Pregnant with the Immortal Venerable's Child After Divorce - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: I Want to Kiss You.

Yan Zhu hadn’t actually expected Wen Sucheng to speak to him so directly.

This was indeed a significant step forward for him.

However, he lowered his head and did not answer.

For Wen Sucheng, this was a silent refusal.

He didn’t press further but said, “Go and rest. I’ve sent paper cranes to the two of them, and they’ll be following shortly.”

Yan Zhu shook his head, “Little Tao is asleep.”

There was a couch inside, but Yan Zhu didn’t want to sleep, which was why he came out.

Wen Sucheng offered, “Should I get you another carriage?”

Yan Zhu shook his head again.

Wen Sucheng said no more. He grabbed a blanket for Yan Zhu, then sat down to the side, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

Yan Zhu wrapped himself in the blanket and sat beside him.

He hadn’t been tired when he first came out, but now, warmed by the fire, drowsiness set in.

He was a bit lazy and didn’t want to move. He simply hugged his legs, buried his face in his knees, and awkwardly prepared to doze off.

He figured that if he truly fell asleep, Wen Sucheng would carry him to a comfortable place to lie down, so he wasn’t worried.

But after sleeping for a while, when he startled awake because he hadn’t been sitting properly and leaned over, he realized that Wen Sucheng hadn’t paid him any attention at all.

Yan Zhu glanced at the timing artifact and saw that an hour had passed. He turned to look at Wen Sucheng and saw him still meditating, with an expression that seemed… enduring?

Yan Zhu frowned. He tried to recall if Wen Sucheng had been injured or fallen ill, but Wen Sucheng never told him such things, so he had no way of knowing.

The feeling of knowing nothing made him somewhat frustrated. He even thought about abandoning Wen Sucheng here and going back to sleep. If he’s not willing to say anything, doesn’t that mean he doesn’t want my concern?

But as soon as the thought emerged, Yan Zhu, wrapped in his blanket, sat down beside him.

Given Wen Sucheng’s cultivation, he certainly didn’t need Yan Zhu to guard him while he cultivated; Yan Zhu just wanted to stay close.

However, he also grew sleepy while keeping watch. After sitting for a while, his eyelids began to droop again. The world became hazy, as if it were spinning.

Yan Zhu pulled out a mint candy from his spatial ring and ate it. It was the super-cold version he used to prank Qi Ran’yin with. The moment it entered his mouth, the icy sting woke him up. He sat there with wide, owl-like eyes, looking like a nocturnal guard.

When Wen Sucheng opened his eyes, he saw Yan Zhu in this state and was momentarily stunned: “What’s wrong?”

Yan Zhu turned to look at him, his eyes filled with a hint of grievance, but he didn’t speak, only shaking his head.

Wen Sucheng didn’t press for details. He sat there with his eyes lowered, unmoving.

Yan Zhu took out a handkerchief and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.

His silence made Wen Sucheng a little uneasy. It wasn’t until Yan Zhu finished wiping his sweat that he quietly said: “Just a small matter.”

Yan Zhu looked at him: “You don’t usually say useless things.”

Wen Sucheng fell silent again.

Yan Zhu stuffed the handkerchief into his hand, wrapped himself in the blanket, and got up to leave.

Wen Sucheng quickly called out to him: “Something happened at the Bright Heart Sect.”

Yan Zhu stopped mid-step, turning to look at him: “Is it serious?”

Wen Sucheng shook his head: “A bit troublesome. I can’t be distracted.”

Yan Zhu nodded. He still wanted to ask what not being distracted had to do with him sweating so much, but since Wen Sucheng wasn’t offering, he didn’t want to ask. He nodded again and went back to sleep.

He slept deeply this time. When he woke up, Qi Ran’yin and Kong Fu had returned and were sitting in the room drinking tea.

Yan Zhu quickly got up, ran his fingers through his slightly messy hair, and went over to them, asking, “Are you two alright?”

“What could possibly happen?” Qi Ran’yin smiled, his gaze sweeping over Yan Zhu, and he nodded, “We heard from your disciple about Little Tao’s situation.”

Yan Zhu felt a bit awkward hearing “disciple” and nodded.

With Kong Fu present, he couldn’t discuss things with Qi Ran’yin, so he talked to both of them about Yan Zhitao’s condition.

Sure enough, the two only knew that the girl was fine, but Wen Sucheng hadn’t mentioned any details.

After all, he was mute.

Yan Zhu suppressed his frustration and explained. Seeing both of them frowning, he hesitantly asked, “Did I go too far?”

Qi Ran’yin shook his head: “It’s just that the relationships between sects are so troublesome. When you get out, the Myriad Heights Sect people are definitely going to look for trouble with you. Why don’t you come back to the Qi family with me to hide?”

Kong Fu snorted: “Just kill them all and be done with it. Whatever happens in the secret realm, no one knows.”

Yan Zhu knew Kong Fu was right. He had indeed thought about doing so when he mistakenly believed Wen Sucheng wouldn’t help. But now that Wen Sucheng had stood up for Yan Zhitao, he was reluctant to put Wen Sucheng in a difficult position.

Thinking of this, Yan Zhu remembered the night before and, despite knowing that communication with the outside world was impossible in the secret realm, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is anything going on with the Bright Heart Sect recently?”

His question was so abrupt that even Qi Ran’yin paused: “You’re the one from the Bright Heart Sect. Why are you asking us?”

“I rarely go out, as you know,” Yan Zhu said. “I mean outside the sect.”

Qi Ran’yin was speechless but still replied, “Nothing is happening anywhere. With the Descending Snow Celestial Venerable around, what could possibly happen?”

Yan Zhu couldn’t help but think to himself, Yeah, with Little Senior Brother around, what could happen?

So he dropped the subject and asked about what they had been doing during their time away.

The two gave a general account, but there wasn’t much to say. Neither of them had low cultivation, so they encountered little danger in the illusionary realm. Most of the time was spent helping to search for people.

Yan Zhu thanked them after listening and added, “Do you want to rest for a bit? Little… I still have the carriage.”

Kong Fu shook his head: “We’re not that fragile. We can just find a place to lie down.”

Yan Zhu was about to say something more, but he had already gotten up and left.

Once the door closed, Qi Ran’yin shook his head: “Both of your excuses are so poor. With his level of cultivation, he doesn’t need to sleep for years.”

Yan Zhu awkwardly rubbed his nose: “Is that better than directly saying, ‘I need to talk to you, please go out first’?”

“You never know,” Qi Ran’yin said. “Saying that makes it seem like you’re very unfamiliar with him. You clearly weren’t like this before. What’s wrong?”

“Because Little Senior Brother is also here,” Yan Zhu said.

Qi Ran’yin was briefly confused: “Celestial Venerable is here too? When did he arrive? Did he come specifically to rescue you?”

Yan Zhu shook his head: “He’s been here all along. He’s A Fu.”

Qi Ran’yin looked lost. Clearly, he hadn’t linked the two either.

Yan Zhu had to briefly explain the situation to him. Qi Ran’yin listened in awe and couldn’t help but ask again: “Are you really not planning to reconcile with him?”

Yan Zhu glared at him after the question.

Qi Ran’yin chuckled: “Alright, I won’t tease you. So what are your plans now?”

“No plans,” Yan Zhu said. “Get out as soon as possible, and then abort the child. Yun Xian said the longer I drag it out, the worse it will be.”

Qi Ran’yin gave him a thumbs-up, remaining true to his original intention.

Then he felt something was wrong: “If it’s true, as you said, that Celestial Venerable wants to keep you, then he won’t let you leave. He’ll just drag it out until it’s too late for you to abort.”

Yan Zhu shook his head: “Little Senior Brother isn’t like that, and he knows my temper. If I say I’m going to abort it, I won’t hesitate, even if the pregnancy is further along.”

Qi Ran’yin felt helpless. Even Wen Sucheng couldn’t dissuade him. It seemed Yan Zhu was truly determined. He didn’t bring it up again but said: “Secret realms have fixed opening and closing times. Generally speaking, we can’t leave until the time comes.”

Yan Zhu caught the implication in his words and asked: “What about the unusual situation?”

“The unusual situation is when the secret realm can’t tolerate you anymore. It will open the exit early to kick you out,” Qi Ran’yin explained. “For example, if you furiously kill spiritual beasts and collect spiritual herbs inside, severely damaging the ecosystem here, the secret realm will throw you out to protect itself.”

Yan Zhu understood: “With you guys here, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Qi Ran’yin was speechless. He wanted to say at least lend a hand, but upon reflection, given Yan Zhu’s combat strength, whether he helped or not made little difference, so he didn’t mention it.

“I’ll go talk to them,” Qi Ran’yin said. “Since we’re doing this, we should split up.”

Yan Zhu nodded: “When Little Tao wakes up, let her go with you too.”

Qi Ran’yin had no objection to this and nodded: “I’ll talk to Kong Fu. You explain it to Celestial Venerable yourself.”

Yan Zhu was puzzled: “Why?”

Qi Ran’yin wanted to roll his eyes at him. The Descending Snow Celestial Venerable wants to keep the child, and he’s supposed to run over and say, your wife needs you to work hard so he can abort the child? Isn’t that asking for trouble? He wasn’t going to do such a stupid thing.

Yan Zhu also realized it and gave an awkward smile: “Fine, I’ll go talk to him myself.”

He got up and went outside as well.

Wen Sucheng and Kong Fu were sitting apart, neither of them speaking. The atmosphere felt a bit tense.

Yan Zhu wasn’t sure if Kong Fu had noticed anything, so he quickly went over and pulled Wen Sucheng aside: “I need to talk to you.”

Wen Sucheng followed him for a few steps, and seeing that Yan Zhu intended to walk further away, he reminded him: “If he doesn’t want to hear, he won’t.”

Yan Zhu: “…”

He rubbed his nose and said, “Oh. Then you’re not allowed to listen to them talk either.”

Wen Sucheng didn’t answer, which meant he agreed.

Yan Zhu then brought up what Qi Ran’yin had told him and asked Wen Sucheng if it was true.

Wen Sucheng nodded. He understood what Yan Zhu wanted to do without further explanation: “You want to leave quickly.”

Yan Zhu nodded and gave a flimsy excuse: “I’m worried about Little Tao.”

Wen Sucheng, however, said: “You want to go out and take the medicine.”

Yan Zhu fell silent.

Denying it would imply he was willing to keep the child. Confirming it might make Wen Sucheng unhappy.

But Wen Sucheng simply said a flat “Okay,” just as he had when signing the divorce papers.

Yan Zhu pursed his lips and quietly grumbled, “You won’t regret it later, like you regretted our divorce.”

He clearly didn’t want to, but he still agreed.

Wen Sucheng said, “Anything you want, I will give you.”

Naturally, this included his desire to abort the child quickly.

As for regret, he would certainly regret it.

Every time he thought of this in the future, he would remember that he personally sent Yan Zhu out and accelerated the matter.

Yan Zhu also understood his meaning. A spot in his heart softened, but he didn’t say anything.

“Later,” Yan Zhu lowered his head, whispering an even more cruel sentence, “when you find another Dao companion, just…”

“Little Zhu,” Wen Sucheng’s cold voice cut him off, covering the rest of his words, “I won’t.”

Yan Zhu bit his lower lip and said no more.

Silence fell between the two again until Qi Ran’yin cautiously asked from a distance, “Are you two done talking?” Yan Zhu turned his head: “We’re done. Did he agree?”

Qi Ran’yin raised an eyebrow: “Duh.”

Yan Zhu nodded and walked over with Wen Sucheng to discuss the plan.

Logically, splitting up in different directions would be the simplest method, but the others were genuinely worried about Yan Zhu’s combat abilities if he went alone. If Yan Zhitao joined him, they would only hinder each other.

“But I can collect spiritual herbs. That counts, right?” Yan Zhu argued. “I’m a professional at this, and I have many artifacts.”

Wen Sucheng shook his head: “You either come with me or stay behind.”

Yan Zhu immediately frowned: “I can help!”

Qi Ran’yin also interjected: “Little Zhu is fine just collecting things.” He then cautioned Yan Zhu, “But you must be extremely careful. If you encounter a demonic beast, run immediately. Be sure to return to rest on time. Safety first, no matter what. Do you hear me?”

Yan Zhu nodded obediently.

Kong Fu also said: “If you really can’t escape, use your wits. Hide if you can, then seize the chance to escape. You have so many artifacts on you; those beasts can’t hurt you, but don’t overdo it.”

The two had said all they needed to. When it came to Wen Sucheng, he was out of words.

He was a man of few words to begin with, and now he didn’t know what to instruct. In the end, he only managed three words: “Don’t mess around.”

Yan Zhu frowned: “I’m not a reckless person.” He looked at Qi Ran’yin, “Am I?”

Qi Ran’yin nodded.

The most unconventional thing Yan Zhu had ever done in his life was divorce Wen Sucheng.

But he didn’t dare say that, so he changed the subject: “What about Little Tao?”

“She can go with whoever she wants,” Yan Zhu said. “She’s out here for experience. Going with you guys will be good for her. She won’t get this chance often.”

Given the capabilities of the three of them, carrying a dependent was not a problem, so they nodded.

Qi Ran’yin said: “However, we’ll be going quite far, and sometimes won’t return for several days. If you’re worried about her, let her stay with you.”

“She’s safer with you than with me,” Yan Zhu said, frowning. “If only there was a way to contact each other.”

But the rules of the secret realm were complex. Aside from a few special artifacts, there was genuinely no way to communicate.

“There is,” Wen Sucheng suddenly said, “The Yan family jade.”

Yan Zhu was momentarily surprised and pulled out the jade pendant.

His mother gave him this jade when he was very young. He knew it was sent by the Yan family. Every clan member had one. He had thought it was merely a symbol of identity, just like every Bright Heart Sect disciple had their own waist token, which simply bore the three words “Bright Heart Sect” on the front and the disciple’s name and affiliation on the back. It proved identity, but did nothing more.

Qi Ran’yin also leaned over to look and nodded: “This should be refined with bl00d. It can work.” He then took a waist token from his belt. Its style was different from Yan Zhu’s, but its function was the same, a symbol of the Qi family. “Mine can do it too. Using the bloodline as a guide, we can communicate within the secret realm. It won’t work outside the secret realm, but it can confirm my life or death through the token.”

Yan Zhu was instantly delighted: “Then the person with Little Tao will be able to contact me!”

Wen Sucheng didn’t speak but handed him a small artifact.

Yan Zhu looked at him curiously. Wen Sucheng didn’t explain. He simply chose a direction, said he would return in two days, and left.

The other two also departed.

Yan Zhu then examined the artifact. It was for communication, but not the multi-person kind; it was one-on-one.

He thought for a moment and quickly understood.

Although he and Wen Sucheng were not bl00d-related, they shared a Dao Companion Contract.

He put the item away, pulled out his artifacts to prepare, and headed off in an untouched direction.

He was very cautious at first, always triple-checking for any demonic beast aura before daring to move forward. But then he got overconfident and stopped worrying so much.

And the truth proved that Wen Sucheng understood Yan Zhu better than Qi Ran’yin in some ways.

He rarely left the sect and had no experience exploring secret realms, so he possessed a kind of “courage” that came from ignorance. Especially after he successfully used the artifact Wen Sucheng gave him to kill a demonic beast he stumbled upon, his ego inflated limitlessly. He believed he could walk sideways through this secret realm, and later, instead of avoiding the beasts he saw, he would actively attack them.

So, when he returned to the carriage two days later and Qi Ran’yin saw the several demonic beasts Yan Zhu had killed, it was a lie to say he wasn’t distraught.

He pulled Yan Zhu aside, carefully examining him to make sure he wasn’t injured, all while scolding him for being reckless.

Yan Zhu remained cheerful: “I don’t have a single scratch. You underestimate me too much.”

Qi Ran’yin was so angry he stomped his foot: “That’s because they were small fry! Let’s see what you do if you run into a Beast King!!”

His words unfortunately became a prophecy.

When they split up this time, Yan Zhu took Yan Zhitao with him. Although he was slightly more cautious for the child’s sake, he was still a long way from the carefulness Qi Ran’yin desired. Moreover, Yan Zhitao wasn’t exactly well-behaved either; they were essentially two ignorant hotheads together.

This time, they ran in a different direction, one Wen Sucheng had previously explored. He had killed almost all the demonic beasts along the way, making it very safe. Because of this, the two were less vigilant. They collected anything good they saw until they arrived at a flower field.

The entire field was filled with spiritual herbs, some Yan Zhu had never seen before. He immediately gave Yan Zhitao a pouch and asked her to help him gather everything.

For some unknown reason, this woke the demonic beast sleeping in the flower field.

The beast was initially tiny, looking like a palm-sized bee. Yan Zhu even told Yan Zhitao that they could trap it with a bowl.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, the beast’s body swelled dozens of times in size, exuding a terrifying pressure.

This was probably the Beast King Qi Ran’yin had mentioned.

Yan Zhitao’s face instantly went pale with fright. Her legs were shaky as she stumbled behind Yan Zhu, quietly saying, “Uncle Master, let’s run.”

“We probably can’t run away,” Yan Zhu laughed, stuffing two defensive artifacts into Yan Zhitao’s hand. “Let me show you how amazing I am!”

Although Yan Zhitao loved her Uncle Master, she knew his combat ability. She instantly felt like she was staring at the Gates of Hell.

She felt that Uncle Master wasn’t trying to show her how amazing he was, but rather trying to teach her a lesson.

Especially when she saw him take out the gourd from his waist, her despair deepened.

She had seen Uncle Master use that gourd to water flowers!

“This bee is called the Resurrection Bee,” Yan Zhu explained. “Ordinary bees pollinate and help flowers reproduce, but this one is the opposite. It feeds on the vitality of flowers, causing all the vegetation nearby to wither and die. When it’s full, it finds another patch of flowers to sleep in and enters a state of suspended animation. If the vitality in its sleeping place diminishes, it’s forced to wake up.”

This was also why Wen Sucheng hadn’t dealt with it. The Resurrection Bee in suspended animation was almost impossible to detect and required specialized artifacts to find. Therefore, this kind of demonic beast was very expensive on the market, and the one they encountered was a Beast King, making it even more valuable.

If it weren’t for their aggressive, leave-no-blade-of-grass-unturned style of gathering, it wouldn’t have been awakened.

Yan Zhitao grew even more despairing: “So it’s in a bad mood from being woken up now?”

Yan Zhu nodded: “Don’t be afraid.” He threw the gourd forcefully toward the Resurrection Bee. “Pear Blossom, forty-three.”

With a bang, the gourd instantly grew to human height.

The Resurrection Bee tensed up. It probably wanted to strike first, so it flapped its wings and charged toward Yan Zhu, but the gourd hit it hard, making it dizzy and causing it to spin in place.

Taking advantage of the beast’s disorientation, the gourd lightly flipped over and flew to the top of the Resurrection Bee’s head. Then, the spout tilted, and a column of water poured out, drenching the Resurrection Bee to the core.

Yan Zhitao heard the continuous, intensifying buzzing and wanted to burst into tears.

The beast was angry! They were going to die here!!

But just as the thought emerged, she saw the Resurrection Bee actually collapse under the continuously streaming column of water.

Yan Zhitao: ?

She watched the floating gourd shrink into a small doll and fly back, nuzzling Yan Zhu. It took her a while to recover: “What happened? It, it, it…”

“It’s called Pear Blossom. It’s my artifact spirit,” Yan Zhu said, holding Pear Blossom up for Yan Zhitao to see.

Yan Zhitao shook her head, pointing at the Resurrection Bee, “I mean that!”

Yan Zhu realized: “It’s the Water of the Yellow Springs.”

Yan Zhitao didn’t understand.

Yan Zhu had to explain in more detail: “The Resurrection Bee feeds on vitality. For it, death aura is like poison. When I pour the Water of the Yellow Springs on it, it naturally can’t bear it.”

Yan Zhitao said blankly: “Your gourd is filled with the Water of the Yellow Springs?”

Yan Zhu shook his head, tapping Pear Blossom with his finger.

Pear Blossom immediately understood and spun around. Immediately after, three massive cabinet drawers appeared with a bang, bang, bang around it, like three walls. It sat in the middle, looking like a little doctor preparing medicine.

Yan Zhitao curiously went over and saw that the drawers in the cabinet were numbered. She pointed to one at random and asked: “What does number sixteen mean?”

“It’s an index number,” Yan Zhu explained. “It contains snow water from Mount Kunlun. Each drawer here is linked to a different place. Pear Blossom can directly draw water from the source.”

So the water that just poured out wasn’t water Yan Zhu had put in, but actual water flowing directly from the Yellow Springs.

Yan Zhitao was dumbfounded: “Isn’t this just a water kettle?”

“Yes, it is,” Yan Zhu looked at her strangely. “Remember the last time you started a fire? I also used water to put it out. That was the Illusion Spring of the demon realm. Although it has no physical form, it’s considered water. And it’s not just water; Pear Blossom can also hold soil.”

Yan Zhitao said: “I’ve never heard of an artifact like this. Was this… refined by the Celestial Venerable too?”

Yan Zhu shook his head: “Artifacts can indeed link different spaces to achieve the same effect, but it requires very precious materials and cannot link infinitely like this. No one would make one. Mine is a Natural Spiritual Treasure.”

Hearing it was a Natural Spiritual Treasure, Yan Zhitao felt a sense of waste again: “Then why didn’t you ask for a better one?!”

Yan Zhu looked at her strangely: “This is great.”

His spiritual roots were completely destroyed. He couldn’t achieve anything significant through cultivation, but tending to these plants didn’t require high cultivation or difficult spells. The only thing that troubled him was that some spiritual herbs were very delicate and required specific water and soil to survive. So he was ecstatic when he got Pear Blossom.

Yan Zhu explained: “I don’t go out much. Little Senior Brother found these for me when he was out.”

Yan Zhitao was still immersed in her regret that Yan Zhu was using a Natural Spiritual Treasure as a water kettle. Hearing this, she said: “If Celestial Venerable also had a Natural Spiritual Treasure as his innate sword, how much stronger would he be?”

“Little Senior Brother’s sword is a Natural Spiritual Treasure,” Yan Zhu looked at her with amusement. “Otherwise, the artifact refiner who forged that sword would have been famous throughout the land long ago.”

“I heard a friend mention it before,” Yan Zhitao said. “She said it was impossible. Natural Spiritual Treasures recognize their masters. To completely possess one, unless you kill the original master, who would be willing to give a Natural Spiritual Treasure away?”

“Couldn’t it be Little Senior Brother’s own?” Yan Zhu asked.

Yan Zhitao was stunned: “But I heard that the Descending Snow Celestial Venerable used a different sword before.”

“Maybe the Spiritual Treasure was born later,” Yan Zhu said. “Heaven realized he was an unparalleled genius and hurriedly gave him one as compensation.”

Yan Zhitao knew Yan Zhu was talking nonsense, but she had to admit that it sounded somewhat plausible.

Her mouth twitched. Just as she was about to complain, she heard Yan Zhu say: “But it’s actually not his. It’s mine.”

This time, Yan Zhitao didn’t express regret. The most powerful sword in the world—who would dare call it a waste?

She had just said that no one would willingly give away a Natural Spiritual Treasure, and now she was immediately proven wrong.

“The Resurrection Bee is valuable all over,” Yan Zhu said. “When we get out, I’ll have Little Senior Brother refine it into an artifact. I’ll give you half.”

Yan Zhitao immediately shook her head. Her involvement in the battle was zero, so it wasn’t right for her to take it.

Yan Zhu didn’t dwell on it. He went over and collected the Resurrection Bee’s body, then continued to squat down and pick flowers.

Pear Blossom didn’t leave but perched on his shoulder, watching him work, and constantly calling out “Little Zhu, Little Zhu” in a thin voice.

Yan Zhitao was curious. She brought her pouch over and greeted it, but after hearing her introduction, Pear Blossom only said “Oh,” then pointed to itself and said: “Pear Blossom.”

Yan Zhitao asked it a few more questions, but Pear Blossom only replied with a dismissive “Oh,” acknowledging her but in a very perfunctory way.

Just as Yan Zhitao was feeling upset, Yan Zhu suddenly offered an explanation: “Pear Blossom can’t talk.”

Yan Zhitao was confused: “Isn’t it an artifact spirit?”

“It’s a natural artifact spirit, so it was born unable to speak. I also never really taught it,” Yan Zhu explained to Yan Zhitao as he stuffed flowers into his spatial ring.

Communication between the owner and the artifact spirit didn’t require speech. Pear Blossom would understand as soon as he thought it, and Pear Blossom’s voice could be transmitted directly into his mind. So, he hadn’t taught Pear Blossom how to speak when he was young, and Pear Blossom itself wasn’t a very studious artifact spirit. Therefore, after all these years, it only knew those few words. After all, no one usually bothered to chat with it.

Yan Zhitao understood: “So it’s like a small child now.”

Yan Zhu thought about it. Pear Blossom’s intelligence was indeed childlike, so he nodded.

Yan Zhitao then asked curiously: “What about Drunken Sleeve? That is, Celestial Venerable’s sword.”

“Drunken Sleeve can talk, and it talks a lot,” Yan Zhu explained. “One reason is that when Little Senior Brother is working, the disciples talk, and it secretly learns from them. The other is that it needs to use this method to communicate with Little Senior Brother.”

Yan Zhitao found this strange: “But isn’t it Celestial Venerable’s artifact spirit?”

Yan Zhu was taken aback.

That’s right. An artifact spirit should be able to communicate directly, but Drunken Sleeve always used its mouth to communicate with Little Senior Brother.

Just as he was wondering, he heard Yan Zhitao say: “Maybe it’s because Uncle Master you are still alive, so it can’t recognize him as its master? If so, Celestial Venerable is truly amazing to have cultivated with a non-mastered sword until now.”

Yan Zhu didn’t reply.

He had asked them both before, and they had said that a Natural Spiritual Treasure could recognize two masters, as long as the original master agreed.

But Drunken Sleeve hadn’t recognized him.

Because Wen Sucheng had never brought it up, and Drunken Sleeve had never mentioned it, Yan Zhu hadn’t realized this until Yan Zhitao pointed out that something was amiss.

Or perhaps they communicated privately, but Drunken Sleeve was simply more talkative?

As soon as this thought emerged, Pear Blossom denied it.

A thin voice appeared in his mind: “No, Drunken Sleeve belongs to Little Zhu.”

Yan Zhu frowned, temporarily pushing the matter to the back of his mind, and steering the constantly chattering Yan Zhitao’s topic elsewhere.

When they finally had a moment of peace, he took out the artifact and sent a few messages to Wen Sucheng.

Yan Zhitao immediately moved closer, teasing: “Uncle Master, are you missing Celestial Venerable?”

Yan Zhu looked at her strangely: “What are you thinking about all day?”

“Otherwise, you send him messages whenever you have free time,” Yan Zhitao said. “Even my parents aren’t that clingy.”

Yan Zhu was speechless: “I’ve only sent him one message in the past two days.”

“You sent one before too,” Yan Zhitao argued.

“That was to report that we were safe,” Yan Zhu said. “If he doesn’t receive a message for more than six hours, he’ll come looking for us.”

Yan Zhitao understood, but still said: “Then you’re missing him now.”

Yan Zhu humbly asked: “How can you tell?”

Yan Zhitao began to share her speculations, mostly things she had learned from romance novels. Although some were far-fetched, her tone was excited and longing, sounding like a girl who yearned for love. She was quite adorable, so Yan Zhu didn’t correct her, only smiling and saying, “Read fewer books.”

Yan Zhitao immediately smiled brightly and said she would.

They had been out for three days and had gathered a considerable amount. When they returned, the other three were also back. Qi Ran’yin seemed to have sustained a minor injury, but it had already healed, though he hadn’t had time to change his clothes.

Yan Zhu immediately went up to him: “What happened?”

“I wasn’t paying attention and was thrown off by a Nine-Armed Ape,” Qi Ran’yin explained awkwardly. “I was hit by a branch. It’s nothing serious.”

Yan Zhu laughed upon hearing this: “You told me to be cautious, yet you made such a rookie mistake yourself.”

Qi Ran’yin shrugged: “The doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient. I’m going to change clothes first.”

Yan Zhu nodded, asked Kong Fu a few questions, and then quickly pulled Wen Sucheng toward a secluded area.

Wen Sucheng followed him for a distance, then stopped and raised his hand to set up a barrier, asking: “What is it?”

“I have something to ask you,” Yan Zhu looked at him. “Has Drunken Sleeve not recognized you as its master?”

Wen Sucheng replied: “It is very obedient.”

The answer was irrelevant. Yan Zhu immediately understood and frowned: “Why? It’s been with you for so many years and you get along so well.”

Wen Sucheng didn’t answer.

Yan Zhu said: “If you don’t tell me, I’ll go ask Pear Blossom.”

“Pear Blossom doesn’t know,” Wen Sucheng said.

“But Pear Blossom can ask Drunken Sleeve,” Yan Zhu argued. “Drunken Sleeve will definitely tell Pear Blossom.”

Wen Sucheng shook his head: “It won’t tell.”

That meant the two of them had decided not to tell.

Yan Zhu immediately grew anxious: “That’s your innate sword! Can’t you take this seriously?!”

“Drunken Sleeve is fine,” Wen Sucheng said. “Don’t worry.”

How could Yan Zhu not worry? But Wen Sucheng was tight-lipped about things he didn’t want to talk about. He could easily dismiss the matter with a few words, and Yan Zhu wouldn’t be able to find out.

He could only ask Qi Ran’yin.

But Qi Ran’yin didn’t know either.

Natural Spiritual Treasures were rare to begin with, and their situation was even rarer. After all, most people were born with only one Spiritual Treasure. Yan Zhu was incredibly lucky to have two, let alone being willing to give one away.

Most Natural Spiritual Treasures change hands only when the original owner dies and the treasure is masterless, allowing it to recognize a new master. It was extremely rare for one to recognize two masters simultaneously.

So the problem circled back to Wen Sucheng.

Yan Zhu was genuinely worried about Wen Sucheng. Since Wen Sucheng wouldn’t talk, he could only wait until they left the secret realm, find an opportunity to seize Drunken Sleeve, and have Pear Blossom question it.

However, he didn’t give up on getting an answer from Wen Sucheng right away. The next day, he went to look for Wen Sucheng, only for Qi Ran’yin to say that he had already left.

Yan Zhu was immediately furious.

Escaping again, escaping again!!

He could only wait for the next time.

They usually went out for two or three days, then returned to the camp to rest for half a day or a day before going out again. Yan Zhu did the same. After two days out, he rushed back, intending to intercept Wen Sucheng, only to find that Wen Sucheng had returned even earlier.

Yan Zhitao had gone with Wen Sucheng this time. Hearing Yan Zhu’s inquiry, she replied, “Celestial Venerable went to bathe. He should be by the stream.”

Yan Zhu went to look for him. As he got closer, he saw Wen Sucheng soaking in the water. His long hair was spread out on the surface. The churning water obscured the view beneath, but his firm, smooth muscles above the water were perfectly clear.

He was used to seeing this, but it was the first time they were outdoors. Perhaps the added ruggedness made Yan Zhu’s ears feel inexplicably hot. He raised his hand to rub them twice, then walked over and called out, “Little Senior…”

Before he could finish, Wen Sucheng suddenly reached out and pulled him. Yan Zhu was caught off guard and tumbled into the water with a plop, completely soaked.

If Qi Ran’yin had done this, Yan Zhu would have found it normal, scolded him a bit, and then joined in the fun. But Wen Sucheng wasn’t that kind of person.

Yan Zhu said angrily: “What are you doing?!”

Wen Sucheng pulled him closer, lowering his eyes to look at him: “You want to ask about Drunken Sleeve?”

It was then that Yan Zhu realized Wen Sucheng’s body was very cold. He didn’t know how long he had been soaking in the water. His long, wet hair clung to his face, like a pen outlining his features. Water droplets trickled down from a shadow on his forehead, meandering past his high nose bridge, and finally slowly dripping from the tip of his nose, landing “pat” on Yan Zhu’s face.

It was also cold.

Perhaps because he was backlit, and half of his face was obscured by shadow, Yan Zhu felt that Wen Sucheng seemed somewhat gloomy, which made him very uncomfortable.

Yan Zhu nodded: “Let’s get out first.”

He reached out and pulled Wen Sucheng, but Wen Sucheng didn’t move.

“Little Senior Brother?” Yan Zhu called out hesitantly, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Sucheng parted his thin lips: “I want to kiss you.”

Yan Zhu’s mind instantly went blank.

After being married for so many years, this was the first time he had heard Wen Sucheng say something like this. For a moment, he even doubted if the person in front of him was an imposter.

“W-why?” Yan Zhu was somewhat bewildered. “Are you really Little Senior Brother?”

Wen Sucheng reached out and held him, injecting a bit of spiritual energy into him. This connection made Yan Zhu clearly feel the Dao Companion Contract between them. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked again: “Then why are you saying such strange things?”

Wen Sucheng still didn’t answer, only saying: “I’ll tell you after you kiss me.”

Yan Zhu found it strange, but still nodded.

He initially thought that the kiss Wen Sucheng spoke of would just be a brief touch, like before, but this time was different. Almost the moment their lips touched, he felt Wen Sucheng’s tongue lightly trace the seam of his lips, and then, before he could react, he launched a full-scale assault.

Wen Sucheng aggressively squeezed the scarce space in his mouth. The heavy, muffled sound of the water mingled with their kiss, making Yan Zhu’s ears feel hot. His lips were being sucked slightly painfully, his tongue felt a little numb, and his breathing started to become difficult.

Just as Yan Zhu was about to push Wen Sucheng away, Wen Sucheng released him, lightly brushing the corner of his lips.

“It’s because you weren’t willing,” Wen Sucheng said these words, then let go of Yan Zhu, turned, climbed onto the bank, and left the stream.

Yan Zhu’s mind was a mess. He stood there dazed for a long time before he finally recovered.

Wasn’t willing to what?

What was wrong with Little Senior Brother today? He was acting strange…

He quickly chased after him, but Wen Sucheng had already changed into clean clothes and was sitting by the bonfire with Yan Zhitao nearby. Yan Zhu didn’t bring up the subject again but went back to change his clothes.

Afterward, Wen Sucheng reverted to normal, as if the kiss that day was just a figment of Yan Zhu’s imagination.

But Yan Zhu remained bothered. He could feel that the Wen Sucheng that day had been somewhat out of control, but Wen Sucheng wasn’t someone who lost control easily. He couldn’t figure out what had happened, and when he asked again, Wen Sucheng would only say it was nothing.

Yan Zhu had no choice but to push the matter aside, planning to ask him about it once they left the secret realm and returned to the Bright Heart Sect.

And the opportunity to leave soon arrived.

They had been so disruptive in the secret realm that it finally couldn’t tolerate these “bandits” any longer and opened the exit early, even opening it very conveniently near them, as if afraid they would delay their departure.

Qi Ran’yin said smugly: “This method really works. With those two here, the exit opened even faster than I expected.”

“Then let’s hurry out.” Yan Zhu was a little impatient. When he changed clothes two days ago, he noticed a slight curve in his belly. Although it might just be weight gain or his imagination, he was truly afraid to delay any longer.

The group packed up and headed for the exit.

Many people were already waiting outside the secret realm, including Yingyun Xian. Seeing them emerge, he rushed over and pulled Yan Zhu, looking him over, only relaxing when he confirmed Yan Zhu hadn’t changed: “That’s great. I was worried you would give birth to the child in there.”

After all, the flow of time in some secret realms was different from the outside world. The short time they had waited outside could have been a year or two inside.

Yan Zhu comforted him: “Don’t worry, I was keeping track. Do you have the medicine?”

Yingyun Xian handed him the bottle: “Think clearly. You are further along now. The suffering you’ll endure will be more than before…” He trailed off, seeing Yan Zhu take the medicine without hesitation, and shook his head helplessly. “Then, before you take it, listen to one more thing I have to say. It’s about the Descending Snow Celestial Venerable.”

Yan Zhu subconsciously glanced at the person beside him. Seeing him frown, he knew something was wrong and quickly asked Yingyun Xian: “What happened to Little Senior Brother?”

“Just after you all went in, someone suddenly said that the Descending Snow Celestial Venerable…”

His words were cut short because the person who was listening to him suddenly vanished from sight.

The disciple who was impersonating the Descending Snow Celestial Venerable also vanished.

Yan Zhu himself didn’t react until he came to his senses and realized he had been inexplicably transported back to his bedroom on Burning Snow Peak. The medicine in his hand was also gone.

It must have been Wen Sucheng’s doing. Did he not want him to hear what Yingyun Xian was saying? Or did he not want him to take the medicine?!

Yan Zhu was instantly furious. Either way, it was too much!

He stormed toward the door, but just as he stepped out, his vision blurred, and he found himself back in the bedroom.

He was stunned for a long time before he slowly realized that Wen Sucheng had actually placed restrictions around the palace and essentially put him under house arrest!