Chương 2: Have a Baby with Me

Fang Cheng had done another good deed, but he wasn't happy about it. He wasn't happy because it hadn't been a righteous act of demon slaying. It felt more like losing his temper and then silencing a witness. He replayed his earlier madness in his mind and frowned. The demon sword was assimilating him silently, making him violent, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. If this continued, he would become a mindless puppet driven by the sword.

The cultivation manual said that consciousness determines matter, and a strong will could eliminate demonic influence. But practice had proven that faith alone wasn't enough. He had to completely refine the demon sword and purge its evil nature. With that thought, he quickly left the abandoned temple and headed for Gaoliu Village to meet a former colleague named Zhu Youchang. He had no choice. His superior was gone, so he could only turn to this colleague for help.

"We cultivators, if we wish to cultivate, must have someone above us." This was the first consensus of the cultivation world. Mortals burned incense and prayed to the immortals in heaven for blessings. The immortals collected their faith and converted it into pure Divine Energy, thereby increasing their power and achieving eternal life. Immortals could not descend to the mortal realm. To gain more faith, they chose favored mortals to govern lands and granted them Divine Energy to aid their cultivation.

These mortals were what people called cultivators. The stronger the immortal, the more territory their chosen cultivator could control. The larger the cultivator's territory, the more faith the mortals provided. That in turn made the immortal stronger, allowing them to grant even more Divine Energy. Sometimes they could even help their cultivators ascend to the immortal realm. This was the second consensus of the cultivation world: "We cultivators, if we wish to ascend, must have someone powerful above us."

Fang Cheng was lucky. A minor immortal in heaven had taken a liking to him, making him a cultivator and putting him in charge of a small village. The immortal wasn't very strong and had only two agents in the mortal world. One was Fang Cheng, the other was Zhu Youchang. Fang Cheng didn't care how powerful his immortal was. He cultivated not to ascend, but simply to live longer and enjoy life. Recently, this immortal had gone missing. No reply came from burning incense or praying.

Fang Cheng guessed the immortal had offended some big shot in heaven and been killed. That was common. Competition in heaven was fierce, with many factions. On the surface everyone smiled, but behind the scenes they fought to the death. Fang Cheng had lost his backer and become an orphan. That was fine. No more being pushed by his superiors to meet faith quotas, no more taking orders. Free and comfortable, like an early retiree, he slept until the sun was high, then went fishing or hunted game in the mountains.

But one sunny morning, his fate changed. He found this damned demon sword. Now he had only two choices. One: give up and become a demonic cultivator, relying on devouring the life essence of living beings to cultivate. This suited him, since the demon sword could help him hunt powerful cultivators and absorb their essence and Divine Energy, advancing rapidly. But this approach meant surrendering to the sword's control, eventually turning into a mindless killing machine. Fang Cheng wanted to keep his mind.

So he chose the second option: find a new backer. With a new backer, he could get more Divine Energy, use it to suppress the demon sword, and eventually refine away its demonic will. He'd heard that Zhu Youchang had found a new backer. Since they were colleagues, it was only natural to help each other out. Fang Cheng walked faster, crossing several hills until he saw Gaoliu Village at the foot of the mountains. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author.

Report it. Dawn was breaking. The sun had just peeked out, its red light spilling over the fields around Gaoliu Village like a sticky coat of blood. Fang Cheng stopped, observing from the hillside. An inexplicable excitement stirred in his blood, but he blamed it on the demon sword. He descended quickly to the village entrance and saw a pregnant woman carrying a baby as she stepped out of her house.

"Elder sister, is the Land God of your village Zhu Youchang?" Land God was what mortals called weak cultivators who ruled only a single village. Cultivators who governed an entire city were respectfully called City Gods. The pregnant woman smiled.

"Young man, you're here for a child too, aren't you? Our Land God is indeed Zhu Youchang. He's very powerful. He'll surely help you have a chubby baby by next year." Have a baby? What was that about? Could Zhu Youchang's backer be some fertility immortal in heaven? That would be huge, because more mortals meant more faith, and the big shots in heaven were experts at boosting populations. A colleague with a powerful backer! Fang Cheng was delighted.

He clasped his hands and said, "Elder sister, I'm a friend of Zhu Youchang. Could you tell me where he lives?" Hearing he was a friend of the Land God, the woman bowed respectfully.

"This way, sir. Walk along the village road to the end. Lord Zhu's house is there, with a tea tree at the gate. Lord Zhu loves tea, so he's probably picking leaves right now." Fang Cheng thanked her and walked into the village. The villagers were already up. Men carried hoes to the fields, and women fed chickens and ducks. The whole village was full of life, and everyone wore happy smiles. But there was something strange. Every villager who saw him said the same bizarre thing: "Have a baby.

Sons protect you in old age, daughters are your little cotton-padded jackets. Have twins, and the whole family prospers." Fang Cheng grew annoyed.

"Stop. I'm not married. I can't have babies."

"Who says you need to be married to have a baby?" said a pockmarked old woman.

"Young man, your thinking is more backward than mine. Nowadays it's all about having babies first. Find someone you like, even if you don't marry, as long as you can have a child."

"Yes, yes, you're right." Fang Cheng couldn't be bothered to argue. The pockmarked woman continued, "So, what do you think of me? I know I'm in my forties, but I take good care of myself. My figure's still tight, and my skin's nice and fair. I bet I could pop out a cute, chubby white baby boy for you." That sudden sales pitch caught Fang Cheng completely off guard. He waved his hands frantically.

"No, no. I'm not worthy of you." He hurried away, but had barely taken a few steps when a middle-aged man blocked his path to introduce his daughter. Fang Cheng had no choice but to say, "I don't like women."

"A man works too. I have a son about your age. He can also have children with you."

"Sorry, I don't like men either."

"Alone is fine. You can have a child by yourself. You just do the birthing; I'll help raise it."

"Please, brother, I just want to see Zhu Youchang. He's my colleague." Hearing he was a friend of the Land God, the man dared not obstruct him further. Fang Cheng sighed in relief and continued. But suddenly an old woman blocked his way, her belly swollen with child.

"Young man, why are you so cruel to yourself? If you don't leave a descendant, how will you live? Look at me, I'm over eighty. I might be in the ground next year. All I want before I die is to have a son, or even a daughter. At least let me hold it. Just once." The old woman stroked her pregnant belly, feeling the child kick inside. So lively. It must be a son. Hahaha, wonderful. She was so happy. She grinned, revealing yellow teeth, and grabbed Fang Cheng's arm.

"Come, have a baby with me. I know I'm already pregnant, but I can still carry another. When it's born, if you don't want it, I won't give it to you. If you do want it, hahaha, I still won't give you." Fang Cheng finally sensed something wrong. He channeled the small amount of Divine Energy left in his body. Though it was meager, he saw a wisp of black smoke rising from the old woman's brow. Looking at the other villagers, it was the same. Gaoliu Village had been invaded by evil!

Fang Cheng's face lit up with excitement. Awesome! Time for him to deliver justice once more. He licked his lips, shook off the old woman, and hurried forward. His colleague must be under the demon's control. Perfect. Hold on, Youchang. I'm coming to save you. Following the village road through twists and turns, he reached the end and saw a simple thatched cottage. The roof was thick with straw, looking ragged and worn. The door was shut.

The tea tree at the gate was tall and wide, its branches spreading like a giant's arms, its green-red leaves shading most of the house. Eerie quiet. Not a breath of wind. Everything seemed frozen.

"Youchang, Fang Cheng is here to visit. Are you home?" Fang Cheng called out loudly while searching for the demon's traces. He found nothing unusual. No sound came from inside. Could Zhu Youchang have been killed by the demon? Even better! Youchang, I'll avenge you. Fang Cheng rubbed his hands together, ready to break down the door. Suddenly, a disheveled woman ran out from behind the house. Blood stained her feet. She muttered endlessly:"Where is my child? He was right here. Why can't I find him? Wuwuwu..."

She wept, her voice wretched and mournful. But suddenly she laughed, her face twisted grotesquely. She grabbed Fang Cheng's shoulders and shook him violently.

"Hahaha, it's fine that my child is gone. I can have another. No, not just one. A hundred, a thousand, ten thousand! Hahaha, you filthy man, what are you waiting for? Let's have a baby together!" Fang Cheng watched the crazed woman, the bloodthirst in his heart stirring again. He took a deep breath, held down his restless heart, then knocked her unconscious. Calmly, he repeated to himself and the demon sword: We're good people. We don't kill indiscriminately. If we want to kill, we must first prove they're evil.

At that moment, the shut door creaked open. Eee... The door groaned like old, neglected hinges. A plump figure emerged. It was Zhu Youchang, round face, round belly, skin white and tender as a baby's.

"Oh, Fang, long time no see. Come in, come in. I'll make us some tea."