Volume 1, Chapter 7: The Fifth Sister Is Pregnant

Gu Chenxiao was not a man who lacked judgment, and given that Yan Chu had once saved his life, he trusted her completely.

"How exactly is Yan Chu slandering you?" Gu Chenxiao asked, his tone resolute and cutting.

That single question caused a flash of fleeting guilt to cross Gao Yuanxiang's eyes.

"Chenxiao, what... what do you mean by that? I understand you taking your wife's side, brother-in-law gets that. But the way you put it makes it sound as if I were intentionally trying to harm your sister."

"Xingyue," Gao Yuanxiang continued, "the divorce is a private matter between us, so let’s keep your family out of it. Let’s meet at the Civil Affairs Bureau at eight tomorrow morning!"

With that, Gao Yuanxiang turned to leave. That young woman had seen through his scheme at a glance; if he stayed any longer, he would surely be caught red-handed.

Yan Chu saw right through Gao Yuanxiang’s attempt to flee. With a flick of her hand, the heavy door at the entryway slammed shut with a loud bang. Gao Yuanxiang found himself facing a door that, as if by some supernatural intervention, refused to budge.

"Harboring malicious intent and still trying to shift the blame onto my Fifth Sister?"

Yan Chu coldly snatched the jade Guanyin of Fertility from Gu Xingyue’s neck and smashed it onto the floor.

With nothing left around her fair neck but a simple cord, Gu Xingyue shrieked in rage, "You wretched girl, do you have any manners at all?"

Vicious, swirling malevolent energy erupted from the shattered jade. The celestial child spirits lingering at the entryway were startled by the sudden surge of dark energy and fled through the window. Yan Chu conjured a ghost-capturing pouch and began to mutter an incantation, her eyes fixed on the dissipating mist. Her pouch was capable of containing anything that had escaped from the underworld.

"Destroying someone else's property, you are just..." Gu Xingyue was still fuming, but before she could finish, the two celestial child spirits outside the window darted back in and dove straight into her stomach. Now that the malevolent energy was purged, they could safely be reborn.

Within three seconds, Gu Xingyue’s stomach swelled up dramatically.

"Ah—" Gu Xingyue collapsed to the ground, clutching her belly as beads of cold sweat broke out across her forehead. "It hurts so much..."

Everyone present was stunned.

"Am I... am I going into labor?" Gu Xingyue gasped, drenched in sweat, half in pain and half in disbelief.

Matriarch Gu was the first to snap back to reality and immediately dialed for an ambulance. Gu Chenxiao’s seven sisters rushed to help Gu Xingyue, creating a scene of utter chaos. Gao Yuanxiang slumped to the floor, looking as though his entire world had collapsed, his mind a complete blank.

Yan Chu approached him with calm composure. Although the corners of her lips turned up, the smile appeared bone-chilling to Gao Yuanxiang.

"My Fifth Sister’s labor today was fated. You should actually thank your own wicked necklace; it allowed her to skip the final months of the hardships of pregnancy."

"You..." Gao Yuanxiang’s face turned deathly pale as he stared at Yan Chu in terror. "Who exactly are you!"

"Someone who can deal with you." Yan Chu narrowed her eyes. "The tides of fortune turn, and since you have committed acts that damage your own karma, just wait for the retribution to come."

With that, Yan Chu looked back at the tall, composed figure of Gu Chenxiao and offered a gentle smile. "Let’s go to the hospital to check on Fifth Sister."

*

In the hospital room, Matriarch Gu held the newborn, beaming with joy.

"They really are twins! Look, Xiao Chu, aren't they adorable?"

The Matriarch had switched from calling her "Yan Chu" to "Xiao Chu," clearly favoring her even more after the recent events. Yan Chu was truly the little lucky star of the Gu family!

Gu Xingyue, bracing her weak body, managed a faint smile on her pale face. "Yan Chu, thank you."

Yan Chu smiled slightly and tucked the blanket around Gu Xingyue. "Fifth Sister, get some rest."

Outside the ward, Gu Chenxiao followed behind Yan Chu. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Are you... really that powerful?"

Yan Chu smiled brightly and nodded, then seemed to recall something. "Don't worry, these arts aren't meant to be used against you."

Gu Chenxiao: "..."

He looked at Yan Chu’s serene and detached expression, his brow furrowing slightly. Yan Chu seemed to have misunderstood something. He had merely been curious; he never thought she would use supernatural means to threaten him.

"Regarding this matter, I should still thank you," Gu Chenxiao said, his voice gentle. She was the one who had helped his sister.

"Thank me?" Yan Chu considered this for a moment. "How about one million?"

"What?" Gu Chenxiao was puzzled. Yan Chu usually acted as if money meant nothing to her—would she really ask for it?

"Just transfer the money to my master’s account." That way, she could slowly help her master pay off the debt he owed to the Bank of Heaven and Earth.

Gu Chenxiao thought for a moment and nodded. He had heard that Yan Chu’s master was quite elderly; he surely needed to save up for his retirement. With that in mind, he transferred an extra two million into the account Yan Chu provided.

Just as the transfer went through, Matriarch Gu and her daughters bustled out of the ward.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Today is our family banquet. Chenxiao, I’ve hired a private nurse to look after your sister, let’s hurry home now."

Matriarch Gu took Yan Chu’s hand, liking her more and more. "It’s past mealtime, you must be starving, Xiao Chu!"

*

Gao Yuanxiang had long since fled the Gu residence. The family had returned from the hospital without seeing any sign of him. As the father of the children, he showed absolutely no affection for them.

Yan Chu had already reached her conclusion: Gao Yuanxiang had intentionally given Fifth Sister that cursed necklace to prevent her from conceiving, hoping to secure a divorce while keeping his own hands clean.

The Gu family was well aware of the situation, but since the family banquet had been prearranged, they decided to set these unpleasant personal matters aside for the time being.

Matriarch Gu ordered the servants to serve the meal. Dishes of all kinds were brought out one after another like a flowing river.

"Xiao Chu, this abalone was flown in from the United States yesterday. Try it and see if you like it!"

"Xiao Chu, this lobster was the freshest I could find at the market this morning."

"Xiao Chu, this dish..."

"Xiao Chu..."

Matriarch Gu introduced each dish before winking at Gu Chenxiao. "Don't just sit there eating by yourself, help Xiao Chu with some food!"

Her son had never spent much time with women since he was young; why was he so dense?

Gu Chenxiao didn't like to be forced into such gestures, and besides, he only felt gratitude toward Yan Chu—he didn't want to put on a show. "Mom, if Yan Chu wants to eat something, she can help herself," he said, his tone reluctant.

"Exactly, Mom. You’re hovering over Yan Chu as if she couldn't take care of herself," a voice interjected.

Matriarch Gu glanced at the speaker—it was Gu Chenxiao’s third sister, Gu Caiwei.

Gu Caiwei ignored her mother’s look and glanced at Yan Chu’s bowl with disdain. "Eating so little? Is the food not to your taste, or are you just putting on an act in front of Mom?"

Yan Chu frowned, a wave of annoyance rising within her. She had no grudge against this woman; the only reason she was being targeted so sharply was likely because Gu Caiwei felt slighted by all the attention the Matriarch was lavishing on her. Furthermore, since she had helped with the birth, if Gu Caiwei didn't like the Fifth Sister, she would naturally lash out at her as well.

Gu Chenxiao’s voice turned cold, carrying an air of natural authority. "I think the fruit platter in front of you looks quite good. If you aren't going to eat it, take it and go feed your dog."