After Marrying the Disabled Demon Lord as a Substitute, I Ran Away with His Child - Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Xuan Mo’s words hit Zuo Siqiu like a bucket of ice water.

Regardless of who the father was, she knew she couldn’t stay in the Xuan Cloud Sect. If she wanted to protect the life inside her, she had to leave this place.

Seeing Zuo Siqiu’s face turn pale in an instant, Xuan Mo asked in confusion, “Why ask that so suddenly?” His expression shifted, a trace of playful tenderness coloring his eyes. “Do you… wish to have a child with me?”

Zuo Siqiu stiffened. “Hahaha, how is that possible! My own life is a mess; why would I want a child?”

Xuan Mo sighed, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Mm. We shall speak of this later.”

In that brief moment, Zuo Siqiu had made her decision. The Xuan Cloud Sect was no longer a safe haven. It was a pity, however, that she still didn’t know who the father was before her departure.

She looked up at him, a forced sparkle in her eyes. “Venerable One, I heard your cultivation is still a bit unstable after absorbing the dragon blood. I can’t help you with Tribulation-Transcendence pills, but I have many materials from the secret realm. I want to refine some specialized pills for you.”

Xuan Mo replied, “You don’t need to spend all your time over a furnace. You just came out of seclusion; rest for a while. Are you short on spirit stones again? I’m in no rush for you to repay me. If you need more, I have plenty.”

Zuo Siqiu laughed. “I’m not that greedy! I have enough materials. It’s just… you’re different now than you were before. I want to make something specifically for the new you.”

She meant it. Since she was leaving, she wanted to do one last thing for him. She had to.

Xuan Mo, busy dealing with the fallout regarding his father, didn’t have the energy to shadow her as before. Thinking she was safer in the refining room than wandering the sect, he agreed and even gave her more rare materials.

Zuo Siqiu accepted them without a word about “debt.” This is the baby’s milk money, she thought. I’m a single mother with a household to provide for now.

…

During her “seclusion,” Zuo Siqiu didn’t just refine pills; she contemplated her future. She never wanted to be a single mother. Growing up in a broken home with a heavy-handed father had made her cynical about love and family. Now, transmigrated into a forced marriage and actually catching feelings for Xuan Mo, she found herself pregnant.

She couldn’t hit “undo,” so she had to move forward. Leaving was the only option. If the child wasn’t Xuan Mo’s, they were both dead if they stayed; if the child was Xuan Mo’s, would Zhu Jiechou’s warning about the “pill primer” come true? She couldn’t gamble with life.

She worked fast this time. When she emerged, she was surprised to find Xuan Mo waiting.

“These are for you,” she said, handing him the bottles. “They use the best treasures from the Dragon Secret Realm. They’ll stabilize your foundations and make your next Tribulation easier.”

Xuan Mo took them. “I must go to transcend my Tribulation in a few days. While I am away, stay within the sect and protect yourself. I’ve ordered the others to look after you.”

He had never given her such a detailed warning before. Zuo Siqiu felt a pang of guilt. “Okay,” she whispered. “I also made some pills for my sister. I’ll go deliver them today.”

…

That evening, Zuo Siqiu arrived at the Minghuang Sect. Zuo Mudong was thrilled to see her but immediately noticed the shadow over her brow. She pulled her sister into her private quarters and gripped her hands. “What’s wrong?”

Zuo Siqiu had intended to just hide and plan her escape, but seeing her sister’s genuine concern, she burst into tears. She realized she wasn’t alone in this world. Her sister had protected her even when she was a “furnace” for Bi Mu.

Wiping her eyes, Zuo Siqiu looked up. “Sister… I’m pregnant.”

Zuo Mudong, who expected a story of heartbreak, froze. “You… what? Pregnant?!” She checked the surroundings before whispering, “Is it the Demon Venerable’s?”

“I don’t know,” Zuo Siqiu admitted.

“You don’t know?!”

Zuo Siqiu explained the situation how they hadn’t “dual-cultivated” in reality, yet she had vivid dreams, and the confusing biological impossibility of the then-paralyzed Xuan Mo. She told her about the “pill primer” threat and the father who wanted to harvest the child.

Zuo Mudong turned pale. The word “primer” made her skin crawl; she had seen the horrors Bi Mu committed. She squeezed her sister’s hand, her eyes hardening. “Siqiu, what do you want to do?”

“I want to leave. I have to save this child.”

“I understand,” Mudong said firmly. “Stay here for now. Long Xiaotian’s family has a secret technique for disguises. I’ll get him to help. We can’t just run; we need a new identity.”

…

Zuo Siqiu stayed for two days. Being around her sister made her feel safe, but pregnancy was making her sleepier and hungrier for actual food rather than spiritual energy. Zuo Mudong was shocked to see a cultivator sleeping until noon and craving meat, but she doted on her, bringing fresh fruit and snacks.

“I have to go back,” Zuo Siqiu said on the third day. “If I stay too long, the Xuan Cloud Sect will get suspicious.”

“Go. When everything is ready, I will signal you.”

On the way back, they were intercepted by Zhu Jiechou. Seeing the two sisters together, he grew wary. “Siqiu, come here. I have something to tell you.”

“Just say it. My sister knows everything.”

Zhu Jiechou checked to ensure Mudong wasn’t a threat before revealing his plan. “Xuan Mo is entering seclusion to transcend his Tribulation. In three days, I will bring Bi Zhian to cause a riot at the Xuan Cloud Sect. You can escape in the chaos.”

Zuo Mudong looked at her sister. “Can you be ready in three days?”

“Yes,” Zuo Siqiu nodded. “It’s a good opportunity.”

…

Three days later, the peace of the Xuan Cloud Sect was shattered.

At the mountain gate, Zhu Jiechou stood with Bi Zhian. “I didn’t expect you’d be willing to help Little Junior Sister escape,” he remarked.

Bi Zhian looked at him with suspicion. “If even you can go this far for her, why wouldn’t I? She suffered in my place. I’ve wanted to save her for a long time. But how can just the two of us distract the entire sect?”

“Who said it was just us?” Zhu Jiechou sneered.

The gate guards shouted, “Who goes there! Leave now or face the consequences!”

“We are here to avenge our Master!” Zhu Jiechou roared. “The Demon Venerable killed him, and today he pays the price!”

Bi Zhian added, “Since Xuan Mo has no affection for me, I have none for him. A father’s death must be avenged!” (She still believed the lie that her father was killed by Xuan Mo, not realizing Zhu Jiechou was using her).

As the sect disciples swarmed them, Bi Zhian panicked. “Brother! What is the plan? They’ll kill us!”

Zhu Jiechou pulled out a tiny, exquisite furnace. It was surrounded by swirling black mist—an aura of pure, terrifying resentment. Even Bi Zhian recoiled. “Soul Puppets? Brother… you refined Soul Puppets?!”

To refine a Soul Puppet, one had to destroy a cultivator’s body and trap their soul in eternal agony to serve as a mindless slave. It was a practice more reviled than any demonic path.

Zhu Jiechou turned to her, a mad, mocking grin on his face. “I didn’t refine these, Sister. Our Master did. You thought he only used people as ‘furnaces’? He kept an army of souls to do his bidding. Since you don’t have the stomach for this, leave the rescue to me!”

He threw the furnace into the air, and a tide of wailing shadows exploded toward the Xuan Cloud Sect.