Tears filled the Stone Lady’s eyes as she said, “I won’t hide anything from Immortal Zhang. Although Stone Lang often tells me not to worry about having children, how could I not care about continuing our family line? Yet he refuses to take concubines, and furthermore, I know very well that a union between a human and a spirit defies Heaven’s decree. Who can say when disaster might strike, leaving us forever separated? That’s why I sacrificed nearly half my cultivation just to bear this child. Now, my cultivation is barely sufficient to maintain my human form.”
Zhang Shisan shook his head and said, “Hmph, maintain? I’d say the only reason your child is still alive today is because of your spiritual power. You must have realized you had nowhere else to turn, so you came to see me, gambling everything on this last chance.”
Mei Qing listened and realized this must be true. To seduce a mortal was a grave taboo, and cultivators usually took it upon themselves to eliminate such spirits. Zhang Shisan had already discovered the Stone Lady’s true identity but chose not to expose her, even preparing to leave—showing her mercy. For the Stone Lady to now appear before him voluntarily was practically a death wish. Clearly, her sickly son had reached the brink of death, leaving her no choice but to stake her life on this desperate gamble.
The Stone Lady stiffened, then began kowtowing repeatedly, saying, “Immortal Zhang, though I may deserve punishment for my sins, this child is blameless, and his father knows nothing of this. I will bear all guilt alone. I beg you, Immortal, have mercy and save my son. Even if I must be shattered into dust, I will forever remember your kindness.”
As the Stone Lady spoke, everyone was lost in their own thoughts when suddenly there was a loud crash—the door was kicked open. Mei Qing and Bi Zhen were startled, but before they could react, they felt their bodies freeze, as if held back by an invisible force.
Bi Zhen’s eyes widened as she prepared to activate her magical treasure, but Mei Qing quickly realized it was Zhang Shisan secretly restraining them. He tugged at Bi Zhen’s sleeve. Sure enough, the person who had just entered was none other than Shi Wuqi, the master of Stone Manor.
Shi Wuqi’s eyes were bloodshot as he stormed in and rushed straight to the Stone Lady, helping her up and saying, “Wife, don’t beg them anymore. If Lengzi is doomed, we’ll accept our fate. But I won’t let anyone harm even a hair on your head.”
Then he turned around, glaring at everyone with burning eyes. “Friends, I don’t know who you are, but my wife and I have never wronged anyone. If you come in peace, you’re welcome guests of the Shi family. Whatever you ask, I won’t refuse. But if you’re here to harm my wife, come and take my life first!”
Seeing Shi Wuqi’s ferocious appearance, Bi Zhen couldn’t help but laugh. His act might scare ordinary people, but in front of them, it was almost amusing.
The Stone Lady panicked, fearing her husband’s rashness would anger Zhang Shisan. She quickly grabbed Shi Wuqi’s arm and pleaded, “My lord, please don’t act like this. Immortal Zhang and his companions are good people. It’s… it’s me… I’ve deceived you all these years…”
“Wife, don’t say another word,” Shi Wuqi waved his large hand dismissively. “What deception? Back then, you appeared out of nowhere in that desolate village. I’m not blind or stupid—I’ve always known. All these years, you’ve devoted yourself to our home. Do you think I don’t see how you’ve treated me? I don’t care if you’re human, ghost, demon, or spirit—you’re my wife. Anyone who tries to separate us, we’ll fight them together!”
Hearing this, the Stone Lady suddenly burst into tears and collapsed into his arms. All these years, she had lived in fear—hiding her identity from her husband, worrying about their sickly son, and draining her cultivation to keep him alive. She had endured so much that she could never express. Now, hearing her husband’s words, the weight on her heart lifted, and her tears flowed uncontrollably.
Still holding her, Shi Wuqi kept his eyes fixed on Zhang Shisan and the others, ready to fight at any moment.
After a while, the Stone Lady realized her behavior was inappropriate and gently pushed Shi Wuqi away. Seeing him still glaring at Zhang Shisan, she wiped her tears and softly said, “My lord, these people are good. They were discussing how to heal our son. Please step aside for now.”
Shi Wuqi shook his head furiously. “No, wife, I know what’s going on. These so-called cultivators are just pretending to help—they want to capture you. If I had known you’d suffer this much, I’d never have let you have that little bastard. What does it matter if we have children or not? As long as you’re safe, I don’t care about anything else!”
Mei Qing almost fainted. To call his own son a bastard—this Shi Wuqi was truly fierce.
The Stone Lady’s tears started again, but she gently said, “My lord, don’t talk nonsense. No one is trying to capture me. Our child is our flesh and blood—how can we not save him? You don’t understand the whole story. Please, just step aside and don’t interfere.”
Shi Wuqi shouted, “Wife, don’t say another word. No matter what you say, I won’t let them take you today.” Saying this, he stood in front of the Stone Lady, facing Mei Qing and the others with clear hostility.
The Stone Lady, desperate and tearful, tried to reason with him, but Shi Wuqi was stubborn as ever.
Finally, she gritted her teeth, her hands trembling. Suddenly, she whipped out a long sash that tightly bound Shi Wuqi’s entire body. Gently lifting him onto her back, she softly patted his hand and whispered, “Shi Lang, don’t hate me. If we have another life, and I’m fortunate enough to serve you again, I promise I’ll obey you completely.”
Shi Wuqi cried out, “Wife! Don’t be foolish! Whether these people can save Lengzi or not, how do we know they have good intentions? What if they just trick you and run off? How would I live then? We live together, die together. Whether we have a child or not, what does it matter? Let me go!”
He roared and struggled violently, but the sash was strange—it looked thin, yet no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t loosen even a bit.
Watching the couple’s emotional struggle, Mei Qing and Bi Zhen felt a pang of sympathy. Zhang Shisan coughed and rasped, “You two sure know how to make a scene. But I never said I’d save your dying son. Why are you both rushing to throw your lives away?”
“Hmph!” Shi Wuqi spat. “Your son’s the one dying! Who knows what spell you’ve cast on my wife, making her obey you like this! Wife, this baldy’s got the look of a scoundrel—how could he have any real power? He’s just trying to seduce you… Mmmph!” The Stone Lady quickly used the sash to gag him, fearing his reckless words would provoke Zhang Shisan further.
The Stone Lady, her face filled with sorrow, turned to Zhang Shisan and said, “My husband speaks without thinking, please don’t take offense. Though my cultivation has greatly diminished, my Golden Core remains intact, and I’ve cultivated for centuries. If you agree, I will immediately offer you my Golden Core.”
Seeing Zhang Shisan remained silent, she clenched her teeth, chanted “Release!” and began to summon her spiritual energy, ready to extract her Golden Core.
Zhang Shisan snorted, “Golden Core? When did I ask for your core? Hmph, your son’s meridians are chaotic, his body unstable. To save him, I’d have to reshape his entire body with immense spiritual power. You, a little fox spirit with less than three hundred years of cultivation—how much use could you possibly be? I’m not as dumb as your idiot husband!”
The Stone Lady stood speechless. Mei Qing furrowed his brow and secretly examined the child with his spiritual sense. As Zhang Shisan had said, the child had a human body but was filled with chaotic demonic energy, his meridians disordered. It seemed his soul was incomplete from birth, and the Stone Lady had been using her spiritual energy daily to keep him alive, worsening the demonic influence. Though it prolonged his life, it was only a temporary fix.
Behind them, Shi Wuqi was still struggling, “Mmmph… Mmmph…”
The Stone Lady glanced at him, sighed softly, and turned back to Zhang Shisan with a determined expression. “My cultivation may mean little to you, Immortal. But if you save my child, I will gladly offer you my demonic soul, letting you command me as you wish. Even if you forge me into a spirit artifact, I will not refuse.”
Bi Zhen gasped, clearly horrified, and shook Zhang Shisan’s arm, saying, “Master…”
Mei Qing didn’t fully understand what it meant to extract a demonic soul or forge a spirit artifact, but from the Stone Lady’s tone and Bi Zhen’s reaction, it was clear—she had staked everything, offering her very existence.
Zhang Shisan rolled his eyes and said, “I’m not an evil cultivator. I don’t forge magical treasures. What would I do with your demonic soul?”
The Stone Lady, hearing this, could no longer stand. Her body swayed as she cried out, “Immortal, what must I do to convince you to save my child?”
Bi Zhen, furious, yanked Zhang Shisan’s arm and shouted, “You’re such a cruel master! I won’t call you master anymore!”
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