Chapter 578: Finale

Yun Ji’s pupils trembled slightly. His fingertips slowly slid down to her belly. “The witch doctor said you fainted because you’re pregnant with a cub and your body couldn’t handle the sudden strain.”

Qiao Xixi: ???

Qiao Xixi was completely dumbfounded.

She was pregnant with a cub?

Hadn’t she been wearing the contraceptive bracelet all this time???

Qiao Xixi suddenly remembered that the other night, right as she was falling asleep, her wrist had felt unusually bare. Could the contraceptive bracelet have fallen off then!?

“Do you not like it, Xixi?”

Qiao Xixi snapped back to reality. Catching the fleeting flash of disappointment in Yun Ji’s eyes, she quickly shook her head. “Of course not! I’ll naturally love our cub. I’m just a little surprised that it happened in one go…”

After all, she hadn’t been intimate with Jin Ling and the others over the past few days. She had only been with Yun Ji. Even when they slept together, they had merely rested. She had been exhausted from organizing her teaching materials recently, and her partners, feeling sorry for her, hadn’t pushed for anything else.

Therefore, the cub in her belly was definitely Yun Ji’s.

Ever since he found out Qiao Xixi was pregnant, Yun Ji hadn’t left her side. He shadowed her every step, terrified that something else might go wrong.

In just one short month, her belly had noticeably swollen.

“Why is it bigger than when I was pregnant with An’an?” Qiao Xixi stroked her bulging stomach. She was just about to head downstairs when Yun Ji’s large hand reached out to support her.

“Be careful.”

Qiao Xixi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I can walk by myself.”

“Mm,” Yun Ji replied calmly, but his hand showed absolutely no sign of letting go.

Left with no other choice, she let him do as he pleased.

When the older cubs returned, they all gathered around Qiao Xixi, gently and cautiously touching her belly.

“Mother, do you think you have a little brother or a little sister in your tummy?”

Qiao Xixi thought for a moment. “I think there should be both.” She could clearly feel that there was more than one life in her belly.

“It’s an older sister and a younger brother,” An’an said earnestly.

“Oh? Can you see them, An’an?”

An’an looked up at her with a bright smile. “Mm, it’s a sister and a brother.”

Qiao Xixi was quite curious herself. “Once they come out, An’an won’t be the youngest anymore.”

“Mm, An’an will be a big sister then.”

Qiao Xixi yawned as she spoke. Pregnant women were always more prone to lethargy. Not only did she get tired quickly, but she also ate a lot. After chatting with An’an and the others for just a short while, she was already hungry and sleepy again.

Before she could even ask, Yun Ji brought out the food he had already prepared in the kitchen.

Qiao Xixi ate at a leisurely pace. Suddenly, something moved in her belly. She let out a soft gasp, looking down at her stomach in surprise.

Yun Ji asked anxiously, “What’s wrong?”

Qiao Xixi rubbed her belly and smiled. “The little one kicked me.” It felt as if they were fighting over the food.

Yun Ji gently rested his large hand on her belly. His tone sounded somewhat strict. “You are not allowed to bully your Mother.”

Qiao Xixi placed her hand over his slightly cool one and closed her eyes in contentment.

When autumn arrived, Qiao Xixi sat up in bed, feeling a warm rush of fluid SPLASH out from beneath her.

Her expression shifted slightly, and she cried out, “The cubs are coming!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Qiao Xixi could have sworn she heard the sound of pots and pans clattering all over the courtyard floor. The very next second, the stone house’s door was pushed open, and a highly anxious Yun Ji rushed in.

“Don’t be afraid, Xixi. They’ve already gone to fetch the witch doctor. Everything will be fine.”

Qiao Xixi was actually quite calm. Yun Ji, on the other hand, looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

“Mm, I’m not afraid. Everything will definitely be fine.”

When the contractions started, she immediately took a painkiller from the cabinet and swallowed it. The moment the pill reached her stomach, all the pain vanished.

After the witch doctor arrived, Yun Ji and the other men were all chased out.

“Your presence will only distract the City Lord. Wait outside,” the witch doctor said, turning around and shutting the door in their faces. She found them utterly in the way.

She returned to the bedside and was incredibly shocked to see Qiao Xixi’s unchanging expression. “City Lord, you are the most relaxed person I have ever seen giving birth.”

Qiao Xixi thought to herself that she had secretly used a cheat; otherwise, she wouldn’t be this comfortable.

Compared to Qiao Xixi’s serene composure, the males outside the door were drowning in anxiety. Even though they knew the cubs in her belly were Yun Ji’s, giving birth was a perilous endeavor for females, and they were terrified something might happen to her.

Yun Ji had lived for a very long time, but he had never felt such overwhelming anxiety. He paced back and forth outside the stone house, almost pushing the door open several times before forcefully stopping himself.

“Why isn’t there any sound from inside?”

An indeterminate amount of time passed before a sudden crack of thunder flashed across the sky. Accompanying the thunderclap came the loud cries of a newborn cub.

Yun Ji froze for a second. Disregarding everything else, he threw the door open and charged inside.

“Xixi!”

Qiao Xixi had just drunk some Spiritual Spring water, which completely replenished her exhausted strength. She looked at Yun Ji and smiled. “Go look at the cubs.”

Yun Ji didn’t move. Instead, he grasped her hand and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “No one is more important than you.”

“I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.”

“Holy Priest, hurry and come look at your cubs.”

Under Qiao Xixi’s urging, Yun Ji finally stood up and walked over.

Resting quietly in the basket was a phoenix egg, and surprisingly, lying right next to the egg was a soft, squishy little wolf cub.

A look of joy colored Yun Ji’s brow. He looked back at Qiao Xixi. “One of them has the Silver Frost White Wolf bloodline.”

Qiao Xixi was very surprised. She had assumed they would both be phoenixes, since her previous cubs had all taken after their respective fathers.

“Is it an older sister and younger brother, or an older brother and younger sister?”

The witch doctor smiled. “An older sister and a younger brother.”

Qiao Xixi’s eyes curved into a delighted smile. An’an had been absolutely right.

Three years later.

Qiao Qiao and the others had completely lost their childhood baby fat, their round little faces lengthening into elegant oval shapes.

She walked in front, holding the hand of a soft, squishy, and milky-white toddler.

“Does Qiqi want to go pick fruits with your big sister today?”

The soft toddler nodded. “Mm, I want to be with my older brothers and sisters.” Her voice was sweet, but there was an aloof, ethereal aura about her brow that perfectly mirrored Yun Ji.

Sangqi, who was already starting to look like a young man, glanced back over his shoulder and muttered, “Why isn’t Ao here yet?”

Barely had Sangqi spoken when a flurry of snowy, multicolored feathers came flapping and charging out.

“Hahahaha, Ao is here!”

However, because he was rushing too fast, he couldn’t hit the brakes in time and barreled straight toward the pillar ahead.

“Ahhhhh! Save Ao!”

The little guy flapped his wings and shrieked in panic. Just as he was about to crash, a figure flashed forward and caught him securely.

Plunging into a familiar embrace, the little guy nuzzled against Yun Ji’s chest. “Perfect! Caught by my most, most, most favorite Father!”

Yun Ji was rendered speechless.

A tiny crack appeared in his aloof facade.

“How many times has Father told you? Be careful.”

Facing his strict father, the phoenix cub wasn’t scared in the slightest. Whimpering playfully, he rubbed against Yun Ji’s neck. “Don’t be mad, Father. Ao is so scared.”

Qiqi silently averted her gaze, a flash of disgust passing across her brow.

So embarrassing!

Yun Ji’s tense expression completely crumbled under his whining. “Go on, your brothers and sisters are waiting for you.”

The phoenix cub turned his head, kicked off Yun Ji’s body with both legs, and yelled, “Off we go!” He twisted around and threw himself right into Sangqi’s arms.

Sangqi caught him steadily.

“Let’s hurry, Brother! We have to catch up with our sisters!”

“Alright, you got it.”

Qiao Xixi walked out of the main gate, shaking her head as she watched the cubs’ retreating backs.

No one could have ever expected that the calm, aloof Yun Ji would produce a bloodline offspring who was such a bouncy little troublemaker.

But regardless of their personalities or appearances, her only wish was that they would grow up healthy and strong. That was enough for her.

Jin Ling, Sunxiao, Feiyan, Sangze, and Xijing all stepped out from behind her.

Yun Ji also came to stand by her side.

Walking up ahead, Xiya turned around and waved at them. “Mother! Fathers! Come quickly!”

“Let’s go. Today, we’ll follow the cubs and have fun to our hearts’ content.”

———— END OF NOVEL ————