Chapter 066 He Wasn’t Lying

Chapter 066 He Wasn't Lying

"Lesson two: as a husband, how to properly care for a pregnant wife. Now let's look at the video interview with a few expectant mothers—what did their husbands do during the pregnancy that made them very angry..."

The living room was very spacious, more over-the-top and realistic than the luxury family dramas she'd seen, and decorated in a woodland theme.

At the moment, Yin Zhu was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, holding a tablet, intently watching the video. Occasionally he nodded in understanding, committing it to memory.

The volume was quite loud, and everyone could hear it, but seeing him so focused, no one dared to disturb him.

Jiang Feng and the other two sat side by side on the sofa, fidgeting nervously. They exchanged frequent glances and then looked upstairs.

It was agonizing, a chill creeping down their spines, like walking into a den of wild animals—an inexplicable fear gripped them.

"Um... Mr. Yin, why hasn't Shushu come down yet?" Jiang Feng, being bolder, was the first to speak up.

They'd been here the whole afternoon. Although they were amazed by the luxury—the place was like a museum filled with antiques—they were still worried about Gu Pushu's safety. No matter how rich he was, he couldn't bully their sister.

"She's worn out and needs to rest. If you three need anything, you can bring it up with Zexi." Yin Zhu didn't take his eyes off the video. "Since you are my wife's good friends and are visiting our home, I should act as a good host."

"Oh, and as a thank-you for looking after my wife, Zexi, give them the gifts." Yin Zhu wanted to make a clear distinction—his wife’s debts were his to repay.

"Ladies, this is a small token from the Yin family for looking after the lady during her stay. Please accept this humble little gift." Zexi smiled and clapped his hands.

Three servants materialized out of thin air, each holding a box in front of them, and opened them simultaneously.

It was pretty blinding—inside each box lay a neatly stacked gold bar, substantial in weight, easily weighed several catties by their estimation.

To humans, these were timeless, valuable treasures. For them, however, it was easy to come by—the Yin family had no shortage of wealth.

If Yin Zhu hadn't decided to give gifts to Gu Pushu, having heard that human women loved gold and jewelry, he'd almost forgotten about the mountains of treasure lying around. So from now on, he'd just give it all to his wife.

These few bars had fallen on the floor; he saw them, thought they were dirty, and had someone pick them up, wipe them clean, and give them away as gifts.

The three women were stunned speechless.

It was the first time they'd seen such a no-frills gift.

Gold—a small piece is tacky, but a large gold bar is treasure. Every Chinese person, once they hit a certain age, loves it.

The temptation was strong, but they didn't waver. Nan Rong closed the box, gathered her courage, and looked at Yin Zhu, asking the question on all their minds: "Mr. Yin, when did you and Shushu start dating?"

Before, at the hospital, judging by their and Shushu's reactions, there was no intimacy between lovers—they seemed like strangers who'd been thrown together.

"...Dating?" Yin Zhu was taken aback by the question. He finally lifted his head and gave them his attention. "My wife and I never dated."

He had slept for a long time—an ancient snake—and didn't know that 'dating' was even a thing nowadays. It was a novelty.

But he was always blunt when he spoke. Still, he didn't realize his words were so jarring.

"Never dated? Then how did you end up together with a baby, and why do you call Shushu your wife?!"

Jiang Feng, protective of her friend, slammed the table and stood up, glaring at Yin Zhu. "Did you deceive Shushu and do something terrible to her? That's practically a crime! And you call her your wife—do you love her?"

In the eyes of Zexi and the others, her actions and words offended their king. In the old days, she would have been thrown into a snake pit.

Zexi's face darkened, his eyes shifting to snake pupils. But seeing Yin Zhu wave his hand, he lowered his head, and the snakes lurking in the shadows quietly slunk away.

"Mr. Yin, I'm sorry. We're just too worried about our friend," Zhang Jiayi quickly explained, afraid of what this man might do if angered. "It's just that your behavior makes us think the relationship between you and our friend—your wife, Gu Pushu—is very strange."

Even though Yin Zhu seemed to be taking it seriously, there was something missing from that seriousness. It was clear from the way he forcibly brought her back from the hospital—there was a lack of familiarity and proper procedure.

Yin Zhu frowned and didn't respond. Instead, he stroked his chin in deep thought. His beastly instincts were to plunder and possess—this included territory and claiming a female.

In their world, might made right. If you wanted something, you took it. There were no moral codes or messy procedures. Once you had it, you were together; once you contracted a mate bond, it was done.

Naturally, that was how he operated. He didn't agonize over human things like dating or feelings. He wanted her, so he took her. It was that simple.

As for respect, in Yin Zhu's eyes, she would be his only female. They would share everything, including life. That was how he showed he valued her.

But apparently, humans didn't think that way. From their words and Gu Pushu's reactions, Yin Zhu thought he might have found the reason he was being rejected.

Before this, he had assumed Gu Pushu's behavior was just what the internet called "pregnancy mood swings" and that husbands needed to take good care of their wives. He figured he hadn't done enough, causing her to keep him at arm's length and even want to abort the child.

That was why he was now watching the video.

Men and women already think differently, and the gap between humans and snake demons made it even wider.

"Is that how she feels?" Yin Zhu meant Gu Pushu. His tone was no longer casual—a cold-blooded creature, normally heartless, could still grow concerned.

"Of course!" Zhang Jiayi nodded.

Gu Pushu was stubborn. Everything Yin Zhu did was trampling over her minefield. These two were definitely going to have a tough time getting along.

"I see." Yin Zhu nodded in understanding.

He had learned to use electronic devices. Now he typed a line into the search bar: "How should a mythical beast date his human wife?"

The living room fell silent again. The three women looked at each other, a fire burning in their chests with no outlet.

Just then, Gu Pushu came downstairs. They looked up, saw she was unharmed, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why are you guys here?" Gu Pushu had braced herself for a fight, but seeing her friends there, she ran downstairs nervously, casting a wary look at Yin Zhu.

"We were worried something might happen to you, so we insisted on coming along," Jiang Feng said, pulling her around to check for any injuries. Looks like he hadn't been lying to them.

"Shushu, if you're not happy here, let's go home." Nan Rong took Gu Pushu's hand firmly. "You're free. No one can imprison you."

Zhang Jiayi nodded too. They didn't want their good friend to be unhappy.

"I'm fine here." Gu Pushu felt a warmth in her heart. She opened her arms and hugged them briefly, whispering, "You should go back first. Didn't you say you had work to do? Don't waste any time. I'll come home once I've sorted things out. Don't worry."

They had been friends for years and knew each other well. They could tell Gu Pushu was trying to send them away on purpose.

"Are you sure you're okay on your own?" Jiang Feng was still uneasy. She had known Gu Pushu the longest, and their bond was the deepest.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't joke about my own safety, would I?" Gu Pushu smiled. "Go on. You came all this way and I can't even treat you to a meal before sending you off. Don't be mad."

"What are you talking about?" Jiang Feng rolled her eyes.

Seeing she could still joke and seemed fine, and that she was trying to send them away, it was clear they'd only be in the way if they stayed.

"Alright, we'll head back then. We won't disturb you and Mr. Yin." Jiang Feng nodded and leaned close to Gu Pushu's ear, whispering, "Be careful. I think that Mr. Yin seems a bit creepy. Contact us immediately if anything happens."

"I know." Gu Pushu nodded. That was exactly why she had to trick them into leaving—what if they ended up as dinner for the big snake?

She looked back at Yin Zhu, the meaning clear. Yin Zhu raised his hand, and Zexi stepped forward. "It's an honor to escort the three lovely ladies home again. Please, follow me."

They kept looking back reluctantly as they left. In the dim living room, Gu Pushu stood watching them go, as if watching humans who had wandered into a beast’s territory leave.

The living room fell silent, and the snake demons hidden in the corners also departed. Soon, the table was covered with a rich dinner, and the servants quickly withdrew.

"I don't eat humans—that's the lowest form of food, not fit for the table. And in fact, many beasts don't eat humans. On the contrary, humans love hunting and eating beasts to show off their power and because they consider them tonic, and then slaughter them in large numbers."

Yin Zhu said calmly, believing his wife might have some misunderstandings.

Of course, he knew why Gu Pushu was in such a hurry to send her friends away—she was afraid he might lose his temper and eat them.

This was a prejudice—he could understand it, but he didn't agree with it.

Gu Pushu said nothing.

What he said was indeed partly true—humans are obsessed with hunting beasts, believing every part is a tonic.

If labeled as "wild," the price soars, and people scramble to buy it.

Even the revered dragon—if told that dragon blood and flesh could grant eternal youth or immortality, if it was proven to work, humans would hunt dragons through every channel, devouring every part of their flesh and blood.

Even humans themselves wouldn't be spared if they could extend their lives or preserve their youth.

"What you say is biased—there are plenty of examples of beasts eating humans, but you avoid mentioning that. And right now, that's not the point. The point is the situation between you and me."

Gu Pushu was very hungry, drawn by the aroma. Her feet carried her on their own, and she unceremoniously sat down at the table to eat.

But seeing so much meat on the table, she hesitated to pick up her chopsticks. "Are you sure there's nothing suspicious in this food? Meat that I, as a human, can actually eat?"

"It seems you didn't listen to me. And I know you're human—I wouldn't make such a stupid mistake." Yin Zhu put down his tablet, stood up, and now that there were no outsiders, he walked barefoot to Gu Pushu. "This is all food that humans can eat."

"The chef has a secret identity in the human world and has been cooking for centuries. Try it—if it doesn't suit your taste, we'll change it." He didn't need to eat, but seeing what Gu Pushu liked, he naturally moved it in front of her.

Gu Pushu paid him no mind; she was so hungry she could eat a whole cow.

After she ate and drank her fill, holding a cup of milk tea made by the chef—warm and fragrant—her mood improved.

"Now we can talk." Gu Pushu hadn't forgotten the important matter.

"Okay." Yin Zhu nodded. He had just read in a book that when a wife speaks, the husband should listen attentively and not be perfunctory.

He also remembered what his wife's friend had said—this should be the first step of respect, right? Human thinking is always so strange.

"I'm human, you're a snake demon. We're cross-species—we can't be together, can't have children. I don't want to give birth to a monster."

Seeing he was listening, her expression softened; now calmer, she no longer felt like getting angry.

"And you did all this to me while I was unconscious—I had no reason or awareness—you didn't ask for my consent. Even putting that aside, we had never met before, no emotional foundation at all. I know we're different—human thinking is strange to you—but you should also consider things from my perspective, right? Being forcibly taken by a strange snake and forced to bear snake babies—no normal person could accept that. The fact that I haven't broken down is already pretty impressive."

She also understood that asking a snake demon to consider her feelings was indeed unrealistic. If Yin Zhu wanted it, she had no power to resist—she could only accept; she didn't even have the option to die. Of course, as long as she could live, she wouldn't easily give up her life.

The reason she could talk peacefully now was simply because Yin Zhu hadn't acted too pushy or scary, and was willing to sit here and listen quietly.

"Your first question—let me make this clear: I am not a snake demon. Demons? Those creatures are beneath my notice. I am a descendant of ancient celestial gods and divine beasts, with a human head and snake body—not a demon." Yin Zhu believed Gu Pushu only understood the concept of "demon," which was wrong.

"In the various versions of ancient myths circulating in your human world, many of the primordial gods born from heaven and earth didn't have human forms—they were combinations of human heads and animal limbs. Pure humans only showed up later. Although there are many erroneous interpretations, this version is correct. At the dawn of creation, this was the case. I am a god, not a demon."

As he spoke, his feet transformed into a thick tail, the tip brushed her ankle, bringing a chill as it curled around her fondly.

Yin Zhu's long black hair hung loose, with a vertical mark between his brows. His red eyes were kind of like snake pupils, truly carrying a sense of divine mystery. Gu Pushu said nothing.

She felt like she had opened a Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Though she was still quite scared, as long as he wasn't truly turning into a snake and still had his head and upper body in human form, she wasn't that terrified anymore.

"As for what you said about us being different species, there is some truth to it. That's why, when you were on the verge of death, I gave you a golden pill to save you. Now your body is no longer that of an ordinary human. That's also why, after we mated, you were able to conceive offspring."

"As for fully helping you break free of your mortal body, that will still take some time. We are mates, so naturally I won't let your life be short and have you leave me."

Yin Zhu wasn't brushing her off this time. "As for what you said about me forcing myself on you while you were unconscious—that's how humans put it, right? I don't think I did anything wrong. Don't you humans have a saying: 'A life-saving grace should be repaid with one's body'? I was in heat at the time, and I had saved your life. I was merely taking what I deserved. Isn't that fair according to human logic? You want to live, but without giving anything in return—that doesn't make sense."

"If I had wanted to take advantage of you, I could have done it anytime, not just when you were unconscious. That night, when you went to the seaside to pick up something, I could have acted." Yin Zhu thought she clearly didn't get how outclassed she was. If he'd wanted to, 'taking advantage' wouldn't even apply.

He could have even kept her trapped at the bottom of the sea without ever letting her return to land, not giving her a chance to reason.

Gu Pushu suppressed her irritation. "So I should say thank you for letting me off that night?"

It seemed that when she went to pick up the necklace, it wasn't her imagination—she really had seen a giant serpent staring at her.

"If you want to say it, I'll accept it." Yin Zhu nodded slightly. "But I didn't do anything to you then. Later, when you were dying in the sea, I sensed it while in my slumber and went to save you. At that time, I was in the middle of my heat cycle, and I still had to use the golden pill to save you. Since I saved your life, it's fair for me to take what I deserve. This is an equal relationship. Your claim that I took advantage of you—I don't agree."

"Moreover, with a human body, if I hadn't eased the pill's effects on you repeatedly, you would have exploded and died. How could you have been revived? Of course, when I say I enjoy being intimate with you—that's my nature, and I consider you my mate. If I want something, I say it. There's no disrespect intended." So he didn't understand why Gu Pushu was angry at him. In his eyes, this was the most normal thing, and he only mated with his partner.

"Wait. What do you mean, 'you saved my life'?" Gu Pushu frowned. "I remember encountering a whirlpool in the sea. Wasn't that your doing? That was your fault. I'm just a victim. So it's not a life-saving act—it's something you were supposed to do."

"You seem to have a misunderstanding about me." Yin Zhu looked surprised. "I didn't create that whirlpool. On the contrary, if I hadn't been merciful for your sake, all the humans by the seaside would have died. In human terms, you should be giving me a medal."

Gu Pushu frowned. "That's impossible. Is there another demon... no, god in the sea?"

"Please don't call those things gods. They're just minor monsters not worth mentioning." Yin Zhu corrected her terminology again seriously.

"That was an octopus monster's doing. The root cause was human greed. It angered it, and it wanted your lives in return. So you should be hating your own kind. If they hadn't been so insatiably greedy, you wouldn't have encountered that whirlpool."

"A young octopus demon had once saved a drowning human. Repaying kindness is pretty much optional in your world. At first, humans were amazed by such a spiritual sea creature, but soon they tried to capture it. You hurt its kid and got it killed. In its fury, it created that turmoil to take revenge, intending to kill all humans on the sea. That's how you got caught up in it."

Yin Zhu didn't bother with such trivial matters because it was karma—vengeance was justified. "But I heard you calling for help, so I went to take you away and spared a mass slaughter. This all happened because your own kind are ungrateful and wanted to kill it. You should be hating your own kind."

"Humans preach morality with your mouths but have little morality in your actions. You love to destroy nature and explore greater powers, but when disasters strike, you claim humans are insignificant and can't resist nature. You're very good at shirking responsibility and blaming mysterious forces."

Yin Zhu sneered. "Is this the slogan you shout now—'harmony between humans and nature'? Asking humans to stop killing and greed is like asking them for their lives. Of course, when you're triumphant, you have another slogan: 'Humans stand at the top of the food chain and rule.' Killing doesn't matter. But when you fail, you get angry. Beasts are ferocious on the surface; humans wear the mask of benevolence and are hypocritical."

Gu Pushu was speechless. This guy who usually never talks suddenly won't shut up.

And how did we end up debating 'harmony between humans and nature'?

"What you said—I admit that some people are truly evil. But most humans protect nature and are kind-hearted; they wouldn't repay kindness with enmity. You can't lump all humans together as hypocrites over one bad incident. And what I'm talking about now is between you and me. Don't steer the conversation away on purpose." Gu Pushu patted the sofa to steer the conversation back.

"See, now you know the truth, but you still don't believe it. Instead, you want to dump all the blame on me and loathe me. You purposely ignore the fact I saved your life, and you'll probably pull a 'I never asked you to save me' on me. Now you're using the pregnancy thing to try and guilt-trip me from your high horse."

Yin Zhu's red eyes looked like they could see right through you. All thoughts were laid bare.

Gu Pushu was speechless.

First time she'd ever seen a snake that could talk circles around her—he even knows what the high ground is.

Sure, she'd yelled for help back then, and she wouldn't deny that. Compared to staying alive, none of this mattered. Nothing was more important than living.

She was a normal person, not some holier-than-thou type. She didn't see through life and death; she just wanted to live.

She had a good life—she had a loving family, close friends, a career, so many things she couldn't bear to let go. No one would want to die like that.

Gu Pushu wasn't as angry now. She asked calmly, "How do I know what you're saying is true?"

"That's just your subjective take. I've stated the facts. Whether you believe me or not is beyond my control, but I've said what needed to be said." Yin Zhu didn't care whether she believed him or not.

In any case, whether she believed him or not, she belonged to him.

"Alright, let's set that issue aside for now." Gu Pushu rubbed her temples. "The problem now is that we have no feelings for each other, yet we've slept together. Even if it happened because you saved me, I don't want to just have children for no reason. Everything is too sudden. It's disrupted my life and made me feel like my body is no longer mine."

Yin Zhu pondered, thinking over her words.

"Do you mean you still want to abort them?" he asked bluntly, and saw Gu Pushu nod. "Yes."

"Then you can forget about that." Yin Zhu swept his tail and suddenly wrapped his tail around her, pulling her into his arms. "To be honest, I never expected you to conceive so quickly. In our lineage, the purer the bloodline of an ancient god, the harder it is to bear offspring—sometimes not even once in thousands of years. This took me by surprise, but naturally, I'm happy about it."

"They were conceived with the power of ancient gods. As they grow strong, they will nourish you with divine power in return. As the mother, you will also shed your mortal shell—this is an excellent opportunity." Yin Zhu played with her hair. "They can protect themselves and you. In times of danger, they'll be very useful. So it's absolutely impossible to abort them, let alone by taking human medicine. It won't work."

Gu Pushu struggled but couldn't break free, so she gave up and plopped down on his belly, listening to Yin Zhu in silence for a long time.

Becoming a god... It felt like a dream. At most, she'd only ever fantasized a little while watching TV shows or movies about what it would be like to possess mystical powers.

"Why haven't I felt any power at all?" Gu Pushu spread her hands—fair, slender fingers, completely ordinary.

On the contrary, she felt very sleepy, lethargic, and ate a lot.

"Because they're still too small, and your body is weak. That's why I need to nurture you both and protect you as you grow." Yin Zhu drew a circle in his palm, and inside the golden circle appeared two curled-up, sleeping babies—very tiny. Gu Pushu watched in wonder, feeling a strange sensation.

She extended a fingertip and carefully touched them, and they held onto her finger as they slept. Gu Pushu tensed up, a sour feeling spreading through her heart. At that moment, she couldn't describe what she felt.

"Moreover, you're afraid of them and rejecting them. Once you truly accept them, as their mother, you'll naturally be able to wield their power." Yin Zhu looked at her profile. "You are my mate—I have no reason to lie to you about this. And of course, I didn't lie earlier, either."

Gu Pushu's head was a mess. Setting aside other matters, she latched onto a key point. "What did you mean by 'danger' just now?"

"I have an enemy who's still alive and has been looking for me." Yin Zhu didn't hide it. "I was about to catch him, but he got away because I went looking for you. I brought you back to protect you. If he finds out you're carrying my offspring, he'll likely come after you to extract your essence."

"More than refining me, he'd want to refine them," Gu Pushu said. She wasn't stupid—what was there to refine from her? It had to be the two new ancient god offspring.

At most, she'd be captured to threaten Yin Zhu.

"Yes, you're very clever." Yin Zhu nodded. It was precisely for this reason that he had told her about the situation and the danger.

Gu Pushu gave him a look. She didn't want that compliment, okay? Getting involved in all this messy business meant her life was turned upside down.

She was a perfectly normal person, and suddenly she became a god—not even in her dreams had she imagined something so fantastical.

But he had listened properly and spoken nicely, so she wasn't as angry anymore. Since things had already happened, being angry was useless—anger alone couldn't solve the problem.

"Your friend said that among humans, there are steps before becoming a couple, and we skipped them. That means I didn't do things properly and didn't respect you."

Although Yin Zhu didn't quite understand it now, she was his wife, so he was willing to learn.

After all, a wife was different from a subordinate. A subordinate just submits and respects him, always beneath him, but a wife needed to become strong and stand shoulder to shoulder with him, sharing everything. He clearly distinguished between the two.

"I looked up an explanation. The first step is courtship; the second is confirming the relationship and dating before being intimate; the third is meeting the parents and confirming the marriage; the fourth is getting married and having a wedding; the fifth is preparing for pregnancy and welcoming new life; the sixth is upgrading the family size."

Yin Zhu held her, looking at the steps on the tablet. "Although the steps are a bit reversed now and we're not familiar with each other, I can make it up. We can start from getting to know each other. I hope you can try to accept me too, instead of always rejecting me. It won't do you any good. And I won't allow you to leave me."

Holding her, he suddenly vanished from the spot and reappeared inside a cave.

It wasn't dim at all; on the contrary, it was exceptionally bright because it was piled high with gold, silver, and jewels. They had been tidied up and were now neatly arranged.

Yin Zhu wrapped an arm around her waist and waved his hand. All the treasures floated in midair. "The first step in courting a woman is giving gifts. All of this is yours. If you don't like them, I'll have more found. Or if you like something else, just say it, and I'll get it done."

Gu Pushu: "..." She was nearly blinded by the shine.

But now that she knew she was going to become a god with earth-shattering abilities, she actually no longer cared about these material possessions, since obtaining them would be too easy.

Humans always yearn for mysterious and powerful abilities—soaring through skies and earth. She couldn't be someone with no desires, so naturally she was no exception.

"Let's go back. I don't want to stay here forever; I still have to work." Gu Pushu's mind was set on the contract she had just signed.

She was very dedicated to her work. Yin Zhu frowned but said nothing and brought her back to the living room.

Then a small green snake darted out.

Yin Zhu said, "Let it stay by your side and take care of you."

"I'm afraid of snakes. Tell it to go away." Gu Pushu immediately closed her eyes, not daring to look.

Boohoo, I'm being rejected by the madam!

Xiao Lv wailed loudly, covering its little green eyes with its tail, and ran to a corner to pout.

Gu Pushu: "..."

What an emotional snake.