Chapter 353: Anji

For the first time in five years, the persimmon tree bore flowers and fruit. Autumn was a great time for harvesting, but this year it was even more special. Old friends and allies were gathering again at the prophet’s invitation.

Ever since the war ended, Hong Nian Niang had been diligently following Anji’s suggested treatment. With the help of Elders from the Mystical Qilin Sect to implement artificial cores, she suppressed her true cultivation base and was finally able to nurture her womb with Doctor He’s help. It was no secret that the Vermillion Bird Sect Leader was hoping for a daughter who might resemble her late godaughter. However, even after years of recovery and nourishment, there was no positive news.

Arriving in a fashionably late manner, Hong Nian Niang looked worse than anyone remembered her to be. Escorted by three husbands, she collapsed almost immediately into a chair, hair sticking to her clammy forehead and looking pale.

Without a word, Doctor He stepped forward to diagnose the issue while everyone else chatted to greet each other, reminiscing about the good times. Yan Ping made the trip in person and waited beneath the persimmon tree silently, sipping on persimmon leaf tea for old time’s sake.

"Congratulations!" Doctor He gasped in alarm, his voice cutting through casual chatter instantly. "You’re two months pregnant!"

The news shocked all three husbands. Even Hong Nian Niang had not expected such a thing. Ever since she had suppressed her cultivation level to barely above a Solid Core stage, she had gotten injured and ill more frequently. Not to mention, she had no idea who the biological father was after leading such a hedonistic lifestyle for the past few years.

"I... I’m pregnant?" she swallowed hard, almost not daring to believe her ears.

Only Yan Ping remained unsurprised while everyone else extended their congratulations. Patiently, she waited until the excitement had faded a little before approaching the lady in red.

"She has chosen to return to us through you," Yan Ping smiled behind her veiled hat. "Would you allow me the privilege of naming her?"

For a while, nobody knew what the prophet was referring to. However, the faint smell of sweet persimmon and the gathering of everyone Anji ever knew were huge clues. Now that Hong Nian Niang was pregnant, Zhao Mingfeng and Zhao Wanting held each other’s hands tightly. A bittersweet sense of happiness welled in their chest.

Clutching her stomach in disbelief, Hong Nian Niang felt light-headed from the news. Was it really Anji’s soul that was reincarnated in her child?

"I... Yes, please. We’ll be honoured if you could give her a name."

The same shine of Anji’s soul was unmistakable. From the first time Yan Ping spotted her, she knew their founder had returned. Now that her destiny was complete, it was time to start a new journey.

"Then let her be named Anji," Yan Ping smiled. "For safety and remembrance. Will she take your name or your husband’s name?"

Blushing, Hong Nian Niang shamefully admitted that Anji would take her family name instead because she had no idea who the biological father was.

"I’ll raise her well," Sect Leader Hong promised. "Do you think she would be able to learn my Vermillion Bird arts?"

Yan Ping shook her head.

"Due to heavenly restrictions, she will be born no different from a mortal with no memories or affinity for cultivation. Her fate is tied to a different path near Chang’an. Although it is a joyous reunion for us all, I would like to remind everyone again that Anji is not Anji. The soul returning to us is the same, but the person is not."

That statement sobered just about everyone. Mingshen and Yihao, who had been waiting for a chance to reconcile, felt their hopes being put out like water over a flame.

Yan Ping was not wrong. Everyone knew it as well. However, it was only human to feel robbed at an incomplete reunion. It was most cruel to the parents of Anji in her last life to love a child who once belonged to them but no longer shared any blood ties.

As a new parent, Hong Nian Niang’s heart went out to them. Previously, they granted her the joy of becoming Anji’s godmother. Now that she was Anji’s mother, it was time to return the favour.

"Would you like to become Anji’s godparents?" she smiled, tears in her eyes. "I’m sure this child will receive just as much love, if not more, in this life as well."

Brightening at the offer, Zhao Mingfeng and Zhao Wanting burst into tears and knelt by Hong Nian Niang’s side, taking a hand each and talking to the fetus in her stomach.

"Thank you," Zhao Mingfeng sniffled. "Thank you for coming back to us, Anji."

Likewise, Mingshen and Yihao bit their cheeks on the inside, holding back tears. They were not good brothers in the last life. This time, they would do better.

"We’re happy to become part of your family again, Anji..." Zhao Wanting quivered, wiping tears and calling her other children over to greet their new sworn sister.

Stepping aside for the new and old families to bond, Yan Ping wondered how the other couple in Chang’an would react to finding out they were finally able to conceive after many years of being barren. The Empress should be well into her forties now. And Song Min was going to become the Crown Prince to lead the dynasty to glory for several generations to come, like a guardian.

Even if the prophet could not see where Anji’s soul thread ended, she knew it was connected to Song Min’s soul. Returning as a mortal might not be a bad thing for both of them. Behind the high walls of the Forbidden City, there should at least be one ally standing by the Emperor’s side so that the palace can feel like a home.

It was the life Anji had chosen right after leaving a legacy behind with the murim world. Yan Ping could not feel disappointed. After all, her talented disciple was born for great heights.

With the Chapter closing on Murim’s Weakest Princess, it was perhaps time for her to observe the story of the most ambitious Crown Princess in all of mankind’s history.