Demoness's Art of Vengeance

Seeing the agony in Ye Xiuwen’s eyes, the old man sighed deeply in his heart – Seems like there’s hope for Disciple yet. At the very least, he’s not irreversibly mad.

Wiping off the tears on his face, the old man deliberated for a moment, before continuing, “Truth be told, there are solutions to this problem. Back then, my wife and I had pored through countless manuscripts in order to search for solutions. Unfortunately, we were stuck within the Death’s Gorge, and we were limited by our circumstances. We knew the solutions, but we didn’t have access to the right materials, so there was no way for us to refine the necessary medicinal pills to counteract the issue.”

“What materials do we need? I’ll go look for them.” Ye Xiuwen spoke without a single trace of hesitation in his voice.

After another protracted pause, the old man explained, “There are two methods. One is a means to alleviate the symptoms, while the other eliminates the problem entirely. There is a lotus pond located at the Sunset Mountain Range near the Greenwich Kingdom. A particular flower called the Rainbow Lotus Flower grows in the heart of the pond. The Rainbow Lotus Flower blooms once every hundred years, and bears seeds in the next hundred years. Its lotus seeds possess the powers of harmony and fusion, which in turn will enable a person to improve their body’s constitution. A mortal who consumes these seeds would be able to extend his lifespan by a hundred years; while cultivators who consume these seeds would find their meridians and Dantian cleansed and refined by the seeds’ energy, smoothening their cultivation path and boosting their cultivation levels. Thus, whenever a Rainbow Lotus Flower bears seeds, it would invariably attract an incredible amount of attention from the cultivation world, and blood would usually be spilled in the ensuing tussle for the ownership rights of these seeds.”

“Can these seeds resolve the problem we’re facing at hand?” Ye Xiuwen looked intently at his master as he asked.

“Unfortunately, it won’t be able to resolve the issue entire. It will only be able to alleviate some of the symptoms yer wife is showing. That said, it will most certainly ensure that yer wife’s life won’t be in danger before she’s ready for childbirth.” The old man stroked his beard as he explained.

“Then, what if I want to eliminate the problem once and for all? What kind of materials would I need?” Ye Xiuwen continued to press the issue.

Ye Xiuwen had captured the crux of the old man’s explanation – this was only a method to alleviate the symptoms. In other words, Jun Xiaomo’s life would still be in danger if the other solution had not been found before Jun Xiaomo was ready for childbirth.

“If Disciple wishes to eliminate the problem once and for all, I’m afraid ye’ll have to find a Ninth-Grade Green Lotus Pill.” The old man shook his head as he added, “This pill is only useful to a demonic cultivator who’s pregnant with a spiritual cultivating child, or a spiritual cultivator pregnant with a demonic cultivating child; it’s useless to everyone else. Thus, this pill is rarely seen in the world. The very first time that such a pill appeared in this world was precisely because a renown pillmaster’s wife was a demonic cultivator pregnant with a spiritual cultivating child. He dug deep and sacrificed everything he had before he finally created the first ever Ninth-Grade Green Lotus Pill for his wife. In the end, his wife delivered his child safely, and this was why it was recorded in the annals of history. Unfortunately…”

The old man sighed as he added, “These pills are far too rare. Yer master is already over a thousand years old, yet he has never seen a single Ninth-Grade Green Lotus Pill in his life. I’m afraid that we’ll have to source for the constituent ingredients necessary to create such a pill and commission a ninth-grade pillmaster to refine such a pill for us. Otherwise, the odds of finding a readily available Ninth-Grade Green Lotus Pill is close to none.”

Ye Xiuwen grimaced. He placed his had gingerly on Jun Xiaomo’s lower abdomen once more. His body was incredibly stiff, and his facial expressions exuded traces of a heartfelt, agonizing struggle.

He finally realized that certain things were outside his control even if he kept Jun Xiaomo by his side.

If he decided to keep the child, Jun Xiaomo’s life would be in constant danger, and she might not even be able to survive the entire duration of her pregnancy.

On the other hand, he knew that he would never be able to make the decision to abort the child because he had just begun to taste the joy of being a prospective father….

Did he really have to say goodbye to his child just like that? After all, his child had done nothing wrong within its mother’s womb. It had done nothing more than to remain obediently as a clump of fetal energy while gently emanating the soothing warmth of life, declaring its existence to the world.

It was as though his child were gently calling out to him.

Ye Xiuwen held Jun Xiaomo closer to his bosom. The vile energy in the depths of his eyes had already begun to fade once again, replaced by an intense flux of emotions undergirded by the pain and distress in his heart.

Perhaps Ye Xiuwen had hugged Jun Xiaomo a little bit too tightly and caused her pain, because she began to come to her senses once again at this very moment as well.

As Jun Xiaomo opened her eyes and saw Ye Xiuwen’s present state, she was instantly dazed and taken aback.

Ye Xiuwen lifted his hands and ran it lightly across her eyelids. Jun Xiaomo blinked several times, somewhat uneasily.

This was the first time that Ye Xiuwen had behaved so warmly towards her ever since she had lost her memories. It was as though he were now a completely different person.

Even though Ye Xiuwen’s voice was just as deep as it had been before, it was far less harsh than it had been. He softly muttered, “You’d passed out again.”

“Oh.” Jun Xiaomo answered curtly, hardly surprised by that fact.

After all, her body had already been in extreme discomfort over the last few days. To make matters worse, her head had felt incredibly bloated and heavy, and there were innumerable things weighing on her heart and ebbing away at her spirits as well.

Thus, she knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before she passed out, and she was hardly surprised by the fact that she had indeed done so during this carriage ride.

That said, she was still unable to suppress the waves of sorrow and grief echoing from the depths of her heart – when will her days of being shackled by others finally end?

Ever since his personality changed, Ye Xiuwen would always keep a close eye on Jun Xiaomo’s emotional fluctuations, doing his best to keep her by his side and convince her to accept his plans for her. To Ye Xiuwen’s mind, he had simply thought to slowly chip away at Jun Xiaomo’s resilience bit by bit, until she finally conformed to his ideas. Yet the reality of the matter was that his actions only served to widen the rift between them.

Now, Ye Xiuwen had finally just realized that he might not possess the ability to protect Jun Xiaomo or their child even if Jun Xiaomo remained obsequiously by his side. In other words, he had finally begun to doubt the efficacy of keeping Jun Xiaomo in captivity.

He gently caressed Jun Xiaomo’s cheeks as he reassured her, “Don’t be sad. I’ll never attempt to restrain you again.”

Jun Xiaomo immediately glanced back up at Ye Xiuwen with some measure of bewilderment, thinking to call his bluff. Yet, when she locked eyes with him, she could tell that his eyes were filled with sincerity and honesty, completely devoid of any trace of mockery or deceit.

“Will you really stop restraining me?” Jun Xiaomo questioned with some measure of suspicion.

“I won’t. That said, given the state of your body right now, you’re in no condition to be running about either.” Ye Xiuwen placed his palm gingerly on Jun Xiaomo’s lower abdomen as he added.

Jun Xiaomo’s thoughts were immediately drawn to her child as well. According to Ye Xiuwen, he was the child’s father as well.

All along, she had been under the impression that the child was the result of Ye Xiuwen forcing himself upon her. Thus, she had never been too eager to have this child either.

That said, she couldn’t understand why she could never bring herself to entertain the thought of aborting the child either.

Seeing that Ye Xiuwen and Jun Xiaomo had both grown silent, the old man decided to interject to explain the situation to Jun Xiaomo –

“Ye possess an acquired demonic body. Unfortunately, your child is a spiritual entity, and that’s clashing and causing issues of rejection with your body. Right now, ye have two choices. The first is to abort yer child. That way, yer life won’t be in danger, and ye can attempt to have more children with Disciple in future. As long as yer future children possess demonic bodies, ye’ll be able to go through with the pregnancy. The other choice is to attempt to locate the medicine that will eliminate the root of the problem. However, this option is going to take time, and ye might not be able to hang on till them. Disciple-in-Law, what will yer choice be?”

“My body is clashing with my child and rejecting it?” Jun Xiaomo had never expected something like this to happen.

“That’s right. This is why ye had passed out to begin with. Logically speaking, given that ye are already in the Nascent Soul stage of cultivation, ye aren’t supposed to pass out no matter how much mental and physical strain ye had been put trough recently. I’d only discovered the clash and rejection after a closer examination of yer body. Furthermore, as the spiritual energy surrounding yer fetus begins to congeal, the clash and rejection is only going grow more and more intense. It might even become life-threatening in future.”

“I’m going to keep this child!” Jun Xiaomo made her decision without any hesitation at all. It was as though her decision were almost reflexive and instinctual – something she had arrived at before any logical processes.

Thus, she was slightly dumbstruck when she realized how she had just reacted. She had never expected herself to make such an important decision with hardly any thought to it.

Jun Xiaomo placed her hand softly onto her own abdomen. The gentle warmth that was radiating from her womb made the rims of her eyes turn red and puffy, and a sense of gratitude began to fill her heart.

She had thought that she would despise her child and loathe to let it see the light of day. However, as soon as the sprightly old man told her about the real possibility that she might have to abort the child to preserve her own life, she immediately chose to save the child without any hesitation.

As it turns out, she loved the child, notwithstanding the amount of pain and distress the child’s father had put her through.

At this moment, Ye Xiuwen tightened his embrace around Jun Xiaomo once more. The vile energy had continued to dwindle in his heart. At the same time, his heart was gradually beginning to be filled by a sense of fullness and abundance.

He did not want to lose Jun Xiaomo. If Jun Xiaomo had indicated that she did not want the child, he would have agreed to the abortion as well.

But now that Jun Xiaomo had affirmatively indicated that she was going to keep this child, no matter the dangers she might face, he was once again reinvigorated with a sense of responsibility, determined to be the source of their strength. He was ready to place his trust in both Jun Xiaomo and himself once again.

“I’ll do everything I can to protect both of you.” Ye Xiuwen whispered into Jun Xiaomo’s ears, as though he were speaking a solemn vow straight through Jun Xiaomo’s heart, etching it directly onto her soul.

Jun Xiaomo’s heart quivered slightly. Ever since she had lost her memories, this was the first time that she had felt the urge and desire to trust this man once again.

And this was despite the fact that this man had been the prime source of her distress and despondence over the last few weeks.

Shutting her eyes, Jun Xiaomo nodded softly.

A rare, faint smile crept up the corner of Ye Xiuwen’s lips. Unfortunately, Jun Xiaomo was unaware of this. The only other person who saw it was the other person seated in the horse carriage right now – the sprightly old man.

The sprightly old man’s heart felt full. He could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel in his disciple’s road to recovery.

Just as a pleasant, soothing atmosphere began to fill the carriage, a delicate cry from outside the carriage interrupted their warm, harmonious moment –

“Whose damn horse carriage is this?! Why isn’t there anyone taking the reins at the helm?! You’re blocking This Highness’s path. Hurry up and make way for This Highness!”