leave, there won’t be any problem with continuing the clan’s line, will there?

You’ll be lonely with us gone, of course, but if a younger brother-in-law or sister-in-law is born, they’ll be some comfort too. I’ve gained the skill to get someone to the Flower Realm quickly.”

“Heh...”

“Oh my...”

The two of them looked extremely bewildered, and after a moment, they spoke almost at the same time.

“No, we really don’t have to go that far. An adopted heir should be more than enough...”

“A child at my age... How embarrassing.”

In other words, they weren’t all that keen on the idea.

Smiling, I said,

“Then should we forget it?”

Their reactions split.

“Yes, Son-in-law, there’s no need to use your skill...”

“Ah, no. In that case, I’ll muster my strength for the clan’s sake. Thank you, Son-in-law.”

“No, dear, think this over one more time...”

“No. My mind is made up.”

It was obvious Father-in-law was flustered, while Mother-in-law was lightly licking her lips, looking like she thought this was a stroke of good fortune.

It really did seem clear that Hwa-eun had inherited her temperament from Mother-in-law, and I gave Father-in-law some good news as well.

That Rebirth Transformation wasn’t just for Mother-in-law; it came as a set.

[Father-in-law, please don’t worry too much. I’ll put you through Rebirth Transformation as well.]

But Father-in-law’s trembling transmitted voice followed.

[You’re misunderstanding something. It’s not that your Mother-in-law can’t have children. It’s my vital energy that’s been drained dry... Ha...

As a man, having a problem like that is shameful, especially as Clan Head, and I brought it on myself, so she’s just been saying she can’t have any more children.]

[Huuuuuh!]

At his words, I was completely stunned.

It seemed Mother-in-law’s desire for Rebirth Transformation had a completely different motive.

The heir was just an excuse, and it looked like she wanted to go back to a fresh, vigorous body and squeeze Father-in-law dry again.

Just how hard did she squeeze him to drain his vital energy and turn him into a seedless watermelon?

I decided I’d have to be careful with Hwa-eun too, and first silently offered up a prayer for him.

‘But at least the clan’s line won’t be cut off, right?’

One way or another, the clan was safe, wasn’t it?