After I Got Pregnant With The Hero’S Baby, I Ran Away With The Ball. Chapter 5
by“I saw Madam leaning against the railing looking sad just now. Were you perhaps missing me?”
The handsome, red-haired man’s lips curved slightly upward, and the well-formed bags under his eyes showed a trace of fatigue that was hard to detect.
Wei Lin didn’t know what he had been doing these past few days, but it must have been something tricky.
Duan Xi’s eyes, as pure black as obsidian, stared at him intently, reflecting only his image. Wei Lin’s heart stopped for a moment. The man before him was powerful and confident, and crucially, extremely good-looking—belonging to the category of the charismatic, evil male lead.
Stared at by a man like this, probably no woman could resist.
But Wei Lin, having transmigrated into the body of the male lead’s mortal enemy, had long been influenced by the original host’s residual thoughts regarding Duan Xi.
He couldn’t call it outright hostility, but there was an inexplicable disgust, as if this person had committed some unforgivable crime against him in the past.
As if to hide his true thoughts, he said expressionlessly, “Of course I missed you.”
A light ignited in the eyes of the man opposite him, but it instantly extinguished upon hearing his next sentence.
“I was wondering if the enemies seeking revenge had managed to kill you.”
Wei Lin never concealed his hostility and disgust toward Duan Xi. Even though he was currently powerless, he would never grovel to the male lead like those transmigrators in Protagonist Genre Novels.
Not only was his own personality incapable of such behavior, but putting himself in the original host’s shoes: how could a person who was once a favored son of heaven and full of arrogance crush his pride and grovel to his former enemy just to survive after falling into the mud?
For someone so proud, bowing his head to the person he most loathed was worse than death itself.
Moreover, if his attitude towards Duan Xi differed too much from the original host’s, Duan Xi’s keen perception would likely expose him as a fake very quickly.
He didn’t know what mindset Duan Xi had for sparing his life and keeping him under his protection. But he absolutely refused to believe that Duan Xi liked the original host. In the original plot, the male lead tried to kill the original host several times and never showed the slightest mercy.
Rather than protecting him, it felt more like surveillance.
Perhaps Duan Xi kept him because the original host still had some utility. If he were discovered not to be the original host, he couldn’t guarantee Duan Xi would spare his life.
He still hadn’t figured out Duan Xi’s temper or bottom line.
Duan Xi, unaware that his thoughts had spun several circles, said to himself, “Madam’s words are truly heartbreaking. If I died, Madam would become a widow.”
He spoke of heartbreak, yet the smile on his face did not diminish in the slightest.
Wei Lin pursed his lips, feeling that any response would be inappropriate, so he remained silent.
The cloak he was wearing made him feel a little warm. He turned to pour himself a cup of cold tea. Just as he was about to drink it, Duan Xi reached out from behind and snatched the cup away.
He turned back, frowning, while the latter was playing with the cup, the water inside completely still.
He pressed his lips together and said, “If Gate Master Duan wants a drink, he can pour his own. Why steal mine?”
Duan Xi tilted his head slightly, took a small sip of the tea, and then leisurely said, “Stolen things taste better, especially when stolen from Madam’s hands.”
Wei Lin: “…”
Forget it. He couldn’t win against this man’s thick skin.
Wei Lin gave up arguing with him and turned to pour himself another cup, only for it to be snatched away again.
This time, he was slightly angered. “What is the meaning of this, Gate Master Duan?”
Duan Xi merely smiled, not speaking. Spiritual energy flowed at his fingertips, and the two cups of cold tea instantly began to emit wisps of hot steam.
“Your current body cannot constantly drink cold tea. Your constitution is so poor, you should be more careful with your health.”
He handed one cup back to Wei Lin, his tone subtly harboring a sense of helplessness and concern that he himself hadn’t realized.
Wei Lin held the slightly hot teacup, his mood complicated. For a moment, he didn’t know what expression was appropriate.
It seemed… it had been a long time since anyone had cared for him like this, even if he knew the other party might have ulterior motives.
Wei Lin lowered his head, his eyes downcast. He thought he must be expressionless at that moment, but the clear, emerald-green tea in the cup reflected a beautiful person with smiling eyes.
His relaxed brows instantly furrowed. He sneered self-deprecatingly. To be this happy over a little bit of concern—he was truly easily satisfied.
He put the teacup back down without drinking it.
Wei Lin turned, crossing his arms, and looked coldly at Duan Xi: “If Gate Master Duan has nothing else, please leave. I wish to rest.”
Although it wasn’t obvious, Duan Xi still sensed his sudden shift in mood. He didn’t point it out. Instead, he also placed the cup he was playing with back on the table and said leisurely, “Doesn’t Madam want to know what I was doing these past few days?”
“No.”
Wei Lin remained unmoved. Duan Xi feigned sadness and said, “I traveled for several days to cure Madam’s Cultivation Deviation, yet Madam doesn’t care about me at all. That truly makes me sad.”
His golden pupils instantly contracted, and Wei Lin tightened his lips.
“You want to cure me? Why? That brings you no benefit.”
He truly couldn’t understand Duan Xi. Not only did he not kill him, but he was also thinking of curing him. Wasn’t he afraid of him turning against him afterward?
Duan Xi shrugged indifferently. “I felt like it.”
Wei Lin fell silent, scrutinizing the unfathomable man before him.
The original novel mentioned that the original host was Duan Xi’s mother’s killer and had also stolen his sister. The author never mentioned the whereabouts of Duan Xi’s sister again, even after the original host’s death.
Duan Xi’s obsession with him might be related to his sister.
The plot regarding Duan Xi’s sister was only briefly mentioned in the novel, without even a name. Duan Xi would likely be disappointed if he expected clues from him.
Wei Lin felt he had found a reasonable explanation. He looked at Duan Xi and said, “You should know that I have forgotten many things. If you want to ask me anything, setting aside whether I’m willing to tell you, it’s probably impossible even if I were willing. Furthermore, Ghost Valley is destroyed. What else do you hope to gain from me?”
The gauze screen between them had been pierced, and Wei Lin had laid everything bare.
Duan Xi smiled inexplicably, sounding a little helpless: “You always think the worst of people.”
Whether it was the ruthless Wei Lin of the past or the current Wei Lin who had retracted his claws, his guard had never dropped even slightly.
There were many things he wanted to know from Wei Lin, but those weren’t important. He could investigate them himself; he didn’t necessarily need Wei Lin to answer.
If asked why he was so determined to cure Wei Lin, he didn’t know himself. But if he didn’t give Wei Lin a reason, he would probably rather die from the backlash than accept treatment.
Duan Xi pondered for a moment and said, “Very well, there is indeed one thing I want you to agree to.”
Wei Lin thought, ‘Just as expected.’ His tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly. He asked, “What do you want me to agree to?”
Duan Xi said, “Let’s make a deal. You promise to do one thing for me in the future. In exchange for this condition, I will cure your Cultivation Deviation.”
The foremost medical cultivator in the cultivation world was Duan Xi’s martial uncle, so Wei Lin wasn’t afraid of being deceived. However, Duan Xi wanted him to agree to something without letting him know what it was, which made him hesitant.
Duan Xi saw his concern and continued to tempt him, “It won’t be something you can’t do, in any case. Whether it succeeds or not, I lose nothing, but you, you are different. I won’t force you; you make the choice.”
Wei Lin was very tempted. The condition to cure his Cultivation Deviation was too appealing. He had no reason to refuse.
He said, “Alright, I agree.”
Agreeing was one thing; he didn’t guarantee he wouldn’t go back on his word afterward. After all, wasn’t his current persona that of a cunning and deceitful villain?
Duan Xi had fought with Wei Lin for so many years and wasn’t a fool. He chuckled, shaking his finger. “Just agreeing isn’t enough. You must swear a Heart Demon Oath.”
Cultivators rarely swear Heart Demon Oaths. Once they break their word, they will be plagued by inner demons. In minor cases, the inner demons lead them astray into the demonic path; in severe cases, they perish directly in the Heart Demon Tribulation.
Cultivators themselves defy the heavens, seizing a sliver of heavenly opportunity to cultivate the path to longevity. Every time a cultivator advances a level, the Heavenly Dao sends down tribulation lightning to take their life. Once a cultivator dies, their soul is scattered, leaving no possibility of reincarnation or re-cultivation.
Duan Xi’s request was quite vicious, but Wei Lin didn’t hesitate at all. He said, “I can swear a Heart Demon Oath, but you must first show me what I want.”
How could curing Cultivation Deviation be so easy? Not only was the pill formula currently missing, but every single spiritual herb required for refining the pill was extremely rare and precious. As for the main ingredient, the Earth Fire Heart Lotus, even searching the entire cultivation world would make it hard to find one, let alone the dew condensed from a thousand-year-old Earth Fire Heart Lotus.
“Since the Earth Fire Heart Lotus is so hard to find, why should I believe you?”
Duan Xi laughed upon hearing this, covering his eye with one hand. “It seems you truly have forgotten.”
Wei Lin frowned in confusion. What was he supposed to remember?
Duan Xi suddenly reached out and stroked his cheek, his thumb gently rubbing his skin. Wei Lin turned his face away uncomfortably, his expression angered. “Gate Master Duan should refrain from such intimate gestures. They are disgusting.”
The latter was not angry. He withdrew his hand, which still held his body heat, rubbed his fingertips, and said softly, “The Earth Fire Heart Lotus is hard for others to find, but I happen to possess it.”
If he had been half-skeptical about Wei Lin’s amnesia before, this time he was completely convinced. Anyone could be unaware that the Earth Fire Heart Lotus was in his hands, except Wei Lin.
He had personally snatched the Earth Fire Heart Lotus from Wei Lin’s hands. How could Wei Lin not know?
“This Earth Fire Heart Lotus was originally yours, but later it came into my possession.”
An orange-yellow, translucent lotus blossomed in Duan Xi’s palm, burning with flickering white flames. At the tip of one of the lotus petals, a clear, bright dewdrop hung precariously.
Wei Lin stared at the lotus, instantly clenching his hands. That nameless surge of anger welled up again.
He pressed his lips tightly, warning himself to calm down. Under someone else’s roof, he had no choice but to endure.
The lotus bloomed for a moment before being put away. As if he felt he hadn’t provoked him enough, Duan Xi said teasingly, “How could you forget that you ambushed me and threw me into the heart of the earth for this Earth Fire Heart Lotus?”
He had almost died that time. Fortunately, he had the bloodline of the divine bird Vermillion Bird in his body, and the burning of the earth’s core unexpectedly caused him to undergo an ancestral awakening.
He should hate Wei Lin. After all, this beautiful-looking man, who appeared harmless on the surface, had not only killed his mother and stolen his sister but had also nearly taken his life time and time again.
In fact, he had always hated Wei Lin, but subsequent events had derailed everything.
He found that he couldn’t bring himself to hate Wei Lin anymore.
He couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong.