PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

However, Desmond was quite satisfied with the arrangements made with the Eternal War Maiden Sect. Despite being someone without much backing, based only on his strength and connection to Fei Long, the supreme elder was willing to listen and when he showed that he had something to contribute, he was allowed to do so.

Ultimately, for Desmond, there wasn’t much of a difference between cooperating with the Eternal War Maiden Sect or not, for no matter what they had to say, he still planned to take matters into his own hands. The only thing that changed was that Desmond had an easier way to do it.

Having zero connections or background in this world, Desmond could act like a wild card, coming and going at will without much fear of being linked to anyone. Being Desmond the one we were talking about, it was only to be expected that he would want the same thing that he suggested to the supreme elder.

Fortunately, Desmond now didn’t have to go through the trouble of eluding or dealing with the eternal war maiden sect at the same time he was trying to support Claire, Cecilia, Sasha, and Revna. Given the sect’s power and reach, god only knows what inhuman efforts Desmond would have to go through to accomplish his mission.

However, all of that was a thing of the past and Desmond was now more interested in going home to spend time with the girls. Although he had managed to hide it decently enough, Desmond sorely needed some peace of mind and to feel loved, so every fiber of his being was begging him at this point to just throw himself back into the arms of the girls.

Although there was still plenty of traffic and plenty to do in the city, Desmond wasn’t interested. Perhaps, under different circumstances, Desmond would have tried to see a bit more of the city and experience what it had to offer, but none of it held Desmond’s attention at the moment.

Other than paying attention to his surroundings in case he ran into any threats, Desmond wasn’t interested in anything else, and it didn’t take long for him to stumble upon the residence where the girls were currently staying. Desmond was about to just go straight to find Claire, Sasha, Cecilia, or Revna, but he ran into Mei Fei Long who seemed quite interested in talking to him.

“I was wondering where you were, imagine my surprise when someone from the Eternal War Maiden Sect stopped by to confirm your identity, are you misbehaving as soon as you arrive?” Fei Long questioned.

.....

Slightly surprised, Desmond responded. “I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised by the sect’s efficiency considering that this is their territory, but I still didn’t expect they’d already talked to you.”

Fei Long gestured for Desmond to follow her and responded. “And I shouldn’t be surprised to learn that you don’t plan on taking the break you spoke of.”

Helpless, Desmond shrugged and retorted. “I plan to rest as much as I can, but you can’t expect me to sit idly by all the time either, especially with what you guys are going to face on that island.”

Arriving at a private room, Mei Fei Long opened the sliding doors and gestured for Desmond to enter. Once inside, Fei Long closed the doors and sat beside Desmond. Taking a seat on one of the comfortable cushions on the floor, Desmond faced Fei Long who seemed to still have something to say.

Maintaining a serious look, Fei Long narrowed his eyes. “You know quite a bit for someone who just arrived in the city, I would assume that it was Revna who filled you in. As much as she gets along with the rest of the girls and they treat her as a friend and an equal, her loyalty is still only yours, I should have guessed she wouldn’t keep anything a secret from you.”

Seeing how Desmond remained silent without denying or confirming anything, Fei Long didn’t bother too much with the subject either. “Okay, I know you don’t want her to get in trouble with the other girls, we don’t have to talk about it either. Still, I must say, that girl, Revna, you did quite a number with her, I’ve never seen someone so enamored or should I say obsessed with someone else.”

Showing a helpless expression that surprised Fei Long quite a bit, Desmond could only reply in a tired voice. “I wish I knew how to fix that. Don’t get me wrong, Revna is a wonderful woman and I love her, I just wish she would think more of herself, but any effort to change her mindset has failed. Until now, her love and her obsession have only gotten stronger, though she always finds different ways to express those feelings. I’m starting to believe that this is just the way she is now and that she’s not going to change.”

Giving Desmond the strangest of looks, Fei Long commented. “You must be the first man in the history of this continent to complain about receiving too much love and attention from a woman, especially from such a beautiful woman. It’s not like I don’t understand you either, it’s just weird to hear. However, that was not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Now with his interest successfully piqued by her, Desmond asked. “Oh, so what did you want to talk about?”

Although it couldn’t be said that it was the first time Desmond had seen Fei Long being shy, her reaction to his question was by far the time she had blushed the most since they had met.

Knowing full well that she needed to put aside her shyness to talk about this topic with Desmond, especially considering what she planned to ask of him, Fei Long took a deep breath and calmed down.

Gaining clarity, Fei Long spoke of what was on her mind. “Five years had passed since that day at the martial arts tournament when you left. A lot has happened since then, starting with the war against the blood scorpion sect. Xiauyue and I have had our fair share of adventures and challenges, but we spend most of that time on the battlefield. Even when that war ended, there was no peace and it wasn’t long before we were involved in another war. To tell the truth, Xiauyue and I are tired of the conflict, even now we have to resort to an alliance with the Eternal War Maiden Sect to avoid another large-scale conflict with the Tiger Immortal Sect.”

Desmond watched as the normally energetic Fei Long seemed drained of spirit and it broke his heart. “I understand you, no one can fight forever, not even someone with dragon blood in their veins.”

Fei Long showed a hollow smile and replied. “It’s more than just that. Xiauyue and I are already 24 years old, but we do nothing but try to extinguish conflicts or fight for the interests of our sect, when can we live by and for ourselves?

After keeping silent for a few seconds, Fei Long continued. “You know, Xiauyue and I have been talking lately about having children.”

Had he had a drink in his hand, Desmond would take a drink only to spit it out on the spot. It was no secret that Desmond had almost developed a phobia of the subject not only from his life as a womanizer but also from Claire’s recent obsession. Even though Claire had stopped bringing it up and no longer brought it up in bed, Desmond still had fresh memories of all those times Claire talked about having children while she was rubbing her belly right after having sex.

Trying to put his trauma aside, Desmond focused his mind on Fei Long’s problem, a somewhat complicated problem for more than one reason. “I don’t want to point out the obvious, but other than adoption, I don’t see how you could have children.”

Fei Long smiled joylessly before answering. “Well, it’s not that it’s entirely impossible, as there are at least some legends and rumors about heavenly treasures capable of making that possible.”

Just from the joyless expression on Fei Long’s face, Desmond knew that no such treasures had fallen into the possession of any of them. “Sorry to hear it, it seems you’ve been affected quite a bit.”

Fei Long nodded. “I don’t know if it’s been the endless conflict and all the death involved, but I want to have a son or a daughter, start my own family, give life instead of taking it. Xiauyue is the same, although she is even sadder about it than I am.”

Desmond would be lying if he said he never thought about having children with Claire or any of the other girls, but it wasn’t something he currently craved, so he couldn’t feel related to Fei Long’s sadness. In the end, all Desmond could do was ask what any friend would ask in a situation like this. “What can I do to help?”

For some reason, Desmond had a bad feeling as soon as he asked that question. Seeing how Fei Long’s blue eyes filled with expectation and hope, Desmond felt the urge to take the KX-01-Hades and shoot himself in the leg for not learning to shut his mouth.

As if Desmond’s worst nightmares were destined to come true, Fei Long asked. “Xiauyue and I have talked about it quite a bit, and we thought maybe you could help us. If I hadn’t seen you again, something like this would never have occurred to us, but since it’s you and solely because it’s you… would you consider helping us get pregnant?”

Of all the reactions Fei Long expected to her question, she had never thought that Desmond would vomit blood and pass out on the spot.