Chapter 28: Spiritual Food

Qin Bi felt restless and felt an outburst coming on.

With no other choice, she took out some medicinal pills and swallowed them.

Rong Yan hesitated for a moment before saying, "If I may be so bold, I should call you 'Elder Sister-in-law'."

Qin Bi glanced at the cautious Rong Yan and had already guessed it. "I know."

Rong Yan was shocked. "Did the Heir tell you?"

That couldn't be right. Judging by the Heir's manner, he had no intention of letting the Heir's Consort know. Rong Yan had been selected by Rong Jun from the younger generation of the clan because he was clever and reliable; he had been given benefits and was tasked with protecting Qin Bi during their training.

"I guessed," Qin Bi said. She wasn't brainless. "Your name is Rong Yan. In the Great Yan Kingdom, besides the direct line of the Prince Rong's Mansion, the Rong surname belongs to the collateral branches. For you to be training with us and in the same team—how could such a coincidence exist in this world?"

Rong Yan was astonished. In his impression, the Heir's Consort wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Don't mind what others say," Rong Yan said carefully. "You have risen in status through your child. Having a child makes you better off than some people. Those who have nothing to do with us just gossip behind your back."

If he hadn't said that, she would have been fine, but suddenly, a wave of sorrow washed over Qin Bi.

It was no use; Qin Bi couldn't stop herself and could only let the tears fall.

Thinking back to the beginning, she didn't care whether He Yan wanted to marry her or not, nor did she insist on marrying the Heir of a Duke's Mansion. But why was he being so overbearing that even a broken engagement couldn't be finalized? Since He Yan and Qin He liked each other, what was there to fear about a "wife-clashing" fate?

If she had insisted on marrying He Yan and accepted him taking a secondary wife at the same time, it would have been her own fault.

But she hadn't insisted on marrying him!

No, Qin Bi felt like she was going to explode with rage.

This was a heartache. Qin Bi was not naturally a good-tempered person; she had only restrained herself because she was a concubine's daughter. Now, thinking about the two times she had discussed marriage with He Yan, her heart felt like it was on fire, and she felt a hateful urge to hit someone.

Qin Bi cried, but even if Qin He's transmigration was successful, she couldn't be used as a foil.

What kind of nonsense was this!

The Qin Tang brothers felt uneasy watching her cry. Qin Lang approached Qin Bi cautiously and coaxed her, "Sister, don't cry. Once my cousins and I become strong, we will avenge you."

This was worse than saying nothing at all; Qin Bi was on the verge of wailing loudly.

The bystanders didn't know what was happening and assumed women were fragile, thinking she was crying because the training was too hard or exhausting. Mu Jun felt sorry for Qin Tang and the others, thinking that carrying such a burden would yield no gains and that this training session was likely a lost cause.

She was just a concubine's daughter; there was really no need to look after her.

"Useless," Mu Meng'er said disdainfully. "With this much strength, and she wants to cultivate immortality? In her dreams!"

Not far away, Zhang Sunrao let out a contemptuous smile.

Qin Bi knew her eyes would feel uncomfortable after a heavy cry. Qin Lang fetched some water, soaked a handkerchief, and wiped her face. Feeling the spiritual energy in the small space of the Monster Realm, Qin Bi decided to plant something before leaving as a way to give back.

As for what spiritual energy was? Qin Bi hadn't even entered the threshold yet, so she didn't know.

She drifted in and out of sleep until morning. Just as dawn broke, Qin Bi's sleepiness vanished completely. She simply called Qin Tang and the others to leave so they could hunt monsters; she knew that becoming stronger would be a gradual process.

The small space of the Monster Realm was vast, filled with parched, hardened soil and withered, sun-bleached plants.

After walking for a while, their throats grew dry. The bamboo tubes were filled with water, and Qin Lang drank very sparingly, worried they wouldn't have enough. If they didn't encounter someone with a water-element summoning artifact, they would have to endure thirst once the water ran out.

Qin Bi looked at the sky. "It won't rain, will it?"

Qin Lang put away his bamboo tube and laughed. "What are you thinking? How could it rain? Do you think it's like..."

Qin Lang wanted to say, *Do you think it's like when Qin He gave birth and it snowed heavily?* But the words caught in his throat, and he stopped himself just in time. Qin Bi pretended not to understand, and Qin Lang felt a small sense of relief.

Jiang Xu leaned closer to Rong Yan and whispered, "Is this the Heir's Consort of your Prince Rong Mansion?"

Rong Yan nodded without looking at him. "Yes. Watch your words in the future."

Jiang Xu knew exactly how heartbroken Qin Bi had been crying. He sighed; previously, since he didn't know her, he had sided with Qin He from the bottom of his heart, but now that they were training together, Jiang Xu found himself leaning toward Qin Bi's side.

But what could be done? Unless a concubine's daughter had extraordinary luck, she could only serve as a concubine for a great clan or marry into a merchant family. With Qin Bi's destiny, she had always been destined to be an Heir's Consort.

Jiang Xu smoothed his hair and said to Rong Yan, "No wonder you suddenly asked me to join the training."

It turned out the Heir had sought out Rong Yan, and naturally, Rong Yan had no reason to refuse.

Working for the Heir meant there would be no loss.

"It's a good thing I called you along," Rong Yan said, completely unfazed. "Otherwise, could you have such great fortune? Buying a single Spirit-Condensing Pill to stimulate your spiritual roots would be enough; if you didn't come training, you'd only be able to settle for a small portion of the family estate and move out of the mansion in the future."

Jiang Xu was a concubine's son; he wouldn't inherit much.

After walking for about half an hour, they discovered over a dozen monsters. They had beautiful fur adorned with brilliant agate. Both Qin Lang and Rong Yan's eyes lit up, and Qin Bi wanted some too.

Qin Tang observed that they were high-level Rank Lan monsters, which were relatively high-level for this small space. There were eleven of them, which was quite a large number, so Qin Tang planned to lead the group away.

Filled with pent-up anger, Qin Bi took out a tea bowl, summoned fireballs and lightning, and began smashing them coolly.

The monsters shrieked and cried out, trying to flee, only to be struck back by Qin Bi's lightning.

Qin Lang's mouth hung open; this combat power allowed her to fight across levels.

Qin Bi was just beginning her cultivation and hadn't gone to an immortal sect for assessment, but everyone knew that "beginning" meant starting from the basic level. Given the way Qin Bi was absolutely slaughtering them, she was definitely not at a basic level of combat power.

With high combat power and powerful artifacts, one could kill monsters of a higher level.

Jiang Xu and Rong Yan were startled, realizing Qin Bi was venting her anger. Rong Yan quickly intervened, "The monsters are all dead."

Qin Bi wasn't so foolish as to waste her artifacts. She put away the tea bowl and walked toward the battlefield where the craters had been smashed. She first glanced at the monsters, and Qin Lang let out a joyful shout.

Hmm?

Qin Bi picked up a round object and peeled off the skin. Her eyes widened. Sweet potatoes? These were sweet potatoes growing in the Monster Realm's small space; they were considered spiritual food, which Rong Yan loved to eat.

Qin Bi hurriedly began picking them up. She hadn't intended to make a scene, but as she dug into the soil, she found the sweet potatoes were growing close together. There were more after digging, and even more after that. If she stayed quiet, people would think she was blind.

"Rong Yan," Qin Bi asked, holding a sweet potato, "is this spiritual food?"

Rong Yan was busy dragging the monsters. Hearing this, he stared at the sweet potato in Qin Bi's hand, his eyes widening more and more until he even began to stutter. "Yes, yes, yes. Most crops in the Monster Realm's small space are spiritual food."

Qin Bi was not one to be polite. She said, "I'll take these sweet potatoes back to feed the children."

Rong Yan and the others didn't argue at all; they each looked like uncultured bumpkins who had never seen the world, digging up sweet potatoes and staring at them repeatedly. Yesterday they were digging up plants, and today they had found spiritual food.

Qin Lang dug up a pile of sweet potatoes and picked out one about the size of a child's fist, asking Qin Bi, "Sister, can I eat a small one? I've never eaten spiritual food in my life."

Qin Bi looked at the sweet potato and nodded. "Eat it. I'll distribute some sweet potatoes to each of you later."