A Secret Pregnancy

[Thanks to @Wuhai Aigounv1 for Qingmei's adorable character card. Spinning and scattering flowers!] Xu Qing, a direct disciple of the Venerable of Lingshan, betrayed his sect and eloped with a man from the outside world. Before long, he returned to the Venerable with an illegitimate child in his womb. A male snake carrying a child was an ill omen to begin with. And Xu Qing had been cherished by his master since childhood. He couldn't bear the hardship of months of pregnancy. He had tried every method, but the child in his belly still wouldn't come out. In a panic, he could only return to the Venerable. “Qing'er, do you know what you did wrong?” Clutching his visibly pregnant belly, Xu Qing knelt in the hall, trembling all over and not daring to look up. “This disciple knows he was wrong. I beg Master to punish me.” The Venerable said nothing. A distant sigh echoed through the hall. Xu Qing had once been a dying young snake by the waters of Fanchuan. The Venerable took a piece of golden bone from beneath his ribs, rebuilt Xu Qing's soul with it, bestowed a religious name on him, and took him in as a disciple. He personally taught him every kind of cultivation technique. For three hundred years, Lingshan had been remote and quiet, with blue seas, drifting clouds, clear peaks, and melting snow. The same dull scenery came and went. Xu Qing had always hated being cooped up, but didn't dare disturb his master's cultivation, so he learned to sneak down the mountain and fool around with men from the outside world. He was tricked into taking the Dreaming Jade Capital Flower and fell into demonic possession. Losing his reason, he disregarded three hundred years of kindness and declared that he would sever all ties with the Venerable. The Venerable looked down at him without joy or sorrow, then raised a finger and extinguished the Yuanjun jade token at his waist. Three hundred years ago, the Venerable of Lingshan, Di Yi, adopted a little snake child. The child was good in every way, except that he was a little slow. He always made a mess of his face when he ate. At first, he needed Di Yi to hold both his hands to help him walk. He could never keep his tail tucked away, and it took many lessons before he could master even the simplest spells. Fortunately, Lingshan was quiet, and Di Yi had plenty of time to teach him patiently. Everyone said the Venerable of Lingshan had transcended worldly emotions and was almost one with the Heavenly Dao. Only Xu Qing Yuanjun, his disciple, could stir even the slightest feeling in him. Countless demons coveted Lingshan, but Xu Qing was the only way in. The Red Demon never imagined that Di Yi's beloved disciple would be so easy to deceive. All he had to do was conjure a face that resembled Di Yi's, and the highly cultivated little snake lord came eagerly running to him. At first, he planned to use Xu Qing as a weapon against Di Yi. But as time went on, for reasons he couldn't explain, he no longer wanted Xu Qing to return to Di Yi. They eloped and fell in love, and he once thought he would have Xu Qing forever. He no longer longed for revenge or burned with hatred. All he wanted was to live an ordinary life with Xu Qing. But their happiness didn't last. Xu Qing became pregnant. The snake egg in his belly slowly absorbed the toxins of the Dreaming Jade Capital Flower. One night, after they had made love, Xu Qing picked up his sword and disappeared into the bone-deep cold of Jiuxiao Hall. In a panic, he fled all the way back to the foot of Lingshan. Reading Guide: 1. Xu Qing is the top, Di Yi is the official bottom. The child is Di Yi's. The top gets pregnant and gives birth; they conceive through emotional connection. 2. The bottom is pure; the top is not. The bottom is not a good person. Theme: A gentleman must be ever mindful of his conduct, even in private.