"Livana, how did this happen? Didn't you prevent it from occurring?" Barcas asked, his tone worried.
For female cultivators, it was easy for them to prevent fertilization from occurring in their body by learning the correct method. Not to mention, it was already very difficult for cultivators to conceive a baby. So how could Barcas not be utterly shocked when he heard this news?
"I let it happen," Livana said. Her expression didn't change much.
"Livana, why are you doing this?" Barcas asked, his voice cracking a little. Livana wasn't someone who talked a lot, so he was clueless about what she wanted sometimes. She was the kind of person who expressed herself through action.
"Because I want your baby," Livana's eyes softened. "Don't worry, I will raise the baby myself."
Barcas moved and stood in front of his woman. Livana was considered tall for a woman. She was slightly taller than Barcas, who had average male height.
"What do you mean by that? I'm the father. Are you planning to keep our child away from me?" Barcas asked, a trace of anger slipping into his voice.
"You didn't respond well to the news just now," Livana said quietly. "And you always told me not to have a baby. So I thought… maybe you didn't want to be involved."
Barcas sighed as he grabbed both her hands. "It's my fault. I should have been clearer to you. I keep telling you to prevent pregnancy not because I don't want to have children with you, but the time right now is not suitable. We don't even know if we can go home in this situation. It's unrealistic to have children at this moment."
Livana lowered her head, guilt softening her voice. "Sorry. I was rash. I just wanted your baby."
"Don't worry, I'm not blaming you. However, next time, if the issue involves both of us, come and discuss it with me first. Can you promise me?" Barcas asked gently.
Livana nodded.
"Good girl." He patted her head, and she quietly enjoyed the gesture.
"Alright. Get packing. Now that the situation has changed, we can't stay here any longer. We have to find the portal. When we return, we'll have a wedding, okay?" Barcas decided firmly.
Livana's eyes welled up with tears as she smiled and nodded happily.
"But for now, we need to seal the baby first. I'll teach you how. I don't want our baby to be born here if possible. If the window closes and we still can't find the portal, then we'll just stay and raise our child here, alright?"
At the earliest stage of pregnancy, when the embryo was still only a clump of cells, cultivators could halt its development using specific sealing methods. Cultivators from great families often used these techniques for many reasons.
Livana nodded again and hugged him tightly, deeply moved by how responsible her man was. He had chosen the exact path she wished for.
In truth, she already knew about the pregnancy-halting method, which was why she had come up with this plan in the first place. This was her test for Barcas, the man she loved, and her way of making the biggest decision of her life.
If Barcas refused to accept the child, she wouldn't blame him. After all, this had been her selfish decision. She would simply find a way home, resume the pregnancy, and raise the baby on her own. At least then, she would have a child with the man she loved.
But if he chose to stay and raise their child together… she would abandon her Royal Guard identity entirely and remain by his side forever.
"Ughh... Livana, my love... I'm getting crushed... don't hug me so tight... I'm just a weak researcher..." Barcas groaned.
Livana immediately let go. "Sorry."
"Phew... I thought I was gonna die. Alright, let's seal the baby first."
A few days later, Barcas and Livana departed from the fortress together.
---
"What's going on? I finally got away from that panda and came to protect Barbara from that sex fiend. But why does it seem like Barbara is getting more and more intimate with him? Did he do something to her? She looks quite happy with him," Ava muttered, frowning as she spied from a distance.
A few seconds later, she sighed. "If she's happy, then what's the problem? I'm just being a busybody at this point."
"..."
"Argh! I'm annoyed! Why does it feel like the stupid family motto is targeting me? I need something to vent this feeling!" Ava growled, spinning on her heel.
Then her eyes lit up with an idea. "Oh right. I heard that the newcomer is a body cultivator from another continent. Let's spar with him and vent my anger. Hehe." She cracked her knuckles, already feeling better at the thought.
Some time later…
Ava returned to the mine, her hair messy, her clothes torn, and her body covered in bruises.
"That Bodo guy is really strong. How can he move so fast with such a huge body? His fighting style is so barbaric. Ouch, ouch… my face hurts. He really didn't hold back just because I'm a woman, huh? But that's good!" Ava grinned despite the pain. "A good sparring partner like that rarely comes by. I'll spar with him every day until I win!"
She raised her fist triumphantly.
Unfortunately for Ava, that day didn't seem like it would come anytime soon.
When Anda saw this new habit of Ava's, she just chuckled. With Ava out of the picture, Barbara and Leyvi's relationship would sail smoothly, and very soon, she would welcome another sister into the family.
Anda was already aware of Barbara's growing feelings for Leyvi, so she had used a little trick to speed things up between them. Still, she never expected it to work even better than planned.
She had planted a unique scent on Barbara that would trigger a vivid and long dream involving her love interest the next time she fell asleep. At their current realm, sleep was an occasional thing. They could still rest when they felt sleepy, but they could also dispel it by cultivating, which most cultivators preferred to do.
After all, why sleep when you could use the time to cultivate?
However, there was a limit to this. Eventually, every cultivator would experience mental fatigue. They still needed sleep, or it would affect their cultivation. Since that limit differed for each person, so too did their sleep cycles.
Based on her estimation, Anda thought Barbara would fall asleep and experience the dream after about a week. Who would have thought that Barbara would faint the very same day she planted the scent and experience the sweet dream right away? That meant the effect would be even more vivid and last longer.
Judging from the change in their relationship afterward, Anda was confident that her evil plan… ahem, her supportive plan was a huge success. She couldn't be happier with the outcome. With this, they would soon have a genius scholar in the family. Any cultivation problem that arises in the future could possibly be solved by her.
Of course, the real reason she put in so much effort to bring Barbara to their side was because of Leyvi's core situation. It was an unknown core, after all. With Barbara around, the risk of something going wrong would be reduced.
It definitely wasn't because she wanted more night battle reinforcements… ahem… definitely not.
Now, she only had to wait and leave the rest to her husband.
Go, Leyvi, go!
---
Four months later.
Leyvi and Anda had just finished their intimate session in their mansion's room.
"Eh? You still haven't progressed yet? Leyvi, what are you doing? You have four whole months to bring her to bed! It's obvious that she's already head over heels for you. Do you want my help to put your holy rod in her?" Anda asked, pulling his rod.
Leyvi rolled his eyes. Panda, what are you doing? If it came off, I'll become an eunuch.
"How can I have my first time with her in a place like this? Of course we need to go home and then ask blessing from her parents first. That's what's appropriate. She's from a proper family after all, right?" Leyvi said.
Anda face-palmed hard. Why does he have to be such a good man at the wrong time? She tried to hasten the progress and wanted it to happen like this exactly to prevent her parents or family from interfering. Barbara came from a prominent family in the Central Region. What if they disagreed? Where else could they find someone like her?
"Hahaha! Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do, Anda. At the end of the day, I'm still your husband. But it's fine. You're worried about my core, right?"
Anda froze, stunned. She didn't expect Leyvi to see through her that easily.
"Listen, Anda. Your husband doesn't need to play sneaky like that. Since Barbara likes me, and I've decided to make her a part of the Leyan, we'll do this open and above board, okay? I will go propose to her family and bring her home with my ability," Leyvi declared, striking a pose.
So cooooool!
Anda's eyes sparkled uncontrollably at her husband's rare cool side.