Went Too Far

"This time, you improved a lot compared to before!" Murong praised afterward.

She casually tossed Zhou Hao a pair of underwear.

Zhou Hao caught them and briskly put them on. As he dressed, he smiled smugly and said as if it were only natural, "Of course."

Murong covered her mouth and laughed. "How about we do it again?"

Zhou Hao's expression changed instantly. His clothes froze halfway on, and he laughed awkwardly. "I've already gotten dressed, so let's not!"

"Hehe~" Murong chuckled, patting his shoulder. "Don't show off in front of me again."

Zhou Hao's mouth twitched. Good grief, he had to be capable of showing off first!

In front of a big shot like her, was he even qualified to put on airs?

He grumbled inwardly, but changed the subject the next moment. "You really only brought one pair of underwear?"

"Is one pair not enough?" Murong asked matter-of-factly.

Zhou Hao gave an embarrassed laugh. "Don't I need to wash and change them? How could one pair be enough?"

Murong rolled her eyes slightly. "Your clothes and underwear already have self-cleaning functions. Besides, have you ever seen a cultivator washing and changing clothes every day?"

Zhou Hao paused, only then realizing that this was no longer Blue Star. His habits needed to change as well.

Still, cultivators' clothes really were excellent. He had worn this set of aristocratic clothing for three days, yet there was not a single wrinkle on it—not even a speck of dust.

"We're going back." The moment Murong finished speaking, they returned to the secret chamber below.

The instant Zhou Yuanbao saw them appear, he flew over and asked, "Dad, Mom, where did you go?"

"Uh... well..." Zhou Hao scratched his cheek awkwardly, unsure how to answer for a moment.

Murong answered directly, "Grown-ups' business is none of a child's concern. Here, eat this!"

As she spoke, she gave Zhou Yuanbao another divine crystal.

The moment Zhou Yuanbao got it, he immediately flew off to one side and started gnawing on the divine crystal.

Zhou Hao sighed. When faced with something this awkward, his skin still was not thick enough.

Murong glanced at the Fire-Phoenix Egg and asked strangely, "That egg can be contracted now too. Why haven't you contracted it?"

Zhou Hao's expression immediately stiffened. His eyes darted around, and after pondering for a moment, he said solemnly, "Actually, there's something I want to confess to you."

"You're infertile?" Murong blurted out.

That was what concerned her most.

Zhou Hao broke out in a cold sweat, cursing wildly in his heart. You're the fucking infertile one.

Sigh... he had actually hit the mark. Murong really was infertile, otherwise she would not have come looking for him.

Zhou Hao shook his head. "No."

"Then that's fine." Murong's attitude immediately became casual.

Fuck, this hag really only cares about carrying on the family line.

Zhou Hao grumbled inwardly, while outwardly continuing the previous topic.

"Actually, I'm the disciple of Du Tianhong, the founding patriarch of the Womb Cultivation Sect."

Murong was slightly taken aback, though not particularly surprised. "So?"

Zhou Hao thought for a moment, then looked up at her while rubbing his Spirit-Womb Ring. "My master created this Spirit-Womb Ring. You know that, right?"

Murong nodded lightly. "I know."

Zhou Hao nodded and continued, "This pair of Spirit-Womb Rings was actually created to nurture a Divine Infant. You know that too, right?"

"I know." Murong frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say? Just say it."

Zhou Hao fell silent for a moment, drew a deep breath, and said firmly, "My master said that we must be in love to possibly produce a Divine Infant. So right now, it's fundamentally impossible for us to conceive."

He tried his utmost to make his tone sound firm. It would be best if he could fool even himself—then Murong would be more likely to believe him.

That was right. This was the method Zhou Hao had come up with over the past two days to stop Murong from "doing whatever she pleased." As long as he gave her the prerequisite that they had to be in love, Murong would definitely compromise for the sake of a child, and then make herself fall in love with him.

Hahaha... I really am a genius. Zhou Hao marveled inwardly at his own brilliance.

Murong pondered for a long time. Then she suddenly raised her head, stared fixedly at Zhou Hao, and asked coldly, "Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"

At that moment, Zhou Hao felt as if the entire space had frozen, as though even the air had solidified in midair.

He was panicking inside, but no matter what he felt, he had to keep his outward reaction normal. Since the lie had already left his mouth, he could only keep going. Once the bow was drawn, there was no turning back; otherwise, he would only suffer worse.

Zhou Hao understood his situation very clearly and immediately said in alarm, "It's true. I absolutely wasn't lying to you. I swear to heaven."

His alarm was genuine alarm, and it suited the way he ought to behave at this stage.

Murong sneered. "Swearing to heaven is useless. Next time I come, I'll bring a Truth Serum Pill. Eat it, then tell me all this again."

Zhou Hao's heart jolted. This was big trouble. His thoughts raced, and suddenly inspiration struck. He immediately removed the Ring of Holding from his middle finger and held it out before Murong.

"This is what my master told me to give to the other owner of the Spirit-Womb Ring. Inside is a cultivation method called the 'Spirit-Womb Art,' a method specifically meant to assist the birth of a Divine Infant. It must be cultivated alongside the Spirit-Womb Ring.

There are only two Spirit-Womb Rings in this world—you and me. This may not prove anything, but if the owners of the two Spirit-Womb Rings had no feelings for each other, do you think they would come together?

Our situation is special right now, but if their strengths were equal, do you think they would willingly come together? Not very likely, right?

Why would the Spirit-Womb Rings have an aphrodisiac effect? Wasn't it meant to help the two of us deepen our feelings?

And that Phoenix Egg—I actually contracted it before, but it failed. My master came out instead and said he hoped we would be a harmonious couple and not hurt our feelings. That indirectly proves that my master also believes we need feelings. Don't you think what I'm saying makes sense? Hehe~"

Zhou Hao maintained his smile, but inwardly he was panicking like hell. Nothing between the lines actually showed that having a child required feelings; he was just talking nonsense.

Tsk, he had been too clever for his own good. He had not expected something like a Truth Serum Pill to exist.

Still, there was one thing Zhou Hao could be certain of: Murong would not kill him. Whether she would beat him up, however, was hard to say.

Murong stared directly into Zhou Hao's eyes.

Naturally, Zhou Hao could not back down at a time like this. If he backed down, it would prove he had a guilty conscience, so he met Murong's gaze.

"Pfft~"

Murong suddenly burst out laughing, and the frozen air around them began to flow again.

Zhou Hao looked at her in confusion, thinking, What's going on?

At that moment, Murong reined in her smile and slowly said, "I can be certain that you were lying to me."

The moment Zhou Hao heard that, his face sank. It was over. He could not escape a vicious beating.

Yet Murong's next words surprised him.

Murong said, "But what you said makes sense. If two people are in love, perhaps they can nurture life better."

She had deliberately looked into such matters before in order to have a child. There was a race that could produce new life as long as the two parties were in love.

That race was the "Love" race, a plant race completely different from humans. But for the sake of a child, Murong would rather believe it existed than believe it did not.

In fact, when Zhou Hao raised this idea, she had thought it was feasible. For the sake of a child, she could try to fall in love with Zhou Hao. But Zhou Hao had dared to lie to her, which displeased her somewhat, so she gave him a little scare.