They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Murderous Intent Revealed

“Why is it getting so hot lately? It hasn’t rained for a long time. My fields are starting to crack.”

“Midsummer has just arrived this year. Why has the heat come so early?”

“It’s okay. There have been a few years like this before. The Great God Bai Ze will protect us. This period will pass.”

On the streets, people were dressed in light clothing, almost everyone carrying a fan, yet sweat still dripped from their foreheads and hair tips from time to time. When they saw Yun Qingwu, the frowns on their faces immediately softened, and they greeted him with smiles.

“Lord of the Nation!”

Yun Qingwu returned the greeting with a smile, but the cheerfulness was tinged with worry and didn’t reach his eyes.

The chicken demons were clearly dead, so why had nothing changed?

While the common folk still maintained a positive outlook, several Elders and Qu Ping noticed the underlying potential danger.

For many consecutive early court meetings, how to solve the problem became the top priority issue.

Elder Xie: “I have already arranged for people to repair the water canals. While this can’t solve the fundamental problem, it can offer some relief. Why has it suddenly stopped raining? May the Great God Bai Ze bless us, please let it rain quickly. If it doesn’t rain soon, the fields will suffer.”

Elder Qian handed over the slips of paper in his hand, rubbing the silver beads at his waist with his left hand: “Here. This is the plan for disposable national treasury funds I drafted. You can use it as a reference.”

“Lord of the Nation, don’t worry too much. Given Elder Xie’s foresight, emergency food reserves must be sufficient, right? Elder Xie?”

Elder Zhou blinked.

“That can only solve an immediate crisis. But Elder Zhou, your manpower—is it okay to support the repair of the canals?”

Elder Zhou waved his hand: “Do as you please.”

“I—say—”

“Stop talking, Elder Dai. Given the Lord of the Nation’s numerous anomalies recently, shouldn’t we call upon the clan to hold another sacrificial ceremony to make amends for the previous offense?”

Elder Wei interrupted Elder Dai’s lengthy, unfocused speech, his expression solemn.

Qu Ping, standing to the side, had also hesitated about this for a long time. In his hundred years as the Lord of the Nation, he had dealt with Bai Ze for a long time, and the current situation was not consistent with Bai Ze’s usual style of handling things.

“Huang’er, have you communicated with the Great God Bai Ze about this recently?”

“Of course, Master and all the Elders need not worry. Ah Ze said that the current anomaly is caused by the demonic invasion, and everything will return to normal after a while. Elder Xie, in addition to the canals, we can also excavate and build a pit in the lower reaches of the Stony Creek, reinforced with wood and stone. This can serve as a reservoir. I will write the design plan for you.”

Yun Qingwu tried his best to maintain a composed appearance, but his right hand was already marked with red indentations from pressing his fingernails into his palm too hard.

“Storing water? Lord of the Nation, that’s a good idea!”

Yun Qingwu managed a weak smile, clenching his fists.

Yes, everything will be resolved. He must find his missing self!

“This place is truly clean. There isn’t even a trace of those disgusting divine scents.”

Cold Lici stood on the peak of Chestnut Mountain, holding the Bone Sword that had circled the city and returned from high up. He was deep in thought. This was the highest point of the Nanze Kingdom. If a divine being existed here, the Bone Sword would definitely be able to sense it.

The biggest difference between the Mind Realm and other illusions is that it can almost perfectly recreate everything from the past, one-to-one. If no divine presence was here now, it meant there was no god here at this moment in time back then either.

Sure enough…

“Look, the Fox Immortal Lord’s statue is finished! Where should we put it…”

“Let’s put it next to the Great God Bai Ze’s. There’s no reason to separate a deity and his attendant.”

Passing a village along the way, a villager was putting the finishing touches on a statue of an eight-tailed fox.

A person who had come to visit expressed curiosity: “Why are you making a statue of a fox?”

“Is this just an ordinary fox? At the ceremony that day, with the Fox Immortal Lord’s stance and skill, he must be a Divine Attendant under the Great God Bai Ze! He was sent by the Great God Bai Ze to protect us!”

Cold Lici frowned upon hearing this.

The Bone Sword quipped: “Well, there you go. All your effort, and you’ve become that Bai Ze’s Divine Attendant.”

He expected an angry retort, but this time, Cold Lici had no reaction at all. Instead, he immediately gave up on his detailed investigation plan and quickly returned to the palace.

So that’s how it is.

Hmph. To be elevated to the altar and then personally destroyed—that wasn’t the script set for Yun Qingwu, it was his script!

Cold Lici returned to his room, coldly looking at the familiar scent of grass, wood, and flowers outside the window. Meng Huang had miscalculated this time. He was not Yun Qingwu; he wouldn’t allow Meng Huang to harm him.

Before that day arrives, he will turn the Nanze Kingdom into a ghost town.

What if he couldn’t leave the Mind Realm now? As long as he was alive…

“Xiao Ci? Xiao Ci, may I come in?”

A gentle knock sounded, interrupting the growing hostility building up within Cold Lici.

The visitor was Meng Ping.

Meng Ping walked in carrying a few folded garments. She picked up one of the dark-colored, wide-collar, wide-sleeved robes and displayed it to Cold Lici: “I see you always wear the same outfit, so I made you some new clothes. Your build is similar to Huang’er’s, so I made them using his size. Come and try it on. If it doesn’t fit, I can adjust it for you.”

Cold Lici stared at the clothes, suddenly feeling a sense of awkwardness. He averted his gaze, his voice stiff: “I don’t need them.”

“Oh, don’t be a stranger. You’re so handsome; it would be a shame to waste your looks by always wearing the same thing!” Meng Ping forcefully pushed the clothes into Cold Lici’s hands: “Just try it on. Auntie stayed up several nights making these!”

Cold Lici lowered his eyes, looking at the clothes and the woman’s slightly calloused hands. His eyelashes trembled subtly. Against his better judgment, he took the clothes, and then, also against his better judgment, he put them on.

Nanze clan attire is characterized by intricate embroidery, so even though the base color of the clothes was a low-key dark color, the outfit did not look plain when worn.

In particular, the one Meng Ping prepared. She intentionally matched Cold Lici’s red hair, choosing red thread as the main color for the pattern on the cuffs. This was paired with a wide red belt, accentuating the man’s lean waistline, making Cold Lici look even more coldly glamorous.

“Mmm, beautiful! It fits perfectly.” Meng Ping smiled as she circled Cold Lici, examining him. She affectionately smoothed a small wrinkle on the long robe and praised him: “Our Xiao Ci is born handsome, so everything looks good on you.”

Cold Lici stood rigidly in place, his face strained, as if he were merely a wooden post. His heart was filled with a strange, swelling sensation. This unfamiliar feeling made his breathing unconsciously shallow.

“Hmm, but your hair is a little plain. Come, sit down. I’ll braid it for you.”