After Gu Junshi's exposure, she swept her gaze across everyone. Her long, dark eyelashes flickered, and due to her proud, erect stance, her wide sleeves slid down from her waist, revealing the curve of her swollen abdomen.
At that moment, everyone clearly saw… the evidence.
"The child…"
Liu Jiang Fusheng choked out after just two words. Certain suppressed emotions seemed to burst their banks. He pressed a hand to his eye, his voice hoarse.
Was it his and… Gu Junshi's child?
The demonic markings on his long, swan-like neck, from his fair throat to his jawbone, faded considerably. His Adam's apple, dusted with powdered snow and a faint blush, bobbed. Tears traced paths down his cheeks.
"A'yi, do we… really have a child?"
His shoulders shook with suppressed sobs, and he choked out the question to her, weeping like an abandoned child.
He desperately wanted to cast aside his last shred of dignity. He wanted to tell her he didn't want a divorce.
He wanted to ask her, even with a child between them… would she still refuse him?
Couldn't he even be honored by his son?
Gu Junshi was stunned by how heartbroken he looked. Just moments ago, he had possessed a sickly aura, a murderous god who would rather betray the world. Now, he was so delicate, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't know how to react.
She hadn't expected him to have such a strong reaction to this child. She had subtly probed him before, and she thought he didn't like children and didn't hold any hope for one between them.
She hadn't intended to reveal this during such a chaotic time.
But fate intervened, and he learned what he was meant to know.
She used to secretly call him her "little pampered husband," partly because he was younger, and partly because she had pampered him a little too much.
He always thought she was unaware of his subtle actions, but in reality, she merely turned a blind eye. He knew what kind of affectionate gestures could soften her heart. However, if she hadn't gone along with him, hadn't acted passively and revealed nothing, he might never have guessed her true preferences.
Some things allowed for softness, but not compromise.
She allowed herself to indulge in him, knowing it was hard for her to fall for someone. Once, she had felt a fleeting fondness for someone, but she thought her feelings for Liu Jiang Fusheng were deeper than that momentary, easily forgotten fondness.
At that very moment, in that very instant, she was certain.
Her eyes darkened, and she finally spoke calmly, "Yes, we have a child."
After receiving her affirmative answer, Liu Jiang Fusheng suddenly lowered his hand. His clear, autumn-frost eyes were as red as a rabbit's. He was already a stunning, delicate beauty, pure yet alluring. With his repressed emotions and profound, unspoken resentment, his gaze made the harsh words Gu Junshi was about to utter difficult to speak.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Ever since Liu Jiang Fusheng's reincarnation, Gu Junshi had treated him completely differently. If one has never possessed something, they fear losing it. He clearly remembered her eyes as cold and untainted by the world, but later… he lost himself.
Because she was so good to him, as if to compensate for a debt, she returned all the tenderness, favoritism, and pampering he deserved.
Aside from not loving him, she did everything a wife should, and shouldn't, do for him.
After losing his memory, he came to the cultivation world. He was the highly regarded Heavenly Spirit Root, while she was the scorned mortal. At the time, he harbored intertwined hatred for her and genuinely enjoyed the disparity in their statuses.
Yet, she bore this vastly different境遇 without a hint of complaint.
She had said she would always stay by his side, and she never broke her promise.
Later, when he was to enter a three-year secluded cultivation, he made no arrangements or protections for her. She remained alone outside. He knew how difficult it was for her to stay in the Great Evolution Sect given her circumstances, but he still told her to wait for him.
He had been terrified she wouldn't agree.
But in the end, she smiled and told him, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
From that moment on, the fervent, twisted hatred in his heart seemed to be soothed by a warm pool.
He had heard somewhere that a person who never felt emotions, once they fall in love at first sight, it means their soul has chosen that person. Even with amnesia, they would loyally fall for the same person again.
After being killed by her repeatedly, he believed the heart that once beat for her had long since died.
But later, he didn't know when, he gradually forgot to hate her. While telling himself he had to make her love him and then exact fierce revenge, he was also clearly watching himself fall into the comfort of her affection.
Now, her attitude towards him seemed to have completely changed after he revealed his reincarnation. She no longer directed that unique, gentle gaze solely at him. Her conversations with him became indifferent, as if indicating… he was no different from anyone else.
It was as if her heart had already changed seasons, and he was still standing on the day she made her promise.
Gu Junshi noticed the fading demonic markings on his face, and a problem arose. He needed to assimilate with the Fallen Demon Dragon to make it lower its guard and prevent it from becoming desperate. This would also allow her to completely deal with the dragon.
Finally, she brushed aside her hesitating feelings.
She looked at Liu Jiang Fusheng, wanting him to see clearly that she was not joking.
Meeting his complex, intensely fluctuating gaze, Gu Junshi, like an emotionless machine, stated plainly, "Because, from beginning to end, I never intended to keep it."
With that, she shook her sleeve and raised a palm, poised to strike her abdomen.
This action terrified Liu Jiang Fusheng. His hair bristled, his long, dark green locks scattering across his cheeks. "No—"
The others were also startled, thinking she was truly heartless.
He moved with incredible speed, so fast that his afterimage was invisible, as if tearing through the void directly to her. A powerful gust of wind distorted the surrounding air. He fiercely grabbed Gu Junshi's hand, his fingertips ice-cold and trembling uncontrollably. The demonic markings on his face had deepened to the bone.
And Gu Junshi was waiting for this moment. She looked up, the dim, dark clouds and wind blowing her hair and clothes. She suddenly said in a deep voice, "Husband!"
Liu Jiang Fusheng's eyes, filled with demonic energy and so dark that his whites were gone, flickered. Seizing the opportunity, she thrust her fingers into his abdomen. *Thump*— the original wound stopped bleeding, only to be torn open again. Simultaneously, a dark blue flame ignited within.
The dark blue "petals" emanating from the "flame" swirled around him, fluttering and dancing, engulfing his abdomen and chest.
Pain—
A heart-wrenching agony coursed through him, causing Liu Jiang Fusheng to involuntarily let out a pained groan.
"Fusheng, bear with it." Gu Junshi's face was also pale. She dug out the "Dragon Pill," which had intertwined with Liu Jiang Fusheng's spiritual root, along with the Fallen Demon Dragon, which was also being consumed by the Netherfire.
Blood dripped from her wrist, scalding hot. His chest and abdomen were covered in crimson blood, as was Gu Junshi's. If he truly endured as she wished, he remained motionless, and she did not hesitate for a moment.
This move was akin to facing death to achieve life.
At this point, the Fallen Demon Dragon finally understood Gu Junshi's plan.
She intended to trap it within this pure body and exploit its malevolent intention to slowly wear down and devour the Heavenly Spirit Root's soul. Then, by feigning compliance, as they fused more tightly and became inseparable, she would extract all its power from his dantian.
What was all its power? It was the Dragon Pill it had swallowed but not yet fully digested.
Once the Dragon Pill was gone, its own soul power would be insufficient to resist the scorching of the Netherfire. Moreover, the Netherfire could be controlled at Gu Junshi's will, specifically targeting souls like it without harming Liu Jiang Fusheng's divine soul.
This woman who schemed was deeply calculating!
And utterly venomous!
For the "demon dragons," she chose to absorb them into the "Gate of the Yellow Springs." Now, it was its turn. She gave it no hope of survival, intending to annihilate it completely!
The Fallen Demon Dragon roared, and distorted afterimages appeared on Liu Jiang Fusheng's body. Its anger and fear were palpable. It glared at Gu Junshi with boundless hatred, but her abyssal gaze pinned it in place.
At that moment, a clear thought flashed through its mind. It suddenly understood that Gu Junshi wanted it to have no path to regeneration.
She was angry, and she was seeking revenge.
She seemed to have forgotten the past, remaining calm and composed without showing any emotion.
It had destroyed the sliver of hope she had for her child. It had destroyed White Tower City, the Dragon Marrow. When it told her the truth, she had already planned its end.
She had always remembered this hatred.
She wanted it to pay the ultimate price for her fury.
The Fallen Demon Dragon felt a chill all over its body, suddenly realizing how terrifying this woman was. No wonder she could become the "Lord of the Yellow Springs." Perhaps in the future, she could—
No, it could not admit defeat. It could not be burned to death like this!
"Liu Jiang Fusheng, don't you hate her? You should hate her! Remember, this woman, she deceived you, tricked you, killed you!"
"Release me, and I'll kill her for you—"
With its last bit of strength, it tried to incite Liu Jiang Fusheng to oppose Gu Junshi. However, Liu Jiang Fusheng, previously frenzied and resentful, now locked it firmly within him. Even as Gu Junshi dug into his dantian before his eyes, causing him excruciating pain that made his whole body tremble, he did not move.
His eyes were clear, even as the surging demonic energy threatened to engulf his form.
Finally, a black energy emanating from Gu Junshi's body enveloped Liu Jiang Fusheng's demonic energy. Its color was so dense, yet so pure, without a trace of impurity, but it made Liu Jiang Fusheng feel as if it was "devouring" and stripping away the cold, painful demonic energy.
The Fallen Demon Dragon couldn't believe that Liu Jiang Fusheng, who had ignited so readily with a single spark of fire, was now like wet firewood, unable to produce even a spark. Instead, it was being burned by the Netherfire, as if its skin was being ripped off, like being sliced by a thousand blades.
"Gu Junshi— do you think you can remain unharmed in the cultivation world? You will soon be eliminated as an obstacle. Your future will be—"
It let out a tragic cry and slowly dissipated in extreme agony.
Gu Junshi's hands were covered in blood. She opened her palm, looking at the Dragon Pill. It was now stained black with demonic energy, about the size of a lustrous pearl.
A fist-sized hole in Liu Jiang Fusheng's dantian had been almost healed by the Dragon Pill's potent regenerative power, allowing him to awaken. He happened to overhear the conversation between Gu Junshi and Cheng Hong.
Cheng Hong turned his head, trying to keep any emotion from his voice. "She and this child are naturally incompatible and cannot coexist. If this child remains, Gu Junshi's life will be in grave danger."