They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Making Amends

Since he had become Meng Huang now, then who was Yun Qingwu?

The answer was naturally none.

But Yun Qingwu quickly rationalized it.

For the vast majority of Southern Ze’s citizens, he was merely an object of faith, not a tangible person by their side. Since Meng Huang wanted him to become him, marginalizing the original Bai Ze was the simplest way.

However…

He looked at the demon on the bed, who had already closed his eyes and was absorbed in meditation, as if nothing had happened last night. His mind was complex and difficult to decipher.

Why can he be so nonchalant?

“Since you’ve taken on the identity of Little Flame, you must not easily reveal your human form in front of others, do you understand?”

Leng Licí didn’t even open his eyes, instantly rejecting: “Dream on.”

Yun Qingwu stepped forward, his tone serious: “Then how do you intend to explain your identity? Some matters can have a ripple effect. Do you want even more complications?”

Leng Licí’s eyelids twitched.

“I won’t interfere with you in private, but you can’t have it both ways in this world. You need to think carefully.” Yun Qingwu pressed his advantage.

Leng Licí finally opened his eyelids and glanced at Yun Qingwu. After a moment, he closed his eyes, his tone stiff: “Hmm.”

Only then did Yun Qingwu turn and leave. The corner of his mouth curved up the instant his back was turned.

He managed to win one round. He felt a little better now.

“Your Majesty! You’re awake?” A-Ge heard the movement inside the room and immediately pushed the door open, his gaze constantly flicking towards the inner chamber.

Yun Qingwu subtly blocked his view, urging: “Give me the water. I’m going to be late.”

A-Ge immediately withdrew his gaze and placed the fetched water on the stand.

Yun Qingwu walked all the way to the Cloud Dwelling Hall, occasionally feeling eyes on him. But when he turned to look, the attendants and maidservants were all busy with their respective tasks, and no one was looking at him.

“A-Ge, why do I feel like someone is watching us?”

A-Ge nervously touched his nose, quickly denying: “How could that be? Your Majesty must be mistaken.”

“Oh.”

Yun Qingwu didn’t dwell on it. He earnestly traced the sight of every plant and tree here with his eyes. In the past, the Southern Ze Kingdom had entered his dreams countless times, but none had ever made him feel truly real, including the Ze Kingdom itself.

Even though this was still illusory, it gave him an unprecedented sense of reality.

Especially since there were old friends here.

“Little Huang’er, if you don’t come soon, Elder Xie will have to come and fetch you himself!” A middle-aged man wearing casual clothing with a wooden gourd hanging from his waist saw Yun Qingwu and walked up quickly, teasing him.

“Your Majesty, did something happen to you today? Are you feeling unwell? Should I call a doctor to check you?” Another man, carrying a large cloth bag and looking slightly younger, followed closely and spoke.

Yun Qingwu stopped. His heart felt squeezed. They might not recognize him, but to him, these people could be called elders who accompanied both him and Meng Huang as they grew up.

Yet, he hadn’t even seen them one last time.

Perhaps the domain adjusted to rationalize his age, but these old friends were all younger than they were in the memory.

Before they could get closer, Yun Qingwu stepped forward and hugged Elder Xie, who was in the lead. He reached out and touched the cloth bag hanging from his waist. It was bulging, just like in his memory, filled with all sorts of small tools and snacks.

“I’m sorry.”

He whispered, and before Elder Xie could respond, he hugged Elder Zhou, who was standing behind Elder Xie: “If your alcohol tolerance is poor, drink less.”

Elder Zhou froze, looking at Yun Qingwu suspiciously: “Little Huang’er, you’re a bit overly enthusiastic today.”

“I just… missed you all.” Yun Qingwu released Elder Zhou and was about to go hug Elder Qian and Elder Wei who had just walked out.

Elder Qian looked wary, strictly maintaining distance between them. The silver beads on his body jingled with his movements: “Your Majesty, I’ve said it before about setting up free schools. We don’t have the money right now, no discussion.”

Yun Qingwu curved his lips in nostalgia, touching the beads: “Elder Qian, you’re still the same.”

“Your Majesty, you are the King of a nation. You need to observe proper decorum. Being late is an unacceptable thing!” Elder Wei looked serious, puffing out his beard, and raised his hand to block Yun Qingwu at arm’s length.

“Elder Wei, education—through—fun. Your—strictness—will—only—backfire.” The last one to arrive, Elder Dai, spoke slowly. When Yun Qingwu hugged him, he patted Yun Qingwu’s back kindly, as if soothing a child.

“Alright, hurry inside.”

Yun Qingwu looked at Qu Ping, who had been standing to the side for a long time, and respectfully bowed, mimicking Meng Huang’s mannerisms in his memory: “Teacher.”

To Meng Huang, Qu Ping, as the previous-previous King and the teacher who personally guided him in governance, always instilled a sense of reverence in him, despite Qu Ping’s gentle nature.

To him, Qu Ping was a friend who grew up with his never-met mother, and also embodied his internal respect and awe for his mother.

However…

He recalled Qu Ping, who was reborn in the Ze Kingdom outside the domain.

If he knew his intention was destruction, would he blame him?

…

In the bedroom.

The meditating person opened his eyes and got off the bed.

“Where are you going?” The bone sword, which was now re-sheathed at his waist, asked.

Leng Licí didn’t answer. According to Yun Qingwu, there was still a year until the chicken demons wreaked havoc, but he always felt that this timeline was somewhat illogical.

He couldn’t just sit and wait for a whole year.

The door opened. Leng Licí had just stepped one foot out, then retreated back.

Trouble!

After a cold declaration, a fox covered in fiery red and black leaped over the threshold.

“You actually listen so well sometimes?” The bone sword was astonished, then couldn’t help but speak mockingly.

“Hey, hey, hey, are you trying to burn me to death! Tch, so petty.”

Leng Licí walked out of the palace gate, transformed back into human form, and instantly reached a high altitude. He inserted a demon-seeking needle into the ground. As its name suggested, the needle could sensitively detect all demonic energy and differentiate the types of demonic energy.

Leaving the high place, he repeated the process, planting demon-seeking needles in all the high points across the Southern Ze Kingdom.

This way, he could at least receive news the moment the chicken demons appeared.

“Go arrange for General Qu to assign a few people to monitor these places. If there is any abnormality in these areas, be sure to report it to me immediately.”

Yun Qingwu spread out the map of the Southern Ze Kingdom, pointed out a few locations, and looked at A-Ge.

Although there was still a significant amount of time until the conjectured event, preparing for contingencies was never wrong.

“Your Majesty, Madam asked you to go see her after you’re done.”

As soon as A-Ge left, Qiu Ying, the maidservant who always accompanied Meng Ping, immediately approached.

This pulled Yun Qingwu out of his contemplation.

Madam…

The pink figure of Meng Ping, covered in blood, flashed in his mind.

Originally, the Madam Meng in his memory was always smiling. Even though she was getting on in years, she still carried a youthful spirit that never changed. But since that day, he could no longer recall her former appearance, only the bloody face and the painful eyes that replayed over and over in his nightmares.

“Huang’er! Hurry and sit down. Today, A-Niang prepared your favorite braised yellow croaker.”

As Yun Qingwu reached the entrance of the Green Wood Hall, he saw Meng Ping, dressed in her familiar pink dress, coming out to greet him. The dress lifted in the wind with her movement, and the silver ornaments on the skirt sparkled under the sunlight, as if plated with a layer of starlight.

He pursed his lips, holding back the surging heat in his eyes.

The bloody image etched in his mind gradually receded under this brightness, regaining its original vitality.

He had never met his own mother. During those days in the Southern Ze Kingdom, even though Meng Ping could not see him, she never forgot his existence. As long as there was a portion for Meng Huang, his share was never missing.

That was the first time he felt a mother’s care.

“A-Niang.”

He softly called the title, and using Meng Ping’s movement to embrace him, he hugged her.

Meng Ping paused, then her eyes curved into a smile. She gently patted Yun Qingwu’s back and laughed: “Aye, A-Niang is here.”

“You’re a grown man now. What’s all this fuss? Hurry inside, the food is getting cold.” Liu Ya, standing by the side, frowned, his eyes cool.

“Oh, why are you rushing? It’s rare for our Huang’er to be this affectionate.” Meng Ping chided.

Yun Qingwu’s ear tips were slightly red. He released Meng Ping and took a few steps to hug Liu Ya, but released him instantly: “A-Die, you get one too.”

After speaking, he coughed a few times and walked into the room first.

Liu Ya stood in place, still not quite recovered, until Meng Ping walked up and hugged him too, smiling: “You get one too. Don’t be jealous.”

Liu Ya hugged her back, saying sternly: “I wasn’t wrong. He’s grown up now. We can’t keep indulging him.”

Yun Qingwu looked back, the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifting.

Father Liu was similar to his own father, the Crimson Flame Divine Lord, in some ways. For instance, their attitude toward their child wasn’t particularly intimate compared to Meng Ping.

But there were also differences.

Father Liu’s aloofness stemmed from his belief that a child needed a strict father, so all his love could only be expressed in subtle actions: the carefully crafted swing, and the continuously updated and replaced desk as Meng Huang grew up. Before, Meng Huang couldn’t see it and only revered his father, but those hidden acts of love did not escape his eyes.

His relationship with his own father, on the other hand, was truly neither close nor distant. The gentleness concealed an unnoticeable indifference.

“Hey, where’s your precious fox?” Meng Ping walked into the room and then noticed that Yun Qingwu’s hands were empty, and the red shadow that had been practically inseparable from him lately was nowhere around.

Yun Qingwu’s smile faltered. Those previously cherished memories now felt somewhat unbearable.

Meng Ping mistakenly thought he was worried, and quickly beckoned an attendant: “A-Li, quickly find some people to search for it.”

“Wait!” Yun Qingwu spoke up to stop her. He looked at Meng Ping, rapidly organizing his words in his mind: “A-Niang, don’t trouble yourself. He won’t run far. He’ll be back soon.”

Meng Ping was still somewhat hesitant, but Yun Qingwu finally managed to persuade her after much effort.

“Leng Licí, come to Green Wood Hall.”

Taking the opportunity to sit down, he kept silently repeating this in his mind. Even though he had no spiritual power at the moment, the temporary cohabitation contract between them should still be effective.

“I’ll scoop out some food for Little Flame separately first.” Meng Ping said, and got up again.

Yun Qingwu pressed his mother back down: “Little Flame doesn’t eat this. I’ll prepare his food.”

With that, he stood up, a trace of mischief flashing in his eyes.

The discomfort in his body was getting worse after the day’s events. Should he let the culprit enjoy a pleasant meal?

Dream on!