2145 Side Story: Lazy Vacation (End)

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Do you have to be so ruthless?"

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he slapped the ruthless Director Selina hard on the butt. "Those are your parents, not some ranch livestock. How can you perform an operation on them just because you want to?!"

"I think they're pretty much like ranch cows right now." Selina rolled her eyes and didn't think much of Luke's sneak attack. In any case, it didn't hurt.

But she couldn't help but complain about her parents. "They think about having kids every day. Do they think that children are livestock to be sent to the slaughterhouse later for the sake of profits?"

Rubbing the spot he had just hit, Luke smiled mysteriously. "Actually… this problem isn't too hard to solve."

Selina said, "Just spit it out."

Luke didn't say anything for a moment. Instead, he chuckled as he thought of something.

"What are you thinking?" Selina was suspicious. "Wait, my jaw is still sore. Don't even think about it tonight."

Luke's smile froze. Speechless for a moment, he coughed before he got down to business. "Hasn't it occurred to you how Robert and Catherine have only had one child in 20 years, Cindy?"

Selina was stumped. "Isn't it because they took measure themselves? My parents wouldn't do that."

Luke shook his head again. "They haven't done anything since the year before Cindy went to New York. Catherine felt that the house was too empty, and wanted to give us another brother or sister."

Selina's eyes lit up. "Did you do something?"

"How is that possible?" Luke looked at Director Selina like she was an idiot. "Do you remember our research on the Chi Refining Technique?"

Selina immediately connected the dots. "Are you saying that cultivating the Chi Refining Technique affects reproduction?"

Luke nodded in relief and patted Selina with a smile. "You're really smart."

Selina slapped his hand away. Are you looking down on my intelligence again? You can go and touch yourself.

Luke calmly drew his hand back. "It can increase the cultivator's physique, but it consumes a lot of energy. Reproduction is undoubtedly a very energy-consuming activity."

Selina frowned. "The side effects are pretty bad. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Technically speaking, this isn't a side effect." Luke shook his head. "Increasing a cultivator's physique naturally raises the baseline for having a child, and any kid that is born is even more outstanding."

Selina asked, "Quality over quantity?"

Luke said, "Pretty much. Also, the Chi Refining Technique can increase the chances of getting pregnant, so it's not some sterilization technique."

Selina was still uncertain. "But Robert and Catherine have been together for years…"

Luke said, "With the Chi Refining Technique, you can live to 120 to 150 years old. You can have one kid every ten to twenty years, and have three to five children in total."

Pausing for a moment, he added, "Of course, except for those who can't find a girlfriend."

Ignoring his lame joke, Selina asked the question she was most concerned about. "But aren't my parents already cultivating the Chi Refining Technique?"

Luke said, "But they can't even be considered beginners. Mario is more focused on the ranch, and Sandra is more concerned about your youngest sister, Leona, right?"

Selina was enlightened. "So, the energy transformation isn't strong enough. That's why they're so free."

"Don't forget that you gave them more than one dose of Life 1. It's very easy for them to be too energetic," Luke reminded her.

Selina was lost for words. After all that, it was still her fault?

After repenting for a moment, she immediately asked, "Then how do we get them to cultivate the Chi Refining Technique?"

It was impossible to force them to do so; cultivating the Chi Refining Technique depended on how much the person in question put into it.

Luke chuckled. "Have you forgotten your experience of dream learning?"

Selina slapped her forehead. "That's right. You can guide their subconscious learning after they fall asleep. That'll be fine."

Now that there was a solution, she was in a good mood, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Hm, speaking of dream learning, it's been a while!"

Luke was surprised. "What do you want to learn?"

Selina's eyes lit up, and she wrapped herself around him. "Of course, it's… sun, sand and delicious food. Just you and me."

Luke: "…You actually want me to be your attendant, don't you?"

Selina whispered in his ear, "Applying sunblock is also one of the jobs of an attendant."

Luke: "…Fine, it's not like it's impossible."

For the rest of the morning, the villa fell silent.

There was only the dog head lounging on a deck chair on the porch, enjoying the sun and the breeze.

…

The next morning, Selina's father, Mario, woke up in a daze.

Next to him, Sandra, who looked like she was still in her thirties, opened her eyes. "You're awake?"

Mario hummed and suddenly felt an urge. Then… he lifted the blanket and got out of bed.

Sandra was surprised. "What are you doing?"

If he was just going to the bathroom, he naturally didn't need to put on his clothes.

Stumped for a moment, Mario scratched his head. "I… can't sleep. I want to exercise."

Sandra gave an "oh" and said, "Alright."

She closed her eyes and prepared to go back to sleep.

A moment later, Mario came out of the bathroom after washing up, only to see Sandra, who had insisted on sleeping in for the past few years, get up and put on her clothes.

He was stumped. "You…"

Sandra frowned. "I can't sleep either. Let's go exercise together."

After that, the couple fell silent as they felt that this morning's conversation didn't match their usual style after so many years.

However, the two of them still went downstairs to eat before they went outside and stood on the grass. They looked at each other in bewilderment.

Sandra looked at her husband. "Are we going to practice that health exercise?"

Mario nodded. "Hm, let's do that; it's the easiest."

Naturally, this so-called 'health exercise' was a stripped-down version of the Chi Refining Technique which Luke had slowly tweaked over the years.

As a result, the effects of the Chi Refining Technique were significantly reduced, but it was still better than him and Selina personally teaching the technique for a few weeks and still not producing results.

At the same time, he modified the movements of the Chi Refining Technique.

As long as some Kunlun bigshot didn't get involved, it would be very hard to identify the source of this technique, unless one carefully studied the details.

Even someone who had watched Daniel Rand for a few months might not necessarily be able to see the connection between this health exercise and the Chi Refining Technique.

Of course, the beginner level required focus.

It was like a beginner practicing calligraphy. The difference between being serious and not was completely different.

In the past, Mario and his wife would half-heartedly cultivate the technique, and only every now and then, so the effects were practically nonexistent.

It wasn't like Selina could beat up her own parents and teach them a lesson to make them learn.

Coupled with how effective Life 1 was, she gave up.

Now, in order to make the couple behave and stop having kids, she finally had Luke 'hurt them where it hurt' in their dreams.

Thus, these two were finally willing to cultivate the simplified version of the Chi Refining Technique.

As for whether or not they grew suspicious about their sudden urge to work out, Selina didn't care. Wasn't it good to be healthier?

It would be even better if those dozens of siblings only existed in dreams – she and Luke still wanted to enjoy their two-person world for several more centuries.