Song Zhizhi had not realized that her blind trust in Xie Xiuji had already gone beyond the bounds of ordinary friendship.
Qingyu's expression was inscrutable, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Do you still stand by your previous decision?"
Song Zhizhi knew Qingyu was thinking of her, so she nodded solemnly. "Master, I know what I'm doing. Even if one day Xie Xiuji truly becomes as you described, I can just kick him to the curb. Three-legged toads are hard to find, but are two-legged men really so hard to come by?"
Qingyu raised her brows slightly and patted her shoulder approvingly. "Worthy of the Phoenix King's bloodline! You have his courage and bearing—excellent! As your master, I approve of your marriage to him!"
Song Zhizhi:?
Watching Qingyu change her tune so quickly, Song Zhizhi was utterly confused. How had she been slandering Xie Xiuji right in front of her one moment, only to agree with her the next? Was her master's stance really this unsteady?
Master, weren't you here to break up a pair of lovebirds?
Qingyu's gaze passed over Song Zhizhi and landed behind her. "You heard all that, didn't you? Mingxiao, I hope you will not betray her trust in the future."
Song Zhizhi turned around and discovered that Xie Xiuji had somehow appeared behind her. He slowly approached, stopped beside her, took her hand, and interlaced their fingers. "I, Xie Xiuji, swear to the Dao of Heaven that I will never betray Zhizhi in this life. Should I break this oath, may tribulation lightning strike me down and obliterate both body and soul."
A muffled peal of thunder sounded in the sky. The oath had been accepted. Song Zhizhi looked at him in astonishment. "You..."
This was the Cultivation World, not that materialist society where people tossed around oaths as casually as eating and drinking. Oaths in the Cultivation World could come true. Since Xie Xiuji had made this vow, if he ever truly violated it one day, tribulation lightning would strike him until both his body and soul were utterly destroyed.
Thus, the higher one's cultivation, the less lightly one would make an oath.
She had agreed to marry Xie Xiuji entirely because the child needed a father. If one day Xie Xiuji came to harbor reservations because of her origins, she would not be too heartbroken. At worst, they would part ways. There had been no need for Xie Xiuji to make such an oath.
Song Zhizhi could not describe how she felt at that moment. Her heart seemed to swell, filled with some emotion, and her throat was slightly tight. "You needn't do this..."
Sword Venerable Mingxiao lowered his eyes to look at Song Zhizhi. His usually cold gaze was now filled with emotions she could not understand. "Since I have decided to marry you, I will never betray you in this life."
Song Zhizhi's heartbeat sped up. They were clearly just two simple promises, so why were they more moving than all the sweet nothings in the world put together?
The tips of her ears grew warm, and she did not quite dare meet Xie Xiuji's eyes.
Watching the two of them flaunt their affection as though no one else existed, Qingyu suddenly felt rather superfluous.
"Ahem." She coughed heavily, interrupting the cloying, sour-sweet atmosphere between them. "Since you have already made up your minds, there is one more matter I need to tell you. I hope you will be mentally prepared after hearing it."
"There's more?" At Qingyu's tone, Song Zhizhi's left eyelid twitched. Could there be another problem with her origins?
"It has nothing to do with you." Song Zhizhi's thoughts were written all over her face, and Qingyu immediately knew what she was thinking. Her gaze lowered to Song Zhizhi's abdomen, her expression grave. "It concerns this child."
"My child?" Song Zhizhi touched her stomach, her heart rising to her throat. "What is wrong with him?"
"I do not know whether my senses are mistaken, but I feel that the child in your womb is not merely a human-demon hybrid. His bloodline may have reverted to that of a True Phoenix. I only hope my intuition is wrong." Qingyu looked at Song Zhizhi's belly with an exceedingly complicated expression.
"A True Phoenix Bloodline?" Song Zhizhi knew this child was extraordinarily gifted, but she had never considered this possibility. Catching the grave look that immediately crossed Xie Xiuji's face upon hearing those four words, she grew worried. "What is wrong with a True Phoenix Bloodline?"
"Do you know why, by your father's generation, he was the only phoenix left in the world?"
Song Zhizhi shook her head, unease written across her face.
"When a True Phoenix Bloodline is being nurtured, it requires an enormous supply of spiritual power. Sometimes, before it is even born, it dies in the womb due to insufficient spiritual power. But even if it is born safely, it is still difficult for it to hatch. After hatching, it must also undergo a tribulation lightning. Only a phoenix that survives the tribulation lightning can gain the Dao of Heaven's recognition and enter the world safely."
Song Zhizhi's pupils contracted sharply. Her grip on Xie Xiuji's hand tightened abruptly, and her face turned pale. "How could... it be like this?"
Xie Xiuji's expression darkened. "Since Martial Aunt knows the cause, then you should have a way to deal with it."
Qingyu glanced at Xie Xiuji. "Mingxiao is now at the Mahayana stage. His spiritual power should barely be enough to allow the child to be born safely. After the child is born, it must be incubated with the warmth of a Heart of the Earth Stone. However, Heart of the Earth Stones have been extinct in the Cultivation World for many years. You can only try your luck in the major Secret Realms. After the child hatches, refine a magical artifact using a Ten-Thousand-Year Parasol Tree Heart and a drop of Phoenix Essence Blood, and it can safely survive the tribulation lightning. The Parasol Tree Heart is easier to obtain; there should still be some in the Demon Realm. What is difficult is Phoenix Essence Blood. Phoenixes have now vanished—where could you find Phoenix Essence Blood?"
"Still, it is too early to speak of this. You only possess half a Phoenix Bloodline, and the child's father is human. The chances of him reverting to his ancestral bloodline are not high. Perhaps my senses are mistaken, and this child is merely a hybrid with somewhat greater talent. It is still too early to tell at this stage of the pregnancy. In another month, we will be able to confirm whether his bloodline has reverted."
Song Zhizhi stood frozen. Qingyu's words did not comfort her at all. Mother and child were connected at heart; she vaguely felt that this child was not a hybrid, but a True Phoenix.
Song Zhizhi looked helplessly at Xie Xiuji. "Xie Xiuji, do you think our child might..."
Sword Venerable Mingxiao pulled Song Zhizhi into his arms and gently patted her back. "As long as I am here, nothing will happen to our child."
Author's note:
I planted foreshadowing about the female lead's origins earlier on. I wonder whether any of you noticed it.
I'm about to get featured, so here is a disclaimer to ward off arguments: this novel is not
a female-empowerment
novel. Before transmigrating, the female lead was merely an ordinary person. She is not strong enough, not decisive enough, and has many flaws. If her personality truly is not the type you like, please cut your losses in time. Perhaps we will meet again in my next novel. Of course, you are also welcome to actively discuss the plot and share your own views. Mwah~