301: Mutual affection

"Lu Qianqian and Feng Ming are deeply in love. If Zhang Bai insists on interfering, not only will we be unable to protect him, but the Zhang Family and Bai Family might also be dragged down! Have you forgotten the fate of the Chen Family?"

Bai Xi trembled all over, her face pale. Unable to sit still any longer, she suddenly rose. "Thank you for the reminder, older sister. I will go find my husband immediately and have him send someone to the Trial Grounds right away to tell Zhang Bai to release her and apologize. He must not act recklessly anymore!"

With that, she hurriedly turned and left, her steps slightly stumbling.

In the pavilion, Elder Xu and Elder Pan exchanged glances, both feeling amused and helpless. They had thought it was some vital matter, but in the end, it was merely a false alarm caused by youthful romance.

The Zhang Family's actions were faster than expected.

When Zhang Bai received the news, he was sulking in the stone hall of the Opportunity Grounds. After learning the reason, his face was full of unwillingness, and he stubbornly refused to yield. But when his father laid down the harsh ultimatum—that if he dared to compete with Feng Ming for a woman, their relationship would be severed, and the Zhang Family would bear none of the consequences for him—Zhang Bai finally became afraid.

The scene of the Chen Family's destruction was still vivid in his mind. The Jiang Family was the true sovereign of Liang Province; one word from Jiang Qinghe could ensure that the Zhang and Bai Families had no place to stand in Liang Province.

Even if he liked Lu Qianqian immensely, he dared not gamble with the fate of the entire Zhang Family. In the end, Zhang Bai gritted his teeth, relented, and agreed to let Lu Qianqian leave.

When Lu Qianqian learned she could leave, her heart was filled with surprise. She truly couldn't understand why Zhang Bai, who had been so firm just a few days ago, had suddenly changed his mind.

However, Zhang Bai's subsequent actions made her view the stubborn young man slightly differently: he actually ordered over a hundred of his subordinates to escort Lu Qianqian all the way out.

He even awkwardly claimed that since Lu Qianqian was gone, his subordinates were useless staying behind and instructed them to go collect heaven ranking ticketss.

But Lu Qianqian understood in her heart that this guy was worried about her encountering danger on the road.

Although she harbored no romantic feelings, this final act of thoroughness made Lu Qianqian feel that Zhang Bai could ultimately be considered an honorable man.

At the Trial Grounds, by the Wangyue Spring.

Feng Ming looked at the message Lu Qianqian sent, tapped the stone table lightly with his fingertips, and a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes: "Is something wrong with Zhang Bai's head? Why did he suddenly see the light?"

Putting aside his confusion, the huge weight on his heart finally lifted. He casually remarked, "Well, that saves me a trip."

Immediately, he replied to Lu Qianqian's message: "We are waiting for you by the Wangyue Spring. There is an Opportunity here for you. Come quickly."

In just a moment, Lu Qianqian's reply came back, containing only six simple characters: "Understood. Thank you, Brother-in-law."

Feng Ming looked at the screen, a smile involuntarily curling his lips, but before the smile faded, a subtle fluctuation of Qi suddenly came from beside him.

He turned his head and saw the Spiritual Qi around Jiang Shuwan slowly consolidating, the shimmering light on her brow gradually fading. She slowly opened her eyes, which were filled with joy, and her voice carried a hint of excitement:

"Husband, the moon gazing tears truly are miraculous! Although I haven't grasped the Way of Divine Sense, my Mental Energy surged, and I actually broke through directly to the Sixth Layer of Nascent Soul!"

"Congratulations, Wife." Feng Ming walked forward, reaching out to help her up, his tone filled with relief and satisfaction.

Jiang Shuwan smiled and stood up, but just as she straightened, her stomach suddenly churned violently, and a wave of nausea rushed up her throat. She quickly covered her mouth, bent over, and started retching.

"Shuwan, what's wrong?" Feng Ming's heart tightened. He quickly stepped forward to support her, placing his palm on her back and gently soothing her Qi.

Jiang Shuwan shook her head, her face slightly pale, and her voice weak: "I don't know either. I suddenly felt nauseous and tight in the chest just now..."

Before she could finish speaking, another bout of retching struck.

Anxiety filled Feng Ming's heart, and without thinking, he placed his fingers on her wrist pulse. The moment his fingertips touched her pulse, his body stiffened abruptly, and the anxiety on his face was instantly replaced by shock.

He looked up at Jiang Shuwan, his gaze intense, his voice trembling slightly: "Shuwan... you... Huangfu Yunyan hit the nail on the head."

Jiang Shuwan froze, staring blankly at him. After a moment, as if suddenly realizing something, she abruptly lowered her head to look at her lower abdomen, slowly placing her hand over it, her voice a light whisper: "Husband, are you... are you saying?"

Feng Ming looked at her, his eyes surging with wild joy and tenderness. He nodded heavily, speaking clearly and solemnly, word by word:

"You're pregnant, Shuwan. We have a child."

Feng Mian and the others nearby were startled by the commotion and quickly stood up, gathering around with expressions of surprise and urgency.

"We just heard you say 'you're pregnant.' What is it? What happened?" Feng Mian spoke first, his gaze moving back and forth between Feng Ming and Jiang Shuwan, vaguely sensing the situation.

Feng Ming did not answer immediately. He simply raised his hand and gently stroked Jiang Shuwan's lower abdomen, his expression gentle yet solemn.

This single action made Feng Mian and the others instantly understand. All the surprise on their faces turned into shock, followed immediately by intense delight.

"Younger Brother's Wife... could it be that you are pregnant?" Feng Mian's voice carried a subtle tremor, his tone full of anticipation.

Feng Ming slowly nodded and replied in a deep voice, "Yes, Shuwan is pregnant."

These three short words instantly caused the surrounding crowd to erupt in excitement, every face beaming with joy, their expressions showing genuine happiness.

Feng Mian took a step forward, looked at Jiang Shuwan, and gave earnest, urgent advice:

"Second Brother, you absolutely cannot be careless about this matter. The child must be carefully nurtured starting from the womb. If you can give birth to an Innate Physique, that is far superior to one polished through Acquired means. You must take this seriously!"

Hearing this, Feng Ming nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, Big Brother, I naturally understand."

He had already begun calculating in his heart. However, he only possessed the cultivation manual for Acquired Physiques. A heaven grade Physique forged through Acquired means was ultimately not as inherently gifted as an Innate bone structure.

But he currently had no clue about the method for cultivating an Innate Physique. After much thought, he had only one idea: "It's nothing more than piling on Heavenly Treasures. I will search for all sorts of Rare Herbs and Exotic Plants for Shuwan to nourish herself. I refuse to believe we can't raise a child with an Innate Physique."

Originally, Feng Ming planned to collect Rare Herbs and Exotic Plants of Rank Seven and above within the Trial Grounds to prepare for refining high-grade Medicinal Pills later.

But now that Jiang Shuwan was pregnant, these medicinal ingredients had become his primary goal. He absolutely had to acquire all of them to safeguard his unborn child.

Seeing everyone so nervous, Jiang Shuwan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said softly, somewhat helplessly, "I just found out. Isn't it a bit too early for you all to be planning these things?"

Originally, she didn't think much of it, but now that so many people were taking it seriously, she felt a little overwhelmed.

She hadn't thought about having a child before. She even thought that when Feng Ming mentioned preparing for pregnancy, he was just saying it to humor Grandpa and Second Uncle.

But now, she actually had a small life—hers and her husband's—in her belly.