Early Production

Grandma Liu's visit to the Grand View Garden has ended.

Returning to her small abode, she closed the door; life had to go on.

No matter how bustling and prosperous the outside world was, or how rich and colorful the fairies' private lives were, it temporarily had nothing to do with me, Ye Xiaoyao, a Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator.

I took out the Storage Bag I kept close and counted my Spirit Stones again.

Because I wouldn't be able to farm for the next two months.

There was definitely some pressure.

The remaining Spirit Stones were dwindling, even about to become a two-digit number.

I propped my chin in my hand, my brows knitted in worry.

What--should I do.

I tidied my clothes and prepared to go out.

I also inevitably thought of my agreement and cooperation with Qing Ye.

If there were any possibility, I would definitely not get involved with Ye Qingxian.

The lack of security, the inability to feel grounded, was something Ye Qingxian could never compare to Qing Ye. The latter was the only one willing to respect me and treat me as an equal cultivator. No matter how I thought about it, Ye Qingxian couldn't compare to Qing Ye in my heart.

Therefore, I was more inclined to have Qing Ye lend a hand during my delivery for any unforeseen circumstances, rather than placing a walking time bomb next to me at my most vulnerable moment.

As nearly three months passed, the possibility of Qing Ye being Ye Qingxian became lower and lower.

As long as she wasn't Ye Qingxian, I believed my conviction wouldn't crumble.

In the end, I just wanted to be recognized once.

Instead of repeatedly receiving only the pity offered by the Female Protagonist.

I walked out with a heavy heart.

I was mentally prepared.

As long as Qing Ye came out of seclusion early, or I could contact her and confirm Qing Ye wasn't Ye Qing, I would proceed with the delivery ahead of schedule.

Having witnessed the true prosperity of the Cultivation World, the truth that a mere crab could easily crush me had kept me under immense pressure since my return.

I knew I was not yet in the same world as them.

Direct Disciple's Cave Mansion.

Ye Qingxian looked at the clone she had just created with great satisfaction. It had taken her nearly two months to find a suitable secret technique, and now she finally had results.

To ensure it was foolproof, she had even given the clone a real name certified by the Heavenly Dao.

Memory sharing, thought sharing, physical sensation sharing.

It could even be said that this was a mini Ye Qingxian, virtually indistinguishable from herself.

With a wave of her hand, Ye Qingxian sent this Qi Refining Seventh Layer mini Ye Qingxian to Qing Ye's Cave Mansion.

What she didn't expect was that as soon as she created a clone, Ye Xiaoyao arrived at her Cave Mansion's entrance.

Without thinking, Qing Ye opened the Cave Mansion.

I froze for a second and instinctively asked, "Are you out of seclusion?"

The exhaustion on Qing Ye's face was undeniable.

I stared at Qing Ye's forehead; her very inferior Spiritual Root was only slightly better than mine.

The name Qing Ye was dazzling, bringing an unprecedented sense of stability to my heart.

She gave a self-deprecating smile, her expression dejected. "I was planning to break through to the second realm, but I failed at the last moment and actually dropped to Qi Refining Seventh Layer. I'll likely need your help more in the future. I hope you won't mind..."

My heart leaped as I sensed Qing Ye's cultivation level.

As expected, she was already at Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

It was even precarious, threatening to drop to Qi Refining Sixth Layer at any moment.

"This..." I also felt a pang of sympathy for Qing Ye's situation, and then said, "Why don't you rest in your Cave Mansion? It wouldn't be good to trouble you for help then."

I was scolding myself for my suspicion.

Qing Ye is Qing Ye, how could she be that inexplicably strange woman, let alone someone whose mind was destined to become corrupted in the future.

She was just in seclusion and failed her breakthrough.

And here I was, constantly doubting Qing Ye's motives.

It was truly wrong.

"It's alright," Qing Ye coughed weakly. "It's damage to my Dantian. Seclusion won't help. I'll just have to slowly recuperate from now on. Your matters are equally important."

She looked at my belly. "It should be close to your due date, right?"

I placed one hand on my waist to steady my balance. "Mm, I feel like I could give birth any moment..."

"Give birth." I suddenly disliked the term "give birth" a little, as if it constantly reminded me that the baby was a hybrid kitten.

Qing Ye stared at the little loli's beautiful red eyes. "Doesn't your Direct Disciple senior sister care about your delivery?"

"Her," I bit out the words, my voice clear and unhesitating, "she's a bad person."

I pouted, speaking my true feelings, which made Qing Ye's heart sink.

"Is she... very, very bad?" Even she didn't realize how tentative she sounded when she asked.

"Mmm..." I elaborated, "Not that bad, I just don't like her."

I kept my eyes fixed on an ant crawling on the ground, completely missing the slight stiffness in Qing Ye's expression.

She forced a laugh, trying to sound casual. "Ha, ha, then she really is quite terrible..."

Isn't she?

How could she not be terrible?

So much time had passed, and she still wasn't a positive figure in Junior Sister's heart, not even getting a passing grade. Where could anyone even begin to reason with that?

I eyed Qing Ye suspiciously, feeling like she was putting on a brave face, but I probably just misread it. "Don't tell anyone else, okay? Talking badly about a Direct Disciple behind their back will get you in serious trouble. I'm only telling you this in secret."

"Understood," Qing Ye patted her chest, promising.

As if.

She wasn't completely brain-dead, would she go around spreading gossip about herself?

Junior Sister was different; it wouldn't matter if she talked.

It was just that the future hadn't been shattered yet.

One day, Junior Sister would know what kind of person she truly was.

Ye Qingxian would quickly forgive her.

Qing Ye and I agreed on a location.

"She definitely won't know this place. It's a secret base I found years ago," Qing Ye stated with absolute certainty that Ye Qingxian would never find it.

"Really?" I was a little uneasy. For something as major as childbirth, I preferred to trust the Restriction on my Cave Mansion. Even if Qing Ye was an imposter, I could use the Restriction to fight back when I was most vulnerable.

No matter how much I trusted someone, I wouldn't leave myself completely defenseless.

There shouldn't be any fools like that in the Cultivation World.

"Let's go back to my Cave Mansion."

I said it decisively, making up my mind.

"Cut the Gordian knot."

"I'll give birth tonight. You guard me."

Ye Qingxian would never have imagined it.

I would cooperate with the system a full week in advance to induce labor.