Little Nine shook her head and replied, "Who knows?
"Anyway, the Heavenly Path Sect also said that since the Monster Clan woman is pregnant, her abilities are significantly reduced," Little Nine continued with a sigh. "They said that her baby is half-human and half-monster, so it will definitely cause a disaster once it is born. That's why all those who believe the Heavenly Path Sect are chasing after her."
Even though she was a monster, it was still pitiful for a woman to be treated in such a way.
Li Qingshan sighed as well.
Probably because their conversation had made a serious turn, Little Nine and Li Qingshan did not feel like chatting anymore. They continued to sit next to each other, until Little Nine laid on Li Qingshan's lap and actually fell asleep.
It was not cultivation, just sound sleep.
Li Qingshan reached over and swept aside the strands of hair that fell on her face. He cast a Sleeping Curse on Little Nine and carried her into his bamboo hut. Slowly, he placed her on the bed and covered her with blankets.
"Little Nine didn't say so, but she must be cultivating very hard every day, with no time to relax. She has probably not slept naturally in a while." Li Qingshan watched her gently without disturbing her and began to drink the wine, which Little Nine had brought, by himself.
Time passed and night fell quickly. When Little Nine woke up, she was shocked at first but felt reassured right away when she saw Li Qingshan strolling under the moonlight.
"Brother, I have to go back now," Little Nine said as she got up to exit the room.
"I'll see you out," Li Qingshan said.
Little Nine did not refuse his offer. She held Li Qingshan's hand as they walked under the moonlight together. They crossed the bridge, stepped past the creek, and reached the edge of the Repentance Cliff.
"See you next month." Little Nine waved at Li Qingshan with a big smile.
Li Qingshan tucked his hands behind his back and nodded softly. "See you next month," he replied.
Little Nine flew away, no longer worried now that she saw with her own eyes that Li Qingshan was unharmed.
Li Qingshan watched until Little Nine's silhouette had disappeared completely. He glanced at the moon and discovered that the moon was very bright, illuminating the entire Repentance Cliff.
Li Qingshan did not have much to do anyway, so he turned around to head back to the bamboo hut.
But on his way back, he suddenly heard a woman's low and painful sobs.
It sound so tragic and felt like claws scratching at one's heart.
With a frown, Li Qingshan walked slowly closer to the source of the sound.
He was met with a scene that shocked him completely.
Not far from the bamboo hut, a woman laid on the ground. She was covered in sweat and couldn't stop screaming, as blood was seeping out of her lower body.
The woman was in labor.
More importantly, the woman was showing three foxtails. As it was, she had used up all of her energy while in labor, which was why she could not hide her tails anymore. The foxtails danced in the air, giving off a demonic vibe.
"Wu Shaobai's wife!" Li Qingshan guessed the woman's identity right away.
"Ah!"
Then, the woman let out a piercing shriek, and soon after, Li Qingshan heard a baby's cries.
Li Qingshan paused in his tracks, a strange expression fell across his face.
Fate truly was a strange thing. He and Little Nine were just talking about this earlier during the day. And at night, Wu Shaobai's wife came to the Repentance Cliff to give birth.
Li Qingshan did not dare to get any closer. He did not want to disturb her, considering that the woman had just given birth and was sure to be in a bad state. If he ended up frightening her in some way, then he would feel extremely guilty toward Wu Shaobai.
But despite Li Qingshan's hesitation, after the fox monster had briefly cleaned herself up, she called out to him in a weak voice.
"Young man, can you come over?"
Li Qingshan hesitated for a moment before he finally walked over.
The fox demon leaned against Wu Shaobai's stele. Her face was sickly pale, and her green dress was dusty. On her side laid a little snow-white fox, completely wrapped up and sound asleep.
"I can sense Shaobai's aura on you. You saw him, right?" The fox woman looked at Li Qingshan with teary eyes.
Realization dawned on Li Qingshan that that was the main reason why she called him over.
"He possessed my body to deliver his final attack," Li Qingshan replied honestly.
"In the end, Shaobai still died before me," she said as tears streamed down her face, clearly heartbroken.
Li Qingshan remained silent.
A moment later, Li Qingshan asked softly, "How did you manage to get in the Repentance Cliff of the Yuhua Sect?"
"The defenses of the Yuhua Sect are much weaker than it was 40 years ago. I slipped in easily." The fox woman smiled weakly as she wiped away her tears. Even though she looked deathly pale, her beauty was apparent. No wonder Wu Shaobai had fallen in love with her.
However, Li Qingshan only looked at her once before turning his gaze to the snow-white fox.
"This is... Senior Shaobai's descendant?" Li Qingshan asked hesitantly.
"I immediately sensed that I was pregnant soon after being imprisoned in the Monster Refining Tower. But I was punished and tortured every day. I could not give birth to her then knowing that she would die as soon as she was born. So I used all my energy from the Great Venerable Plane to slow down her formation. Over the past 40 years, she has absorbed most of my cultivation until I just couldn't hold on any longer. If it weren't for Shaobai's sword attack, this girl would probably have ended up being born and killed instantly in the Monster Refining Tower." The fox woman's pupils were a little dilated. Suddenly, with the last of her strength, she grabbed the cuffs of Li Qingshan's pants.
"I suffered greatly in the Monster Refining Tower for 40 years. Had it not been for my daughter, I would have gladly followed Shaobai in death a long time ago. Right after my escape, I hurried over here without pause. I wanted to give birth to Shaobai's daughter in front of his stele.
"But I do not have time left to watch her grow up. I beg you to please raise her on my behalf. She is Shaobai's daughter. She may be a fox now, but this is because she has absorbed my energy for the last 40 years. She will evolve once she matures.
"I've already used up all of my powers. My final wish is that you can bury me with Shaobai. I want to be with him even in death. After all, it is my fault that he ended up like this."
The fox woman sobbed as she made her final plea to Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan nodded. He picked up the little fox and said with a heavy heart, "I will raise this little fox."
"Thank you. Thank you so much." The moment her worries had finally been resolved, the fox woman's breath started to weaken rapidly.
In her final moment, she reached out to caress Wu Shaobai's stele. "No one will disturb us again," she murmured, with a sweet smile on her face. "I will be with you forever."
Finally, the fox woman had used up all of her Great Venerable cultivation. She leaned against Wu Shaobai's stele and closed her eyes as her aura scattered in all directions.
Li Qingshan hugged the little fox, still reeling in shock. How much willpower did she have to be able to withstand 40 years of torture in the Monster Refining Tower and to spend an entire month traveling to the Yuhua Sect, just to give birth to their daughter in front of Wu Shaobai's stele?
"Is this what love is?" Li Qingshan mumbled.
He looked toward the joint grave of the old Stele Keeper and the female disciple and then turned to look back at Wu Shaobai and the fox woman, his insides filled with emotion.
The old Stele Keeper had voluntarily come to the Repentance Cliff, just to be reunited with his first love from his youth.
The fox woman had used up her cultivation as a Great Venerable and had endured 40 years of torture in order to give birth to her husband's daughter, only to pass away right after.
Li Qingshan had no words. All he could do was to fulfil her final wishes by burying the fox woman with Wu Shaobai in a joint grave beneath his stele.
Then, he carried the Little Fox and returned to the bamboo hut.