Chapter 141: Wei Family Welcomes a Newborn

The City God Temple, though grand, was still just a temple within the Temple District, with limited space. The Underworld, however, was truly vast. In fact, besides the administrative offices of the twenty-four divisions, the Underworld also contained various prison zones and residences for the deceased, known as yin houses.

This extraordinary marriage case was exceedingly rare even in the Underworld. After the City God rendered his judgment, the Earth God and Ji Yuan, accompanied by two judges from the Underworld, escorted the White Deer Maiden to Zhou Niansheng's temporary dwelling. Yin houses in the Underworld are not pre-arranged accommodations; instead, they are determined by the deceased's grave in the mortal realm and items burned by their family. The size and completeness of paper figurines, paper money, and graves affect the deceased's dwelling in the Underworld. Furthermore, yin houses are, to some extent, connected to the grave and ancestral tablets at home, allowing the deceased to receive offerings from descendants.

At this time, Zhou Niansheng's body had not yet been buried, so he naturally had no yin house. Therefore, he was placed in the Hall of the Division for Rewarding Good Deeds in the Underworld. The emotional reunion of the couple attracted numerous ghost officers and attendants. After the judges officially announced the City God's verdict, the matter was concluded. While not everyone was overjoyed, it was considered a satisfactory resolution.

When Ji Yuan and the Earth God emerged from the Underworld together, a large white deer, seemingly in a deep sleep, floated beside them. Looking eastward, the sky was already turning pale, signaling the approach of dawn. The time spent in the Underworld felt like a dream.

"To become a ghost deity, one must possess noble virtues," the Earth God remarked. "I have worked with the City God of Jingji Prefecture for nearly two centuries, and only now have I truly seen this side of him!"

The Earth God and Ji Yuan walked together along the quiet, dim streets of Jingji Prefecture, just before dawn, as the Earth God spoke, moved by the experience. Ji Yuan smiled and replied, "Otherwise, why would there be a saying, 'Virtue commands the respect of spirits and gods'? Is it not precisely because spirits and gods value virtue and possess it themselves?"

"Hehehe... Master Ji speaks wisely."

After this incident, Ji Yuan's relationship with the Earth God became very harmonious. Their exceptional rapport in the Underworld had forged a friendship, and their conversations were no longer awkward.

As they walked to the front of the Earth God Temple, faint sounds could already be heard from inside, indicating that the temple caretakers and workers were likely getting ready to wake up. The faint crowing of roosters could be heard from various parts of the city.

Ji Yuan cupped his hands again to thank the Earth God. "Thank you for your assistance today, Earth God," he said. "I also trouble you to care for and keep this white deer's physical body, so that Bai Ruo can periodically return to it to stabilize her form and prevent the body from decaying."

The Earth God tapped his rattan staff on the ground, and the white deer's body automatically sank into the earth and vanished. Only then did he return Ji Yuan's bow. "Master Ji, you need not worry. I will certainly not impede your disciple's path to enlightenment," the Earth God assured him. "For a woman like Bai Ruo, it is fitting that she attains the Dao. It will be an enjoyable experience to act as her protector for a time!"

This arrangement had been discussed earlier in the Underworld. Ji Yuan could not remain indefinitely in Jingji Prefecture, and carrying such a large white deer's body was inconvenient. Keeping it in the Underworld was even less suitable. The Earth God's residence was the most appropriate place, as the Earth God could also look after it. In the Earth God's eyes, although the celestial deer was Ji Yuan's mount, it was already like a half-disciple. Ji Yuan had truly fulfilled his responsibilities as a master to the white deer, which is why the Earth God referred to the white deer as Ji Yuan's "disciple."

"In that case, I shall take my leave!" Ji Yuan said.

"Farewell, Master Ji. You are welcome to visit me anytime for a chat!"

They bid each other farewell. Though they didn't explicitly call each other friends, their actions showed they had indeed become friends, and both were in good spirits.

Watching Ji Yuan walk away freely, his sword floating beside him occasionally turning as if looking back, the Earth God chuckled to himself. "Master Ji found a mount, yet he still has to walk on his own two feet. A master acting like a father to his disciple is truly interesting! Little deer, you are very fortunate indeed!" He mumbled the last sentence to the spot where the white deer had disappeared into the ground, then his own figure vanished from the front of the Earth God Temple.

Ji Yuan felt he had done his utmost regarding the white deer's situation, achieving a resolution without conflict. Becoming friends with the Earth God of Jingji Prefecture was an unexpected bonus. Ji Yuan's true gain, however, was a white chess piece representing the white deer. Although it had manifested in the Underworld, a place filled with dense yin energy, it became a white piece at the moment of its formation. It was unclear if this was due to the couple's bond or the white deer's own nature.

Walking along the broad avenue called Yongning Street, Ji Yuan's thoughts drifted back to the moment the chess piece formed. At the time, he hadn't given the White Deer Maiden many instructions. Seeing her reunited with her husband in an embrace, he had intended to leave with the Earth God. However, shortly after Ji Yuan and the Earth God left the Underworld, the white piece suddenly formed in his hand. Through the piece, he could vaguely see the White Deer Maiden kneeling in the Underworld, swearing an oath before the inscribed jade tablet in her hand: "Bai Ruo vows never to forget Master's grace!"

The jade tablet was something Ji Yuan had lent her. It actually belonged to the old dragon and contained a special method for demonic cultivation. Ji Yuan had borrowed it to study it, not expecting it to be put to such great use. The old dragon, through his own contemplation and deduction, had simulated cultivation techniques for celestial beasts from immortal realms. Although not orthodox immortal cultivation, they were very close. Ji Yuan then refined them slightly using the newly learned art of imbuing spirit into objects.

With his fully open eyes, Ji Yuan was exceptionally precise in observing qi, and he had three years of experience with the Yi Chess game. While it would have been incredibly difficult for him to create a demonic cultivation method from scratch, it was not so hard to refine details based on the old dragon's relatively comprehensive foundation, ensuring it aligned with the transformed deer maiden's path. He also incorporated elements from his previous heart-to-heart talk with the Dragon Maiden and a hint of content from the "Precious Record of Rectifying Virtue." While this method might not be more ethereal than orthodox immortal beast cultivation techniques, it could at least ensure steady progress in her spiritual cultivation. Lending it to the White Deer Maiden was a favor that would save her from practicing her own demonic arts, which might expose her celestial deer identity and complicate matters.

Naturally, the spiritual essence imbued within the jade also carried Ji Yuan's expectations and his hope that the white deer would attain the Dao. In the Underworld, however, the white deer's understanding was completely different. For her, Master Ji imparting the method through the jade was both an opportunity and a test. She hoped to pass it. While she dared not aspire to become his true disciple, she was willing to serve him as her master. Although most demon races envied the celestial beasts' affinity with the Dao, they strongly resisted the idea, believing that celestial beasts sacrificed their freedom to become servants. While many held this "sour grapes" mentality, it represented a prevalent view among demons. However, the white deer no longer held such thoughts.

At this very moment, in Jizhou, within the prefectural city of Desheng Prefecture, everyone in the high-gated, sprawling Wei Residence was consumed by anxiety. It was not yet dawn, and the servants in the Wei Residence's back courtyard were all rushing about.

"Rumble..."

Thunder suddenly echoed in the gloomy sky, startling several servants carrying buckets of hot water, almost causing them to trip.

"Hurry, hurry! The birthing room needs these!"

A supervisor urged them on, and the servants quickly and carefully carried their buckets forward. As they passed through the back courtyard's veranda, piercing cries of pain reached them.

"Ah... ugh..."

"Push, madam, push harder!"

"I can't... I have no strength left... Ah..."

"Madam! Madam, please, I beg you, push a little harder..."

The midwife's voice inside the birthing room was filled with panic. Several men of the Wei family stood silent outside. Wei Wuwei clenched his fists, pacing back and forth. Unable to bear it any longer, he rushed into the courtyard and slammed his palm against a tree, leaving a deep imprint on its trunk. Then he returned to the veranda outside, waiting anxiously.

The birthing room door opened, and a pale-faced maid emerged, carrying a basin of bloody water, which she emptied in the courtyard. She then carried a newly delivered bucket of hot water back inside. Watching the basin of bloody water being poured out, Wei Wuwei's face turned even grimmer. For a while, no cries of pain had emanated from inside.

Just then, the birthing room door opened again, and a midwife, about fifty or sixty years old, emerged with a pale face, meeting Wei Wuwei's anxious gaze.

"Master Wei... the madam has fainted... Do you want to save the mother or the child?"

The midwife asked tremulously, while Wei Wuwei's eyes widened in fury. "What did you say!?"

"Mas-Master Wei... please don't make it difficult for this old servant... If you don't decide soon, it will be too late..."

Wei Wuwei's chubby hand grabbed the midwife, his face contorted like a demon's. His roar drowned out the thunder that now rumbled. "Save both of them! If anything happens to either of them, you will be buried with them, do you hear me? Save both of them!"

The midwife was so terrified that her body stiffened, and she couldn't utter a word.

"Hmph! Useless woman, come with me!" Wei Wuwei disregarded everything else and directly dragged the midwife into the birthing room.

"Patriarch! You cannot enter the birthing room!" "Patriarch!"

Ignoring the two guards who tried to stop him, Wei Wuwei charged inside. "Get out of my way! At a time like this, who cares about the taboos of a birthing room? I'm going to transfer true qi to my wife!" Two elders of the Wei family nearby opened their mouths but could not utter any words of dissuasion, allowing him to enter the birthing room.

"Patter-patter-patter..."

A quarter of an hour later, heavy rain began to fall as dawn broke, and cries of "Wah... wah... wah..." echoed from within the birthing room. Wei Wuwei, leaning beside his wife, was drenched but felt immense relief. The midwife who had delivered the baby repeatedly bowed towards the door, and even the maids nearby breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Congratulations, Master Wei! The madam has given birth to a boy!"

"As long as she's safe..."

Wei Wuwei sighed with a hint of emotion. Including the six daughters he already had with his various wives and concubines over the past three years, his principal wife had finally given birth to a boy. Yet, seeing his wife's narrow escape from death's door, he felt that whether it was a boy or a girl no longer mattered.

***

**Author's note:**

Also, I'd like to recommend the new book, "Run For Your Life, Author," by the esteemed "First Love Shines Like Summer Flowers." I don't need to elaborate on the quality of their work. This book offers a remarkably unique perspective.