Chapter 376: Ren Mian's Identity

Chapter 376: Ren Mian's Identity

During the hot season, the Peach Blossom Gully was breathtakingly beautiful.

A meandering river flowed through the canyon, its banks lined with lush green trees and vibrant red flowers. The air was filled with the chirping of insects and birds, creating a serene yet vibrant atmosphere. Towering peaks loomed overhead, their summits touching the sky and still bearing traces of melting snow. Against the azure sky, this place seemed like a utopian paradise.

As Ji Xinghuo flew into the Peach Blossom Gully, he couldn't help but be captivated by the stunning scenery, slowing down his flight to take it all in.

From the sky, he spotted vast stretches of peach blossom forests in the canyon below.

The vibrant and alluring peach blossoms stretched for kilometers, attracting countless butterflies that danced gracefully among the branches, creating an enchanting sight.

On the opposite bank of the peach blossom forest lay Ren Mian's secret realm.

Ji Xinghuo descended gently, stepping onto the verdant grass as he made his way into the woods. He reached out and pressed his hand forward, and a petal on the back of his hand began to shimmer, causing ripples to appear in the air before him.

Stepping through, he found himself in a familiar garden with a wooden cottage.

"Sister Ren!"

Ji Xinghuo's eyes immediately fell on Ren Mian, who was sitting on the balcony of the cottage. She wore a loose and comfortable long skirt, half-reclining on a lounge chair, with a pot of floral tea on the table beside her as she leisurely flipped through a book.

Even after not seeing her for over half a year, her beauty remained unparalleled, her features as exquisite as a celestial goddess.

"You're back!" Ren Mian set down her book and offered him a gentle smile.

It seemed as though she had expected his arrival and didn't stand up to greet him, but the joy in her eyes was undeniable, shining through and threatening to overflow.

"Sister Ren, I missed you so much..." Ji Xinghuo flashed over to the balcony and leaned in for a gentle kiss.

It was a moment of sweet intimacy.

He wrapped his arms around Ren Mian's waist, intending to take things further, but he suddenly pulled back as if he'd been electrocuted. Lowering his gaze to her abdomen, his eyes widened in shock.

Ren Mian smiled as she stood up, her pregnant belly clearly visible beneath her long skirt. She gently caressed her stomach, her exquisite face radiating maternal love as she announced, "Congratulations, Ji Xinghuo. You're going to be a father."

Ji Xinghuo stood frozen, stunned into silence.

It was only when Ren Mian waved her hand in front of his face that he snapped out of his daze, but his mind was still reeling from the enormous shock. Stuttering, he asked, "Sister Ren, when... when did this happen?"

"When do you think?" Ren Mian shot him a sideways glance.

"But... but..." Ji Xinghuo scratched his head, "We've only been together for a short while, and we were so careful. I can't believe it happened so easily!"

"We may not have had a lot of time together, but we made up for it in frequency," Ren Mian said with a playful smile. "Now, are you regretting it?"

Ji Xinghuo quickly shook his head. "No, no! Not at all!"

"I just wasn't prepared for this," he said, his eyes fixed on Ren Mian's belly. Finally finding his calm, his emotions were a mix of happiness, shock, bewilderment, and worry, all tangled together.

To be honest, Ji Xinghuo never expected Ren Mian to get pregnant.

They had always been careful and taken precautions.

Sister Ren had never once mentioned any desire to have children, and at the time, they were simply enjoying the pleasures of their intimate relationship without considering other aspects of their lives. Thoughts of children and marriage seemed distant and unrelated.

Now, suddenly faced with the reality of an impending child, Ji Xinghuo felt utterly lost.

However, he had no intention of shirking his responsibilities.

Ji Xinghuo helped Ren Mian sit down and asked with concern, "Sister Ren, how far along are you?"

"About seven months," Ren Mian replied, pouring him a cup of floral tea. "Here, have some tea to calm your nerves. Don't panic."

"Okay."

Ji Xinghuo picked up the cup and drained it in one go, not even registering the taste or the scalding temperature of the tea.

His mind was in turmoil.

Seven months already? That meant there were only three months left until the baby arrived!

Ren Mian, on the other hand, seemed relaxed and at ease, her voice steady as she said, "Not long after you left, I found out I was pregnant. I was planning to surprise you with the baby after giving birth, but it seems you've returned sooner than expected. This works too."

Ji Xinghuo was at a loss for words.

If he had come back to find Ren Mian holding a baby in her arms, it would have been a shock rather than a surprise.

"Sister Ren, what should we do now?" Ji Xinghuo asked cautiously.

"Of course, I'll give birth to the baby," Ren Mian replied, her decision already made. "I know you're still young and haven't thought about having children yet, so it might be hard for you to accept this suddenly. Don't worry, I won't ask anything of you. You don't have to take any responsibility, and I won't ask you to marry me."

Hearing this, Ji Xinghuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But then he felt conflicted again.

After all, he was the father of the child, and according to Sister Ren, he wouldn't have to take any responsibility at all. That meant he wouldn't have any connection to the child in the future.

While the idea of being free from obligations was appealing, from another perspective, it felt like he was being used as a sperm donor. Ji Xinghuo kept these thoughts to himself.

Ren Mian sighed softly and began to speak, "I'm also a public child, like you, but my situation is different. My parents passed away unexpectedly when I was eight years old. It was around that time that the country proposed the Continuation Plan, and I became one of the first-generation public children.

She paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Back then, public families weren't accepted by many in society, and the environment was very different from that of a traditional family. I envied the other children who had complete families, with their parents by their sides..."

"I always told myself that when I grew up, I would find someone I loved and have several children with them, creating a warm and big family."

"But later, after embarking on the path of evolution, I never met a man I loved."

Here, Ren Mian turned to look at Ji Xinghuo.

"Until I met you!"

"Hehe..." Ji Xinghuo smiled proudly, "This shows that we're fated. You waited so many years, and it was for me to appear."

"Show-off," Ren Mian teased with a smile, not refuting his words.

The playful exchange eased the sadness in her heart, and her joy returned. "Those days half a year ago were the happiest days of my life. I didn't have to worry about anything else. Every day was filled with happiness and delight, being with the person I loved, doing whatever we wanted. It reminded me of my childhood, and that's when the idea took root..."

Ji Xinghuo had already guessed what she was about to say.

And Ren Mian didn't hide it. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Ji Xinghuo's, "Xinghuo, to be honest, I got pregnant on purpose."

"Ah?" Ji Xinghuo was still surprised, despite his earlier guess, "But didn't we take precautions?"

"Not every time," Ren Mian laughed, "And as a Plant Witch, there are many similarities between cultivating plants and carrying a child. I have my ways of becoming pregnant with your child without you noticing."

Ji Xinghuo fell silent.

Ren Mian's heart quickened, and she asked anxiously, "You won't blame me, will you?"

"Of course not," Ji Xinghuo's face lit up with a smile, "But it will be tough on you. Now that it's done, blaming you won't help. It will only make you unhappy."

"Then I'm glad," Ren Mian said with relief.

She gently caressed her abdomen, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Ji Xinghuo asked, "Sister Ren, you're due in three months. Are you planning to return to Earth to give birth, or will you stay here in the Star World?"

This matter concerned his plans to go to the True Dragon Dynasty.

"Of course, I'll go back to Earth," Ren Mian had already considered this, "You have your own matters to attend to, and I don't want to tie you down. I'll give birth on Earth so that the baby can be registered as a legal citizen, and it will also help with education. You don't have to worry about any of that; I can handle it myself."

Ji Xinghuo scratched his head, "But..."

"Rest assured, I won't go looking for Zhao Manying and expose our relationship," Ren Mian saw right through him.

"That's not what I meant," Ji Xinghuo said, feeling guilty.

"I'm not planning to be involved, so you'll be a single mother," he added.

"A single mother can take good care of a family, and I'm no ordinary person," Ren Mian said with a soft humph, "With my abilities, giving birth won't be a problem, and it won't even hinder my ascension to the Legendary realm."

"When will Sister Ren evolve to the Legendary realm?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"About a year or so," Ren Mian replied, sensing that Ji Xinghuo had something else on his mind that he couldn't quite bring himself to ask. "Go ahead and ask whatever is on your mind."

"Alright." Ji Xinghuo didn't hesitate anymore. "I met the Fuhrer when I returned to Earth, and he invited me to join a group—the highest power center in the country. There are only about thirty members, each with extraordinary talent and strength."

He paused for a moment. "Sister Ren, you probably know about this, right?"

In fact, Ji Xinghuo had his suspicions already.

Back then, Sister Ren had given him a letter to deliver to Zhou Yishang, the deputy director of the Sword Bureau. That letter had completely changed Zhou Yishang's attitude towards him, turning his unfavorable situation in the Sword Bureau around.

Later, when he thought back to that letter, he had too many questions.

After joining the group, Ji Xinghuo obtained a list of names from Li Hui, with the Fuhrer at the center and the other thirty-plus members.

One name on that list had caught his attention, and he suspected that person was Sister Ren.

Ren Mian was just an alias.

"I thought you would have guessed it by now. Caiyi figured out my identity last year, and you're only asking now. I'm a bit surprised," Ren Mian said casually.

"I think you're Ye Jing!" Ji Xinghuo pressed further.

"What do you think?" Ren Mian countered, her expression calm.

"You are Ye Jing!" Ji Xinghuo asserted, his tone turning affirmative. "Aside from you, I can't think of anyone else on Earth who could possibly be Sister Ren's true identity."

The name Ye Jing was somewhat unfamiliar to Ji Xinghuo's generation.

However, there were countless rumors about her online, mostly originating from the older generation and individuals over fifty years old. The topic of discussion was invariably Ye Jing's breathtaking beauty; she was revered as the first global goddess!

Her existence combined unparalleled talent and strength with heavenly beauty, driving countless people to madness and attracting suitors like moths to a flame.

Zhao Manying, on the other hand, was considered the second generation goddess.

When Ji Xinghuo first learned to use the internet, Ye Jing's videos and photos were no longer available online.

She had retracted her authorization, set strict privacy settings, and completely disappeared after leaving the online world.

However, her name remained on the King's Ranking and the renamed Global Combat Power Ranking. She was one of the thirteen kings of the Asia-Pacific Community, ranked 30th, just one spot above Ji Xinghuo.

Even though Ye Jing no longer made public appearances, a lot of information about her from the past was still accessible.

Ye Jing's profession was Plant Witch, and she was born in 2161 as one of the first-generation public children.

All of this information matched Ren Mian's.

Most importantly, Ji Xinghuo had seen the name Ye Jing on that list, and when he considered her talent, strength, age, and beauty, he couldn't fathom any other possibility, especially given the significance of that letter.

However, Ye Jing was a King, while Ren Mian was only a Super-Being.

Thus, Ji Xinghuo couldn't be completely certain.

"I thought you would have guessed it by now. Caiyi figured out my identity a year ago, and you're only asking now. I'm a bit surprised," Ren Mian said casually.

"I thought you'd have guessed it already. Caiyi figured it out last year, but you're just asking now. It's a bit surprising," Ren Mian teased gently.

Ji Xinghuo's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked in a low voice, "Sister Ren, aren't you a King? Why were you only a high-level Super-Being when I first met you?"

Ren Mian didn't hide the truth. "Five years ago, I fused with a unique species called 'Reincarnation,' which caused me to lose all my abilities except for Reincarnation, reverting me to a primary Super-Being and forcing me to start my evolutionary path anew."

"What benefit does Reincarnation bring?" Ji Xinghuo asked, astonished.

"It grants me eternal youth. I will never grow old, and my lifespan will be more than ten times that of a Super-Being of the same level. I can easily live for several thousand years," Ren Mian explained.

"Several thousand years!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed.

Previously, Sister Ren had hinted at fusing with a unique species that granted her eternal youth, but she hadn't mentioned the several-thousand-year lifespan.

And that wasn't all.

Ren Mian smiled faintly. "While Reincarnation causes the loss of other abilities, it retains the number of fusion opportunities. After reincarnation, the expansion artifacts used previously become useless, but with each evolution, you still gain a new chance to fuse with another species."

Ji Xinghuo was stunned into silence.

Before her reincarnation, Sister Ren had been a King. Evolving from a primary Super-Being to a King required six evolutions, which meant that each reincarnation granted her the equivalent of six expansion artifacts.

If she reincarnated again after reaching the King level, she would gain another six fusion opportunities!

"This is too outrageous!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed, taking a deep breath. "What level of species is Reincarnation?"

"Of course, it's an Eclipse-level species," Ren Mian replied with a smile.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end