Chapter 67
Seeing that Xia Yi had woken up, everyone around him let out a long sigh of relief and slumped down to sit.
‘Junior Brother Xia, you scared us to death. You were crying and screaming, thrashing and kicking. Now that you’re carrying a child, everyone was terrified something might go wrong. How would we explain it to Immortal Lord Cang Yi?’ Qing Xiu said, still shaken, while helping him sit up.
Xia Yi had gradually calmed down by this point, and some color had returned to his previously pale face.
Upon hearing what Qing Xiu said, Xia Yi quickly reached out to feel his belly.
The baby was still there.
He pressed a little harder, and his belly bulged slightly as the baby kicked in protest.
Thank goodness. Xia Yi finally let out a breath of relief.
Seeing this, the expressions of the people around him became more complicated.
As he started to look around, Qing Xiu quickly introduced him to a long-bearded, dignified figure with an air of immortality. ‘Junior Brother Xia, this is Master Tianxuan, our sect leader, whom you have not yet met.’
So this is my new master. I should greet him quickly.
As Xia Yi struggled to move, Tianxuan quickly raised a hand to stop him. ‘No need for formalities. Rest first.’
Since his belly was in the way, Xia Yi didn’t insist. He greeted Tianxuan verbally and, with Qing Xiu’s help, sat up to take a better look around.
It was a naturally formed cave, about the size of half a basketball court, with sunlight streaming in from above, making it quite bright.
In the cave, over a hundred people lay scattered about, all of whom looked weak and lifeless. They were wearing the uniforms of the Qishan Sect.
These must be the missing disciples and sect leader from Qishan.
Qing Xiu sighed at Xia Yi’s expression. ‘That’s right. All of our missing comrades are here, and now you and I have been captured as well.’
‘Where are we?’ Xia Yi asked, his voice hoarse, not quite recognizing it as his own.
Qing Xiu quickly handed him a gourd with water. ‘I woke up just a bit earlier than you and found myself here,’ he said, feeding Xia Yi some water.
‘We’re in the belly of Shihu Mountain. There’s a barrier set around the area; we can’t get out,’ answered a nearby Qishan disciple who was sitting up.
Seeing Xia Yi look over, Tianxuan sighed. ‘We were captured by Cheng Yuwan of the Demon Realm, who fed us a strange poison that blocks our spiritual energy, making it impossible to break the barrier. We’ve tried every antidote we have, but none have worked.’
Cheng Yuwan? Why does that name sound so familiar?
Suddenly, Xia Yi’s mind flashed with memories:
Wang Lan had stormed off in a huff, and Ze Yuan had pulled him into his arms with a smile. ‘It’s not that I didn’t want to come see you. It’s just that lately, the Grand Elder of the Demon Realm has led part of the demon army in a rebellion, trying to overthrow my father.’
Wang Lan immediately stopped sulking and anxiously asked, ‘What happened? Did he succeed?’
Ze Yuan slid his hand under Wang Lan’s clothes as he whispered into his ear, ‘With just him? If he had succeeded, would I still be standing here with you?’
‘Did you get hurt?’ Wang Lan pulled Ze Yuan’s mischievous hand out from under his clothes, his face serious.
‘No, he’s already been imprisoned in the underground dungeon of the Demon Realm.’
With that, Ze Yuan scooped Wang Lan up in his arms and carried him toward a nearby small wooden house. ‘I haven’t seen you in days. You’d better reward me properly.’
…
Cheng Yuwan, right, he was the Grand Elder of the Demon Realm, the one Ze Yuan imprisoned.
‘Wasn’t Cheng Yuwan locked up? When did he get out, and how did he capture so many of us?’ Xia Yi asked.
Tianxuan gave a bitter smile. ‘Who knows? We’ve been trapped here ever since we were poisoned. We have no idea what his plan is.’
‘179, help me scan the area. Are there any other people around?’
A moment later, 179’s voice responded, ‘Host, this is an isolated mountain. Other than your group, there are no other people nearby.’
Xia Yi slumped in frustration. ‘What are we going to do? By now, Brother Zhu must have realized I’m missing. He must be frantically searching for me. The baby and I are both gone—he must be beside himself with worry. Who knows when we’ll be able to get out of here?’
‘Master, what have you been eating during this time?’ Xia Yi knew that, aside from Tianxuan who had reached the stage of not needing food, the other disciples still needed to eat.
A disciple lying nearby weakly replied, ‘Junior Brother Xia, save your strength. There’s some moss here we can eat, but don’t waste all your energy.’
He glanced at Xia Yi’s belly. ‘Besides, you need to conserve your strength to give birth.’
As soon as he finished speaking, all the surrounding disciples turned their heads to look at Xia Yi’s belly.
They had long since been shocked by the sight of it. After Qing Xiu’s clumsy explanation that the child was the grandchild of Immortal Lord Cang Yi, they had gradually come to accept the reality of Xia Yi’s pregnancy, and their worldview had been thoroughly reshaped.”
Xia Yi suddenly felt embarrassed. He coughed twice, pretending to clear his throat, and placed his hands over his large, melon-like belly.
Melon, right, the system space.
“179, I remember I stored a few tons of potatoes in your system space. Can you check if they’re still there?” Xia Yi called out excitedly to the system.
“Host, they’re there. Everything you harvested is still inside the space,” 179 replied.
“Quick, quick, bring out the potatoes!” Xia Yi sat up straight in anticipation.
“Host, are you sure you want me to take them all out? I suspect they’ll fill this entire cave,” 179 asked, sounding doubtful.
“Just take out one pile, just one pile,” Xia Yi said, grinning widely.
As long as they had food, the problem wasn’t as urgent. They could eat first and then figure out a way to escape later.
The disciples, who were lying on the ground, starving and conserving their energy, suddenly heard someone shout in surprise, “Potatoes! These are potatoes!”
“Has he gone mad from hunger? There’s barely any moss left in this cave. Where would potatoes come from?” the disciples thought, but they still turned toward the voice.
They were all stunned.
In the middle of the cave, there was now a small mound of large, round, brown objects.
What else could they be but potatoes?
One of the disciples shakily got up and walked over to the pile, despite others not having the chance to stop him. He picked one up, examined it from every angle, and scraped off a bit of the skin with his fingernail. Overjoyed, he shouted, “It really is a potato, it is!”
All the disciples sprang into action, getting to their feet.
Some started gathering firewood within the barrier that surrounded the cave. Soon, they had a big batch of potatoes roasting.
Each disciple grabbed one, devouring them hungrily while continuing to bury more potatoes in the fire.
Qing Xiu picked up two potatoes, dusting them off and blowing on them as he handed them to Xia Yi. “Junior Brother Xia, eat up.”
When Xia Yi didn’t take them, Qing Xiu added, “It doesn’t matter where they came from, or if they’re poisonous. It’s better than starving to death. Besides, you need to save your strength to give birth.”
The disciples eating their potatoes nodded in agreement. “Yes, you need to have enough energy to give birth.”
Sighing heavily, Xia Yi said, “I’m not eating because I’m not hungry. You all eat. They’re not poisonous. I brought these potatoes out for you.”
In the world of cultivators, personal storage spaces weren’t uncommon, but the fact that Xia Yi had so many potatoes stored in his space still impressed everyone.
Seeing that everyone had eaten their fill, Xia Yi took out some carrots and onions. “Senior brothers, consider these my greeting gifts. Just a small token, don’t laugh.”
Once again, the cave was filled with surprised exclamations and even some disciples shed tears of joy.
Even Master Tianxuan held an onion, examining it carefully as if he couldn’t bear to part with it.
As Xia Yi smiled contentedly, he suddenly felt something new in his hands.
Looking down, he found a few small, purple, pea-sized fruits.
“179, what are these?” Xia Yi asked the system, examining the small fruits in his palm.
“Oh, I grabbed the wrong thing. I was going to take out two more onions, but I accidentally grabbed some fennel seeds that were stored with the onions,” the system explained quickly.
“Fennel seeds? These are fennel seeds?” Xia Yi raised the purple fruits to eye level, squinting at them.
“Yes, fennel seeds. Host, did you forget? You planted half an acre of onions and half an acre of fennel. When you harvested them, I stored them together,” 179 replied.
Xia Yi chuckled coldly. “Great, fennel seeds.”
He then held the purple fruit in his palm and extended it toward Tianxuan. “Master, can you take a look at these? I have a few with me, but I don’t recognize them.”
Tianxuan carefully put away the onions and carrots he was holding and turned his attention to the small fruit in Xia Yi’s hand.
He picked one up and inspected it, shaking his head. “I don’t recognize it either.”
As he was about to return the fruit to Xia Yi, his movements suddenly paused.
“Wait, I think I’ve seen this in a book somewhere. Let me think,” Tianxuan said, furrowing his brows as he stared at the fruit, deep in thought.
Seeing that even Tianxuan didn’t recognize it, Xia Yi prepared to put the rest of the fennel seeds back into his space, thinking he could show them to Cang Yi later.
Just then, Tianxuan shouted in excitement, “I remember! This fruit is called the ‘Wither-Green Fruit’!”
As everyone turned to look at him, Tianxuan eagerly explained, “This fruit is called ‘Wither-Green’ because it represents the opposites of withering and greening. It has the power to revive vitality from near death!”
“The Wither-Green Fruit is an extremely rare antidote in the world. I’ve never seen it in person, only in an illustrated book from our sect’s library. That’s why I didn’t recognize it at first.”
Tianxuan, now full of excitement, paced around the cave before returning to Xia Yi. “Xia Yi, where did you get these fruits?”
Before Xia Yi could answer, Tianxuan smiled wryly. “But even if I knew, what difference would it make? Could there possibly be enough of these fruits to cure all of us?”
“Even if I took one to neutralize the poison, I still wouldn’t have the strength to break the barrier alone.”
Seeing Tianxuan’s expression turn gloomy, Xia Yi’s mood also grew serious. “How many fruits are needed to cure one person? A handful? Two handfuls?”
After all, he didn’t have much fennel—half of the three acres he planted were onions. If each of the hundred or so people needed a handful, it might not be enough.
“A handful or two?” Tianxuan gave a bitter smile. “Do you think growing the Wither-Green Fruit is as easy as planting vegetables?”
“Is it really that hard to grow?” Xia Yi asked curiously.
“Otherwise? If it were easy, why would I have only seen it in books?” Tianxuan absentmindedly replied as he stared at the fennel seeds in his palm. “To neutralize the poison, one seed per person is more than enough.”
Hearing this, Xia Yi let out a long breath, his tone relaxing. “Master, then it seems we’re saved.”
“As luck would have it, I managed to grow a whole bunch of Wither-Green Fruits, just like growing vegetables.”
—
After all the disciples reverently swallowed the fennel seeds and sat cross-legged to meditate, Tianxuan still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it.
He had too many questions. He wanted to ask Xia Yi about the origins of these Wither-Green Fruits and the Mu Ge Heavenly Spirit Fruit, but after some thought, he decided to keep silent.
After all, Xia Yi was the daughter-in-law of Immortal Lord Cang Yi, the consort of the Demon Realm’s crown prince, and someone whose background was deep and mysterious—far from being a mere nobleman’s son.
With such a lineage, it wasn’t so strange for him to possess rare spiritual herbs and fruits. Moreover, who knows what kind of miraculous elixir he consumed to be able to carry a child as a man.
With that thought, Tianxuan also swallowed the fennel seed and sat down to meditate, gathering his energy.
After about an hour, the disciples gradually opened their eyes, smiling and exclaiming that the poison had been neutralized.
Under Tianxuan’s orders, they all activated their spiritual powers, converging them into a beam directed at the cave entrance.
Amid the crackling sound of high-voltage electricity, a part of the water-like barrier outside the cave shattered with a loud boom.
The group quickly left the cave, squeezing through the broken barrier.
Outside the barrier, clouds swirled around a seemingly bottomless abyss. It turned out the cave entrance was located on a cliffside platform. The disciples quickly summoned their magical artifacts, ready to return to Qishan Sect and plan their next move.
Just then, the sky darkened, thick black clouds gathered above them, and a strange wind rose, sending birds and beasts fleeing in panic from the forest.
“Master, what’s happening?” Xia Yi asked, clutching his heavy belly and looking toward Tianxuan.
Tianxuan’s face also grew grim at the sight. He urged the disciples loudly, “Everyone, mount your magical artifacts and leave quickly!”
He summoned his own artifact and reached out to pull Xia Yi up.
“Hahaha, you think you can leave? Do you think it’ll be that easy?”
A chilling laugh echoed through the mountain valley, seemingly coming from nowhere.
“Not good, Cheng Yuwan has arrived,” one of the disciples exclaimed in fear.
“Don’t worry about him, just go!” Tianxuan ordered loudly.
The disciples, braving the wind so strong it made it hard to open their eyes, squinted as they stepped onto their magical artifacts. The artifacts wobbled precariously in the wind, barely making any headway.
“I originally had a use for you all. I could’ve had Cang Yi cooperate with me to wipe out Jie Shang, but you just had to try to escape.”
As the voice trailed off, a figure slowly emerged from the dark, swirling wind.
A towering man surrounded by black mist appeared, his face menacing, with a vulture perched on his shoulder.
He hovered in front of the group, his gaze locking onto Xia Yi.
His eyes were cold and violent, like a physical force pressing down on Xia Yi, causing him to shiver and instinctively protect his belly.
“But now you’re of no use to me. After all, I have a much better bargaining chip,” Cheng Yuwan sneered as he stared intently at Xia Yi, his smile sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“Heavenly Crane Spirit Fetus, and you’re still intact. Back then, Wu Qianyuan got your whereabouts from me, yet he still hasn’t caught you? That wretch, born of Jie Shang and Cang Yi, spends every day hanging around you, thinking no one will notice. Hahaha!”
Cheng Yuwan threw his head back and laughed wildly, before abruptly stopping and fixing his gaze on Xia Yi, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Now it’s even better. You’re carrying an even purer spirit fetus, infused with both immortal and demonic energy.”
“Host, this lunatic is after the baby!” 179 screamed in anger, trembling with fury. “I’m going to scratch his face, yank all his hair out…”
Tianxuan pulled Xia Yi behind him, pointing his sword at Cheng Yuwan and shouting, “You wicked monster! How dare you be so arrogant and heartless? Do you wish to make enemies of both the Immortal and Demon realms?”
Cheng Yuwan didn’t respond, his eyes still locked on Xia Yi, gleaming with hatred.
“Spirit fetus, do you know what I went through in that underground prison?”
“That was the work of Ze Yuan and Jie Shang. In that dark, water-logged cell, day and night, all I thought about was revenge. Heaven took pity on me, and I finally escaped. And as a gift, it presented me with you.”
“Once I extract the fetus from your belly, I will repay you for everything they did to me, twice over.”
“Hit him! Have Tianxuan strike him down! That miserable dog doesn’t know his place,” 179 shouted, nearly bouncing in Xia Yi’s mind, its voice crackling with rage.
Cheng Yuwan slowly approached, a thick black mist surrounding him.
Tianxuan unleashed a flash of sword light, sending it slicing through the air. The disciples also gathered their spiritual energy, launching sword lights at Cheng Yuwan. The brilliant lights pierced the dark clouds, illuminating half the sky.
“Yes, turn him into a sieve!” 179 cheered maliciously, quickly putting on *Peppa Pig* in Xia Yi’s mind. “The baby must be scared, let him relax.”
However, as the sword lights reached Cheng Yuwan, a metallic clang echoed. He blocked them all with a snake-headed iron staff.
Xia Yi watched as Cheng Yuwan calmly put away his staff and gave him a sinister, snake-like smile.
“Spirit fetus, you cannot escape.”
“George, let’s put on clothes and pretend to be Daddy and Mummy.”
“What did you say?” Xia Yi asked loudly.
“I will slowly torture you, until you wish you were dead.”
“Daddy Pig can’t see without his glasses, and that makes him very grumpy.”
“Could you speak louder?” Xia Yi shouted across.
Seeing Cheng Yuwan’s face visibly darken, Xia Yi suddenly remembered, “179, quickly turn off Peppa Pig, I can’t even hear what he’s saying.”
After 179 turned off the animation, Xia Yi spoke to Cheng Yuwan again, “Alright, now you can say whatever you want.”
Cheng Yuwan, without a word, raised his snake-headed staff and shot a thick wave of black demonic energy.
Damn, weren’t we just having a pre-battle negotiation? Why are we suddenly fighting?
Tian Xuan instantly raised his sword to block the attack. With a dull thud, although he managed to fend off the demonic energy, he staggered back two steps, his face turning grim.
“Your hand!” Xia Yi cried out in shock as he saw a black energy, serpent-like, crawl up Tian Xuan’s arm.
“This is bad, it’s poisoned! There’s venom in his demonic energy.” Cheng Yuwan quickly pressed several points on his upper arm and decisively sat cross-legged to try and expel the poison with his internal energy.
“Hahaha, this is my specially concocted poison, made from a thousand-year-old viper and a golden toad—” Cheng Yuwan’s boasting was cut short when he saw something that left him speechless.
Xia Yi had stuffed something into Tian Xuan’s mouth, and in the blink of an eye, Tian Xuan’s previously blackened face was already returning to normal.
Xia Yi had stuffed a whole handful of fennel seeds into Tian Xuan’s mouth, who was now struggling to chew, choking too much to say a word.
He was torn between feeling both touched and shocked.
One of these spiritual treasures is potent enough on its own, just one seed. Why did you stuff an entire handful into my mouth?
Meanwhile, Xia Yi was busy handing out fennel seeds to the other disciples, moving among them.
“Tell them to hold it under their tongues for now, like getting vaccinated to boost resistance. If they’re poisoned, they should eat two more for stronger effects,” 179 nagged from the side.
Seeing this, Cheng Yuwan’s expression grew even more sinister. Gritting his teeth, he said, “If that’s the case, then all of you can die.”
With that, he raised his snake-headed staff again, sending a black whirlwind spiraling from the tip of the staff into the sky, connecting with the low-hanging clouds.
In an instant, the wind howled, the clouds churned, and streaks of lightning flashed within.
“This is bad, he’s activating the array to summon lightning.”
Tian Xuan quickly stood up, waving his sword as he charged at Cheng Yuwan once again.
Just as his sword was about to strike, Cheng Yuwan did not dodge. He continued activating the spell array. Two shadowy figures suddenly appeared beside him, both wielding snake-headed staffs, blocking Tian Xuan’s attack, and a fierce battle ensued.
“Master!” some disciples exclaimed, realizing that Cheng Yuwan had conjured duplicates of himself.
They were about to rush forward when Tian Xuan stopped them with a shout, “Stop! You’re no match for him.”
Tian Xuan was fighting two of Cheng Yuwan’s clones, struggling more and more as the battle went on. Eventually, one of the snake-headed staffs struck him in the back, sending him flying to the ground, where he coughed up blood.
Seeing the ominous lightning flashing in the sky, Tian Xuan screamed at the others, “Run, everyone, escape quickly!”
“Escape? Where do you think you’re going?” Cheng Yuwan sneered sinisterly. “Let me send you on your way. Once you’re all gone, I’ll head to Qishan Sect and reunite your clan in the underworld.”
“Master, we need to flee!” 179, sensing the imminent lightning strike, urged Xia Yi in panic.
“Look at me! Where can I even run? Without the Qilin, how can I fly with just this ‘Winter Melon’?” Xia Yi cradled his belly, feeling hopeless.
Wait, the Winter Melon. Though it’s not great for flying, it’s tough, resistant, and looks like it could handle a beating. Plus, it might be insulated against electricity.
At least it’s a sealed magical artifact.
Some disciples were already summoning their own artifacts, but before they could mount them, the violent wind knocked the artifacts to the ground.
Some, who were too frail, had already been blown to the cliff’s edge, only saved by their fellow disciples grabbing them in time to stop them from falling.
At that moment, with a bang, a greenish, round house suddenly appeared on the ground.
In the midst of the raging storm, it stood there firmly, completely unmoved.
“Get in, quick!” Xia Yi shouted from the door of the Winter Melon house.
The disciples began helping each other against the wind, making their way into the house.
The first dozen disciples filled the space quickly, leaving no more room to stand.
Xia Yi silently chanted, and the Winter Melon house began to expand, growing larger and larger until it formed a solid green dome structure.
Sturdy and heavy, it looked like a steel fortress.
Once all the disciples were inside, the door of the Winter Melon house sealed shut, not leaving a single crack.
*Swoosh!* At that moment, the first bolt of lightning struck, turning the outside world into a blinding flash of white. The crackling sound of electricity filled the air.
Some disciples closed their eyes, clutching their robes in fear.
When the light faded, and the electric sound stopped, they realized they were still standing safely. Many let out long sighs of relief.
But soon after, a stronger wave of lightning struck.
Amidst the deafening thunder, the Winter Melon fortress was enveloped in a dense electric field, glowing like a giant ball of light that illuminated the sky.
A trembling disciple asked Tian Xuan with a quivering voice, “Master, can we withstand this?”
Tian Xuan, being supported by a disciple, could only sigh, “Let’s leave it to fate.”
The thunder gradually subsided, the world returning to its previous gloom. The hearts of those inside slowly began to calm down, feeling as though they had survived yet another disaster.
The Winter Melon fortress remained quietly standing atop the mountain, its smooth surface without even a crack.
Then came the second wave, the third wave…
The disciples’ expressions slowly turned from fear to calm.
By the time the third wave ended and the fourth began, everyone was sitting around the windows, calmly watching the outside scene while roasting potatoes.
“When the immortal ascended back in the day, I was fortunate enough to witness it from the foot of the mountain. The sky looked exactly like this,” Tian Xuan said, as he slowly chewed on a potato handed to him by a disciple, sharing stories with the others.
Xia Yi loved listening to these stories and eagerly joined in.
Outside the Winter Melon house, Cheng Yuwan was summoning lightning, which struck down relentlessly, shrouding the world in darkness, as if it were the apocalypse.
Inside the Winter Melon house, everyone was gathered around Tian Xuan, listening to his stories, the atmosphere harmonious and cheerful.
As Xia Yi laughed heartily at a funny part, clutching his belly, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.
“Xia Shidi, are you alright?” a disciple, noticing his odd expression, asked hurriedly.
Xia Yi waved his hand. “I’m fine, I probably just ate too many potatoes.”
As if to prove his point, the pain quickly subsided. Seeing Xia Yi’s relaxed expression, the disciple turned away.
Xia Yi was just about to check how things looked outside the window when his belly cramped again, and at the same time, the baby inside started moving.
“179, I think I have a stomachache,” Xia Yi said, frowning.
“Host, I think you’re about to give birth!” 179 exclaimed in panic.
Xia Yi immediately panicked. “How can I be about to give birth? Stop saying nonsense! It’s just from eating too many potatoes.”
This system had been overly dramatic ever since he got pregnant, claiming every minor discomfort meant labor was imminent.
Though he said that, Xia Yi couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. After all, the due date was near, so he calmed himself and tried to assess the pain carefully.
But just as suddenly as it came, the pain vanished after only a minute or two.
As he wondered about it, a much stronger, sharper pain hit him, accompanied by a dull, dragging sensation in his lower back and abdomen. The baby was moving vigorously, his belly shifting with the motions.
Damn, I can’t lie to myself anymore—this is labor pain!
I’m really going to give birth!
