The protagonist stole my spiritual root? Hey, heroine, give birth to me!

(Even if you don't take my brain, there's nothing I can do if you force me to have it.)

(The author really likes Emperor Wu of Wei; if you don't, please stop here.)

The author has discovered a pattern: those readers who make it this far will stay connected for life.

May everything go smoothly, may your business prosper, may you achieve great success, may your business flourish, may you be happy and fulfilled, may you live as long as the Southern Mountains, may your blessings be as vast as the Eastern Sea, may you have abundance every year, may your house be filled with gold and jade, may you have both fortune and longevity, may the five blessings come to your door, may you be healthy, happy and joyful, may you have peace and good fortune every year!

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Reference by Lin Shuiyao (Please delete if infringing copyright)

Mountain and sea realm.

In the Southern Kingdom of Flame Feather City, on the Eastern Continent, the Qin family resides.

"My whole life has been like walking on thin ice. Can I really reach the other side?" Chen Xuan muttered to himself in a simple house.

Yes, he time-traveled, and he even time-traveled into a novel.

He was reading a novel about "Ah Bin's high school grades not being ideal," but instead of being transported to that world, he was transported to a fantasy world—a fantasy novel he had read a long time ago that was left unfinished.

And by sheer coincidence, he joined the Xuan Yang Sect, where the protagonist resides. Even more coincidentally, he became the protagonist Qin Feng's senior brother!

As far as he knew, the cultivation technique practiced by the protagonist Qin Feng was a "righteous" technique that could absorb the spiritual roots of others, so he had always been on good terms with him and avoided him whenever possible.

However, unexpectedly, Chen Xuan, an alchemist, was still unable to escape. While he was refining pills, Qin Feng ambushed him and stole his spiritual root!

However, since it was Qin Feng's first time ambushing someone, he spared his own life and hurriedly ran away. Later, he even pretended to be an unsuspecting "good junior brother" and came over to inquire about Qin Feng's well-being.

Chen Xuan thought about it again and again, but he still couldn't figure out why. His spiritual root was clearly not outstanding enough, so the protagonist's target for absorption should not be him.

But the deed was done, and he became a cripple with nowhere to stand. Even his master was too lazy to see him.

Even in his most desperate moment, he had no cheat codes or special abilities.

Completely disillusioned, Chen Xuan had no intention of spending his retirement in the Xuan Yang Sect. While he was still young, he thought he should leave behind a descendant so that his journey would not have been in vain.

After all, even if he lost his cultivation, he still had a decent spiritual root, so marrying into another family or clan wouldn't be a problem for him.

So he decided to go down the mountain and never come back. Qin Feng also learned of this and earnestly invited him, an experienced third-grade alchemist, to seek refuge with his Qin family, saying that he would be protected.

At that time, Chen Xuan had no right to refuse Qin Feng's smiling invitation and had no choice but to agree.

So Qin Feng sent Chen Xuan to the Qin family, and then returned to his sect.

However, Chen Xuan was not treated well here. Qin Feng was only from a collateral branch of the Qin family, but he was extremely talented and had never been accepted by the main branch.

In addition, Qin Feng's father went to a secret realm to compete for an opportunity when Lin Shuiyao was pregnant, and then disappeared without a trace. As a result, Qin Feng and his mother Lin Shuiyao have never been well received.

It would be a lie to say that Chen Xuan didn't hate Qin Feng, so he thought about how to make Qin Feng suffer. Anyway, he was just a worthless person now, and he didn't care whether Qin Feng was the protagonist or not!

"Dr. Chen, something terrible has happened! Madam just fainted while walking. Please come and see her quickly!" A maid suddenly knocked on the door, her voice urgent.

"What? Take me there right now!" Chen Xuan feigned surprise, quickly got up, opened the door, and rushed to Lin Shuiyao's room.

Since Chen Xuan lived very close to Lin Shuiyao, the two of them quickly arrived at the scene.

What came into view was a stunningly beautiful woman.

However, she was pale and lying quietly in the courtyard with her eyes closed.

Although she was unconscious, she resembled a sleeping fairy. Her eyebrows were like emerald feathers, slender and curved, revealing an elegant temperament. Her nose was straight, and her lips were full, like a ripe cherry.

"Why didn't you help Madam up!"

"I...I have no strength..."

Chen Feng glanced at the little maid and saw that she was too thin and bony to lift Lin Shuiyao up, so he gave up.

"Sigh, in this emergency, we can't worry about anything else!" Chen Xuan sighed, then immediately stepped forward, scooped up Lin Shuiyao in his arms, and pulled her into his embrace.

Having been at the Qin family for over a month, this was Chen Xuan's first intimate encounter with Lin Shuiyao. Petite and delicate, soft and boneless—that was his first impression.

Then, in an instant, a captivating fragrance wafted into his nostrils, stirring something within him.

The fragrance was fresh and delicate, yet carried a hint of allure, as if it were the unique scent of the woman in my arms, intoxicating me.

Lin Shuiyao's body was as soft as jade, and when he was close, he could feel the alluring scent emanating from her skin. Chen Xuan held her tightly, and for a moment, he even wanted to keep her in his arms forever.

Thinking of this, Chen Xuan quickly bit his tongue to clear his mind before carrying Lin Shuiyao into the house.

As soon as he put her on the bed, the maidservant rushed over and asked, "Mr. Chen, what happened to Madam? Why did she suddenly faint?"

"Don't rush, let me take a look first." After saying that, Chen Xuan pretended to grab Lin Shuiyao's wrist and pretended to take her pulse.

After a long while, Chen Xuan let go of his hand and sighed.

"Please don't sigh, Mr. Chen. What exactly happened to Madam?!"

"Alas, I never expected that Madam had contracted a cold poison. This disease is extremely difficult to cure, and I currently have no better solution! I can only perform massage on Madam to help her awaken!" Chen Xuan sighed.

"Then, Mr. Chen, please treat her quickly! Madam is unconscious!"

The little maid was frantic. She was originally a slave and didn't know her own identity. By chance, she was bought by Qin Feng and put in his home to take care of Lin Shuiyao.

There were only the two women in the house. If something happened to Lin Shuiyao, she would probably be killed by Qin Feng!

"My massage skills... well, let's not talk about them!" Chen Xuan sighed again.

"What exactly happened, Mr. Chen? Please tell me!" The maid was on the verge of tears.

"But this treatment method requires..." Chen Xuan lowered his head and whispered the process to the maid. Upon hearing this, the maid blushed so deeply that her face almost bled.

"Isn't there any other way?"

"If I had that method, I wouldn't have told you about it!"

"Then please, Mr. Chen, do the treatment. Madam really can't be harmed!" The maid's face turned red as she prepared to leave, giving the two a quiet environment for treatment.

"By the way, I still don't know your name?" Chen Xuan asked.

"I don't have a name, sir, just call me Azi," the maid said after thinking for a moment.

"Understood. Remember to lock the door properly, and don't make a fuss about this!"

"Yes."

After Xiao Zi left, only Chen Xuan and the unconscious Lin Shuiyao remained in the room.

As Chen Xuan slowly approached, he smelled that faint fragrance again, permeating the air and enveloping him, making his heart race and a strange impulse surge within him.

Chen Xuan couldn't help but lower his head and gently kiss Lin Shuiyao's forehead, then casually took out a small pill and made her take it.

P.S.: The female lead's development is slow and deliberate in the beginning, but she'll take off dramatically in the mid-to-late game.