Chapter 131: A Heaven-Rank Intermediate Fetus!

"What works quickly?" Sena felt a jolt in his heart. "Your painting doesn't have any evil attributes, does it? Don't treat everyone like a fool; let me see it."

"I thought it was just the 'crow's mouth' effect. The painting is for my own use; how could it be a dark work?" Sangsang said, taking off the 'Mountain of Books and Sea of Knowledge' painting plaque along with its silk tassel and handing it to Sena. "She is a Profound-level expert, and I am several levels below her. Even if I had the intention, I couldn't influence her."

"Rank isn't absolute. When Aslan was at his peak star-level, he could resist Profound-level experts, let alone you. Besides, White Star is no match for Aslan's original opponent." Sena turned the painting over and over as he examined it. He even closed his eyes to channel his profound energy into it to sense its attributes. He found that although the laws were complex, they were orderly amidst the chaos. There were no strong, harmful laws that would stimulate blood circulation, dissipate stasis, clear the meridians, or cause a miscarriage in a pregnant woman. His heart settled, and he returned the plaque to Sangsang. "Sorry, I misunderstood you."

Sangsang shook her head to show she didn't mind. She hung the painting back on her waist, lowering her eyelids to hide the deepening color of her eyes, a cute smile lingering on the corners of her lips.

No matter how meticulous Sena was, he was still a man after all. Just as some tonics are great for ordinary people but forbidden for pregnant women, some laws are the same, only more concealed.

Regardless of their strength, a pregnant woman's body will undergo hormonal changes due to the fetus. If nothing else, the incidence of postpartum depression in advanced civilizations is quite high—though they don't call it postpartum depression, but "Cultivation Decline Syndrome."

In someone else's stronghold, she wouldn't do anything that would make people go insane by controlling their emotional shifts; lowering IQ to turn people into fools would be too obvious. At most, she would just boost others' motivation, making them think and worry more—worry about the future, worry about the present, worry about their bellies. Incidentally, she would also increase the child's motivation to eat more, more, and even more, treating every mouthful of energy as if it were the last.

Whether it was effective on the Saintess of Hundred Flowers, Sangsang didn't know, but according to the fetal data Xiaojin sent daily from the Palace of Hundred Flowers to Jiankong City, the speed of energy absorption had slightly increased.

Time passed neither quickly nor slowly. Sangsang spent eighty percent of her days following the Saintess of Hundred Flowers, while Sena followed behind her like a shadow. The emotional entanglement between him and the Saintess was obvious even to the blind.

This couple, who had long since fallen out, were like two actors: one saying, "Please forgive me, I love you so much," and the other saying, "I love you too, but the shadows in my heart are truly hard to erase."

Caught between these two "best actors," Sangsang quietly stole laws while acting as a clumsy matchmaker, watching the annual blockbuster of tragic romance. Sometimes, she would secretly gossip with Xiaojin about whose acting was better.

Most of the time, Sena won, but when there was physical contact, Sena's gaze wasn't quite perfect. The Saintess didn't notice, but because of her angle, Sangsang saw it all and had reminded Sena more than once to pay attention to the details.

Sena was torn between laughter and tears. Who was he doing this for—playing along with the Saintess and keeping her attention on himself?

Speaking of acting, Sena was truly impressed by Sangsang. She was worthy of being a companion to that pervert, the Heavenly Emperor; she was a little pervert herself. Her acting was so convincing, especially her gaze. If he didn't know her true nature, he would have thought this strong, awkward, sensitive, and kind child was all she was.

What was even more remarkable was that she had shrouded herself in a layer of aura fluctuations, even mimicking the rise and fall of emotional changes perfectly. Who would have thought she could split her soul into two completely different waves, with the other half潜入 (sneaking) into someone else's sea of consciousness?

Sangsang ignored Sena's accusation. Another day had passed. She had already copied the gestation laws from three flowers. She needed to keep up the effort, striving to copy at least half by the end of her internship. Only by achieving the third or fourth realm after reflecting on them would she be worthy of this trip. By then, combining gestation and creation, she could paint a true painting of gestation.

Sangsang's efforts were reflected in her increasing reliance on the Saintess, to the point where she didn't want to leave even during rest periods. Sometimes she would pretend to be fascinated by something to create opportunities for the Saintess to be alone with Sena; other times, she would deliberately let the Saintess know she was persuading Sena to forgive her.

Such behavior made the Saintess treat her even better. Several times, the Saintess secretly asked attendants to adjust the types of candy for her, or quietly placed newly bought painting tools in her room. Sangsang touched the "Mountain of Books and Sea of Knowledge" plaque at her waist, despising herself for being so uncharitable as to steal skills without paying tuition and even digging a pit for her teacher to jump into. However, in the blink of an eye, she was clinging to her again with the painting in hand.

Time flew by in this mutual display of affection. Sangsang's internship at the Palace of Hundred Flowers was not without waves. As the internship neared its end, the Saintess pressured Sena more and more, and Sena's patience was reaching its limit.

At the end of the month, on the second-to-last day of the internship, the Saintess held a small baptismal sermon for her believers. Sangsang was invited to attend. During the event, a believer suddenly attacked Sena.

Of course, the believer was captured before he could harm Sena. Instead, the Saintess herself was slightly injured. Fortunately, the child was unharmed, but this incident revealed that the child's health score was higher than anyone had expected.

According to the instrument data, the future little Highness of Jiankong City already possessed the strength of a mid-stage Heaven-level expert.

Everyone speculated: was it the paternal genes? The mother's condition? Or was it a congenital mutation in the child?

Many, especially older seniors nearing the end of their lives without heirs, hoped it was due to the Saintess's physique. Unfortunately, the Saintess refused a detailed examination, and out of respect for her status as a titled Saintess and the fetus in her womb, no one forced her.

The reaction from Jiankong City was strange. The Holy Son of Jiankong did not appear, nor did his chief assistant come. They only sent a veteran obstetrician and a few attendants. Through monitoring the current state of the fetus, they concluded that the little Highness had congenitally awakened a "devouring" talent.

This news was a joyous occasion for Jiankong City, but it was not so pleasant for the Palace of Hundred Flowers.

The greater the fetus's innate potential, the heavier the burden on the mother. Especially since the devouring talent absorbed energy far above the average level, it was no wonder the Saintess's strength had dropped by three minor levels and was still declining.

Of course, this decline did not affect her core foundation; it was just that her rate of refining profound energy could not keep up with the loss. It would be fine if she took more gentle and pure energy potions made from rare treasures.

For some reason, the Saintess allowed her profound energy to drain without replenishing it.

Jiankong City had quite a few opinions on this. Although the Saintess's own profound energy was enough to nourish the little Highness, what if the little Highness's potential was too high and its development was affected by the Saintess's passive state?

The Saintess felt very aggrieved. This grievance erupted when Sena came to visit her. She collapsed on the couch and sobbed bitterly. After a long while, she lifted her tear-stained face, looking at Sena with sorrow and melancholy, as if she had a thousand words that she didn't know how to express.