Chapter 42

Chapter 42

As the midwives’ words fell, the courtyard plunged into an eerie, deathly silence.

Mist churned in the void, a fierce gale howled, and the entire sky seemed on the verge of collapsing. The few people in the yard stood frozen as if struck by lightning. A fierce gale whipped their hair against their faces with loud smacks, yet they seemed oblivious, staring blankly at the tightly shut door!

After a long moment, a wild joy flickered in their eyes.

Awooo! Awooo! Awooo! Awooo! Awooo!!

Qing Nong suppressed the urge to transform and let out a frenzied roar. He suddenly grabbed the Old Medical Cultivator beside him, shouting twice in excitement, nearly jumping for joy. "We got a baby too, did you hear that? We got a baby too!"

The Old Medical Cultivator, dizzy from being shaken, punched him hard twice. "Leggo, leggo! My old back... Who's having a kid with you? Let go, you brat!"

Seeing a midwife push open the window, Qing Nong quickly set down the Old Medical Cultivator, ignoring the crutch by his side, and limped on his injured leg toward the window. "Lemme see, lemme see!"

He'd never seen a dragon egg in his whole life!

In a moment, once he registered what the midwife had just said, Qing Nong’s brows shot up in displeasure. He looked indignantly at the slightly ajar door. And what the heck was that "big fat egg" nonsense?!!!

Qing Nong couldn't help rolling his eyes. This midwife didn't know what she was talking about! That was a one-of-a-kind, precious, adorable dragon egg!

How dare she call the little one a big fat egg? How rude!

Damn it! That's ridiculous!

Qing Nong ground his teeth, but as the door swung open, he jerked his head up, his gaze fixed intently on the closed door. A wild joy flashed in his eyes. There stood the midwife with a mole on her face, smiling as she stepped out of the room, cradling a large red swaddling cloth.

Qing Nong immediately locked his eyes on the swaddling in the midwife’s arms, swallowing all his grievances in an instant. He couldn't help squealing, "Lemme see it!"

The Old Medical Cultivator also rushed forward eagerly, his goatee sticking straight up from impatience.

The midwife carefully held the egg in her arms and briskly walked out of the room. But then they noticed a tall figure had silently appeared at the doorway, his face expressionless. The chattering midwives instantly fell silent. Their first thought was that this guy was way too tall...

They stole a glance at him. The male cultivator stood with his back to the light, his long white hair cascading down, and twisted horns growing from among the strands.

His face was hidden in the shadows; they could only see the red demonic markings on his cheek and his crimson eyes, which gleamed eerily in the darkness, looked like bad news.

These midwives were well-traveled and had seen countless important figures, even sect leaders, but never had they encountered anyone with such oppressive presence that made their hearts race with fear.

The midwives felt an inexplicable tension in the air. They peeked at the man before them, noting his cold, stern face and indifferent gaze. He fixed his eyes on the scene inside the room, not even glancing at the baby.

It was only when they saw the joyful expressions on the faces of the others in the courtyard, with no unusual reactions, that they quietly sighed in relief and put their smiles back on.

The lead midwife, seasoned in dealing with all kinds of people, had long mastered the art of sweet-talking. Now, she wiped the egg in her arms with a handkerchief, her face breaking into a genial smile. She congratulated them profusely, "Congrats, sir! Congrats on the little treasure!"

She beamed, "Look at this big fat egg, ain't it cute?"

"I've never seen such a pretty egg in all my years. This little one will surely be beautiful and have a limitless future!"

The midwives showered them with auspicious words, making Qing Nong and the Old Medical Cultivator grin from ear to ear, their mouths almost splitting with joy. He waved his hand grandly and called out, "Well said! Thank you all for your hard work today, aunties!"

Qing Nong took out a storage pouch from his sleeve and pulled out a handful of spirit stones, stuffing them into the midwives' hands. He said cheerfully, "I'm in a good mood today! Take this money and buy some candy for your kids!"

The midwife secretly squeezed the spirit stones in her hand. When she realized they were all high-grade spirit stones, her eyes widened, and blessings poured out like water!

She carefully handed the swaddling cloth to them, her face full of celebration. "Just look at how handsome this egg is! So smooth and slippery!"

Qing Nong eagerly leaned in, gently lifting the swaddling cloth. As he looked, he finally understood why the midwife had called it a "big fat egg"...

A flicker of surprise passed through Qing Nong's eyes. He stared intently at the egg in the swaddling. It was only the size of a palm, solid red-gold, with spiritual energy swirling around it. The shell was smooth and lustrous, shimmering faintly even in the dim daylight, like fine jade or agate, with an extremely beautiful hue.

Clearly not from the mortal world.

However, unlike ordinary eggs, this one wasn't a smooth oval. Instead, it was round and plump, indeed much rounder and plumper than a typical egg...

If not for the faint trace of life emanating from within the shell, he'd have thought the midwives were scamming them with a little gold bead.

The Old Medical Cultivator's eyes also widened slightly. A smile filled his murky eyes, grinning so wide you could see every tooth. He just kept repeating, "Good! Good! Good!"

Qing Nong stared at the tiny egg, unable to resist reaching out a finger to gently poke the plump little thing. It felt smooth and still slightly warm, light as a feather, weightless in his hands.

Qing Nong's heart trembled. He moved even more carefully, afraid that even the slightest pressure might damage the fragile shell of the little one.

He couldn't stop touching it, nearly moved to tears. Even though he was a greenhorn who'd never even dated, at this moment, gazing at the egg lying quietly in the swaddling, a weird fatherly ache and excitement welled up in him. It felt like his heart had turned into a puddle of goo.

Wuwuwu, the baby was just too cute...

He cradled the egg in his arms, couldn't bear to put it down.

As the door opened wide, a thick smell of blood suddenly wafted out.

Huo Wuyan stood still in front of the room. His gaze froze as he saw the midwives carrying basins of bloody water and stained cloths out of the room, the bright red striking him.

How could such a tiny body hold so much blood?

Huo Wuyan's fingertips tightened slightly. His gaze lingered in the room for a moment, where the bed curtains were drawn. The midwives crowded around the bed, chattering with Lu Yuanyin, their figures almost completely obscuring her. All he could see was a pale yellow dress lying on the floor, stained with crimson blood.

It was the dress Lu Yuanyin had worn today.

The midwife's cloth was stained bright red too.

Huo Wuyan instinctively pushed open the door and quietly stepped into the room. The smell of blood grew stronger. He blanked out for a moment. Through the bustling crowd, he saw Lu Yuanyin lying pale-faced on the bed, her hair loose, the black strands soaked with cold sweat, clinging wetly to her pale cheeks. Her slender fingers were tightly gripping the bedding beneath her.

The bedding had been torn to shreds. Her middle fingernail was broken, and blood still seeped from the tip.

A restless unease churned in Huo Wuyan's chest, an indescribable emotion knotting inside him. He lowered his eyes, concealing the gloomy look within.

When the midwives saw Huo Wuyan's arrival, they instinctively wanted to remind him that the delivery room was dirty and men weren't allowed. But sensing the terrifying pressure around him, they held their breath, softened their steps, and the room got suffocating.

Lu Yuanyin seemed to sense something. She opened her eyes wearily and saw a black robe standing silently by the bed. The robe was embroidered with a golden dragon in gold thread, the dragon looked fierce and lifelike with its golden thread.

Her gaze moved upward and met Huo Wuyan's expressionless face. Her fingers twitched slightly, but she had no strength to speak.

Huo Wuyan's lashes lowered as he gazed at her pale face. Maybe she'd cried too hard, a layer of red coloring her thin eyelids. Her face was streaked with tear stains, and crystal tears still clung to her long lashes.

She lifted her eyelids weakly and looked at him, her limpid eyes shimmering with tears. Huo Wuyan felt an even greater tightness in his chest, like a feather was tickling his heart. An inexplicable feeling surged through him, swelling in his chest, a weird ache he couldn't name.

Huo Wuyan leaned down slightly, gently touching her bloodstained fingertips. "You're fine," he said lowly.

Little sparkles of spirit energy scattered, and the wound on her fingertip, still oozing blood, slowly healed.

Lu Yuanyin sniffled, unable to hold back tears. "Huo Wuyan, I thought I was dying..."

She had long heard that childbirth was extremely painful. She thought she had prepared herself mentally, but when it came down to it, she realized all that preparation was useless. For the past while, she had truly believed she might die. She felt as if her entire body had been split in two, her internal organs crushed, the pain nearly making her faint.

She took a breath, still trembling uncontrollably from the pain, which had become numbing. Lu Yuanyin closed her eyes wearily.

As her lashes fell, the tears clinging to them trembled and slid silently down her cheek.

Huo Wuyan looked at the delicate, pale fingertips lying in his palm. A restless irritation stirred in his chest, and an unfamiliar, complex emotion swiftly filled his heart, making him extremely agitated.

He gently wiped the bloodstains from her hand, only to find her palm already a bloody mess from her nails.

The hand in his palm was small, and her wrist was slender—as if the slightest pressure could snap it, just like her—always so fragile and vulnerable.

Huo Wuyan gazed at her pale face and suddenly whispered, "I won't let you die."

His voice was so low that, in her daze, Lu Yuanyin thought she had imagined those words.

Lu Yuanyin let out a low gasp, feeling her throat dry and sore, as if it were on fire, scorching and raw. Her slender fingertips lightly touched his rough palm.

Lu Yuanyin looked up and said softly, "I want some water..."

The midwife, who had been quietly waiting by the side, hurried eagerly to the table, brought a cup of hot tea to the bedside, and kept saying, "Here's the water!"

Seeing this, Lu Yuanyin was about to sit up when she felt another sharp pain in her abdomen. She couldn't help but curl up, her delicate brows furrowed. She took a deep breath, only to find the pain growing even more intense. She suddenly grabbed Huo Wuyan's fingers tightly, her face instantly turning deathly pale.

Huo Wuyan's pupils contracted. Seeing the abnormality on Lu Yuanyin's face, his movements stiffened, and he was uncharacteristically at a loss. He looked up sharply at the midwives behind him and demanded coldly, "What's wrong with her?"

The midwives were taken aback and quickly crowded around to check. One of them widened her eyes in surprise, a strange expression on her face. She reached out and continuously felt Lu Yuanyin's lower abdomen.

The more she felt, the tighter her brows knitted.

Lu Yuanyin felt as if several giant elephants were stampeding wildly on her belly, crushing her internal organs into a mess. She gasped in pain, and the spiritual energy that had just been replenished rapidly dissipated again. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and she felt as if struck by a heavy blow.

The midwives' faces turned even paler than hers. Seeing Huo Wuyan's increasingly cold expression, the clothes on their backs were instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Just as they were panicking, the midwife said solemnly, "Give her another bowl of ginseng soup. There's another baby in her womb..."

Qing Nong: "???"

Huo Wuyan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Author's Note:

None