Yes, We Want a Child

Jiang Chen jumped, almost thinking Wang Baolin was some hidden master too.

Wang Baolin hurriedly said:

"Did you know? Steward Chen of our Tranquil Heart Peak is actually a peerless expert in the Spirit Severing Realm! He just crushed that demoness's arrogance and even captured the sect's First Patriarch, Elder Wanfa!"

Jiang Chen looked around. Since Tian Mingye, the demoness attacking the mountain, had come alone, the Azure Mist Sect's lower-ranking disciples had not needed to fight. Most of them had gone into hiding.

It had to be said, Wang Baolin was quite brave.

"You came looking for me, so why did you end up here?"

Wang Baolin suddenly grabbed Jiang Chen and said:

"I haven't seen you for two days. Today, I was hiding on the mountain opposite when I suddenly saw Steward Chen slash his sword toward Senior Sister's cave abode. Then I remembered—you were probably meeting with Senior Sister Liu these past two days. I was so jealous...

But when Steward Chen's sword qi came down, I wasn't so jealous anymore. I hurried over to see if you were all right.

Why was Steward Chen attacking you two?"

Jiang Chen also realized that besides risking himself to save him, Wang Baolin had come with some hope of finding an opportunity—for instance, capturing the injured Demon Sect spy, Liu Ruyan.

"Maybe he was jealous of us lovebirds. Or maybe he fell under an illusion and started slashing blindly.

In any case, Senior Sister Liu is dead, and my heart died with her. I'm preparing to leave the sect and wander the world. Take care, Senior Brother!"

With that, Jiang Chen turned and left.

Wang Baolin muttered to himself, then called out to Jiang Chen from afar:

"How could this happen... Junior Brother, where are you going? Don't do anything foolish!"

Without turning back, Jiang Chen waved a hand and said:

"It's not that serious. I'm just finding another girl to chase."

Wang Baolin was left standing alone in the wind.

He thought, We're both Qi Refining disciples, so why can Junior Brother Jiang live so freely?

"Lose weight!"

He made up his mind.

Jiang Chen quietly left the Azure Mist Sect.

He thought that if Sect Master Luo Qingzhou investigated this matter thoroughly, it would be easy to trace it back to him.

He could not return to the Azure Mist Sect!

Of course, the more important reason was this: all the hidden experts in the Azure Mist Sect were gone. What main storyline was left for him to simulate?

He needed a grander stage to simulate plots.

There was still plenty of time. After leaving the sect, Jiang Chen flew swiftly on his sword and quickly returned to Xiyang City.

Eastern outskirts, Spirit Spring Inn.

The moment Jiang Chen returned, he saw the old innkeeper hurrying toward him.

"Where have you been, young friend? Something major happened at the Azure Mist Sect today."

Jiang Chen feigned surprise.

"What happened?"

"This old man heard that Tian Mingye, the Heavenly Demon Sect's sect master, was leading a horde of demons to attack the mountain gate!"

"Haha, to be honest, I just came back from the Azure Mist Sect. Tian Mingye attacked the mountain alone and was already driven off by Steward Chen."

"Chen Gongxing?"

"He had been concealing his Spirit Severing cultivation all these years, comprehending the Dao and cultivating in the Azure Mist Sect!"

The old innkeeper froze, staring fixedly at Jiang Chen. Only after a long while did he finally let out a breath.

"So that's how it is... Good, good... As expected of Junior Brother Chen!"

Jiang Chen thought that if he did not admit he had returned from the Azure Mist Sect, the innkeeper would remain anxious and unsettled, making it impossible for him to cultivate in peace as well.

After settling the innkeeper down, he returned to his cultivation room.

He sat cross-legged in meditation.

By now, he had absorbed enough Heavenly Demon demonic qi. The pills and spirit stones he had obtained as spoils had also been almost entirely used up.

All he lacked was demon qi!

He took out the red Demon Core left behind by the Thousand-Faced Fox. Senior Sister Liu's image surfaced before his eyes, and without hesitation, he swallowed the Demon Core.

Within his dantian, the amounts of spiritual qi, demon qi, and demonic qi were not equal.

Yet through the dynamic spiral of three magatama chasing one another head to tail, the excess would rapidly be flung away, allowing the three powers to reach a delicate balance.

Then, the rotation grew faster and faster, and a visible Abyss gradually formed at the vortex's center!

Boom—

This time, Jiang Chen was mentally prepared.

His soul's attention was not focused on the vortex in his sea of qi at all, but anchored firmly to the system panel.

He only felt his brain jolt.

His consciousness sank with it...

Yet the tendrils of his soul clung tightly to the system panel, his lifeline, successfully keeping him conscious.

He did not pass out for a long time like last time.

Still, the feeling remained excruciating, as though countless neurons were being slowly sliced apart one blade at a time.

By noon the next day, when the plot ended.

Jiang Chen was soaked through. His spiritual veins flowed freely, his sea of qi churned, and his muscles were pale with a rosy flush. Both his spiritual pressure and physique had improved considerably.

He hurriedly looked at the system panel.

[Cultivation]: Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

After transmigrating for three years, he had been unable to cultivate Qi Refining. Once the system arrived, he had reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer in just twelve days!

If he were given ten years, would he not pierce through the Heavenly Dao and ascend in broad daylight?

"Not bad. I've completed a small guaranteed baseline."

Next, he could take some risks twice.

Chen Gongxing and Tian Mingye—he wanted to see whether either of them had any opportunities.

The first simulation ended.

Jiang Chen's divine sense returned to the Spirit Spring Inn... though he had already returned in the first place.

Then, without the slightest pause, he immediately began the second plot simulation.

In Jiang Chen's view, the first simulated plot had seemed perfect, but one small hidden danger from the original plot remained unresolved.

That was, he and Liu Ruyan were the only two people besides Reverend Guiqi who possessed the Demi-Immortal's Book.

If Reverend Guiqi's soul were revived by Liyue, Liyue would definitely learn that two copies of the Demi-Immortal's Book had leaked out.

One copy was certainly with the Thousand-Faced Fox.

What about the other one?

If Chen Gongxing was not blind, sooner or later he would investigate Jiang Chen.

"A bit of a hidden danger."

For the second simulation, he decided to personally test whether this hidden danger was truly dangerous.

[Second simulation begins. Please choose a drop location!]

This time, Jiang Chen descended into the clouds, hiding within Liu Ruyan's illusion.

Only when Chen Gongxing fell under the illusion and prepared to thrust out his sword did Jiang Chen suddenly leap from the clouds and warn him:

"Steward Chen, why not see whether Senior Gui Qi is still behind you?"

Chen Gongxing froze. Who are you?

When he turned around, Reverend Guiqi had vanished without a trace.

He instantly expanded his divine sense to its limit and only then discovered that he had fallen under an illusion.

With a sweep of his greatsword, he forcibly severed the Demonic Flame—and the illusion as well.

He had been careless. He had actually failed to notice the clouds...

However, the young man before him was not the one who had cast the illusion.

He seemed familiar somehow.

"You are..."

Jiang Chen froze. As expected, this bastard had completely forgotten him!

Served you right for falling under an illusion!

Though that was what he thought, he still replied respectfully:

"A disciple of Tranquil Heart Peak, Jiang Chen."

Chen Gongxing suddenly remembered something, and the wrinkles on his dry, cracked face relaxed.

"Oh, I remember now. You're the disciple from Stubborn Stone Peak, and in all these years, you're the only disciple who carefully observed my wheat field... That means your talent is poor enough that you resonated with the crooked, misshapen wheat stalks and heard their voices."

No, I did not.

Jiang Chen thought, So this was why you gave me that jade slip the first time we met?

Things were gradually beginning to make sense.

"Thanks to you, I nearly delayed something important."

As he spoke, Chen Gongxing turned to look at Liu Ruyan's cave abode on Tranquil Heart Peak.

"A mere fox demon dares toy with me!"

Just as he was about to draw his sword, Jiang Chen hurriedly stepped forward to stop him:

"I only came to warn you, Steward Chen, because I hope you can spare Senior Sister this once."

Chen Gongxing froze.

"You two..."

Jiang Chen gave a meaningful nod.

"Yes... we want to have a child."