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Song Zhizhi had been watching Sword Venerable Mingxiao's expression. Seeing the faint rejection between his brows, her heart sank. She touched her lower abdomen and asked, "Do you really dislike children?"

"I wouldn't say I dislike them." Sword Venerable Mingxiao shook his head. Though he did not know why Song Zhizhi had brought this up, he had always answered every question she asked. "I just think children are somewhat troublesome, and they do not care much for cleanliness."

Song Zhizhi's grip on the rattle loosened slightly, her slender fingertips changing from white to pink. Thoughtfully, she said, "I rather like children."

Sword Venerable Mingxiao still felt there was something beneath Song Zhizhi's words. He stared at her for a while before hesitantly asking, "Could it be that you—"

Song Zhizhi's heart skipped half a beat. Had he realized?

She stared at Xie Xiuji and saw the man part his thin lips as he asked uncertainly, "Could it be that you miss home?"

After thinking it over, Sword Venerable Mingxiao felt that Song Zhizhi's unusual behavior today was probably because she missed home.

The higher a cultivator's cultivation, the harder it was to produce offspring. He was already at the Mahayana Stage, so it was virtually impossible for him to have children in this lifetime. Moreover, he and Song Zhizhi had only shared that one night. Even if Sword Venerable Mingxiao racked his brains to the breaking point, he would never associate this with Song Zhizhi being pregnant.

The more Sword Venerable Mingxiao thought about it, the more convinced he became that his guess was right. After all, Song Zhizhi was only eighteen this year. In the eyes of Sword Venerable Mingxiao, who was already over five hundred years old, she truly was still a child. Besides, her birthday was drawing near, so it was not strange for her to miss home.

Sword Venerable Mingxiao set the food box on the table in Song Zhizhi's room. His gaze grew ever gentler as he looked at her. "I remember you are from Xingling City. Xingling City is some distance from the Sword Sect. If you miss your family, after reaching Foundation Establishment, you can accept a sect mission and return to Xingling City for a visit."

Song Zhizhi: "...I don't miss home."

Sword Venerable Mingxiao frowned in confusion. "You don't miss home?"

Song Zhizhi stared at Xie Xiuji, unable to understand how he had reached the conclusion that she missed home. For one moment, she truly wanted to tell him outright. Yet when the words reached her lips, too many concerns held her back, and she could not say them.

If, after learning the truth, he openly stated to her face that he did not like this child—or even found children repulsive—Song Zhizhi would feel unbearably humiliated.

Sword Venerable Mingxiao did not know why Song Zhizhi had suddenly fallen silent, her mood seeming even lower than before. After thinking for a moment, he took several dishes that were pleasing to the eye, nose, and palate from the food box. "This is fish soup made in the Xingling City style. This is fish-slice porridge, stir-fried fish balls, and red date, lotus root, and pork rib soup. Eat while it's hot."

Song Zhizhi glanced at the dishes on the table and touched her stomach. A person is iron, food is steel; skip one meal and hunger will have you in a panic.

Forget it. She would eat first and discuss everything else after the meal.

That unnamed chef's skills were as steady as ever. The fish soup was deliciously fresh, the fish slices tender and smooth, the fish balls springy, and even the ordinary red date, lotus root, and pork rib soup was wonderfully sweet and fresh.

Song Zhizhi let out a soft burp, her expression satisfied and her whole body brimming with delight.

But when she looked again at Xie Xiuji standing stiffly to one side, she could no longer feel happy.

Xie Xiuji: ...

Xie Xiuji frowned in confusion. Why did Song Zhizhi pull a long face whenever she saw him?

Song Zhizhi gestured for Xie Xiuji to hold out his hand, then stuffed the rattle into it. Letting out a breath, she said with a somewhat nervous expression, "There's something I've kept from you, and it has to do with this rattle. I'm not sure whether you can accept it. If you can't, return this rattle to me, and we should never see each other again."

Sword Venerable Mingxiao looked at the rattle in his hand. Hearing Song Zhizhi's words, he frowned in confusion. "What is it?"

Song Zhizhi shook her head without speaking. When she watched dramas or read novels, she had always hated male and female leads who had mouths but refused to explain things properly. Yet when it was her own turn, Song Zhizhi understood that it was not that she did not want to speak—it was her pride getting in the way, making the words impossible to say.

She had already hinted at it very clearly today. Even if Xie Xiuji did not understand right away, if she gave him time to digest and ponder it, then as long as he was not an idiot, he would certainly figure it out. And even if he truly was an idiot and could not guess, Song Zhizhi had prepared a backup plan.

Song Zhizhi wiped her mouth. "I'm sleepy. Leave. I'm going to sleep."

Sword Venerable Mingxiao was driven out of Clear Snow Peak by Song Zhizhi. Returning to his Red Cloud Peak, he took out the delicate little rattle and frowned in puzzlement.

It had something to do with the rattle?

He recalled Song Zhizhi's actions just now, but still could not grasp their meaning.

He gently shook the rattle. The Formation on it was activated by spiritual power, producing a tinkling sound like spring water flowing through a mountain ravine, and like a cheerful nursery rhyme.

Why had Song Zhizhi given him a rattle? Sword Venerable Mingxiao began recalling every tiny detail of his interaction with Song Zhizhi.

A Mahayana cultivator had an excellent memory. He remembered every sentence Song Zhizhi had spoken just now, as well as her tone, expression, movements, and certain minor details and little gestures he had overlooked at the time.

Song Zhizhi had asked him whether he liked children.

The tender look in her eyes when she looked at the rattle.

And the struggling, hesitant expression on her face as she spoke, along with the hand resting on her lower abdomen.

Something seemed to break through the earth, becoming clear and bright. Sword Venerable Mingxiao's hand trembled, and the rattle dropped to the ground. His mind, always so lucid, was now utterly blank.

"Xie Xiuji." Song Zhizhi's gentle voice came from the rattle. Sword Venerable Mingxiao came back to himself and picked it up from the ground, only then discovering that a sound-recording Formation had also been engraved upon it. This Formation was concealed beneath the first sound-producing Formation and would only be activated at a particular time or upon being affected by external force.

Xie Xiuji held the rattle and continued listening.

Song Zhizhi's voice was gentler than ever before, though that gentleness carried traces of struggle and hesitation. "By the time you hear this recording, you should have guessed already, right? If you haven't, it's all right. I'll tell you directly: I'm pregnant. The child is already a month and a half old."

"This child's arrival was an accident. The moment I learned of his existence, I was probably no less shocked than you are now. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end, I decided to give birth to him. I'm sorry."

Rankings

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Transmigration into a Book

Sweet Romance

Time Travel and Rebirth Romance

Tu Yanyan

Amnesia Trope