Dragon Clan Pregnancies... Are a Little Different from Usual
“...From conception until the laying of a dragon egg, the Dragon Clan usually only needs three or four months. However, Young Master’s constitution is unusual, so there is currently no telling when the dragon egg will be laid or when it will hatch. But as long as Divine One continues supplying spiritual power without interruption, there should be no complications.”
Feng Qi escorted the Medical Sage out of the courtyard while the latter continued his unhurried instructions. “Young Master’s spiritual core has only just recovered. If the spiritual power of the fetus within him becomes unstable, I fear it may cause his dragon pearl to fluctuate, and his body will be unable to withstand the strain. Therefore, it would be best for him not to use spiritual power in the coming days, and he must not undergo any stimulation.”
“I understand,” Feng Qi said. “For the time being, I’ll have Shuofeng find the honored Medical Sage a place to stay in the Immortal Realm. Once the time is right, I’ll send you back to the Divine Realm.”
The Medical Sage bowed to Feng Qi. “Very well.”
The Medical Sage had just begun to leave when he suddenly remembered something. He turned back and said, “Right. During pregnancy, those of the Dragon Clan... may differ somewhat from usual.”
Feng Qi did not understand at first. “What do you mean?”
“It’s... it’s...” The Medical Sage’s gaze wandered, as though he found the matter difficult to put into words. He sighed. “In any case, whatever Young Master may need, Divine One may safely give it to him. There is no need to be overly concerned.”
“?”
Feng Qi blinked blankly. Hadn’t this man just said there were things Ji Chaoyun could not eat, and now he was saying that whatever Ji Chaoyun wanted could be given to him?
He wanted to ask further, but the Medical Sage had already turned around and hurried away, showing none of his earlier difficulty walking or slow pace.
“...”
Feng Qi stood there silently for a moment, instructed Shuofeng to see the man off, then returned to the courtyard.
Ji Chaoyun was no longer in the pavilion.
Feng Qi had already cleared away all the pastries from the pavilion, leaving the table so clean that not even a crumb remained. Ji Chaoyun lay on the bamboo couch with his back toward Feng Qi, wrapped in a snow-white thin blanket with only the fluffy back of his head visible.
Even when he heard Feng Qi push open the door and enter, he did not turn around.
Feng Qi shook his head helplessly. He walked up behind him, bent down, and lightly pinched his earlobe. “Angry?”
Ji Chaoyun tilted his head away and ignored him.
Feng Qi sat beside the bamboo couch and gathered him into his arms from behind, coaxing him gently. “The Medical Sage is only doing this for your sake, and for our baby’s sake. Bear with it a little longer. Once the baby is born, everything will be fine.”
Ji Chaoyun still said nothing. Most of his face remained buried beneath the blanket, and his shoulders seemed to be trembling slightly.
Feng Qi’s heart tightened. “Chaoyun? What’s wrong? You...”
He reached out and pulled away the blanket just as Ji Chaoyun bit off the last mouthful of pastry and turned to meet his gaze.
Those eyes were clear and bright, his expression natural and innocent. There was absolutely no sign of what he had just been doing. That was, if one ignored the suspicious pastry crumbs still clinging to the corner of his lips.
“...” Feng Qi gritted his teeth. “Ji. Chao. Yun.”
“...I was wrong.” Ji Chaoyun struggled to swallow the pastry and nearly choked. He said quietly, “That really was the last piece.”
Feng Qi ground his teeth lightly. “That’s what you said just now.”
Ji Chaoyun replied with complete sincerity, “This time it really was.”
“...”
Feng Qi was not falling for it. With a dark expression, he wrapped Ji Chaoyun up together with the blanket, lifted him into his arms, and strode toward the room. “Afternoon nap. Until the baby is born, don’t even think about eating these messy things again.”
Feng Qi placed Ji Chaoyun back on the bed, then expressionlessly pulled away the blanket and removed his shoes, socks, and outer robe. Feng Qi turned around to hang up the robe while Ji Chaoyun knelt on the bed and stared at him with his head tilted.
“Lie down. What is it now?”
Ji Chaoyun took Feng Qi by the wrist and placed his hand against his abdomen. In a soft voice, he said, “I’m waiting for you to give me spiritual power.”
Under that gaze, Feng Qi’s heart instantly softened, and the corners of his lips could not help curving upward.
Ji Chaoyun’s flat abdomen was only slightly rounder than before. The muscles were no longer as firm as they once had been, and it felt exceptionally soft beneath his hand.
Feng Qi helped Ji Chaoyun lie down. His warm palm rested over a thin layer of clothing as he slowly transferred spiritual power into him.
Ji Chaoyun leaned against his chest and asked quietly, “You’re not angry anymore, are you?”
“I’m not angry.” Feng Qi sighed helplessly. “How could I bear to stay angry with you?”
Ji Chaoyun ingratiatingly rubbed his cheek against Feng Qi’s shoulder.
Gentle spiritual power flowed from Feng Qi’s palm into his body, spreading a soothing warmth through him. Ji Chaoyun gradually relaxed.
Yet as his body relaxed, an inexplicable heat suddenly began rising from within.
That restless warmth quickly became tangible, spreading throughout Ji Chaoyun’s body.
He wanted...
His gaze lowered to Feng Qi’s well-defined hand. It rested lightly against his lower abdomen, the contours of the fair hand distinct. His sleeve had been pushed back slightly, revealing a small stretch of prominent wrist bone.
...He wanted Feng Qi to touch him elsewhere.
Unable to resist, Ji Chaoyun raised his hand and covered Feng Qi’s, stroking the back of it with an ambiguous touch.
“What’s wrong?” Feng Qi turned his hand over and held Ji Chaoyun’s.
Ji Chaoyun pressed his lips together. His muddled thoughts barely regained a trace of clarity, and no matter what, he refused to speak.
“Why is your hand a little cold?” Feng Qi tested Ji Chaoyun’s forehead with the back of his hand. “You don’t seem to have a fever. Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
Feng Qi’s voice was low and gentle, sounding right beside Ji Chaoyun’s ear and making him even more restless.
“N-No!” Ji Chaoyun abruptly pushed Feng Qi away, rolled over, and wrapped himself in the quilt. “I want to sleep. Just let me sleep for a while.”
Feng Qi frowned slightly, but then remembered what the Medical Sage had said about one’s temperament becoming somewhat unpredictable during pregnancy, so he did not press him further.
He lowered his head and gently kissed Ji Chaoyun beside the forehead. “I won’t disturb you. Sleep well. I’ll come wake you later.”
Ji Chaoyun buried his head deep beneath the quilt. Before long, he heard the bedroom door open and close.
Feng Qi had left.
He forced himself to close his eyes, but instead of fading, the restlessness within him only grew more intense. Ji Chaoyun’s ears burned red as he gritted his teeth and endured it. He did not know how long it took before the unbearable heat finally passed and he fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, Feng Qi left the courtyard and entered the bamboo forest. Before long, he saw a straight-backed figure standing at the edge of the cliff at the end of the mountain path.
Hearing his footsteps, Shuofeng turned around. “Divine One.”
Feng Qi asked, “Why aren’t you waiting in the courtyard?”
Shuofeng looked solemn as he answered seriously, “The honored Medical Sage instructed this subordinate not to disturb Divine One and Young Master while you were alone together, lest I see something I should not see.”
“...” Feng Qi laughed helplessly. “He certainly thought things through.”
Feng Qi paused, then asked, “Earlier, I ordered you to dispatch an elite squad to search for Immortal Xihua. How is it progressing?”
Shuofeng replied, “People have already been sent to search everywhere, but we have yet to discover the immortal lady’s whereabouts.”
Feng Qi gazed at the rolling sea of clouds in the distance and suddenly said quietly, “Something is wrong.”
“Divine One?”
Feng Qi said, “This time, I brought thirty thousand troops from the Divine Realm. They are all stationed throughout Mount Hongmeng. Thirty thousand divine soldiers are hidden within these mountains, yet not a single one knows when a lone woman left this place?”
“Perhaps... perhaps the terrain in the mountains is difficult, and that woman deliberately avoided the divine soldiers’ notice?”
“Impossible.” Feng Qi said, “When I ordered you to establish camp, I deliberately had the encampments divided among every entrance and exit of Hongmeng Mountain. The entire mountain is now under our control. There can be no gaps.”
Shuofeng asked, “Are you saying that immortal lady never left the academy?”
“No. I’ve searched several times these past few days. Xihua is indeed no longer within the academy.” Feng Qi narrowed his eyes and said slowly, “But what if... she wasn’t alone?”
Shuofeng had followed Feng Qi for many years and quickly understood his meaning. “Perhaps she did not secretly flee, but instead left the academy openly with someone else’s assistance?”
“If that’s the case...” Feng Qi pondered for a moment. “I previously ordered you to monitor the movements of everyone within the academy. Where is the register?”
Shuofeng raised his hand, and a ledger appeared in his palm.
Feng Qi took it and rapidly flipped through the pages. His gaze suddenly stopped on one particular name, and his brows drew tightly together.
☁
By the time Ji Chaoyun woke again, nearly two shichen had passed. He sleepily rubbed his eyes and rolled over, only to find Feng Qi sitting beside the bed and staring at him.
Ji Chaoyun asked, “What are you looking at?”
He had only just awakened, so his voice was husky and his tone soft.
Feng Qi brushed the loose strands of hair from his forehead behind his ear. “I’m watching to see when my little lazy dragon will finally wake up.”
Ji Chaoyun affectionately rubbed his cheek against Feng Qi’s hand. “You clearly said you would wake me.”
“You were sleeping too soundly. I forgot.” Feng Qi said gently, “It’s good that you woke up now. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.”
“Isn’t this all because of you?” Ji Chaoyun said. “Every day, all I do is eat and sleep, then sleep and eat. If I’m not sitting, I’m lying down. I can’t keep going like this.”
Feng Qi merely smiled without answering. He helped Ji Chaoyun sit up and placed a soft pillow behind him.
Ji Chaoyun’s nose twitched slightly. “Did you go out just now? You smell like fresh bamboo.”
Feng Qi did not conceal it. “I went to ask Shuofeng about the clues regarding Xihua.”
“Did you find anything?”
Feng Qi fell silent.
Ji Chaoyun’s gaze landed on the small table beside the bed. A ledger lay there, apparently what Feng Qi had been reading before he woke.
He asked, “What is that?”
“A register.” Feng Qi said, “When I returned to the academy, I gave Shuofeng a task. Starting from the day I returned, I ordered him to record the names of everyone entering and leaving the academy each day. This is that register.”
Ji Chaoyun asked, “You... suspected from the beginning that there was an accomplice inside the academy?”
“Not suspicion. Just instinct.” Feng Qi sat beside the bed and explained, “I have always been concerned about the half of Yan Huaqing’s soul hidden somewhere in the Immortal Realm. The Phoenix Clan searched throughout the Immortal Realm for a long time but found nothing. That doesn’t seem like Yan Huaqing’s way of doing things.”
“Back then, Yan Huaqing divided his soul into three. Using only the weakest portion of his power, he seized control of the entire Dragon Clan’s fate and toyed with everyone in the palm of his hand. So how could the remaining half of his soul, whose strength rivals his own, willingly remain silent and never appear until now?”
“I’ve always felt... that he has made other arrangements.”
Ji Chaoyun gazed steadily at Feng Qi. The latter sat casually at the edge of the bed, his legs relaxed, while the warm golden sunset outside the window illuminated half his profile, outlining his handsome features.
“Why are you smiling?”
Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes. “Nothing.”
“You were clearly looking at me and smiling just now.” Feng Qi leaned closer, trapping Ji Chaoyun between the headboard and his body. “Am I handsome?”
Ji Chaoyun’s cheeks grew slightly warm. He turned his head away and asked, “Could the other half of the soul be inside the academy?”
“I’m not certain.” Feng Qi pulled Ji Chaoyun into his arms, and the two leaned side by side against the headboard. “But whether he is here or not, he must be closely watching the academy and watching our movements. As long as I remain here, certain people are bound to lose their patience.”
Ji Chaoyun understood. “So you deliberately stationed your troops here to reveal your movements to the enemy, while closely monitoring everyone inside the academy and waiting for the hidden accomplice to expose themselves?”
“That’s right.”
“Did it work?”
Feng Qi smiled. “We have indeed found something.”
He picked up the register from the small table, opened it, and handed it to Ji Chaoyun. “When I concealed the divine soldiers, I deliberately stationed them throughout every entrance and exit of Hongmeng Mountain as a precaution. Yet when Xihua disappeared, no one discovered where she went. So I began to wonder whether someone within the academy helped her escape.”
“Then I compared the records of those who recently left the academy. During the Heavenly Ranking Tournament over the past month or so, aside from disciples leaving for routine purchases or on assigned errands, very few people departed the academy. Even fewer left with a large number of attendants.”
“Looking at it this way, one person stands out considerably.”
Feng Qi’s finger slid down the register and stopped on a name.
“Wei Shaoyang.”
Ji Chaoyun froze. “He left the academy?”
Feng Qi nodded. “The day after the final match of the Heavenly Ranking Tournament ended, Wei Shaoyang honored the wager he made with you and asked his uncle for permission to withdraw from the academy. That very afternoon, a large group of immortal attendants arrived from Yunlucheng and escorted their young city lord away.”
Ji Chaoyun immediately caught the flaw. “Yunlucheng arrived too quickly.”
This did not look at all like someone who had lost a wager and was forced to leave.
Instead, it seemed as though... everything had been arranged beforehand.
“Yes. Far too quickly.” Feng Qi said, “Setting aside the fact that your wager had no written agreement or proof, it would have been no great matter if he simply refused to honor it. Even if you truly had signed an agreement over this wager, Yunlucheng would never so readily allow their young city lord to withdraw from the academy. There is only one possible reason they left in such a hurry...”
Ji Chaoyun said, “They were covering Xihua’s escape.”
“That’s right.” Feng Qi said, “You fainted on the day of the Heavenly Ranking Tournament and did not wake until the following day. During that time, I couldn’t get away. Thinking back on it now, Xihua may not have left Hongmeng Academy at all during that period, but hiding within Hongmeng Academy was never a lasting solution. They knew they could not conceal her for long, so they had to move her elsewhere as quickly as possible before you woke.”
“But these are still only our conjectures.” Ji Chaoyun asked, “What do you plan to do?”
Feng Qi did not answer immediately. A trace of hesitation appeared in his expression.
Ji Chaoyun understood at once and asked quietly, “Do you want to personally go to Yunlucheng and investigate?”
“I...”
Ji Chaoyun raised his head and lightly kissed Feng Qi beside the lips. “I told you, I don’t want to become your burden. If you want to go, then go.”
“But you can’t leave my side right now.”
“Then I’ll go with you.” Ji Chaoyun said earnestly, “I’ve already recovered my dragon pearl, and I just defeated most of the academy and took second place on the Heavenly Ranking. I’m really not that useless. I can go with you.”
Feng Qi shook his head and sighed. “Let me think about it some more. Perhaps there’s another way.”
“But...” Ji Chaoyun wanted to say more but seeing that Feng Qi had already made up his mind, he could only give up. “...All right. I’ll listen to you.”
Neither spoke for a while. Feng Qi’s familiar aura lingered around Ji Chaoyun, surrounding him completely. As he breathed in that familiar scent, the restless heat he had finally managed to suppress began returning once again.
Ji Chaoyun shifted backward uneasily, the tips of his ears quietly turning red.
Feng Qi noticed the instant he moved. “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable again? I’ll transfer some more spiritual power to you.”
At that moment, every slightest movement Feng Qi made felt unbearably provocative to him. Ji Chaoyun hurriedly tried to push him away. “N-No need, I’m not...!”
A warm palm pressed against his lower abdomen. Ji Chaoyun’s breath caught, and most of the strength instantly left his body.
Scorching heat spread between them.
Feng Qi met Ji Chaoyun’s gaze and immediately realized what was happening.
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