Chapter 1242: Pregnancy

"Thank you, Sect Master Yu."

Gong Caiyi hid the emotions in her eyes, smiling faintly. She didn't revere the Nascent Soul realm cultivator Yue Mingzhu like everyone else, because she, too, had once been Jiang Fan's woman. This was the confidence Jiang Fan had given her.

Yue Mingzhu tilted her chin slightly and said, "Surprised? I'm a grand cultivator in the Nascent Soul realm now. And soon, I'll be a Three-Aperture Nascent Soul."

Gong Caiyi chuckled lightly, unfazed: "Jiang Fan is never stingy with his people, and you were one of the few women he publicly accepted. Achieving the Nascent Soul realm is not surprising."

Yue Mingzhu leaned closer, a half-smile playing on her lips, "Do you regret it? If you had listened to me then and gone to the continent with us, you'd be at least at the Nascent Soul realm by now."

Gong Caiyi fell silent. Looking at the woman who was once her equal in strength and standing by Jiang Fan's side, now so brilliant and glorious, it would be a lie to say she felt no emotion. But as she looked back at the faces of the Spirit Beast Sect disciples, her heart found peace.

"You may all leave. I need to speak with Sect Master Yu alone."

As the disciples withdrew, Gong Caiyi softly asked, "Is he doing well?"

Yue Mingzhu pursed her lips, "Isn't he always thriving wherever he goes?"

Gong Caiyi showed a faint smile, "That's true. In that case, I'm relieved."

Yue Mingzhu teased, "Aren't you going to ask if he cared about you? Or if he resented you for leaving him?"

Gong Caiyi lowered her gaze slightly and sighed softly, "He's so kind, how could he resent me? He would only care if I was doing well, wouldn't he?" She had watched Jiang Fan grow from a minor disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect to a towering figure of influence. How could she not understand him?

"Sect Master Yu, please don't mention me to him. Let time wash away my traces and let him slowly forget me. I have the Spirit Beast Sect; he has his own future. To be forgotten in the world is our best destiny."

Yue Mingzhu shook her head. Scanning the Spirit Beast Sect, she said scornfully, "You're so stubborn! If you just went back to Jiang Fan, he could easily make the Spirit Beast Sect surpass its peak, reaching ultimate glory. Isn't that ten times better than you guarding the Spirit Beast Sect alone?"

Gong Caiyi remained silent for a long time before raising her eyes to meet Yue Mingzhu's gaze. "Are you happy following Jiang Fan?"

Yue Mingzhu's expression froze, then grew dim. Her earlier vivacity was gone. After a long pause, she sighed faintly, "You figured it out?"

Gong Caiyi said calmly, "I guessed it when you left with him. He has too many excellent women around him; the times he can spend with you are few. Most importantly, you can no longer offer him anything, instead becoming a burden. With your pride, how could you be happy?"

Yue Mingzhu's expression grew even dimmer as she looked up at the clear sky of the continent. Bitterness covered her eternally eighteen-year-old face: "It turns out the one who understands me best is you, the seemingly proper one."

Gong Caiyi also looked at the sky, sighing softly: "It's not that I understand you, but that I understand us."

Her words just now, weren't they also about herself? Guarding the Spirit Beast Sect and being older than Jiang Fan—these were all excuses. What truly made her decide to leave Jiang Fan was her knowledge that she was destined to become a burden to him. So, she chose not to interfere. She chose to silently age with time.

Yue Mingzhu was stunned. It turned out Gong Caiyi had long anticipated this day. After a moment's thought, she took out a drop of Heaven-Reaching Marrow and a storage artifact filled with resources. "He picked the best drop of Heaven-Reaching Marrow and left it for you. He even considered your Spirit Beast Sect. He won't agree to you being forgotten in the world."

Gong Caiyi's gaze was complex, shimmering as she whispered, "I was wondering why you suddenly returned to the continent. So, he specifically sent you to deliver these things."

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head, "Take them back. I don't want them."

Yue Mingzhu said, "If you don't accept them, he will come himself."

Gong Caiyi's heart fluttered. She bit her red lip slightly and hesitantly took the items.

Her task complete, Yue Mingzhu said with a despondent air, "His instructions are carried out. Then I'll take my leave."

Gong Caiyi asked, "Where are you going?"

Yue Mingzhu thought for a moment, suddenly unsure of where to go. She wanted to be with Jiang Fan, but it seemed there was no place for her there. It turned out she was homeless.

"I'll go back to the Joyful Union Sect first, and then... I'll return to the place where he and I first met." Yue Mingzhu forced a cheerful tone, "I'm leaving. Take care." With that, she stepped onto the clouds and vanished into the horizon.

Gong Caiyi watched her lonely departing figure, a touch of sorrow in her heart. Yue Mingzhu, who had bravely followed Jiang Fan, ultimately ended up alone. What could she do?

She looked down at the Heaven-Reaching Marrow in her hand. She gently placed it on the stone table, but then couldn't resist picking it up again. Finally, she gently put it down once more. What she set down was not just the Heaven-Reaching Marrow, but Jiang Fan's intentions. It was the last tie between them.

She gazed at the Heaven-Reaching Marrow, her eyes misting over, forming clear, silent tears that shimmered: "Jiang Fan, let's forget each other in this world. Don't look for me anymore, and don't think of me. We will never meet again."

As the last word escaped her lips, her heart felt as if a cold, sharp blade had pierced it, causing immense pain. The tears in her eyes could no longer be held back, rolling down her cheeks in two clear streams. Between her and Jiang Fan, there would be no more future!

She stepped back, gazing at the Heaven-Reaching Marrow, slowly backing away. With every step, her heart ached. When her tear-blurred vision could no longer see the drop of Heaven-Reaching Marrow, her heart convulsed with pain. Tears streamed down her face as she cried: "Why did I ever meet you! Why?"

A cool mountain breeze swept past, and she suddenly felt a chill throughout her body. She couldn't help but hug herself, crouching on the ground and weeping. Suddenly, her stomach churned, and she felt an urge to vomit. She quickly covered her mouth. Fortunately, it was only dry heaving.

At first, she didn't pay attention. She continued to cry silently, filled with sorrow. But as she cried, she suddenly realized something, abruptly pausing. Her beautiful eyes widened, until they were round with shock! She looked down at her abdomen and whispered, her voice trembling: "I... I'm pregnant?"

***

Snow Mountain.Cliff bottom.

Yue Mingzhu stood before the cave dwelling inscribed with the words "Nascent Soul Abode." She looked at the remains with an emptied stomach at the cave entrance. Her mind couldn't help but recall the memory of her and Jiang Fan discovering the Boundless Ring and cunningly competing for it. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle. But as she laughed, she suddenly felt sad. That scene felt like yesterday, but in reality, it had been a very, very long time ago.

"I had wanted to come and see this with you." She murmured softly, her face tinged with sadness, as she stepped into the cave. Everything here was still as she remembered it.

Wait! She looked towards the secret chamber on the right and was surprised to find that the footprints of cultivation techniques carved onto it with soul power had been erased. "Someone has been here? Oh no!" There was still one thing in the cave that they hadn't taken!