Chapter Twenty-Nine: Eat and Sleep?

After repeatedly reminding Xuanxuan not to let Zhanyu get close, Xuanxuan thought about the braised pork in the kitchen and nodded obediently. Muo Lianhao felt an increasing sense of crisis—his daughter was still so young, yet there were already men eyeing her. He decided he had to step up his efforts to protect her.

If Zhanyu knew, he would have been utterly exasperated. Your precious daughter is still a chubby, milk-scented child—aren’t you worrying a bit too early?

Only after receiving his daughter’s nod did Muo Lianhao carry Xuanxuan back to the living room, instructing Yiqiong to bring the prepared dishes to the table.

As soon as Xuanxuan sat at the table, she buried herself in the meat.

Zhanyu watched Xuanxuan eat with such speed that he realized he might have misunderstood Muo Lianhao. Just how much did this girl love meat? No wonder she was so plump—cute, certainly, but perhaps a little too much so.

Muo Lianhao noticed Zhanyu’s gaze lingering on his daughter and snorted coldly. This man clearly harbored ill intentions toward his girl; he simply could not allow Xuanxuan to be around him.

Zhanyu was baffled by Muo Lianhao’s growing hostility. Was this really still about the time he accidentally tore the girl’s clothes? Wasn’t Muo Lianhao supposed to be broad-minded? Perhaps the rumors about his magnanimity were just that—rumors. After all, hearsay can turn a lie into truth; it seemed the stories were not to be trusted.

Xuanxuan, of course, had no idea what the two men before her were thinking. She simply felt her father's cooking was getting better and better. Perhaps she was here precisely because her new father was such a good cook.

Muo Lianhao was both worried and content. There was nothing more satisfying than having his daughter enjoy his cooking. Yet, at the rate she was putting on weight, was it really alright for her to eat so much? Still, even as she ate meat, his daughter looked utterly adorable. Glancing at the ever-present Zhanyu, he thought, “How oblivious. We're eating, yet he’s still lingering here. Did you forget you were the one who invited him?”

“It’s just a simple home-cooked meal; I’m afraid you’re being treated too simply.”

Zhanyu was taken aback and replied, “No, your cooking is excellent.”

He was being sincere. His own family was a traditional Huaxia lineage, with deep knowledge of Huaxia cuisine. His grandmother was the epitome of the traditional Huaxia woman—gentle, gracious, equally adept in the kitchen and the drawing room. Her Huaxia dishes were superb, and she used to say it was family tradition; once he married, his wife would need to learn from her as well.

His memory of his mother was vague, but he remembered she excelled at making desserts.

Muo Lianhao’s Huaxia cooking was only a shade less impressive than his grandmother’s. It was truly excellent.

Muo Lianhao, slightly surprised, wondered why his polite remark had made Zhanyu so emotional.

He wiped his daughter's mouth and said, “Young Master Zhan, you’re too kind. Thank you for your help with our return to the Imperial Capital.”

So, you finally remembered he was here to help you.

“No need to be so formal. The Zhan and Muo families have always been allies,” Zhanyu replied earnestly.

Muo Lianhao smiled as well. Zhanyu, like himself, was a leading figure of their generation. Zhanyu’s abilities were undeniable, and Muo Lianhao was well aware of the situation between their families. An alliance was certainly the best outcome. “You’ve grown even more formidable after your time in the Black Domain.”

Muo Lianhao could discern Zhanyu’s abilities at a glance—his spiritual strength had reached S-rank, his physical skills were at A-rank and seemed poised for another breakthrough.

Zhanyu nodded seriously. “I’m still not your equal, but I look forward to sparring with you again.”

Muo Lianhao laughed. “I’m more than ten years your senior. At your age, I didn’t possess your abilities.”

It was true he was over ten years older, but as for not being this strong at the same age, Zhanyu didn’t believe it. Everyone knew the most brilliant genius of the Federation was Muo Lianhao, though none had expected him to leave the Imperial Capital at the height of his rise. Zhanyu truly admired him. “You’re too modest.”

Before Muo Lianhao could reply, Xuanxuan patted the table, signaling she was done eating. Their conversation was exhausting to listen to; she rolled her eyes, unladylike.

Muo Lianhao picked her up, nodded apologetically to Zhanyu, and asked Xuanxuan, “What is it?”

Since she had already spoken, Xuanxuan decided to be straightforward. “I’m sleepy.”

She really was—being small made her prone to drowsiness.

Zhanyu was startled. Eat, then sleep? This girl ate and slept so well, no wonder she was so chubby.

Muo Lianhao sighed, ruffling Xuanxuan’s hair. “You can’t sleep right after eating.”

Thinking back to her earlier embarrassment on the sofa, Xuanxuan finally realized she couldn’t keep eating and sleeping in an endless cycle—otherwise, she’d never be able to get up.

She considered it: her body wasn’t yet strong, unable to burn much energy. Perhaps she should look into some techniques for cultivating martial energy?

“Xuanxuan, now that we’re back in the Imperial Capital, you’ll need to start physical training. Otherwise, you’ll stay chubby forever.” He smiled at her thoughtful expression, thinking it was time his daughter began practicing martial arts.

Though it would be tough, it would give her some ability to protect herself and curb her weight gain—not a bad thing.

Zhanyu felt conflicted. He had started training at the age of two, since he came from a family of martial artists. But this girl—she was five or six and hadn’t started yet? And she was being told to train in order to lose weight?

Xuanxuan’s eyes lit up. “Is it hard?”

She remembered that cultivating martial energy was difficult. It was an external practice, very demanding. Her teacher in her previous life had never taught her, knowing her body wasn’t suited for it.

But in this life, after using the “Heaven-defying” technique, she felt her constitution had improved. If she could now cultivate martial energy, it would grant her greater strength, which would benefit her alchemy—especially in weapon forging, where her weakness had always been a lack of understanding of a warrior’s abilities.

If she could now practice martial energy, it would be a great help in refining weapons.

Muo Lianhao was taken aback, then patted Xuanxuan’s head with a smile. “How can you be afraid of hardship when learning martial arts?”

He had begun training at just over two years old, never missing a day. People called him a genius, but who knew the effort he’d put in?

Without hard work, where does success come from?

Xuanxuan stifled a small yawn. Hardship, huh? She’d have to consider it—she wondered which was easier and more useful, martial energy or physical training.

In fact, Xuanxuan was mistaken. On the Mata Continent, martial energy was external and thus very arduous.

But in the Federation, physical training was both internal and external. There were schools focusing solely on external or internal training, but those were rare.

Physical training was originally a legacy from Huaxia, where it was first known as martial arts. There were internal and external practices. But many in the Federation were not of Huaxia descent, and since martial arts originated there, many people’s bodies were not suited for internal cultivation. Most could only practice external skills with some supplementary internal training.

Due to the great migration, few internal cultivation techniques remained, so now only a few great families possessed authentic Huaxia martial arts. The rest used only simple, introductory methods, mainly external.

The Muo family, while not possessing the top internal techniques, was still far from lacking.

Practicing internal martial arts required the greatest perseverance—and perseverance was one thing Xuanxuan had in abundance.

Douya still wants to roll around and beg for your favorites and recommendations.

By the way, everyone—ps: recommending a book by Catcat for b00kid 22, “Rebirth: Seeking the Fox Lord.”