Chapter 24 Ten Months of Pregnancy, Soon to Birth

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, ten months had passed.

The Cao family estate had undergone a complete transformation. Red silk hung from the main gate all the way to the inner courtyard, and even the trees were adorned with peace knots. The servants walked with a spring in their step, their faces beaming with joy.

After all, this was the first child of the Young Clan Leader, and the entire Cao family was as energized as if they had been injected with adrenaline, eager to bring back the best things in the entire Central Province.

Emperor Cao Xukun himself had transformed into a severe case of "New Dad Anxiety."

The once devil-may-care villain tycoon, who wouldn't have cared even if the sky fell, now made it his first task every day upon waking to rush to Lin Yueer's courtyard to touch her belly and listen to the fetal movements. He had cleared out the system shop of all pregnancy supplements, fetal protection pills, and baby formula, piling them up like a small mountain. He even ordered Li Tieniu's guard squad to patrol in three shifts; never mind assassins, not even a fly could hope to buzz into the inner courtyard.

"Young Clan Leader, you've paced around for the eighth time now. Please, take a rest," Li Tieniu said, unable to help himself as he watched Emperor Cao Xukun pacing back and forth in the courtyard. "We've hired eight midwives, all the best in the Central Province. Miss Lin Yueer will certainly be fine."

"What do you know?" Emperor Cao Xukun rolled his eyes at him. "This is my first child, how could I not be nervous? What if she's in pain? What if the baby cries? What if I don't know how to hold it properly?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a copy of the "Crash Course for New Dads" and flipped through it noisily. "I stayed up all night memorizing the diaper-changing tutorial, and I even exchanged points with the system for a Painless Delivery Talisman. It should... it should be fine, right?"

Under the nearby veranda, four women were sitting on a soft couch basking in the sun, watching his frantic behavior and laughing until they doubled over.

Lin Yueer, her belly round and full, supported her waist and laughed. "Young Master Cao, you're more nervous than I am. I'm not even panicking, what are you panicking about?"

"Exactly," Su Wanqing said, rubbing her own seven-month-pregnant belly with a smile. "When it's our turn to give birth, won't you just faint on the spot?"

Imperial Concubine Xiao Ya crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Spineless. Back in the day, I never even frowned when I got cut in a fight. Giving birth to a child is nothing; it's no big deal."

Empress Liu Ruyan gently peeled an orange for Lin Yueer, a faint smile on her lips. "Don't say that; everyone is like this the first time they become a father. When Young Master Xiao Chen was born, his father was even more nervous than he was; he didn't even dare to hold the baby."

At the mention of Young Master Xiao Chen, everyone paused for a moment before tacitly changing the subject.

Meanwhile, the back mountain of the Qingyun Sect was filled with a deathly silence.

Inside a cave, Young Master Xiao Chen sat on a cushion, his hair disheveled and wild. His white robes were stained with grime, his hair a mess like a bird's nest, and his eyes were so sinister they seemed capable of dripping venom. Compared to the high-spirited Son of Destiny from ten months ago, he was like a completely different person.

These past ten months had been a living hell for him.

His sister and mother had successively gone to Emperor Cao Xukun, making him the biggest laughingstock in the entire Central Province; wherever he went, people pointed fingers at him. His fortune had plummeted by fifty percent, his cultivation had completely stagnated, and never mind breaking through to the Golden Core Mid-stage, he struggled even to maintain his current level. The disciples in the sect no longer fawned over him, and the junior sisters who used to revolve around him now walked the other way when they saw him.

He hid in the cave every day to cultivate, all for the sake of one day killing Emperor Cao Xukun and taking back everything that belonged to him.

"Emperor Cao Xukun! I will kill you!" Young Master Xiao Chen smashed his fist against the stone wall. Gravel flew, and his hand bled profusely, but he didn't even notice.

Just then, a junior disciple scrambled into the cave, his face deathly pale. "Senior... Senior Brother! It's bad! Something terrible has happened!"

"What are you panicking about?" Young Master Xiao Chen glared at him coldly. "Is it that brat Emperor Cao Xukun playing tricks again?"

"It's... it's even more serious than that!" The junior disciple panted heavily. "I just came back from Central Province City, and I heard... I heard Lin Yueer is going into labor! Emperor Cao Xukun is about to become a father! The entire Cao family is celebrating, hanging lanterns and streamers; it's incredibly lively!"

"What did you say?!"

Young Master Xiao Chen stood up abruptly, his eyes wide as copper bells, unable to believe his ears.

"I said Emperor Cao Xukun is going to be a father! Lin Yueer's due date is within these few days!" The junior disciple bit the bullet and repeated it.

"Impossible! This is impossible!" Young Master Xiao Chen roared like a madman. "He is just a despicable, shameless villain! Why should he be allowed to be a father? Why should he be allowed to have a child?!"

A surge of blood rushed up his throat, and with a "pfft," he spat out a large mouthful of blood, his body swaying as he nearly collapsed to the ground.

[Ding! Detected that the Son of Destiny, Young Master Xiao Chen, has suffered a major mental blow. Fortune has plummeted by 15%! Current fortune is only 55% of its peak!]

Over at the Cao family estate, Emperor Cao Xukun, who was slacking off, suddenly received the system notification and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Hahahaha! Is this brat Young Master Xiao Chen really that fragile? He heard I was going to be a father and actually coughed up blood from anger? Is he trying to show off his glass heart?"

Inside the cave, Young Master Xiao Chen clutched his chest, his eyes filled with resentment and madness.

He had worked hard cultivating for over a decade, only to end up with nothing. His women were stolen, his fortune was seized, and even his own sister and mother had gone to his enemy. And that bastard Emperor Cao Xukun not only stole everything of his, but now he was even going to be a father!

Why?!

"Emperor Cao Xukun! Don't get cocky!" Young Master Xiao Chen clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his flesh, blood dripping down between his fingers. "I won't let you have your way! I won't let your child be born safely!"

"The day your child is born, I will bathe the Cao family in blood! I will kill you and take your child! I will make you taste the feeling of losing everything! I will make you wish you were dead!"

He screamed hysterically, the spiritual energy around him in utter chaos, nearly causing him to suffer from Qi Deviation.

The junior disciple trembled in fear, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Back at the Cao family estate, Emperor Cao Xukun received the news of Young Master Xiao Chen's threats, but instead of being panicked, he laughed even more happily.

"Yo, he wants to bathe the Cao family in blood? With his half-baked Golden Core Initial-stage cultivation, he can't even take a single blow from me, yet he dares to come here to die?" Emperor Cao Xukun sneered. "Perfect. When my son is born, I'll use his head as a welcome gift. How auspicious."

Li Tieniu nodded quickly. "Young Clan Leader is right! I'll go reinforce the guards immediately and ensure Young Master Xiao Chen never returns!"

"No need," Emperor Cao Xukun waved his hand. "Let him come. I want to see what kind of waves this Son of Destiny can still stir up."

He looked up toward Lin Yueer's courtyard, his eyes so gentle they seemed capable of dripping water.

"Baby, come out quickly. Daddy can't wait to see you."

"And Young Master Xiao Chen, that little gift-delivery boy, hurry up and come too. Daddy has prepared a big welcome gift for you."