"Daddy… Daddy…"
The voices continued. Shi Batian jerked his head around, scanning the area—only to finally realize the sound was coming from the gourds themselves.
"You… you can talk?!"
Shi Batian was stunned. Talking gourds? Had they gained sentience?
"Daddy… Daddy…"
The gourds kept calling out, and Shi Batian's expression twisted through every shade of disbelief.
"Daddy? Are they… calling me that?"
He scratched his head, feeling more than a little weird.
Hearing those repeated cries of daddy, Shi Batian's emotions turned chaotic. In his past life, he'd been single from cradle to grave. He never even knew what a woman truly felt like, let alone fathering children.
Now, after transmigrating, he'd ended up with Qian Renxue—one of the most stunning women he'd ever seen—and he had fantasized about having kids with her… but this?
Seven kids, born in one go—and what's more, he was the one who "gave birth"? And they were gourds, of all things!
But despite how bizarre it was, the way those gourds called out to him in such a pure, childlike tone stirred something in his chest. That call of "Daddy" was impossible to ignore—it reached straight into his soul.
"Daddy… Daddy…"
"Daddy!"
Shi Batian couldn't help but smile with the warmth of a loving father.
"Ahhh~"
After listening to the word daddy for over half an hour, Shi Batian finally calmed down. His excitement faded, and a creeping sense of guilt and sorrow took its place. If only he'd been stronger… Qian Renxue wouldn't have been taken by the Spirit Hall. They could've raised these kids together, watched them grow side by side.
He clenched his fists silently.
Now that his martial soul had undergone a second awakening, he had a real chance to grow stronger. One day, he would return to her side. But for now, the most important thing was taking care of these little ones.
"Daddy… Daddy, we're thirsty."
The seven gourds suddenly called out in unison.
"Thirsty?" Shi Batian blinked and scratched his head. Then it hit him—they're plants. They needed watering!
"Alright, alright, Daddy's got you. Time to water you up so you can grow nice and strong."
He quickly fetched water and poured it onto the roots of the gourd vine. Immediately, the gourds let out delighted little squeals.
"Ahhh~ So good! So cool!"
"Thanks, Daddy!"
"Daddy's the best!"
But before long, they cried out again—
"Daddy… Daddy, we're hungry!"
"So hungry!"
Shi Batian scratched his head again. He thought for a moment, then hurried into a side room. After a while, he came back out carrying two large, dark buckets and a shoulder pole.
"Alright, meal time—!"
Just as he was about to pour it out beneath the gourd vine, the gourds all started flailing in alarm.
"Daddy—ew! Ew! Stinks!"
"Nooo!"
Of course it stank. It was Shi Batian's homemade fertilizer—nasty, but rich in nutrients.
"Don't be scared. It just smells a little, but it's full of good stuff. You'll grow big and strong."
He dumped it down anyway.
The gourds continued to wail in disgust, but after a while, they grew quiet. In fact, they began to sway happily—clearly, the fertilizer was working.
For the rest of the day, Shi Batian worked tirelessly to make the little gourds comfortable. He tried everything he could think of, and finally—he succeeded.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
They cheered joyfully. Shi Batian wiped the sweat from his brow, his face brimming with contentment. It was exhausting, but he felt deeply fulfilled.
It truly was like watching his own children grow up before his eyes.
Sitting beside the thick, sturdy gourd vine and the seven colorful little gourds, Shi Batian couldn't help but think of Qian Renxue. He murmured softly to himself:
"Xue'er, I wonder how you're doing back in Spirit Hall. If only you were here… you could see our kids growing up together."
"I'll raise them well. I swear I will. My spirit power is rising too. When I'm strong enough, I'll come for you. I'll bring you home."
"You little ones, grow up strong, alright? When your mommy comes back, we'll finally be together again… as a family."
He sat quietly beside the vine, speaking to himself without realizing it.
It was high noon. The sun blazed down, making Shi Batian feel the heat. Just then, a large leaf trembled above him, slowly drifting over to block the sunlight. Of course, it was the gourds again.
"Mommy… Xue'er?"
They didn't understand the name yet, but they all made sure to remember it.
Shi Batian continued to speak, his tone full of longing as he stroked the gourds gently.
"Your mommy… she's beautiful. So gentle, so smart, born with a divine martial soul. She's someone truly amazing."
"As for Daddy—I don't have power or wealth. But your mommy never looked down on me. I know… she'll be so happy when she sees you."
He patted his chest proudly.
He went on like that for a long, long time, pouring out his heart. His loneliness flickered in his eyes only for a brief second—but the seven little gourds noticed. They were watching closely.
"Daddy looks sad…"
"Waaa, I don't want Daddy to be sad!"
"Hey hey, what's Mommy?"
"Is Mommy the same kind of person as Daddy?"
"Daddy said her name is Xue'er. That must be our mommy."
"Daddy also said Mommy is super pretty!"
"Did the bad guys bully our pretty Mommy?"
"Daddy said the Spirit Hall took her away!"
"We have to beat the Spirit Hall and rescue our pretty Mommy. Then Daddy will be happy again!"
"Hehe! Rescue Mommy… Rescue Mommy… Rescue pretty Mommy!"
The gourds all chanted together.
Shi Batian had no idea that his casual words had planted a deep resolve in his children's hearts.
In the days that followed, he continued to care for them with all his heart. Thanks to his attention, they all thrived.
Among them, the red gourd was the largest—clearly the eldest—followed by orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and finally purple.
For simplicity, Shi Batian ranked them by size from eldest to youngest—Eldest Gourd to Seventh Gourd.
His only concern was the seventh one, the purple gourd. It looked undersized, almost malnourished compared to the rest.
"Seventh, what's going on with you? Why are you so small?"
He gently patted the little purple gourd. Over the past few days, he'd found he could communicate with them—though their intelligence was still at a toddler level.
"D-Daddy… I'm okay. I just like sleeping."
The purple gourd's tiny voice made Shi Batian's heart melt. She was the only girl among the seven—his precious little daughter!
"Even if you like sleeping, you still have to eat! Or you won't grow up properly."
Shi Batian sighed, rubbing his temples. He needed to find a way to help his little girl catch up in growth.
.....
So the seven gourd vines are based off on the cartoon Calabash Brothers. The seven are colored red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. From Eldest to Youngest. Though it seems the seventh gourd vine is female here unlike in the cartoon.
_
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