I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

After finishing writing the introductions of the three demons, Bai Qingyu stood in the center of the courtyard with her hands behind her back, looking up at the full moon in the sky. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but the moon seemed more beautiful here than outside.

As she was reflecting on this, she suddenly sensed something and looked towards the door. Sure enough, she saw Ji Xuan knock on the door and then peek out with her head. When she noticed Bai Qingyu looking at her, she simply walked into the courtyard, looking embarrassed.

"Auntie, do you have a moment? Excuse me, but I'd like to talk to you about something, something related to the children."

·

Volume Two: Journey Through the Demon Book: Chapter Thirty-Two - The Arrangement of Fate

The courtyard that the Sea Kingdom gave Bai Qingyu was very much in the Sea Kingdom style. The main structure was made of wooden planks rather than bricks and stones. Compared with human architecture, the Sea Kingdom architecture appeared more refined. The houses were mainly decorated with black paint, and fish bones were hung inside and outside as ornaments.

The courtyard was empty, so Bai Qingyu used his demonic power to turn the trees in the courtyard into tables and chairs, and beckoned Ji Xuan over.

Ji Xuan's personality is different from Liu Changsheng's. The only similarity is that she is decisive and efficient in everything she does. At least in the time that Bai Qingyu has known her, she has never seen her show any hesitation.

The girl in front of him was not only hesitant and avoiding his gaze, but also pursed her lips. If his eyesight was correct, the girl was definitely blushing.

Bai Qingyu pondered for a moment. Ji Xuan, as the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, rarely acted like a girl. She would only do so in front of Changsheng, and only when the two of them were alone. What was going on today?

And didn't this girl just mention children?

The demon used its power to boil the tea and then cool it down to the perfect temperature. It silently poured a cup of tea for Ji Xuan, while Bai Qingyu waited for her to speak.

Regardless, one thing is certain: this girl definitely has something on her mind.

"Um, Auntie, I wanted to ask you something. What kind of physical changes do humans experience during the early stages of pregnancy? And will cultivating harm the baby...?"

As Ji Xuan spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, until Bai Qingyu could barely hear the last few words. Moreover, the more she spoke, the lower her head became, from at least daring to glance at Bai Qingyu in the front to looking down at her two small hands under the table.

Her face flushed red to her ears, and she clutched the hem of her clothes, feeling her heart pounding so fast.

Ji Xuan's mind was in turmoil, but her trip to see Bai Qingyu was well-thought-out. She came to ask Bai Qingyu for advice and to tell Bai Qingyu that she was pregnant with Liu Changsheng's child.

In a sense, Bai Qingyu is Liu Changsheng's mother, not his biological mother but better than his biological mother.

So Bai Qingyu is the grandmother of the child in her belly, and it is very necessary to tell her this. If she doesn't tell her this time, maybe the next time they meet, she will just go there with the child in her arms.

At this moment, not only Ji Xuan, but Bai Qingyu also widened her eyes upon hearing these words.

Others become fathers unexpectedly, but wouldn't you say she became a grandmother unexpectedly?

Ji Xuan and Changsheng are inseparable, spending all their time together. They're always alone on missions, so it's normal for things to happen between them. They're not children anymore; they're adults and engaged, so there's nothing wrong with that.

But despite her thoughts and understanding, upon suddenly hearing this news, she honestly didn't know how to respond.

She doesn't seem to be very old, at least not in appearance. Before, when she stood with Liu Changsheng, they looked more like siblings than mother and son. Now, they look about the same, and outsiders wouldn't find it too abrupt to call them brother and sister.

Even without mentioning Liu Changsheng, just look at her own daughter Bai Xiaoya. She often holds Bai Xiaoya in her arms, and people would definitely believe that the two of them are sisters.

But from today onwards—no, from some day nine months from now—she will officially become a grandmother-aged demon...

The thought of a little kid following her around calling her "Grandma" and "Auntie" in just a few years, followed by another little girl who was not even ten years old, calling her "Mother" in her childish voice, made Bai Qingyu want to cover her face.

Has she really grown up without me even realizing it...?

After that, when she went out with Liu Changsheng's baby, she would greet acquaintances and say, "Oh, isn't this Shenhuang? You've had another baby! Congratulations!" After the person finished speaking, she would calmly reply, "I'm not the baby's mother, I'm the baby's grandmother."

The scene was simply unimaginable.

Putting that aside for now, being a grandmother is fine, but the real issue is how is she supposed to answer Ji Xuan's question? She can take care of children, but she can't give birth, and she has no experience in that area. Even if she did have experience with pregnancy, it's completely different from humans. She's a Guhuoniao; giving birth should involve laying and incubating eggs, right?

Putting aside her myriad thoughts, Bai Qingyu took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Well, Xuan'er, congratulations! Now that you are pregnant, I will have a good talk with Changsheng tomorrow. After this matter is over, we will arrange for you two to get married. Although whether you get married or not is not a big deal and won't affect anything, it is still a necessary and sacred ceremony to tell heaven and earth, as well as your relatives and friends, that you are officially husband and wife."

Before Bai Qingyu could finish speaking, Ji Xuan looked up instantly, her eyes lighting up.

For girls, a wedding with their beloved is one of the most important moments in their lives. Even a girl like Ji Xuan, who has a very high social status, would yearn for it, even if the wedding wouldn't bring anything or change anything.

Whether or not there was a wedding, it didn't really matter to her relationship with Changsheng.

"As for the child in your belly, I have no experience and nothing to teach you. As for cultivation, it shouldn't be a big problem. Just be careful. But more important than cultivation is your own body. You are a cultivator, and you and Changsheng are both quite strong. It's very rare for you to have a child. You shouldn't participate in the battles between the Sea Kingdom and the human cultivators."

"As long as you take good care of your body and avoid injury, there won't be any problems."

"Once your child is born, he will stay in your Heavenly Sect and not go out again. I will also talk to Changsheng and ask him to behave himself. There is plenty of time. What's wrong with enduring for ten or eight years? Watching your child grow up healthy is more important than anything else. If you two still want to go out into the world to make your way in the world, I can help you raise the child."

Bai Qingyu held Ji Xuan's hands in both, speaking softly to her while gently patting the back of her hand.

The way she looked at Ji Xuan was just like the satisfied look a mother-in-law gives her daughter-in-law.

In fact, they are quite similar. Although they look about the same age, she is indeed Ji Xuan's half-mother-in-law.

Bai Qingyu was already quite satisfied with Ji Xuan, and now that the baby was born, she liked the girl even more. It was a complex feeling that she herself couldn't understand. Ji Xuan wasn't going to carry on the Bai family line, after all, Changsheng's surname was Liu, not Bai.

"Your aunt doesn't have anything good to give you. Take these herbs. I'll tell you how to prepare them later. They can help you with your pregnancy. Never mind, I'll prepare them for you and bring them to you after I've brewed them."

After letting go of Ji Xuan's hand, Bai Qingyu began pulling out various rare and precious herbs one by one.

She had studied medicine before, all on her own, and her experience wasn't that extensive, but she could still prepare a nourishing herbal soup. None of the ingredients she used were poisonous, so even if she made a mistake, it wouldn't harm the baby in Ji Xuan's womb.

As Ji Xuan watched Bai Qingyu take out medicinal herbs one by one and explain their effects, she felt deeply moved. The anxiety she had felt when she arrived had dissipated considerably. She had been wondering what Bai Qingyu's attitude towards her would be, especially after learning about this matter.

If she supports it, fine, but what if she doesn't?

The possibility of Bai Qingyu not supporting her is very, very small, and she knows that herself. On the way here, she couldn't help but think, what if?

As time passed, Bai Qingyu took out a total of twenty-eight kinds of medicinal herbs to nourish the body, all of which were top-quality herbs, each one no less than the sacred fruit of Black Mountain.

The purpose of bringing out so many good things is to help my daughter-in-law improve her health.

"Auntie, no need, I'm actually fine."

The medicinal herbs piled up on the table made Ji Xuan's eyelids twitch. Bai Qingyu's enthusiasm for her was a good thing, but it seemed a little too much.

What a horrible smell it must be if so many medicinal herbs are boiled together!

Ji Xuan waved her hands repeatedly, while Bai Qingyu said with a serious expression, "Ji Xuan, just like I said, it is very difficult for cultivators to have children. You are very lucky to have succeeded, so you must cherish it. The rules of heaven and earth do not allow strong people to have offspring, as that would be bad for heaven and earth. Some strong people cannot have an offspring even after hundreds of years."

Ninety-nine percent of the children born to the strong will be far more talented than ordinary geniuses. If the world were to have no restrictions, all the strong would be pairing up and having children to create geniuses for their families or sects. One can only imagine what the world would become.

That's why Bai Qingyu felt that Ji Xuan had given her a big surprise.

"I know, but these..." Ji Xuan swallowed hard, feeling a little intimidated by the sight of so many medicinal herbs.

"These are all very beneficial to you."

With Ji Xuan's Nascent Soul cultivation level, ordinary medicinal herbs are useless to her, but the ones she chose are all rare and precious herbs that can nourish her body.

"Ok."

Ji Xuan had no choice but to accept it. "Then I can take these back myself. There's no need to trouble Auntie to brew them for me. Auntie already told me the dosage, and I've remembered it."

"That's fine, go back and have Changsheng help you."

"Ah."

After saying that, Bai Qingyu took Ji Xuan's hand again, this time to take her pulse, "Relax your body."

Just as Ji Xuan said, she is indeed pregnant, about a month along.

Bai Qingyu was a little curious. Given Liu Changsheng's personality, how could he have a relationship with Ji Xuan so early? They had indeed known each other for many years. Normally, Liu Changsheng wouldn't do such a thing without getting married.

If they were in dire straits, having just escaped, having survived a life-or-death ordeal, and were reflecting on how difficult it is to live, then upon seeing each other again and remembering their mutual help, it would be a natural progression for them to act this way. Or perhaps one of them was poisoned by some unspeakable toxin, and there was no cure but to take that action, leaving them with no other choice. In that case, Bai Qingyu would find nothing wrong with it; it would seem perfectly normal.

But if we calculate the time, they've both been in Haiguo for the past two months, so neither of the above scenarios applies.

That leaves only one explanation: Liu Changsheng has come to terms with it.

Lost in thought, Bai Qingyu gave Ji Xuan a few words of advice and watched her leave her courtyard.

Ji Xuan took all the medicinal herbs, leaving her alone in the empty courtyard. The initial excitement had faded, leaving only sorrow.

The situation is not good. The world is in chaos and a great calamity is brewing. This child was born into the center of the vortex, because his father is the host of the demonic sword.

To put it more seriously, whether this child can be born safely is uncertain.

Changsheng was targeted, and so was Ji Xuan.

That girlish demeanor she displayed just now was only in front of her; in public, she was a ruthless holy maiden of a demonic cult.

Countless people wanted to kill her, and countless others wanted to capture her alive.

She was already perfect in appearance and figure, and with her status as a saintess, many male cultivators were attracted to her.

Bai Qingyu wondered if the child in Ji Xuan's belly was also part of the great calamity.

It's too strange. How could she and Changsheng, with their cultivation levels, get pregnant so easily?

I definitely wouldn't do it every day; maybe I only did it once.

Let alone cultivators, even ordinary people rarely see the phrase "one shot, one soul kill".

And yet, in this very situation, how can you prevent her from having doubts?

"Whether it's part of a major catastrophe or not, I'm determined to protect this child!"

Is it possible that I had the chance to become a grandmother, but the child is still gone? Who knows when I'll be able to be a grandmother again?

·

Bai Qingyu had thought of this, and Liu Changsheng had also thought of it.

He was standing outside the gate with his hands behind his back, silently waiting for Ji Xuan's return. Sure enough, Ji Xuan's figure appeared in his sight shortly afterward.

Ji Xuan had come out secretly this time, without letting Liu Changsheng know. Seeing Liu Changsheng standing at the door with his sword on his back, Ji Xuan smiled awkwardly and walked lightly to him. "Why haven't you rested yet?"

"I can't sleep, I'll wait for you to come back."

"I......"

"Did you tell your aunt everything?"

Hearing Liu Changsheng's words, Ji Xuan was silent for two seconds. "I knew I couldn't lie to you. I did go to see my aunt just now. My aunt said that this matter is over, and she will let you marry me when we return to the Heavenly Sect."

"Will you...marry me?"

"Yes, definitely."

Before Changsheng could finish speaking, Ji Xuan couldn't contain her joy and smiled as she took Changsheng's hand. "I'll wait for you. Auntie is here, so we'll definitely be able to go back safely. You mustn't break your promise then, and you must marry me in a grand and glorious way!"

Before Liu Changsheng could even speak after saying this, the voice of the Demon Sword resounded in his mind.

"Chang Sheng, you'd better get stronger quickly. Your wife got pregnant at this time, and on the first try. Don't you find that strange? Don't worry, as long as you accept my power, everything will be fine."

Volume Two: The Journey Through the Demon Book: Chapter Thirty-Three - Conversation and the Return Trip