Then I'll Just Build a Bigger Boat

For the next month, Xu Siya felt it was the happiest time of her entire life.

Qin Hao, having recovered his memories, was in no rush to return to the Qin family. Instead, he played the role of a perfect boyfriend, accompanying Xu Siya every day to go shopping, eat, take walks, and chat.

He would go with her to the market in the east of the city to buy cosmetics, accompany her to the restaurant in the west to eat her favorite osmanthus cakes, sit with her on the city wall to count the stars, and release river lanterns by the riverbank.

Sometimes, Xu Siya would fall into a trance, feeling as if Qin Hao hadn't recovered his memories at all and was still that clueless Ah Cheng. However, with a casual wave of his hand, Qin Hao could make withered flowers bloom again, and with a light point of his finger, he could part and close the river waters.

Such abilities made Xu Siya realize that Qin Hao was no longer that Ah Cheng. He was just willing to be Ah Cheng in front of her. For Xu Siya, that was enough.

[Ding, the Dao Companion Rental Service has ended.]

[Calculating...]

[Ding, congratulations to the host for receiving a ten-star rating.]

[Rewards obtained: One measure of Destiny. Ten-star rating reward: Ten Thousand Transformations Dao Heart Furnace.]

[Ten Thousand Transformations Dao Heart Furnace: Fully automatic alchemy, requiring no intervention from cultivators. It contains the built-in Primordial Pill Scripture, recording all pill recipes from ancient to modern times. It can also independently deduce pill recipes based on desired pill effects. Zero mistakes, zero waste.]

The notification sound in his mind made Qin Hao's eyes light up. The Ten Thousand Transformations Dao Heart Furnace could perform alchemy on its own without a cultivator's intervention. Even without a recipe, it could deduce one based on the desired pill effect. This thing was amazing!

The last thing his Qin family lacked was cultivation resources. With the Qin family's resources combined with such a heaven-defying alchemy furnace, he could probably refine any pill he wanted.

Qin Hao chuckled softly, suppressing the joy in his heart, and then took Xu Siya's small hand:

"Let's go. Come back to the Qin family with me."

Xu Siya froze for a moment, two blushes appearing on her cheeks. Return to the Qin family? Xu Siya naturally understood what those words meant. She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's hum:

"So... so soon? I'm not ready yet."

Xu Siya bit her lip, her heart pounding like a little deer running amok. Of course she wanted to go back to the Qin family with Qin Hao. She wanted to know what the place where Qin Hao grew up looked like, what his family was like, and everything about him.

But she was also afraid. The Qin family—that was the peak family of the Three Realms and Nine Heavens. The patriarch was an Immortal Emperor. Any random clan member who stepped out would be a big shot capable of shaking an entire region. As the daughter of the city lord of the small Northern Profound City, wouldn't she embarrass Qin Hao by going to such a place?

Qin Hao obviously saw through Xu Siya's concerns. He smiled and pinched her small face. "Don't worry, I'll handle everything. No one will make things difficult for you."

Xu Siya nodded. She looked at Qin Hao, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked the question hidden in her heart:

"Ah Cheng, besides me, do you have..."

Qin Hao's footsteps paused. After a moment of silence, he nodded:

"Yes!"

A single word, spoken lightly, yet it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake. Xu Siya's hand tightened slightly, and the blush on her face faded a bit.

She had guessed it long ago. Ah Cheng was the son of an Immortal Emperor, with a noble status and peerless talent. How could such a person not have other women by his side? But when she actually heard this answer from Qin Hao's mouth, Xu Siya still felt a pang in her heart, a sour and swollen feeling that she couldn't quite describe.

"How many?" Xu Siya continued to ask, her voice even quieter than before.

This time, Qin Hao didn't answer. How many? Four outside, two at home, and one in front of him. And that was just for now; the number would definitely continue to rise in the future.

Seeing Qin Hao like this, Xu Siya's heart sank. She tentatively opened her mouth, "Are there a lot? So many that you can't even speak?"

"Then what role do I play among them?"

Qin Hao wrapped his arm around Xu Siya's shoulders, letting her lean into his embrace. He could feel her body trembling slightly and sense her gripping his clothes tightly, as if afraid she would lose something the moment she let go.

Resting his chin on the top of Xu Siya's head, Qin Hao stayed silent for a moment before speaking in a deep and serious voice:

"I have six other Dao companions at home. You are the seventh. But rest assured, each of you is special and equally important to me. I won't favor one over another."

Pausing here, Qin Hao continued:

"I know this might not be the answer you want to hear, but I don't want to lie to you. I don't want to say things like you are my only woman, because that would be a lie."

"I'll say it again: no matter what happens in the future, I will always be your Ah Cheng. That is the truth."

Saying this, Qin Hao let go of Xu Siya and took a step back:

"I leave the right to choose to you. Do you want to return to the Qin family with me, or continue staying here? You decide for yourself. I won't force you."

Xu Siya raised her head and stared intently at Qin Hao, then asked, "If you had to choose just one among us, who would you choose?"

Qin Hao was silent for quite a while before replying:

"Each of you has left something different in my life. These things cannot be compared, nor can they be replaced. Just like you can't compare the sun and the moon to say which is more important."

"Without the sun, the day would have no light. Without the moon, the night would lose its gentleness. The kind of choice you are talking about, I will never make. I will only do everything in my power to give you all a shared home."

"Bah! Shameless! Having a foot in so many boats, yet you speak so self-righteously!"

Qin Hao didn't speak. He just looked at Xu Siya, his gaze so gentle it could melt her.

Being stared at like that made Xu Siya feel quite embarrassed. She quickly turned her head away and whispered:

"Then in the future, you're not allowed to think I'm easy to bully and put me at the very back."

"I won't."

"You're not allowed to lie to me or hide things from me."

"I won't."

"You're not allowed to say the things you've said to me to them. What you say to me is mine."

Qin Hao froze for a moment, then smiled. "Alright, what I say to you is yours."

Looking at Qin Hao's expression, Xu Siya felt both shy and tickled in her heart. She couldn't help but lightly punch him. "What are you laughing at!"

Qin Hao pulled Xu Siya into his arms. "I'm laughing because you're about to board my boat."

Hearing this, Xu Siya's face flushed red with shyness. She glared fiercely at Qin Hao. "Hmph, aren't you afraid that one day your boat won't be big enough to hold so many people?"

Qin Hao gently held Xu Siya's hand, intertwining their fingers:

"Then I'll just build a bigger boat."