Chapter 540

Chapter 540: The Impending Birth

“Quick, bring me two large pork knuckles!”

Lu Chao Chao’s eyes had regained their sight, and this was the first thing she said.

She pinched her own cheeks, feeling the softness with a distressed expression. “Look at me! I’ve gotten so thin from hunger! Even my clothes are too big for me now…”

“First, bring me two pork knuckles. I need to feast on meat, on fish, on everything rich and heavy! Once I’m done eating, tomorrow I’ll head home to see my mother.”

Xie Yu Zhou still had tears on his face, but he immediately waved his hand grandly. “Me too!”

The unruly, wild Demon King with his fiery red hair felt relieved upon seeing them back to their usual selves.

Outside the palace.

“Your Majesty, moments ago, the heavens displayed an unusual phenomenon—blood rained from the sky… I fear great turmoil is coming to the Three Realms,” the elders gathered outside the grand hall, their expressions grave.

The Demon King recalled the bloody tears Lu Chao Chao had shed earlier and instinctively turned to look at her.

He stepped outside the grand hall, extending his hand to catch some of the falling rain.

Indeed, the raindrops were crimson, but as they touched the ground, they transformed into strands of spiritual energy that nourished the land.

“Tomorrow, I will accompany the little master to the Spirit Realm. Tian Lang, you and the elders will enforce a strict lockdown on the Demon Realm. No one is allowed to enter or leave!” He sensed that something major was about to shake the Three Realms.

“Demon King, if you leave, who will guard the Demon Realm? The Demon Realm cannot be without you!” The elders prostrated themselves on the ground. If the Three Realms were to be thrown into chaos, the Demon Realm, caught in the middle, would not escape unscathed.

The Demon King turned to look at Lu Chao Chao behind him. “I will return swiftly and will not be delayed for long. My decision is final, no further persuasion is needed. Tomorrow, before I leave, I will activate the Demon Realm’s barrier. Without my decree, no one shall enter or exit.”

After sending the elders away, Windchaser arranged for a feast.

During the period when Chao Chao had been blind, everyone had grown noticeably thinner.

That night, the Demon King’s palace remained brightly lit till dawn.

They even set up several roasting racks, filling the entire hall with the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat.

“Wuuu… you must protect those eyes of yours!” The Demon King, slightly drunk, hugged Lu Chao Chao, tears streaming down his face.

Lu Chao Chao also had tears in her eyes. “I know you care about me.”

[No, I care about myself.]

[My spring water!]

Having gone half a month without proper meals, Lu Chao Chao ate so much that her stomach became round and full.

Lying in bed, she repeatedly touched her eyes.

They were hers.

Her original eyes.

Hugging her pillow, Lu Chao Chao soon drifted into a deep sleep.

That night, her mind was filled with the memories of the Demon Realm spanning thousands of years, as if she was experiencing all that the flowing spring waters had seen and heard.

The next morning, she slept until broad daylight.

Xie Yu Zhou had already prepared various specialty goods. Before the Demon King departed, he sealed the entire Demon Realm.

A-Man clutched her mother’s memorial tablet, eyes reddened. “I scattered my mother’s ashes into the Spirit Sea. She spent her whole life living for others. Now, she is free.”

“Chao Chao, from now on, I’m following you. You mustn’t despise me.”

Chao Chao was more than happy. “A-Man, my father is your father, my mother is your mother. My home is your home.”

She then patted the small pouch at her waist. “But my beef jerky is only mine!”

A-Man could only sigh in amusement.

Every night, her so-called biological father, Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing, would seek her out.

She would respond briefly on occasion, yet Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing did not seem to mind and continued chatting with her persistently.

It seemed like he was trying to familiarize himself with her.

Trying to make up for lost time.

Lu Chao Chao easily opened the barrier gate. By the time she arrived at the village, it was the fifteenth of the month—the temple fair.

The entire village consisted of temple guardians who protected her shrine.

“The Little Master has returned…” At her appearance, the villagers knelt reverently.

“I will inform the Village Chief at once!” One of the villagers hurried to report but was stopped by Lu Chao Chao.

“No need. I will see the Village Chief later. Where is my mother? How is her health?”

Before she lost her sight, she could already sense her younger brother resisting her presence.

This child… he was a thorny one.

And last night, whatever control she had over him had been completely shattered.

“Madam Xu has been experiencing frequent fetal movement these past few days. Several doctors have been summoned already, and they suspect an early birth.”

“General Rong has prepared aged ginseng, midwives, and doctors. They are only waiting for Madam Xu to go into labor.”

“Today is the temple fair. There is a temple not far from the village—Madam has likely gone to pray for peace. Should we inform her to return?”

Lu Chao Chao shook her head. “No need. I will find her myself.”

Saying this, she led a small group toward the temple.

The Spirit Realm’s temples were known for their thriving incense offerings and spiritual efficacy.

“I’m not going in,” Xie Yu Zhou squatted on the steps, refusing to enter. He feared that if he stepped inside, they would snatch him up and shave his head, forcing him into monkhood.

The Buddhist monks had been trying to convert him in his dreams every night.

Lu Chao Chao couldn’t help but giggle, covering her mouth as she bounced up the mountain path.

As expected.

Shi Yun, heavy with pregnancy, was walking slowly and had yet to reach the grand hall when Lu Chao Chao caught up to her.

“Mother! Father Rong!” Lu Chao Chao beamed as she threw herself into Rong Che’s arms. She wouldn’t dare jump at her mother—her belly was simply too large.

It looked as if she could give birth at any moment.

“Chao Chao!” Shi Yun immediately reached out for her.

No matter the time or place, her greatest concern was always her daughter.

“You’ve lost weight, Chao Chao… You must have suffered outside,” Shi Yun’s eyes welled with tears upon seeing her daughter thinner than before.

Lu Chao Chao had never seen her mother like this before and quickly looked toward Father Rong in alarm.

Rong Che sighed helplessly. “Your mother has been emotionally unstable lately. But now that she has seen you, I suspect all her ailments will be cured. She has been unpredictable, as if something was influencing her.”

Lu Chao Chao glanced at her mother’s belly, deep in thought.

Could he really be affecting her emotions?

“Mother, Chao Chao didn’t suffer at all. The doctor said eating only to seventy percent fullness is better for health, so I purposely slimmed down,” she said sweetly, holding her mother’s hand and pressing it against her cheek.

At last, her anxious heart found peace.

“Mother, with your belly so big, why come to the temple?”

Shi Yun held her daughter close, reluctant to let go, her face softening with joy.

“This little one is restless. I haven’t been able to sleep these past few days. Only in the temple do I feel some peace. I suspect he has some connection to the Buddha.”

She gently stroked her belly, worry clouding her brows.

Something about this pregnancy felt off. She could sense it.

Every morning, upon opening the door, she would find dead animals strewn across the courtyard. Bloodstains marred the wooden gate, their deaths gruesome. She no longer dared to open the door alone. Rong Che was always the first to step out.

She never left his side.

Lu Chao Chao raised an eyebrow at the mention of a Buddhist connection.

Buddhist fate?

If Xie Yu Zhou had Buddhist fate, she would believe it. But her unborn brother—this dark, slithering creature—having Buddhist fate?

Yeah, right.

That brat was clearly restrained by the Buddhist aura. What exactly was he? They would know once he was born.

A glint flashed in her eyes.

No matter what kind of monster he was, since he had the audacity to be born as her younger brother, she was confident she could train him into a proper, good-hearted child.

If not?

They would just have to wait and see who controlled whom.