Chapter Eighteen: Three Months of Rapid Growth—About to Be Sold?

An idea came to him. Lin Qiye immediately put it into action.

He flashed a soft, adorable smile at his grandmother and stretched out his arms, asking to be held.

“Oh my, does my good grandson want a hug from grandma? Such a sweet boy, so handsome!” Grandmother Lin couldn’t stop smiling as she scooped Lin Qiye into her arms, patting his back and coaxing him about starting school.

Lin Qiye let out a joyful laugh. His small hands pressed gently against the back of his grandmother’s neck.

Then, a thread of innate energy cautiously flowed from him into her body, quietly dissolving the hidden ailments and chronic strain in her spine and lower back.

Innate energy was powerful precisely because it could reshape the physical body. Grandmother Lin’s spine and lower back, aged and worn for decades, were suddenly revitalized, restored to how they’d been twenty years earlier.

She noticed a strange sensation in her neck and back, but simply assumed it was because this child was unique. She continued pacing around the pigeon loft with Lin Qiye in her arms, mumbling as she went, “The old saying’s true, little ones have fire on their bottoms. Just look at these tiny palms—they’re even a bit hot.”

Lin Qiye only responded with more soft, cute laughter.

Next, he squirmed in her arms and placed his little hand near her eyes. Two more threads of innate energy gently nourished her somewhat clouded vision.

Grandmother Lin felt an extraordinary warmth from his hand and closed her eyes to enjoy it for a moment. When she opened them again, her sight was sharper than it had been in years. The presbyopia that had troubled her was gone, and her vision was as keen as when she was young.

She blinked, thinking it a mere illusion, and didn’t give it much thought.

After using all her tricks to amuse Lin Qiye for a while, Grandmother Lin headed out—she still needed to catch a few lizards that afternoon, or the little one wouldn’t have enough to eat.

She knew her age made it harder to catch as many as before, but she was determined to provide for the child.

But what she hadn’t expected was that her movements were now much more agile. Her hands and eyes worked in perfect harmony, and she managed to catch five fat four-legged lizards in one go—a harvest she hadn’t seen in years!

She returned home with a beaming smile, her wrinkles folding over each other, and stewed a fragrant pot of snake soup in the corner of their little hut.

Both of them ate their fill, happiness brimming from every bite.

In the days that followed, Grandmother Lin became a lizard-catching expert, returning each day laden with spoils. She even began raiding bird nests now and then.

From then on, their little household never lacked for food. Lin Qiye enjoyed three fresh meals of lizard stew every day, and Grandmother Lin always ate her fill.

The nutritious lizard soup provided Lin Qiye, newly reborn, with precious nourishment. With food in abundance, his complexion grew rosy, his spirit lively, and his body well-nourished.

Whether by day or night, his cultivation of the Dao Canon accelerated. The amount of innate energy within him increased daily, and his body developed at a pace visible to the naked eye.

In just five days, Lin Qiye had reached the size and physique of a three-month-old infant. Even the Dragon-Elephant Physique had begun to manifest—a faint, barely perceptible phantom shrouded his chest, back, head, and limbs.

Whenever Lin Qiye suffered harm, whether by accident or design, the ethereal dragon-elephant shadow would surge forth instantly to shield him.

At this stage, even if he tumbled from the bed, he would emerge unscathed.

Realizing this, Lin Qiye was both delighted and full of anticipation.

“The silver-grade reincarnation card is truly heaven-defying! What will another month of growth bring?” Lin Qiye marveled.

He had originally thought his rise would be slow, requiring years of patience. Never did he expect the Dragon-Elephant Physique’s feedback would surpass all expectations. After just five days, its effects were already miraculous.

He pondered deeply. “To further develop the Dragon-Elephant Physique, I need my body to grow more rapidly. First, I must eat my fill every day. Second, the Dao Canon refines innate energy, which nourishes the body, boosting my growth and strength. This shouldn’t be difficult.”

Lin Qiye nodded to himself, forming a rough plan.

Over the following month, Lin Qiye used innate energy three more times to “strengthen” his grandmother. By then, she had “reversed the clock” by twenty years—her presbyopia vanished completely, and she was as energetic and spry as a woman in her thirties. She returned every day with a full catch.

Naturally, Lin Qiye grew plump and healthy, never knowing hunger.

A month later, he was already taller and sturdier than an ordinary one-year-old. He could speak and even walk, but his cautious nature kept him from revealing his abilities. Only when his grandmother was out hunting lizards would he secretly practice running around on the floor.

Of course, talking and walking at one month old was impressive, but not as astonishing as what came next.

His Dragon-Elephant Physique had manifested to one percent. The faint phantom was now enough to block knife attacks; even if an ordinary adult swung a kitchen knife at him with full force, he would be perfectly protected!

His physical strength rivaled that of an adult; a single punch from him could leave a grown man reeling.

“Silver-grade Dragon-Elephant Physique—no wonder I’m so enamored!” Lin Qiye was overjoyed. He was no longer a frail infant!

In the second month, the innate energy within him soared to a thousand threads. While this brought no improvement to his cultivation level, Lin Qiye understood that the energy was purifying his body, making it flawless and forming an unparalleled foundation for future cultivation.

So he made no effort to practice the Energy Refining Canon. For one thing, he was too young—forcing cultivation would only harm his potential. For another, he wanted to forge the perfect foundation before beginning formal training. After all, sharpening the axe does not delay the work of cutting firewood. If he could forge a peerless blade, wouldn’t that be ideal?

Besides, the era of spiritual energy resurgence had not yet begun. With his Dragon-Elephant Physique now manifested at two percent, Lin Qiye was already impervious to most weapons, enough to handle ninety percent of situations.

Nonetheless, ever cautious, he continued to hide his prodigious talents.

By the third month, his Dragon-Elephant Physique had reached three percent. His height soared to 1.1 meters—development so extraordinary it bordered on the absurd!

Even Grandmother Lin began to feel something was amiss.

Was this truly a three-month-old child? He could easily pass for four!

She scrutinized Lin Qiye up and down, beginning to doubt herself. “Did I just feed the child too well?”

That must be it. Her lizard-catching efficiency these past few months had been unprecedented.

Thus, even though they lived in the slums, Lin Qiye grew up fair and chubby, his face as smooth as jade, just as pampered as the children of wealthy city folk.

In fact, he was even better looking than any child in the city’s wealthy households!

Thinking this, Grandmother Lin held her head high with pride. “It seems I’m eating well and growing younger every day! And my little one will surely be someone great—he’s extraordinary by nature, after all.”

She nodded to herself. “I’d better catch even more food for my precious grandson—I can’t let him go hungry!”

As she muttered, Lin Qiye grew concerned.

Lately, Grandmother Lin was rising earlier and returning later, exhausted from her efforts. It meant there were no more lizards nearby—she had to venture farther and into more dangerous places to find them.

It was too risky. Lin Qiye needed to stop her.

So he opened his mouth and began to speak: “Grandma~”

Hearing him, Grandmother Lin was stunned, then broke into a smile so broad her wrinkles stacked atop one another. “Oh, my precious grandson! You can talk now!”

At that moment, her heart melted. The child she had struggled so hard to raise could finally call her grandma. What joy! Watching a little life grow strong—a profound satisfaction for any elder.

But just as she was about to savor her bliss, a man’s rough kick crashed against the door outside, mingled with vile curses.

“Old Lin hag, get out here! Have you been hiding some treasure in there? Hand it over to your master, now!”

Grandmother Lin’s face changed dramatically. She braced herself against the iron door.

“Hide under the bed, quickly!”

Lin Qiye’s face remained calm. “Grandma, open the door. Don’t be afraid.”

She grew even more anxious. “Hide, now!”

But the next moment, the rusty door was kicked open. Grandmother Lin stumbled back, nearly falling.

Lin Qiye’s eyes grew cold as he watched a bald, muscular brute reeking of smoke and sporting yellow teeth barge into the house.

“Well, well, old hag! You’ve got yourself a kid? Are you planning to fatten him up and sell him to the city’s rich folks?”

“This little one is so fair and tender—the city’s wealthy would pay a fortune for him!”

Greed gleamed in the man’s eyes as if he’d struck gold.

Lin Qiye’s appearance was simply too stunning. With those dark eyes and flawless skin, his value was a city resident’s permit plus two million Angel Coins.

A city resident’s permit was priceless, almost impossible to buy. Two million Angel Coins was a fortune—most middle-class city dwellers earned just one hundred thousand a year!

But here was a chance to get rich overnight—who wouldn’t be tempted?

The bald brute cackled wickedly. “Heaven hasn’t forgotten me after all! I’m dirt poor, but now I’ve been given a gold mine! Hahaha…”

As he spoke, his meaty hand lunged for Lin Qiye.

“This little thing… I’ll sell him off, and maybe I’ll even reward you with a hundred thousand Angel Coins! You’d best not resist, or I’ll beat you to death!”