Cheng Hong also saw that Gu Junshi naturally lacked the mindset for romantic love, or perhaps it was because she had never considered or encountered such matters in her life. His throat tightened, and he had to be more direct: "You're not sick, it's just that inside your belly... there's a life."
A life?
All scenes seemed to slow down. Gu Junshi lowered her gaze, her expression like a veiled mist, making it impossible to discern her feelings.
All the clamor vanished. For a moment, Gu Junshi felt as though she was about to face a crisis more severe than a financial tsunami.
She hadn't eaten pork, but had she never seen a pig run?
Gu Junshi indeed understood Cheng Hong's bluntness, yet she couldn't seem to grasp the reality of it.
She rubbed her throbbing forehead, sat down on a cushion placed behind the Nanli tea table, her gaze fixed on a point in the air. After a long pause, she managed to utter, "...Absurd."
Wasn't it absurd?
Cheng Hong sighed inwardly, finding himself agreeing with her for once.
He knew that many things in this life had deviated from what "he" had experienced. For example, Gu Junshi hadn't "killed her husband to achieve enlightenment" in the beginning.
Nor had she, in her obsession, turned to wickedness, slaughtered her entire sect, and caused widespread bloodshed.
Instead, she had somehow accumulated a golden halo of merit.
Undoubtedly, all these changes were subtly steering towards a "better" direction. He didn't know where a mistake had occurred, causing the events around Gu Junshi to deviate step by step. He could only guess... perhaps it was because she hadn't encountered the human emperor, that ghost and malevolent spirit, who had misled her in this life.
But in the first life, her former husband, whom she should have discarded like worn-out shoes, was now devoted to her in this life, making the human emperor excuse invalid.
In another timeline, or rather, in "his" past memories, that former husband was merely a fleeting mention in the glorious resume of the demoness Gu Junshi. He was an amnesiac mortal, an insignificant farmer, a being easily abandoned by her, so no one paid him particular attention.
But in this life, that youth named Liu Jiangfusheng had not suffered her cruel fate. He had survived, journeyed from the mortal realm to the cultivation world, and had even become a figure who completely overshadowed Gu Junshi's reputation and fame.
A young genius, with a heavenly spiritual root, achieving Golden Core in three years, possessing an appearance of celestial beauty... Each of these pointed to him being extraordinary.
Because of this "extraordinariness," he had assumed that Gu Junshi in this life must have ulterior motives regarding Liu Jiangfusheng. She was using him as a pawn, and their so-called "deep marital affection" in public was merely a facade to deceive the world. Based on "his" understanding of Gu Junshi, someone like her wouldn't be consumed by love; she was ambitious and disregarded rules, undoubtedly plotting a far greater scheme than before.
He had been so certain and had speculated thus, but now... she had even created a life. Could the authenticity of this couple truly be false?
He unexpectedly recalled her earlier words, using the anecdote of "the Buddha feeding the eagle" to tease him. His eyes, like revolving galaxies, and his brows, like the moon obscured by mist, showed a sudden enlightenment.
He finally understood some truths.
But precisely because he understood, he uttered a heavy "Amitabha" in his heart.
It turned out that just as worms transform into butterflies, metamorphosis also involves evolution.
In this life, she was not only worse but also... lustful.
Now, driven by her husband's beauty, she had conceived a life, yet she appeared unwilling to admit the fact. If Cheng Hong knew modern internet slang, he would have added another phrase: she was also a player.
Completely unaware that her wickedness score in Cheng Hong's mind had risen significantly, Gu Junshi was, at this moment, not in the mood to ponder what he was silently thinking, as she was caught in a mental storm.
It was known that cultivators in the cultivation world who could give birth to offspring were rare, especially the higher their cultivation, the more difficult it was to continue the lineage. Fortunately, most cultivators, devoted to seeking eternal life through the Dao, were not overly concerned with continuing their bloodlines. Some extreme individuals, in their single-minded pursuit of increasing their cultivation and not being hindered by other matters, even gave up on Dao companions and dual cultivation partners altogether, dedicating themselves to arduous cultivation.
Most importantly... according to the original plot, the Dragon King's ex-wife was a mere cannon fodder who could not have children for him. This not only disrupted the original plot but was utterly subversive...
And her body, after cultivating the "Great Dao of Indifference Art," should have severed all familial ties, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Perhaps the death of Gu Er was also due to this reason. Therefore, to resolve the karmic debt, she was willing to care for him somewhat, help him reincarnate, and let him be reborn as a drought demon with a physical body.
But now... she was pregnant, which was truly unexpected.
Seeing her deep in thought and silent, Cheng Hong...
Others might find pregnancy normal, but Cheng Hong simply couldn't imagine Gu Junshi's normalcy in this regard.
Cheng Hong, seeing that she also seemed to have difficulty accepting her pregnancy, advised, "Since you are already married, such a thing... is also normal."
Gu Junshi's previously frozen expression finally changed. She was not someone who couldn't handle a loss, nor someone who would evade problems. Since the matter had come to this, she would accept what was hers.
She raised her eyes and asked, "Master, how did you determine this? I have repeatedly examined my body but found no abnormalities."
Cheng Hong's initial conclusion was the same as hers – no problem, but symptoms had appeared. Such "no problem" could only mean the problem was hidden deeper.
He explained, "It's strange to say, but your pulse shows no signs of pregnancy, nor can the month be determined. However, I used the golden thread pulse diagnosis and detected a fetal heartbeat, a very faint life, quietly gestating within your abdomen."
Gu Junshi had never imagined that one day she would discuss having a bun in the oven with a monk. A strange smile flickered across her face.
"Is there truly a life? But even if there is a child, why do I occasionally feel extremely weak? I consider myself to have always had a relatively strong body?"
Cheng Hong had also reached a conclusion on this matter. He said, "This is related to your... constitution and cultivation techniques. This child has a rejection reaction with your body. It cannot obtain enough sustenance from you, so in a state of extreme hunger, it unconsciously draws upon your original power to supplement the deficiency. However, this method can only barely sustain its life."
When he had repeatedly examined her before, he had thoroughly sensed that ball of fetal heartbeat. It was truly weak beyond words. A radiant, warm, and clean "light" was trapped by a powerful and overbearing dark mist. They isolated the nourishment it should have received, and it continuously transmitted emotions of weakness, hunger, and sadness.
"Rejection? Barely sustaining life?" she repeated Cheng Hong's key phrases.
"This child's... attribute is the opposite of yours. Your maternal body is clearly not suitable for its growth environment."
Gu Junshi frowned, "Since he is my child, if it were unsuitable from the beginning, it wouldn't have formed into a fetus."
Seeing that she also understood some basic medical principles, Cheng Hong continued, "I heard your husband..." He paused, then continued, "possesses a heavenly spiritual root. Is his heavenly spiritual root still the extremely rare pure variety?"
Gu Junshi did not conceal it: "He is of the pure lotus species."
Cheng Hong surmised this was likely the case. He looked at her, one pure and flawless, the other a dark abyss. The two extremes discussed love, yet miraculously produced a life...
"If that is the case, then it can only mean that this child perhaps inherited more of his father's pure seed bloodline, while you... you are an extremely yin and nether cultivation body. Like flower plants that need the warm sun, you cannot grow healthy and stable in darkness. This child... is not tolerated by your body."
Gu Junshi was silent for a moment, then said, "If it is unsuitable, what will happen to him in the end?"
"Either, he will forever rely on your meager original power in your womb to sustain his life, never growing, or..." To Cheng Hong, whether from the perspective of medical ethics or Buddhist compassion, the following words were somewhat difficult to utter.
But Gu Junshi understood his implied meaning.
Either he would eventually die young, never having the chance to be born.
Gu Junshi's fingertips stiffened as she touched her abdomen, her eyes, however, remained as placid as ever.
"It was never meant to exist..." At this point, more cruel and cold words suddenly choked in her throat.
Because she felt a stir within her belly.
A wondrous sensation she had never experienced before came over her.
To be honest, even if Cheng Hong told her again that she was pregnant, she still lacked a sense of reality, as if listening to someone else's story through a layer of film. Apart from the initial surprise, there was no excitement or joy. She didn't even plan to keep her husband, so she had never thought she would one day reproduce in another world.
But now, this inexplicable connection of bloodline, through the layer of her belly, even without hearing a second, tiny heartbeat from her body, she still felt...
This thing of inseparable blood connection, isn't it truly wonderful?
Cheng Hong would not persuade her to abort this child. It was her child, and only she had the right to decide what to do. However, whether this child could be born was indeed difficult to say.
He took a bottle of medicine from his sleeve and placed it on the tea table: "This is the Golden Cicada Pill. It can nourish your body and allow the child in your belly to grow peacefully for the time being. But if he grows a little older, even the Golden Cicada Pill will be of no use."
Gu Junshi was a strong person. Even with many troubles in her heart, she would not reveal her true emotions. She smiled gently, took the bottle of "Golden Cicada Pill," and played with it, saying, "Master is indeed willing to gift Gu Yi... Please do not tell anyone about this matter."
She stood up. After sitting and getting up, she had returned to her usual self.
Cheng Hong, unable to discern her intentions, directly asked, "If you have made a decision, can you inform this poor monk?"
Gu Junshi was surprised: "The subsequent events... should have nothing to do with Master, why do you care so much? Is it truly a physician's benevolent heart, intending to see the Buddha all the way to the west?"
Cheng Hong clasped his hands in prayer and remained silent.
Gu Junshi did not agree, merely offering a polite farewell before disappearing from the room.
After Gu Junshi left, Cheng Hong slowly raised his eyes. At this moment, his gaze began to shift like flowing light. A shadowy figure attached itself to him. "He" looked in the direction she had left and murmured softly, "If the Buddha cannot save you, then I will save you..."
After all, he couldn't let go.
At the end of this sentence, he no longer referred to himself as "monk" but as "I." What did this imply?
The Buddha knew, and he knew.
Before Gu Junshi left, when she took the "Golden Cicada Pill," she left behind "consultation fees."
A string of golden light-enveloped prayer beads.
A string of prayer beads worn by a nearly sainted eminent monk a thousand years ago. Gu Junshi had, in the Dayuan Sect, sent away many powerful souls lingering in the mortal world. Before their departure, these souls had gifted her numerous valuable "thank-you gifts."
Some Gu Junshi kept stored away, while others she kept if they seemed useful.
And although this string of prayer beads was rare and powerful, it was not her area of expertise, and she basically had no use for it. Now, she could use it to "borrow beads to offer to the Buddha."
"Cheng Hong" bent down, picked up the prayer beads on the table, and clutched them tightly in his palm.
"You are flustered..." Cheng Hong said calmly.
"He" did not deny it: "Yes."
Cheng Hong was momentarily speechless at "his" frankness.
"Do you think she will keep this child who is destined to be lost?"
That's right, no matter how hard they tried to save it, this child would not survive. It was too weak; it hadn't even fully formed. It was a dead end in the maternal body, and waiting longer would not yield better results. Instead, it was a hidden danger to Gu Junshi.
Would such a ruthless dictator truly keep such a hidden danger?
No one could answer this question.
---
Within Illusion Peak, Liu Jiangfusheng and the others had already reached the sixth realm.
In the fifth realm, Fang Rui was eliminated. She had actually found it difficult to persevere in the fourth realm. With her abilities, it was already her limit. But this also deviated from the original plot. In the original plot, she and Liu Jiangfusheng had reached the summit together. However, in reality, Liu Jiangfusheng had no pity or protection for her. She couldn't rely on anyone and could only leave midway.
Before leaving the fifth realm via teleportation token, Gu Ruo was also eliminated. That girl, who had lost an arm and was almost crippled in both legs, was sent away by her senior sister's decision.
Although Ru Lan treated Gu Ruo well, her current condition was no longer suitable for continuing upward.
Ru Lan had to secure a spot in the top ten, so she could not afford to carry a crippled Gu Ruo with no combat power.
Now, in the sixth realm, only Liu Jiangfusheng, Yan Tianjiao, Ru Lan, and Lu Ziyin remained.
Among them, Liu Jiangfusheng was in full health. Yan Tianjiao had sustained serious injuries. Zhuang Lan had also been injured in the fifth realm protecting Gu Ruo. Lu Ziyin was the weakest among these four, but he was also the most cunning. Therefore, he had reached the sixth realm without expending much spiritual power.
With only two realms left to reach the summit, no peak had yet announced any winners.
Therefore, Lu Ziyin was not in a hurry to attack others, but he couldn't prevent others from wanting to attack them.
This person was Liu Jiangfusheng.
For the sake of a spirit pet dispute, he and Yan Tianjiao had become sworn enemies, and he had also been implicated because he had saved Yan Tianjiao in the third realm.