"Daddy, the buildings here are so tall."
Looking at the dozens or even over a hundred floors of high-rise buildings around her, the eldest daughter, Chen Yuejian, was filled with shock, full of curiosity about her father's hometown.
Chen An smiled, taking her soft, tender little hand in his, and said in a gentle voice:
"Come on, Daddy will take you to browse the large shopping mall ahead. Let you see how the market in Daddy's hometown differs from the ones you know."
"Okay." Chen Yuejian replied with a sweet smile, her pretty eyes curving into crescents.
Soon, the family walked into the large shopping mall.
As soon as they saw the dazzling array of goods inside, everyone's eyes were filled with novelty.
Walking all the way, they asked Chen An what everything was the moment they saw it, leaving his head buzzing.
The one who asked the most was the silly foodie, the second daughter, Chen Yike. No matter what she saw, she would smack her lips and ask if it was edible.
Until Chen An grew so annoyed that he bought a pile of snacks and stuffed them into her arms, finally plugging her chattering little mouth.
After all, once a foodie had food, she would be too busy eating to speak.
"Husband, what kind of clothing is that? It looks so alluring."
Seeing a sexy mature woman walk past, Song Huaying's gaze was instantly drawn to the other woman's stockings and high heels. Curious, she asked her indigenous husband beside her.
Without realizing his little darling was asking about stockings, Chen An swept a glance at the mature woman following his wife's gaze, smiled, and said:
"On her upper body, she's wearing a camisole. On her lower body, a hip-hugging miniskirt. On her legs are stockings, and on her feet are high heels."
"Husband, I want to wear stockings and high heels for you to see. Will you take me to buy them, please?"
Song Huaying tugged at her husband's arm, her voice soft and sweet, carrying a trace of coaxing that a man could hardly refuse.
Before Chen An could reply, Wen Zhiyun chimed in from the side:
"What stockings and high heels? Such revealing attire looks simply scandalous and demoralizing. Why would anyone wear such things?"
"Sister Wen is mistaken. That attire might look scandalous, indeed, but as long as we don't wear it out for others to see, and only wear it at home for our husband, there's nothing inappropriate about it," Jiuji said with a light smile.
Like Song Huaying, she wanted to wear stockings for Chen An, figuring that Chen An, who loved touching legs and feet, would surely adore seeing his beautiful wives wearing stockings for him.
Shen Qingyi and Gu Xinyue also expressed their views, saying that wearing them only at home for their husband was quite nice and could add a bit of spice.
Seeing that all the sisters agreed, Wen Zhiyun said no more.
It was just that Chen An had a loose tongue and couldn't resist offering a teasing chuckle: "With our Zhiyun's seductive figure, what a pity it would be not to wear stockings. I'll buy you every style later, and make you wear them every day."
"Who wants to wear them for you!" Wen Zhiyun instantly bristled, glaring at Chen An as she retorted, "If you want to wear them, wear them yourself!"
Chen An just smiled without a word.
They had been a couple for ages; he knew the tsundere concubine's temperament well and was long used to it.
This tsundere concubine was just all bark now; in less than two days, she would compromise and end up playing wilder than anyone else.
"Come on, I'll take you to the clothing section upstairs to see if they sell stockings."
With that, Chen An led his family toward the escalator, letting them experience modern facilities rather than taking the lazy route of teleportation.
As they stepped onto the escalator, the younger daughters found it immensely fun, laughing and stepping up and down.
Seeing this, Chen An merely smiled and didn't stop them.
Though young, his daughters were genuine immortals; they wouldn't suffer the slightest harm even if they tumbled down the escalator.
To put it mildly, they could jump from the top floor of the mall and remain completely unscathed.
A moment later.
The family arrived at the clothing section on the third floor.
Chen An led them around for a few turns until they found a shop selling stockings.
"Dad, there's yummy food up there! Can we go up?"
Through the hollow atrium of the floors, the silly second daughter, Chen Yike, spotted the various food shops upstairs. Her mouth instantly watered with cravings, her eyes fixed entirely on food.
Wen Zhiyun glared at her and said, "All you know is eating, eating, eating! Didn't you see your dad buying clothes for your mothers?"
"Oh..." Chen Yike fingered her hem, somewhat dejected.
Unable to bear seeing his daughter wronged, Chen An told the family, "I'm going out to exchange some money and will be right back. Wait for me here for a moment."
With that, his figure vanished into thin air in an instant.
About ten minutes later, his figure reappeared with a thick stack of cash in hand.
After briefly teaching his family how to use the paper currency of this modern society, he handed ten thousand yuan to each of his wives and concubines—Jiuhua Yu, Chen Meixian, Bai Ying, and Ziyan—telling them to spend as they pleased.
"Meixian, since little Yike wants to eat, I'll have to trouble you to take her upstairs."
After distributing the money, Chen An said to Chen Meixian, who had transformed from the Tree of Sages.
Chen Meixian nodded and said, "I understand, Master."
"Daddy, I want to go eat too!"
"Me too, me too!"
"Me, I want to go eat as well!"
"..."
Except for the eldest daughter, Chen Yuejian, all the other daughters clamored to go eat.
A bunch of little foodies... Chen An smiled, then looked at the two maidservants beside Bai Qingxue:
"Bai Ying, Ziyan, with so many people going, I'm afraid Meixian can't manage alone. Could I trouble the two of you to go along?"
"No problem."
"We obey the master's orders."
Bai Ying and Ziyan replied one after another.
They were Bai Qingxue's maidservants, and since Bai Qingxue was Chen An's concubine, they followed suit and addressed Chen An as master.
Hearing the two pretty maidservants call him master, Chen An's thoughts drifted elsewhere, imagining the blood-pumping scene of having them call him "Daddy."
"They're already far away, what are you still staring at? Look at that expression of yours."
Sensing that Chen An was eyeing Bai Ying and Ziyan's bodies, Wen Zhiyun rebuked him with an exasperated tone.
Chen An gave an awkward laugh and acted like he didn't hear.
At this moment, Bai Qingxue spoke quietly: "If Husband wishes, I can let the two of them warm your bed."
Chen An quickly denied it: "Nothing of the sort, don't listen to Zhiyun's nonsense."
"Husband has the heart of a thief but lacks the guts." Song Huaying loved stirring up trouble and added fuel to the fire: "Anyway, Husband has already married fifteen beautiful wives, marrying two more wouldn't hurt. The more, the merrier."
Hearing this, Chen An looked at his little darling and said, "You little green tea, just wait and see how I deal with you tonight!"
"Husband, I was wrong. Spare me tonight, okay?" Song Huaying begged with a sweet, delicate voice, though she was actually brimming with anticipation inside, thoroughly enjoying being pinned down and disciplined by Chen An on the bed.
Unable to watch any longer, Wen Zhiyun hurried Chen An along: "Didn't you say you wanted to buy stockings? Why are we still standing here stunned? Hurry up and go inside to buy them!"
Sister Wen is so awful; every time I act coquettishly, she looks so displeased... Song Huaying muttered inwardly.
Soon, Chen An led his wives, concubines, and eldest daughter, Chen Yuejian, into the shop, basically buying out every style of stocking in the store, one set per person.
This "per person" did not include Chen Yuejian and Jiuhua Yu.
After all, one was a young daughter and the other a concubine's grandmother; buying stockings for them was hardly appropriate.
However, if it wasn't appropriate for him, there were plenty of others for whom it was.
While picking out stockings, Jiuji said to Jiuhua Yu beside her, "Grandma, the two of us have similar figures. Let's buy the same ones so we can wear them together like a pair of sisters later."
Upon hearing this, Jiuhua Yu flicked her granddaughter's fair forehead and snapped in annoyance, "You cheeky little wench, I'm your grandmother! How can you be sisters with me?"
Jiuhua Yu tugged at her arm and coaxed, "But Grandma, you look so young and beautiful, not old at all. Walking with me, you look just like an older sister."
"One thing is one thing; no matter how young I look, our generation cannot be messed up," Jiuhua Yu shot her granddaughter a voluptuous, sideways glance.
She suspected her granddaughter had some ulterior motive, though she wasn't quite sure and didn't dare ask.
On the other side, the bolder Song Huaying had already dragged Chen An into the fitting room, claiming she wanted to change into stockings for him to see.
It took quite a while; nearly ten minutes passed before they emerged.
When she came out, Song Huaying's pretty face was flushed crimson, and she held a pair of battered, tattered stockings in her hand.
Seeing several wives and concubines looking over, Chen An gave an awkward, sheepish smile:
"These stockings aren't very durable. If you girls want to try them on later, remember to be gentle and not tear them."
"Heh."
Wen Zhiyun let out a cold snort and rolled her eyes at him with utter disdain.
Feeling rather embarrassed under their gaze, Song Huaying quietly walked aside to pick out stockings, looking every bit like a child feeling guilty after doing something bad behind her mother's back.
"Daddy, all the mothers have stockings to wear. I want to wear them too."
Chen Yuejian walked up to her father holding a pair of flesh-colored stockings, lifted her increasingly delicate and pretty face, and said so.
Hearing this, Chen An firmly refused: "You cannot wear them. Stockings are adult clothing; they aren't suitable for a ten-year-old girl like you."
"But I want to wear them." Chen Yuejian grabbed her father's arm, swaying and acting spoiled.
To this, Chen An remained unmoved, stating, "No means no."
Stopping her coquettish act, Chen Yuejian switched to a silent, aggrieved look, putting on a pitiful expression in an attempt to soften her father's heart and make him yield.
Unfortunately, it was completely ineffective; Chen An remained just as unmoved as before.
With no other choice, Chen Yuejian had to give up.
Just as she was about to put the stockings back, a smiling female salesperson walked over, casually picking up a pair of pure white stockings from the display and saying to the father and daughter:
"A ten-year-old child definitely shouldn't wear flesh-toned or black stockings, but our shop happens to have white stockings suitable for children. They're well-ventilated and breathable in the summer, warm and cozy in the winter. If she ever wants to learn ballet one day, she can wear them for that too. Buy a few pairs for the little cutie."
Well-ventilated and breathable?
Warm and cozy?
How can something be breathable and warm at the same time?
Aren't those two conflicting properties?
A salesperson's mouth is a ghost's deception!
Chen An couldn't help but complain inwardly.
However, unable to withstand his daughter's persistent pleading, he ultimately bought several pairs of pure white stockings.
After purchasing the stockings, Chen An took his wives upstairs to rendezvous with the troop of foodie daughters.
About an hour later.
The family had eaten and drunk their fill.
Next came the segment of walking, browsing, and buying.
Buying whatever caught their fancy—after all, money was not an issue.
Time spent shopping passes quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the sky grew dim.
The youngest of them all, the sixteenth daughter, Chen Susu, was already exhausted from shopping and had fallen into a deep sleep in her mother Lin Xiue's arms.
Feeling that they had shopped enough, Chen An led his family out of the mall, found a deserted patch of countryside, and carved out an immortal cave for a temporary stay.
It didn't take any time at all; with a mere blink of an eye, a dwelling could be conjured out of thin air.
After all, they were all grand cultivators of the Eternal Realm; creating a residence was a trivial matter.
Once his wives and daughters grew familiar with this modern society after a little while, he would obtain identities for them and settle down in the city, properly enjoying this safe, civilized era.
Shortly after arranging their dwelling, the wives immediately took out the newly purchased stockings to wear, having Chen An sit in the seat of honor to admire and evaluate them.
Chen An carefully observed them multiple times, deciding that merely looking wasn't enough and that he needed to use his hands. Only after feeling thoroughly satisfied did he offer his critique.
He declared that Song Huaying suited black stockings, Gu Xinyue suited white stockings, Wen Zhiyun suited flesh-toned stockings, Shen Qingyi suited fishnets, and Jiuji suited purple stockings.
As for the remaining concubines like Ning Xian'er, his opinions were largely similar, save for different colors.
"Daddy, do I look good in these white stockings?"
Chen Yuejian changed into a pair of pure white cotton stockings, walked up in front of her father, and asked with eager anticipation.
Chen An swept a glance at his eldest daughter's slender, straight, white-stockinged calves, smiled warmly, and praised:
"You look very cute. They suit you well."
"I think so too."
Chen Yuejian felt wonderful inside, her delicate face blooming with smiles.
At that moment, the silly second daughter, Chen Yike, grabbed someone's black stockings and pulled them over her head. Looking like a bank robber, she waddled over to her father and asked with a silly grin:
"Dad, am I awesome?"
"You silly wretch..."
Chen An was rendered speechless by his silly second daughter, at a loss for what to say.
Among his sixteen daughters, fifteen were adorable fairies, while the second daughter was an utter goofball—truly a rare specimen.
"Husband, the spiritual energy of this realm is so thin it's practically nonexistent. I just tried and found that cultivation is utterly impossible."
Xiao Qingyue walked over with her slender eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Right after trying on her stockings, she had pondered the issue of thin spiritual energy and immediately sat cross-legged to test whether cultivation was viable.
As expected, cultivation was impossible.
Hearing her words, the expressions of everyone else darkened instantly.
They were not like Chen An, whose cultivation realm had reached the Eternal Realm, truly achieving immortality.
If they couldn't cultivate, they would die when their lifespans reached their limits, with only the length of time separating them from the end.
Noticing everyone's distressed faces, Chen An couldn't help but smile and say:
"Don't worry. The moment I discovered that the place I ascended to was my hometown, I already considered this problem and devised a solution."
"What is the specific solution?"
Bai Qingxue was the first to ask.
Chen An replied: "It's very simple. I just need to tear a hole in the boundary wall of the upper realm and let the spiritual energy of the upper realm flow into our dwelling."
Ning Xian'er: "That works too?"
"Of course it does."
With a single thought, Chen An tore open a breach in the boundary wall of the upper realm, connecting it directly to the immortal cave and allowing the spiritual energy within to gush in endlessly.
In just a brief instant, the immortal cave was filled with dense spiritual energy, fulfilling the conditions required for cultivation.
With this, everyone inside the residence would be able to cultivate immortality in this modern urban setting.
***
Bonus Chapter 1: Urban Immortal Cultivation (Free)
"Qi Condensation 3rd Layer..."
Looking at the cultivation level displayed on the spirit stone, Chen An's face was filled with reluctance.
When he first transmigrated all those years ago, relying on his status as a transmigrator, he had boldly set a small goal for himself: to reach Foundation Establishment within ten years.
Yet thirty-odd years had passed in the blink of an eye, and his cultivation remained stuck at the Qi Condensation 3rd Layer, unable to progress any further.
With such abysmal talent, he was destined in this lifetime to have no hope of Foundation Establishment.
"Sigh, since the immortal path is so hard to tread, I might as well return to mediocrity for the rest of my days."
"Take a beautiful and capable little wife, have a few more children to pass on the bloodline, and properly enjoy some family happiness."
"That way, at least this life won't have been in vain."
Harboring this lazy, lying-flat mentality, Chen An couldn't wait to head out to the town.
He thought of finding the town matchmaker to see if there were any good girls to introduce, striving to settle his lifelong affairs today.
***
Qingshi Town, Xunhua Street.
Relying on his memory, Chen An walked straight toward the matchmaker's house.
Along the way, as he passed a brothel, he heard a pleasant tune drifting from within:
"At Yixiang Courtyard, oh, there are plenty of girls~~~"
"Big brother earns the money, little brother spends it~~~"
"Little sister earns the money, big sister spends it~~~"
Accompanied by the plucking of a zheng and some musical accompaniment, it sounded quite unique.
Though the lyrics sounded nonsensical, as if meant only to rhyme smoothly.
Chen An listened for a moment, found it uninteresting, and shook his head, preparing to leave.
Right at that moment, a commotion suddenly broke out in the side alley of the brothel.
"Wuwuwu, I don't want to become the courtesan of the year..."
"Looking so pretty and being well-versed in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, what a waste not to become the top courtesan."
"Making me the top courtesan is no different from killing me, wuwuwuwu..."
"If you crying, sniveling wench don't stop, this old lady will have you working as a common prostitute tonight!"
"Wuwuwuwu..."
Following the sound of crying, Chen An looked over and saw a young girl sitting on the ground, crying and making a fuss in the alley.
Standing beside her were several burly, thick-waisted men and a heavily painted, gaudily dressed matron, who looked like people from the brothel.
Chen An figured that most likely, this young girl had been sold into servitude by her family and was stubbornly refusing to submit.
With that thought, his gaze fell upon the girl, sizing her up carefully.
She was young, her small face looking somewhat tender and green, but her figure was voluptuous and curvy, quite alluring.
Seeing this, Chen An developed some ideas about the girl, lifted his feet, and walked toward the alley.
He walked straight up to the matron, stopped, pulled out a tael of gold, handed it over, and asked, "Pardon me for asking, but what is the situation with this young girl?"
The matron had initially wanted to curse him out and tell Chen An not to meddle in other people's business.