Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 441 Lu Luo’s Offspring
"You, you said you left Ashbringer outside?"
Qiao Xing looked at Lu Luo with disbelief on his face. It was as if Lu Luo had done something unforgivable.
"Lu Luo, do you even know what that is? That sword, the Ashbringer, is a treasure left behind by the teacher, without which, the teacher’s will can never be fulfilled."
Faced with Qiao Xing’s flustered demeanor, so unlike his usual composed self, Lu Luo felt some emotion stirring. Even the calmest of people can become unsettled when it comes to things they care about. The formidable Mr. Qiao Xing was no exception.
"Teacher, there’s nothing impossible in this world. As long as your strength is sufficient, those impossibilities become docile lambs before you. The world is that simple and crude, just like me now, already able to completely ignore many rules."
"Ignore the rules? Lu Luo, you have changed quite a bit in these two years."
"The teacher worries too much. I am still the same person as before, and I haven’t misplaced Ashbringer. Teacher, you’ve never held that sword, have you?"
Lu Luo’s question made Qiao Xing puzzled, but indeed, he had never possessed Ashbringer. Although he once briefly wielded Ashbringer, his teacher never recognized him as its rightful owner.
"No, I haven’t. Is there a problem with that sword?"
"Just like I said earlier, that sword’s ’mind’... is sick!" Lu Luo pointed to his head and made an exaggerated expression.
Qiao Xing wanted to ask how a sword could possibly have a mind, but he swallowed the question, seeing the seriousness in Lu Luo’s expression.
"Alright, perhaps you are right."
The fact that Qiao Xing wasn’t being sarcastic made Lu Luo feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"I am not used to seeing the teacher in such a state."
"Everyone changes, and I am no exception."
"Yes, everyone changes."
Lu Luo turned his head and gazed into the distance, looking toward the Inner Ring. And behind him, Qiao Xing and Lu Xiaotian also looked toward the Inner Ring at the same moment. There seemed to be a tacit understanding between the three of them. Even though they said nothing, this understanding always existed.
"Are you going to take action against the Inner Ring?"
"Not for the time being," Lu Xiaotian said with certainty. Even though her human form had grown quickly, the time she had to develop was excessively brief. Despite having the constitution of an Eighth Order Exotic Species Monarch, the systematic learning and optimization of human cultivation techniques required a long time. Lu Xiaotian had to wait.
"And the teacher?"
Qiao Xing fell silent for a moment and then responded indirectly, "Your teacher’s wife is pregnant, and I just want a bit of peace in life."
Lu Luo was taken aback as he seemed to understand why today’s Qiao Xing was so different from before. All the edge is gone! Lu Luo inexplicably felt a surge of anger, yet he didn’t know where this anger came from. Anger for not showing any urge to fight? It was inappropriate to describe Qiao Xing with these words. Qiao Xing had always been a person who gave great importance to family, which could be seen from the incident with Qiao Xiao Mi, as he had faced Noah head-on. Qiao Xing’s bottom line was his family. So, his wife being pregnant was undoubtedly a major life change for Qiao Xing. Lu Luo had no right to criticize a father, and he certainly had even less business doing so considering the teacher’s wife and the child in her womb.
"So the teacher’s wife is pregnant. I haven’t visited her or Xiao Mi for a while, how rude of me." Lu Luo lowered his head slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
It was only at this time that Qiao Xing felt a hint of familiarity with him.
"It’s okay, you’re busy now. If you have free time later, go see them then."
Lu Luo saw the happiness in Qiao Xing’s eyes. For Qiao Xing, this period in the Fourth Ring must have been happy, right? Thinking about his lover and children, Lu Luo suddenly felt that he was missing something. Is it a child that I’m missing?
[Qi Xinzhu and Dumb Hair, even Han Shiyu have hinted at you, but you’ve always somewhat rejected them with an indifferent attitude. Lu Luo, as a leader, you really should have an heir.]
Do I truly... need to leave behind an heir? Lu Luo thought about it for a while. This question had always been a non-issue from the start. If it’s a non-issue, then what exactly am I worrying about? Not fitting in with this world?
Suddenly standing up, Lu Luo left a message for the two of them. "Hey, if you decide to wage war on the Inner Ring, or if the Inner Ring attacks, contact Circular for help. I will come."
After dropping these words, Lu Luo’s figure disappeared into the exile forest of the Fifth Ring.
Qiao Xing watched Lu Luo thoughtfully and then suddenly smiled. Lu Xiaotian didn’t understand why Qiao Xing laughed, nor why Lu Luo left. She always felt that human thoughts were overly complex and often their actions were erratic and dislikable.
"Hey, Qiao Xing, what’s he running off to do?"
"Probably going home to have children."
"Have children?" Lu Xiaotian was very dissatisfied with Qiao Xing’s answer. What kind of explanation was that? Why would someone suddenly think about going home to have children? Just because they heard their teacher had a second child?
Is the allure of having children really that great?
"Raising children is a very painful task."
"Then why still have children?"
"Although it’s painful, it’s also joyful. I think... Lu Luo will soon understand that joy." Qiao Xing laughed. Maintaining humanity was very important for Lu Luo. Although their relationship with Lu Luo was close, it was only closeness. They were not Lu Luo himself and couldn’t influence many of his thoughts. Knowing that Lu Luo had enormous potential, Qiao Xing understood how crucial it was to maintain humanity. No one wanted to witness the birth of a Ninth Tier monster, even though that monster might be worshipped as a divine being.
"Oh right, he just dropped a line and left. Aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to find him when the time comes?"
"No, I won’t."
"You’re that certain?"
"Of course, because he is Lu Luo."
「In the GuiXi District of the Imperial.」
Inside the society’s outpost, which was on the outskirts of the Inspection Department, Qi Xinzhu in her formal attire was meeting with representatives of several societies. Lu Luo had arranged for her to skip many unnecessary meetings, talks, and contracts. However, as the overt representative of Circular, she still needed to attend some important discussions. This undoubtedly would take up some of her time. She always felt that this time could be better spent practicing her Cultivation Technique or cooking, rather than these boring talks. In fact, Bai Yuetong doing these things would naturally be better than her. Unfortunately, in Imperial territory, Bai Yuetong’s identity probably cannot be exposed for quite some time. So, it all depended on her.
"Ah, this is really so boring!" Having ended another tedious meeting, Qi Xinzhu lay on the sofa feeling restless. Two years of growth had not only tremendously improved her strength. Her figure and charm had also become incomparable to before. The once youthful and inexperienced Qi Xinzhu had now transformed into a beauty of such radiance she could be described as unparalleled in her generation: her curvaceous body, along with that captivating face. Even Sola standing by couldn’t help but marvel.
"Would you like something to drink, Ms. Qi Xinzhu?"
"Hmm, coffee, the usual way," she replied.
"Of course."
In the past, she liked to drink sweet things, but that had changed somewhat now. Her tastes and habits were becoming more and more like Lu Luo’s, subconsciously mimicking him, like drinking coffee, for instance. From initially taking it with sugar and milk, to later milk without sugar, and now plain without either. Qi Xinzhu was gradually becoming more like Lu Luo. She used to find coffee bitter and slightly sour, but now she only tasted its smoothness.
"I wonder how Lu Luo is doing after going back," Qi Xinzhu thought, missing home—or more precisely, missing her parents. Unfortunately, until the Wasteland Alliance was completely united or until Lu Luo had the power to dominate the Alliance, her return was impossible. The Inner Ring had cut off all ties with the Fourth Ring, and she was now a person who could not return home.
"Mr. Lu Luo is powerful. He will resolve whatever difficulties he faces," Sola offered, inappropriately praising Lu Luo at this moment. Normally, such praise for Lu Luo would have been perfectly fine. But today was different; Qi Xinzhu seemed to be feeling somewhat forlorn.
"You say all difficulties can be resolved, but who is going to resolve my difficulties?" Feeling out of sorts, Qi Xinzhu suddenly stood up, picked up her coffee, and slowly walked over to the window. "Every person has many disappointments, Miss Sola. I know I have obtained a lot—strength, position, money, beauty, and even the perfect lover. But there are still things that dissatisfy me. I really am greedy!" Qi Xinzhu mocked herself.
Sensing she had misspoken earlier, Sola took a moment to think before speaking slowly, "That’s true, Miss Qi Xinzhu. Human desires are indeed endless. Desire can lead people into the abyss, true, but it is also the driving force behind human progress. Too much desire is frightening, but having no desires is even more terrifying than strong ones!"
Qi Xinzhu nodded slightly. "It’s rare for you to speak such sensible words. Usually, all you do is flatter," she remarked, now speaking more casually because of their familiarity.
"Heh, isn’t it just because Ms. Qi Xinzhu is so approachable?" Hearing Sola’s compliments once more, Qi Xinzhu’s mood seemed to improve a bit.
Just then, another knock sounded at the door. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
"Ms. Qi Xinzhu, some executives from the Coal Capital Merchants Association request an audience. This matter is about the sales channels for Spirit Stones, so..."
Qi Xinzhu glanced at Sola with a look of helplessness in her eyes. Such matters were really annoying! But the sales of Spirit Stones could be considered the foundation of Circular’s enterprises, so at this time, she had to go out and meet with those business association members. Most likely, it was just about fluctuations in profit and resource allocation. But such were the merchants, focused only on a trifling profit in front of them, utterly blind to the distance.
"Alright, let’s meet them," she said.
"Yes!"
Sola took Qi Xinzhu to the guest hall. The guest hall was very large, and the vast floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of half of Coal Capital’s landscape. If there had been a sea here, this room would have undoubtedly become the perfect seaside room, but unfortunately, Coal Capital had no sea.
"Miss Qi Xinzhu." The merchants all stood up, some even reaching out both hands, wanting to shake hands with Qi Xinzhu. But as her guardian and assistant, Sola knew all too well that Qi Xinzhu’s palms were not to be touched by these grubby merchants. She belonged to Lu Luo! With this thought in mind, Sola shook hands with the merchants on behalf of Qi Xinzhu as a form of response to their courtesy.
"Gentlemen, you may now speak of the purpose of today’s meeting." As it was a last-minute meeting and Qi Xinzhu was in a somewhat bad mood, she did not even intend to sit down in front of these people. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, she began to inquire. The sharp and crafty merchants must have sensed Qi Xinzhu’s poor spirits, and they immediately threw in one of their chips, trying to make Qi Xinzhu’s mood slightly better.
"Miss Qi Xinzhu, we obtained a traveling merchant’s certificate for Huizhou District this morning. This means that Circular’s channels can now be extended to Huizhou District."
Qi Xinzhu nodded slightly; this news was indeed good news. However, being of a calm nature, she could not muster much interest in such matters. "I see. Anything else?"
Seeing that this did not move Qi Xinzhu, the merchants knew that today’s meeting wouldn’t be easy. If they didn’t make a significant offer, they might leave a poor impression on Qi Xinzhu. Given the situation...
"Miss Qi Xinzhu, our guild had discussed a very important matter before. About the output of Spirit Stones, if Circular can increase the shipment by another 50%, our GuiXi Commerce Guild is willing to give up an additional one percent in profits."
Upon hearing this, Qi Xinzhu finally seemed somewhat moved. Although she did not enjoy doing business, she was well aware that one percent represented an enormous figure. One percent! What? Really one percent?
Looking out the window, Qi Xinzhu suddenly noticed an extra black dot in her field of vision. She rubbed her eyes, only to find that the dot had grown larger.
"Is that... Lu Luo?"
"It is Lu Luo, Miss Qi Xinzhu," Sola confirmed.
"But didn’t Lu Luo say that his return this time would probably take about ten days or so? Has something happened for him to return so early?" Seeing Lu Luo disrupt his original schedule, Qi Xinzhu couldn’t help but worry somewhat inexplicably. She was like this, always putting Lu Luo’s concerns first.
Sola, standing beside her, felt somewhat helpless seeing Qi Xinzhu like this but was even more envious. Qi Xinzhu appeared foolish to many, or so they thought. But Sola understood that Miss Qi Xinzhu was not foolish at all. It was precisely because of this mindset, this generosity, and this composure that Qi Xinzhu’s position in Lu Luo’s heart was unshakable. No matter what kind of women appeared around Lu Luo, regardless of their abilities or powerful backgrounds, they would never pose any threat to Qi Xinzhu.
"Lord Lu Luo must have something important to return for. Miss Qi Xinzhu, please wrap up the matters here quickly and have a good talk with Lord Lu Luo."
"Yes, I should."
With this concern weighing on her mind, Qi Xinzhu knew she had to hasten the progress of the current affairs. Just as she was about to discuss the matter of concessions on Spirit Stones with the guild members in detail, an astonishing scene unfolded!
BANG!
Lu Luo broke through the window, and amidst the astonished stares of the merchant association members, he embraced Qi Xinzhu in his arms. The embrace was so passionate, so fervent! The deep kiss almost left the strong-constitution Qi Xinzhu breathless.
She quickly patted Lu Luo on the shoulder. "Okay... what are you doing, everyone is watching!"
"Let them watch. Is that a crime?" Lu Luo once again naturally wrapped his arms around Qi Xinzhu, and once again kissed her. This made the merchants, who were used to seeing Qi Xinzhu’s icy and pure demeanor, utterly shocked.
"This guy...?" "Who the hell is he?" These were all questions in the minds of the merchants, but seeing Sola’s calm and smiling face, they dared not voice their doubts. The man before their eyes... could it be?
Lu Luo’s power, in front of a Seventh Tier fighter, was nearly beyond concern, not to mention these ordinary merchants. He tightly gripped Qi Xinzhu’s thighs, kneaded them for a while, and then said calmly, "Have a child for me."
"Ah?" Qi Xinzhu said, still not having reacted. She didn’t know whether she should be surprised or horrified at this moment. She didn’t even know what sort of expression she should have. All she could do was stand there dumbfounded, allowing Lu Luo to hold her tightly in his arms.
It was normal for Qi Xinzhu to be slow to react, but Sola by her side reacted quickly. In her heart, aside from being happy for Qi Xinzhu, there was also a hint of excitement. Because she knew that she had made the right choice; her judgment was correct. Qi Xinzhu was Lu Luo’s most important woman. Once Qi Xinzhu bore Lu Luo’s offspring, her status would be unshakable. And as Qi Xinzhu’s assistant, Sola’s status in Circular would rise with the tide. "It looks like I have to study some parenting knowledge in the future."
Sola’s lips curled slightly upward. She stepped aside and pointed to those merchants. "What are you all looking at? Mr. Lu Luo and Ms. Qi Xinzhu need to rest now, and idle folks must not disturb them."
Through Sola’s words, the merchants learned Lu Luo’s name. "Mr. Lu Luo!" Sola did not hide it, meaning they could spread this name. Was Lu Luo the true master behind Circular? The merchants didn’t know, but what they could be sure of was that the nominal owner of Circular, Qi Xinzhu, was definitely Lu Luo’s woman. And at some point in the future, it was very likely that Qi Xinzhu would bear Lu Luo’s offspring. This moment was one to be remembered.
"Right, right, right, we’re leaving now." After shooing away the few clueless merchants, Sola very sensibly closed the door and then locked it from the outside with a key. Finally, she moved a little farther away, leaving space for the two, who were like dry tinder to fierce flames.
Once she saw everyone had left, the reserved Qi Xinzhu also gradually became passionate. Her usual self was already passionate about such matters. This time, Lu Luo’s enthusiasm infected Qi Xinzhu, making her especially emotional.
"Honey!"
"Sweetheart!"
Qi Xinzhu leaned close to Lu Luo’s ear and whispered, "Honey, I want to have a child with you." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
"Hehe, just one?" Lu Luo chuckled.
"Lots and lots of them!" Qi Xinzhu also laughed.
...
"What would you like to eat?"
In the past, the person who asked this question was always Qi Xinzhu. Qi Xinzhu’s thoughtfulness and tenderness meant that Lu Luo never had the chance to get up earlier or to be better at caring for others. But this time was different. Lu Luo got up a bit earlier, wanting to make Qi Xinzhu some breakfast. He was not a man who knew nothing; before Qi Xinzhu took over the kitchen, the main responsibility for food during field operations had always been his. After all, eating is very important and Lu Luo didn’t trust anyone else with it.
"Hmm, barbecue!"
"Barbecue first thing in the morning? Aren’t you sick of it?" Lu Luo didn’t quite understand Qi Xinzhu’s request. Shouldn’t breakfast be buns, dough sticks, twisted crullers, and the like?
"I just want barbecue." Qi Xinzhu, hugging her legs, unexpectedly started to act coquettishly towards Lu Luo.
Looking at her at that moment, he felt an unusual tenderness and pity. Maybe he really hadn’t treated those women well enough! The previous talk of marrying several wives and having more than twenty kids... it always seemed to be just bragging, without any real action. It seemed that certain things really needed to change.
"Alright, I’ll make you some barbecue right now."
Lu Luo was too strong, and his impressive strength meant he did things very quickly. With agility of 700, barbecuing was a breeze for him. Soon, the aroma of barbecue began to permeate every corner of the room.
Qi Xinzhu took a skewer of barbecue from Lu Luo and lay in bed, eating it happily. But even while eating, she still didn’t put her legs down. This left Lu Luo very puzzled.
"What’s this about?"
Qi Xinzhu’s cheeks reddened, and after hesitating, she still told Lu Luo the truth. "I read somewhere that this way, it’s easier to get pregnant."
The cautious way Qi Xinzhu behaved made Lu Luo pity her all the more. He knew that Qi Xinzhu’s decision was impulsive, not something she had considered deeply. She was afraid that if she lost this chance, the next one might be a long time coming.
Thinking it over, Lu Luo walked forward and placed Qi Xinzhu’s raised legs on his shoulders. "Don’t do this anymore. I’m not going anywhere this time. However many you want, I’ll give."
Qi Xinzhu was taken aback at first and then felt something was off. The words that should have been romantic somehow sounded weird coming from Lu Luo’s mouth, didn’t they? Was it she who had a problem or was it Lu Luo?
"How many what?"
"You know, that!" Lu Luo raised his eyebrows, a playful lechery apparent in his demeanor.
And Qi Xinzhu? Although she looked pitiful, after glancing at the skewer of barbecue in her hand, she resolutely set the barbecue aside. "Alright, let’s do it!"
...
In the following month, Lu Luo really did spend a crazy amount of time with Qi Xinzhu. Their main activity for the entire month was just one thing: making babies! To take care of Qi Xinzhu for childbearing, Lu Luo even proactively took over the position of Circular leader. He revealed his true identity and let the entire GuiXi district know that the real leader of Circular was him, Lu Luo. And Qi Xinzhu, she was his, Lu Luo’s, woman. Such a declaration undoubtedly brought about a massive shock to the associations, gangs, and chambers of commerce in the GuiXi District. Lu Luo’s name also started to spread at this time. This became especially clear when people realized who he was: the Lu Luo of now was the same person who, two years ago, had lost to Qi Xinzhu, becoming the runner-up at the society’s conference.
That day, as usual, Lu Luo returned to Qi Xinzhu’s residence, and as soon as he entered, Qi Xinzhu excitedly hugged him.
"Honey, I’m pregnant."
"Really? Pregnant?"
"Yes, really pregnant." Qi Xinzhu laughed joyfully, a smile differing from her usual pretty and lovely one. It had a unique glow of motherhood that somehow moved Lu Luo at this moment.
"I’m finally... going to be a father?"
"Yes, Mr. Lu Luo," Qi Xinzhu teased.
But she suddenly noticed that there was something off about Lu Luo’s expression. "Honey, are you okay?"
"No, nothing’s wrong, I’m fine." At this moment, Lu Luo was a bit dazed. How should he put it? Since the moment he arrived in this world, he’d always had a feeling. He was an outsider. There was indeed a moment when he thought he wasn’t the only unique outsider, but later, that was refuted. Correct! He was always the solitary Exotic Species. This made Lu Luo always feel a sense of alienation from this world. But now it was different. Qi Xinzhu was pregnant, and he had a child. This child was of a completely different significance to him, meaning that he had left his own mark on this world. Moreover, this child also represented the world’s acknowledgement of him as an individual. It was only at this moment that Lu Luo truly integrated into this world. He became a member of this world. That was what touched him the most deeply and moved him the most.
"Ha, heh, a father, heh heh, that’s good, HEHEHEHE!" Lu Luo started to laugh foolishly, or to be precise, he alternated between crying and laughing.
Qi Xinzhu cleverly did not disturb Lu Luo during this time; she quietly waited for him to calm down. Then she embraced him.
"Wonderful, just wonderful. I, Lu Luo, finally have a child, and he will be the new monarch of Circular. No, he will be the new monarch of the entire world."
As the mother, Qi Xinzhu didn’t quite grasp the scope of Lu Luo’s grand declarations. She asked curiously, "How can you be so certain it will be a ’he,’ not a ’she’?"
Qi Xinzhu thought that Lu Luo might have a typical preference for sons over daughters, given that in the Wasteland Alliance, males were very rare. Every family hoped to have more sons among their descendants. This was something not even Qi Xinzhu herself was exempt from. So she gently probed Lu Luo. After all, it was their child, and if it were a girl, Qi Xinzhu hoped Lu Luo wouldn’t be too disappointed.
Lu Luo was indeed quite crude in many aspects of life and emotion, but this time, he was extraordinarily sensitive. He looked at Qi Xinzhu carefully and said in a very serious tone,
"Whether it’s a boy or a girl, whether it’s a ’he’ or a ’she’, they will become the new monarch.
"This is my promise, Lu Luo’s promise.
"Qi Xinzhu, you are my queen."
Qi Xinzhu covered her mouth in surprise, not knowing if this could be considered Lu Luo’s confession. However, it was the first time Lu Luo had said such words after being with her for so long.
"I understand."
"Alright, it’s supposed to be a happy occasion. Let’s not make a big fuss. Let’s go, we should tell everyone this news."
「At Half-Mountain Villa.」
Bai Yuetong was working when she stopped what she was doing.
"Xinzhu is pregnant?"
"Yes. Aren’t you worried, Miss Bai Yuetong? Now that Miss Qi Xinzhu is pregnant, if you don’t catch up now, you’ll completely miss the chance." The speaker was Luo Yi, a member of the Wings of Blazing Sky who had been absorbed by Circular, becoming a staff member at Half-Mountain Villa. Lu Luo tended to hold onto old affections. Luo Yi had contributed quite a bit when processing her identity card, although she eventually surrendered and ran away. But overall, she was without major flaws, and her decision to run away was understandable. Taking her into Circular as a staff member was naturally not a problem because she was indeed capable in handling affairs. However, it was clear that she was not one to stay idle. After receiving the news of Qi Xinzhu’s pregnancy, the first thing she thought of was not to congratulate her, but instead to come to Bai Yuetong and inform her. This was undoubtedly a probe—a probe toward Bai Yuetong and also a probe toward Lu Luo.
Bai Yuetong lifted her head and looked at Luo Yi expressionlessly. "Are you very free?"
"Huh?"
"If you’re free, please help me organize the 1-22 wrenches."
The attitude of Bai Yuetong surprised Luo Yi. In her view, if anyone inside Circular could compete with Qi Xinzhu, it would definitely be Bai Yuetong. Other women simply did not qualify. But it seemed Bai Yuetong had no intention of competing, which was completely different from her usual playful and combative demeanor.
"Hey, don’t you usually love to compete? Why are you not competing this time?"
Once again, Bai Yuetong looked at Luo Yi. "What you are saying now has crossed that man’s bottom line. You don’t understand him well enough, nor do you understand me."
"What do you mean?"
"How long have you followed Lu Luo? How long have I been with him? I am Lu Luo’s woman; I know him better than anyone else. Lu Luo is a guy who lacks a sense of security. If one day, there is a woman who can make him think of having offspring, that woman would certainly be Qi Xinzhu. This will never change. Both Han Shiyu and I are clear about this, so there’s simply no significance in competition for us. Do you understand?"
The tone and attitude of Bai Yuetong at this moment overawed Luo Yi. But Luo Yi was still not reconciled. "Are you willing to be oppressed by Qi Xinzhu like this?"
Once again, Bai Yuetong laughed. "Heh, I’ve told you, you don’t really understand Lu Luo’s women. Each of us is different. Although I am Lu Luo’s woman, my more important identity is the chief designer of Circular. This identity is indispensable, and it’s unlikely anyone will be over me. As for Qi Xinzhu... Heh, rather than competing for favor, I guess she’s more interested in researching what Lu Luo likes to eat."
