ney!"Here's the toll, Lord of the Crossroads, open the gate..." My brother muttered a few words. I felt a chill in the air and shivered, pulling my shoulders tighter.There weren't any major changes ar...On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the maple and golden ginkgo trees on the mountain were ablaze with color. Shen Qingrui stood under a tree, sneering at me.

"You think you're quite the hotshot with your big belly, huh" She spoke in words as cold as ice, "You're completely yin and born under a death sign. You're practically a perfect vessel."

"Looking at you now, so effeminate and fragile, with those glistening eyes welling up with tears, humph, how many men have you deceived While women born under the Four Pillars of Yin may be lonely, delicate, and prone to sadness, they are all incredibly beautiful. Just look at you… even in the underworld, there wouldn't be a few more alluring souls than you."

"Do you think the Emperor bestowed this ring upon you for no reason He fears your path is fraught with peril, that you won't live long enough to bear a child! The red blood jade is meant to ward off disaster and misfortune. Luckily, you're now carrying a spirit child... Hmph, you'll soon fulfill your purpose."

My body trembled slightly, though I knew I was a sacrifice, I didn't expect to be so "useful." I desperately held back tears. Shen Qingrui ridiculed me for crying, and I didn't want to cry in front of her.

"Actually, you're too stupid... Don't you even understand the connection" Shen Qingrui leaned in front of me and said coldly: "Once a yin-yang spirit fetus is formed, its innate magical power is immense, second only to the Emperor. Even before it's formed, it can ward off a hundred evils. Once formed, destroying the evil energy of Huangdao Village is as easy as turning your palm over. That way, you can seal the spatial rift in Huangdao Village and close the ghost gate from the mortal world!"

I'm a little confused. If I have this function, why don't my brother and Jiang Qiyun tell me

"If I had this power, why would they keep it from me"

Shen Qingrui scoffed dismissively: "Mu Xiaoqiao, I've told you many times, it's not that you are useful, but the fetus in your womb is useful. Of course they don't want to tell you! If they told you, they would take the fetus out of your womb when it was formed and use it as the eye of a seal-evil formation! Would you still obediently protect this fetus!"

My ears went numb, as if submerged in water.

What is Shen Qingrui saying Why is her expression so twisted How can she still smile

What does it mean to "take something out of one's belly"

Shouldn't such a child be born safely and peacefully

The scene before me was somewhat blurry. I pressed my temples hard, trying to stay awake: "Shen Qingrui, this is his child. How dare you use such a vicious method—"

Shen Qingrui was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Mu Xia Qiao, you're foolish! Of course this was decided by the Emperor Jun! The Emperor Jun wanted to protect the living beings of the Yang Realm and came up with many ways. In the end, he could only use his own spiritual power as bait and let you become pregnant with a spirit fetus. He used the innate yin-yang power of the spirit fetus to guard the formation!"

"We've all been struggling for so many years, just waiting for you to have a child!"

"You should have been pregnant two years ago! But the Emperor was merciful, pitying your fragility and pain, fearing you couldn't endure seven days! So he delayed it for another two years! These two years are already the limit - look at your father, he went to a trip to the Sealing Evil Formation and almost lost his life. You should know what kind of life we who maintain the formation live every day!!"

My head was splitting, my tears felt like a thousand pounds, each one smashing against my chest, making my whole body tremble with pain.

Okay, why did Jiang Qiyun get so angry when he saw me trying to hurt myself, trying to take pills This fetus is important, very important...

This soul is not the product of emotion, nor is it for the sake of his divine bloodline— a being who lives as long as heaven and earth, who has witnessed the rise and fall of countless generations, needs what kind of bloodline

Why does he look at me with such a complex gaze.

Why, when I caress my belly and feel the warmth of a life growing within me, he looks at me with pity in his eyes!

Great compassion and great mercy How laughable this is to the extreme.

"Mu Xia Qiao, don't think you've been used and feel resentful. How many people would love to receive the favor of the Emperor You should be grateful for your womb, otherwise, how could you have caught the Emperor's eye!" Shen Qing Rui said in my ear with jealousy, "Even if I was reincarnated on a mission, the Emperor has never appeared before me!! But he spends every day with you, hmph..."

"Look at that teary-eyed expression of yours... The Emperor is very fond of you, isn't he As far as I know, you get his favor every night. You must be quite pleased with yourself, right But… when you're no longer useful, you'll only end up like a tattered piece of cloth, discarded in a corner to weep in silence, hehe…"

Her words were like knives, each one cutting into the flesh.

But I could only clench my jaw and endure.

Do I not often remind myself to recognize my own identity

How could Jiang Qiyun's few light and nimble words make one feel like they had been given a potion of confusion, truly believing themselves to be so unique

A gust of mountain wind blew, the leaves rustling softly, bringing a bone-chilling coolness.

I can't hear the clamor in my ears, nor see the sinister smile on the woman before me. Even if I strain to open my eyes wide, all I see is a swirling grayness...

》》》

When I regained consciousness, the first thing I heard was still Shen Qingrui's voice, but this time she wasn't arrogant, but with a sob in her tone.

"... I'm just telling the truth—ouch!"

I heard a sharp slap, opened my eyes to see Jiang Qiyun standing on the balcony with his back to us, silently hands behind his back.

My brother also sat silently on the head of my bed, looking at the corner of the room. Shen Qingru knelt there, with two black-faced ghost officials standing before her.

She whispered repeatedly, "I don't know she was so frail. She just fainted after hearing the truth, I…"

"Slap." The ghoulish attendant held a long, rectangular token in his hand and slapped her mouth again.

My brother can't see ghosts, he only saw Shen Qingrui's lips bleeding, and frowned in disgust.

Shen Qingrui trembled and crawled on the ground, crying: "Your Majesty, please spare my life..."

Jiang Qiyun's voice rang out: "There's no need to plead for mercy. You are a human now, and I cannot willfully end your life... Have you stayed in the mortal realm for too long and forgotten the rules"

"Counting the three treasures, separated from six relatives. Not thinking of giving and receiving, only seeking self-salvation. Saying to do with two hearts, not doing one sincerely. Those who commit this crime in the past, will suffer in the hell of having their tongues pulled out…" Shen Qingrui said softly.

Then you keep lying

"I don't, I was just jealous that she has the Emperor's favor, so I said a few spiteful words..."

Jiang Qiyun's voice rang out again: "Jealousy Mu Xia Qiao is my wife now, your mistress, are you jealous of her"

The Black-Faced Ghost Official slapped again with a “pa” sound, and blood splattered.

My brother saw that Shen Qingrui's mouth had swollen to the size of a pig's snout, and blood was flowing down her neck. He clapped his hands and stood up, saying, "Enough—".ling her.“In short, Great Immortal, you take care of this. It's a matter of good fortune. If you are willing to cast a spell, everyone will benefit. If you are not willing… then we can only resort to...