Upon hearing Zhao Ling's words, Dugu Bo sighed heavily and replied in frustration, "Alas... Demon Suppressing Doulou, you think I want this? But I can't do anything about it. Ever since my granddaughter met you, she's been completely infatuated."
He continued, looking resigned, "Even though Yu Tianheng of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan fancies my granddaughter, she doesn't even spare him a glance. Her heart is set on you, and she even said she wants to marry you along with her best friend, Ye Lingling. I'm truly helpless."
"So you're just letting it happen? You're not trying to persuade her?" Zhao Ling wanted to laugh at his frustrated expression, but he held back for appearances.
"Alas, I can't persuade her; I simply can't. If I dared to speak ill of you, my granddaughter would disown me, her grandfather, believe it or not? Demon Suppressing Doulou, for an old man like me, please come to my house for dinner this Saturday." Dugu Bo shook his head helplessly and pleaded with Zhao Ling.
"Hmm... alright, since you've put it that way, I won't be modest. To be honest, five years ago, I thought your granddaughter was a beauty in the making. She must be a graceful young woman now, right?" Zhao Ling's face showed a mischievous expression, which displeased Dugu Bo. However, his granddaughter was completely devoted to Zhao Ling, so as a grandfather, he felt powerless.
"Whatever you want. My granddaughter has already laid it all out for me; if she can't marry you in this life, she'll never marry. For an old man like me, as long as my granddaughter is happy, that's enough. I don't care who she marries. That... Demon Suppressing Doulou, I heard that over a decade ago, you could fight that person from the Spirit Hall to a draw. You must be close to becoming a god now, at least a demigod, right?" Dugu Bo scrutinized Zhao Ling but couldn't detect any spiritual power emanating from him, which made him feel even more unfathomable.
"Demigod? God? Heh, to me, those are just illusions. My strength is already beyond your imagination." Zhao Ling chuckled dismissively, and his figure mysteriously vanished from the valley under Dugu Bo's gaze. This made Dugu Bo believe that Zhao Ling's strength had long surpassed his imagination, and even the so-called gods were nothing to him.
After returning to his mansion, Zhao Ling first went to see the three little children being cared for by their nannies. Then, he entered his room and began refining Eight Immortals Pills using the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng. It took him about two days to successfully refine the Eight Immortals Pills, yielding a total of eight pills, which he was quite satisfied with. The success rate of the system's intelligent alchemy was indeed high. With these eight Eight Immortals Pills, he would have gifts for his visit to Dugu Bo's house on Saturday.
He had previously given Dugu Yan a weakened version of the Eight Immortals Pill. Now, giving her an authentic one would be considered a betrothal gift for their future marriage. Of course, not just her, but Ye Lingling and Zhu Zhuyun would also receive authentic ones. As for Zhu Qing and Rongrong, they had just consumed an immortal herb, so it was better not to give them these Eight Immortals Pills. Additionally, Bai Chenxiang and Hu Liena, who was in Spirit City, would also receive one.
After refining the Eight Immortals Pills, Zhao Ling entered the Eighteen Realms again. Two days in the Douluo Mortal Realm equated to a full two months in the accelerated flow of the Eighteen Realms. As soon as Zhao Ling's figure appeared in the New God Realm, he saw that what was originally only lush green forests had been transformed. A clearing of about ten acres had been established, with many wooden houses built on it. Clearly, these wooden houses were made by his wives using the power of rules and were used for dwelling.
However, Zhao Ling hadn't expected them to build so many wooden houses here. He was silent for a moment, then used the power of rules to re-transform the wooden houses. The original wooden houses looked rather crude, made entirely of raw timber. Zhao Ling used the power of rules to improve them slightly, making them more aesthetically pleasing and harmonious with the surrounding environment.
After meeting his wives, Zhao Ling discovered that, except for Na'er, who was practically an expert, their understanding of the power of rules was only rudimentary. They still had a long way to go to achieve mastery and comprehensive understanding. Zhao Ling sought their opinions, and they all felt that while cultivating in the New God Realm was good, there were too few people—only them and their sisters—making it quite boring. Therefore, they hoped to return to the Douluo Mortal Realm to cultivate. After all, the skilled application of rules and the creation of divine positions were not urgent matters.
Zhao Ling agreed to this. Indeed, the New God Realm currently lacked not only humans but even spirit beasts. In the other seventeen realms, Zhao Ling had created some life forms, even mythical creatures like Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and First Qilin. However, in the New God Realm, Zhao Ling always felt it was a place for himself and his wives. Therefore, he hadn't created any animals, making it a place with only dense vegetation. It would be a miracle if his wives didn't find it boring.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Ling decided that when he had time, he would re-enter the New God Realm and create some new species. For instance, the creatures he had seen in Shan Hai Jing in his previous life could be replicated in the New God Realm to increase its appeal. Of course, he could also bring some humans from the Douluo Mortal Realm into the Eighteen Realms. Even if they didn't live in the New God Realm, they could certainly stay in the other seventeen realms.
Having made up his mind, Zhao Ling led his wives out of the New God Realm and returned to the mansion. Ah Yin, Liu Erlong, and Xiao Rou immediately ran to see their daughters. They showered their daughters with kisses and hugs, saying things like, "Sweetheart, long time no see, did you miss Mommy?" This left their three daughters utterly bewildered. Hadn't their mothers only been gone for two days? They were being so affectionate upon their return; anyone who didn't know would think they had been gone for months, even years.
What the three daughters didn't know was that, for their respective mothers, a full two months had indeed passed. For mothers who had just given birth, even being away from their child for a day felt like an eternity, let alone spending two whole months in the New God Realm. It would be a miracle if they didn't miss their precious daughters. Although the three daughters were puzzled, seeing the eager gazes of their mothers, they could only obediently nod. They wouldn't dare say they didn't miss them, especially Zhao Lan, Liu Erlong's daughter. She knew her mother was a tigress, and if she said she didn't miss her, she might get a beating and wouldn't even be able to cry.