Experiencing Qi deviation during cultivation is something Lin Miao has never encountered; beyond symptoms of partial paralysis, he sees nothing else right now.

Seeing no one, he can’t guarantee anything.

But how did this Baili Yuyao find him? Unless Si Miaoxue told her, how else would she know he understands medicine?

Si Miaoxue brought her right in front of him, clearly wanting him to help; she must have her own intentions.

"Miss Baili, I need to meet your mother in person and diagnose her before I can determine whether I can treat her," Lin Miao said solemnly.

"So, when is brother-in-law available?"

"Well, I have to go to Yingfeng Valley tomorrow; wait until I return," Lin Miao glanced at Si Miaoxue and said.

"Alright, I’ll make arrangements as soon as brother-in-law returns," Baili Yuyao said with gratitude.

"Young madam, Miss Si, the dinner is ready!" Mrs. Qiao came in from outside and reported.

"Then let’s eat, Miss Baili, please!" Lin Miao invited, since it was mealtime, he should of course invite the guest to dine together.

A small round table seated six people, five beauties—each with her own charm—leaving Lin Miao the only man.

There was an indescribable feeling of being surrounded by flowers.

Sun Youwei and Si Miaoxue sat on either side of Lin Miao, while at the table, Baili Yuyao constantly observed Lin Miao and the relationship between him and the other four women.

He seemed closest with his senior sister, his gaze overtly filled with indulgence and care; with Si Miaoxue, he was also close, personally serving her food without minding if she served him, though the affection in his gaze was slightly less.

The twins named Lianxin and Liansuo appeared rather unfamiliar, but it was clear their status was lower than Sun Youwei and Si Miaoxue...

Apart from Si Miaoxue, the other women’s eyebrows hadn’t relaxed; they all seemed to be unmarried maidens.

"Mr. Lin, I’ll see Yuyao off," after dinner, Baili Yuyao took her leave, and Si Miaoxue rose to send her off.

"Okay." Lin Miao nodded.

...

The sutras brought back from Heaven-Reaching Temple, except for the ones handwritten by Jing Hui, weren’t intended to be brought back to Dongshan City; he planned to store them at "Lin’s" until Yingfeng Valley was constructed, and then hide them over there.

In his planning and design, he planned to build a huge library in Yingfeng Valley—books being the source of human wisdom and growth.

As a book lover himself, he’d take the opportunity to collect rare books, including martial arts manuals, and store them there.

The construction in Yingfeng Valley was designed with the Su Family’s help, naturally incorporating many of Lin Miao’s requirements and suggestions.

The approach was to design and build concurrently.

After all, if they waited for a complete design before building, time would be too tight because he might need to leave for Li Jing in two years.

He needed the construction completed before heading to Li Jing.

Therefore, on his return from Qingping Town to Dongshan, he’d detour to Li Hen City and Longchuan Canyon.

He needed to finalize matters here.

Tomorrow he’ll visit Yingfeng Valley for another onsite inspection, as he still doesn’t know what it’ll look like after cleaning up.

Yingfeng Valley was an excellent place; previously, no one paid attention when the giant serpents were present, simply because no one dared confront them.

Now that the serpents have been eliminated, someone might covet Yingfeng Valley. But according to the customary rules of Longchuan Canyon:

Whoever eliminates the beasts in the territory owns the vacated area unless they publicly renounce it.

So the Yingfeng Valley now belongs to Lin Miao.

Claiming Yingfeng Valley and building a fortress there is his right; any attempt to seize it would be met with deadly force.

Thus, Si Miaoxue needs to oversee Yingfeng Valley and cannot leave casually; with Si Miaoxue absent, Yue Wu is stationed there.

Someone of lower Meridian Passage Realm can handle most disturbances unless faced with a master surpassing Yue Wu in cultivation.

Typically, the various factions don’t initiate disputes as they fear being devoured or weakened and subsequently exploited by others.

The powers within Longchuan Canyon aren’t fools; Lin Miao’s ability to take down two giant serpents suggests formidable power.

Who would dare risk provoking him and face possible annihilation?

Yingfeng Valley, though nice, is just a valley—a mere place with perhaps good feng shui but no underground minerals—a blank slate; what’s the point of fighting over it?

So, currently, Yingfeng Valley is safe.

Within Longchuan Canyon, building houses typically uses local materials; purchasing construction materials from outside is too costly, with transport expense being overwhelming.

It’s feasible to build brick kilns for brick-making, quarry stones, and chop wood for timber here.

On this trip, Lin Miao also intends to solve problems for the construction team, such as how to increase the efficiency of quarrying.

The current quarrying efficiency is very low; common workers lack efficiency, while hiring martial artists, although faster, dramatically increases costs.

Of course, Li Hen City doesn’t lack martial artists; as long as the price is right, many are willing to do the job, at least life is guaranteed.

Lin Miao’s silver doesn’t just blow in with the wind; he needs to consider cost-effectiveness.

Therefore, he needs to come up with gunpowder, which would greatly enhance the efficiency of mountain opening and stone quarrying.

Saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur are abundant in this world; logically, someone should have invented gunpowder.

Wasn’t the ancient Chinese invention of gunpowder brought about by alchemists? This world also has a lineage of alchemy.

Did they not discover the explosive potential of these three substances combined, or did they discover it but fail to control the formula due to instability?

It’s simply a matter of craftsmanship and purity.

If there are too many impurities, the gunpowder might just make a sound without much explosive power, or require a large quantity, making costs uncontrollable.

Of course, if gunpowder falls into the hands of the common people, it might pose a threat to martial artists, so it’s likely to be banned.

Making gunpowder is quite dangerous.

Experiments can’t be conducted in densely populated areas; they need to be done in open spaces, and Yingfeng Valley is currently a very suitable place.

Knock, knock!

A knock on the door interrupted Lin Miao’s thoughts. He looked up to see Si Miaoxue leaning languidly against the door frame, her enchanting eyes filled with emotion, with a glimpse of her voluptuous chest threatening to tear through her clothes, casting him a glance full of burning passion.

"What, have you learned to knock?" Lin Miao smiled slightly. Truth be told, he had missed her too; once certain things begin, they’re like a floodgate being opened, impossible to block.

It had been almost a month since they last touched, and not only had Si Miaoxue long been unable to bear it, but he was also missing her intensely. It’s nothing but human nature.

The union of yin and yang is the great way of human relationships, the supreme principle of heaven and earth, in alignment with the way of heaven.

At Lin Miao’s teasing, a faint mist rose in Si Miaoxue’s eyes, and she directly lunged forward, her red lips pressing onto his.

She had never imagined that she would be so captivated by a man, the kind of days spent in longing every night were truly difficult to endure.

"Mr. Lin, come to my room..." After the passionate kiss, Si Miaoxue murmured heavily, biting Lin Miao’s earlobe.

"Alright, my darling Miaoxue."

"Mr. Lin, what did you call me?" Si Miaoxue’s entire body was flushed, her voice trembling.

"Darling..."

Si Miaoxue’s room was in another yard, separated by one more yard from where Sun Youwei rested—her deliberate arrangement.

Thus, there was no need to worry about making too much noise and disturbing others’ peaceful dreams.

However, Lianxin and Liansuo, the two sisters, were unfortunate; their room was only separated by a wall. Martial artists inherently have keen senses, and these two sisters were gifted from a young age, stronger than ordinary people, leaving them tossing and turning, unable to rest.

"Sis, this Si Miaoxue is so shameless, seducing the gentleman brazenly. Doesn’t she worry about him being overwhelmed?" Liansuo finally couldn’t hold back, voicing her complaint.

"Silly girl, though the gentleman agreed to take us as concubines, he hasn’t taken any action. Are you the one who can’t bear it anymore?" Lianxin was comparatively steadier than her sister. Though she had thoughts, she wouldn’t easily show them.

Both she and Liansuo were twenty years old, long past the age of marriage, so they understood what needed to be understood.

They had some understanding of Si Miaoxue’s identity, but there were things beyond their control. Given the choice between Lin Miao and Yuwen Hu, they’d rather choose Lin Miao.

Of course, it wasn’t that there weren’t excellent male disciples in the Snow Mountain Sect for them to choose, but selecting a partner is truly about fate and attraction at first sight.

No matter how excellent someone is, if you don’t see eye to eye with them, it’s of no use.

Why do lazy men always get beautiful wives? The emotions between genders cannot be explained by logic.

Their task when descending the mountain was to protect the safety of Lin Miao and his senior sister Sun Youwei. Inevitably, they were drawn to him, and the Snow Mountain Sect’s top management also intended to enhance the familial bonds between the two families. A marriage alliance was undoubtedly the fastest and most effective method.

Uncle Bai Feng had already discussed it with them on behalf of the sect; they had not opposed it, and Lin Miao had agreed.

Thus, this matter was essentially settled.

"Sis, don’t you want to, in two more years we’ll be twenty-two," Liansuo asked with a pout.

"Silly girl, if you’re restless, don’t drag me along..."

"Sis, don’t forget, we two are twin sisters, and we have a psychic connection. You can feel what I do; we have opportunities here, but once we go back, it won’t be easy..." Liansuo giggled.

"Silly girl, are you so eager to climb into the gentleman’s bed?" Lianxin laughed and scolded.

"Our mother gave birth to us when she was only eighteen. We are twenty now; according to the grassland’s customs, we should have been married and had children long ago. If you are twenty without having children, you’ll be looked down upon."

"That’s on the grassland; here in the Da Li Dynasty, it’s different. Plenty of people get married at twenty," Lianxin said.

"Sis, you say Si Miaoxue always calls out so loudly; is it pain or pleasure?" Liansuo moved closer to her sister’s ear and asked quietly.

"I don’t know. I haven’t tried it," Lianxin closed her eyes, choosing to turn a blind eye.

"I’d like to try..." Liansuo lifted her head, her eyes glinting with a hint of light.

Lianxin opened her eyes, looking at her sister.