Pregnant with the Immortal Venerable's Child After Divorce - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: You Can’t Do It Now.

Wen Suchen was more direct than before; those few words were like a small hammer chiseling at Yan Zhuo’s heart.

Yan Zhuo looked into his eyes.

Wen Suchen’s eyes were always calm, like a deep, unfathomable lake. Before, Yan Zhuo couldn’t clearly see the things hidden within, but at this moment, he clearly saw the surging emotions within.

Wen Suchen hadn’t lied to him.

Yan Zhuo blinked, suppressing the rising tears, and whispered, “I don’t believe you.”

Upon hearing this, the emotion in Wen Suchen’s eyes immediately sank.

He had concealed so many things from Yan Zhuo; it was normal for Yan Zhuo not to believe him. At least it was good that Yan Zhuo wasn’t afraid.

Just as he was convincing himself, he heard Yan Zhuo say, “You can’t even get it up for me.”

This was not the first time Wen Suchen had heard such shocking words from Yan Zhuo, but he was still stunned. After a long while, he hesitantly asked, “When did I ever do badly?”

“It’s not about any one time,” Yan Zhuo lowered his eyes and explained, “You never have a reaction except in bed. You don’t like me, so you must have used some spell.”

Wen Suchen gave a very soft “Mhm.”

Although he had already guessed it, Yan Zhuo’s heart was still pierced by the answer.

They say men think with their lower body, but Wen Suchen had no desire for him. How was he supposed to believe Wen Suchen’s sincerity!

He was about to complain when he heard Wen Suchen say, “Reacting to you in other places… feels like being a hooligan.”

Yan Zhuo was taken aback. He glanced at Wen Suchen’s ears and saw a thin layer of red there.

Wen Suchen was shy.

Wen Suchen actually felt shy?

Yan Zhuo thought for a moment and realized that Wen Suchen’s “Mhm” didn’t mean he used a spell to get it up.

His expression became a little hard to describe: “So all these years, you’ve been using spells to suppress that just because… you don’t want to be a hooligan to me?”

Wen Suchen slightly averted his gaze, not answering, but it was a tacit admission.

For a moment, Yan Zhuo didn’t know whether to laugh or not. How could someone be so silly?

He said, “Desire is human nature.”

Wen Suchen shook his head: “I don’t want you to think I’m lustful.”

Yan Zhuo understood. This person was carrying a burden.

He smiled very lightly, reaching out to stroke Wen Suchen’s face, a touch he was most familiar with.

Just as he was about to speak, he saw Wen Suchen slightly tilt his head and gently rub against his palm.

Yan Zhuo was instantly stunned.

This was a habit belonging to Afu (the cat). Every time he reached out, the little cat would rub against his palm. Later, when it “transformed,” this habit didn’t change. Now that Afu had returned to his true form, he seemed to have brought the habit back.

And Wen Suchen didn’t seem to notice this little habit of his yet.

This discovery made Yan Zhuo unable to resist the curve of his lips.

He liked Wen Suchen when he was a block of wood.

He liked this emotional, more vibrant Wen Suchen even more now.

Yan Zhuo said, “I divorced you because I thought you didn’t like me.”

Wen Suchen’s pupils trembled slightly. He frowned, disbelievingly asking, “How is that possible?”

“You have to ask yourself,” Yan Zhuo said, “You should reflect on yourself.”

Wen Suchen fell silent again. He frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally asked him, “Where did I do badly?”

Yan Zhuo didn’t answer but asked him, “What do you think liking a person looks like?”

This time, Wen Suchen didn’t think too carefully and quickly gave an answer: “Doing everything I can.”

He often thought about this question: What could he give Yan Zhuo? Was what he gave Yan Zhuo enough? Could he give Yan Zhuo more?

“And what else?” Yan Zhuo asked him.

Wen Suchen was momentarily lost.

Yan Zhuo said, “You’ve been with me for hundreds of years, haven’t you learned anything?”

Wen Suchen knew he was referring to Afu.

Yan Zhuo really liked Afu. When Afu was a cat, he liked to hug him, kiss his head, and rub his fur. Later, when Afu transformed, perhaps because master and disciple shouldn’t be so intimate, Yan Zhuo rarely did that, but he would still put his arm around Afu’s shoulder and say with a cheerful smile that their Afu was really cute.

Wen Suchen hesitated for a moment, tentatively reached out his hand, and very lightly hugged Yan Zhuo. Only after confirming that Yan Zhuo didn’t resist did he tighten his arms, drawing the entire person into his embrace.

Unlike the obsessive hugs of the previous days, this hug was gentle, warm, and the tenderness of lovers.

In fact, Yan Zhuo had taught Wen Suchen before, but Wen Suchen hadn’t remembered.

Feeling the weight of the person in his arms leaning against him, Wen Suchen couldn’t help but ask, “It must have been very hard being with me, right?”

Yan Zhuo, however, shook his head very gently.

He did use to feel that way, but today he suddenly understood.

“I used to wonder why you were different from the other older brothers and sisters, even though you were also a senior disciple,” Yan Zhuo whispered. “When they went out, they all remembered to bring me things, but they would talk to me, stroke my head, and then give me the little gifts they brought back, showing great closeness. You never did that. You always put it down and left. When I was young, I wondered if you hated me. When I grew up, I thought it was just your personality.”

But today, he suddenly understood.

It wasn’t hatred, nor was it just his personality, but that he didn’t know how.

When his mother wasn’t having an episode, she was also a very gentle person. She would hug him, gently stroke his head, and ask him in a sweet voice if he liked dinner today.

The other senior brothers and sisters were raised by his father and mother together, so he also had days like that.

But the youngest senior brother did not. His father didn’t allow him near his mother; he grew up with his father.

“When I was little, Father taught me sword practice. If I didn’t practice well, he would scold me and ask angrily why I couldn’t even master such a simple sword technique. Mother would then argue with Father,” Yan Zhuo recalled his childhood, his voice softening a little, mixed with a nostalgic smile. “Mother would scold Father, saying it was his fault, and if he dared force me to practice the sword again, she would die with him. The first time I heard it, I was scared. I didn’t know what ‘die with him’ meant, but I knew it must be very scary. But Mother secretly told me she was just scaring Father.”

At that time, Yan Zhuiyun was not as lifeless as she became later. When she said that, she was a bit playful, like a child. After saying it, she hugged him and gently said, How could I bear to leave our Little Zhuo?

He truly, deeply loved his mother from that time.

He had also seen his Master teaching the youngest senior brother to practice the sword. The youngest senior brother was very capable and learned everything quickly. So, after he finished a set of sword techniques, Father would reward him with a new, more powerful set of techniques or some elixirs that helped advance his cultivation.

Even now, Yan Zhuo found it absurd to think about. Could that be considered a reward?

But the youngest senior brother seemed to think it was.

So, when facing Yan Zhuo, he used the same approach.

Giving him inexhaustible spiritual stones, the best natural treasures, all kinds of magical artifacts, and elixirs for various uses.

To Wen Suchen, all emotions seemed to be fillable with these material things.

Yan Zhuo didn’t think there was anything wrong with this; wanting to give a loved one better things was normal.

But there was a crucial missing link in between, causing everything to lose its true meaning.

Previously, Yan Zhuo thought he was boring and didn’t understand people’s hearts, but today he understood: he just didn’t know how.

Love is an innate ability, but expression is not.

No one is born knowing how to talk.

No one is born knowing how to say “I like you.”

No one is born knowing how to walk.

No one is born knowing how to hug others.

In infancy, actions are driven entirely by desire and instinct: eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, cry when in pain, want to be held when alone.

Growing a little older, in the age of being clueless, one begins to learn.

The first teachers are the parents.

Learning how they interact with others, how they interact with oneself, learning to read their expressions, and learning to perceive their emotions.

Wen Suchen had a problem at this step.

Yan Zhuo didn’t know what his birth parents were like, but people who could use their son as a sacrifice couldn’t be normal.

Later, after escaping from hell, he met another unqualified father.

Wen Tianren did not teach him how to treat a lover, only how to be the best tool, the most qualified successor.

So, Wen Suchen rarely mentioned feelings and didn’t spend much time with Yan Zhuo. Although he had the desire and impulse, he felt these things weren’t “gentlemanly,” so he was ashamed to bring them up and even avoided them.

It wasn’t until the matter of the demonic energy erupted, and he fell from the clouds into the mud, that he did these “dirty” things.

“I am very greedy,” Yan Zhuo said. “I want more. I want to hear you say many things, I want you to spend a lot of time with me, I want to see you do many things for me that you never did before. I know you would agree if I said it, but forcing it would only make you hate me.”

Wen Suchen immediately shook his head: “Not forced.”

“But I don’t know,” Yan Zhuo said. “And I don’t want you to hate me.”

At this moment, Wen Suchen understood his meaning. Even if it was just a little bit, Yan Zhuo’s feelings were similar to his.

He smiled very lightly and then, close to Yan Zhuo’s ear, said again, “I like you.”

Yan Zhuo buried his face in his shoulder and gave a very soft “Mhm.”

Wen Suchen then said, “There’s one more thing.”

Yan Zhuo immediately stiffened, instantly retreating from his embrace, frowning at him: “Don’t force me to slap you at a time like this.”

Wen Suchen pursed his lips: “I haven’t said it yet.”

“You’ve been repeating that one line for days; I’m tired of hearing it,” Yan Zhuo turned away, looking angry, but didn’t say any harsh words.

Wen Suchen then said, “I won’t say it.”

Yan Zhuo then turned back to look at him. Seeing Wen Suchen lowering his head—although he was tall and looked far from obedient, at least his attitude was acceptable—Yan Zhuo couldn’t stay angry. He reached out, took his hand, and led him toward the bed.

Wen Suchen followed with some hesitation. Once they were both sitting on the bed, he tentatively said, “You can’t do it now.”

“What are you thinking?” Yan Zhuo looked at him strangely. “I didn’t say anything.”

Wen Suchen froze, his ears instantly turning red.

“Okay,” he said.

A nonsensical answer made Yan Zhuo burst into laughter.

He recalled that Wen Suchen used to ask him directly if he wanted to do it. Why wasn’t Wen Suchen shy then?

Yan Zhuo thought this and asked.

Wen Suchen nodded: “I got used to it.”

Which meant, at first, he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Having been married for so many years, there were too many things Yan Zhuo didn’t know about Wen Suchen. This couldn’t be covered in one night. So, Yan Zhuo finally just said, “Don’t do silly things in the future.”

Wen Suchen “Mhm’d.”

Yan Zhuo leaned into his arms again.

Wen Suchen then imitated the previous action, reaching out and hugging him. Neither of them spoke, but their hearts felt lighter than ever before.

Later, Yan Zhuo grew sleepy and fell asleep in Wen Suchen’s arms. When he woke up, he was lying properly in bed, and Wen Suchen was nowhere to be found.

He was no longer as frantic as he had been in the past few days; instead, he started to worry.

Worrying that something might have happened to Wen Suchen.

He wanted to ask Qi Ranyin, but Qi Ranyin hadn’t come for a few days, nor had Wen Suchen. Wen Suchen hadn’t even lifted the restriction for him; he still couldn’t contact the outside world.

Just as Yan Zhuo was about to get angry, Qi Ranyin finally arrived, bringing a letter from Wen Suchen.

The large words “Divorce Papers” on the envelope startled Yan Zhuo. He looked at Qi Ranyin: “What’s going on?”

Qi Ranyin didn’t answer, only saying, “He asked me to bring it.”

Yan Zhuo quickly tore open the envelope, still harboring a small thought that it was a fake, but the words inside completely dashed his hope.

It was a genuine divorce paper, identical to the one he had given Wen Suchen, with Wen Suchen’s signature and Soul Mark underneath, very formal.

If he had received this letter a few days ago, Yan Zhuo would have been happy. If he had received it before proposing divorce, Yan Zhuo would have been sad. But now, he only felt intense unease.

He grabbed Qi Ranyin, asking, “Did he say anything else?”

“He said the restrictions were all lifted, and you can leave anytime,” Qi Ranyin said. “I just checked, and they are indeed gone.”

“Anything else?” Yan Zhuo stared at Qi Ranyin’s face, trying to discern some clue.

They had just cleared things up a few days ago when they met. Why did Wen Suchen suddenly start acting crazy again? Could it be that he was seeking revenge out of grievance?!

“Anything else…” Qi Ranyin thought for a moment, then suddenly said “Oh,” and handed Yan Zhuo the Cosmic Ring he had previously worn. “Also, he said all the items in the vault are yours, and he doesn’t want a single bit.”

His expression was natural, even somewhat excited, seemingly no different from when he first learned they were getting divorced.

Yan Zhuo felt a little frantic, and malicious conjectures were almost sprouting in his heart, but he remembered his previous misunderstanding of Wen Suchen and could only forcefully suppress the annoyance, asking, “Why aren’t you trying to persuade him anymore?”

“Persuade what? In this situation, this is obviously the best way to handle it,” Qi Ranyin said. “I persuaded you before because I was afraid you’d regret it. Now that you’ve both discussed it yourselves, wouldn’t me persuading be annoying?”

Yan Zhuo understood. He grabbed Qi Ranyin’s hand and asked, “What exactly happened to my youngest senior brother?”

Qi Ranyin realized the situation: “Wasn’t the divorce agreed upon by you two? Then why did he nod when I asked him if you knew about this?!”

“I don’t know anything,” Yan Zhuo said. “The last time I saw him was a few days ago, and he didn’t tell me anything.”

Qi Ranyin understood. This time, he didn’t ramble and explained the situation to Yan Zhuo in one sentence: “Immortal Venerable Jiang Xue is about to be expelled from the Mingxin Sect.”

Yan Zhuo’s expression immediately turned unsightly.

Qi Ranyin continued to explain: “But he is him, and you are you. If he leaves, you are still an Elder of the Mingxin Sect. Maybe he’s afraid of implicating you. Are you… are you listening to me?”

Yan Zhuo was certainly listening, but he didn’t know how to reply.

He felt a pain in his heart, like countless needles pricking him.

He thought that day he and Wen Suchen had finally opened up to each other, but he was too naive.

He still didn’t understand Wen Suchen enough.

His parents’ matter was the nightmare of his childhood. What was Wen Suchen’s nightmare?

Wen Suchen said he didn’t remember his childhood, that he only remembered it later. Yan Zhuo naturally believed it.

It was indeed possible for a person to forget past events after a huge shock.

But did Wen Suchen truly not remember? Or did he just pretend to have amnesia?

Why pretend? Because he was afraid his Father would find out? Why would he be afraid? His Father was clearly the one who brought him out of the pile of the dead.

There was only one possibility: his Father didn’t know about the Divine Descent Ritual—or rather, the Wen Suchen at the time thought his Father didn’t know.

And his Father was a righteous person. If he knew about the demonic energy on Wen Suchen, he might not have taken him in. So Wen Suchen concealed it. Afraid of being asked for details, he simply said he couldn’t remember.

Because he was afraid his Father wouldn’t want him.

Yan Zhuo had never asked why Wen Suchen had been so obedient all these years, cultivating so desperately, and taking on every difficult and troublesome task his Father assigned without a word of complaint.

Because he didn’t want to disappoint his Father and was afraid his Father would abandon him.

Wen Suchen knew his Father was capable of that.

After all, that person could abandon his own son. Wen Suchen was just a child he picked up, with no relation, so he could certainly be abandoned too.

So, Wen Suchen had always kept the demonic energy a secret, always striving to do his best, to be a good disciple his Father could be proud of.

As for whether his Father knew… Yan Zhuo thought his Father did know.

As for whether Wen Suchen was aware, Yan Zhuo thought that even if Wen Suchen wasn’t clear at first, he should have known later.

But he was still so obedient.

Perhaps when the demonic energy matter was exposed, Wen Suchen already anticipated this day, which was why he was so obsessively demanding Yan Zhuo keep the child in his belly.

Because that would be his only family left in this world.

When they divorced, Wen Suchen still had his master who was like a father. But when the demonic energy was exposed, Wen Suchen knew he would be abandoned. At that point, Wen Suchen would have no family left.

Only a relationship established by bl00d would not be severed.

Just like him and his mother, no matter how scary his mother was during an episode, he would never leave her.

Just like him and his father, no matter how much he hated his father, or how little his father thought of him, they still barely maintained a surface relationship.

Just like him and his uncle, no matter how long they hadn’t contacted each other, his uncle would still smile happily and ask him how he was doing when he saw him.

Just like him and Yan Zhitao, even though they had no prior interaction, within two or three days, Yan Zhitao would grow close to him, act spoiled, and coax him to be happy.

Yan Zhuo knew that relationships between people couldn’t be simplified like this. Wen Suchen was so smart; he must have known it too.

But at this moment, he couldn’t say words of blame.

It was common for a desperate person to do obsessive things, and as the person closest to Wen Suchen, he hadn’t noticed at all.

Yan Zhuo looked at the divorce papers in his hand, as if seeing Wen Suchen’s determination.

Just as Qi Ranyin said, after leaving the Mingxin Sect and being associated with evil forces, Wen Suchen might still have status in the cultivation world, but it would certainly not be what it used to be.

But if they separated, Yan Zhuo would still be the son of the Mingxin Sect’s Sect Master. If Wen Tianren was willing to say a few words, Yan Zhuo might even be praised for making the right decision to leave, not associating with evil forces, and he might even be pitied, being told he married the wrong person and was so miserable.

He was so obsessively determined to keep him before. Why the sudden change?

Was it because of him? Should he have been harsher to Wen Suchen that day?

“When does it start?” Yan Zhuo asked.

Qi Ranyin was momentarily stunned: “What?”

Yan Zhuo said, “Wen Tianren wouldn’t handle his expulsion privately. He would definitely put on a show in front of everyone. When does this show begin?”

Hearing his determined tone, Qi Ranyin laughed: “You really understand him… It’s probably going to start soon. The Immortal Venerable told me not to tell you, but I felt you might get angry if I didn’t, so I’m definitely standing with you.”

Yan Zhuo smiled upon hearing this: “You’re the best.” As he spoke, he quickly tore the divorce papers in his hand to shreds, summoning a Spirit Puppet. “Go burn this.”

Qi Ranyin raised an eyebrow: “Have you decided? If you go, you might also be branded as an evil force.”

“I don’t care,” Yan Zhuo said. “To him, the Mingxin Sect is his home, Wen Tianren is his father. I am not.”

When he was little, Cui Rui Peak was the home of him and Yan Zhuiyun. Later, after Yan Zhuiyun passed away, he tore down the palace on Cui Rui Peak and moved to Fen Xue Peak. Since then, Fen Xue Peak had been the home of him and Wen Suchen.

As for the Mingxin Sect and Wen Tianren, he didn’t care.

Qi Ranyin grew a little excited upon hearing his words: “Then I’ll go with you.”

Yan Zhuo shook his head: “Go do something for me.” He said, handing a waist token to Qi Ranyin, and then leaned in to whisper a few words to him.

Qi Ranyin’s expression twisted upon hearing it: “That’s too vicious.”

“I said so, so hurry up and go.” Yan Zhuo kicked him, and after confirming that Qi Ranyin had set off, he rushed towards the Mingxin Hall.

When Yan Zhuo arrived, many people were already waiting there.

It was the first time he realized how large the Mingxin Hall was, large enough to accommodate so many people.

So large that Wen Suchen, kneeling in the center, looked tiny, like an ant.

He was looking down, with no expression on his face. Those people in the clothing of various sects, whose faces and expressions were unclear, were densely packed in a circle, tightly surrounding him, as if he were a prisoner awaiting execution.

The executioner stood directly above the main hall. Yan Zhuo could only see a back, but he could already guess that the person’s face must be filled with sorrow—it was a trick he always used.

No one cared if Wen Suchen was truly guilty.

They just wanted to drag him down into the mire.

They wanted to chase him out from under the protective umbrella.

They wanted him, this protective umbrella, to leave the Mingxin Sect sooner.

But Yan Zhuo cared.

Wen Suchen had protected him so many times; this time, it was his turn.