Chapter 153: A Wonderful Morning

"All right, the rest of you may step back and rest. Xiaoshuang and Xiaotong, stay behind."

At Jiang An's command, the others cupped their fists and withdrew. Tong Hao could only leave with a reluctant pout, well aware that he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

"Xiaotong, we have a long road ahead of us. You need to return to school and continue your studies. Of course, I will remove the seal on your spiritual roots so you can begin cultivation. Don't worry, once you have the cultivation method, you won't eat as much as before, nor will you feel the cold. As for the specific technique, I'm still considering it. For now, go and rest."

Upon hearing this, Tong Yi obediently murmured an acknowledgment, then her face suddenly flushed a brilliant red, as if she had something more to say. Before Jiang An could ask, she turned and hurried away.

Thus, only Jiang An and Song Wanshuang remained in the room.

Jiang An walked over, took her hand, and they left through another door. As they walked, Jiang An said softly, "Xiaoshuang, I've wronged you."

Knowing he was referring to the matter with Tong Yi, Song Wanshuang sighed softly, shook her head, and replied, "It's nothing. Let's not dwell on this anymore."

Jiang An was not one for over-sentimental posturing. He continued, "The day after tomorrow, I'll set out for Thailand. I must eradicate those who hurt you, leaving none alive! Otherwise, if I'm away in the future, anyone will think they can come and step on us. Do they really take the Yumen sect for a charity?"

Song Wanshuang nodded, her expression darkening slightly. "Very well. It's all my fault for being so weak. Not only can I not help you, but I always end up being a burden."

Knowing Song Wanshuang's fiercely proud nature, Jiang An comforted her, "How long have you even been cultivating? Take it gently. With me here, there's no need to rush. As it happens, I have a treasure for you. I'll feel much more at ease knowing you have it to protect yourself."

With that, the two entered the bedroom. Jiang An retrieved an exquisite jade box from his storage pouch and explained, "I mentioned to you before that the immortal cultivation world is filled with various treasures, and only those used by Golden Core cultivators can truly be called magical treasures. This here is a talisman treasure refined from a magical treasure; its power is quite formidable."

Then, Jiang An taught her the authentic method of refining and binding it. It was a pity that the original rightful owner of the talisman treasure, True Monarch Bingyan, had always kept it hidden and unrefined, ultimately leaving it to benefit Jiang An instead.

Soon, Song Wanshuang put away the talisman treasure with an excited expression and began asking Jiang An numerous questions she had encountered during her cultivation. Jiang An naturally answered them one by one.

"All right, Xiaoshuang. You are naturally gifted, and now that you possess the mutated Ice Spiritual Root, coupled with my medicinal pills, I imagine it won't be long before you consolidate your cultivation at the early Qi Refining stage. Therefore, focus primarily on increasing your cultivation level for now; you can study spells a bit later. By the way, my point is that stepping into the cultivation world is fraught with danger. Even with my deliberate protection, the two of you will need to fight in the future. How about I take you and Xiaotong to Thailand the day after tomorrow? It will be good for you both to witness some of the cruel realities."

Song Wanshuang had no desire to become a greenhouse flower and was just about to agree when she changed her mind. "Never mind. Just take Xiaotong with you this time. I'll stay behind to take care of Xixi. I wouldn't be at ease leaving her at home alone. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

"That's true. Then I'll make it a quick trip. I remember our little girl starts school in September, right? I must personally send her on her first day. By the way, have you chosen a kindergarten?" Jiang An asked.

"Is there any kindergarten in the entire country we can't get into? Don't worry, I've already picked one. Since you want to take responsibility, that's for the best. Who told you to spoil her so much? She's practically turning into a wild little girl, only knowing how to play all day long. Let's see what you do if she refuses to go to school," Song Wanshuang complained once more about Jiang An's parenting methods.

"Alright, alright," Jiang An pulled her closer with a smile. "Let's not talk about that now. The night is deep; let your husband help his wife undress and rest."

Song Wanshuang rolled her eyes at him dramatically, yielding as Jiang An undressed her, exposing her exquisite, flawless body.

"Brother An, let me tell you something. Xiaotong is still young; please don't touch her yet, okay?"

For some reason, Song Wanshuang suddenly grabbed Jiang An's hand resting on her waist and uttered these words out of the blue.

Jiang An could only offer a bitter smile. "Listen to you. Do you take me for someone driven solely by lust? Her aptitude is exceptional, and maintaining her primordial Yin is immensely beneficial to her cultivation. At the very least, I won't share a bed with her until she reaches the Golden Core stage."

Song Wanshuang was momentarily stunned. "The Golden Core stage? If I remember correctly, you said that even for a genius, reaching the Golden Core stage takes decades. That's far too long."

"Haha, stop worrying about her for a moment and worry about yourself instead. Let's hope you can actually get out of bed tomorrow morning," Jiang An teased.

Sure enough, his words proved prophetic.

The next morning, Song Wanshuang woke up a bit later than usual. When she emerged, she saw Jiang An sitting on the carpet playing with building blocks alongside Xixi, while the tiger lay lazily nearby.

Catching Jiang An's amused, knowing gaze, Song Wanshuang blushed with shamed annoyance. At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, and Tong Yi walked in carrying a breakfast tray. Upon seeing Song Wanshuang, she smiled, "Sister, I didn't see you at breakfast just now, so I brought some over for you."

Song Wanshuang's face flushed even deeper. She accepted the breakfast and said, "Thank you, Xiaotong."

"You're too polite, Sister," Tong Yi replied with a sweet smile. She then scurried over, sat close to Jiang An, and gazed at him with affectionate eyes.

"Where is your family?" Jiang An asked with concern.

"My parents were invited by the Zhu family to be guests today. As for Tong Hao, the moment he woke up, he was out splashing around in the swimming pool," Tong Yi answered sweetly with a smile.

Jiang An nodded.

Just then, little Xixi looked up and spotted Tong Yi with her apple-head hairstyle. "You're so pretty, Sister! Who are you?" she asked.

Thinking of herself as a future stepmother, Tong Yi instantly beamed from ear to ear. She picked Xixi up, gave her a kiss, and said, "You're very pretty too! What's your name?"

"Xixi! Jiang Xixi!" Xixi announced loudly.

"So you're Xixi," Tong Yi said, clearly humoring her to play along. "Then you can just call me Sister from now on. Can Sister play with Xixi?"

Beautiful things possess a mutual attraction. Xixi nodded vigorously. "Mm-hm! Then Sister can play blocks with me. Daddy is so clumsy!"

Jiang An was momentarily speechless. The little girl had been bought over just like that? Looking at Tong Yi again, he saw her blinking her big eyes with a playful smile.

"Wow, this little dog is so cute! What's its name?" Tong Yi noticed the tiger and asked Xixi.

"This is the pet Daddy gave to Xixi. It's Xixi's best partner! Its name is Xiaohu. Sister, look, I'll have Xiaohu say hello to you," Xixi said excitedly, eager to show off. "Xiaohu, say hello to Sister!"

The tiger, however, looked at Jiang An. It would never forget who its primary master truly was.

Jiang An smiled and nodded, pointing at Tong Yi. "She is one of us. Remember her face."

With that instruction, the tiger understood. It immediately stood up, walked over to Tong Yi, and gently licked the back of her hand—its personal recognition ritual.

Tong Yi was overjoyed, especially hearing Jiang An call her "one of us." She affectionately stroked the tiger's head and tightly hugged Xixi. The two adorable creatures could practically melt anyone's heart.

Watching this scene, Jiang An knew that Tong Yi genuinely liked Xixi and sincerely wanted to integrate into his life. That was fine, too.

Yet, just as this heartwarming moment unfolded, another knock sounded at the door, and Fan Jun walked in with a business-like expression.

"You guys play; I have some matters to attend to," Jiang An said by way of explanation. He stood up and took a few steps forward. Fan Jun leaned in and whispered, "Your Highness, something has happened at the company. Not only has there been a production issue with Xishuang's line, but the CEO has also been found embezzling public funds."

Song Wanshuang, who was walking over, overheard and frowned. "Are you saying Wei Hongru embezzled public funds?"

"Yes, Madam. It is completely true," Fan Jun nodded.

Jiang An, who never meddled in commercial business, was naturally baffled. Song Wanshuang explained, "Putting aside the production issues with Xishuang, the company's current CEO is named Wei Hongru. He was a university classmate of mine. Because he possessed immense talent and capability in business management, I hired him to run the company after I stepped back from daily operations. Never did I imagine such a problem would arise."

Jiang An smiled lightly. "A minor issue. Handle it however it needs to be resolved. Do you want to handle it personally, Xiaoshuang?"

"Very well. Fan Jun, spell out the specific details."

"Your Highness, Madam, it is like this: the Xishuang production line was personally laid out by Your Highness, so I imagine you can easily resolve this morning's malfunction. As for this Wei Hongru, the issues run quite deep. If I may speak candidly, Madam, he was fine when he first took over management, but before long, relying on his status as your classmate and the full authority you granted him, he began running the company as a dictator, throwing his weight around. We have now verified that he has embezzled at least seven hundred million from the company to invest in a newly opened shell company. And the legal representative of that shell company is none other than his brother-in-law!"

Upon hearing this, the fierce businesswoman dormant in Song Wanshuang's bones was instantly awakened. "Damnable! This ingrate! I paid him the highest salary in the industry—an annual salary of forty million! Wasn't that enough?! Fan Jun, since you discovered this long ago, why didn't you deal with him directly?"

Fan Jun was instantly at a loss for words, stammering and unable to speak.

Song Wanshuang had spoken in a flash of anger, and the moment the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake. She softened her tone slightly, "I was blinded by anger just now. You must have held back because of my relationship with him. Very well, I'll clean house myself!"

Fan Jun breathed a sigh of relief. "You are wise, Madam!"

Jiang An nodded slightly. "I'll go with you. I also want to see what went wrong with Xishuang's production."

...

Xizi Cosmetics was no longer the small cosmetics company it had been a year ago; it had grown into a flagship enterprise of Lin Cheng, a major taxpayer, and a dream company for countless young people hoping to enter the workforce.

Xizi had long since moved to a new location, purchasing an entire luxury skyscraper to serve as its corporate headquarters, appropriately named Xizi Tower. Boasting boundless prestige, an endless stream of people bustled in and out of its grand entrance every day.

At ten o'clock in the morning, a luxury motorcade drove in and pulled straight up to the grand entrance of the tower. As the doors opened, a group of imposing individuals stepped out, led by a dashing young man and a woman of ethereal beauty.