The Demon Lord Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 23

After escorting Ye Xiaoge back to the Ye Manor and watching the couple, Ye Tian and his wife, welcome her inside with jubilant spirits, Ji Shutao suddenly felt a sense of irony. They did not seem to remember at all that they had another daughter whose life and death remained uncertain. Then again, Ye Yiran was originally a sacrificial pawn; perhaps there was nothing truly worth their concern.

Ji Shutao could not understand how there could be such parents in this world. Since they had brought the child into existence, why didn’t they want her?

Ji Shutao thought of her own parents. Ye Yiran’s parents had abandoned her in the mountain forests; had it not been for a kind family, she would likely have been devoured by wild beasts. Her own parents had discarded her in the snow; had she not encountered her Master, she would have long ago perished in the shivering cold and departed for another world.

If it weren’t for a heart set on absolute loathing, how could they fail to leave a child even a single glimmer of hope for survival?

Standing in the sunlight, Ji Shutao felt only cold. That freezing pain from the ice and snow seemed to crawl onto her body again, trying to bore into her depths.

Fortunately, she had her Master. Master had brought her back to Beichen Mountain, provided her with food and shelter, and taught her magic. Her senior brothers had taken care of her with utmost devotion. She had no parents, but with her Master and brothers, that piece of kinship was not considered missing. Furthermore, she now had Zhuang Yi and their child.

Ji Shutao wiped the tears from her face, returning once more to her bright and cheerful self. She walked toward the inn. Passing a small stall selling plums, she bought another jar. Even though she knew the jar wouldn’t survive long in Zhuang Yi’s hands, Ji Shutao still wanted to buy it for her.

At worst, she would just watch over Zhuang Yi and not let her eat too much provided she could resist the temptation of her beauty.

When Ji Shutao pushed open the room door with a face full of peach-blossom smiles while cradling the jar, she saw a scene of utter devastation.

Zhuang Yi was leaning against the bed frame, gasping for breath. Opposite her stood a man in dark purple robes, wearing a mask, a stranger of unknown identity.

Ji Shutao glanced at the wound on Zhuang Yi’s hand, which was dripping blood. It was obvious that Zhuang Yi was at a disadvantage.

Ji Shutao closed the door. After steadily tossing the jar onto the only surviving wooden stool, she said unhurriedly, “For Your Excellency to take advantage of someone in a weak state, do you consider yourself a hero?”

“A hero?” The man let out a sneer, as if he had heard a massive joke. “Eight hundred years ago, I stopped having anything to do with being a ‘hero.'”

Ji Shutao leaped to Zhuang Yi’s side. The man made no move, looking at them with a gaze as if he were looking at two dead people.

There was no helping it; even grasshoppers in a frying pan have to jump a couple of times before they die. He would let them jump around as they pleased.

Zhuang Yi collapsed into Ji Shutao’s arms and whispered weakly in her ear, “This is the Left Protector, Xi Xiao. I could have defeated him before, but now, I have no chance of winning.”

Zhuang Yi’s blood dripped directly onto Ji Shutao’s hand. Feeling that warmth, seeing her lover’s blood vividly staining her skin, Ji Shutao didn’t even stop to think: “Then I’ll beat him into something ‘pretty’ to look at.”

She charged out with the Qingyi Sword before Zhuang Yi could even pull her back.

Zhuang Yi herself had no chance against Xi Xiao, let alone Ji Shutao. However, she was currently in such pain that she could barely move, and could only watch helplessly as Ji Shutao rushed at Xi Xiao.

The plot unfolding in Ji Shutao’s mind was likely one where she would explode with a power she wasn’t supposed to have because of Zhuang Yi, defeating Xi Xiao in a single move the power of love, so to speak.

The reality, however, was that she was defeated by Xi Xiao in a single move. Not only did her back slam into the window frame, making her grimace in pain, but she also knelt down directly due to a lack of strength.

Ji Shutao was profoundly shocked. Did this mean her devotion to love wasn’t firm enough? Or were those romance novels just talking nonsense?

Ji Shutao spat out a mouthful of blood. Cherish life, stay away from nonsensical stories.

Xi Xiao raised his blade, walking step by step toward Ji Shutao. He likely intended to deal with this annoying stumbling block first before finishing off Zhuang Yi.

Zhuang Yi gathered her breath and staggered to Ji Shutao’s side. She whispered, “All things have a beginning; Qingyi is supreme. This is the incantation for the Qingyi Sword.”

In Zhuang Yi’s current condition, she could no longer activate the Qingyi Sword. Even if she did, its lethality would be extremely limited. Ji Shutao was in much better shape, and since she had wielded the Qingyi Sword before, Zhuang Yi hoped she could activate it.

Ji Shutao reacted quickly. Pressing her palms together, she silently recited the incantation. The Qingyi Sword quickly flew into mid-air and, under Ji Shutao’s drive, flew toward Xi Xiao.

This time, Ji Shutao’s conviction was exceptionally firm. With the added power of the Qingyi Sword, she actually managed to knock Xi Xiao back several steps.

Ji Shutao pressed the advantage, vowing to give this “Left Elder” or whatever bullshit title he had a thorough beating for bullying her wife.

Xi Xiao’s gaze darkened, and his mask curved upward in a dynamic, eerie arc. “Interesting. To think there is a second person in this world who can drive the Qingyi Sword.”

Xi Xiao raised his blade and slashed a cross into the void. Ji Shutao thought he was preparing a final ultimate move and was about to gather her entire cultivation to send him to the afterlife but to her surprise, Xi Xiao simply left.

“He… he just left?” Ji Shutao stared incredulously at the spot where Xi Xiao had been standing.

“That is his unique way of admitting defeat. This admission means he will fight again another day and will surely kill you until not even a corpse remains.”

Ji Shutao shuddered violently and helped Zhuang Yi up. “How terrifying.”

“He suffered a cultivation deviation long ago; he is a madman.”

Zhuang Yi managed to stand up. Fortunately, Xi Xiao had been distracted this time; otherwise, they wouldn’t have let him leave so easily.

“Are you alright?” Ji Shutao asked.

Zhuang Yi said she was fine, but instead used her own sleeve to gently wipe the blood and dirt from Ji Shutao’s face.

Ji Shutao’s heart felt a pang of sorrow; Zhuang Yi always put her first.

Remembering the injury on Zhuang Yi’s hand, Ji Shutao searched the entire inn for a doctor. Finally, a worker from the inn ran out and caught a doctor right at the entrance.

The doctor said that although Zhuang Yi had been thrown to the ground, she only had abrasions on her arms. There were bruises elsewhere, but they weren’t serious.

Most miraculously, the child in her womb was safe and sound, having suffered no harm at all.

Ji Shutao and the doctor were equally bewildered. She insisted on keeping the doctor at the inn, forcing him to think about it for an entire morning.

Finally, it was Zhuang Yi who said, “Let the doctor go. Even if you keep him here until dawn tomorrow, he won’t be able to figure it out.”

The doctor was so grateful he nearly wiped his tears and snot on Zhuang Yi’s clothes. A realizing Ji Shutao shooed the doctor away with great disdain, though her only progress was using polite language during the process.

The original room had been mostly destroyed. After paying for the damages, Ji Shutao and Zhuang Yi moved to another room.

Ji Shutao placed her palm gently on Zhuang Yi’s belly and sighed, “This little guy has quite a strong life.”

“It should be because of your Sixth Senior Brother’s spirit medicine.”

“Sixth Brother’s medical skills really have reached perfection.” Ji Shutao was starting to get restless; her target wasn’t just Zhuang Yi’s belly.

“It’s broad daylight; no wild fantasies allowed.” Zhuang Yi used two fingers to pinch Ji Shutao’s wandering hands.

“Where are we going next?” Ji Shutao asked casually, her spirits not very high. In her heart, she was howling: She won’t even let me touch!

Zhuang Yi had already made up her mind and said without hesitation, “West Mountain.”

“Zhuang Yi,” Ji Shutao suddenly snapped to alertness. She never expected that Zhuang Yi still wanted to go to West Mountain. She grabbed Zhuang Yi’s hand. Zhuang Yi’s hand was still very cold, so she held it firmly, attempting to transfer her own warmth. “Actually, memories aren’t that important. Let’s wait until the baby is born safely. We can go back to the Demon Realm together.”

Ji Shutao was worried about Zhuang Yi’s body, but Zhuang Yi was worried about other things.

She wanted to confirm exactly who had injured Ji Shutao. If that person wasn’t found, there might be endless future trouble.

Did that person want to heavily injure Ji Shutao, or did they want her life? Or did they want to kill her, but someone intervened halfway? Why drop a dying Ji Shutao at the gates of Beichen Mountain?

Or was it just someone seeking trouble, targeting the entire Beichen Mountain?

The Face-Human Mountain belonged to the Left Elder; could the Left Elder be the one who injured Ji Shutao back then?

If it was him, why would he injure her?

What he wanted was the position of Demon Lord; all spears should be pointed at Zhuang Yi herself.

Unless Ji Shutao had become a stumbling block to his plan to kill Zhuang Yi. But at that time, Ji Shutao was near Beichen Mountain while she was far away in the Demon Realm how could she have obstructed his plans?

Without clearing these things up, Zhuang Yi’s heart would always be hanging in suspense. Even if they returned to the Demon Realm, she wouldn’t be able to nurture her pregnancy in peace.

The fastest way was to let Ji Shutao remember.

“Actually, these things can be done after the child is born. The Demon Realm is safer than being out here,” Ji Shutao continued to persuade her, unwilling to give up.

“The Demon Realm is not necessarily safer. Xi Xiao has many supporters, and I would be restricted by them everywhere. Besides, I am currently pregnant; my magic is fading, and I am no longer the person I once was.”

Once a member of the Demon Race becomes pregnant, their magic is greatly suppressed. Sometimes, only about ten percent of their original cultivation remains. During the fight with Xi Xiao just now, he likely perceived the clues. As clever as he is, he surely knows that now is the best time to seize the throne. Therefore, he would no longer interfere with Zhuang Yi’s journey to West Mountain.

After hearing Zhuang Yi’s analysis, Ji Shutao looked into her eyes and said word for word, “I am not as important as the safety of you and the child. Are you really going to hand the Demon Realm over to him?”

Ji Shutao hadn’t realized that Zhuang Yi’s situation in the Demon Realm was also fraught with difficulty. If so, with what kind of heart did she decide to keep the child in her womb back then?

Was it her love for her?

The closer she got to the truth, the more she realized how much she owed Zhuang Yi.

Memories might be painful, but since Zhuang Yi had risked everything for her, how could she afford to forget?

She wanted Zhuang Yi to know that she loved her deeply as well.

All love is worth it.

Though she understood, she didn’t want Zhuang Yi to always consider her before herself.

“The Demon Realm isn’t empty of people; why would we hand it over to trash like him?”

A crisp, bright female voice broke through the air first. Immediately following, a figure flashed through the window. Upon closer look, a woman dressed in short, sturdy martial attire with her hair in a high ponytail had already sat down.

She first greeted Zhuang Yi and Ji Shutao with a grin: “Your Majesty, Madam, it really has been a long time.”

Afterward, she leaned in close to Zhuang Yi and said in a low, sinister tone, “Your Majesty, are you prepared to be sanctioned by me?”

Support