After coming to a decision, Wang Chang stood up from the chair. He released a breath of heavy air and stared at the twinkling stars.
Somewhere out there, Luo Nuying is waiting for me.
He had no idea why he thought of such, but it was a sort of connection they had formed after marrying each other for many years. Now that his thoughts were clear, he sensed that she might be waiting for him.
Wang Chang pulled his gaze away and returned to his bed. He looked at Anatolia's face, and he reluctantly went back to the same position with her breasts covering his face.
. . .
The next morning arrived and Wang Chang woke up. He blinked his eyes and saw Anatolia sitting at the side of the bed. She held a plate full of steaming hot food.
"Jiayi, wake up. It's time to eat."
Wang Chang ate food while judging Anatolia. She had a different aura on her, and he couldn't put his hand on it.
She appeared more joyful.
After eating, Wang Chang walked out of his room with Anatolia trailing behind him. Imperial guards surrounded the area around the imperial chambers.
Wang Chang guessed they were there to protect him since the Empress was absent.
He ignored them and walked all the way to the guest room. His pitter-patter footsteps echoed in the hallway.
When he arrived before the towering door, he looked up at Anatolia.
"Crown Prince, you want to cultivate?"
She frowned at him.
Wang Chang nodded his head.
"Okay. Be careful, Crown Prince."
Anatolia still frowned, and she reluctantly opened the door after knocking.
Her distant referral to him with 'Crown Prince' was because they weren't in a private setting. In closed quarters, she usually called him by his first name.
When the door opened, Su Zihao stared at the two of them. He sat in the lotus position on the bed. Streams of white fog gathered from the surroundings into his nose with each inhale.
The fog slowly dissipated, and he stood up.
"What is he doing here, Miss Anatolia?"
He had been in reclusion ever since that incident and no one had come for him. He was puzzled by the sudden intrusion.
"He walked here by himself."
Anatolia raised her head and positioned her foot strongly on the ground in front of him. She squinted her eyes as she scrutinized his loose robe tied to his waist.
"You want to cultivate?"
Su Zihao focused on the face of the toddler. Just like how Anatolia scrutinized him, he scrutinized the facial expression of Jin Jiayi.
Wang Chang wasn't a baby anymore so he nodded his head. It wasn't far-fetched for him to understand the words of others.
"Hmph."
Su Zihao snorted. He knew it was impossible to truly prove that Jin Jiayi could understand him prior now that he had grown older.
"What is the first realm of cultivation? Is it Consolidation?" Su Zihao asked as he inwardly smiled.
What now, kid? If you answer, you will prove that you understood me back then.
Su Zihao had become obsessed with knowing the truth. He found it unbelievable that a little baby could endure the poisonous concoction without ever screaming.
However, Wang Chang was smarter than he expected. He had been living for seventy-one years if he counted his past and present lives together. He had his fair share of experiences regarding such tricks.
Wang Chang tilted his head.
He doesn't remember!?
Su Zihao was shocked but he didn't show it on his face. He nodded his head and waved for Anatolia to leave.
As he stared at Jin Jiayi, he relaxed.
Maybe I was wrong. He might be a tough one, just like his mother.
Su Zihao visibly sighed as he thought of his ridiculous thoughts. He was still a little skeptical, but he let it go for now.
"The first realm of cultivation is the Spiritual Gathering realm. Cultivators of this realm fill their bodies with spiritual energy from their heads to their toes. I will pass to you a basic manual to gather spiritual energy into your right hand."
Su Zihao sat on the far end of the bed and patted the spot in front of him.
Wang Chang walked, climbed up the bed, and sat in the lotus position.
When he saw him do that, Su Zihao became doubtful again. He suppressed it as he focused on doing his job.
Do I need to act dumber?
Wang Chang was in a dilemma. He wanted to cultivate as soon as possible to reach the Consolidation realm faster, but he also didn't want to reveal that he was reincarnated.
He could not imagine what his imperial family would do if they found out. He might fully lose the trust and love of his mother. After all, he wouldn't feel right either if he found out his child was reincarnated, not that he had any children to begin with.
"Do you know the basic parts of your body?"
Su Zihao asked.
Wang Chang blinked, pretending not to understand.
This should be dumb enough, right…?
As he thought as such, Su Zihao was inwardly screaming. He couldn't believe that he had to teach anatomy to a toddler.
And with the two battling it out with wits, time passed quickly. Lunch came and Anatolia came to serve food and then they continued.
Su Zihao taught anatomy and the internal organs to Jin Jiayi. He sometimes growled in annoyance, but he still tried to be nice.
Wang Chang learned a few things from Su Zihao. He didn't have a proper education in his past life, so it still helped him.
For example, he didn't know that the liver was located under his right rib bone.
When nighttime came, Su Zihao waved him away. For now, he couldn't learn the ways of the manual since he didn't understand the very basics of the basics.
Wang Chang felt that it was a waste of a day, but he relented and went back to sleep. He remembered his goal to reach the Consolidation realm and became motivated once more.
. . .
The days passed like this in succession.
Wang Chang learned orally from Su Zihao from morning till evening. Anatolia served them food when it was time to eat.
Overall, it was a grinding routine.
On the seventh day, Wang Chang finally understood the manual Su Zihao taught him.
First, he closed his eyes and sensed the flow of the spiritual energy around him. Once he did, he would breathe them in, take them through his lungs, use the bloodstream to move, and gather them in his right hand.
It gave him a cool and warm sensation. With it, he could sense the surrounding spiritual energy.
However, even with all of this, he was still a mortal. He had not stepped into the Spiritual Gathering realm yet. He needed to completely fill his right hand first.
"You are doing good, Crown Prince. Breathe in the spiritual energy gently. Once you master that, I will teach you how to take them in through your pores."
Su Zihao marveled at Jin Jiayi's speedy improvement as his doubt ignited again, but he quickly blamed it on his imperial bloodline.