112: Chapter 112: Soulful Devotion

The due date was originally set for ten days later, but the little one clearly couldn't wait. That evening, Hun Feng was helping Cao Ying walk along the back corridor—this was something Yao Ling had advised, saying that moving around more before labor would help with a smooth delivery.

Cao Ying walked very slowly, one hand supporting her waist, the other resting on Hun Feng's arm. Her belly was larger than that of an ordinary pregnant woman; Yao Ling said it was because the fetus was developing exceptionally well, but it also meant the birth would be more difficult. She wasn't afraid, though, always saying that she had a sturdy constitution; back in the Cao Clan, she could stand for an entire day while refining pills without resting, so what was a little childbirth?

Every time Hun Feng heard her say this, he would smile and agree, but inside he was calculating the arrangements for the delivery room—the warm jade bed had to be prepared in advance, the midwife and assistant midwife had to be readied, and the prenatal pills had to be prepared. If something went wrong halfway through, someone had to be able to step in immediately. He delegated these tasks to Hun Qian, who in turn passed them to Yao Ling. Yao Ling glanced at him and said, "I am an Alchemist, not a midwife." Hun Feng replied, "You are the only Alchemist in the East Courtyard; if you don't go, who will?" Helpless, Yao Ling had to prepare all the tools and pills that might be needed in advance, even preparing several types of hemostatic medicine.

That evening, Cao Ying suddenly stopped, her fingers gripping Hun Feng's arm tightening sharply. She looked down at the dampness slowly spreading beneath her skirt, stunned for a moment, then looked up at Hun Feng, her phoenix eyes filled with rare panic—"Husband, it seems... it's time."

The East Courtyard was instantly thrown into chaos. Hun Feng swept Cao Ying up into his arms and rushed toward the delivery room, shouting for Hun Qian to call Yao Ling; Yao Yao jumped up from the stone bench, dropping her grapes; Medusa set down her teacup and rose to order the windows opened for ventilation and hot water to be prepared. Gu Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian, and Yun Yun also set aside their tasks and hurried toward the delivery room. Even Lin Qingwan, having heard the news, came jogging over from the side hall.

The delivery room had been prepared by Hun Qian months in advance, located on the wing of the East Courtyard right next to the side hall. The warm jade bed was already made, all the birthing tools were fully stocked, and the windows were half-open for ventilation. Cao Ying lay on the delivery bed, her forehead covered in cold sweat. Her face, usually bewitching and vibrant, was now pale, devoid of any color, and she had bitten a deep bloody mark into her lower lip. Hun Feng knelt by the bed, holding her hand. The blood-red light of the Heaven-Slaying Flame silently swirled in his palm, slowly channeling a gentle source of energy into her body. Although he was an Eight Star Dou Sheng possessing nine types of Heavenly Flames and an Emperor Realm Soul, all he could do at this moment was kneel here, hold her hand, and help her bear the excruciating pain that he could never truly experience himself.

Yao Ling rushed into the delivery room with the midwife and two assistants. After just one look at the situation, she frowned—the fetal position was incorrect. The baby's feet were coming out first, and the head was stuck in the birth canal. The midwife, covered in sweat, instructed Cao Ying to push, while the assistants constantly changed the hot water and clean cloths. One basin of clear water went in, and one basin of bloody water came out.

Yao Ling pulled Hun Feng aside and lowered her voice, saying the situation was trickier than expected. The fetal position was wrong, and the amniotic fluid had broken a long time ago; if they dragged it out any longer, the baby would suffocate. She could use her soul power to assist in correcting the fetal position, but the process would be very painful and might not succeed. Hun Feng looked at Cao Ying, who was gritting her teeth and refusing to cry out in pain on the delivery bed, and tightened his grip on her hand.

"Husband..." Cao Ying's voice was hoarse and weak. She turned her head to look at him, her phoenix eyes filled with tears, whether from pain or fear, she didn't know. "What if I can't deliver the baby?"

"Nonsense. With Yao Ling here, and with me here—you don't have to fear anything." He reached out to gently wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. When his fingertips touched her pale cheek, he felt a rare sense of fear—not because he feared losing the child, but because he feared losing her. Seeing the panic in his eyes, Cao Ying suddenly smiled, a smile uglier than crying. "Don't be afraid. I can't bear to leave you."

Outside the delivery room, the other wives were waiting anxiously. Yao Yao sat on a stone bench, twisting her bone whip into a pretzel, muttering incessantly about why the baby hadn't come out yet; Gu Xun'er sat upright by the stone table; the tea in her hand had gone cold, and she hadn't taken a single sip, just kept looking up toward the delivery room; Xiao Yi Xian stood under the corridor, quietly gazing at the tightly closed door, the poison mist in her sleeves slowly swirling; Yun Yun clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and muttered something—she was praying, praying to the past masters of the Flower Sect; Medusa was the only one who remained calm. She ordered Hun Qian to continue preparing hot water and told the kitchen to be ready to brew restorative soup at any time, but the force with which her fingers gripped the teacup betrayed her nervousness. When she gave birth to Mu Xiao, it was a smooth delivery, and she hadn't suffered much, but she knew how difficult this pregnancy was for Cao Ying—incorrect fetal position, early rupture of amniotic fluid; any one of these conditions would be enough to cost an ordinary woman her life.

Lin Qingwan paced back and forth in the corridor, her handkerchief already twisted out of shape. She kept muttering prayers for the ancestors to bless them, for the ancestors of the Hun family to bless them. She had been longing for a grandchild for years, and now that her daughter-in-law was having a difficult labor in the delivery room, her heart was twisted into a knot.

Inside the delivery room, Yao Ling took a deep breath and gently pressed her hands onto Cao Ying's heavily protruding abdomen. Extremely gentle soul power seeped slowly from her palms, using a gentle technique characteristic of soul-nourishing constitutions to guide the fetus's head, which was stuck in the birth canal, bit by bit toward the correct position. Cao Ying was in so much pain that her whole body arched, her fingernails digging directly into Hun Feng's flesh, leaving deep, bloody marks. Hun Feng didn't even frown, simply letting her pinch him while the source energy of the Heaven-Slaying Flame continued to be steadily channeled into her body.

"I see the head! One more time!" the midwife shouted excitedly. Cao Ying gritted her teeth and exerted her final ounce of strength.

A loud, clear cry pierced the night sky of the East Courtyard. Immediately afterward, an extremely pure wave of Dou Qi spread out from the delivery room, causing the leaves of the dark-leaf osmanthus in the courtyard to rustle. Yao Yao stood up abruptly and nearly tripped over the stone bench; the teacup in Gu Xun'er's hand finally steadied; Yun Yun opened her red-rimmed eyes; the poison mist in Xiao Yi Xian's sleeves quietly dissipated; and Medusa slowly relaxed the fingers gripping her teacup. Lin Qingwan pushed open the door of the delivery room and rushed in.

Yao Ling gently placed the washed and wrapped infant into Hun Feng's arms. The little face was wrinkled and still carried the flush of a newborn, but the features already vaguely showed the shadow of Cao Ying—long, slender eyebrows, a petite nose bridge, and thin lips like flower petals. The wrinkled little hands were clenched into two tiny fists, occasionally waving about, and the baby made very faint humming sounds. Hun Feng looked down at this wrinkled little thing, not knowing what to say for a moment. He had seen countless major events, yet he had never experienced such a strange feeling as he did now—the wrinkled little thing in his arms was the continuation of his life, the crystallization of himself and Cao Ying, and the first child of the Hun family that truly belonged to his bloodline.

Yao Ling said softly from the side, "It's a girl, with a cultivation level of Five-Star Dou Zong." Hun Feng was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the wrinkled little thing in his arms. A very faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and then this smile spread uncontrollably until his whole face was wrinkled with laughter. Five-Star Dou Zong—Mu Xiao was only a One-Star Dou Zong at birth; this child's starting point was four stars higher than Mu Xiao's. His God-Grade Bloodline, combined with Cao Ying's Demon Phoenix Bloodline, and the tempering of the Heaven-Slaying Flame, had indeed not disappointed him.

Cao Ying leaned weakly against the delivery bed, her whole body soaked in sweat, her lips cracked and peeling, and the flush on her face hadn't yet faded, but her phoenix eyes were filled with maternal light. She reached out and gently touched the baby's tiny fist; the little hand instinctively grabbed her index finger, holding it very, very tightly. Cao Ying's tears finally fell, but her face was filled with an uncontrollable smile. "Husband, she looks so ugly, all wrinkled... just like you."

"Nonsense, she clearly looks like you—look at these eyes, they are exactly like yours." Hun Feng gently placed the child in Cao Ying's arms, leaned down, and kissed her forehead, his lips lingering against her skin for a long time. "You've worked hard. I won't let you give birth again."

Cao Ying raised her hand and patted his face lightly, the force soft and weak, and said with a smile, "That won't do, I still want a boy."

Lin Qingwan took the granddaughter from Hun Feng's hands, her tears unable to stop falling. She wiped them with her handkerchief several times but couldn't wipe them away, so she simply stopped. She hugged the child, kissing her again and again, muttering incessantly that the Hun family had an heir, then carried the child to Medusa to let her see her younger sister. Medusa looked down at the wrinkled little face, a faint smile appearing on her cold, beautiful face. She reached out and gently touched the child's tiny fist, saying that she was carved from the same mold as her mother.

Yao Yao leaned in and watched for a long while, saying that this little girl would definitely be a beauty in the future, even better-looking than Cao Ying. Cao Ying leaned against the delivery bed and replied weakly, "That's natural, how could my daughter be anything less?" Gu Xun'er stood behind Medusa, holding her waist. When her gaze fell on the infant's face, a trace of envy flashed in her eyes, which were as clear as an ancient well. She was also pregnant, not knowing when she would be able to feel this real new life. Xiao Yi Xian silently passed a freshly bloomed calming herb from outside the door, placing it by Cao Ying's pillow, saying it would help with sleep. Yun Yun took the child into her arms, looked down at that wrinkled little face, and gently stroked the child's forehead, as tenderly as if touching a piece of fresh snow.

Lin Qingwan returned the child to Cao Ying and turned to Hun Feng, saying it was time to name the child; this little girl was the first child of the Hun family, so the name had to be thought over carefully. Hun Feng looked down at the little thing in his arms, who had stopped crying and was curiously observing the world with a pair of dark, round eyes. He thought for a long while before speaking: "Let's call her Hun Muying—'Mu' for the 'Mu' in 'admiration', and 'Ying' for the 'Ying' in Cao Ying. She shares her mother's name and will be as beautiful as her mother in the future." Cao Ying, who had been too tired to open her eyes while leaning against the delivery bed, suddenly curved her lips when she heard this name. Her phoenix eyes were still filled with tears, but she smiled more beautifully than ever.

"Muying... good, let's call her Hun Muying."