Nie Kong’s time was critically short. As dawn broke, under the crossfire of Dragon Charm Immortal's annoyed gaze and Dragon Xuechan's wistful look, he reluctantly departed Dragon Island.
Above the surging sea, Nie Kong streaked like a beam of light, flying with astonishing speed and silence.
His pace was so incredible that even a Ninth-Rank Spirit God would likely be unable to trace his trajectory with spiritual sense. Guided by the Sea God Pearl within his body, in just a short while, Nie Kong entered that beautiful, deep-sea trench.
Nie Kong was now only a half-step away from the Grand Sovereign realm, rendering all the concealment techniques laid out by the Fish Spirit Clan completely transparent to him. Barely disturbing any of the Fish Spirit Clan powerhouses, Nie Kong slipped through the massive palace gate at the trench's depths and easily entered the town where the Fish Spirits resided.
In the center of the town, the lake rippled with jade-green waves. On the surface floated that familiar, peculiar structure, resembling a giant fish standing on the water with its tail raised.
With a mere thought, Nie Kong traversed the space, arriving at the fish-mouth section of the piscine palace.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Nie Kong’s expression shifted slightly, his figure sweeping rapidly down a set of stairs.
In an instant, he was in the vast hall within the fish’s belly. Then, he saw two young maids hurrying out of a side door, carrying trays. Nie Kong abruptly blocked their path, asking with some anxiety, “Little Li, Little Man, what happened to Sister Ting Lei?”
Nie Kong remembered these two beautiful girls; one was named Yu Li, the other Yu Man.
He had first encountered them at the edge of this very lake when he accompanied Yu Ting Lei into the Sea God Scroll realm for the first time.
“Ah!”
Yu Li and Yu Man jumped in fright, dropping the wooden basins they were holding with a clang. Only upon clearly seeing Nie Kong’s face did they cry out in disbelief, “Brother Nie Kong?”
“Little Li, you tell me, what’s wrong with Sister Ting Lei?” Nie Kong urged again, his voice tight with concern.
“Sister Ting Lei is just angry—Ow! Little Man, why are you pinching me?”
Yu Li was about to answer instinctively, but before she finished, Yu Man gave her a sharp pinch.
Glaring back in annoyance, Yu Li noticed Yu Man continually giving her meaningful glances. The little girl then snapped to attention and quickly stammered, “Brother Nie Kong, Sister Ting Lei is fine, um, she’s fine.”
This deception was far too obvious.
Nie Kong swept a slightly exasperated look over the pair. “Forget it, you two girls. Stop exchanging signals and let me go up and see for myself.”
“Brother Nie Kong, you can’t go in—”
The two young maids were startled but found that Nie Kong’s figure had already vanished through the side door. They immediately shouted and chased after him, not even bothering to pick up the wooden basins they had dropped.
Behind the side door, the stairs coiled upward like a spiral. In the blink of an eye, Nie Kong reached the top of the staircase, beyond which lay a small, exquisite inner hall.
The painful groans of Yu Ting Lei continuously drifted from the small hall. Nie Kong’s heart burned with worry. He raised a hand, about to push the door open, when a surprised voice rang out from within: “Ting Lei, just hold on a little longer, it’s about to come out, it’s about to be born.”
Born? What was being born?
The moment his hand touched the door, Nie Kong’s right arm paused abruptly in mid-air, his chest thick with doubt. A faint scan with his spiritual sense caused Nie Kong’s mouth to instantly open uncontrollably—wide enough to swallow two eggs—as the faint aura of a new life manifested within the hall.
Yu Ting Lei wasn't injured; she was clearly giving birth!
Nie Kong stood dumbfounded. The voice sounded again, even more ecstatic than before: “It’s out, it’s out! Ting Lei truly had a daughter. Her father is the Number One Medicine King of the Heavenly Spirit Continent, a Heavenly Spirit realm expert in his early twenties. She is destined to become the mightiest Fish King of our Fish Spirit Clan!”
The Number One Medicine King of the Heavenly Spirit Continent? A Heavenly Spirit expert in his twenties?
“This... is that referring to me?” Nie Kong moved his stiff neck with difficulty, utterly stunned. “Did I hear that wrong? The daughter Ting Lei just gave birth to is actually mine?”
In that instant, it felt as if lightning had struck Nie Kong’s mind.
All his previous confusion vanished instantly, finding answers. No wonder he had that strange dream that night at the Medicine Tower; it wasn't a dream at all, but that he and Yu Ting Lei had truly shared an intimate moment. No wonder her expression was so peculiar when he met Yu Long Yue at the Immortal Zither Divine Palace; she must have known the whole story already.
“That daughter truly is mine.”
Nie Kong’s expression suddenly grew extremely complex, a mix of pleasant surprise, excitement, and a degree of helplessness. All this time, he had only viewed Yu Ting Lei as a friend, and she felt the same way about him.
He had never considered pursuing a deeper relationship with Yu Ting Lei, yet now they even had a child.
“It’s good, it’s good that you didn’t actually go in. I told you Sister Ting Lei was fine,”
At that moment, Yu Li and Yu Man finally caught up on the stairs. Seeing Nie Kong waiting outside the hall door, their faces lit up with joy, and they shouted out.
“Little Man, who is outside?” the voice inside asked curiously.
“It’s me!”
Nie Kong snapped back to his senses, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open, stepping inside.
The two young maids, Yu Li and Yu Man, hadn't expected Nie Kong to move so quickly. They only reacted when they saw him enter the chamber and rushed in after him.
On the side of the small hall, upon a wide white jade bed, Yu Ting Lei leaned against the headboard, her face pale, her hair damp with sweat, looking utterly weakened, as if all the strength in her body had been drained with the birth of her daughter. At this moment, she looked almost identical to any ordinary new mother.
Sitting by the bedside was a mature woman radiating charm, holding a small, slick baby in her arms, looking with surprise at Nie Kong as he entered. Nie Kong also knew this middle-aged woman; her name was Yu Qingshan, an elder of the Fish Spirit Clan who had previously accompanied Yu Ting Lei to the Spirit Prefecture.
“Nie… Nie Kong, how did you get here?” Yu Ting Lei asked, quite surprised, a blush rising on her delicate features as she struggled to sit up.
“If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known until who knows when that I have a daughter here,” Nie Kong managed a wry smile, walking over in three quick steps to press Yu Ting Lei back down onto the bed. “Ting Lei, don’t move. You just gave birth; you should lie still and rest.” As he spoke, his Chaos Divine Power spread from his palm, rapidly nourishing Yu Ting Lei’s exhausted body.
When Nie Kong withdrew his hand, Yu Ting Lei’s spirit had already recovered considerably, and her complexion was quite rosy. “Nie Kong, I—” Yu Ting Lei glanced away from Nie Kong’s gaze, unable to voice the rest of her words, seemingly burdened by guilt.
“Don’t say anything yet. Let me see the little girl first.”
Nie Kong waved a hand and turned to look into Yu Qingshan’s arms. The little one was plump, her eyes closed, her face wrinkled, and traces of blood still clung to her body.
A newborn baby is certainly not beautiful, but the moment Nie Kong saw her, all his hesitation and confusion vanished, leaving only undisguised excitement and joy. He couldn't help but ask Elder Qingshan, “Elder Qingshan, may I hold her?”
Yu Qingshan smiled sweetly and held the baby forward. Nie Kong quickly took her, examining her closely for a long moment, before suddenly voicing a concern: “From birth until now, why haven’t I heard her cry?”
Yu Qingshan chuckled lightly. “Children of the Fish King have this little habit. Nie Kong, try scratching the sole of her foot.”
“Oh?” Nie Kong quickly extended one finger and gently scraped the bottom of the little girl’s foot.
“Waaah…”
The little girl opened her mouth, and an extremely loud cry burst from her throat, making Nie Kong’s ears ring. Looking at his daughter struggling with all four limbs, Nie Kong first froze, then erupted into uncontrollable laughter, his eyes brimming with doting affection.
Seeing this, Yu Ting Lei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, the corners of her eyes curving downward…