They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Flesh and Blood

Led by Meng Huang, Cloud Qingwu entered the palace located at the mountain summit for the first time. If looking at it from afar showed only a slight similarity to the original Yuanyun Palace, the interior decoration was an almost perfect replica.

Bronze bells hanging suspended from the eaves chimed with the sound of the mountain wind.

Cloud Qingwu lightly stroked the white jade palace pillar. Engraved on it was the historical transformation of the Southern Ze Kingdom. Compared to his memory, the palace pillar before him was spotless, lacking any human touch.

And he, as the totem of the Southern Ze Kingdom, still dominated most of the space. From the vast ceiling carvings to the small wind chimes on the eaves, his presence was everywhere.

“Aze, do you remember? We met right here when we were kids! I was mischievous back then and wanted to draw on your stone statue, but the statue moved and startled me instead.”

Meng Huang pointed to the two Bai Ze stone statues standing beneath the high platform.

Cloud Qingwu looked at the statues, knowing deeply that they were not the original ones: “Of course. I had just taken office then, and I was naive too.”

As if sensing Cloud Qingwu’s melancholy, Meng Huang pulled him onto the throne without question. His face was resolute: “Aze, I will make amends for everything and let everything return to the way it was.”

“Ahuang, what do you plan to do?”

Meng Huang sat down, looking at the night outside the palace gate: “The Great Sacrifice Ceremony is in three days. I will sacrifice those demons to this city, giving them a chance to atone.”

When he spoke of this, there was a trace of excitement beneath his previously docile expression.

“Oh, and I also have you to thank for bringing Leng Lici. His demon core is unlike that of those minor demons. As long as he is integrated into the city, the Southern Ze Kingdom might be completely revived. At least for the next fifty years, we won’t need to rely on those disgusting demons to maintain stability.”

Cloud Qingwu lowered his eyes, concealing the complexity in their depths.

This was undoubtedly an opportunity to eliminate Leng Lici. Since he couldn’t kill Leng Lici, using Meng Huang’s hand to eradicate the future threat was certainly an option.

But could Meng Huang truly succeed?

And what about Xiao Dao…

“Leng Lici is the Demon Lord, his power should not be underestimated. I ended up here precisely because of a fight with him. If he can become the nourishment for this place as you say, I won’t stop you, and I can even help you. But Ahuang, don’t take him lightly.”

Meng Huang sighed in relief when he heard this. He stood up and walked down the steps a few paces, his posture relaxed: “Don’t worry, Aze. He has already been trapped in the formation by me. He’s nothing more than a fish waiting to be butchered.”

Cloud Qingwu followed him down the stairs: “But you must not harm Xiao Dao. That child… is related to me.”

Meng Huang had guessed this, but having it confirmed by Aze still brought a look of disbelief to his eyes: “That child has half god-blood and half demon-blood. Is that half god-blood yours?”

Cloud Qingwu nodded: “It’s a long story. Xiao Dao is innocent.”

“How did you end up creating a monster with a demon?” Meng Huang’s apricot eyes widened, then he looked perplexedly at Cloud Qingwu’s lower body: “And you are clearly both men.”

Cloud Qingwu: “…”

He abruptly turned away, blocking Meng Huang’s attempt to scrutinize him. He couldn’t tell the current Meng Huang the truth about Xiao Dao’s real origin.

To prevent the other party from pursuing the matter further, he could only fabricate an explanation: “That fox demon has a special constitution. Xiao Dao’s birth was an accident. The fox demon may be hateful, but that is my child, after all.”

“Oh, I see.” Meng Huang nodded, a hint of indignation in his eyes: “That fox demon must have coveted your divine bloodline and forced himself upon you, using you as a tool!”

Cloud Qingwu: “…”

That doesn’t sound very pleasant either.

But fortunately, Meng Huang conceded: “I originally planned to sacrifice her too, but since you don’t want that, Aze, I certainly won’t harm her.”

Meng Huang then started walking toward the door: “I’ll take you to get her.”

Cloud Qingwu followed Meng Huang through the long corridor toward a side hall located higher up. The door of this hall was a massive stone slab, completely isolating the interior from the outside world.

Meng Huang pressed his five fingers into the recessed area on the door. The heavy stone slab slowly slid open. Fresh air rushed in, accompanied by the wailing, cursing, and overwhelming demonic energy from inside.

This was a prison specifically for containing demons.

“To make these demons willing sacrifices, we must first crush their will,” Meng Huang said, leading the way into the hall.

Cloud Qingwu observed the prison. There was a wide variety of demons inside. Some already looked vacant-faced, while others were suffering in agony, involuntarily revealing their demon forms. Some were even just young children.

But these sights did not stir much emotion in Cloud Qingwu. Over the years, in order to compile the Chart of Ten Thousand Demons, he had dissected various types of demon bodies and was numb to such scenes.

Meng Huang stopped: “Hey, bird demon, give me the child in your arms.”

Cloud Qingwu looked into the partition. He saw a demon with long, disheveled hair and clothes, whose bird feathers were now visible, huddled in the corner. She was tightly clutching a swaddling cloth in her hands.

It was Xiao Dao.

The bird demon trembled at the words. Although her consciousness was on the brink of collapse, she still subconsciously shielded Xiao Dao in her arms and even turned her back.

Meng Huang pursed his lips when he saw this. He opened the prison door, unwilling to waste any more words with the bird demon, and reached out to snatch the child.

“N-no… no… Don’t… even think about it.” The bird demon shielded Xiao Dao desperately with her body. Meng Huang’s gentle demeanor vanished instantly. He violently stomped his foot onto the bird demon’s body. Black energy gathered in his hand, forming a knife that stabbed mercilessly toward the bird demon. Simultaneously, another wisp of black energy wrapped around the bird demon’s neck, coil after coil.

The bird demon screamed in pain, but even so, her body did not budge an inch.

“Ahuang, let me speak to her alone for a moment.” While Cloud Qingwu didn’t care about the demon’s life, he didn’t want Xiao Dao to be exposed to bloodshed.

Meng Huang stopped, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and when he reopened them, the earlier violence had vanished. He backed out of the partition, making way for Cloud Qingwu.

Cloud Qingwu walked up to the bird demon, squatted down, and softened his voice: “Xiao Dao is my child. I will not harm her. You can trust me.”

The bird demon didn’t move, muttering something in an unknown tongue.

Cloud Qingwu leaned in, trying to hear clearly.

“Venerable Lord… the child… I will… protect the child…”

Venerable Lord?

Has she met Leng Lici?

Cloud Qingwu looked at the scarred bird demon, pulled out a pill from his robe, and forced her to take it.

He needed to know what exactly happened that day.

After taking the pill, the bird demon’s cloudy eyes cleared slightly. She hugged Xiao Dao even tighter.

“What is your name?”

“Dan… Mu.”

“Alright, Dan Mu, you’ve met Leng Lici, haven’t you?” Cloud Qingwu lowered his voice.

“Venerable Lord… Venerable Lord…” Dan Mu mumbled a few times, then burst into tears without warning: “It’s all my fault! It’s all my mistake. I shouldn’t have been playing around. If it weren’t for me, the Venerable Lord wouldn’t have been captured, wuwuwu.”

Cloud Qingwu was stunned, initially thinking they were talking about two different people. He couldn’t imagine that half-fox ever tolerating being a burden to anyone else.

Dan Mu continued to cry: “I’m so useless. I still let the Little Highness get captured with me, wuwuwu.”

But given the reference to the Venerable Lord connected to Xiao Dao, there could indeed be no one else but Leng Lici.

From the fragmented words, Cloud Qingwu roughly pieced together Leng Lici’s predicament that day. He must have followed the residents here, just like himself. While saving Dan Mu, he alarmed Qu Wen. Qu Wen used Xiao Dao as bait and ultimately trapped Leng Lici somewhere.

He just didn’t know why a usually cautious person would fall for the trap this time.

His gaze fell on Dan Mu again. She was also a half-demon.

Could that cruel and ruthless half-fox actually have feelings of empathy?

This was none of his concern.

Cloud Qingwu cleared his thoughts, returning to his primary objective.

“Dan Mu, I am also Xiao Dao’s father. I won’t hurt her. You can safely hand her over to me.” Cloud Qingwu extended his wrist, signaling Dan Mu to check it if she needed proof.

Dan Mu hesitated, looking at the wrist, but didn’t move.

“Waa?” Xiao Dao, who had been asleep in her arms, opened her eyes. Her round eyes brightened, and then she struggled to free her chubby little hand, trying to grab Cloud Qingwu’s wrist. But her arm was too short to reach.

“Ah—ah,” in her impatience, spiritual energy gathered in her palm, and flakes of snow scattered from it.

Cloud Qingwu was slightly stunned by the scene before him. This small snowfall seemed to have landed on the tip of his heart, melting a patch of ice.

This is his flesh and blood.

For the first time, he felt it tangibly.

No verification was needed anymore, but…

Dan Mu stared blankly at the deadly nemesis before her, who had hunted the Venerable Lord multiple times.

Dan Mu: “…”

The Venerable Lord only said his bloodline merged into the Ancient Azure Lamp and turned into a child, but he never said the child had a father…

She handed Xiao Dao over blankly. Only after Cloud Qingwu had taken the child did she snap back to her senses.

!

She seemed to have stumbled upon the Venerable Lord’s shocking secret!

Cloud Qingwu, naturally, paid no mind to the inner turmoil of Dan Mu. After retrieving Xiao Dao, he left the prison. Meng Huang looked at the child in his arms, his eyes sparkling: “Aze, you always find a way!”

The two walked out of the demon prison, preparing to return to the main hall.

Cloud Qingwu had carefully observed this side hall but had not sensed Leng Lici’s aura. The temporary companion contract between them had not fully dissipated, but he couldn’t detect any of the other’s emotions.

“Leng Lici isn’t here?”

Meng Huang looked at Cloud Qingwu with a subtle hint of inquiry: “Of course. It took a lot of effort for me to trap him. Do you want to see him?”

“If possible. He has committed many evils, and I have fought him many times but could never completely eliminate this menace. I want your plan to be foolproof.”

He considered these words to be sincere.

Meng Huang nodded, not keeping him in suspense: “Follow me.”

With that, Meng Huang led the way down the stairs to the central area of the entire palace complex. This was a vast, flat area paved with large bluestone slabs. In the center of the flat area, a circular altar was constructed, and at the heart of the altar stood a massive jade Bai Ze statue. The statue’s eyes were pure white, not yet dotted (finished).

Cloud Qingwu’s gaze fell on the circular jade wall. Engraved on it was the scene of a Taotie (mythical beast) wrestling with a man. That man was…

With waist-length hair, wearing only the Ze Kingdom’s distinctive right-overlapping dajin coat and trousers…

It was Leng Lici.