The Birth of the Heir

Ji Ning opened his eyes and saw that he was being held by a giant man dressed in white fur. He immediately realized that only because he was an infant would this man appear as a giant.

"You may leave," the man instructed.

"Yes." The three maidservants replied respectfully.

The man holding him must be his father in this life. Even though he had just obtained a son, he was still like a ten-thousand-year-old glacier, making it difficult to approach him. He wore a magnificent white fur coat, while the three maidservants also wore animal hides, but of obviously inferior quality.

The room was quite spacious. The walls, dressing table, chairs, stool, bed—everything was carved from rock, with intricate, exquisite carvings that radiated an endless, ancient beauty. The bed was covered with a huge beast pelt over six or seven meters long, its fur falling to the floor. It looked extremely luxurious. On the bed lay a young woman with a face covered in sweat.

"My son." The man in white fur held the infant. Although he was still cold and expressionless, his eyes could not conceal his excitement.

Ji Ning suddenly felt a mysterious, cool energy flow into his body, quite comfortable, before it quickly receded.

"Yichuan, how is our son?" the young woman on the bed asked eagerly.

"Just as I expected. His physical aptitude is mediocre," Ji Yichuan said softly.

Tears glistened in the young woman's eyes. "Let me hold him."

The man immediately handed the infant over.

"Be good." The young woman looked at the infant, her eyes full of love. "Yichuan, our son was injured in the womb. Even though I ate some celestial treasures, it only made up for a small part. It is our fault, child."

Injured in the womb? Celestial treasures? It seems that his parents in this life are not ordinary people, Ji Ning thought.

After giving birth, the mother was already walking easily. Wearing a white fur garment, she held the baby and walked out of the room with the father.

"Go clean up," Ji Yichuan instructed the three maidservants waiting outside.

"Yes," they replied respectfully.

On the corridor outside stood a snow-white dog with long, soft fur, looking very docile. Its gaze fell on Ji Ning, filled with excitement and affection.

In the wide courtyard outside, a huge black serpent lay coiled in winding loops, pressed against the inner edge of the yard, circle after circle. It raised its body high—the raised part alone dozens of meters tall—with scales that gleamed darkly, each scale half the size of a person. The enormous serpent head, as large as a house, slowly lowered, approaching.

"Heavens!" Ji Ning was shocked. The snow-white dog was one thing; he had seen plenty of dogs in his past life, and this one was just slightly larger than average.

But the coiling monster that raised its body—was that a snake? The coiled loops, the raised part alone dozens of meters tall—the total length must be two or three hundred meters! Such a terrifying creature appeared right at his doorstep? This was too...

But Ji Yichuan paid no heed to his son's shock. Or perhaps the people of this world were long accustomed to these things and found it unremarkable. Ji Yichuan pointed at the snow-white dog. "Son, this is your Uncle White, your father's sworn brother, who also saved your life. You should treat him as you treat me."

The snow-white dog looked at Ji Ning with affection. Ji Ning could even feel the deep love this dog had for him.

But...

Addressing a dog as "Uncle White"?

"Yichuan, the child has just been born and doesn't understand anything. What use is it to say this?" the young woman holding the baby said.

"Regardless of whether he understands or not, this is the first meeting between him and Little White." Ji Yichuan looked up at the huge serpent head, the size of a house. "Brother Black!"

Hua! The black serpent, which would drive countless nations on Earth into a frenzy, suddenly transformed into black mist, then condensed into a black-haired middle-aged man. The black-haired man looked at the infant with a smile. "Yichuan, I still remember when you first showed your talent and I agreed to follow you. Now you have a son in the blink of an eye. Don't be afraid, child. I am your Uncle Black."

"Let's go outside," Ji Yichuan said. "Grandfather and the others are waiting. Brother Black, I know maintaining human form is uncomfortable for you. Better resume your original form."

"Hiss~" The black-haired man nodded, then transformed into black mist and instantly reverted to the massive coiled black serpent from before. The serpent head stretched far away, its huge body gliding swiftly, effortlessly crossing the courtyard wall and disappearing.

Even now, Ji Ning was still a bit stunned.

What was perfectly normal to the people of this world was utterly shocking to someone who had lived on Earth in his past life. A two-to-three-hundred-meter-long black serpent that could transform into a black-haired middle-aged man, claiming to be his uncle?

Monsters!

"Is this snow-white dog also a monster?" Ji Ning felt that this world was even more unimaginable than he had expected.

The couple carried the child along a corridor toward the outside, with the snow-white dog following by their side. At the end of the corridor, they followed a stone path into a garden. The vegetation was covered in thick snow. Several black-armored guards stood motionless at various points. In the center stood several dozen people, each accompanied by strange beasts, venomous insects, and birds.

Ji Ning understood immediately: it wasn't just his father who was special; in this world, people commonly kept and tamed demonic beasts.

"It seems I'll be dealing with monsters often from now on," Ji Ning quickly adapted and began to observe the crowd. All of them had extraordinary bearing, like fierce tigers and leopards. Almost all wore well-tailored, luxurious animal hides. Only three women wore silk or cloth garments.

Ji Ning was secretly surprised. So not everyone in this world wore animal hides; silk and cloth already existed. Judging by the women's positions, they were ordinary among the group, implying that silk or cloth was not necessarily superior to the finest fur.

A silver-haired elder standing at the front walked over directly. "Come, Yichuan, let me hold the child."

"Grandfather." Ji Yichuan nodded, took the baby from his wife, and handed it to the elder.

"The child is truly beautiful," the silver-haired elder said with great joy. "Yichuan, now that you have a son, I can rest assured. I have been the Prefectural Lord for eighty years now. According to clan rules, one cannot serve as Prefectural Lord for more than a hundred years. I have at most another twenty years. I had originally intended for you to inherit the position of Prefectural Lord of our Ji Clan's Western Prefecture, but you have always been devoted to the path of cultivation. Now that your son is born, I think it is fitting for him to be the next Prefectural Lord."

Next Prefectural Lord?

Ji Ning marveled. His status seemed quite high. Moreover, his clan must be extraordinary. The extremely obedient maidservants in animal hides and the motionless black-armored guards all reflected the power of his clan.

"Elder Brother!" A furious shout rang out.

Who dared to be disrespectful to the Prefectural Lord?

Ji Ning looked toward the source. An elder with fiery red hair and a blazing aura stepped forward. On his right ear hung a bright red earring—no, it was not an earring, but a small red snake the length of a finger. A small red snake hanging from his ear?

The elder with the small red snake hanging from his ear stepped forward and roared, "How can the succession of the Prefectural Lord be decided so casually? We don't even know what this child's aptitude is!"

"The son of Yichuan—his aptitude is naturally..." The silver-haired elder was full of confidence. At the same time, a warm stream of energy flowed into Ji Ning's body and then quickly receded.

"Yichuan!" The silver-haired elder looked at his most proud and accomplished grandson in shock.

How could he not be shocked?

This was the son of Drip Sword Ji Yichuan! The famous Drip Sword! With a single sword stroke, he slew who knew how many great demons from deep mountains and lakes. Among the countless tribes under the Ji Clan's Western Prefecture, more people knew of Drip Sword than of the Prefectural Lord himself.

As long as the fetus consumed enough spiritual treasures, the infant's body condition could naturally be nurtured to perfection.

"Elder Brother," the viper elder laughed heartily, "it seems Yichuan's child has very mediocre aptitude. Our Ji Clan Western Prefecture rules over many tribes. How can a weakling be Prefectural Lord? How can the Ji Clan members be convinced? How can the many tribes submit peacefully?"

"Prefectural Lord, this child doesn't seem fit to be the next Prefectural Lord."

"The position of Prefectural Lord cannot be determined so casually."

The dozens of people present were all high-level members of the Western Prefecture, and many spoke up.

"Silence!" Ji Yichuan frowned, his cold gaze sweeping over them. Many clan members immediately quieted down.

But the viper elder roared, "Such a temper! This is the Western Prefecture of the Ji Clan—are we not allowed to speak? If your son becomes Prefectural Lord, and if his aptitude were good, added to your great contributions to the Western Prefecture, we would have no objection. But since his aptitude is so mediocre, he wants to be Prefectural Lord? Our Western Prefecture rules countless tribes, contending with surrounding powers and fighting great demons in the deep mountains and lakes. How can a weak Prefectural Lord convince the clan members? How can he make the tribes submit? If the Western Prefecture loses its prestige, how will we contend with neighboring powers and fight the great demons?"

"The great demons of the deep mountains and lakes—I will slay them myself!" Ji Yichuan's voice was icy.

"How impressive! Truly worthy of Ji Yichuan. There are plenty of great demons lurking in the mountains and lakes. Go ahead and kill them. I, Ji Lie, propose this: if you can kill a hundred great demons, we will stop contesting the position of Prefectural Lord and let your son succeed!" the viper elder sneered.

Ji Yichuan stared at him.

Every great demon was cunning and powerful. It was not easy to kill them—even killing ten would be a miracle, let alone a hundred.

"Enough. The child has just been born and cannot endure this disturbance." The silver-haired elder glanced around and ordered, "Tonight, a banquet will be held at Drifting Snow Hall to celebrate. Now, all of you may withdraw."

"Yes!"

The viper elder was the first to respond loudly, then led over half of the crowd away. The others also filed out, leaving the garden.