Ancient Strengthening Technique AST 2453 - Qing Shui, Tantai Lingyan, Qing Tan

AST 2453 - Qing Shui, Tantai Lingyan, Qing Tan
There was a pond in the manor. Due to its small size, it could really only be called a pond. The water inside was clear and the fish were swimming under the aquatic plants. There was a willow next to the pond that wasn't big but could cover about one-fifth of the pond.
Qing Shui stood under a tree, a little out of sorts as he pondered over many things. There were people he missed, people he had passed by, and people who were no longer human.
Suddenly, he sensed a familiar aura. He turned his head in disbelief and saw Tantai Lingyan, who wasn't standing far away from him.
Her plain snow-white clothes couldn't hide her beautiful figure with soft curves. Her beautiful face had the beauty that could cause the fall of countries and cities, with a hint of sacredness amidst the coolness. It made it hard for one to think of her as a Demon Lord.
Her beautiful brows seemed very soft and relaxed. Her beautiful face had no makeup on but had the rosy glow as if the morning sun was reflected against the white snow. She had the beauty of a goddess and a wonderful figure. Her shoulders were sharp like blades, and the arch before her chest was breathtaking. Her waist seemed to be smooth as silk, and her slender figure was beautiful like a great jade carving masterpiece.
She was as beautiful as ever, so much so that Qing Shui unconsciously spaced out. However, what surprised Qing Shui the most was that she was carrying an exquisite looking little girl in her arms who was like a porcelain doll. Judging from her age and that distant feeling, Qing Shui quickly understood that this was their daughter.
Qing Shui was stunned. To think that she had become pregnant from that. If it had happened in Qing Shui's previous life, he wouldn't find it strange. If it had been a few years ago when he was weaker, he wouldn't find it strange either. However, with how strong the two of them had become, it was simply unbelievable that they could have a child.
"Mother, is he Father?" The lass' childish voice sounded very pleasant. She had seen Qing Shui's portrait many times and could recognize him very quickly.
Qing Shui regained his senses and quickly appeared before them; he put his hands out, and embraced them. "Lingyan, it has been tough on you."
"The lass was insistent on looking for you, so I came," Tantai Lingyan smiled and said.
Qing Shui was happy upon hearing that. Her smile was a true smile at the mention of the lass.
"Did you miss me?" Qing Shui smiled and asked.
"I didn't!" Tantai Lingyan said outright.
Qing Shui rubbed his nose and put down Tantai Lingyan. He extended his arms to carry their daughter. He said, "She looks like you! I'm so happy. So this is our daughter. What's her name?"
Qing Shui was very agitated. His body trembled slightly and he gave the lass a kiss.
"This is our daughter. Lass." Qing Shui tossed Qing Tan and then caught her in his arms, causing the lass to chuckle.
The little girl chuckled and wrapped her arms around Qing Shui's neck affectionately. She enjoyed Qing Shui's aura and liked that they didn’t behave distant to each other at all. It was as if this wasn't the first time they had met. She had a spirit body—the Xiantian spirit body.
"Qing Tan. If you don't like it, you can give her another one," Tantai Lingyan replied softly.
"That's a great name! I like it a lot." Qing Shui looked at Tantai Lingyan and sensed that she had changed a little. If it had been before, she wouldn't be like this. Now, she gave off a feeling as if she thought a lot for herself now.
"Qing Shui, I've recalled many things." Tantai Lingyan looked at Qing Shui with a complicated gaze.
Upon hearing her words, Qing Shui was overjoyed. However, after seeing her complicated expression, he knew that she had thought through something a lot. He took her hand, "Don't think so much. Things are constantly moving in a better direction. Don't you think so?"
"Are you angry at me?"
"No. I'm only sad that I've made you go through so much. How do you feel now? Are things better?"
"I'm now very happy and satisfied." Tantai Lingyan smiled and took Qing Tan's little hand.
Qing Shui knew that their daughter had changed her a lot. She had carried their daughter for ten months and could protect her even at the risk of her life without any hesitation.
Just then, the two ladies walked over. When they saw Tantai Lingyan, they doubted their eyes for a moment. At that moment, their expressions both seemed to be a little strange.
"Hello," Tantai Lingyan smiled and greeted them.
"Lingyan, you've recovered!" Beihuang Fan exclaimed in surprise and then looked at Qing Shui. When she saw him carrying a little girl, she was even more surprised.
"Aunty! Hello!" The lass chuckled.
Beihuang Fan smiled and said, "This lass looks really clever."
As she said that, she carried Qing Tan in her arms and pinched her tender face.
"Alright, that's enough. Do you guys still hate me?" Tantai Lingyan had never dared to think back on the situation when she had hurt Qing Shui.
She had been through some changes. If it wasn't because she had left Qing Shui previously, she wouldn't be able to accept the fact that she had hurt him. Although she still felt very guilty, upset, and in pain, she could now finally face the truth head on. It could have been due to the fact that she had the lass and also because so much time had passed.
"What are your plans now? Are you going to come back?" Shen Huang smiled and said. She felt that it was hard for Tantai Lingyan to come back. She knew of Tantai Lingyan's mission and it wouldn't be so easy for her to return.
"I won't be able to come back. If I knew this, I wouldn't have left back then." Tantai Lingyan shook her head.
"There's no escaping some things. It's fine if you can't come back. The two of you already have a little girl. She has a Xiantian spirit body and in the future, she might be able to merge the Divine Palace and the Demon Gate together," Beihuang Fan smiled and said.
To be honest, if they were strong enough, that wouldn’t be impossible to achieve. Before absolute strength, everything else was just an illusion. Anything was possible.
"You ladies have a chat first. I'll go prepare some food and we'll have a meal together later." Qing Shui looked at the sky and then said.
A table of sumptuous food was quickly prepared. The lass was the star of the show that day and everyone surrounded her, chatting happily. The atmosphere was very relaxed. The two ladies liked the lass a lot and Tantai Lingyan was very joyful as well. It was rare for her to feel like this. She had her memories back and it felt especially warm here.
She very much wanted to stay, and to ignore that mission she had. However, this was how humans were like. They couldn't do things just because they wanted to. Even though she really wanted to stay, she wouldn't feel good by ignoring everything else and staying behind.
Everyone understood, and thus didn't bring this up.
"Father, this is really delicious!" The lass' mouth was filled with grease as she said happily.
She sat in Qing Shui's lap, occasionally saying "Father, I want to eat this. I want to eat that..."
At night, Beihuang Fan and Shen Huang didn't stay with Qing Shui but instead, left the time for Tantai Lingyan and Qing Shui. They didn't know what the situation between Qing Shui and Tantai Lingyan was like, and they didn't have the time to ask. They had no idea how the two of them had a daughter, but inferring from Qing Tan's age, they were able to tell the time. However, they realized that during that period, Qing Shui was practically with them all the time...
The lass had gotten close with the two ladies and followed them to check out the night market.
Qing Shui knew what the two ladies were thinking and smiled bitterly. He felt very touched by what these ladies, who had the beauty of goddesses, were doing this for him.
Tantai Lingyan could guess their intentions as well but she wasn't able to put her mind at ease.
Qing Shui walked over and sat next to her. Her light fragrance made him very intoxicated. There was a faint blush on her cold and graceful face. Her heartbeat was accelerated and she lowered her head slightly, not daring to look at Qing Shui.
"Lingyan!" Qing Shui took her beautiful hand. It felt very soft and tender.
"Mmmm!"
She didn't resist Qing Shui. It could be because of their daughter. They already had a daughter between them. Furthermore, she had also recovered her memories. Even though she knew what was going to happen, she didn't show any resistance at all. She realized that she had already accepted him.
Qing Shui tugged her hand gently and Tantai Lingyan fell into his embrace. As her soft figure fell into his arms, Qing Shui realized that his heartbeat had gotten faster.