Pregnant with the Immortal Venerable's Child After Divorce - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Accident Indeed Came Suddenly. ……

When A Fu entered the room, Yan Zhu was still staring blankly out the window. A petal, carried by the wind, slipped in and landed near his ear, like a tiny flower pinned there.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked over, gently took the petal off, crushed it between his fingers, and then called out, “Master.”

Yan Zhu was startled, and when he turned his face, it was already wreathed in a smile: “What is it?”

“That’s what I should be asking,” A Fu said. “Why are you spacing out here? Did Ying Yunxian say something to you just now?”

His speech was not fast, and his tone was low, but Yan Zhu still sensed a hint of anxiety in it.

“What could he say,” Yan Zhu replied with a smile. “Just a general introduction to the Seven Stars Sect, and… asking me if I wanted to join the Seven Stars Sect.”

A Fu immediately became alert: “You are a member of the Bright Heart Sect.”

“It’s not like I can’t switch sects,” Yan Zhu said. “Compared to the Bright Heart Sect, the Seven Stars Sect is indeed more suitable for me.”

A Fu immediately argued, “That’s not true. As long as Master wants to grow spiritual plants, the Bright Heart Sect will have more land in the future!”

“And I’ll be the only one to grow them?” Yan Zhu laughed. “Most people who go to the Bright Heart Sect are still learning the sword.”

“No, the next time we recruit, many disciples will pledge allegiance to Master!” A Fu said. “When we go back, I’ll talk to Senior Martial Brother. He will surely be able to resolve it.”

Yan Zhu was not very interested in new disciples; all that mattered was diverting A Fu’s attention.

Seeing him so anxious that his tail seemed about to wag, Yan Zhu couldn’t help but laugh. After he had explained for a while, he reached out and rubbed his head, coaxing him, “I’m just kidding. How could I leave you and run away?”

A Fu’s expression only slightly improved. After a moment of silence, he whispered, “Master is very cunning.”

Yan Zhu just smiled and did not answer him.

He was happy that A Fu could notice his change in mood, but he absolutely did not want to discuss the matter. He didn’t want his disciple to worry, nor did he want Wen Sucheng to notice any clue someday.

In his plan, Ying Yunxian would figure out a method, he would secretly get rid of the child, he might be weak for a few days, and he would just find an excuse to brush it off. This way, no third person would know that this little thing had ever been here.

But man proposes, God disposes. He didn’t know if his morning sickness was just naturally severe, or if the little thing knew it was about to be gone and was trying hard to assert its presence.

Yan Zhu woke up late again the next day.

Facing A Fu’s furrowed brows and worried expression, Yan Zhu uncharacteristically felt a little guilty. But he dared not tell the truth, and could only offer a dry comfort, “I’m just too tired.”

As for why he was tired, he couldn’t explain.

So, Yan Zhu simply went out after breakfast, planning to spend the whole day exploring Fenglingzhou. If he was tired from the outing, then it would be perfectly reasonable to not get up tomorrow.

However, he fell asleep in the carriage that afternoon.

Their group was originally scheduled to visit a stone-gambling shop, but the incense lit in the carriage smelled too good, and the tinkling of the wind chimes hanging at the four corners was too hypnotic. As Yan Zhu sat there, his eyelids started to droop.

When he finally closed his eyes, the sun was still high in the sky, and by the time he opened them again, only a sliver of the sunset remained.

Their carriage was parked by a relatively quiet road. Yan Zhu looked at the three people surrounding him and showed a perfectly timed puzzled expression: “What’s wrong?”

Qi Ran’yin didn’t explain. He simply lifted the curtain and pointed outside.

Yan Zhu followed the direction of his finger and saw the three characters “Hui Chun Tang” hanging in front of a building. From the people coming and going at the entrance, it was clear that the doctor there must be good.

Yan Zhu withdrew his gaze and asked composedly, “Is one of you feeling unwell?”

“We are here for you,” Qi Ran’yin said. “You’re not right.”

Yan Zhu didn’t move.

Qi Ran’yin added, “Either let us take a look, or confess honestly. I don’t believe Ying Yunxian found nothing.”

Yan Zhu suddenly felt that having people who cared about and understood him so well wasn’t entirely a good thing. Even though he tried his best to act normal and had already spoken to Ying Yunxian, he still couldn’t escape their sharp eyes.

“I’m really fine,” Yan Zhu adopted a docile posture, looking at them innocently. “I’m just tired these past two days. I’ll be better after a while.”

However, the three of them did not buy it. Seeing his resistance, Qi Ran’yin even suspected that he might have contracted some terminal illness, so he said, “I’ll go invite the doctor over!”

“I won’t see them even if you invite them,” Yan Zhu folded his arms and started being stubborn.

As long as he didn’t agree, they couldn’t drag him in by force.

So, the three had to give up, but when they sat back in the carriage, Yan Zhu still heard Qi Ran’yin saying, “Next time he falls asleep, we’ll just carry him straight in.”

Consequently, Yan Zhu had to force himself to stay awake the next day, but he was lethargic all day, looking seriously ill. This made the others even more worried, and A Fu even pulled out his trump card: “I’ll go talk to Senior Martial Brother.”

Yan Zhu’s brows immediately furrowed, “We are divorced. He has no authority over me.”

A Fu said, “But Senior Martial Brother can make Ying Yunxian talk.”

Yan Zhu fell silent. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

So, he went to see Ying Yunxian the next day.

Ying Yunxian was still researching Yan Zhu’s situation. When he saw him, his first sentence was, “It won’t be that fast.”

“I’m not here for that,” Yan Zhu sat down in front of him and asked straightforwardly, “If Little Senior Brother were to threaten and tempt you, how long do you think you could hold out?”

Ying Yunxian thought for a moment and replied, “Temptation: a quarter of an hour. Threats… that depends on when he makes a move.”

Yan Zhu: “…That spineless?”

“People die for wealth, and birds for food. That’s the Descending Snow Celestial Venerable,” Ying Yunxian said. “I feel like no one can last too long in his hands.”

Yan Zhu was at his wit’s end: “Then do you have any way to help me solve this drowsiness problem?”

“I can, but the effect will be minimal,” Ying Yunxian explained. “It’s really hard to resist when a person is sleepy.”

“But I barely need to sleep at my cultivation level,” Yan Zhu said.

Although he had always maintained the same schedule as an ordinary person, that was just his habit. At his level, not sleeping for a few months was actually fine, but he didn’t have anything that required him to push himself that way. Only workaholics like Wen Sucheng would choose to use all their sleeping time for work.

“It’s different,” Ying Yunxian said. “This is more like… a depletion of spiritual energy. While not life-threatening, it’s uncomfortable. Elixirs can relieve it, but the effect is limited.”

Yan Zhu frowned.

Ying Yunxian continued, “And this is just the beginning. You are probably a more severe case. There might be other reactions later.”

Yan Zhu felt a chill run down his spine, “What other reactions?”

Ying Yunxian then listed all the possible pregnancy symptoms.

After listening, Yan Zhu felt that this matter would be too difficult to conceal. Rather than waiting for things to happen, it was better to take the initiative.

He asked Ying Yunxian, “Is there any illness with similar symptoms that I can use to fool them?”

Ying Yunxian: “…”

Ying Yunxian thought about it and said, “As long as you don’t run into someone who knows a little, you might be able to fool them, but this isn’t a permanent solution.”

“So, whether this can be resolved quickly depends on you,” Yan Zhu said. “If all else fails, just give me some random medicine. As long as it takes care of it.”

Ying Yunxian was exasperated: “I’m a doctor, not a butcher! Aren’t you afraid of damaging your foundation by taking random medicine!”

“My foundation isn’t great to begin with,” Yan Zhu said indifferently. “If it’s damaged, it’s damaged. I can slowly recover later. The most urgent matter now is to solve this.”

Ying Yunxian was so angry he jumped up and down: “Don’t even think about it! Wait patiently! If you dare to take random elixirs, I’ll send a message to the Descending Snow Celestial Venerable!”

Yan Zhu immediately backed down: “But I can’t handle them much longer.”

Ying Yunxian had no choice but to have A Fu invited over, giving him an excuse that Yan Zhu had been in a bad mood recently, which affected his body. It was nothing serious and could be managed with proper conditioning.

As for how to condition, that was not his concern. The chefs at the Seven Stars Sect’s kitchen were experts in this area. They could make ordinary gourmet food as well as medicinal cuisine. If that failed, there were still the spiritual puppets on the airship, and they were first-rate cooks.

Ying Yunxian informed A Fu of a few things to avoid eating. Other than that, anything Yan Zhu liked and could eat was fine.

A Fu confirmed again and again that Yan Zhu’s body was indeed fine before taking him away.

“What’s so difficult about a bad mood that you can’t talk about it,” A Fu didn’t understand. “We might be able to help Master resolve the knot in your heart.”

Yan Zhu had no knot in his heart to resolve, but since Ying Yunxian said so, he had to find a way to make it plausible. So, he had to force himself to explain, “Isn’t it normal to be in a bad mood after a divorce?”

A Fu said, “But Master was eating and sleeping well before. Did you suddenly become sad?”

Yan Zhu also felt that this sounded a little fake, so he thought for a moment and said, “It was triggered by a sight.”

A Fu stared at him, saying nothing, but the stubborn little eyes showed his silent inquiry.

“It’s just… Yunxian asked me… asked me to come to the Seven Stars Sect…” Yan Zhu stuttered as he spoke and thought. “I remembered before… before someone actually tried to poach me.”

A Fu was suspicious: “Really? Why didn’t Senior Martial Brother mention it?”

“He certainly wouldn’t say everything,” Yan Zhu said.

A Fu said, “Then I’ll ask him when we get back.”

Yan Zhu: “…”

Having a disciple who was hard to fool was also a problem.

He sighed and refined his previous statement: “It happened not long after we got married, but they weren’t trying to poach me.”

Instead, they were trying to poach his husband.

When they got married, Wen Sucheng had already made a name for himself in the cultivation world. Almost everyone was certain that he had a limitless future, and the number of people who wanted to marry him was countless. Yet, Wen Sucheng married him.

At the time, many people speculated that he couldn’t get over a debt of gratitude, which was why he married Yan Zhu, a beautiful but spiritually weak good-for-nothing. Although it was a bit tragic, who didn’t like a grateful person? So, for a while, people often tried to send people to Wen Sucheng. If they couldn’t be a wife, a concubine would do.

And Wen Sucheng rejected all of them without exception.

Seeing that Wen Sucheng wouldn’t take the bait, those people went to Yan Zhu, trying to approach him.

Yan Zhu thought they were crazy.

But one person among them left a deep impression on him. That was the young master of a certain noble family. He had a delicate appearance, a slender figure, and a pair of eyes that carried a captivating, pitiful look that easily evoked a desire to protect.

His talent was mediocre, and his cultivation was ordinary, but one thing was very special—he was hermaphrodite (雌雄同體 – having both male and female characteristics/organs).

He told Yan Zhu at the time that a person like Wen Sucheng would surely have many wives and concubines in the future, and it was difficult for Yan Zhu, a man, to have a child. How could he possibly compete with those people? It would be better to cooperate with him. He would give birth to children, all of whom would be handed over to Yan Zhu to raise, and he would also help Yan Zhu keep an eye on the other concubines. Yan Zhu only needed to provide him and his family with sufficient resources.

His tone at the time was very firm, as if this was a very worthwhile deal that Yan Zhu would surely agree to.

That night, Yan Zhu cried under the covers.

It had nothing to do with love. He simply felt that the person important to him was about to be taken away. He didn’t want to admit that the other person was right. He didn’t want to admit that his relationship with Wen Sucheng was merely a transaction, so if he could do it, others could too.

“And then what happened?” A Fu looked at Yan Zhu, his brows tightly knitted.

Such things were common over the years. He thought that once he refused, the matter was over. He didn’t expect there to be a continuation.

“Of course, nothing happened after that,” Yan Zhu said. “Otherwise, you’d have a bunch of Senior Martial Brothers now.”

A Fu was stunned for several breaths before realizing who he meant by “Senior Martial Brothers.” He immediately frowned, “Senior Martial Brother would not do something that would make Master unhappy.”

Yan Zhu just smiled and said nothing.

This reaction made A Fu anxious: “I’ll send a message to Senior Martial Brother right now and tell him!”

Yan Zhu reached out and tapped his head: “Don’t you dare!”

A Fu said, “Let him apologize to Master!”

Yan Zhu sighed: “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

But A Fu obviously didn’t think so. He still frowned, with an expression that his master had suffered a tremendous wrong, which softened Yan Zhu’s heart.

He could actually say more, but that would make it impossible to cover up the pregnancy. He could only let his disciple misunderstand for now. Once the matter was resolved, he would definitely compensate his disciple well!

However, Yan Zhu later realized that he had been too naive.

Perhaps out of pity for him, A Fu prepared a large pot of “Ten All-Inclusive Replenishing Soup” for him almost every day. After the soup, there were good dishes collected by Kong Fu from various inns and restaurants. Finally, Qi Ran’yin would accompany him to raise a glass and try to cheer him up.

Their intentions were touching, but after a few days, Yan Zhu felt like he was going to die from being over-nourished.

When A Fu brought another large pot of spiritual chicken soup with a pile of spiritual herbs, he finally couldn’t take it anymore. Under the cover of the dark, windy night, while everyone was sound asleep, he took the pot and went to find Ying Yunxian.

The giant pot was placed by the head of the bed, scaring Ying Yunxian into thinking the Goddess of the Underworld had come for him. He shouted and slapped the pot, but the pot, made of who knows what, made a loud “clang” without a scratch. Instead, it hurt Ying Yunxian so much that he let out his second scream of the night.

Yan Zhu was speechless: “What are you doing?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking that?!” Ying Yunxian roared. “Why did you bring a pot over in the middle of the night?!”

“Enthusiastic sharing. You drink it!” Yan Zhu said. “I’m about to be over-nourished to death!”

Ying Yunxian was applying spiritual herbs to his hand, not even looking up: “Isn’t that a good thing? Getting rid of the child harms the body, so you need to replenish.”

“I don’t want to replenish!” Yan Zhu slapped the table. “Think of another solution for me!”

Ying Yunxian: “…”

“I must have done something terrible in my past life to be stuck with you!” Ying Yunxian said. “You want to be sick and not take medicine. Do you think there are so many good things in the world?! If you ask me, you should just confess everything. Anyway, your disciple listens to you so much. If you ask him to keep a secret, he’ll keep it forever. As for the other two, well, even less needs to be said.”

It must be admitted that Yan Zhu was momentarily tempted, but he knew very well that even if the three of them were willing to help him keep it a secret, there was no guarantee that nothing would go wrong.

To keep a secret, the fewer people who knew, the better.

Just as he said this to Ying Yunxian, he heard a spiritual beast’s cry from outside. It was Ying Yunxian’s pet guard.

The accident indeed came suddenly.