ASFTB 33: Add a Little Brother or Sister for the Children

When Grandma Li appeared, more or less everyone in the village was surprised.

In the entire village, Grandma Li was the oldest and also the most respected elder, whose words carried great weight. This elderly lady hadn’t been involved in village matters for many years. Who would have expected her to show up at this moment?

Grandma Li walked out, leaning on her cane. Her pale hair stood out strikingly, but her voice was firm and resonant, “In these past days, how Jian Chengxi has been, all of you have witnessed with your own eyes. He wakes up early and works late every day, selling goods in the streets. If he really had something going on with that boy Wang Zhe, would he need to work so hard?”

Jian Chengxi glanced at the elderly woman with a look of gratitude. “Grandma…”

Grandma Li raised her hand and said, “I’m not favoring you, nor am I speaking up for you. I just can’t stand seeing some people doing those unjust and immoral things, and yet shamelessly trying to turn the tables!”

A-Hu’s father froze, feeling a burning sensation on his face.

With Grandma Li taking the lead, other villagers also began to speak up:

“I still believe in Chengxi!”

“I was with him at the stall that day and Wang Zhe came looking for him. He even rejected him.”

“They definitely aren’t together.”

“There must be some misunderstanding here.”

Jian Chengxi looked at the Aunt Liu who had spoken up for him. She had always stood by his side when they were setting up stalls, rarely showing much expression, but he hadn’t expected her to come to his aid at such a crucial moment.

True feelings are revealed in times of hardship.

Jian Chengxi, feeling a bit moved, spoke up, “Aunt Liu…”

Aunt Liu gave him a reassuring look and raised her voice, “Even if they really were together before, so what if Xiao Xi found a lover! Nobody is perfect; everyone makes mistakes. Of course, we should choose to forgive him, shouldn’t we?!”

Jian Chengxi: “…”

That part wasn’t necessary.

A-Hu’s father saw the situation starting to shift and immediately started cursing, “You all, are you turning on us now just because my man got arrested? Are you all going to start abandoning loyalty and turning your backs on us? Have you forgotten how you all used to suck up to my family back then?!”

The villagers looked at each other, but no one spoke.

Aunt Liu spoke up, “A-Hu’s dad, you’re wrong for saying that. It sounds like we’re the ones who bullied you. Your husband embezzled supplies, and that crime is unforgivable. How is that our fault?”

A-Hu’s father spat and snapped, “You’re talking nonsense! What do you even know to say such things?!”

Aunt Liu sneered lightly, “If I’m talking nonsense, we can just go to your house and search. We’ll find out the truth, won’t we?”

It was as if her words had struck a chord, waking someone from a deep slumber.

A-Hu’s father seemed to remember something. He stumbled as he stood up, pushed through the crowd, and tried to run in the direction of his home.

However, he hadn’t even taken a few steps—

Bang!

A gunshot shattered the sky.

A-Hu’s father collapsed to the ground.

Li Lingfeng’s gun, smoke-free and silent, was held steadily in his hand. His precise and ruthless marksmanship left no room for hesitation, and he slowly lowered the tranquilizer gun after taking the shot.

Xue Caiguan widened his eyes in shock and let out a wail, “What are you doing, Li Lingfeng? Are you even human? You killed my wife, You beast—born of a mother, yet without a shred of decency! Today, I’ll fight you to the death…”

The cold, heavy military boots pressed down on the flailing arm.

Li Lingfeng looked down at him from above, his face as cold and expressionless as ever. His voice was chilling and terrifying, “Do you not want this arm either?”

Xue Caiguan immediately shut his mouth, tears streaming down from the corners of his eyes.

He was clearly a grown man, yet at this moment, he was trembling in fear, completely soaked in terror, lying helplessly on the ground covered in mud and dust.

A soldier took A-Hu’s father away from a short distance.

The villagers watched from afar, none daring to resist or move. The air was thick with fear and silence.

The cold wind howled through the underground town, sweeping across the village with a biting chill. The villagers stood together, watching from a distance as the local bully lay on the ground.

Xue Caiguan, tears streaming down his face, spoke, “What do you want from me? I’m just a small pawn, how much can I embezzle? If you’re so capable, go kill the emperor. I’m a financial officer appointed by the emperor himself, and this is my official order. I’m protected—you can’t touch my life!”

Li Lingfeng’s gaze was as cold as ice. “Who instructed you to divert the supplies?”

Xue Caiguan said nothing. He simply lifted the token in his hand, gritting his teeth and refusing to speak.

As if believing that this would somehow protect him from harm.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound pierced through the air.

The cold, sharp blade sliced through the token, cutting it cleanly in two. The gleaming knife slashed through the token and drove straight into the ground.

It was only inches away from Xue Caiguan’s face.

The dagger seemed to still carry an aura of menace, as if it were filled with lingering hostility.

Xue Caiguan’s eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing. “How dare you kill someone appointed by the emperor, aren’t you afraid of death?”

“I even dare to kill Archangel Ike of the military,” Li Lingfeng’s gaze was dark and profound, like fine ink. His voice was cold and chilling, “Are you ready to join him?”

Crimson blood began to trickle down Xue Caiguan’s cheek, the metallic scent of it filling the air.

A bone-chilling cold swept through Xue Caiguan’s body.

For the first time, he felt true fear—a kind of paralyzing, helpless fear that made him unable to move.

He stared at Li Lingfeng, as though looking at some terrifying and insane monster.

“Please, please don’t kill me!” Xue Caiguan’s voice trembled, “I’ll tell you everything, I’ll say everything. The truth is, when the supplies arrived, the money wasn’t enough, I swear, it really wasn’t enough. It was supposed to be five hundred thousand, but we only received half. Those people from Sky City didn’t treat our soldiers in Underground City like humans. By the time it got to us, there was barely anything left…”

Tears streamed down Xue Caiguan’s face. “I had no choice, I really had no choice! If I didn’t substitute inferior goods for the real ones, how was I supposed to explain it?”

The deputy general couldn’t hold back and rushed over. “Why didn’t you report it?”

“Report it?” Xue Caiguan bitterly laughed. “Where am I supposed to report this! Where did that other half go? There are over a hundred thousand soldiers returning from our underground city, while the soldiers from the Sky City are barely more than twenty thousand. And yet, the compensation for these twenty thousand or so people has been split up among half of them. Where am I supposed to report this to!!”

Since the establishment of the Yilan royal family on the planet, this world has had a strict hierarchical system.

The nine major races of Sky City are all referred to as A-tier Celestials, while those living in Underground City are called “inferior products.” They are plagued by mental constraints, unable to fully take form, and are impoverished citizens who are constantly at risk of losing control and going berserk.

Sky City enjoys the vast majority of the world’s resources.

Wealth, fame.

They are born with the right to have the best.

Even the supplies this time, they can boldly take even more without hesitation!

After Xue Caiguan finished speaking, he cried, “There’s nowhere to say it, where can I say it? It’s rotten through and through, from top to bottom, it’s completely rotten…”

Li Lingfeng slowly crouched down.

Xue Caiguan, with a look of fear, tried to retreat, but couldn’t escape the powerful grip of the man as he held his weak arm. “No, don’t—ah…!”

The dislocated arm was put back in place.

Li Lingfeng stood up and said to the deputy general behind him, “Go and send a communication bulletin to the steward officer Zhang Hao, who is in charge of commanding the troops in the sky.”

The deputy general asked, “Do you want him to…”

“The money he swallowed, let him spit it out the same way he ate it,” Li Lingfeng glanced at the deputy general and said in a deep voice, “Within three days, exchange all funds into supplies according to the number of people and complete the distribution to the entire army. Otherwise, you’ll be dismissed on the spot.”

The steward officer of Sky City had originally been managed by Archangel Ike.

Xue Caiguan, shocked, said, “Are you crazy? The soldier resource allocation between Sky City and Underground City has been a rule set long ago! We, the poor, don’t have the right to compete with them…”

On the desolate and barren land.

The villagers and common people, dressed in thin clothes, stood together, all staring at the figure in armor, standing tall and straight amidst the chaos and pools of blood.

There was no hint of emotion in Li Lingfeng’s eyes. “I am now the leader of the military, and naturally, the rules are for me to set.”

Xue Caiguan hesitated and said, “But this rule has been in place for over a hundred years. If we change it now, do you think the people of Sky City will accept it?”

His words fell.

Li Lingfeng raised an eyebrow, looking down at him, his voice cold and indifferent, “Let me ask you, if you don’t follow the rules set by Sky City, will you die?”

He was the first General to come from the slums of their Underground City.

It was said that he was cruel, bloodthirsty, and incredibly terrifying.

Kneeling on the ground for so long, Xue Caiguan had forgotten how to resist or stand up. With fear in his eyes, he looked at the tall, cold man and trembled as he said, “If I don’t follow the rules of Sky City, I might be put on trial, then possibly thrown in prison, and then…”

His words vanished in the cold smile at the corner of Li Lingfeng’s lips.

“If you don’t follow my rules…”

The token, representing the authority of Sky City, was ruthlessly crushed under the black military boots.

The token was ground into the dust and completely shattered.

In Xue Caiguan’s terrified gaze, he watched Li Lingfeng’s cold, stern face. The man’s low, hoarse voice reached his ears—calm, yet it felt like the whisper of a demon, “You will die now.”

“….”

In the evening, the situation at the village entrance had completely calmed down.

Jian Chengxi took the child back home, preparing for the move.

Rumors were spreading throughout the village, and indeed, it had become unsuitable for children to live and grow there. Once he had packed up all their belongings and organized everything, the car that was coming to pick him up had arrived.

Li Lingfeng got out of the car.

Jian Chengxi froze for a moment when he saw him.

Li Lingfeng walked up to him and stopped, asking, “Is everything packed up?”

Jian Chengxi nodded and said, “Almost.”

Li Lingfeng extended his hand to help take the things from Jian Chengxi’s hands.

Jian Chengxi instinctively shrank back, not wanting to trouble him. When he looked up and met the man’s gaze, a sense of unease stirred within him.

Li Lingfeng’s gaze darkened, and he murmured, “You’re afraid of me.”

Jian Chengxi shook his head.

Li Lingfeng studied his pale face, seeming to understand something. He spoke, “What happened at noon scared you, didn’t it?”

After all, he had never interrogated someone like that in front of him before, and his young wife was fragile and easily frightened, so it would be normal if he had been scared.

Jian Chengxi gently shook his head and said, “No.”

Li Lingfeng raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“I think what you did was right. You’ve also fought for justice for others,” Jian Chengxi said seriously. “I was definitely a little scared, but I know you did nothing wrong.”

Li Lingfeng studied his face, trying to detect even the slightest hint of deception.

Yet those eyes were so clear, so pure.

Not far away, two children walked out of the house, and they happened to approach the two of them.

Jian Chengxi glanced at the children and continued to explain, “I didn’t let you help because I offered to carry it myself. I’m not that weak. After all, I’m a man too. If you don’t believe me, watch—easy!”

He lifted the bag effortlessly in his hand.

The weight was so much that his wrist almost trembled. Jian Chengxi cursed inwardly at the weak body he had inherited from the original owner.

Then, a soft and childish voice interrupted, “Daddy, you look so tired.”

In front of the children, Jian Chengxi couldn’t back down. Even though his pale face turned red from the effort, he stubbornly insisted, “Daddy’s not tired. Labor is the most honorable thing. This is excitement and happiness.”

Li Lingfeng nodded and said, “I was originally going to tell you that I brought a few soldiers to help you move things, but since you’re so happy…”

Jian Chengxi was shocked. “What?!”

The bag of items was instantly tossed into Li Lingfeng’s hands.

Jian Chengxi smiled and walked to his back, saying to the soldiers, “Thank you all. The rest of the stuff is inside the house. Take your time, no rush.”

Li Suisui and Li Lingfeng: “…”

He was always good at changing his expression.

…

Most of the items to be moved from the house had been transported onto the airship, with the soldiers moving everything inside first.

When they boarded the airship, the two children were incredibly excited!

The entire airship was truly massive, with a sleek, futuristic design featuring a luminous, high-tech cockpit. The thin, almost translucent body of the ship concealed a surprisingly spacious interior. The cockpit’s electronic screens displayed various incomprehensible parameters and buttons, while the seats were curved, perfectly designed to fit the human body.

After the airship took off, Li Suisui leaned against the glass and exclaimed, “Wow… it’s so high.”

Not far away, Jian Chengxi stood beside Li Lingfeng. He walked over to stop his daughter, saying, “Suisui, don’t lean so close. Didn’t Daddy teach you? Whatever happens, you need to be mature and steady, just like Daddy…”

They both leaned closer to the window.

Jian Chengxi glanced at the glass, then leaned forward. A breathtaking view of the Underground City’s dazzling nightscape unfolded before them. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Wow… it’s so beautiful.”

The father and daughter’s movements were identical.

Li Chen sat next to his father, silently observing the two of them, and seemed to sigh at the same time.

…

The entire airship was enormous, filled with new and fascinating things.

Jian Chengxi, who had never even been on a plane in the 21st century, was initially overwhelmed with excitement but eventually calmed down. After sending the two children to look at the city map with the soldiers, he walked into the cockpit.

Li Lingfeng gave him a glance. “Have you seen enough?”

Jian Chengxi felt like a country bumpkin. He rubbed his handsome little nose, muttering, “It’s your daughter who wanted to look, I was just accompanying her…”

Saying it out loud made him feel guilty.

Li Lingfeng raised an eyebrow, his expression noncommittal.

Jian Chengxi felt a bit annoyed, but he quickly accepted the fact that he was just a simple country bumpkin. After adjusting his mindset, he asked, “Where is our home?”

Li Lingfeng casually pointed to a section of the map. “Right here.”

Jian Chengxi leaned closer and saw that it was an isolated floating island. On the island, their home was the largest, with several smaller estates surrounding it.

“Who lives here?” he asked. “Are they people like you?”

Li Lingfeng spoke calmly, “My deputy generals, some other meritorious soldiers, and perhaps a few other royal officials.”

The floating island was made up of hills of various sizes, and from a distance, it looked like a massive hammer-shaped floating mass. In the residential area of the island, there were many hills, and several royal and noble families had lived there for generations. The residence of the commander-in-chief occupied the largest estate, with others arranged like a starry ring around it, offering a sense of protection.

Jian Chengxi looked at their home on the map and saw that it displayed their name. It was like discovering a delightful surprise. “General Li, look! Our home has words floating above it!”

Li Lingfeng nodded.

In truth, Li Lingfeng had long since become accustomed to these things.

Yet his young wife seemed genuinely delighted, as if he had discovered something new.

If it were anyone else, he would have found it noisy. Yet, with Jian Chengxi, who rambled on about the future of their home, he found himself strangely willing to listen.

Finally—

After Jian Chengxi finished speaking, Li Lingfeng spoke up, “Once we get there, you can’t call me ‘General Li’ anymore.”

Jian Chengxi froze for a moment. “Why?”

Li Lingfeng’s voice was low and serious. “You are my wife. Tomorrow, you’ll accompany me to meet the Emperor. If you call me like that, what will others think?”

Jian Chengxi also thought of this and realized it was indeed inappropriate to address him that way.

However…

He hesitated and looked at Li Lingfeng, asking, “Then how should I call you?”

As he was thinking, the children, who had been playing in the back cabin, appeared at the door. Li Suisui, with two small braids, looked over with bright, sparkling eyes.

Jian Chengxi was surprised. “Suisui?”

Li Suisui ran over with Li Chen following behind her.

Jian Chengxi held her hand and said, “Suisui, weren’t you playing? Why are you here? Did you, did you hear everything?”

Li Suisui leaned against Jian Chengxi, her eyes sparkling, and said, “Suisui knows what Daddy should call Father.”

Jian Chengxi froze. “You know?”

The little girl nodded and said, “Daddy should call Father ‘dear husband’…”

Jian Chengxi quickly covered the little girl’s mouth, first giving Li Lingfeng a forced smile, then lowering his head to look at the little girl, gritting his teeth and asking, “Who did you learn that from?”

Li Suisui innocently replied, “Suisui heard the doctor sister calling the deputy general ‘dear husband’ at the party the night before yesterday.”

Jian Chengxi: “…”

Meanwhile, Li Lingfeng seemed somewhat pleased. He raised an eyebrow and looked at his daughter, saying, “Suisui is very clever.”

Jian Chengxi took a deep breath, both embarrassed and annoyed. “General!”

Li Lingfeng seemed to realize he might have taken things too far and spoke slowly, “You can just call me the way you did before.”

Jian Chengxi froze!!

How was he supposed to know how the original owner called him?

Damn it, he couldn’t bring himself to say it!

While Jian Chengxi was tangled in his dilemma, Li Lingfeng remained calm and collected, unhurried, even taking the time to look at some documents!!

Ding.

A mechanical sound echoed inside the airship.

“Approaching the floating island. 800 meters to the destination.”

The entire airship descended smoothly. As the distance closed, everyone could finally see the appearance of the mansion on the island. It was an extraordinarily beautiful pavilion, surrounded by mountains and water, with a grand estate spread across three floors. Each floor had panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, and the ground was pristine and neat. The most striking feature was the living hot spring in the courtyard!

Jian Chengxi’s eyes widened in awe.

Li Lingfeng’s voice echoed in his ear. “This is it.”

Jian Chengxi and the two children were all leaning against the window of the airship, looking out. He was in a good mood, completely immersed in the excitement of the moment. He turned around and smiled, saying, “Feng-ge, look, there’s a swing over there.”

Li Lingfeng looked up at him.

Jian Chengxi froze in place. How… How did he just call him that?

The airship landed on the ground.

Li Lingfeng stood up and picked up Li Chen. Li Suisui ran down the airship cabin and shouted from below, “Daddy, Daddy, come quickly! Suisui wants to go swing with you!”

Jian Chengxi snapped out of his daze.

For a brief moment, an unfamiliar emotion passed through his heart, but he quickly ignored it.

At the entrance, the family saw the deputy general’s family, who had also moved over. Their house was not far away. After the deputy general raised his hand in salute, he picked up his luggage and walked away.

The doctor leisurely walked behind, smiling as she said, “Xiao Xi, from now on, our two families will be neighbors. A few days ago, my husband took care of buying some basic furniture for these two houses, and as for me, I picked out a few small gifts for you. I hope you’ll like them.”

Jian Chengxi, puzzled, asked, “What gifts?”

The doctor smiled slightly, “You’ll know soon enough.”

Jian Chengxi couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t anything good, but not wanting to brush off the doctor’s kindness, he nodded and said, “Thank you.”

The doctor’s smile became even more ambiguous. “You’re welcome.”

After moving into the new house, everyone naturally felt happy. Although Jian Chengxi had some lingering doubts, he quickly pushed them to the back of his mind.

Walking into the new house with the children and his husband, Jian Chengxi was surrounded by all the new and exciting things in this world. The high-tech elevators, doors, and windows were all in sight. The children’s room was spacious, and even the bed had been replaced from a stone one to a cloud-like soft bed.

The children were extremely happy in their new room.

Jian Chengxi smiled, gently ruffling their hair as he asked, “Are you happy?”

Li Suisui nodded eagerly. “Happy!!”

Jian Chengxi felt a surge of hope in his heart. He wanted the children to be full of hope for the future. He then said, “Now that we’ve moved here, Suisui can go to a better school with your gege. You’ll learn so much more, and you won’t have to sleep on a stone bed anymore. You’ll have your own new room. Isn’t that exciting?”

The two children nodded in agreement.

Jian Chengxi patiently asked, “Suisui, do you like this room?”

He expected her to say it felt like being a princess.

To his surprise, Li Suisui excitedly replied, “Suisui finally gets to live in a castle like a queen! From now on, Suisui will also work hard to make apples and…”

Jian Chengxi quickly changed the subject, not wanting to ignore his son. He patiently guided the conversation, asking, “What about Xiao Chen? Do you like your room?”

Li Chen, always quiet by nature, spoke in a soft voice, “I like the new school more.”

Jian Chengxi’s eyes lit up. His son really had ambition. He couldn’t hide his excitement as he said, “Xiao Chen wants to go to the new school and make new friends?”

“Not really.” Li Chen calmly lifted his eyes, speaking without hesitation. “At the new school, I should be able to learn better knowledge, and then I can research and create even more powerful mechas…”

Jian Chengxi felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly said, “The moving boxes are at the door. Daddy’s going to organize some things. You two go wash up first. Daddy will be there in a bit, alright?”

The two children obediently nodded and left after he gave his instructions.

Jian Chengxi let out a sigh of relief.

He climbed the stairs to the top floor and found that it was a large bedroom, the master bedroom.

This should be the bedroom for him and Li Lingfeng. What he hadn’t expected was that it was so big. Was tonight really the first night he and Li Lingfeng would spend together here? Come to think of it, he had never actually slept with Li Lingfeng before…

Oh well.

It’s just sleeping, what could possibly happen!

Jian Chengxi walked over and suddenly noticed that the bed in the master bedroom seemed different from the one in the children’s room. There appeared to be a button on the blanket, with a doctor’s handwriting on it that said: “Surprise~”

What is this?

Jian Chengxi was puzzled by the doctor’s surprise, but couldn’t resist his curiosity and pressed it.

Suddenly—

As soon as the button was pressed, the entire room changed into a rainbow of colors. Even the ceiling had a mirror that reflected the bed perfectly. Not only that, but various little toys suddenly popped out from a nearby cabinet. Then, from some unknown mechanism, flower petals began to scatter everywhere!

Jian Chengxi: “!!??”

Just as he stood there in shock, his eyes wide, footsteps could be heard approaching from not far away.

Li Lingfeng slowly walked to the bedroom door, taking in everything in the room. His gaze landed on Jian Chengxi.

The remote control in Jian Chengxi’s hand dropped to the floor, and he stammered, “I-I, you have to let me explain…”

“I didn’t expect this,” Li Lingfeng’s voice was low and somewhat hoarse. He lifted his eyelids, giving Jian Chengxi a meaningful glance. “You really want to give them both a companion?”