Most of them are just like their mothers.

It couldn't really be just Cao Decheng's engagement banquet that was bothering him, could it?

That shouldn't be it.

It was mainly his thoughts wandering, considering the future for several decades, even a century ahead.

Then, Young Master Cao felt a bit down.

And that was just a hundred years.

What about another hundred years after that, making it two hundred years in total... how many generations would that be? Eight generations under one roof?

Thousands of descendants behind him.

He might not even remember all their names.

Even Young Master Cao, with his photographic memory, doubted whether he'd even want to bother remembering their names by then.

Damn it...

Forget it.

With two girls comforting him, Cao Cheng quickly pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind.

However.

Once an idea appears, it's hard to forget it.

This time, as he was leaving the Western Regions, Cao Cheng looked at the scenery along the way and found himself thinking about this matter again.

If his descendants were normal people, with one generation being born and another dying... the population would likely fluctuate.

There would be some natural checks.

But.

Are these descendants ordinary, normal people?

Obviously not, right?

Once they actually start practicing some cultivation techniques.

Forget about immortality.

Even just living an extra hundred years.

Living to two hundred.

Then the number of his... descendants would be something he wouldn't dare to think about.

His own generation was just him alone... ahem.

Then the next generation would be at least twenty people, right?

Oh no, oh no.

Young Master Cao shook his head.

With just this rough estimate of his, in two hundred years... tens of thousands of descendants.

What kind of concept is that?

Some of the countries over by Young Master Ou's side only have populations of a few tens of thousands.

That's really not a small number.

...

Young Master Cao considering these things wasn't exactly unnecessary worry.

After all, he had to think about the future of his lineage.

And it made him understand even more clearly.

The reason why the old father-in-law had forbidden Young Master Cao from publicly releasing the life-extending medicine.

These things offer no real benefit to ordinary people.

On the contrary, they have downsides.

Because the wealthy and powerful would further concentrate money and social circles.

Young Master Cao had considered this point before.

But only now did he fully comprehend all the aspects detrimental to the common people.

You have to understand.

It's only because Young Master Cao is currently so 'free from desire and ambition'.

If someone else had Young Master Cao's current capabilities, they would at least conquer a country, leaving a promised land for their lineage's descendants.

Therefore.

If the life-extending medicine were truly made public, what it would bring ordinary people is definitely not longevity.

Instead, it would be a sharp reduction in lifespan.

Because it would trigger wars, and many people would die.

...

Fortunately, Young Master Cao isn't worried about this point.

Never mind if there are tens of thousands of descendants, even if there are hundreds of thousands, or millions... that's indeed a lot.

But Earth a few centuries from now would have long become the master of the solar system. At least within the solar system, resources could be used however one pleased.

Adding a few hundred thousand, or even a million more people would be a breeze.

...

...

October.

Young Master Cao had already gone to Tibet by this time.

Meanwhile, in the capital.

Old Cao and Ren's mother.

The old father-in-law and the eldest sister.

Along with several elders from the Chen family, all gathered together.

Laughter and cheerful conversation filled the room.

This was the engagement of the Tang family's eldest grandson.

Also the engagement of the Cao family's eldest son.

And the engagement of the Chen family's son-in-law.

Any one of these titles alone was enough to cause a stir.

No one asked a single question about Young Master Cao's absence.

No explanations were offered on this side either.

It was just an engagement, after all.

All the necessary parties were present. Young Master Cao's absence likely made the other side think he was on some secret mission.

Naturally, they wouldn't pry.

An engagement during the National Day holiday in October.

After the engagement banquet, both families began preparing for the wedding.

The agreed date was the following year.

This period was for preparing the car, gifts, house, etc.

They would also begin investing their respective resources to help the two young ones grow and establish their own small family.

Various collaborations between the two families would quietly commence.

Some marriages might seem like just the union of two individuals.

But in reality, here...

There were many things involved.

There were matters between the Tang and Chen families.

And between the Chen and Cao families.

Various collaborations between them all.

The marriage was merely a link. At least for the leading figures of each family, this was no different from an alliance marriage.

The only difference was that this young couple had fallen in love freely.

That was quite rare.

And they received everyone's blessings.

But,

No matter what kind of love it is, within such a marriage, elements beyond pure emotion inevitably get mixed in.

To put it bluntly, whether the two young ones will be happy in the future, or whether they might divorce, that would be their own business.

At least during the honeymoon period, everyone is in a deeply cooperative and bound relationship.

In the future, as cooperation deepens, as long as both sides' interests remain, then regardless of whether the young couple is affectionate or not, it won't affect the collaboration.

The reverse is also true.

If the collaboration between the families gradually becomes unbalanced, with one side losing its benefits, then no matter how affectionate the young couple is, the cooperation will gradually fade, and even resentment might arise, which would instead affect the couple's life.

This is an alliance marriage between families.

...

The elders of each family were well aware of this.

Perhaps the only ones in the room still immersed in all the congratulatory remarks were the two young ones themselves.

They were young, after all.

And no one would tell them these things.

Young Master Cao didn't attend, but in the end, he gave his blessings and support to the two youngsters via video chat.

...

...

In the blink of an eye.

Three years later.

Cao Decheng had made something of himself, not only taking on more responsibilities in his own career.

Chen Yi was also pregnant.

The check-up confirmed it was a boy.

This was the legitimate, eldest grandson of the Cao family.

Also the great-grandson of the Tang and Chen families.

Don't be fooled by these titles all having 'grandson' in them, as if he's just a grandson.

In reality, once this child is born and grows up, he will absolutely be showered with all sorts of halos (privileges).

He'll at least be of the 'master' generation.

Looking back eight generations in the Cao family, none had a more illustrious birth than this kid.

...

And this was just the beginning.

Soon.

While Young Master Cao was still out and about having fun.

News kept coming from home.

Second son Cao Deyue got married.

Third son Cao Deming.

Fourth son Cao Dexun.

Fifth daughter Cao Delin.

Sixth daughter Cao Wei.

Speaking of this sixth child... she really is something else.

A young lady, yet one of the few little tyrants in the family.

Afraid of nothing and no one.

You can tell from her name too.

When she grew up, she insisted on changing her name, refusing to use the generational character.

It was fine to use it within the family.

But not outside.

She thought it sounded bad.

Mainly because her mother has a fiery temper too.

What can you expect when her mother comes from criminal investigation and is now a department head!

What could Young Master Cao do?

Dote on her, of course.

Besides.

For a girl, it's fine not to use the generational character.

And so, time passed bit by bit. Some of the children at home remained single, but most had their own ideas and careers.

Apart from the eldest, Cao Decheng, who had been taken under the wing of the old father-in-law since childhood.

Among the other children, only one of the younger ones, Cao Detao, truly wanted to enter government service.

Maybe he got addicted to being class monitor from a young age, developing a taste for officialdom.

As for the others, some studied art, like their mothers.

Some went into business, like their mothers.

Some liked martial arts and swordsmanship, like their mothers.

Some...

Anyway, most of them took after their mothers.