In the hall, a woman in red sat, her cold gaze fixed on the elderly man standing respectfully nearby.
“You’re saying that the fetus in that wretched Rong Xinglan’s womb is already a True God?” The red-clad woman’s voice was icy, causing the temperature in the hall to plummet. The old man trembled inwardly—though he was a Void God at the nascent stage, the First Madam had long since reached the Unity Realm, her power far surpassing his. Killing him would be as effortless as flipping a hand.
“Yes,” the old man replied, his voice quivering slightly. “I couldn’t possibly be mistaken.”
“If I recall correctly, she’s only been pregnant for nine years,” the woman remarked coolly.
“That’s correct,” the old man nodded.
“It seems she’s truly fortunate—to conceive such a child with Lie Hu, one with such extraordinary talent. What a great contribution to our Marquis’s estate,” the red-clad woman said with a smile. “Go and visit her for me. Bring her gifts and tell her to take good care of the child. Everything now revolves around that fetus. After all, no matter what, it is still Lie Hu’s child.”
The old man was taken aback.
Gifts?
…
Years passed, and the First Madam indeed seemed benevolent, sending gifts to Rong Xinglan almost every month. Xinglan, however, remained cautious—she dared not consume anything the First Madam sent! Yet when she had her daughter sell the gifts, they fetched high prices, all of them rare treasures. It seemed the First Madam bore no ill intent.
Fifteen years into the pregnancy, the aura of the fetus had already reached the level of a True God Venerable.
“Madam, Rong Xinglan has consumed this year’s Seven-Star Spirit Flower Tea,” the old man reported once more.
“How fares the child in Sister Xinglan’s womb?” the red-clad woman asked with a smile.
“All is well. It remains at the True God Venerable level,” the old man replied.
“Good. Fetch more gifts from the Second Steward and deliver them to her,” the woman said, her voice pleasant. Yet simultaneously, a cold mental transmission pierced the old man’s soul: *”Remember—this time, the vial of spirit medicine I’m sending must be consumed by that wretched Rong Xinglan. She must drink it.”*
The old man’s heart clenched.
This was bad.
Though gifts had been sent many times before, never had there been a demand for forced consumption. The ‘Seven-Star Spirit Flower Tea’ was an exception—it was a rule of the Marquis’s estate. But now, the First Madam was coercing Rong Xinglan to drink something. The old man was no fool.
*”Madam, this is unwise! The Ying Shan Clan’s laws are strict—this is a capital offense! If discovered, death is certain,”* he replied frantically through his soul, not daring to speak aloud lest the First Madam kill him in anger. After all, her orders were mental—no evidence would remain.
*”Steward Tian, either your entire family dies, or you obey me. Rest assured—that wretch Rong Xinglan’s child won’t perish. At worst, its innate potential will be damaged, rendering it mediocre,”* the woman’s voice slithered into his mind. *”The Fire Marquis’s estate has birthed countless mediocre descendants over the eons. No one will care. And I’ve arranged a spacetime-altering treasure for you—even temporal reversal won’t expose your deeds. Now, decide: obey or refuse.”*
The old man’s heart was heavy.
Now that he knew, could he refuse? If he did, his entire family would vanish without a trace. Though he had committed many misdeeds in the past, violating the Ying Shan Clan’s iron laws was a step too far.
*”Understood. This servant will not disappoint you, Madam,”* he transmitted back.
“Go,” the red-clad woman said aloud, smiling. “Give my regards to Sister Xinglan.”
“Yes,” the old man replied before departing.
The woman watched him leave, her heart seething with murderous intent. *”Hmph. That wretched woman—I never saw her as a threat, yet her child is so extraordinary. Once it’s born, it’ll surely siphon resources meant for my lineage.”*
The resources under her husband’s name had long been hers in all but name. The shops, estates, and lands were managed by her people. They would only be inherited by her own children!
Any other threats? They had to be eradicated early.
*”Once that wretch’s child grows, arrange for its quiet demise outside the estate. And Steward Tian—once this is done, he must die too,”* she mused darkly.
…
The old man arrived at Rong Xinglan’s courtyard.
“Steward Tian,” Rong Xinglan greeted him with a bow, her daughter and maidservant following suit.
“Ah, I’ve come bearing gifts on the First Madam’s orders,” the old man chuckled, producing a basket filled with treasures. Xinglan accepted it with a smile—after all, over the years, Steward Tian had delivered many gifts without issue.
But then the old man retrieved a black jade vial. “This is an extremely precious spirit liquid prepared by the Madam for you. Drink it now.”
“Thank the Madam for me,” Xinglan said, reaching for it.
“Such a rare elixir shouldn’t be sold off like the other gifts,” the old man said with a laugh. “Drink it directly.” An invisible force suddenly restrained Xinglan, forcing the vial toward her lips.
Xinglan’s eyes widened in horror.
So—after six years, the dagger was finally unsheathed?
“No, no!” She struggled desperately. She had felt her child’s growing strength, dreaming of its glorious future. How could she drink this ominous liquid now?
“Stop!” Ying Shan Xiyue, the green-robed girl beside her, cried out. Though timid, she knew the dark underbelly of noble houses—but targeting a direct bloodline’s unborn child? That violated the Ying Shan Clan’s most sacred laws! She lunged forward.
*Boom!*
The old man flicked a hand, sending Xiyue crashing to the ground, immobilized by an unseen force. “This is a capital offense!” she shrieked. “If you must harm someone, harm me!”
“Please, not my child! He hasn’t even been born yet!” Xinglan begged, tears streaming down her face.
The old man’s expression remained cold.
*Blame the First Madam, not me. I must survive—my family must survive.*
*Gulp, gulp, gulp.* The black liquid poured into Xinglan’s mouth, forced down by the old man’s power. She wept in despair. *Why?* She would have given her life to protect her child—but her struggles were futile.
The maidservant trembled in terror. Witnessing this crime was a death sentence.
“Don’t worry,” the old man transmitted to her. “Pretend you saw nothing. The spacetime here is distorted—even temporal reversal won’t reveal this.”
With that, he pocketed the vial and left.
Xinglan collapsed, her face streaked with tears. “Why? Why target my child? If you must act, act against me!”
“Mother!” Xiyue rushed to embrace her. “Can you expel the poison?”
“It’s useless,” Xinglan whispered. “The moment it entered me, it spread. I can’t resist it.”
Suddenly, she clutched her belly. “Something’s wrong—I think I’m going into labor!”
Xiyue paled. Labor? Now?
“How vile—forcing birth immediately?” She helped her mother inside, sealing the room.
…
Yes, the child was coming early.
But Xinglan and her daughter were mistaken. The First Madam’s poison was meant to cripple the child’s innate potential, not induce premature birth. The decision to emerge now was Dongbo Xueying’s alone.
*”Damn it,”* Xueying, still in the womb, seethed. His mastery of the Void allowed him to vaguely sense the outside world. *”I can’t stay here any longer. Who knows what else they’ll do?”*
Though the poison seeped toward his embryonic form, Xueying swiftly shrank his body—a trivial feat for a True God—severing all connection to the embryo, preventing the poison from reaching him.
*”Time to leave.”* He manipulated the Void, forcing his own birth.
Xinglan gasped as pain wracked her body.
Lying on the bed, she tried to endure, to keep her child inside longer.
“Ah—I can’t hold on!” she cried, sweat and tears mingling on her face.
“That First Madam is too cruel!” Xiyue fretted.
“Then let him come.”
Xinglan reached into her own womb and pulled out a fleshy orb—a crimson sphere covered in golden runes, the marks of a powerful fetal nurturing technique.
*”Activate!”*
Inside the orb, Xueying unleashed his bloodline’s full potential. His cultivation had long been ready—he had only tempered his absorption of worldly energy to avoid drawing attention. But now, at birth, he intended to shake the heavens.
*BOOM!*
The golden runes on the orb blazed with radiant light as a colossal vortex of energy descended from the sky, pouring into the sphere.
Steward Tian, on his way to report to the First Madam, whirled around in shock. *”Who dares absorb energy so recklessly within the Marquis’s estate?”*
*”That light—”*
*”The golden radiance?”*
Across the vast Fire Marquis’s estate, countless experts sensed the disturbance. The swirling vortex and the dazzling golden light were unmistakable—the birth glow of an extraordinary infant.
The estate’s formation spirit detected the anomaly and instantly relayed the news to all high-ranking members:
*”Ying Shan Liehu’s son has been born—as a Void God! Mother: Rong Xinglan!”*
The estate erupted in uproar.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching even the Ying Shan Clan’s main lineage. The Fire Marquis’s estate was but a branch—the birth of such a prodigy would shake the entire clan.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage