Chapter 153: The First Pregnant Man in the Great Zhou Dynasty

Shi Kun's expression darkened. "Nonsense! Of course, I am filial to my mother!"

The Great Zhou Dynasty governed the nation with filial piety, so no one, no matter how high their status, dared to be labeled unfilial.

"Without experiencing the hardships of ten months of pregnancy, without enduring the pain of childbirth, how can one presumptuously claim filial piety?" Zu An sighed deeply.

Chu Chuyan was speechless. She truly couldn't understand the point of him saying such things at this moment; his actions were always so unconventional.

The warriors were even more bewildered. Everything happening today was too bizarre. First, their master and Zu An referred to each other as friends, and now, at a critical moment between life and death, they were discussing filial piety. What was happening to this world?

Shi Kun remained silent for a moment. He snorted coldly. "Only because we are friends have I patiently answered your absurd questions. Now that I've answered, you can rest in peace."

"Since you consider me a friend, as a friend, I'll give you a small gift to let you experience the feeling of pregnancy. This way, you can understand the hardships your esteemed mother went through giving birth to you, and better appreciate filial piety," Zu An said, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.

"What nonsense!" Shi Kun, just like his subordinates, looked at him as if he were an idiot. How could a man get pregnant in this world?

Only Qiao Xueying's heart stirred, and she hastily called out, "Young Master, be careful!"

"Careful?" Shi Kun was bewildered, thinking he had victory in his grasp and would soon subdue Chu Chuyan. What was there to be careful about? *Hm*, why did his stomach feel a little uncomfortable? Had he eaten something bad just now? Why was there a heavy, bloated feeling?

Shi Kun's expression subtly changed. He thought he was having a stomach upset. He always paid great attention to his appearance and demeanor; it would be utterly disgraceful to rush to the latrine in front of so many people.

*Hm*, why did his stomach feel bigger and heavier? He couldn't help but look down at his stomach. There was no visible change, so why did he feel that way?

It felt increasingly bloated!

What he felt was completely different from what he saw, making him instantly doubt reality. He couldn't help but ask his subordinates, "Has my stomach gotten bigger?"

"No," his subordinates replied blankly, shaking their heads, while exchanging glances among themselves: "Don't you think the young master is acting strange today?" "Yeah, first he called Zu An his friend, and now he's asking if his stomach is big." "Do you think the young master saw Miss Chu and Zu An being so intimate, and he's gone mad with jealousy?" "Very likely."

Shi Kun couldn't resist reaching out to touch his stomach, but no matter how he felt it, the strange sensation persisted.

After a short while, a strange pain emerged, instantly contorting his handsome face. The pain was so peculiar, as if it came from his most private parts, yet also like a cry from the depths of his soul, completely unlike any injury he had felt before.

After all, he was a genius of his generation. He forcefully suppressed the urge to cry out in pain. How could he scream in agony in front of so many of his subordinates and the woman he admired? Did he not care about his dignity?

Fortunately, after about ten seconds, the pain vanished as if it had never been there.

"What was that just now?" Shi Kun frowned deeply. At that moment, he noticed that the wind blades he had just conjured were showing signs of dispersal and collapse. He quickly refocused his mind to regain control.

After about a minute, the familiar yet strange pain suddenly returned.

"Huh?" This sudden, intense pain caused Shi Kun's furious wind blades to almost collapse entirely. Why was it back?

He endured it with immense willpower. After a short while, the pain disappeared again.

"Have I been practicing too diligently lately, perhaps even suffering a qi deviation?" Shi Kun wondered, planning to ask Elder Shi to examine him thoroughly once they left the secret realm.

He gathered his focus again to control the wind blades, while also feeling some apprehension, hoping the pain wouldn't return later.

Despite being prepared, when the intense pain returned a minute later, he nearly collapsed on the spot.

*Goddammit, will this ever end!*

Crucially, he noticed that the intervals between the pains were getting shorter, and the pain itself was becoming more intense.

"What is he doing?" Chu Chuyan watched Shi Kun, whose face was alternately pale and green, with confusion. She felt it most acutely because the surrounding wind blades were fluctuating in strength, now even on the verge of collapse, greatly reducing the pressure on her.

"He's probably having an existential crisis," Zu An chuckled to himself. This guy probably couldn't, even if he racked his brain, figure out that this strange pain was called contractions. No man would have this experience to tell him about, and women certainly wouldn't mention it to men. Though he was reluctant, at such a critical moment, he had no choice but to use his "Stare and Impregnate" skill. The effect was indeed good; the only downside was that using it this time left him with only one more use.

Zu An originally wanted to rush over and deal with Shi Kun, but seeing that Qiao Xueying and the others had already run towards him, he had to abandon the idea. With his current strength, going over now would likely be walking straight into a trap.

Zu An thought for a moment, then took out a red bottle labeled "Believe in Brother Chun," which he had drawn earlier, and handed it to Chu Chuyan. "Wife, quickly drink this."

"What is this?" Chu Chuyan's natural cautiousness as a woman prevented her from immediately drinking the strange liquid.

"It's for healing. No toxins, no side effects, and it'll recover you instantly," Zu An said, feeling a bit pained. He only had one bottle of this quick recovery potion left, and using it was like losing a life.

He also understood that the key to victory lay with Chu Chuyan. His current strength was still insufficient against a fifth-rank expert, not to mention the opponent also had a large number of fourth and third-rank subordinates.

Therefore, if Chu Chuyan recovered, with her strength, the two of them should be able to safely overcome this ordeal.

Moreover, Chu Chuyan was his wife, so using this medicine on her meant keeping the benefit within the family.

Chu Chuyan looked at him with her beautiful eyes, hesitated slightly, then nodded. "Okay!" She took the bottle and drank its contents in one gulp.

In truth, such an action was extremely risky for her. As the daughter of a ducal manor, countless people wished her harm. Furthermore, her unparalleled beauty undoubtedly attracted the covetous gaze of many men.

From a young age, she had been taught not to consume food of unknown origin and not to let her drinking water leave her sight. She had always been meticulous in this regard, paying great attention to protecting herself throughout her life.

If another man were to offer her a bottle of unknown liquid, she would generally ignore it. If it were someone with whom she had a decent relationship or a special status, and it would be rude to refuse outright, she would accept it with a smile but would never actually drink it.

Yet, for some reason, just now, looking into Zu An's eyes, she had, for the first time ever, abandoned her principles.

What made her do it? Was it because he was her husband? Or because of the sincerity in his eyes? Or perhaps his pained, reluctant expression?

She didn't understand what she was thinking at the time, impulsively drinking it without hesitation.

However, she didn't have high expectations. After all, given Zu An's background and strength, what kind of good item could he possibly produce?

Just as she was about to say something, her expression suddenly froze. She felt a warm current flow through her limbs and bones, and the pain and internal chaotic energy she had been experiencing significantly subsided.

"What kind of medicine is this? It's incredibly miraculous!" Chu Chuyan exclaimed in surprise.

"This is a life-saving medicine my master left for me back then. He said it could bring the dead back to life and mend broken bones. So, have your injuries fully recovered?" Zu An had fabricated a story about a mysterious figure teaching him cultivation when the Chu couple questioned him previously. Attributing this to his master made perfect sense; otherwise, how would he explain the keyboard-related abilities to her?

"Your master must be an great person," Chu Chuyan couldn't help but exclaim. "Although I haven't fully recovered, my injuries are about sixty to seventy percent healed. I've never seen a healing medicine work so quickly."

Even the spiritual medicines prescribed by a divine physician like Ji Dengtu required some time to heal injuries, yet this bottle could be described as offering instant recovery. It was truly astonishing.

"Of course, your husband is amazing, isn't he?" Zu An said, a smug look on his face, but then his expression suddenly changed. "What? You said your injuries only recovered about sixty to seventy percent? Why didn't they fully recover?"

"Almost instantaneously, it recovered sixty to seventy percent. Isn't that enough? I was almost unable to hold on just now, but now I have the strength to fight again." Chu Chuyan was clearly satisfied with the medicine's effect and somewhat confused by his reaction.

*Of course it's not enough!*

Zu An looked dejected. This was an extremely precious full-recovery potion. Every time he took it, all his injuries instantly healed completely. Why was it different when she took it? Did items from the system work less effectively when used by others?

No, that wasn't right. Even if there was an issue, it should be that others couldn't use it at all, but she clearly experienced an effect.

Wait! Zu An suddenly remembered that the recovery potion's name was "Believe in Brother Chun," and it was also labeled with the character "small." Could it be that it only provided full recovery for lower-level cultivators, and had less effect on higher-level ones?

His years of experience playing games in his previous life allowed him to roughly guess the truth. Chu Chuyan's cultivation level was currently much higher than his. Just because he could fully recover didn't necessarily mean she could too.

"Ah, it's killing me!" At that moment, Shi Kun's desperate cries came from not far away. No matter how strong his will or endurance, he couldn't bear the pain of childbirth. Once he started screaming, he couldn't control himself anymore, continuous wails rising and falling from his mouth.

"Young Master, what's wrong?" His other subordinates panicked, completely baffled by what was happening to their master. There were no visible injuries, so why was he in such intense pain?

Shi Kun's face was contorted in extreme pain; he couldn't speak at all.

Qiao Xueying glanced fearfully at Zu An in the distance. This time, the young master's symptoms were exactly the same as hers previously. She had thought it was a coincidence before, but now it seemed this was likely some unknown method of that guy's.

Zu An had already gathered his thoughts and quickly said to Chu Chuyan, "Quick, kill them."

"Okay!" Although Chu Chuyan didn't know why Shi Kun was suddenly in such pain, she knew this was a rare opportunity.

With a light step, she transformed into a phantom blur and rushed towards them, her figure graceful and elegant, truly embodying extreme agility.

Qiao Xueying's expression changed. With a wave of her hand, countless vines on the ground seemed to come alive, sweeping towards Chu Chuyan.

Chu Chuyan's face remained calm. Her sword danced lightly, touching each vine. Every vine she touched became covered in a layer of frost, losing its previous suppleness and flexibility, and fell heavily to the ground.

Qiao Xueying hastily pulled a bottle of medicine from her robes and tossed it to a nearby companion. "Quickly, give this to the young master!"

Zu An paused, unsure what the medicine was, but he felt it introduced a new variable. So, he quickly gripped his sword and charged forward as well.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot!