Yin Shi shook her head, tears streaming down her face as she hugged the fleshy ball even tighter.
Li Jing yanked Yin Shi away and threw the fleshy ball aside.
The weakened Yin Shi could not resist Li Jing's actions.
"Don't—"
Yin Shi's scream rang out at the same time as the sound of a blade slicing through the air.
The blade struck the fleshy ball.
Blood sprayed out, golden light burst forth, and the entire room shone brightly.
A baby rolled out of the split fleshy ball, fair and tender, with a dot of cinnabar between his brows. His cries were loud and clear, no different from those of an ordinary infant.
The baby opened his eyes, his grape-like black pupils turning as he let out a loud cry.
Yin Shi froze for a moment, then pounced forward and gathered the baby into her arms, crying even louder than he was.
"My child... my child..."
The baby kept his eyes open, his dark pupils shifting as he stared at Yin Shi.
Yin Shi looked up, her eyes red-rimmed.
"Master, look. He's human, not a demon."
Li Jing sheathed his sword, his voice hoarse.
"...Mm."
He stepped closer and lowered his head to look at the baby in Yin Shi's arms.
The baby looked back at him, then suddenly broke into a grin, revealing his pink gums.
Li Jing's mind was in turmoil. This child's birth had been too strange: a three-year pregnancy, born from a fleshy ball. It was hardly an auspicious omen.
He was a general. He should have put the greater good first.
He should have raised his sword again.
Yin Shi took his hand, pulled it over, and placed it against the baby's face.
The baby's little face was warm and soft, his skin as delicate