Chapter 514: IF Line 13: Unbinding from the Childbirth System

“The Golden Dragon and the Mo Jiao endured a heavenly tribulation, and their Dragon Egg hatched on its own. The young dragon was raised in the Dragon Palace at the bottom of the sea. In a corner of the palace, a red lotus grew alongside him, absorbing the Mo Long’s aura until it cultivated itself into a demon.”

Ji Qingwu looked down at the Lotus Bead String on her wrist, her brow deeply furrowed.

Master Liao Ran continued, “The red lotus is originally a sacred object in Buddhism. Once it becomes a demon, it is a being of utmost evil. The Buddha cast a curse to eliminate the red lotus from the world. The Mo Long exhausted his Divine Power to block it, but he couldn’t stop the heavenly curse.”

He sighed. “In the end, the Mo Long died in battle, and the red lotus immolated itself in the Karmic Fire.”

Ji Qingwu felt a wave of sorrow as well.

The bead string on her wrist even grew hot, as if to confirm the master’s story about the Karmic Fire.

Ji Qingwu’s throat felt tight. “Master, is your dream a sign about him and me…”

Master Liao Ran nodded. “The dream is not over yet.”

“There’s more?” she asked urgently. “What happened next?”

Master Liao Ran said, “When the Golden Dragon and Mo Jiao couple returned from their tribulation, they discovered their only son was dead. In a fury, they fought their way to the Nine Heavens to demand an explanation. The couple was incredibly formidable and difficult to handle, so the Buddha granted that Mo Long and the red lotus a chance to be reincarnated.”

Ji Qingwu’s brows knitted together. ‘So my entanglement with Zhao Mingyan isn’t limited to just this lifetime.’

Master Liao Ran said with emotion, “How to establish oneself as a ruler in a chaotic world, how to become a monarch who can save the world—this is the Buddha’s test for the Mo Long.”

“Whether she has compassion, whether she has a heart that loves the world—this is the Buddha’s test for the demonized red lotus.”

Ji Qingwu was speechless for a long time.

Master Liao Ran knew it wouldn’t be easy for her to accept this, but an even bigger headache was yet to come.

His expression was strange as he said, “Miss Ji, the dream doesn’t end here.”

Ji Qingwu looked at him in confusion.

“There’s still more?”

Seeing that she was still relatively calm, Master Liao Ran continued, “The Mo Jiao obtained a new toy from Lao Jun that could remotely control the mortal realm. It should be the childbirth system you just mentioned, Miss Ji.”

“But the old couple didn’t know how to operate this newfangled thing. They accidentally made a mistake when you were young, which caused you to end up in another world.”

‘The childbirth system is actually controlled by them?’

This was beyond Ji Qingwu’s imagination, but upon further thought, it seemed reasonable.

So!

Ji Qingwu slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet.

The gentle, sweet woman’s smile vanished, her expression turning stern.

Master Liao Ran quickly tried to placate her. “It’s normal for you to have trouble accepting this right away. After all, Miss Ji, you’ve sacrificed so much…”

Ji Qingwu slammed her fist on the table again. The heavy, solid wood table wobbled, making even Master Liao Ran jump in fright.

“No wonder he’s infertile!”

Ji Qingwu excitedly announced her new discovery.

“A child born from two different species, a Golden Dragon and a Mo Jiao, wouldn’t have the ability to reproduce. Am I right, Master?”

Master Liao Ran was stunned for a moment before saying, “Miss Ji, you truly are extraordinary.”

Ji Qingwu’s eyes darted around. Just then, the door to the tea room was pushed open. Zhao Mingyan had heard the noise from the next room and rushed over to check.

He stood in the doorway, carefully looking her over from head to toe.

“Ah Wu, are you all right?”

Ji Qingwu forced a closed-lip smile. “I’m just wonderful.”

The look in Zhao Mingyan’s eyes changed. ‘This reaction of hers isn’t good.’

Then, Ji Qingwu walked straight past him, waving a hand. “I’m heading home now!”

‘The Ji Family, that’s my home.’

‘I’m not just a soul lodging in this body. Mrs. Qiao, who genuinely dotes on me, is bound to me in this life by a deep mother-daughter connection.’

Zhao Mingyan called out in a low voice from behind her, “Ah Wu.”

Ji Qingwu stopped in the corridor and looked back at him.

Zhao Mingyan rarely showed such a lack of confidence. His voice was strained as he asked, “What are you planning to do?”

Ji Qingwu said, “I’m planning to go home and see my mother.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “And then?”

Ji Qingwu said, “And then…”

She lowered her head, considering it seriously.

“I’m going to unbind from the childbirth system!”

‘Since there’s someone—no, a flood dragon—controlling this system from behind the scenes, there won’t be any punishment for me even if I don’t complete the mission.’

‘This was what she had always dreamed of.’

After speaking, Ji Qingwu turned and left without a hint of reluctance, the ends of her swishing hair seeming to carry a sense of relief.

The light in Zhao Mingyan’s eyes dimmed.

Master Liao Ran walked out of the tea room and said calmly, “Don’t try to force it.”

Zhao Mingyan’s gaze turned sharp. “That person is in the residence in the suburbs. Find a time to take her away, and make sure you watch her closely. If she makes any strange moves or gets separated from you, I’ll send someone to kill her.”

Master Liao Ran instantly lost his composure. “Didn’t we already agree to spare her life and let her live in seclusion in the palace?” he said, agitated.

Zhao Mingyan shot him a cold look. “The palace doesn’t support idle people.”

Master Liao Ran was at a loss for words. “How much of your food could she possibly eat? I can’t take her with me, and you know it.”

Zhao Mingyan said, “Not even for a temporary stay. Ah Wu doesn’t like having outsiders around. Besides, she and I were engaged. I don’t want Ah Wu to get the wrong idea.”

Master Liao Ran watched, dumbfounded, as he turned and walked away.

After leaving the tea room, Zhao Mingyan chased after her to the Ji Family’s home, but was stopped by Mrs. Qiao.

Mrs. Qiao politely told him his visit was improper and returned a string of Red Jade Beads to him. After Zhao Mingyan took them, he was tempted to crush the beads in his hand.

He calmly restrained himself and asked in a low voice, “Madam Ji, what else did Ah Wu say?”

This Heir of the Marquis Mansion, a man of deep cunning who remained impassive in the face of any crisis, would become the new Emperor to reside in the Imperial Palace in two days. Seeing the lonely expression on his face, Mrs. Qiao felt a sense of relief.

‘It seems he has deep feelings for Xiao Wu. In that case, I can rest a little easier.’

Recalling what Xiao Wu had told her after coming home, Mrs. Qiao cleared her throat and said, “My daughter asked me to inquire…”

“The day after tomorrow, what time will you come to the mansion for the wedding procession?”

Zhao Mingyan’s head snapped up, his breathing unsteady. “Did Ah Wu really say that?”

Mrs. Qiao smiled lovingly and nodded.

When Zhao Mingyan left the Ji Mansion, his palms were still clammy with sweat.

「Two days later.」

The new Emperor ascended the throne, establishing the dynastic title of Beili. Before the eyes of the entire nation, he named a lady of the Ji Family as his Empress.

However, Ji Fangmin was not granted the title of Empress Dowager. The Emperor only posthumously honored his birth mother from the Cui Family, who had died young, with the title of Empress Dowager. Ji Fangmin was merely made an Imperial Concubine, a position with no real power, and sent to live with Prince Yong, Zhao Minghong.

In the Phoenix Palace, from the very first day Ji Qingwu took her place in the Central Palace, there was no one left to be an eyesore to her.

On their wedding night, this Empress, arrogant from being doted upon, kicked the Emperor out of their bedchamber.

With the Emperor unable to fill his harem to balance the various political factions, Zhao Mingyan had to work much harder in the imperial court.

He was swamped with work during the day, and at night, he couldn’t be intimate with his Empress. The lonely and sleepless Emperor lost a considerable amount of weight.

It wasn’t until a month later that the Emperor was finally granted permission to enter the Empress’s Chening Hall.

Ji Qingwu’s goal was to completely sever the influence of the childbirth system. Between them, there would be no more missions or coercion.

Only intimacy born of emotion, and pregnancy born of love.

Zhao Mingyan no longer dared to use birth control pills. With both of them being strong and healthy, Ji Qingwu was diagnosed as pregnant in the third month of their marriage.

In the second year of the new Emperor’s reign, a pair of adorable fraternal twins was born.

The personalities of this pair of children were also extremely similar. To outsiders, they were strong-willed and domineering, just like their father. But to their family, they were cheeky and playful, always acting cute and clowning around.

Whenever the two little treasures caused trouble or made a mistake, Ji Qingwu couldn’t bear to discipline them, so she could only hand them over to Zhao Mingyan for discipline.

But the Emperor was too strict, which would then make the Empress unhappy. And so the Phoenix Palace, just like the home of any common family, was filled with lively, chaotic noise.

But more often, there was laughter that came from the bottom of their hearts, with no barriers between them at all…

(End of alternate storyline)