In the last month of my pregnancy, I still couldn't get in touch with Qing Ye, but an unexpected visitor showed up.
Ye Qingxian seemed to have been standing outside my cave dwelling for a long time without knocking to announce herself. It wasn't until I stepped outside that I noticed a figure beneath the tree.
Ginkgo leaves rustled in the wind.
The young woman stood with her hands behind her back, dressed in a pristine white gown. Her back still seemed untouched by the mortal world.
There was a ginkgo tree in front of my cave dwelling, too. I'd transplanted it more than ten years ago.
Frowning, I opened the ward.
Ye Qingxian saw through the illusion at a glance. Looking at Junior Sister's somewhat haggard face, she asked, "Junior Sister, are you planning to give birth by yourself?"
"Mm." My eyes shifted a few times.
It was only because my cultivation was too low. If it were some other immortal lady giving birth, anyone with a slightly higher cultivation could simply reach in and pull the baby out. How could cultivation ever get more and more inconvenient?
Cultivators above the Fortieth Realm could unleash their full strength in battle. The moment they left the Supreme World, where the laws were stable, the slightest Sword Qi could destroy a galaxy and shatter billions of stars.
In the Supreme Heaven, if you called me a useless cultivator, I wouldn't take offense.
But down in the lower worlds, what should you call me?
A cultivator of that caliber, and you're telling me she could have a difficult birth?
Don't make me laugh.
My cultivation really was very low. The only thing that made me stronger than an ordinary person was my ability to use a little magic.
Even if I wanted to join the Supreme Heaven the usual way, I'd still have to ascend four whole times.
Even so.
If you converted my Qi Refining Third Layer cultivation into the power levels of a martial arts world, my attack power would still be comparable to that of an innate master capable of releasing internal energy outside their body.
If that master caught me off guard, I could even sneak up and kill them.
If you had a question, go ask my divine sense and talismans.
Never underestimate a cultivator at the Qi Refining Third Layer.
I, Ye Xiaoyao, was quite powerful, too.
Those cultivators who claimed I couldn't even beat a crab were talking utter nonsense.
Ye Qingxian saw my gaze shifting around and immediately realized my mind had wandered. Who knew what random nonsense I was imagining now? She picked up the conversation at once. "Giving birth probably won't be easy for you. Would you like me to help?"
My thoughts paused for a second. I stared at the young woman's stunning face, and my eyes curved ever so slightly.
The little girl looked adorable, but she kept coming up with one wicked idea after another. She was a master schemer, wicked to the core. "Nope. I'm afraid the baby's father would get jealous."
I was utterly serious. I opened my little mouth and spouted nonsense. "Sorry, Senior Sister. Junior Sister has to uphold the virtues of a chaste woman, too."
That sort of cultivation-world opinion, as ridiculous as foot-binding, left Ye Qingxian's expression frozen for a long time.
I kept staring at Ye Qingxian. When I saw her face stiffen, I was already laughing inside.
That'll teach you to keep picking on me. Bet you're furious now.
Lately, I'd been seriously questioning Ye Qingxian's true intentions.
She was always hanging around me. Could it be that she liked me!?
Of course, the Female Protagonist liking me was basically impossible.
Still, I had to see it coming and take precautions.
After all, I didn't want to become an obstacle to the Male and Female Leads' romance.
Ye Qingxian quickly regained her composure. "You're about to give birth, and he still hasn't shown up to be by your side? I can't understand what you see in a scum of the cultivation world like him."
I glared at her, puffing up with anger. "Don't you dare say that about him."
Ye Qingxian fell silent in an instant. She kept gazing at Junior Sister's soft, round face, puffed out like a steamed bun...
That little mouth of hers was getting more and more tempting, though.
She could say with complete certainty that Junior Sister hadn't contacted the scumbag in a long time.
And yet, Junior Sister still hadn't forgotten him.
If anything, she was even more "devoted" than before.
At that moment, Ye Qingxian felt an inexplicable discomfort.
A storm of tangled thoughts clashed in her mind, stirring up the thoughts that followed.
This can't go on...
She told herself.
She couldn't keep ignoring Junior Sister. She couldn't just stand by and watch her fall so deeply for a scumbag, still unable to forget him even now.
Ye Qingxian convinced herself in barely a second.
The most likely reason Junior Sister still hadn't given up was that she'd never seen the truly high-quality prospects in the Cultivation World. That was why she still couldn't forget the scumbag who'd tricked her into giving up her body.
If Junior Sister met someone truly exceptional, there was a good chance she'd wake up to the truth at once.
For Junior Sister's lifelong happiness, Ye Qingxian thought she had to do something.
When it came to the best prospects in this world, could anyone possibly outshine Ye Qingxian?
Without the slightest qualm, Ye Qingxian set her sights on herself.
She—didn't like Junior Sister.
Nor was she planning to flirt with her. She just wanted Junior Sister to come to her senses.
That didn't contradict her being straight at all.
Ye Qingxian had completely convinced herself.
She only wanted to help Junior Sister. Once Junior Sister realized what a truly exceptional cultivator looked like and completely forgot the scumbag, Ye Qingxian could gracefully bow out.
She believed that by then, Junior Sister would understand her good intentions.
Ye Qingxian spoke with utter conviction, even dredging up the arguments she'd used before: what was the difference between a person who would even go after a little girl like Junior Sister, whom you could lift with one hand, and a beast?
Her reasoning was rock solid—solid enough to leave Ye Qingxian perfectly at ease.
That was her resolve: she only wanted to help Junior Sister.
After seeing the harmonious relationship between Yue Wuhua and Shuang Yue, Ye Qingxian had spent many nights tossing and turning. In the end, she'd come to a conclusion.
As long as she could make Junior Sister completely forget the scumbag, she could have a normal sisterly relationship with her.
Could they finally reach the one and only heartwarming ending?
At that thought, while the little girl kept scrutinizing her, Ye Qingxian suddenly made a decision that went against everything she'd been taught. Instead of asking questions and getting rejected again, she took a step forward under the gaze of the dazed little girl and pinned the still-stunned little cutie against the wall.
"Junior Sister, you don't get to decide."
"How can you give birth without someone there to help?"
"I'm your Senior Sister. I absolutely won't allow that."
"I have to make sure everything is taken care of."
Ye Qingxian's gaze was calm, her tone firm. "It's my responsibility."
She'd learned that from Yue Wuhua.
Being direct could solve anything.
Ye Qingxian's sudden "assault" made my brain freeze for several seconds. Even after her arms boxed me in, my little head still hadn't caught up.
"Ye Qingxian!" I shrieked. "You—"
You jerk!!
I bit the rest of my words off before they could come out.
With my spineless temperament, I swallowed them right back down.
Ye Qingxian was a lot taller than me. From where I stood, I couldn't even see a sliver of sunlight. All I could smell was the fragrance of a young woman.
I'd never been this close to anyone before. My whole face turned bright red, and then I was overcome by an unimaginable anger.
I was furious.
My teeth ground together with a crunch.
The Female Protagonist had been perfectly fine. What was her problem?
If she wanted to talk, she could've just talked. Why did she have to pin me against the wall?
Couldn't she just speak properly, or was she afraid I'd run away?
"I have my own plans." I pretended not to notice what the Female Protagonist was doing, stiffened my little face, and made one last attempt to resist.
Ye Qingxian remained calm. "That's an order from your Senior Sister."
The unspoken meaning was that she wouldn't discuss it with me again.
Since when had the Female Protagonist stopped being reasonable, too? My little face went blank.
Hey, you can't just play dirty!
Who had Ye Qingxian learned this from? How had she become so difficult to deal with?
I was grinding my teeth with frustration, but I didn't dare yell at the Female Protagonist like I used to.
Fine. You're ordering me around.
I'll... endure it.
So you're Ye Qingxian, huh?
"Whatever." I tossed out the words and nearly fled.
Ye Qingxian stayed where she was, watching the little girl stumble away and smiling with satisfaction.
As expected, being direct was the way to go.
Junior Sister's tactics worked pretty well. Sometimes, being unreasonable could solve all sorts of problems.
That was just how you had to handle Junior Sister when she was being stubborn and refusing to behave.
Only...
For now, she still didn't know why Junior Sister had stopped scolding her.
With her, this rare jewel, standing right behind her,
surely Junior Sister would soon realize just how shameless that scumbag was.
In the two months since the trouble with Qing Ye first came to light, Ye Qingxian hadn't been in this good a mood for even a single day. As she walked, she seemed to carry a breeze with her.
For a while, she'd suspected she liked Junior Sister, then gotten stuck on the fact that she was supposed to be straight.
Now, it was as if clouds had parted to reveal the sun. She'd finally seen the light.
She'd known it—how could she possibly like Junior Sister?
As it turned out, she, Ye Qingxian, was still as straight as ever.
Coming up with a new way to save Junior Sister was practically perfect—a strategy that could protect them both.
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