Chapter 439: Asking for Punishment
“You don’t need to worry about things on this end. Everything will proceed according to the Contractor’s original plan,” Yu Mingche said, his gaze heavy as he looked at Ying Yaoshi.
“I hope so. If anything unpredictable happens, I will prioritize Lord Contract Master’s life above all else. I won’t be able to concern myself with anything else,” Ying Yaoshi said, his gaze sweeping lightly over Yu Mingche.
Yu Mingche could feel the other man’s gaze linger on his abdomen and knew exactly what Ying Yaoshi meant. Of course, he had no objection to Ying Yaoshi’s sentiment. ‘After all, if I were in his shoes, I would make the same choice.’
After ending the communication, Yu Mingche quickly took off his outer garment. “Contractor, it was a total of forty lashes with the Vine Whip. There are still ten left. Please continue my punishment.”
Yu Mingche was being punished for publicly contradicting Ning Xuan earlier. However, looking at the marks on his body, they were merely red welts on the surface of his skin. He clearly hadn’t suffered any serious injuries; it was all for show.
“I’m tired. I’ll keep a tab on it for now. Next time you mess up, I’ll add them on,” Ning Xuan said, rolling her eyes at Yu Mingche before getting up and leaving.
The corners of Yu Mingche’s mouth lifted slightly. He quickly put his clothes back on and hurried after her.
“Xuanyuan, I’m about to arrange the night-duty roster. Is there anything you need? It’s been a bit unsafe lately. One of either Di Youlin or Qinghe must be on watch at night. What do you think…?” Yu Mingche asked as he walked beside Ning Xuan.
“The fetus’s growth and development have been consuming a lot of your energy lately, causing your spiritual power to become unstable. Since it’s already been two months, I should give you the companionship you need.” Ning Xuan placed a hand on Yu Mingche’s abdomen as a green light emanated from her palm, slowly seeping into his body.
Yu Mingche felt a pleasant warmth spread through his meridians, so comforting that it felt like every pore on his body was opening up.
“For the next month, you’ll move in with me. Di Youlin and Qinghe can take turns on night watch. Everyone else can just stay in their own courtyards,” Ning Xuan said.
She recalled something mentioned in the ‘Pregnancy Guide’: whether or not a fetus in this world received nourishment from a blood relative’s spiritual power during gestation directly impacted the child’s Bloodline Talent and Spiritual Sea potential.
Generally, High-level Female Spirit Controllers were more likely to birth infants with powerful talents. Aside from parental genetics, this was because the mother’s womb was natural, allowing the fetus to receive comprehensive nourishment from her blood and spiritual power. In contrast, even if a male Spirit Controller successfully had an artificial womb implanted, the connection between the fetus in the womb and the father’s body was flawed.
This flaw not only affected the fetus’s Bloodline Talent but also placed greater stress on the father’s body. Yu Mingche’s recent emotional instability and volatile spiritual power were a direct result of this. The key to resolving this problem lay with Ning Xuan.
As long as Ning Xuan was willing to nourish the fetus with her own spiritual power during the gestation period, Yu Mingche’s suffering would be eased.
In reality, thanks to Ning Xuan’s previous stabilizing treatments, the artificial womb inside Yu Mingche’s body had integrated well with him. His current hardship was related to the fetus’s powerful genetic talent. Fortunately, Yu Mingche’s own spiritual power was highly gifted, so he had been able to endure it without affecting the fetus’s development.
“Lord Contract Master, wouldn’t that be inappropriate? What about Chen Nan and Nine-tailed…?” Yu Mingche looked up at Ning Xuan, both tempted and feeling a little guilty.
“What’s inappropriate about it? The gestation period for an artificial womb is only six months in total, and the first three are critical. You are the most important one right now. Don’t you want me to stay with you, Ming Che?” Ning Xuan asked, looking at Yu Mingche with a smile.
“I do.” Yu Mingche lowered his head, a little ashamed. His body and soul yearned to be close to Ning Xuan—the closer, the better.
“That’s more like it. You’ve been overthinking things lately. It’s much better to just follow your heart. Come on, after we deal with the auction house matters, I’ll go with you to rest.” Ning Xuan took Yu Mingche’s hand, leading him toward the study where they handled their affairs.
Feeling the warmth of Ning Xuan’s palm, Yu Mingche’s heart, which had been restless and anxious for so long, suddenly grew calm. No matter what lay ahead of them, as long as he was with Ning Xuan, nothing else mattered.
「Myriad Phenomena Star River—Palace of Darkness」
The grand hall was as deep and vast as the sea. Countless Star Stones were embedded in the high, suspended dome, twinkling on and off, casting a cold yet brilliant radiance.
The four walls of the hall were built from some kind of deep purple, almost black, Crystal Stone. A dim light slowly swirled within them, exuding a hazy and mysterious glowing mist.
In the center of the hall was an enormous star chart that covered nearly the entire floor.
It was not a picture or a decoration, but a construct of flowing silver halos and points of light that constantly appeared and vanished. Incredibly complex star tracks crisscrossed and shifted, demonstrating endless mysteries.
Occasionally, a streak of intense, meteor-like light would flash across the chart, instantly illuminating the entire Palace of Darkness as bright as day before it returned to its dim state.
Inside the hall, more than a dozen Astrologers clad in deep blue Astrology Robes, which were embroidered with complex constellation patterns in gold and silver thread, were prostrated on the cold, faintly glowing floor, holding their breath in concentration. Their foreheads were pressed firmly to the ground in a posture of humility and reverence, their breathing so shallow they seemed afraid of disturbing the star chart’s operation—or, even more so, the person seated before it.
Star Lord Ren Pingsheng was seated on a slightly raised jade platform in front of the star chart. The throne beneath him was carved from a single piece of Black Jade. His brows were tightly furrowed, his profound gaze fixed on a violently fluctuating Star Domain within the chart. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest, and for Ji Wuchen, who knelt before him, his heart had already leaped into his throat.
Just then, the sound of soft but hurried footsteps broke the hall’s silence. An attendant rushed in and bowed deeply. “Reporting to the Star Lord, the High Priest has returned.”
Ren Pingsheng’s fingers, which had been tapping on the armrest, abruptly stopped.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze as sharp as lightning. “Let him enter,” he said.
“I greet the Star Lord. Weapon No. 19 has been destroyed, and the mission has failed. I have come to receive my punishment.” Xie Liuyun, his face pale, came before Ren Pingsheng’s throne and knelt to plead for his sentence.
If Qinghe had been there, he would have immediately recognized this High Priest, Xie Liuyun, as the mastermind who had sent the Undead Warrior to assassinate Ning Xuan.