“Does it still need to hatch?” Yue Lin asked.

Chu Hanjin, “…”

He took the round ball from Yue Lin’s arms.

It was round, plump, and green, with several cracks in its surface through which soft, white skin could be faintly seen. Chu Hanjin speculated, “Maybe we just need to wait for the skin to peel off.”

Yue Lin remained silent.

He lowered his gaze and examined the green fruit carefully. The cracks in its shell were turning a yellowish-green, a sign of ripening. It seemed that when the outer skin fully turned yellow, the shell would fall away entirely. At that point, it would probably reveal a soft, tender little child inside.

Yue Lin gently poked the surface of the fruit and then turned away, saying, “It’s quite cute.”

Chu Hanjin felt like there was something more to that statement.

The heaviness in his body was gone, and he had returned to his former lightness, which put him in a good mood. Holding the coconut-sized fruit, he made his way to the warm water pool.

His body had recovered to the same state it had been before pregnancy. Just as he was about to use a cloth to wipe the surface of the fruit, it suddenly moved in his palm and, with a little hop, splashed into the warm water.

Chu Hanjin, “?”

He reached out to fish the fruit out, but to his surprise, it was floating leisurely in the water, not drifting aimlessly with the waves, but almost as if it was bathing.

“…”

Chu Hanjin asked, “Do you like water?”

The fruit couldn’t speak, but it seemed to sense Chu Hanjin’s voice. It drifted over to him, gently bumping against his hand once, twice, three times, like a kitten seeking affection.

Chu Hanjin reached out and softly stroked its surface.

The fruit began to tremble slightly, as if it were very happy.

Chu Hanjin thought to himself, It’s really adorable.

This was the child he had carried and given birth to, naturally fond of him.

After washing himself, Chu Hanjin cradled the fruit in his arms and walked out of the bath. The swaddling cloths, blankets, and tiny shoes that had been prepared for the baby were suddenly useless. In the end, he had Yue Lin weave a small basket out of bamboo, lined it with soft silk fabric, and placed the green fruit inside.

A day passed, and the fruit hadn’t changed much, though the cracks in its surface had widened slightly.

Yue Lin stared at the fruit basket, deep in thought, “What should we call it?”

Chu Hanjin had already been calling it Qiuqiu (Little Ball) all day.

Yue Lin nodded, “Alright, we’ll call it Qiuqiu for now.”

He suddenly remembered, “How’s your recovery coming along?”

Chu Hanjin tried summoning his sword. He sent it flying toward a willow tree not far away. Normally, the force of his sword energy would slice the leaves before the blade even touched them.

After the sword embedded itself in the tree trunk, Chu Hanjin walked over to inspect it.

The leaves had been split into six veins, just like before.

His body had recovered quickly, and along the way, Yue Lin had helped him by channeling spiritual energy into him to ensure his recovery.

Now, Chu Hanjin could confidently say, “There’s no problem.”

Yue Lin nodded.

Outside, Bai Gu entered and announced, “My Lord.”

Yue Lin gave him a meaningful glance, “Mm, let’s set off.”

They traveled by sword until they reached the Rongku Sect’s territory, where they switched to a carriage. The sect’s underground formations could detect sword-flying cultivators, and without the proper documents presented to the guards, it could cause unnecessary conflicts and scrutiny.

Under the scorching sun, the carriage rolled steadily along the road. Inside, there was a large tub of cool water, making the space feel quite refreshing.

The green fruit was floating leisurely in the water, swaying back and forth contentedly.

Yue Lin remarked, “…Won’t it get waterlogged?”

Chu Hanjin mused, “Qiuqiu seems to really enjoy being in the water.”

When floating in water, its green shell was vibrant and shiny, but when taken out and placed back in the basket, its skin would wrinkle and shrivel, looking weak and listless as it rolled around.

Now that it was back in the water, it looked so happy that every inch of its shell radiated a lush green glow.

Yue Lin sighed softly.

The two of them were at a loss when it came to dealing with this little green fruit.

The carriage came to a stop, and Bai Gu’s voice called from outside, “Young Master, we’ve arrived in the city. I’ll go to the government office to report our sword-flying journey. Would you like to rest at an inn in the meantime?”

Now that they were in Rongku Sect’s territory, Bai Gu had switched to a more formal tone, standing respectfully outside the carriage.

Yue Lin responded with a brief acknowledgment. He lifted Qiuqiu out of the water, but the fruit seemed displeased, rolling around in his hands as he dried it off until Chu Hanjin took it into his arms. Together, they placed the little ball in its bamboo basket and stepped out of the carriage.

The Six Sects enforced strict rules, and the borders were clearly marked. Anyone flying on a sword had to report to each city, or it would be considered an intrusion.

However, they were lenient with the paperwork; it was easy to apply, the purpose being mainly to manage the flow of people.

Bai Gu headed off to the government office to handle the formalities, while Chu Hanjin and Yue Lin settled down at an inn.

Chu Hanjin placed the basket by his side as a waiter approached, “Would the two of you like to order something?”

Yue Lin replied, “Bring the menu.”

The waiter was attentive, noticing the fruit in the basket. He offered, “I can take the fruit to the kitchen to slice it into thin pieces for you. Would you like that?”

Slice… slice it into thin pieces?

Serve it on a plate to cool off?

Chu Hanjin, “…”

Yue Lin, “…”

Chu Hanjin sighed and said, “No need.”

The little fruit, seemingly understanding the conversation, trembled slightly as it lay in the cool silk fabric.

The waiter left to fetch the menu.

Chu Hanjin poured a cup of tea and, while waiting for the food, overheard some lively conversations from other customers.

“Stock up on food, folks! The world is about to plunge into chaos!”

“Haha, you’re always saying the world’s going to fall apart.”

“This time, I’m not joking! It really is! Haven’t you heard the rumors about the sects? Lord Yue Zhao of Yuanshan Sect was kidnapped by the demons. Yuanshan Sect is bound to send an army to punish the demons. And the path to the demon territory runs right through our Rongku Sect’s Fengliu City! It’s a strategic point, so the fighting will definitely reach us!”

“No way!”

“Why would I lie? And that’s not even all. Do you remember who killed our previous city guardian? It was the demons! They’ve been eyeing our spiritual resources for a while now, waiting for a chance to strike. Only fools would sit by and do nothing. Haha, good thing I’ve already stocked up on grain and flour in my cellar.”

“Ugh, I hate war the most. How long has it been since the Battle of Hengbi? Barely a decade or two. So many people died in that war. I hate it when cultivators fight—it always ends up hurting innocent people!”

Chu Hanjin twirled his teacup in his hand and took a sip.

He hadn’t expected the rumors to have spread so widely.

Next to him, someone else chimed in, “Lord Yue Zhao was kidnapped by the demons? I heard it was because he had ill intentions and defected to the demons, so Yuanshan Sect is cleansing their own ranks.”

“You heard wrong.”

“No, you’re the one who’s wrong.”

The two men banged their fists on the table, arguing.

While they quarreled, the waiter brought the dishes, chuckling as he watched them.

“I don’t think war is all bad. My uncle, a disciple of the Rongku Sect’s inner circle, gained great merits during the Battle of Hengbi by slaying demons. He was promoted to be the head of a side hall and now receives so many offerings each year, he can’t even count them with both hands!”

“But how do you expect the common folk like us to fight? We’re not even at the Core Formation stage. We’d just be cannon fodder!”

“You don’t understand,” the waiter added, pouring more tea into Chu Hanjin’s cup. “If war breaks out, I’d either run to Rongku Sect’s sanctuary or head to the Salt Lake of Many Eyes. Those two places are the safest in the entire Rongku Sect! There are underground formations there. Anyone without the proper token who enters will be struck down by lightning and obliterated!”

Yue Lin glanced at him, “You seem to know a lot.”

The waiter grinned, “When you roam the world, it pays to know a little bit about everything.”

He wasn’t wrong. In places with many people and constant traffic, information traveled faster.

At that moment, Bai Gu returned from outside, quickly stepping over to the table and wiping the sweat from his brow as he sipped some tea, “The paperwork has been approved.”

The so-called paperwork was actually just a marked talisman. Carrying it would prevent them from being monitored too closely.

As the waiter moved on to other tables, Yue Lin asked Bai Gu, “How do you plan to deal with the formations at the Salt Lake of Many Eyes?”

Bai Gu put on a troubled expression, “If we had left a few days earlier, we could have kidnapped the boys and girls outside the lake without much effort.”

Yue Lin had done that on purpose and now sneered, “Are you blaming me?”

Bai Gu immediately looked terrified, “I wouldn’t dare.”

Chu Hanjin remained silent for a long while before finally saying, “Perhaps you’re underestimating Rongku Sect’s people. The boys and girls sent to the Salt Lake are escorted by experts. If they encounter danger, they will form a protective array and send out a distress signal. The lake and the surrounding cities will immediately dispatch reinforcements, and the surrounding barriers and formations will be sealed. It’s not as easy as you think.”

Bai Gu praised him, “A brilliant observation, Lord Yue Zhao.” He then added, “Moreover, if we openly kidnap these boys and girls, it will certainly provoke the righteous sects, stirring up public outrage. It could even ignite another war between the righteous and demonic factions. So, if we’re going to capture them, we need to do it secretly.”

Yue Lin raised an eyebrow, “Stealth is your specialty.”

Bai Gu looked uneasy, “This…”

But he quickly wiped the sweat from his brow and forced a smile, “It’s just that I’ve always preferred to save effort when I can.”

Yue Lin sipped his tea and exchanged a glance with Chu Hanjin.

Both of them were well aware of the situation. Bai Gu, always scheming for convenience, would never risk his life for the sake of capturing boys and girls. Cunning and clever as he was, he’d likely already found a shortcut or a method to snatch the sacrifices without much effort.

If their previous suspicions were correct, Bai Gu might have traded advanced puppet techniques to Chen Yang and Luo Yang in exchange for a secret about the Salt Lake of Many Eyes.

Now Yue Lin just needed to push him to the brink, forcing him to reveal his “secret.”

Yue Lin’s tone was lazy, “Sounds troublesome. You’ll have to work hard.”

Bai Gu immediately responded, “For your grand plans, my lord, I would die a thousand deaths.”

The inn wasn’t a suitable place for further discussion, so they lowered their voices and left it at that.

After finishing their meal, they stood up to leave. Chu Hanjin picked up the fruit basket, noticing that Qiuqiu’s outer skin was wrinkling again, as if it felt hot and was rolling sluggishly.

…It hadn’t spoken a word, yet somehow, Chu Hanjin felt like he could understand it.

Chu Hanjin made his way toward the carriage, preparing to place the fruit back in the cool water to help it cool off. But as he stepped out the door, he nearly bumped into a line of neatly dressed cultivators in white robes.

The embroidery on their collars indicated they were from the Yuanshan Sect! They appeared weary from their journey and quickly settled by the window, calling for tea.

They noticed Chu Hanjin as well.

But strangely, all of them acted as if they hadn’t seen him. They averted their eyes and quietly sipped their tea, pretending not to recognize him at all.