Pregnant with the Immortal Venerable's Child After Divorce - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Competing for Favor?

Qi Ran’yin knew that A Fu had stayed very late there last night, so he waited directly outside his room the next morning. Seeing him come out, he immediately rushed over: “What did Xiao Zhu say?”

A Fu didn’t answer. He lowered his head, looking like a wilted spiritual grass. Only after Qi Ran’yin shook him twice did he look up, his eyes complex, and he shook his head: “Master didn’t give in.”

Qi Ran’yin immediately frowned, let go of A Fu, and prepared to go find Yan Zhu, but A Fu held him back.

“Master is still resting,” A Fu explained. “He needs to rest well.”

Qi Ran’yin’s temper subsided a little. He pulled A Fu a few steps away and then quietly asked him: “What exactly did Xiao Zhu say?”

A Fu didn’t explain in detail, only saying: “It’s related to Grand-Master.”

Qi Ran’yin then knew that this matter was a bit troublesome.

He was silent for a while before asking: “If your Senior Martial Brother came, could he persuade him?”

A Fu did not answer.

Seeing this, Qi Ran’yin sighed: “I’ll try again.”

He then turned and walked toward Yan Zhu’s residence.

He had expected Yan Zhu to be in a deep sleep like before, so he entered the room very lightly. He was surprised when he reached the bedside and met Yan Zhu’s gaze: “Why are you awake?”

Yan Zhu rubbed his eyes, his voice sticky with sleep: “You sneak into my room and ask why I’m awake?”

Qi Ran’yin walked to the window and sat down, asking softly: “How is your body?”

“Very good,” Yan Zhu replied. “Yunxian said it’s normal, and it might get worse later.”

“I remember my cousin was nauseous when she was pregnant. She couldn’t eat anything during that time and only survived on some elixirs,” Qi Ran’yin said. “What about you?”

Yan Zhu shook his head: “It’s still early. It’s not that bothersome yet.”

Qi Ran’yin said “Oh,” his brow slightly furrowed, looking like he had something to say but was holding back.

Yan Zhu was not in a hurry and just held his quilt, waiting for him to speak.

He thought that with Qi Ran’yin’s temper, he probably wouldn’t be able to hold back for long; he just had to wait a bit. However, to his surprise, Qi Ran’yin was incredibly patient today. He just sat there, waiting, until Yan Zhu was so sleepy he couldn’t stand it and his head started nodding. Only then did he reach out and pat Yan Zhu’s head, saying: “Go back to sleep.”

Yan Zhu blinked, looking at Qi Ran’yin: “Don’t you have something to say?”

Qi Ran’yin mumbled a reply: “I haven’t thought it through yet.”

Yan Zhu then gave up waiting. He burrowed into the quilt and went back to sleep.

His sleep quality had always been good, and these days it was exceptionally sound. After closing his eyes, he slept like a log until after noon when a huge clap of thunder woke him up.

Yan Zhu pressed his pounding heart and looked out the window in confusion, only to see a flash of lightning strike, followed immediately by thunder. Raindrops also began to fall on the windowsill.

He waved his hand, and the window slammed shut, sealing all the noise outside. The room instantly returned to silence.

Only then did he look at Qi Ran’yin sitting by the bed. Seeing him holding a cup of tea, he reached out his hand: “I want some too.”

Qi Ran’yin brewed a cup for him and said: “This is Shakyamuni flower brewed in Mirror Moon Spring water. It can calm the mind and spirit. It’s best to drink when making rash decisions.”

Yan Zhu took a sip. It tasted very sweet; honey must have been added.

He smiled: “That’s just something those Buddhist cultivators came up with to trick people out of money. To calm the mind, it’s better to brew a few more Clarity Herbs.”

Qi Ran’yin rolled his eyes: “Only you know everything.”

Yan Zhu looked at him smilingly: “It seems you’ve made up your mind.”

“No,” Qi Ran’yin pouted. “I actually still want to persuade you, but we’ve known each other for too long, and I don’t know how to say it.”

Yan Zhu smiled upon hearing that: “Shouldn’t it be easier to talk about since we’ve known each other for so long?”

Qi Ran’yin also smiled at his words. He lowered his eyes, looking at the Shakyamuni flower blooming in the teacup, and quietly said: “I am indeed worried about your body, but there are other reasons for what I said.”

Yan Zhu didn’t answer, drinking his tea and watching him.

Qi Ran’yin said: “Actually, I’ve thought before that there’s something strange about you and the Celestial Venerable. If I say you’re loving, you’re like strangers when you’re together, and I can’t feel anything in your eyes when you look at each other. But if I say your feelings are poor, he treats you so well, devotedly, and in bed… cough, isn’t there a saying that marital harmony in the bedroom indicates a happy life?”

Yan Zhu explained: “He’s not devoted; he simply has no interest in romance. If it weren’t for the marriage arranged by my mother, he probably wouldn’t have gotten married at all.”

Qi Ran’yin smiled upon hearing this: “Every time it concerns the Descending Snow Celestial Venerable, you become particularly negative. Have you ever considered that he does care about you, or else how could he react to you?”

Yan Zhu thought of Wen Sucheng’s controllable aspects and thought that wasn’t necessarily true. Who knew if someone at Wen Sucheng’s level could control his lower half with some method.

But he didn’t know how to explain, so he just said: “A man’s heart and his lower half are separate.”

Qi Ran’yin raised an eyebrow, clearly disagreeing with this statement, but didn’t say much more. Instead, he continued: “I’ve always felt that all your relationship lacks is a bit of a variable.”

And a child was clearly a very good change.

A change that could tightly connect the two of them.

“I often feel that you are very lonely, and I wish there was someone to keep you company,” Qi Ran’yin said. “But then I feel that thinking this way is pitying you, which is overly arrogant.”

And this arrogant thought would involuntarily surface every time he stepped onto Burning Snow Peak.

The house on Burning Snow Peak was enormous, like a palace. To manage it, Wen Sucheng created a large number of spiritual puppets. They did the same work day after day, but they didn’t add much liveliness to the house; instead, they made the place seem more dead and desolate.

And Yan Zhu was the bird locked inside.

Even though no one had placed any restrictions on him, Qi Ran’yin just felt that Yan Zhu was confined.

Over time, even Yan Zhu had acquired that layer of heavy lifelessness, turning into a stone, a statue.

And a child, coincidentally, represented the vitality of new life.

Qi Ran’yin felt that this child would definitely bring a different, better color to Yan Zhu’s life.

But all of this was predicated on Yan Zhu being willing.

Yan Zhu listened to him, his smile never fading: “I don’t think life on Burning Snow Peak is uncomfortable.”

Qi Ran’yin glared at him: “You clearly know that’s not what I mean.”

Yan Zhu nodded: “I know, so I’m happy, but I still can’t keep him, Ran’yin. I can’t give birth to him just because I need him. That wouldn’t be fair to him.”

Need and want were different.

“Not that many people give birth only after thinking clearly about it,” Qi Ran’yin pouted, muttering, “I originally had other things I wanted to say to persuade you, but A Fu mentioned it was related to Sect Master Wen, so I knew it was hopeless.”

Yan Zhu nodded: “It’s good that you understand.”

Although he knew the outcome had been guessed long ago, Qi Ran’yin was still a little disappointed now that it was final. He looked at Yan Zhu plaintively: “Then I can at least say hello to him, right?”

“He doesn’t even have a human appearance yet, what’s there to say hello to?” Yan Zhu said. “If you really want one, I’ll grow a few more Pregnancy Fruits for you.”

“No,” Qi Ran’yin waved his hand. “I don’t want to be tied down by a little brat.”

Yan Zhu raised an eyebrow: “Then how can you have the nerve to persuade me?”

“We’re different,” Qi Ran’yin said.

Yan Zhu was the kind of person who might not leave the sect even once in thirty or fifty years; he wouldn’t be tied down at all. Even if that day really came… Qi Ran’yin somehow felt Wen Sucheng would handle it.

This was probably the measure of the world’s number one in his heart.

Qi Ran’yin said: “Actually, I also thought that if you and the Celestial Venerable had a child, I would take him as my disciple.”

Yan Zhu immediately looked at him as if he were an idiot: “With Little Senior Brother around, how could it be your turn to teach?”

“Who said I would teach him?” Qi Ran’yin raised an eyebrow. “I just want to be his Master. The Celestial Venerable will still do the teaching. Then, when he grows up and makes a name for himself, he’ll tell everyone I’m his Master, and I’ll be able to walk around with my head held high.”

Yan Zhu: “…You think quite far ahead.”

“Of course. It’s good to seek shelter under a big tree,” Qi Ran’yin said, reaching out a finger to poke Yan Zhu. “But now you’re going to destroy my dream. You have to compensate me. Go find another disciple for me to play with.”

Yan Zhu curved his eyes: “Why don’t you go find one yourself?”

Qi Ran’yin pouted: “I’m not a very responsible person. Taking on a disciple would just harm them.”

After saying this, he himself was startled for a moment, then awkwardly touched his nose and stopped mentioning the child. After talking with Yan Zhu for a while, he said as he left that he was going to visit Ying Yunxian again.

Yan Zhu had no objection. He saw him off and then stood in the courtyard.

The rain had stopped by now, but the sky was still very overcast. The clouds were like rolling sewage, looking as if they could pour down at any moment, which made people feel a bit heavy-hearted.

He didn’t like this kind of weather.

Yan Zhu stared at the sky for a while before turning to find Yan Zhitao.

The girl had been playing so much since arriving at Fenglingzhou that he barely saw a shadow of her. She had only been a little more obedient these past few days because Yan Zhu wasn’t feeling well. She was still sitting in the room. Seeing Yan Zhu approach, she immediately ran up: “Grand-Uncle! How are you today?”

“Very good,” Yan Zhu replied with a smile. “Why are you so obedient today? Didn’t you go out to play?”

“I was worried about you,” Yan Zhitao said sweetly. “If something happened to you, Great-Grand-Master would definitely be sad.”

Yan Zhu curved his eyes: “I’m fine. I came to see you about something else.”

Yan Zhitao immediately adopted an attentive posture: “Tell me!”

“It’s about the secret realm,” Yan Zhu pointed to the sky. “Didn’t you notice anything?”

Yan Zhitao looked confused.

Yan Zhu reluctantly explained: “It rarely rains in Fenglingzhou this season.”

“But it happens occasionally,” Yan Zhitao said. “Phoenix Mountain also has good weather all year round, but when a storm comes, it’s much worse than this.”

Yan Zhu had no choice but to take her outside and point to the clouds on the horizon: “Look closely.”

Yan Zhitao followed his finger and looked for a while before noticing a slight hint.

On the very distant horizon, there was a very clear blue line, just like the clear sky they saw when they first arrived at Fenglingzhou. If she looked closer, she would find that the boundary between the black and blue colors was actually very distinct, as if someone had drawn a line in the middle, completely separating the two sides.

Yan Zhitao had seen this situation once before. One year, there was a drought in the northern part of Phoenix Mountain. Her clan went to pray for rain, inviting the Dragon Lord. They offered sacrifices and negotiated the scope and amount of rain with the Dragon Lord. When the Dragon Lord covered the area with rain after accepting the sacrifice, it looked just like this—you wouldn’t get less, but not a drop more either.

“Someone did this on purpose?” Yan Zhitao said hesitantly. “But Fenglingzhou isn’t experiencing a drought, so why would they do this?”

Yan Zhu paused for a few seconds before realizing what she meant, and said helplessly: “Maybe it’s the Dragon Raising its Head festival?”

Yan Zhitao said, “Huh? February is long over!”

Yan Zhu laughed: “I’m just teasing you. How did your maternal uncle rest assured letting you run out on your own?”

Yan Zhitao pouted: “Great-Grand-Master said experience is gained through trials. If I don’t go out, how will I learn these things?” She then leaned in and swayed Yan Zhu’s arm. “Grand-Uncle, you can just tell me directly.”

Yan Zhu had to explain: “The Water Lords all have their own managed waters. If something goes wrong in their territory, they will definitely react. This current situation might be due to an anomaly in the spiritual energy in Fenglingzhou. Because the environment at home has changed, the Dragon Lord is uncomfortable and throwing a tantrum.”

Yan Zhitao immediately looked enlightened: “Then are we supposed to offer a sacrifice? The Water Lord of Phoenix Mountain is a vegetarian, is the Water Lord here the same?”

“I don’t know,” Yan Zhu thought for a moment. “Instead of offering a sacrifice, you should think about the nature of this spiritual energy anomaly and solve the problem at its root.”

Yan Zhitao was instantly lost.

She looked at Yan Zhu: “How do I solve it?”

Looking at those clear, big eyes, Yan Zhu was helpless, and he reminded her: “Didn’t Yunxian say it before? That secret realm has been a bit strange lately.”

Yan Zhitao thought for a moment and suddenly realized: “If the secret realm is about to upgrade, the surrounding spiritual energy might be affected and become unstable. The impact is still small now, so we don’t feel it, but the Water Lord knows!”

Yan Zhu nodded, reaching out to pat her head: “Smart. So, do you know what you need to do now?”

Yan Zhitao nodded repeatedly: “I’ll go out and gather some information right away! Grand-Uncle is so smart! I heard that Grand-Aunt… cough, I mean the Descending Snow Celestial Venerable, often goes to all sorts of secret realms. Do you go with him? Are there many fun things in those secret realms?”

Yan Zhu: “…Not really.”

Although he wanted to be an object of worship for his cute junior, he really couldn’t pretend about this.

After thinking about it, Yan Zhu still told the truth: “I read about it in a book. I’ve never been to a secret realm before.”

Yan Zhitao nodded, half-understanding: “Then why not go?”

“Because I’m very weak,” Yan Zhu smiled, reaching out and stroking her hair. “Go now.”

Yan Zhitao answered and quickly ran off.

Yan Zhu then walked back. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw A Fu sitting by his door. Seeing him, A Fu immediately ran over: “Master! Why are you running around!”

“I’m not sick,” Yan Zhu explained. “I went to find Xiao Tao to talk to her about the secret realm.”

A Fu also understood, frowning: “Didn’t the Yan family teach her about this kind of thing?”

Yan Zhu laughed when he heard his tone: “Are you jealous?”

A Fu didn’t answer, only saying: “I’ve already figured it all out. We don’t need her.”

Yan Zhu chuckled: “Competing for favor?”

A Fu still didn’t answer, but instead asked him: “Master, do you want to take another disciple?”

Yan Zhu realized that he might have heard something from Qi Ran’yin and smiled, stroking his head: “Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to play with?”

A Fu pouted, quietly saying: “It’s not Master’s own child.”

Yan Zhu pinched his cheek: “What are you muttering about?”

“Nothing,” A Fu mumbled.

It’s just about taking on a disciple.

Worst case, he would just create another Divine Consciousness Clone.

Next time, he would clone a rabbit.