Chapter 636

Bái Sōnglán comes every two days to take my pulse, and the pulse has always been normal.

Over the past year or more, the Feng Clan has also undergone tremendous changes.

The wutong tree that grew on the ruins of Mount Cangwu is now so thick that five or six people can encircle it, its branches and leaves lush, full of vitality.

The Feng Clan rests in the wutong tree.

The better this wutong tree grows, the better it indicates that the Little Guy in my belly is developing.

It's just that this pregnancy is a bit too long, and I always feel uneasy inside.

But someone is even more anxious than I am.

Liu Junyan has a secret; he hides something in the hidden compartment of his wardrobe, always sneaking over to look at it. I've bumped into him a few times, but he always brushed it off.

Until one day, I could no longer resist my curiosity, and while he was away from home I opened the hidden compartment.

Inside the hidden compartment was a notebook, its first page neatly written with the four large characters 'Incubation Notes'.

This 'Incubation Notes' intermittently records the experiences of many who have gone before; one can tell the first half was written earlier, likely before Xingchen was born.

The second half was written after I became pregnant with my second child.

Because some of the experiences in it come from Zhong Shushu.

Zhong Shushu gave birth last year, producing a black dragon egg that is still in the incubation process.

Liu Junyan surely feels some guilt; when I was pregnant with Xingchen, the situation was continually tumultuous, and when I gave birth to him in Zàng Qū, he was taken away as soon as he was born.

So he is especially nervous about this second pregnancy.

Even though he went out a few times in the middle, each time was brief, his heart eager to return.

He is striving to make the preparations expected of a father.

The longer my pregnancy lasts, the more I can feel his anxiety.

I put that 'Incubation Notes' back where it was, and I have never opened it.

Today I stood on these steps, watching the water level keep rising; perhaps because the weather is too hot, I suddenly felt waves of dizziness.

The Little Guy in my belly is also unusually excited today, constantly moving about inside.

At that moment, a large hand braced against my waist from behind; Liu Junyan leaned over, holding a palm-leaf fan, and gently fanned me.

I half-leaned against him, using his strength to steady myself, and said softly: 'Āyàn, you say this year's weather is unusually hot—could it be related to the Little Guy in my belly?'

The Little Guy is a Nirvana Phoenix and also the next Phoenix Lord; her arrival is bound to be extraordinary.

Just as when I was born, the entire rear mountain of Tafengcun was burned bare.

Liu Junyan heard me say that, his brows furrowed, and he immediately asked: 'Xiao Jiu, you're heavy; go lean back on the sofa.'

He was supporting me; as soon as I turned, I felt something wrong and dared not move: 'Āyàn, quick… quick go call Shulan sister, I… my waters seem to have broken.'

Although I have already had one childbirth experience, at this critical point I still feel nervous.

Liu Junyan panicked even more; he took a deep breath, calmed himself a bit, and said: 'I'll first help you inside, then go.'

He had just helped me take a step when I felt a sharp pain, sweat beading on my forehead: 'No, it doesn't feel like when I gave birth to Xingchen; don't move me, it hurts—please have Shulan sister come over.'

Liu Junyan had no choice but to let go; he wanted to scoop me up and carry me indoors, but whenever he moved me I cried out in pain.

Liu Junyan saw blood trickling down my lower leg.

It seems not to be my waters breaking……

Liu Junyan had no alternative; he could only let me lean on the pillar beneath the eaves, then turn and sprint to call Bai Shulan.

Bai Shulan arrived quickly, she took my pulse, and her face instantly darkened: 'It's not your waters breaking, nor are you about to give birth; you've disturbed the fetal qi.'

I puzzled: 'I haven't done anything at all—I just stood at the doorway watching the rising water—how could I have disturbed the fetal qi?'

Bai Shulan said nothing, then took my pulse again more carefully.

After a while she said: 'I'll prescribe some fetal-protecting herbs; drink them once they're boiled.'

The temperature kept climbing, and the water had already risen over the steps of Dang Pu.

Hui Moqiong and Huang Fan have returned, leading their subordinates to evacuate the townspeople and prepare for flood control.

After taking the fetal-protecting medicine, my condition showed no improvement; I continued to bleed.

In the evening, Tang Xun and A Cheng came together.

I wondered: 'Āyàn, did you tell my aunt and A Cheng about this?'

My tone carried resentment.

We haven't even done anything yet—why all this fuss?

Tang Xun shook his head and said: 'It wasn't Seventh Lord who notified us to come; it's the Feng Clan's wutong tree, which started acting oddly after lunch today—at first the trunk began exuding blood beads, and now the leaves have turned red on nearly half; I and A Cheng thought something might be wrong on your end, so we rushed over.'

Upon hearing that, Bai Shulan became even more certain: 'It seems something has indeed disturbed Xiao Jiu's fetal qi; the fetal-protecting medicine is useless—we must find the source of the disturbance.'

Liu Junyan said: 'The inexplicable rise of the Zhu Pan River's water level and the abnormally high temperature in Wufu Town—could the problem be in the river?'

Just as he was speaking, Hui Moqiong came in from outside, he told Liu Junyan to go out, saying Zhao Zixun was looking for him.

Liu Junyan had no choice but to leave first.

Soon he returned.

I asked what had happened to Zhao Zixun.

'It's still the Zhu Pan River issue,' Liu Junyan said, 'the Yin soldiers under Zhao Zixun's command can barely hold on, and even Zhao Zixun himself…'

I frowned.

Ever since the Taotie Fierce Formation was broken, Zhao Zixun has been leading the Yin soldiers to guard that small hill opposite the Zhu Pan River.

Later, Fu Wan and the Red Flag Child also often stayed there.

Just what kind of force is this, that not only jolts my belly but also alters the living environment of the opposite hill?

Thinking this, I asked: 'Āyàn, why not pay a visit to the Linghai Dragon Clan and ask Elder Xiao and the others?'

Since this is a problem of this watercourse, consulting Xiaoye is surely correct.

Tang Xun also chimed in: "Xiao Jiu, we're here, Seventh Lord, go quickly and come back quickly."

Before Liu Junyan could even step out the door, Hui Moqiong's voice came from outside: "Seventh Lord, come out quickly and take a look, there's a heavenly omen!"

Liu Junyan and A Cheng immediately went out.

At this moment, even if we hadn't gone out, we similarly saw a dusky red light seeping in through the Dang Pu's main gate.

That light seemed to carry fire, and wherever it reached was scorching hot.

Immediately after, we heard Hui Moqiong's incredulous voice from outside: "Red Flood Dragon... Seventh Lord, could it be that Qing Ying has returned? Could it be?!"

Qing Ying?

I struggled to get up; I also wanted to go out and see that heavenly omen, and I also wanted to see the "Red Flood Dragon" that Hui Moqiong mentioned.

Those two simple words instantly made me picture the scene of a red carp leaping over the Dragon Gate.

Qing Ying ultimately transformed into a flood dragon, which is crimson red.

Bái Sōnglán shoved me down: "Xiao Jiu, don't move! Even if Qing Ying returns, she'll come see you first—what's the rush? Your stomach is the priority!"

As soon as her voice fell, a familiar voice came from the doorway: "Xiao Jiu, it's me, I'm back..."