Chapter 19: Third Grade of Ink Profundity

Damn! You’ve got to be kidding me. How did the Ming Estate’s people find us here so quickly?

Ming Xi’s expression tightened instantly. She knew full well that this bunch from the Ming Estate had no intention of letting her go.

"Listen, father of my child, this situation is all on you! You’re at the third level of the Ink Profound stage, right? Those people are at best at the Green or Purple Profound stage; they’re no match for you!" Ming Xi looked at Shi Zhiyan with an innocent face. Compared to Shi Zhiyan, the strength of the Ming Estate’s lackeys was not even worth mentioning, but for Ming Xi... these people were absolutely lethal!

"Stop calling me 'father of your child'!" Shi Zhiyan exploded the moment he heard that. If he let her keep calling him that, wouldn't his dignity be shattered into dust?

"Godfather! You have to help us! I’m sure you can beat them! If we get dragged back by the Ming Estate people, we’ll definitely be beaten to death!" Little Tong also chimed in, stretching out his small hand to tug at Shi Zhiyan’s lapels, his words filled with entreaty. Three black lines appeared on Shi Zhiyan’s forehead.

Even Little Tong had completely accepted this relationship... It seemed he wouldn't be able to shake off this ridiculous label after all!

*You little brat, you’re ruthless!*

"...Stay here and don't move. I’ll go deal with those death-wishers." Seeing that Shi Zhiyan had finally agreed, Little Tong nodded, overjoyed. "Godfather is the best! By the way, Godfather, do we need to hide?"

"No need, because those people won't even be able to step through this door alive!"

With that, Shi Zhiyan snatched a writing brush from the desk and walked out to meet them. Pushing open the heavy doors, he saw a large group of people and their spirit beasts gathered at his doorstep. "Kid, you’d better be sensible! Hand over Ming Xi right now! We all saw you rescue her yesterday, so don't even think about denying it! Out of respect for Prince Lian, if you hand her over now, we promise not to make things difficult for you. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Shi Zhiyan replied coldly, looking entirely composed. "I’d advise you to get this straight: this is my home, not some place you can just barge into. If you take one more step forward, I won't be so polite." As he spoke, he brandished his brush, preparing for battle.

"You brat, you choose the hard way, don't you? Men, get him! Release the beasts!"

As soon as the order was given, a swarm of spirit beasts lunged forward. Shi Zhiyan curled his lips into a faint smile, waved his brush, and inscribed a talisman in the air. The sigil shimmered, emitting a blinding light.

The very next second, the spiritual energy of those beasts began to be drained away by the talisman, and their power levels plummeted!

"What?!" The men outside were stunned! Beyond their shock and heartbreak, they were struck by the realization that this Shi Zhiyan possessed such terrifying, wicked arts!

Only when the spirit beasts’ energy was nearly drained dry did Shi Zhiyan stop. He sneered with disdain, "Although I haven't reached the Sky Profound realm yet, I am at least at the third level of the Ink Profound stage within the Human Profound realm. Do you pathetic excuses for cultivators really think you can go up against me? Tired of living, are you?!"

The beasts collapsed to the ground, whimpering and unable to move. The guards from the Ming Estate were paralyzed by the sharpness of Shi Zhiyan’s gaze and began to retreat, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

Inside the house, Little Tong was speechless. He finally understood why that Spirit-Devouring Beast had vanished without a trace the moment Shi Zhiyan had revealed his talisman last night!

"I never realized Godfather was so powerful!" Little Tong exclaimed as he watched the Ming Estate men retreat in a disheveled panic, dragging their beasts away.

"Of course! Your mother’s judgment is never wrong. Even though this guy is a bit slow in the head, he’s rich, handsome, powerful, and has a good temper. If we let someone like this slip through our fingers, we’d be total idiots!" At the thought of this, Ming Xi couldn't help but feel smug.

"So... did Mother really sleep with him last night?" Little Tong asked, tilting his head in confusion as he stared at Ming Xi.

Ming Xi froze. She hadn't realized her innocent-looking son understood so much!

"Sleep with him? Don't be ridiculous! Can’t you tell I was just milking him for all he’s worth? I lay on him on purpose last night! If I don't latch onto a wealthy benefactor like him, how are we going to afford roasted chicken in the future? But you did a good job, son; your coordination was perfect! Didn't I tell you? You can't get anywhere in life by just following the rules; you have to learn to adapt to the situation. Remember?"

"Little Tong remembers!"

As they spoke, a familiar voice cut in. "What kind of profound life lessons are you two discussing?"

Ming Xi looked up in shock to see that Shi Zhiyan had already returned to the room.

"You finished that so quickly?" Ming Xi asked hurriedly.

"Obviously. The beasts were knocked back to the first level; what else could they do but retreat?" Shi Zhiyan said, putting away his talisman with ease. "As for the spiritual energy I just absorbed, I’ll take it to an alchemist later and have it refined into pills for Bai Ling. It should help boost its level."

"Ugh, what’s the point of feeding it to that thing? No matter how much it levels up, it’s just a pet cat. Bai Ling isn't cut out for combat," Ming Xi sighed helplessly.

To her surprise, Shi Zhiyan simply shook his head and smiled. "That’s where you’re wrong."

"Huh?" Ming Xi blinked, looking at him in confusion.

He continued, "There is no such thing as a spirit beast without combat potential; there are only... masters who don't know how to command them."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Why did Ming Xi feel like he was insulting her?

"Nothing much. I just think that perhaps the way to use Bai Ling is different from normal spirit beasts, but it is definitely not useless. Just like you—perhaps something went awry within your body, but that doesn't mean... you are destined to have no connection to spirit beast taming in this life!"