38: The child belongs to Emperor Yan.

Qin Fan froze on the spot, his gaze fixed on Lu Xueqi's lower abdomen.

He blinked stiffly, forcing a strained smile.

"Xueqi, this joke... it's really not funny at all."

Lu Xueqi pressed her pale lips together, her fingertips curling slightly, and said solemnly, "Qin Fan, it's not a joke, it's real."

The smile on Qin Fan's face instantly froze, and the last trace of warmth vanished from his eyes.

He abruptly extended his Divine Sense, and when that faint but real life force reached him, his face instantly turned ashen.

His pupils trembled violently, and the rage and despair in his chest suddenly exploded. He roared heartbrokenly, "Whose!"

"Emperor Yan's." Lu Xueqi's voice was very soft, but it instantly plunged Qin Fan into an ice cellar.

"When did it happen?"

His voice was numb, his fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and even his body began to shiver slightly.

"The night I was captured."

Lu Xueqi lowered her eyes, not daring to look at his expression.

Qin Fan staggered back half a step, shaking his head, unwilling to believe it.

He had once vowed to himself that as long as they weren't officially married, Emperor Yan would still show some consideration for appearances and wouldn't do anything excessive to Xueqi.

But he never expected that the other party wouldn't even wait a day, that very night... A huge sense of betrayal and powerlessness drowned him. He felt his world collapsing.

Seeing Qin Fan on the verge of collapse, Lu Xueqi felt the same pain in her heart.

She hesitated for a long time, then finally tentatively spoke, "Qin Fan, take me away."

Qin Fan stared at her blankly, then suddenly let out a mournful laugh.

The Cang Emperor, seeing this, frowned deeply, raised his hand, and set up a soundproof barrier, firmly trapping their voices within it.

"Qin Fan, what's wrong?" Lu Xueqi asked worriedly.

Qin Fan's laughter abruptly stopped.

He looked at Lu Xueqi, a bitter curve forming on his lips: "What's wrong?"

"Lu Xueqi, my woman is pregnant with someone else's child. What do you think is wrong?"

Lu Xueqi's heart ached fiercely. From the moment she said she was pregnant, every subtle expression on Qin Fan's face had not escaped her eyes.

So His Majesty was right: a person who truly loves you wouldn't mind if you were pregnant with someone else's child.

It turned out that Qin Fan's love for her was not as deep as he claimed.

But the lingering hope in her heart still made her unable to resist defending herself: "Qin Fan, I know this is my fault, but I'm also a victim!"

"I couldn't resist at all at the time. Can't you understand me?"

Qin Fan's eyes instantly turned red, bloodshot veins covering his eyeballs.

He roared hoarsely, "Understand? Who will understand me!"

"For you, I've kept myself pure since birth, never even touched a woman's hand!"

"I did all this so that we could love each other without any reservations in the future!"

"But what about you? How long has it been, and you've forgotten everything about us!"

"But in that situation, what could I do?" Lu Xueqi's eyes also reddened, her voice filled with grievance and sobs: "I'm just a Saint, Emperor Yan is a Quasi-Emperor. The gap between us is too great. How could I resist?"

"Couldn't you have self-destructed?"

The moment these words blurted out, the air within the entire barrier seemed to solidify.

Qin Fan himself was stunned. He immediately realized he had said the wrong thing.

However, he did not explain, because even if he did, Lu Xueqi wouldn't understand.

For Cultivators like them, ordinary death was not true death. As long as the true spirit remained, they could always Reincarnate again.

But Lu Xueqi didn't know this yet, and completely obliterating a true spirit was extremely difficult, regardless of cultivation level.

Of course, there were beings in this world who could obliterate true spirits, such as—Di Yan.

His Grand Beginning Law was the origin of all Laws, encompassing the characteristics of all Laws, and could also exist as a standalone Law.

Xiao Yan's true spirit, along with his Physical Body, Divine Soul, and Primordial Spirit, was completely obliterated, leaving no chance for Reincarnation.

But these words, falling into Lu Xueqi's ears, became the cruelest blade.

She looked at Qin Fan in disbelief, her body trembling uncontrollably.

It turned out that in his eyes, her purity was more important than her life. For his so-called "reputation," he would rather she die than suffer a bit of humiliation.

The words Di Yan had whispered in her ear these past few days resurfaced.

It turned out Qin Fan really valued purity above all else, even more than her life.

She shook her head in collapse, tears streaming down, her voice a desperate roar: "Qin Fan, you don't love me at all!"

"I do!" Qin Fan hastily explained, but the words felt incredibly hollow: "But I won't allow the person I love to be pregnant with someone else's child! That's my bottom line!"

Lu Xueqi was completely bewildered. Was this kind of feeling love, or selfish possession?

She really couldn't tell anymore.

"Sister, he doesn't love you. A person who truly loves you wouldn't let you reach this point, and certainly wouldn't say such cruel words when you're at your most vulnerable." A gentle female voice came from not far away.

Lu Xueqi and Qin Fan turned their heads simultaneously, only to see a beautiful woman in a blue palace dress, her hand caressing her swollen belly, walking slowly towards them.

Her demeanor was gentle, with a hint of undetectable majesty between her brows.

"You are?" Lu Xueqi asked, puzzled.

The beautiful woman in the blue dress walked up to her and smiled slightly: "I am your second sister, Di Yunshu, titled Consort Shu."

"Surname Di..." Lu Xueqi's brows instantly furrowed, and she subconsciously pressed, "What is your relationship with His Majesty?"

A hint of imperceptible awkwardness flashed across Di Yunshu's face.

"Sister, the origin of surnames is so profound. Now is not the time to discuss this." She deliberately avoided the question, her tone serious: "The important thing is, if a man truly loves you, what kind of situation would he put you in?"

Lu Xueqi lowered her eyes, filled with confusion and pain, unsure how to answer for a moment.

Di Yunshu took a few steps forward, ignoring the ashen-faced Qin Fan beside her, and gently grasped Lu Xueqi's cool hand.

"Sister asks you, if His Majesty had wanted your life that night, instead of your body, what would you have chosen?"

"I would naturally choose death." Lu Xueqi answered almost instinctively, her tone very decisive.

"That's right." Di Yunshu continued: "You are willing to die for him, that is your love."

"But what about him? He constantly says he loves you, yet when you've suffered humiliation and are physically and mentally wounded, instead of trying to heal your pain and lead you out of suffering, he questions why you didn't self-destruct? Is this love?"

Di Yunshu's hand tightened slightly, making Lu Xueqi feel the power in her words more clearly:

"What he loves is just that pure and flawless illusion in his heart, not the real Lu Xueqi before him, who gets hurt, fears, and needs protection."

"His love is possession, it is taking, it tolerates no flaw, even if that flaw was not your will."