As soon as the words fell, Elder Hua’s cheek twitched. If it weren’t for seeing his grand-disciple in distress, who would have asked him for help?
Shu Xin sincerely thanked him, “Thank you, Mr. Ling. What should we do?”
Ling Zhi smiled enigmatically, his gaze shifting to the teacup on the table, then to Elder Hua.
Elder Hua’s eyes twitched, and he shakily poured Ling Zhi a cup of tea with his cane.
Ling Zhi took a sip of tea with a smile before speaking, “I’ll be direct. If you want to live, you must leave. If you miss this opportunity, your lives will end here.”
His gaze swept over the bellies of the two pregnant women, “The children won’t survive either.”
These words changed the expressions of the four instantly. Shu Xin asked in a low voice, “Can you be more specific, Mr. Ling?”
Ling Zhi drank the tea in his hand, “Those not of our kind shall be punished.”
He pointed to the sky with a mysterious air, “It does not allow outsiders or foreign objects to disrupt the balance of this world.”
“…”
Elder Hua tapped the ground with his cane, “Get to the point! How can they leave!”
Ling Zhi: “…”
“What’s the hurry? How can you be so impatient at your age, Old Hua? Your self-cultivation is still lacking.”
Elder Hua: “…” Heh, it wasn’t time to ask him to treat his rheumatism. This guy was reverse-aging. They were the same age, but he looked much younger. Truly baffling!
The four said nothing further. After the two finished their exchange, they listened as Ling Zhi continued, “However, we are fated to meet. I can help you steal a sliver of hope.”
“Go back and prepare. I will notify you when the time is right. Shu Xin, is it? On account of you being Old Hua’s disciple, I’ll give you a reminder: you need to be mentally prepared. Your child cannot be taken with you.”
With that, he waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
But this abrupt sentence made it impossible for the four to leave. Shu Xin pressed, “Mr. Ling, why do you say that? What’s wrong with my child?”
Unexpectedly, Ling Zhi calmly poured himself another cup of tea, “Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed.”
“…” Everyone was exasperated.
Elder Hua, furious, tapped the ground again, “People in your line of work are always so secretive. There’s no one else here, so speak plainly.”
Ling Zhi’s mouth twitched, “It’s one thing if others don’t understand, but you don’t either? If I say too much, I’ll be the one to suffer.”
Elder Hua frowned at him. Ling Zhi let out a soft snort, “Fine. For the sake of our friendship, I’ll say one more thing.”
“Dust to dust, earth to earth. You should return to where you came from. Everything that doesn’t belong here must leave, and what belongs here cannot be taken. Shu Xin, your child is human and cannot survive leaving this world. As for your sister’s child, it has no chance of being born in this world.”
…
The four arrived with hope but returned filled with sorrow. Lei Te clenched his fist, “I don’t believe it! Xin’er, you were human before, why can’t our child…”
Shu Xin silently stroked her belly, once again feeling the cruelty of fate. Must one always sacrifice to gain?
Shu Yue was also silent. If they chose to leave, how heartbroken would her sister be? Not only would she have to leave her parents, but she would also have to abandon her unborn child. If she had known, it would have been better to have a beastman cub…
Elder Hua was in the same car with them. He also felt uneasy. Shu Xin was his beloved disciple, and in his heart, she was like his own child. As an elder, one always had to plan ahead for the younger generation.
“Xin’er, you don’t need to be so pessimistic. Mr. Ling said it’s not time for you to leave yet. You still have time.”
Shu Xin felt no joy. “What’s the difference? My child is destined not to survive.”
Mr. Ling also said that the child could be taken, just not alive. The dead could be taken. This sentence was like another stab to her chest. Her child was already dead, was carrying the corpse a reminder of her sorrow?
From an outsider’s perspective, Elder Hua thought of a solution, “There is a difference. As long as there is enough time, before you leave, give birth to the child or have a C-section. At least the child can live.”
“!!!” This statement reminded Shu Xin.
Shu Yue said, “But my sister is only over five months pregnant. Can she wait until then?”
Elder Hua smiled, “That depends on your fortune. Anyway, it’s not time to leave yet. You can wait patiently. Everything depends on fate.”
Shu Xin pursed her pale lips and said firmly, “We definitely can. As long as the child can survive, leaving them with Mom and Dad to raise will also be a comfort to them.”
Her two daughters, two little lives. Even if she couldn’t watch them grow up, she could at least bring them into this world with her own hands.
…
Elder Hua got off the car halfway, parting ways with them. They returned home and immediately told their parents of their decision.
As expected, they were met with parental opposition. They didn’t believe Mr. Ling’s words at all, and the conversation ended unhappily.
It wasn’t until a week later, when they personally witnessed their two grandsons gnawing on each other’s arms and the increasing wounds on the two sons-in-law’s bodies every day, that they believed this fact.
They couldn’t ruin their two daughters’ families for their own selfish reasons. Moreover, their younger daughter was not human, and if she continued to linger in this world, she would still die. It was better to let them leave. The reunion during this period was enough!
Li Yun moved in to sleep with her two granddaughters. During the day, she frantically shopped, buying beautiful dresses and various clothes that they had worn since childhood, as well as snacks and candies for the children to take to the other world.
Shu Xin prepared various fruits and crop seeds, as well as tools that could be used, especially surgical scalpels, of which she prepared dozens. Since it wasn’t time to leave yet, they had ample time to prepare.
Ling Zhi had said that living beings couldn’t be taken, but dead ones could. This meant they could take anything except living people.
Shu Yue could do nothing lying in bed. Her only task every day was to protect her pregnancy. She couldn’t let the child die here, so she had to be extra careful.
Finally, when Shu Xin was seven months pregnant, Ling Zhi called them, saying he would be waiting for them on the top of Xiangshan at three o’clock the day after tomorrow. The time to leave had arrived, and this was the only chance.
When the call ended, the air became silent and still. The time for parting had finally come.
Li Yun was the first to break the silence, “Xin’er, hurry and prepare for surgery. Perhaps this is fate’s will. When you and your sister were young, your father and I didn’t take good care of you. Now you’ve given us another chance. Mom isn’t sad, Mom is happy that you’ve both gotten married and grown up. You should have your own lives…”
Before she could finish, Li Yun choked up.
Shu Xin, with red eyes, stepped forward to hug her mother and said words she had never spoken before, “Mom, I love you.”
Then she went to hug her father, “Dad, I love you, thank you.”
Shu Kang and Li Yun wept uncontrollably. The two embraced their eldest daughter, then went to hug their youngest daughter in the wheelchair. The family cried together. Although it wasn’t a farewell to life and death, after this parting, they would never see each other again in this lifetime.
Shu Xin’s surgery was very successful. The premature babies, over seven months old, were placed in two incubators. Seeing the vigorous rise and fall of their small chests, Lei Te couldn’t help but cry. Despite his body being covered in scars, it couldn’t overshadow his reluctance to part with his children.
The family of three surrounded the newborn twins, unwilling to separate for a moment.
Finally, the time to leave arrived. A storm with wind, rain, lightning, and thunder. Such harsh weather was perfect for concealing their tracks.
Wen Te carried a large truckload of items and landed on the top of Xiangshan. The others were brought up by Lei Te. Shu Ke and Long Yang flew up themselves. The scales on the two little beastmen were almost gone, and they were very weak.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Ling Zhi’s eyes. With a click, four dragon beasts were captured in the camera.
“Consider it payment.”
Putting away the camera, Ling Zhi’s expression suddenly turned serious as he began setting up a Bagua formation nearby. No one understood what he was doing, but they could hear the thunder growing louder, and lightning flashed across the sky, an invisible pressure instilling fear in their hearts.
A thick bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and a vortex suddenly appeared above Xiangshan. Accompanied by Ling Zhi’s sharp shout, “Go quickly!”
The two families did not dare to delay. Wen Te and Lei Te led their families towards the vortex!
“Goodbye, Mom and Dad. Take care!”
Shu Kang and Li Yun waved at the vortex with tears streaming down their faces, “Goodbye, children…”
They would raise the two children well!