As they spoke, Song Zhizhi's stomach rumbled. She took out a Fasting Pill and popped it into her mouth.
Seeing that familiar bottle, Liu Changfei suddenly remembered what she had been interrupted from saying before. She smacked her forehead and said to Song Zhizhi, "I almost forgot the important matter!"
Song Zhizhi:?
Meeting Song Zhizhi's puzzled gaze, Liu Changfei said solemnly, "Zhizhi, I checked earlier. There's nothing wrong with this bottle of Fasting Pills."
"Hm?" Song Zhizhi froze for a moment. She had eaten a Fasting Pill. "Nothing wrong?"
If there was nothing wrong with the pills, then the problem was—
Her body?
"Perhaps there's something wrong with your body." Liu Changfei nodded, looking at Song Zhizhi apologetically. "I learned a few superficial things from the elders of my clan. If you don't mind, I can examine you first and see where the cause lies."
Song Zhizhi had not expected the healing cultivator she had been looking for to be right before her eyes. She immediately held out her hand to Liu Changfei. "It's fine. Go ahead and examine me."
Liu Changfei gently placed her hand on Song Zhizhi's wrist. She did not dare be careless as she carefully sensed her pulse.
Her pulse was steady, but she seemed somewhat deficient in blood and qi, with insufficient vital essence. The spiritual energy within her body was floating and unstable, as though something had devoured it.
Liu Changfei frowned and sent a wisp of spiritual energy in to probe. Song Zhizhi did not resist this trace of spiritual energy, and it quickly traveled through all her meridians, yet Liu Changfei found nothing unusual.
When the spiritual energy flowed back to the Dantian, Liu Changfei discovered that the spiritual energy there was far more condensed than that of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator. Mixed within it was a force of utmost yang and rigid strength, one that did not belong to Song Zhizhi herself.
Suddenly, from within that force, she sensed a faint heartbeat.
Liu Changfei's eyes widened in disbelief. She sensed it carefully once more and confirmed that she had not been mistaken.
She withdrew her hand, her eyes wide as she lowered her head and looked at Song Zhizhi's stomach with a complicated expression.
Seeing Liu Changfei's reaction, Song Zhizhi's heart gave a thump. She asked uneasily, "Is there... something seriously wrong with my body?"
Liu Changfei hesitated, unsure how to begin.
Song Zhizhi let out a breath and comforted Liu Changfei. "It's all right. Just tell me. I can accept it."
Song Zhizhi had considered many possibilities, thinking it could be nothing more than a problem with her cultivation.
"You..." Liu Changfei took a deep breath. Seeing that no one was around, she lowered her voice and said to Song Zhizhi, "You're pregnant."
Preg...
Song Zhizhi froze. "Y-you must have seen wrong, I clearly..."
After that day, she had clearly gone to a physician and had a contraceptive decoction prepared. How could she possibly be pregnant?
Liu Changfei shook her head. She took Song Zhizhi's hand and pressed it against her lower abdomen. "Mortal medicines are ineffective on cultivators, including contraceptive decoctions. The child in your womb already has a heartbeat. Judging by your pulse, you've been pregnant for a month."
"The reason you've often felt tired and easily hungry lately is related to your pregnancy. For female cultivators, nurturing life is more dangerous than it is for mortal women..."
Song Zhizhi's ears buzzed. She could no longer hear what Liu Changfei said afterward. Only the words, "You've been pregnant for a month," echoed endlessly in her mind. She unconsciously touched her lower abdomen, her expression blank and her mind utterly empty.
She was actually pregnant. She was carrying Xie Xiuji's child...
It had only been that one night. How had she become pregnant?
A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind, and a rare look of bewilderment appeared on her face.
What was she supposed to do?
In her previous life, Song Zhizhi had only lived to twenty-five. She had never even dated before. With something like an out-of-wedlock pregnancy happening to her, she did not know what to do for a moment.
Seeing that Song Zhizhi's complexion seemed rather poor, Liu Changfei asked worriedly, "Zhizhi, are you all right?"
Song Zhizhi came back to herself. After taking some time to digest this fact, she drew a deep breath and shook her head with forced calm. "I'm fine. Feifei, could you please keep this matter secret for me?"
Liu Changfei raised her fingers and swore, "Don't worry. Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know. I absolutely won't tell a third person!"
"Zhizhi, if there's anything you need help with, just say it. Don't ever stand on ceremony with me."
"Mm." Song Zhizhi forced a smile. "Thank you."
Liu Changfei left with the outer sect steward. Meng Ping led the seven of them through the Teleportation Array to the front of the Main Peak hall.
He took out a stone the size of a human head and said, "This is a Spirit-Testing Stone. Although you have tested your Spiritual Roots before, this Spirit-Testing Stone can test not only Spiritual Roots, but also physiques. The elders will accept disciples according to your attributes."
"Which of you seven will go first?"
The few of them exchanged glances. Pei Yuqing, wearing a white jade crown, stepped forward and placed his hand on the Spirit-Testing Stone. At once, the stone emitted a dazzling golden light interwoven with several streaks of red.
"Pei Yuqing, Metal-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots."
Another person stepped forward.
Meng Ping took a look and said, "Fang Zheng, Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Root."
"Kong Xing, Water-Earth Dual Spiritual Roots."
"Zhong Jing, Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Root."
Four in a row had Dual Spiritual Roots, yet Meng Ping's expression did not change. How could a genius with a Single Spirit Root appear so easily? Even among the Sword Sect's inner disciples, only one or two in ten possessed Single Spirit Roots.
"Next."
Feng Yulong strode forward, then confidently pressed his hand against the Spirit-Testing Stone. The next moment, ripples of water swayed within the stone, which gave off an azure-blue glow.
Meng Ping breathed a sigh of relief, then nodded with a satisfied smile. "Feng Yulong, single-element Water Spiritual Root. Not bad."
Feng Yulong turned to look at Song Miaomiao and Song Zhizhi, triumph flashing through his eyes as he lifted his chin. "Song Zhizhi came first on the Questioning Heart Road, and Song Miaomiao came first on the Heart-Trial Stone. I wonder whether their Spiritual Roots are even more impressive than mine?"
Hearing someone call her name, Song Zhizhi looked up and happened to meet Feng Yulong's provocative gaze.
It was her turn next. Ignoring Feng Yulong's challenging stare, Song Zhizhi stepped forward and placed her hand on the Spirit-Testing Stone. A blinding red light lit up across it.