Guixu was becoming more and more complete, with Star Emblem Flowers blooming all over the mountains.
Jiang Lijin lay on a lounge chair by the lake, holding a glass of iced fruit juice. Xiao Yi was projecting interstellar financial news beside her. Guixu Group's quarterly profits had doubled, the Federation Military budget had increased, and new shipping routes had been opened.
Now that Xiao Yi had been upgraded, it had permission for cross-world transmission.
She had resources, she had an escape route. Looking back at the fortune she had amassed, she figured she needed an heir.
"Xiao Yi," Jiang Lijin said, biting her straw, "what do you think about me having a child?"
Xiao Yi's screen froze for a second, then flashed exclamation marks.
"Host, please think carefully!" Xiao Yi's electronic voice even cracked. "Your five men would fight for three days and nights over who gets to be the father."
Jiang Lijin thought for a moment and concluded that this was indeed a problem.
Who would be the child's father?
After dinner, the family meeting was held on time.
Around the long table, five males each took their own corner. Rowan had been coaxed back to his room by Xiao Yi.
Jiang Lijin tapped the table. "I'm planning to have a child."
The dining room went quiet instantly. The five males exchanged glances.
Tinia reacted first, his blue eyes lighting up. He shoved his chair aside and rushed to Jiang Lijin's feet.
"Sister, choose me. I'm the best-looking, and I'm young! In great shape! Most importantly, our child would be the interstellar richest from birth—all of Cloud Abyss Group and Guixu Group would be theirs."
"Who cares about being rich?" Baal tossed his light terminal onto the table. "Choose me. I'll teach them how to fight, how to tear star beasts apart on the battlefield."
Tianyan leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "Fighting is such a hassle. The Intelligence Net of Senluo Pavilion spans the entire universe. If the child follows us, they can toy with others with just a snap of their fingers. Right, Tianque?"
Tianque nodded. "I'll teach assassination. Plus, our twin genes are a two-for-one deal—practical."
What kind of education philosophy was this?
Tinia was not having it. He glared at Baal, Tianyan, and Tianque. "Sister wouldn't want our child to fight and kill, right, Sister?"
The four males refused to back down, and it looked like they were about to overturn the table in the dining room.
Chiron, who had been silent all along, set down his coffee cup with a sharp clink.
Everyone turned to look at him.
He opened his light terminal and pulled up an encrypted file. A holographic image unfolded in the center of the table.
"The latest research results from the Academy of Sciences," Chiron said. "Parthenogenetic gene recombination technology."
Jiang Lijin was intrigued. "In plain language."
"In simple terms, no male participation is needed," Chiron said, looking at Jiang Lijin. "We extract your own genes, rearrange and combine them, and nurture a brand-new life. It's not cloning—it's a unique individual."
Tinia was stunned. "So we're not needed?"
"Correct," Chiron nodded. "To avoid gene rejection and psychic conflicts, this is the safer option. Later, an artificial womb can be used for gestation, completely painless."
Baal frowned but didn't argue. "Later? What about the early stage?"
"The first three months must develop in the mother's womb," Chiron explained. "This is to establish initial emotional bonding and psychic resonance. After three months, transfer to the cultivation pod."
Chiron continued to Jiang Lijin, "Your physical condition can handle the first three months' load. After that, you just wait for the child to be born."
No suffering, no need to mediate the harem disputes, and she could gain an heir for free.
"Let's go with this," Jiang Lijin declared decisively. "Tomorrow, go to the Academy of Sciences!"
Tinia looked pitiful. "So what are we?"
"Does that mean my child isn't also your child?" Jiang Lijin patted his cheek. "They'll still call you 'Dad.' Just remember to put in the money and effort."
Those words instantly soothed Tinia. His eyes sparkled as he pressed against Jiang Lijin again, rubbing against her like a pet.
...
Half a month later, the embryo was implanted.
Jiang Lijin's pregnancy life began.
The first three months were supposed to be the most troublesome stage.
But Jiang Lijin's reactions were strange. No morning sickness, no drowsiness—just hunger.
And her cravings changed three times a day, specifically for the most outrageous things.
At three in the morning.
Jiang Lijin opened her eyes and nudged Tinia beside her.
"Tinia, I want to eat Thorn Fruit."
Tinia groggily sat up, his golden hair a mess. "Thorn Fruit? The origin is often frequented by interstellar pirates, and it's at least three jumps away from here."
"I want to eat it."
Tinia dared not refuse. He swiftly got out of bed and went to knock on Baal's door.
Without a word, Baal mobilized an elite Federation squad, flying an invisible starship to retrieve the fruit.
On the communication channel, Gary was crying and cursing, saying their Commander had gone mad, mobilizing soldiers to fight pirates in the middle of the night for a piece of fruit.
When the Thorn Fruit was delivered, Jiang Lijin took only one bite before spitting it out in disgust. "Sour. Not eating it."
Baal stared at the crate of fruit, said nothing, and took it into the kitchen to eat it all himself.
The next day, the Federation Commander took an unprecedented half-day off due to excess stomach acid.
Tinia didn't fare much better. Jiang Lijin complained that she hated his cologne and said the scent made her nauseous.
He immediately threw out all the custom perfumes in the house and bathed daily with unscented soap until his skin cracked from dryness.
Tianyan and Tianque became delivery runners. One moment they were digging for ice lotus seeds on a snowy mountain; the next, they were diving into the deep sea for fluorescent fish.
Chiron was the most stable.
Without fail, he ran two basic check-ups on Jiang Lijin every day.
He recorded data and adjusted her diet plan.
"All indicators are normal," Chiron said, looking at the data on his light terminal. "But you're five percent overweight. Sweet treats are halved from now on."
Jiang Lijin was busy eating fruit that Tinia had peeled for her. "Chiron, don't push it."
"Doctor's orders." Chiron calmly took the fruit core from Jiang Lijin's hand.
The three months passed through all the chaos and excitement.
Fortunately, the transfer surgery went smoothly. The embryo was moved into a high-spec cultivation pod.
It was a semi-transparent nutrient tank containing a life form the size of a clenched fist.
From that day on, the five men in the house had a new daily routine: watching the pod.
The cultivation pod was placed in a temperature-controlled room next to the master bedroom.
Every day after work, Baal's first task was to stand in his military uniform in front of the pod and watch for ten minutes.
"So small," Baal commented. "How is something this weak supposed to pilot a mecha in the future?"
Tinia squeezed in, pushing Baal aside. "What do you know? This is called cuteness. Look at those little hands—so adorable!"
Tianyan leaned in and tapped the glass with his finger. "This little thing, will it bankrupt all of us one day?"
Tianque replied flatly, "It can afford to."
Chiron walked in, holding his recorder, and shooed the four of them out. "Visiting time is over. Excessive crowding will cause temperature fluctuations in the nutrient fluid. Out."
Besides the daily observations, prenatal education was also a problem.
Tinia dragged a stool in front of the pod and passionately read aloud Guixu Group's financial reports, claiming it was to nurture business acumen.
Baal's approach was much more straightforward. He played mecha battle videos from the Federation Military Academy in the temperature-controlled room, the explosions so loud they sent ripples through the nutrient fluid.
The twins were even more outrageous. Tianyan was telling the embryo about cases of backstabbing within the Senluo Syndicate, while Tianque was demonstrating a hundred different ways to hold a dagger.
Jiang Lijin had had enough and booted the whole lot of them out.
"If I catch any of you feeding her garbage information again, you'll all be sleeping in the hallway."
In the end, the task of prenatal education fell to Rowan.
The six-year-old little emperor, after finishing government affairs with Chiron and Su Han every day, would run to Guixu, drag over a small stool, and sit in front of the incubation pod.
"Today I'll tell you the story of the Interstellar Great Voyage," Rowan said, flipping open a thick, hardbound book, his voice still childish.
Inside the pod, the embryo would occasionally wiggle a finger or kick a leg.
Rowan would then turn happily to Jiang Lijin and say, "Sister, she understood! She's going to be a wise ruler!"
Tinia chimed in sourly from the side, "What wise ruler? She's destined to inherit the Yunlan Group."
"The Military Department is her true home," Baal said, arms crossed, staring dead at the pod.
Chiron walked in holding a data pad. "Let her do whatever she wants. As long as she's happy."
This statement successfully drew the attention of the other four.
Jiang Lijin leaned against the doorframe, cracking melon seeds, watching this bunch argue heatedly over a ball that hadn't even been born yet.
...
A few months later.
The incubation pod emitted a series of beeping alerts. Vital signs had met the standard. The simulation of amniotic fluid rupture began. The baby was coming.
Old men Seth and Saien stopped even digging their dirt ditches and were pacing outside in sterile suits. The room was too crowded; they hadn't managed to squeeze in.
No midwife was needed. The mechanical arms automatically completed all the cleaning procedures.
Half an hour later, Jiang Lijin walked out carrying a little baby wrapped in a soft blanket.
Tinia was the first to rush up, but his hand stopped halfway, afraid of breaking her. Baal stood frozen, not knowing where to put his hands. Tianyan and Tianque craned their necks to look.
Chiron washed his hands and took the child. His hands were trembling. He only held her for a moment before handing her back to Jiang Lijin.
His forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat from tension.
Seeing them like this, Jiang Lijin couldn't help but laugh. She looked down at the little baby in her arms.
The little one had her eyes closed, her skin was pink, and her hair was black.
This was her flesh and blood, completely and utterly hers.
"Give her a name," Chiron said.
"Jiang Chu," Jiang Lijin said with a smile. She had already thought of it long ago. "The beginning of all things."
...
Jiang Chu's arrival turned the household completely upside down.
The little girl inherited Jiang Lijin's laid-back attitude: if she could lie down, she wouldn't sit; if she could be carried, she wouldn't walk. And she had quite the temper.
On her first birthday, the Grabbing Ceremony was held on the lakeside lawn in Guixu.
The lawn was covered with all sorts of outrageous objects.
Tinia had placed an unlimited credit card.
Baal had placed a miniature high-energy particle gun, with its energy cell specially removed.
Tianyan and Tianque had placed a Star Emblem Flower and a Dark Flower Token.
Chiron had placed a book titled The Origin of Interstellar Species and Genetic Atlas.
Rowan had placed a miniature version of the Imperial Crown.
Jiang Lijin sat on a chair, watching Jiang Chu wobble across the grass in her little green dress.
Five males, plus the little emperor, stood circled around, watching.
"Chuchu, take this one. See how shiny and pretty it is," Tinia said, waving the gold card.
"The gun," Baal said, pointing at the particle gun on the ground.
Jiang Chu walked to the center, looked at this, looked at that, and finally plopped down on the grass.
She yawned, grabbed the four corners of the picnic cloth, and bundled everything inside all at once.
Gripping the bundle of everything inside the picnic cloth, she crawled over to Jiang Lijin's leg using all four limbs, grabbed her mother's calf, and said in a milky, baby voice, "Mommy, hungry."
The seven pairs of eyes were all stunned.
Jiang Lijin laughed and scooped her daughter up.
"See that?" Jiang Lijin said, ruffling Jiang Chu's head. "She wants it all. That's my girl!"
