Wang Qi froze. No matter how composed he usually was, any young man who hadn’t faced such a situation would panic. The word "pregnant" felt like a mountain crushing his skull.

Of course, he had no intention of running away—he was the one who’d done it last night. But panic still clawed at him.

“This… this shouldn’t be possible, right? Your body doesn’t even look fully grown…” He trailed off.

A mature girl would’ve developed more. Though bodies varied, Wang Qi had always described Zhang Yemiao as “adorable,” not alluring.

“Wait—if you’re underage, doesn’t that make me a jailbait predator?”

The thought struck him like lightning. On Xingqiu, he’d be arrested for this. Maybe even executed.

He felt like collapsing on the spot.

Zhang Yemiao panicked too. If she wasn’t legally an adult, would her growth stop? She’d heard rumors that… certain acts released hormones that stunted development.

*Probably just gossip.*

“You’re barely 4’9”—petite and cute—but you can’t be *that* young,” Wang Qi frowned. “I kept my original body. You guys turned into women, fine—but kids? Who could handle that?”

“I don’t feel like a kid either. I’ve been here months. I should’ve grown taller by now… but I haven’t.”

Kids grew fast. Especially girls. If Zhang Yemiao was at that age, she’d shoot up quickly.

Wang Qi gritted his teeth. “No choice now!”

He bolted out the door and dug frantically in the field.

A crimson bead surfaced in his hands.

Back in the room, he placed it on the table before Zhang Yemiao. She recognized it—the bead that once made her think she’d died. They’d silently agreed never to mention it. She knew Wang Qi had made a deal with it long ago, then buried it when he sensed its danger. Later, she’d seen phantom figures near it in the field…

A hazy silhouette flickered above the bead. “Oh? You two reek of desire… Did you do *that*? What a waste. With such fine potential, you could’ve been the Holy Sect’s Saintess—if you’d stayed pure.” Her gaze locked onto Zhang Yemiao.

Zhang Yemiao ignored the specter. Wang Qi wouldn’t have dug it up without a plan.

“What can this thing do?” she asked.

Relieved she wasn’t dwelling on nearly having her life force drained last time, Wang Qi explained: “Claims to be a Saintess from some church. Feels cult-like to me. Got blasted to bits by a hidden powerhouse near Yinai City. Only survived as this bead. Without you finding it, she’d never have manifested like this.”

Zhang Yemiao nodded. She rarely cared about anything beyond their group of four. The specter’s motives meant nothing to her. Her eyes stayed fixed on Wang Qi.

“I accept your earlier offer,” Wang Qi declared, cutting straight to negotiation. “No teachings. No gifts. Just one answer.”

The silhouette wavered, surprised. “Ask.”

Wang Qi pointed at Zhang Yemiao. “How old is my Yemiao *really*?”

“Size? About 36 in centimeters…”

“Not *that*!” Wang Qi snapped. “Her *age*!”

“That’s all you want? My price is steep.” The specter paused. “But since you agreed to the deal… fine.”

Dark red light coalesced. The specter dimmed as the glow washed over Zhang Yemiao.

“By human reckoning… she’s 22.”

Both exhaled. *22. Same as before we crossed over. Not jailbait, at least.*

Then the specter added: “Though biologically human… she’s not *fully* human, is she?”

“…?!!!!!!”

They recoiled in unison.

The specter looked shocked. “You don’t know? Your own age and race?” She meant Zhang Yemiao.

“She lost her memories.”

“Impossible… I only siphoned life force. Not memories. Did I grow stronger without realizing…?”

“Skip that. What race is she?”

The specter flickered silently. “Fine. Since you accepted my terms, I’ll throw this in free. Her race depends on your perspective.”

“Perspective?”

“At Tenth Level, a being can forge a Deity by embedding their Law into the world’s core. Now—what if some humans were *born* under that Law’s influence *before* the ascension?” She didn’t wait for answers. “A new race emerges.”

“Your wife’s race is *technically* human. Not like elves or beastkin. They split from humanity after a Deity’s birth…”

“And?”

“They’re tied to the Deity of Time. Time’s effects on them slow down. Usually by half. So her 22 years equal 11 human years. The stronger she grows, the less time marks her. They don’t die easily—but they truly don’t age.”

Wang Qi snatched the bead. “That’s enough!” He rushed back to the field and buried it again.

“Don’t forget our deal!” the specter’s voice echoed faintly.

“We’ll see!”

Wang Qi dashed back inside.

Zhang Yemiao stared at him. “So… 22 years passed, but my body only grew to eleven?” She glanced down at herself—undeveloped, yet hinting at change.

“I leveled up too. Now I’m Level 2. My growth will slow further. Human girls get their period around eleven or twelve… but with slowed development, maybe years away?” A flicker of sorrow crossed her face. *If I keep growing stronger… will I stay like this forever?*

Wang Qi rubbed his chin. “So… was I actually a jailbait predator or not?”

“Who cares about bodies? On Xingqiu, plenty of adults look like elementary students. It’s about mental age!”

“True!” Wang Qi agreed.

A new worry surfaced. “Wait—if you three are tied to Deities… you’re all special human variants, aren’t you?”

Zhang Yemiao nodded. “Likely. But that’s not my concern now. What did you promise that bead?”

“It wants a body. Its original one was destroyed. Mo An could rebuild it with high-tier Life Magic… but he’s too weak. We need to find it a vessel.”

“A vessel?”

“Yeah. I won’t kill anyone for it. We’re outsiders. Murdering innocents over personal gain? Unthinkable.” Wang Qi’s eyes narrowed. “But I have an idea.”

“Need help?”

“No. I’ll handle it.”

*He’s hiding the hard part,* Zhang Yemiao realized. *He doesn’t want me involved.*

She threw herself into his arms. Tilting her head up, her eyes gleamed with deliberate allure. Her lips parted slightly. “Since I’m not… *that*… we can be reckless, right? No period means no pregnancy… Brother Qi can play however he wants~”

Wang Qi’s Tertiary-level Physical Enhancement vanished. Blood surged southward, beyond his control.

Her words were a blatant temptation—a velvet trap he couldn’t escape.

He swept her up, carried her to the bed, and pinned her down.

Wasted the whole day.