Chapter 1450 - 424: Dad, I’m About to Disappear (6k)

"The little one kicked me today," Shen Hanyi said softly.

Zhou Qing was initially stunned, then so excited he nearly jumped up. Instinctively, he leaned in closer, "How strong was it?"

"Not too bad..." Shen Hanyi’s ears turned red, her voice growing quieter, as her fingers unconsciously caressed her belly.

"Hahaha—" Zhou Qing suddenly burst into laughter, then looked at Shen Hanyi with eyes so tender they seemed to drip, "Have you decided on a name?"

Shen Hanyi’s face turned even redder, she gently shook her head, "I haven’t thought about it..."

Zhou Qing discreetly shuffled closer, close enough to catch the subtle fragrance from her hair, "Actually, ever since I knew you were carrying my baby, I’ve thought of a few."

Shen Hanyi turned her head, realizing only then how close they were.

Normally, she would have coldly pulled away, but now she just looked at him quietly, "Which ones?"

Zhou Qing chuckled and took a deep breath, greedily inhaling the faint scent from her.

He patted his storage bag, took out a delicate little booklet, and carefully handed it over.

Shen Hanyi accepted it with curiosity, gently opening the first page.

In the moonlight, she saw neatly written: [Zhou Muhan]

Meaning: Admiring like a gentle breeze, cold like a bright moon. May he/she be as elegant and pure as you.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she continued to flip: [Zhou Nianyi]

Meaning: Remembered forever, ripples everlasting. May he/she always remember the love of parents.

On the third page:

[Zhou Sigui]

Meaning: Thought and missed, with a heart yearning to return. May he/she always find their way home, no matter how far they go.

...

Shen Hanyi flipped through page by page, every name beautifully written with meanings and references thoughtfully noted beside them.

By the time she reached the last page, her eyes were slightly red.

The last page read:

[If you don’t like these, we can slowly think of others. The important thing is that he/she can arrive in this world safely and healthy.]

The night breeze blew softly, swirling a fallen leaf onto the booklet.

Shen Hanyi gently closed the booklet, looked up at the expectant Zhou Qing, and smiled slightly, "They’re all wonderful..."

Zhou Qing’s eyes instantly brightened, and he couldn’t help but smile widely.

For him, these three words were the greatest affirmation.

"The booklet will stay with you," he said cheerfully, unable to hide his happiness.

"You can write down any good names whenever you want, don’t need my consent. Names like Goudan, Tiezhu, Erlangzi, Dazhuang, and Shuanzai are all fine—"

"What nonsense!" Shen Hanyi glared at him playfully, but there was an undeniable smile in her eyes.

Zhou Qing watched her laugh, momentarily mesmerized.

The moonlight cast on her delicate profile, that faint smile was like the first thaw of ice and snow, beautiful enough to make one’s heart tremble.

"Actually..." he said softly, "you often smile, it’s quite lovely."

Upon hearing this, Shen Hanyi’s smile instantly faded, returning to her usual cool demeanor.

She carefully stored the booklet into her storage bag, then looked up at Zhou Qing, speaking earnestly, "Thank you."

"Thank me for what?" Zhou Qing scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.

Shen Hanyi’s gaze softened a bit, "Thank you for everything you’ve done for me."

Zhou Qing hesitated for a moment, then grinned brightly, eyes full of tenderness, "Between you and me, why say thanks?"

He paused, his voice a bit softer, "I’m willing to do anything for you."

Shen Hanyi lowered her eyes slightly, beneath the veil, her lips curled imperceptibly into a faint smile.

"Let’s go, find your junior sister at the villa!" The next moment, Shen Hanyi stood up.

Zhou Qing nodded in agreement, yet still took out a Communication Jade Scroll from his bosom, his fingertips gathering spiritual power as he was about to write—

The Jade Scroll suddenly lit up by itself, and then a line of text appeared:

[Don’t bother sending, I came back since you were naming the child. But pretend this old man didn’t return, giving you two the chance to be alone on the road, rather than being an eyesore.]

Zhou Qing’s face flushed, he hastily stuffed the Jade Scroll back into his storage bag, coughing twice to cover his embarrassment, "Then let’s go."

Shen Hanyi nodded gently.

Zhou Qing then took out a delicate Flying Ship from his storage bag, which grew against the wind to three zhang in size.

The ship’s body flowed with a faint spiritual light, appearing exceptionally beautiful under the moonlight.

"During this time, don’t use spiritual power or tear through space," Zhou Qing said seriously, "I’ll take care of the travel."

Shen Hanyi looked at the Flying Ship, pondered for a moment, then lightly tapped her toes and gracefully landed on it.

Zhou Qing promptly followed, unable to suppress the smile at his lips as he controlled the Flying Ship to ascend.

The Flying Ship pierced through the night sky, soon disappearing into the vast darkness.

A moment later, the Second Uncle emerged from the darkness, looking at the still-burning campfire on the ground with a sigh, "These two kids, leaving without extinguishing the fire, don’t they know forest fire prevention is everyone’s responsibility?"

He waved his sleeve, a flash of spiritual light passed, and the campfire was immediately extinguished, leaving no trace of ashes.

He then looked up toward the direction the Flying Ship had gone, a hint of comfort flashing in his eyes, and with a flicker, he pursued after...

...

A month later, a Flying Ship finally returned from the Outer Domain to the Inner Domain.

As soon as they entered the Inner Domain boundary, Zhou Qing sensed something was off.

On the streets and alleys, in tea houses and taverns, everyone was talking about one thing—

Second Uncle Shen Yunlan of the Shen Family had fallen!

"Did you hear? He was a seasoned Spirit Slash Realm Perfection!"

"Rumor has it he was close to touching the Supreme Realm threshold! He’s been collecting Void Crystal Cores and other materials for two hundred years, preparing to create a Tribulation Transformation Map to cross the tribulation..."

"Just silently died? Who has such great power?"

Even more shocking was the rumor that Shen Yunlan had met an untimely end while protecting the newly-joined ’Master Qingzhou’ of the Shen family.