Bai Tu’s eyes widened in surprise.

Typically, a fetus starts moving at around four months, yet the little one in his belly had remained still despite being over four months along. Bai Tu had even tried using spiritual energy to stimulate movement, but there was never any response.

This was the first time—this little rascal was finally making his presence known.

He just hadn’t expected it to happen at a moment like this…

Little troublemaker. So lively the moment you sense your father nearby.

Bai Tu reached out and gently stroked his belly, feeling a tinge of sour jealousy.

He remained silent for a long time, making Yun Ye worry that he might be feeling unwell. Hurriedly, Yun Ye asked, “Master, what’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Seeing his foolish disciple’s anxious expression, Bai Tu shook his head. “It’s nothing. He… he just kicked me.”

“He…” Yun Ye quickly understood what Bai Tu meant. His gaze dimmed slightly as he murmured, “As long as you’re okay.”

Bai Tu asked, “Don’t you want to feel him?”

Yun Ye hesitated. “I…”

“You used to love touching him,” Bai Tu reminded him.

Back on Luoxia Peak, when Yun Ye still treated him like a rabbit.

Yun Ye fell silent for a long moment before softly replying, “Okay.”

Bai Tu took his hand and guided his palm over his belly.

As soon as that familiar presence settled over him, the little one in Bai Tu’s belly grew restless, eagerly moving again.

It felt like a tiny paw gently scratching from within.

Yun Ye’s eyes flickered.

The sensation was indescribably wondrous.

Just three months ago, this little thing had been nothing more than a tiny lump of flesh. Yet in the blink of an eye, a small life had taken form. Before long, the child would be born into the world.

Yun Ye had once thought he would despise the child growing inside his Master. But now, as he truly felt the little one’s presence, he realized—no matter how hard he tried—he simply couldn’t hate him.

After all, this was Master’s child.

And surely, he would be the most precious child in the world.

Yun Ye’s gaze softened. Perhaps sensing the shift in his emotions, the little one became even more energetic—nudging here, pressing there—eager to make his presence known in front of his father.

Bai Tu let out a soft gasp, frowning slightly from the discomfort.

Was this little rascal rolling around inside his belly??

Sensing Bai Tu’s discomfort instantly, Yun Ye’s previously relaxed expression tensed again. In a low voice, he scolded, “Stop messing around. Your daddy is feeling unwell.”

The commotion in Bai Tu’s belly stopped immediately.

He let out a breath of relief.

Good. Just like his father—scared into submission in a second.

Worried that any further touch might stir the little troublemaker back into action, Yun Ye quickly withdrew his hand and straightened up. “Master, are you tired? I’ll take you back.”

“I’m not.” Bai Tu shook his head, then deliberately asked, “Are you trying to lock me up again?”

“I wasn’t…” Yun Ye started but hesitated. Then, as if struck by a thought, he added, “If Master doesn’t want to go back, how about I take you out for a walk instead?”

Bai Tu had been hoping for this. Delighted, he readily agreed. “Alright.”

Yun Ye ordered a carriage to be prepared, and the two of them rode out of the Demon Palace.

“…This place is called Linyuan City. There are hundreds of cities, both large and small, scattered throughout the Demon Abyss. Ever since the previous Lord of the Abyss passed away, internal factions have fractured, each ruling their own territories. As of now, Linyuan City governs only half of them.”

Inside the carriage, Yun Ye explained the current state of the Demon Abyss to Bai Tu.

Bai Tu frowned. “You’re telling me all this… Aren’t you afraid I’ll use it against you?”

“I’m not,” Yun Ye replied. “I don’t want to hide things from you, Master.”

“Yun Ye, you are the Lord of the Abyss now,” Bai Tu reminded him. “These matters concern the very survival of the Demon Abyss. No matter who you’re speaking to, you shouldn’t reveal them so easily.”

Yun Ye fell silent for a moment before saying, “Then, shall I tell you about the customs of the Demon Abyss instead?”

As Bai Tu had suspected, not everyone in the Demon Abyss harbored ambitions of invading the human realm. On the contrary, for thousands of years, the Abyss had been self-sufficient and prosperous. If not for the previous Demon Lord’s insistence on waging war against the righteous sects, they might have continued their peaceful and stable way of life.

That being the case…

A thought took root in Bai Tu’s mind, a vague suspicion stirring within him.

Before long, the carriage came to a stop.

Bai Tu lifted the curtain and peered outside—they had arrived at the gates of Linyuan City.

Yun Ye helped Bai Tu down from the carriage, and the two of them ascended the city tower.

From their vantage point, the vast expanse of Linyuan City stretched out before them. Thousands of lanterns illuminated the streets, casting a glow so bright it nearly resembled daylight. The people of the Demon Abyss roamed the streets leisurely, their lives peaceful and untroubled.

Suddenly, Bai Tu asked, “There aren’t any troops stationed in Linyuan City?”

Yun Ye’s gaze flickered slightly before he replied, “There were, but I disbanded them.”

“You…”

Yun Ye explained, “For over a decade, the Demon Abyss has been cut off from the outside world. In that time, some took advantage of the uncertainty, stirring unrest and amassing large demon armies.”

“When I arrived, I disbanded those forces. Now, under Linyuan City’s rule, each city maintains only about ten thousand soldiers—just enough to defend against potential attacks.”

“There are teleportation arrays connecting all the cities in the Abyss. If any of them comes under siege, reinforcements can be dispatched swiftly.”

As a defensive strategy, it was sound. And yet…

Bai Tu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Just as that thought crossed his mind, a servant hurried over.

“Your Excellency, Lord Wu Jiu requests an audience with you.”

Before the messenger could finish speaking, Yun Ye interrupted, “Can’t you see I’m speaking with the Immortal Lord? Whatever it is, it can wait.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Bai Tu glanced at Yun Ye.

Sensing his gaze, Yun Ye hesitated for a moment before saying, “Wu Jiu must have heard that you’ve come to the Demon Abyss. Back then, at Tianyan Sect, he was the one who caused me to fall into darkness. I spared his life… Would you like to see him, Master?”

Bai Tu nodded.

They found Wu Jiu imprisoned in a dungeon within the city.

In the lightless cell, Wu Jiu lay motionless in the center, his limbs bound by thick iron chains. He looked far more withered than before, his energy completely drained.

Hearing footsteps approach, Wu Jiu lifted his head, his eyes locking onto Bai Tu with an unrelenting stare. His lips parted as if to speak, but no sound came out.

Bai Tu frowned. “What happened to him?”

Yun Ye, his gaze fixed coldly on the prisoner, answered, “In order to awaken the demon blood within me, he used a forbidden spell from the Demon Abyss, forcibly injecting immense demonic energy into my body. As a result, his own meridians were completely shattered—he’s lost all his cultivation.”

“I spared his life out of consideration for his years of loyalty to the Demon Abyss and locked him here.”

A shadow flickered across Yun Ye’s eyes as a thought surfaced. “But now… I almost regret it.”

If he had known that his departure would lead Master to suffer so much, he would have torn this man apart on the spot.

His breathing grew unsteady, and faint traces of demonic energy flickered in his gaze.

Sensing the shift in his aura, Bai Tu immediately grasped his hand. “Yun Ye, what did I just tell you? Steady your mind.”

As soon as Yun Ye met those clear, untainted eyes beside him, his turbulent emotions settled. The demonic energy in his gaze gradually receded.

Taking a deep breath, he lowered his eyes. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to startle you, Master.”

“Rest assured, I won’t kill him,” Yun Ye continued. “There is a place in the Demon Abyss called the Abyss of Nihility—an endless void devoid of light or sound, where only eternal darkness remains. It is where we exile demons who have committed grave sins.”

“I will banish him there. He will never return.”

Leaving the dungeon behind, Yun Ye led Bai Tu back to his courtyard.

In the Demon Abyss, there was never daylight—it was easy to lose track of time upon first arriving. However, Yun Ye had set up an array within the courtyard that mimicked the passage of time in the human realm, alternating between day and night. By the time they returned, the sky above the courtyard had already darkened.

Yun Ye guided Bai Tu to the bedside, carefully removing his cloak before personally pouring him a cup of tea.

“This tea was specially prepared by the best physician in Linyuan City,” Yun Ye said. “It soothes the mind and helps with pregnancy. Drink some before you rest.”

Bai Tu accepted the cup and took a small sip before hesitating. “You…”

“If there’s something you want to ask, Master,” Yun Ye said calmly, “just ask.”

Bai Tu fell silent for a moment before finally speaking. “You never actually planned to attack Tianyan Sect, did you?”

The cultivation world had long been on high alert. If the Demon Abyss truly intended to wage war, it would require extensive preparation and rigorous military training. Bai Tu had suspected it before—three months was far too short for Yun Ye to amass an army and launch an invasion. It would have been reckless.

Now, it was clear.

He had never been training soldiers.

And if he truly intended to conquer the human realm, he wouldn’t have turned against Wu Jiu the way he did.

No wonder there were barely any guards stationed within the Demon Palace itself.

This man…

Yun Ye didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, he patiently waited for Bai Tu to finish his tea, his expression calm and unwavering. Only after taking the empty cup from Bai Tu’s hands and setting it aside did he finally speak in a low voice. “You’re right. I never intended to attack Tianyan Sect.”

His fingers curled slightly at his sides, betraying a subtle tension. “The Demon Abyss is fine as it is. Stirring up war needlessly would only bring suffering and destruction.”

Bai Tu frowned. “Then why did you—”

“Yes, I lied to you,” Yun Ye admitted, returning to the bedside. He knelt down, carefully removing Bai Tu’s shoes and socks, his voice soft. “I just… wanted to see you. Every day, I wanted to see you. But I didn’t know how… So, yes. I deceived you.”

He guided Bai Tu to lie down, pulling the blanket over him. “Why don’t you understand, Master? I followed you for years. Even though I was born in the Demon Abyss, when have I ever done anything to harm the righteous path?”

“All I ever wanted was…”

Yun Ye’s hand brushed lightly across Bai Tu’s face, but he left the thought unfinished.

Bai Tu parted his lips slightly, but the words caught in his throat, unable to come out.

The experiences of his past life made it impossible for him to completely let down his guard around Yun Ye. From the day this person fell into darkness, he had been plagued by constant worry, fearing that they would inevitably repeat the same tragic fate as before.

But this person was not like that.

He had raised him with his own hands—how could he not understand how kind and soft-hearted he truly was? Even in the moment he succumbed to darkness, he had never harmed the innocent.

And yet, he had doubted him.

Bai Tu lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“There is no need for apologies, Master.” Yun Ye knelt by the bedside, his voice gentle. “I understand what you were thinking. If I were in your place, I would have done the same.”

Bai Tu’s eyes darkened slightly, a faint ache swelling in his heart.

Yun Ye hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “If Master still feels guilty… I have already shared my secret with you. Now, will you share yours with me?”

His lips pressed together, a trace of nervousness appearing on his face.

“Master… can you tell me—whose child is this?”

Bai Tu’s heart softened completely as he spoke earnestly, “It’s yours.”

Yun Ye chuckled. “Master, do you not wish to tell me the truth?”

Bai Tu hesitated. “…It really is yours.”

Yun Ye gazed at him intently, his eyes unreadable.

After a brief pause, he murmured, “Alright, then it’s mine.”

Bai Tu: “…”

=^_^=