| The Paternity Guard (PATERNITY) |
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Ke Weiqing shivered in the corner of the carriage while looking at the imposing beauty in front of him. Although he was the one who first touched his belly, but he didn't know that this beauty was Yin Ji!
Zou Wuxiao laughed mockingly while watching him come to his own death.
Yin Ji lifted the blanket to reveal his androgynous face that was staring at Ke Weiqing before slowly breaking into a smile that made people shiver all over.
Ke Weiqing wailed in his heart that this big devil was going to kill him!
"Young Master Ke, do you feel that this Palace Lord is not beautiful enough that you are being scared like this?"
‘You, a demon who kills without blinking an eye is not this Young Master match, of course, I'm afraid! I do value my life, you know!’
Seeing him not speaking, Yin Ji suddenly asked with a hint of meaning, "Do you think this Palace Lord is more beautiful than that Miss Feng Qi from Linfeng Tower?"
Uh...
Ke Weiqing was dumbfounded.
‘Is this person comparing himself to a woman?’
Oh!
Ke Weiqing suddenly remembered that this androgynous face in front of him was the top one in Yiqing Pavilion back then!
That enchanting woman!
Since Bai Xiaoyin withdrew from Yiqing Pavilion, countless men have been distressed and vowed to find out who ultimately won Bai Xiaoyin's love that caused her to leave without hesitation.
As for that Miss Feng Qi from Linfeng Tower, what does she look like? He had long forgotten.
Ke Weiqing smiled politely, "She's not a famous girl, really, she's just average. How can I compare her to you?"
"Is that so?" Yin Ji seemed uninterested after hearing that as he pulled the blanket up a bit higher before closing his eyes.
Ke Weiqing let out a sigh.
But what exactly did he touch just now? He couldn't explain.
The curtain was pulled open a bit and Zou Wuxiao's face appeared outside, "Get out already."
Ke Weiqing took a deep breath and stepped out.
After stepping out, he kicked Zou Wuxiao's buttocks while angrily saying, "You bastard, if anything happens to this Young Master today, it's all because of you!"
Zou Wuxiao didn't rub his buttocks but grabbed Ke Weiqing's ankle and pulled hard. It causes Ke Weiqing to fall on the carriage with a thud.
Then the two not-so-young people started fighting outside.
Zou Wuxiao grabbed someone's thief claws and whispered, "Lower your voice. If you anger the Palace Master, I can't protect you either."
Ke Weiqing sat up.
He was determined to find out, otherwise, he wouldn't feel at ease.
He leaned close to Zou Wuxiao's ear like a thief and whispered, "This Young Master just touched the belly of your Palace Master and it was bulging, very similar to how Shi Qi looked back then. He definitely can't be pregnant, right? Did he get some serious illness?"
Zou Wuxiao felt powerless for a while.
The Palace Master has been erratic recently but fortunately, he didn't have murderous intentions just now when this naive person touched his belly.
Zou Wuxiao pressed him to sit next to him before shaking his head, "Knowing too much is not good for you. Don't you hear the saying of..."
"The more you know, the faster you die!" Ke Weiqing continued with his eyes widening, "If you don't want to say, then forget it. This Young Master will find out eventually. Hmph! But where are you taking this Young Master?"
Can this person change topics any faster?
In the bustling street, Ying Qi finished lunch and walked out of a restaurant.
There was someone shouting ahead and a woman's voice coming through the wall, "You dare to eat without paying? Do you think there's no law in this world? Quickly give money to this uncle, otherwise, don't blame my sword for not having eyes!"
"Wait a minute—" Presumably, the person was scared of her sword and ran away.
"Tch!" Wu Enci put away her sword that could only be used to intimidate people and walked out of the crowd arrogantly. However, she saw someone who made her more angry.
Everyone around her benefactor seemed to have a grudge against her that made her unable to speak nicely to the benefactor.
"Oh, isn't this the guard beside Lord Xing? The Benefactor's brother? But what are you doing here, big brother?"
Ying Qi, unimpressed by the haughty girl, calmly said, "Excuse me, please step aside."
Wu Enci pointed at him, speechless.
“Big brother, it's her! She pointed a sword at me, your brother! You must avenge me!" Just as she was getting agitated, she heard commotion behind her.
It turned out that the scoundrel from earlier had brought his cronies with each looking menacing with clubs in hand. Feeling anxious, Wu Enci quickly walked over to where Ying Qi was still standing before grabbing his arm. "Big brother, let's go home!"
As the group approached, they saw a man that seemed formidable but paid him no mind and just focused on Wu Enci. With a wave of their leader’s hand, they shouted, "Let's attack together—"
Ying Qi pulled back his hand to deny Wu Enci's attempt to involve him further. He glanced at her helplessly, and she, sticking out her tongue, said, "Sorry, if you don't help me then I might not make it out of here today."
Soon, the street was filled with the sounds of people being beaten and cries of pain echoing.
Meanwhile, at a nearby restaurant where Ying Qi had previously been, a figure descended the stairs. As soon as they stepped out, a person kicked by Ying Qi flew straight towards them. Onlookers gasped as it seemed like a collision was imminent. Wu Enci covered her eyes while exclaiming, "Oh my, that person is pregnant!"
Everyone looked closely and indeed, although the person was covered in a thick cloak that obscured their face, a slight bulge could be seen in their belly part that indicates she's pregnant.
Just as disaster seemed imminent, a gray figure swiftly appeared in front of the pregnant person to pull them to safety. The kicked person crashed to the ground with a painful cry.
Though no one was hit, it was still their fault. Ying Qi, released his grip before apologizing with a hint of regret, "I'm sorry, I acted hastily. Did I startle you?"
The pregnant woman adjusted her cloak without speaking and just shook her head slightly before hurriedly disappeared into the crowd. Ying Qi suddenly felt uneasy as he scolded himself for his rash actions.
He withdrew his gaze that had been fixed on that person and decided to leave the troublesome place.
Wu Enci quipped as she followed, "So, Ying Qi, the elder brother of benefactor, likes women who are pregnant? You couldn't take your eyes off her! Though, she is quite tall. If she wasn't holding her belly, I would have thought she was a man!"
Feeling a sudden pang in his chest, Ying Qi didn't delay any longer and headed in the opposite direction. Left behind, Wu Enci looked around before quickly running to safety place with her sword.
In a secluded corner, the person who had previously been disguised as a pregnant woman observed their departure with a mixture of longing in their eyes.
He couldn't believe how close they had gotten earlier. Don't they know it's inappropriate to get too close to someone of the opposite sex without permission?
……..
Ying Qi returned to Yueming City but didn't immediately return to the fortress.
He wanted to secretly check on Shi Qi and the baby. However, he was caught red-handed by Shi Er, who told him the news of Shi Qi's pregnancy.
Ying Qi felt a mix of joy and worry but Shi Er patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, with the experience from the first time, this time should be much better. Master will bring back the Divine Physician. As for you... Master has a command~" He teased as he prolonged the tone before laughing, "You're temporarily forbidden from revealing your return. We'll lend you the East Lake Villa. Hey, we're considered family to Shi Qi, right? Can I go stay there one day too?"
Perhaps their Master was concerned that someone might come and inadvertently disturb Shi Qi upon hearing the news. Still, the fact that Master allowed him to stay was quite touching.
So, Ying Qi settled into the East Lake Villa and took care of his daily needs independently, such as fetching water, cooking, and so on. However, upon occasionally waking up, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't alone in the courtyard. The guards watching the villa had been temporarily reassigned, so there should have been no one else here.
"What are you thinking, Xiao Qi?" A beautiful head peeked out from the roof and Ying Qi, who was lost in thought, was caught off guard.
"Shi Er, you're here. Did Master allow you to come?"
Shi Er jumped down to stand beside him while looking worried. "You have no idea. We, Shadow Guards are becoming obsolete as Master often waves us off while saying 'stay away' to avoid disturbing his affairs. In the past, we dealt with assassins and thieves but now that the world is peaceful, even Alliance Leader Lin doesn't visit often anymore as he's been more active on cleaning some dust since you left." The conversation took an odd turn that even Lin Canghai was inexplicably brought up. Ying Qi narrowed his eyes at Shi Er as he sensed something hidden.
Shi Er waved it off, "Hey, don't ask. It's all related to Master, and as Shadow Guards, we can't speculate about Master's affairs; otherwise, we'll be punished! Have you eaten? I'm starving!"
Ying Qi wanted to inquire further but seeing Shi Er's reluctance, he just shook his head and went to wash up his hands to cook. Shi Er, who is sitting on bed, watches him leave before secretly wiping his nonexistent sweat.
‘Why does he feel so guilty about asking for information from Ying Qi?’
Breakfast was simple as it was a combination of minced meat pancakes, boiled eggs, and plain congee. But Shi Er enjoyed it immensely because he rarely got to taste Ying Qi's cooking!
But halfway through, Ying Qi remembered something and asked, "Shi Er, is Young Master Ke currently in Yueming City?”
"Yeah, I saw him flying around with the baby a couple of days ago. Why do you suddenly think of him? Could it be that you... Xiao Qi, you..."
Shi Er's face showed shock but was interrupted by an egg hitting his face from Ying Qi, which calmed him down.
He caught the falling egg before peeling it to eat it, "Young Master Ke had some trouble recently. I don't know the specifics but he stayed in bed for a long time before he could get up. The last time I saw him, although he smiled, he looked very tired and depressed. Master probably knows more."
"Trouble?"
It had been a long time since they last met. Could it be related to Zou Wuxiao? Young Master Ke seemed to trust that person a lot. "Have there been any updates from the Blood Demon Palace recently?"
"Huh?" Shi Er looked up suddenly while feeling extremely surprised that Ying Qi would ask about the Blood Demon Palace, "Did I hear you correctly?"
"What's going on? Could it really be related to them?"
"No, no, I'm just surprised that you suddenly mentioned the Blood Demon Palace. They've been quiet for a long time that they almost disappeared from the Martial Arts World, which is why Alliance Leader Lin doesn't visit often. Do you think it's related to them?"
They had indeed been inactive for a while, except for that person who still seemed to move around mysteriously.
The matter regarding Ke Weiqing remained unresolved, and probably, the only person involved was the one who knew the full story. However, Ying Qi couldn't shake off a nagging feeling as recently, he felt increasingly tense but he didn't know the reason.
…………
Once again startled awake, Ying Qi couldn't resist putting on clothes before stepping into the courtyard. Except for his own room, the entire courtyard was dark, as he stayed in a secluded part.
The Main Residence where Master and Shi Qi lived was a separate building closer to the lake. Young Master Ke had initially chosen the most beautiful room in the center of this Villa, which was adorned with flowers during spring and summer. He had watered them during the day but now, the courtyard was pitch black.
Just as he was about to turn back, he heard a faint sound from inside. It was the sound of something falling.
Although there was a slight cool breeze at night, it wasn't strong enough to knock things over.
Was someone in the courtyard?
Shi Er hadn't mentioned anyone staying here, and if there was, they should have announced their presence long ago. Ying Qi stepped lightly, as he always did and silently approached the flower-filled courtyard.
All the windows and doors were tightly closed, so he carefully lifted a piece of roofing tile and held his breath before looking inside—
Though the room was dimly lit, it wasn't pitch black like outside.
Someone was lying sideways on the bed with their upper body covered by clothes but their lower body was bare underneath the blanket. They were motionless with their eyes closed as if asleep.
Ying Qi's gaze scanned the room and landed on something clearly thrown in anger by the owner…