Never Grow Old
âWhy interrupt such a beautiful scene with my presence?â said Rose gently.
Yang Chenâs heart warmed. She was as kind as always.
He approached her silently and grabbed her cold hand.
Rose stood there in stunned silence. When she saw that Yang Chen was about to bring her to her room, she hit a sudden realization. Her pretty face reddened. âDonât you think about anything else? We havenât met in a while and now we get in bed the moment we see each other?â
Yang Chen smiled bitterly. Turning back, he said, âMy darling Rose, youâre overthinking. I have other matters to discuss.â
Realizing her mistake, she pouted as her face burned up.
When they entered her room, Yang Chen guided her to the bed. He scanned her body. âYou smell like blood. Did you kill someone?â
Roseâs smile faded into awkwardness. âI thought you wouldnât find out if I showered first.â
âIâm an expert in matters like these,â said Yang Chen. He pinched her nose. âYou donât have to explain yourself either. As long as youâre alright, I donât care whom youâve killed in the underworld.â
Her eyes surged with warmth. She leaned gently on the manâs shoulder. âIt was actually two leaders of the association. They were selling crystal meth with a few snakes from the Middle East behind my back. I gave them a chance but they refused to take heed.â
âYou were out early, and youâre back late. You mustâve killed more than a few,â he said with a smile.
âUhâŠâ Her eyes flashed coldly. âSince we were taking action, we had to wipe them out from the roots. Their core members, subordinates, including families, we didnât leave even a single person alive.â
Yang Chen gently stroked the womanâs hair. His fingers touched her face and lingered for a moment. âWhy did you have to do it yourself? Couldnât you get Chen Rong to go?â
âHer?â She laughed coldly. âShe thinks Iâm unaware of their deals. Without Chen Rongâs approval in secret, they wouldnât have been so willing to do it.â
âChen Rong⊠Sheâs still disobedient as always,â he said airily.
âMm.â
With his gentle, loving strokes, Rose closed her eyes blissfully as if she was about to fall asleep. âShe still listens most of the time though. If I get someone to replace her, they might not do their job as well as her. Anyone would be tempted with wealth beyond their wildest dreams.â
As she spoke, Rose lifted her head to look at Yang Chen in loving admiration. âI know sheâs afraid of you. No matter how greedy she is, she wouldnât dare to cross you.â
Yang Chen laughed. âLet them do whatever they want. I donât take their petty fights to heart anyway. I want to talk to you about something.â
She nodded curiously. âIâm listening. Itâs not every day you have something to talk to me about. I must listen carefully.â
âYou naughty littleâŠâ Yang Chen kissed her face, then said solemnly, âRose, have you ever wondered⊠When we have fun, why donât you ever get pregnant even though we donât use protection?â
Rose was startled. She didnât expect him to start with something like that. She blushed, but also asked expectantly, âWhâwhy?â
âHave you ever thought that I might be doing something to prevent it?â He smiled.
She nodded, embarrassed. âI guess...â
âYou all have mistaken. Itâs not that I donât want to, itâs that I canât.â Yang Chen smiled bitterly.
âAh?â Rose paled as if she was hit by the news, âHoâhow? But youâre⊠strongâŠâ
âI didnât mean it like that!â Yang Chen scratched his head. âWhat I mean is that with our current situation, I cannot let any of you bear my child.â
Rose was very confused. She blinked, speechless.
He sighed softly before explaining himself to her.
As she heard peculiar phrases like âEndless Resolve Restoration Scriptureâ, âXiantianâ, âSoul Formingâ, and âTribulation Passingâ stages in addition to his journey of cultivation, Roseâs initial shock turned into disbelief, then finally into concern with a hint of fear.
âThen⊠Then what should we do? Youâre only getting more and more powerful.â Roseâs eyes were filled with sadness.
Exasperated, he said, âThe child wonât be the most pressing problem. The most important thing is⊠our aging problemâŠâ
âAging?â
âThatâs right.â Yang Chen nodded. âAlthough I canât guarantee how long I would live, it would be easy for me to live up to a few hundred years with my current cultivation. Also, my body wonât age with time. Perhaps after a while, if I could improve my cultivation, my lifespan could get longer and longer.â
When she heard this, blood drained from her face. She shook her head in panic. âNo⊠I donât want that! If thatâs true, after several decades youâd still be as young as ever and Iâd be old. What should I do?â
He grabbed the womanâs shoulders, shaking his head. âDonât panic. Iâve already told you the problem. Doesnât that mean I also have the solution? And, as for our feelings for each other, you really think I wouldnât love you if you grew old? If thatâs the case, then whatâs the difference between you and the other women Iâve been with? I donât love you only because of your looks. You mustâve known since the beginning. Iâm not like that.â
She nodded emotionally, touching Yang Chenâs cheek tearfully. âBut⊠Hubby, Iâm scared. I knew you were powerful before but not to this extent. What should I do so I wonât have to leave you⊠I donât want you to see me grow old, Iâd rather leave you.â
This helpless girl was no longer the ruthless assassin of the underworld, but rather a girl praying to the heavens for comfort.
Yang Chen held her shaking hands. âThatâs why I had to talk to you. If I want the lot of you to never leave me while staying young, the only way is to get everyone to start cultivating too!â
âCultivation⊠Like⊠Like what you do?â Rose was quite hesitant. âWould I be able to do it?â
âOf course,â Yang Chen said confidently. âTo be honest, although Iâve been feeling my way through it alone, because of this, I have a thorough understanding of many things.â
âThen⊠what should I do?â
Yang Chen smiled, âMy darling Rose, after thinking about it, youâre the most suitable candidate. Your body is familiar with the foundations of martial arts and your muscles are flexible and strong. And right now you have the most time too. Matters at the Red Thorns Society are also petty anyways. To be honest, to me, it would only take a moment to unify the entire underworld of Zhonghai.
âAs long as you have the time, youâll be able to focus on trying out this cultivation. Iâll think of a way to prepare what I think would be the most suitable beginnerâs routine. Then, Iâll think of a way to speed up your cultivation. If you can achieve the Xiantian stage, then your lifespan would increase greatly. That would be the first success. If you can accomplish that, then I can let Qianni train with you without having to worry.
âYou still have a lot of time, so you donât have to panic. Iâm also self-taught, I donât know much about the system. Iâm afraid of giving you the wrong advice so I wonât let you do something unless Iâm sure that it is absolutely right.â
Roseâs eyes finally brightened with hope. She nodded solemnly. âIâll listen to you. Iâll let Chen Rong deal with the society. As long as I have you, I can let everything else go.â
He smiled faintly, then embraced the girl. âIf only youâd ask more of me. Youâre so willing to give up everything for me, Iâll feel guilty for it. Donât worry. To keep my darling Rose pretty for the rest of her life, Iâd even give all my cultivation abilities to you with no regrets.â
Confused, she asked, âYour cultivation⊠can be given to another person?â
He laughed awkwardly. âAbout that⊠Maybe? Heh, Iâm not sureâŠâ
She pouted. âYouâre just sweet-talking me. Hmmph, just watch me! Iâll be young forever! I didnât know before, but now that I know of a way to stop aging, I donât care about anything else. Of course, Iâd want to stay young! But it still feels like a dream!â
Slap!
Yang Chen suddenly slapped her buttocks. It was fleshy and full.
âOuch! You hit me!â
âTo show you that this is not a dream. Youâre about to be a seductive demon who never ages.â
She chuckled, burrowing her head deeper unto Yang Chen. âI feel so much better. Honey, are you eating at my house tonight?â
Yang Chen hesitated, then shook his head. âItâs fine. I think Qianni should be alright now. Iâve done everything I need to. You donât know whatâs going on in my home. Ruoxi must hate me so much. I attract too many problems, and you know it. Iâm not the head of my household, Iâd die if I donât make it home for dinner.â
She smiled. âAlright then, I wonât keep you here. Although I donât know what happened today, it looks serious. If Boss Lin kicks you out of the house, you could come here.â
âWhat will I get here?â he flirted.
She sneered, âSomeoneâs in so much trouble but still wouldnât stop flirting.â
He laughed, then stood up. âMy darling Rose, let me show you a trick. I hope this would make you more certain about everything.â
When he finished, Yang Chen vanished into thin air!
Rose covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock. After a long time, she clenched her teeth with determination!