บท 3: Chapter 3: The Bond of the Umbilical Cord
The baby in her belly quieted down.
But before Qian Renxue could even breathe a sigh of relief, her worst fears were realized. That little troublemaker began moving again!
"What… what do you even want from me?!"
Qian Renxue hastily lifted her dress and looked down. On her smooth, rounded belly, she could see a shifting outline just beneath the surface.
It was like waves, one after another.
She couldn't help but wonder to herself:
Can this thin layer of skin really withstand this little monster's claws?
Qian Renxue was starting to feel like some creature was about to claw its way out of her stomach at any moment.
Clamping the hem of her dress tightly between her teeth, she coiled her long legs beneath her, her face full of vigilance.
Both of her small hands were now stationed at her belly's sides, ready to pounce and grab this "monster" by the throat at a moment's notice.
If she had a kind and caring mother, someone she could often talk with…
She'd probably know that this was just normal fetal movement.
But all her life, the only people around her were her grandpa and a few uncles.
There were so many things she couldn't talk to them about.
It had always been this way.
If not for an elderly nurse in the Heavenly Dou Palace who'd told her that girls get their periods around a certain age…
On that day, when she first saw her legs covered in blood, she might have collapsed in shock, thinking she was bleeding to death.
After a tense standoff, Qian Renxue finally spoke again. This time, her tone shifted from negotiating to pleading.
"I'm sorry… I was just kidding before. I won't hit you again, please, just calm down, alright?"
She'd realized that this little thing was just moving around and didn't actually plan to claw its way out.
And most importantly, she wasn't in pain.
In fact, it felt like some strange, delicate, symbiotic connection was forming, a unique bond between herself and this other life.
She could even faintly sense the little one's heartbeat.
Lin Luo knew Qian Renxue couldn't hear his thoughts, but he still couldn't help muttering,
"You're so eager to see me dead, huh? Am I not allowed to scare you a little? I've finished my morning calisthenics, but don't push me, or I might just start doing a full combat routine in here!"
In truth, as a fetus, he could barely do anything extreme—at most, a bit of wiggling.
Lin Luo had quite a few complaints at the moment.
He had assumed that Qian Renxue's belly would be the safest place on the continent.
After all, she was arguably the most noble girl in the land.
But he couldn't have been more wrong.
This wasn't a safe haven—it was a battlefield!
Although he'd managed to avoid Bibi Dong's attack today, Qian Daoliu had already decreed that Lin Luo's life would be forfeit the day he was born.
Given Qian Daoliu's temper, status, and principles, he definitely wasn't just saying it in the heat of the moment.
Lin Luo wasn't even sure he'd make it to the breastfeeding stage.
Of course, he wasn't interested in breastfeeding for its own sake.
It was all about gaining growth value.
His goal was to be born and immediately have the physical maturity of a six-year-old, the age needed to awaken his martial soul.
He needed to grow faster than Tang San.
Perhaps they'd been locked in this stand-off for too long.
After a while, the movement stopped, and Lin Luo noticed that Qian Renxue had gone silent—she'd fallen asleep.
What an unreliable mom!
At least eat something before you go to sleep!
If you don't eat, how am I supposed to grow?
Qian Renxue was curled up in a ball at the foot of her bed, her golden hair clinging to her tear-streaked cheeks.
Her beautiful, fragile face looked serene as she slept.
In her dreams, she seemed to be murmuring two soft words.
"Mom… Mom…"
Lin Luo was stunned by the whispered words in her sleep.
Fine, I'll let you off this time.
Poor girl, lacking a mother's love.
Even a great god like me needs a break sometimes—morning calisthenics is exhausting, after all.
—
The next day.
Madam Jones, a healing soul master, sat beside Qian Renxue's bed, listening as she described the strange events of the day before.
She could barely contain her laughter.
Gently patting Qian Renxue's pale hand, Madam Jones explained, "My lady, what's there to be afraid of? That's just fetal movement; it means your child is very healthy."
"You could think of it as his way of greeting you. This little one is just eager to meet his mother."
Qian Renxue wrinkled her nose in distaste, her fair cheeks frosting over in a cold expression.
"I don't want to be anyone's mother. He can call anyone he likes 'mother,' but as soon as he's born, I'm throwing him away."
In her belly, Lin Luo sneered.
Madam Jones chuckled knowingly, as if she understood the situation quite well.
She said softly,
"My lady, there's a bond that ties mother and child, an attachment born through the umbilical cord. This connection gives even an ordinary woman the courage to move mountains."
"And someday, you'll feel it too."
Qian Renxue fell silent, her expression becoming thoughtful and conflicted.
In that instant when another woman would cut the umbilical cord, that connection, that sentiment, would vanish along with it.
This thought alone was enough to make Qian Renxue feel repelled by the entire notion.
The old woman continued with a gentle smile, "Aren't you looking forward to the day he calls you 'mother'? You may find it to be the most beautiful sound in the world."
Qian Renxue turned her head away with indifference. "Not a chance. The moment he's born, I'll strangle him with my own hands."
Madam Jones: "…"
Lin Luo still sneered.
Call her "Mom"?
When this mighty God-King is finally born, I'll wrap that umbilical cord around this girl's neck myself!
Lin Luo was beginning to deeply regret choosing to "take up residence" in Qian Renxue's belly.
Seeing Qian Renxue's defiant attitude but noting she was in decent shape, Madam Jones was somewhat relieved. She spoke with gentle sincerity:
"My lady, you must eat. While you may not require food yourself, the child does. Everyone wants to see this child born healthy, to see what the little heir of the Spirit Hall will look like."
"Yes, I know, thank you, Madam Jones," Qian Renxue replied dismissively.
Madam Jones had no idea that all of Spirit Hall's high-ranking members, including Qian Renxue herself, were planning to kill this "little heir" upon his birth.
Before leaving, Madam Jones seemed to recall something. "Pregnancy can be very boring, my lady. You could try to do something interesting."
Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
With a kind smile, Madam Jones suggested, "You could think of a nice name for the child or prepare some pretty little clothes or dresses."
Qian Renxue's mouth twitched in awkwardness, and she made a half-hearted reply.
After Madam Jones and the servants left, Qian Renxue leaned back against the bed, her hand instinctively reaching for her belly, and a glimmer of curiosity sparked within her.
"A girl, perhaps?"
For some reason, she suddenly found herself imagining tying little pigtails and dressing a tiny girl in frilly skirts.
It would be adorable.
But the thought faded as quickly as it had come, and her expression darkened again.
"What's the point? She'll only live for five months. Why would I even bother?"
Despite this thought, Qian Renxue found herself quietly getting up and going to eat.
Inside, Lin Luo couldn't help but mutter in his mind.
But I'm a boy. Surprised? Delighted?
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