"I..."
Shirley thought for a few moments before her expression became pessimistic. However, she shook her head.
"I think itâs worth a try regardless if we manage to convince the Ice Phoenix Mistress or not."
Davis raised his brows before he deeply nodded.
"True, Clara went to such lengths to save me, and I will spare no effort to make sure that she receives her resources. To that end, I was thinking of paying a visit to the Heaven Mandate Temple oppositely, but it seems like I have to reconsider asking the Ice Phoenix Immortal to give Clara another chance."
"Good." Shirley heavily nodded, "Iâm coming too."
"Why?"
Davis narrowed his eyes.
"Because I inherited the Fire Phoenix Immortalâs Legacy, I have far more sway with the Ice Phoenix than anyone, right?"
Davis swayed before he shook his head.
"Iâm not letting you go anywhere near that Immortal Inheritance with our child, Shirley."
"No." Shirley pouted, "The Phoenixes wouldnât harm me. Instead, the Fire Phoenix Mistress knows that I even love a man and encourages me to follow my thoughts and goals. I literally have their wishes to do when we ascend, so the last thing they would do is harm me."
"No means no...!"
Davisâs eyes widened while Shirleyâs narrowed.
"Youâre not rational about this, Davis."
Davisâs eyes shook as he clenched his teeth, "Youâre right about that. I canât risk you encountering danger, so Iâm not rational about this matter."
Shirley blinked before a selfish yet heartened curve appeared on her lips. However, her expression slowly changed as her shoulders drooped.
"Your little sister is also my little sister. I just wanted to help..."
"I know. Clara likes you too, but this isnât the time to be helping others. You have to take care of yourself and the baby. As much as Iâm already proving to be a bad father, do you want to be a bad mother who risks her childâs safety?"
Shirleyâs mouth went agape before she hastily shook her head. To Davis, the answer became clear as he inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.
"But we probably only have a single chance to ask. We canât risk it without me..."
Shirley bit her lips, causing Davis to seriously contemplate. Indeed, he didnât deny Shirleyâs thoughts as he too agreed that she held more sway and would be more convincing if she were to talk to the Phoenixes. It was just the fact that she carried their baby completely disallowed him to put her in a risk factor.
Perhaps, he was overcautious about it, but after witnessing the derailed fate, he knew that he was living on Fallen Heavenâs twisted fate. Thereâs no telling how it would consciously or subconsciously twist it to give him heaven or hell.
Nevertheless, after thinking for some time, he could only say.
"I think that after you give birth to our child, maybe we can then visit..." Then looking at her expression turn awry, he continued, "But yes, time is being wasted, and we canât do anything about that if we want to do both..."
Shirley pursed her lips, looking rather down.
Davis looked at her suspiciously before he spoke again.
"Shirley, if youâre thinking of sneaking out, then-"
"I wonât do that." Shirley instantly shook her head as she interrupted him, "I mean, I wonât deny that I had that thought, but Iâm not going to do that while I have our baby. Iâm not that stupid..."
Davis couldnât help but smile in relief. This womanâs actions were sometimes remarkable in giving him the chills, in both positive and negative ways. However, he did feel a bit bad for not being able to fulfill her wishes and also help his little sister regain what she lost, the access to the inheritance.
He even thought if it was possible that Natalya could take over the inheritance, but she was over the age limit set by the Ice Phoenix Immortal, not to mention that he took her innocence while purity also remained a requirement. However, she possessed the Ice Phoenix Immortalâs Diluted Blood Essence with the help of Clara, so he didnât know if she would be accepted or not.
All these things could only be concluded if he went and confronted the Ice Phoenix Immortal, but the chances are that he would be kicked out or even attacked. Only Shirley had a fair chance of negotiating with them. Thinking all of this, even though his mind said Shirley was absolutely right, he still couldnât put her in danger.
"Leaving it at that, whatâs going on with the Four Great Righteous Sects? There are only a bit more than two months left. The Heaven Mandate Temple, you said, theyâre also one of the Four Great Righteous Sects, right...?"
Shirley asked while Davis nodded, causing her to sigh, recalling that they had a bit of discontent on both sides. She hoped that things worked out in the end, but that was up to the Four Great Righteous Sects and their actions. She just hoped that their baby wouldnât be involved in this upcoming confrontation as she knew that she would become weaker.
"How have things gone in the Burning Phoenix Ridge?" Her thoughts moved on.
"It was rather good since Iâd say that I was able to gain familiarity with them."
Davis smirked, causing Shirleyâs eyes to widen in glee.
"Oh, thatâs good! Iâm more relieved. What about Esvele and Freya? I havenât had contact-"
"You can contact them, Shirley. Theyâre safe, and Ancestor Cornelia is taking care of them, stating that sheâs training them or perhaps, she kept them close to keep you tied to the Burning Phoenix Ridge. In any case, I saw that they were both safe."
"Wonderful!"
Shirley became joyful on hearing that they were safe. She was worried about them since she left them in the Burning Phoenix Ridge, so knowing that they were quite safe was heartening. Well, she knew that Freya was safe since her beast-taming pact was still active, but she didnât know what happened to Esvele. However, it seemed like she was taken as a direct disciple by Ancestor Cornelia. At least, that is what she inferred from hearing what Davis said.
"Come, letâs sit first."
She grasped his hand and brought it to the luxurious velvet sofa nearby, locking arms with him as she laid her head over his shoulder.
"What?"
"I want to stay like this for a few minutes as we talk."
"Sure."
Davis smiled as he held her shoulder and embraced her from the side. While staying silent for a minute or so as they enjoyed each otherâs company, they began to talk about their past and future. Shirley was very interested in hearing what he had to say, while Davis also shed some light about his plans to marry her, making her deeply blush at the topic that was once scrapped.
All this talk that led until the night was full of warmth that Shirley appeared satisfied.
Davis then left her to rest while he saw that the others were still in cultivation while Nadia was on her patrol as she long left. He thought for a moment about what to do before returning to his room and began digesting the knowledge he accumulated from the Soul Palaceâs Library.
A few days passed like this before Fiora appeared and went straight to Shirley, appearing to take care of her. She was in the view of his soul sense, and she could see that both of these playful women got along extremely well, even making crude jokes about each other.
Because of his level, Davis was able to multitask easily, and he became greatly content with their bond and hoped that they all treated Shirley well. However, considering that Shirley had his child, he understood that she had become the VIP of this family.
Next, the moment Fiora heard that he was here, she became surprised, shortly ditching Shirley and came running to him, entering his room and leaping towards him once she saw him gazing at her.
"I missed you so much already~"
Fiora pouted, looking needy, while Davis could only wryly laugh and apologize while receiving the same answer as Shirley, that she understood the circumstances and wouldnât dare take his time. He had to give her some more confidence while flirting, spending some time with her before he once again began to concentrate on digesting knowledge as she left.
Similarly, during the subsequent days, all the women took turns to come out of cultivation as if they were taking a break and went to see Shirley, only to come running to him once they heard about him. Their actions made him see how much they loved him, and he had the pleasure of being able to witness their actions as though he was a child demanding attention from his loved ones.
It made him feel cherished, as though he was the happiest man in the world.