Chapter 4

11

“Humans and demons follow different paths. Even if you aren’t a spy, discovering your true form would be difficult to explain.”

Of course I believed him.

Mystic Serpents were few, and offspring rare.

They said every death brought the clan closer to extinction.

Most spent their time asleep on Solitude Mountain.

The demons couldn’t afford to employ them as spies.

“Master… are you sending me away?”

His eyes reddened, poised between tears and restraint, pitiful and adorable.

【I won’t leave her. If I go, she comes too.】

【My nest on Solitude Mountain is large and beautiful. She’ll love it.】

【If any serpent harms her, I’ll make him into Fertility Pills and have his siblings laying eggs every day.】

A true Mystic Serpent.

Ruthless even toward his own kind.

“No. I want to discuss what to do if you’re exposed.”

I still had to investigate the stranger. I wasn’t following him to a snake’s nest.

“Don’t worry.”

Relieved, he leaned to my ear.

“If that happens, do this, then that…”

“That’s possible?”

All I could think was: Brilliant.

“I’ll never leave you, Master.”

【I’ll stay until heaven and earth crumble, seas dry, and rocks wear away.】

【Wherever she goes, I’ll follow. Even as a vengeful ghost!】

12

The last part was unnecessary. Vengeful ghosts didn’t interest me.

For some reason, irritation rose inside me.

I swallowed another Nine-Revolution Panacea.

“What’s that smell?”

Mặc Thanh leaned closer, sniffing.

“The elder’s panacea. Calms the mind, nourishes the brain, and heals the heart meridians.”

I poured one out for him.

During the old demon-suppression war, a maddened Sương Sương had struck me. Since then, I suffered dizziness and palpitations.

He sniffed the pill and frowned.

“Mulberry mistletoe and cornelian cherry.”

“Aren’t those used to support pregnancy? Why are they in a healing pill?”

I laughed.

The panacea used forty-nine spiritual herbs. It was the elder’s signature medicine.

I had taken over ten bottles and never heard it contained pregnancy remedies.

“They’re there.”

“A hundred years ago, Mother was pregnant.”

“Father had the whole clan gather every bit of those herbs within a hundred li.”

“I brewed them for her daily. I’d know that smell even in death.”

Pain flickered in his eyes.

Despite his and his father’s care, the egg never survived.

Heartbroken, his mother fell into deep sleep beneath Solitude Mountain.

I touched my belly.

A strange feeling rose.

Over a month since detoxifying him in the cave.

Could I…

Be pregnant?

“Are you angry, Master?”

He looked anxious.

【The elder kindly gave medicine, and I’m criticizing it. Will she think me petty?】

“Hmph. With your alchemy, you dare criticize others? Back to cultivating.”

I waved him off like a fly.

【My alchemy may be poor, but my nose is better than a demon hound’s.】

【The elder must have given the wrong medicine.】

【Those herbs do more than support pregnancy. They won’t hurt her.】

【If she dislikes hearing it, I won’t mention it.】

13

Once he left, I tested myself with Daylily Spirit Paper.

Two round black serpent eggs appeared on it.

I really was pregnant.

Weren’t Mystic Serpents supposed to struggle to have children?

Once, and I was pregnant?

With two eggs?

I burned the paper, unsure how to tell him.

He would go mad with joy.

Imagining his calm face and secretly ecstatic thoughts, I couldn’t help smiling.

Then my eyes fell on the panacea bottle.

Suspicion returned.

Did the elder know and deliberately add the herbs?

Having my private secrets watched was unpleasant.

Mặc Thanh’s identity was too unusual.

If I wanted these eggs born, I had to hide them from everyone.

I took the pills to the elder and pretended to complain.

“Why does this batch of Mystic Clarity Pills make me so sleepy?”

“An old wound, fresh poison, and exhaustion. Naturally you want sleep. Three months will fix it.”

He answered calmly.

In three months, the pregnancy would be stable.

He knew.

I kept my expression blank and secretly had the pills tested.

Nothing wrong.

They replenished energy and blood, supported pregnancy, and encouraged sleep.

Still, I dared not take more.

I watched him secretly and found a clue.

Whenever he arranged the assembly formations, he dismissed the other disciples and did everything himself.

I inspected them several times and found nothing unusual.

Was I overthinking?

He governed the Punishment Hall fairly, rewarding and punishing without bias. His status was high.

He shouldn’t betray the sect.

But…

What if he was the stranger?

14

The assembly arrived.

“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll take first place.”

Mặc Thanh was full of confidence.

【If she sees my heroic bearing, perhaps she’ll agree to become cultivation partners.】

【Eggs don’t matter. Happiness does!】

I punched him lightly and warned in a low voice:

“On the platform, check whether the defensive formation feels wrong.”

If I couldn’t find it, perhaps he could.

“What could be wrong?”

As I wondered whether to explain the elder’s behavior, a sneering voice sounded behind us.

“Fairy Tử Linh, too proud for anyone! Embracing a man in broad daylight? Aren’t you ashamed?”

I turned.

Giả Uy, a guest from the Talisman Sect.

During my travels years earlier, he had fallen for me at first sight and wanted to become cultivation partners.

I wasn’t interested.

He pursued me shamelessly until I beat him and sent him crying home.

“You come out with that face and aren’t ashamed. What have we to fear?”