"I didn't know whether you would like this child, whether you could accept him, so I didn't dare tell you face-to-face. If you still can't accept suddenly having a child, then turn off this Formation. Tomorrow, place this rattle drum in my courtyard, and I'll understand what you mean. I'll leave the Sword Sect with the child, and neither of us will ever appear before you again. He won't know who his father is either."
Song Zhizhi's voice paused for several breaths before sounding again, this time carrying a faint, relieved smile. "It seems you chose the second option?"
"All right, Xie Xiuji, I'll tell you frankly. Our child seems to have inherited our Spiritual Roots and talents. My cultivation is too low; I can't support him for now. For him to be born safely, his father needs to feed him spiritual power every day. If not for this, perhaps I wouldn't have confessed to you..."
As Sword Venerable Mingxiao listened to Song Zhizhi recount the thoughts and struggles she had gone through these past days—her hesitation, her decision—her voice carried a smile, yet through that voice, he seemed to see the bewildered, helpless Song Zhizhi who had suddenly learned she was pregnant, torn by inner struggle. His chest ached in waves.
Thinking back on their interactions these past days, there had been clues to Song Zhizhi's pregnancy. Though she was a cultivator, she always seemed unable to get enough sleep. Whenever she practiced swordsmanship, she would unconsciously protect her belly. Her spiritual power was nowhere near as abundant as that of cultivators at the same level...
He had simply been too careless. He had noticed the abnormalities but never thought deeply about them. He could have discovered it sooner. If he had, Song Zhizhi would not have had to face this alone.
The shock Sword Venerable Mingxiao had felt upon learning of Song Zhizhi's pregnancy was drowned beneath overwhelming guilt and self-reproach. Holding the rattle drum, he came to the outside of Song Zhizhi's small building on Clear Snow Peak. It was already deep into the night, and the lights within had gone out. He stood in the courtyard, listening to Song Zhizhi's long, even breathing as she slept in the bedroom beyond the wall.
Song Zhizhi had thought she would suffer from insomnia after confessing everything to Xie Xiuji, but she had still underestimated how well she slept after becoming pregnant. She lay in bed thinking about Xie Xiuji for only a short while before slowly falling asleep.
Perhaps because she had finally told Xie Xiuji about the child, she slept exceptionally well. By the time she woke, it was nearly noon. Brilliant sunlight shone outside the window. Song Zhizhi stretched and calculated the time. The Formation she had left on the rattle drum had taken effect last night. Xie Xiuji should already know.
What would he choose? Would he send the rattle drum back and pretend nothing had happened? Or would he...
Song Zhizhi washed her face, changed into a new pale-yellow dress, then carefully arranged a new hairstyle before the mirror. Only after finishing all this did she open the door.
A tall, straight figure in white stood outside her door. Fresh air poured into the small building, carrying a faint, cool fragrance. Seeing him, Song Zhizhi was not surprised at all—she had always known that Xie Xiuji was not the sort of man who shirked responsibility or feared taking it. Rather, it was she who had kept avoiding things, afraid that Xie Xiuji would bring her trouble in the future.
Xie Xiuji carried the scent of dew, and she did not know how long he had been standing outside. Song Zhizhi opened the door and let him in. Nor did she ask what decision he had made. Since Xie Xiuji was standing here, his choice was obvious.
Song Zhizhi touched her belly and formally said to Xie Xiuji, "Sorry for the trouble. Until this child is born, I'll have to rely on you."
Xie Xiuji's gaze fell on Song Zhizhi's face, then on her flat belly. After a long while, he shook his head. "This is my child too. I bear responsibility for his existence. I was willing at the time. You needn't apologize to me."
"What do I need to do?" he asked.
Recalling Liu Changfei's words, Song Zhizhi took Xie Xiuji's hand and placed it on her lower abdomen.
Feeling the flat, soft touch beneath his palm, Xie Xiuji was slightly surprised.
Only when Song Zhizhi saw the surprise on Xie Xiuji's face did she realize that her action just now seemed rather bold. She coughed lightly and said, somewhat embarrassed, "Feifei said this child needs a great deal of spiritual power to develop. My spiritual power alone isn't enough. You only need to transfer some spiritual power to me every day, enough to ensure that the child develops normally."
Xie Xiuji's palm rested against Song Zhizhi's lower abdomen. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Must my hand be pressed against your belly to transfer spiritual power to the child?"
"Hm?" Song Zhizhi did not understand what he meant.
Xie Xiuji's expression was complicated. Song Zhizhi saw that the tips of his ears seemed tinged with pink. Then she heard him say, "To transfer spiritual power to another person, skin must touch skin."
Song Zhizhi:?
Touch what?
Skin what?
She lowered her head and glanced at Xie Xiuji's hand. If he was going to transfer spiritual power by placing his hand on her belly, then Xie Xiuji would first have to reach his hand inside...
Song Zhizhi recalled some rather unhealthy images, and her face turned crimson. Pretending nothing had happened, she stood and took out her Communication Stone. "This... I'm not sure either. I'll ask Feifei."
A few breaths later, Liu Changfei's robust voice came from the Communication Stone. "Of course spiritual power has to be transferred through the belly. Transferring it from other places is nearly half as effective. You two have already made a child together—haven't you seen and touched everything there is to see and touch? What are you being shy about?"
"My morning lesson is starting. I won't say any more."
Liu Changfei cleanly and decisively cut off the transmission. Holding the Communication Stone, Song Zhizhi turned and glanced at Xie Xiuji. The man's expression was as calm as ever. Looking at Song Zhizhi, he said, "If you find it difficult, then I can transfer spiritual power to you elsewhere. It will merely consume a little more spiritual power. It is of no consequence."
Song Zhizhi rubbed the tips of her burning ears. "Forget it. If it has to be on my belly, then it has to be on my belly." Feifei was right. It was not as if he had never touched her before. That night, he had not only touched her, but kissed her too...
Song Zhizhi's ears reddened further, and her lower abdomen seemed to grow faintly warm. She glanced at Xie Xiuji's long, slender hand, coughed a few times, and mumbled, "I... I'll change clothes first."
The pale-yellow dress she was wearing was pretty, but it would not be very convenient if Xie Xiuji needed to transfer spiritual power. She would have to remove her outer robe first, but she was afraid of heat, and beneath it she wore only a close-fitting undergarment.