They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Animal World

Meng Ping’s eyes were filled with gentleness and reluctance. She corrected him: “Because that was never a sin you should bear. Moreover…”

Cold Lici heard Meng Ping say with a smile: “You are also my family. I should protect my family.”

Family…

Cold Lici’s eyes froze. He looked away: “This Lord does not need family.”

Meng Ping tilted her head: “But I need you as family!”

After speaking, Meng Ping felt regretful: “But now only Ah Ze can be with you. Xiao Ci, you must get along well with Ah Ze. Don’t try to endure difficulties alone; support each other, alright?”

Cold Lici glanced at Meng Ping, tempted to scoff: Impossible.

But when he saw Meng Ping’s hopeful and gentle eyes, the words somehow got stuck in his throat.

After a long moment, he reluctantly nodded.

Meng Ping achieved her goal and smiled brightly.

“She didn’t say anything.”

Thoughts returned to the table. Cold Lici said sullenly.

Seeing Cold Lici’s demeanor, Yun Qingwu guessed that his Mother’s words might actually be true, but he didn’t expose him. He simply nodded: “Oh.”

…

On the table, the food was quickly finished.

“Ah ya ah—ah—”

Xiao Dao, lying in the cradle, rolled onto her stomach, supporting herself with her limbs. She raised a small hand and looked longingly at the empty dishes on the table, protesting with dissatisfaction.

Cold Lici glanced at the child, then at Yun Qingwu, signaling him to handle it himself.

Then, he went back to the bedroom on his own and lay back on the bed.

Yun Qingwu sighed. He brought out the rice cereal he had prepared from the kitchen and fed it to Xiao Dao with unfamiliar yet meticulous motions.

Perhaps it was because she had been raised like a normal child during this period, but Xiao Dao was now no different from an ordinary infant; she couldn’t tolerate hunger at all.

By the time both the adult and the child’s appetites were satisfied, the sky was already darkening.

Yun Qingwu pushed the cradle back into the bedroom. The fox in the room unceremoniously occupied the entire bed, his eyes closed, whether truly asleep or feigning sleep was unknown.

He didn’t know the reason for it, but he walked to the bedside, wanting a closer look, but as soon as he approached.

The answer spoke for itself.

“Don’t even think about getting on the bed. This Lord does not like sharing a bed with people.”

Yun Qingwu was stunned, then his mind turned to teasing. He deliberately moved closer: “Is that so? But didn’t we sleep quite harmoniously in the Mind Realm?”

A pair of golden eyes suddenly opened, glaring at the insolent person, whether from shame or anger.

Yun Qingwu was inwardly satisfied, but his mouth temporarily forgot to filter his words: “Why are you angry? What, don’t want to admit it?”

But the moment the words left his mouth, Yun Qingwu realized the double meaning, and the victim of that double meaning was also himself…

Suddenly, some briefly forgotten memories intruded into his mind without warning.

His face flared with heat.

And the other party involved clearly came to the same conclusion at that moment.

For a time, the bedroom fell into an eerie silence.

Cold Lici lowered his gaze, concealing the ambiguous color at the bottom of his eyes, but he refused to lose the verbal battle: “Hah, I didn’t expect the dignified Heaven Sovereign Lord to be so unseemly, dwelling on this matter.”

“I—”

Yun Qingwu was momentarily speechless. A blush spread across his face, turning purple, and finally condensing into one word: “Scram.”

With that, he turned and went back to the soft couch in the room, forcing himself to sit down and meditate. The time without spiritual power had been quite long. He truly needed to calm his mind and settle his energy, lest his thoughts spiral out of control like this.

After a long while, the breathing of the large and small figures in the bedroom gradually stabilized. The fox nestled on the bed finally opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the neck of the person on the couch.

Yun Qingwu’s meditation posture was extremely proper, his chin slightly lifted, leaving his already slender neck completely exposed. He still remembered the feel of his teeth sinking into it…

Hot, firm, and the pulse that beat rapidly under the bite…

Cold Lici ran his tongue over his lips and teeth, feeling an inexplicable itch.

“Goo… Woo…” In the silent atmosphere, Xiao Dao mumbled and rolled over.

Cold Lici slammed his eyes shut.

What was he thinking?!

As expected, the beast form is uncontrollable.

…

The next day, at noon.

Yun Qingwu, who had gotten up early, prepared lunch but found that the fox curled up on the bed maintained its initial posture, showing no sign of moving at all.

Even the delicious food that worked yesterday had lost its effectiveness today.

He ate his own meal, fed Xiao Dao, and then entered the bedroom, unable to tolerate it any longer.

“Are you planning to lie there until dark?”

Cold Lici didn’t even open his eyes and said coldly: “None of your business.”

Yun Qingwu slightly knitted his brows. Looking at the unreasonable fox on the bed, he actually detected a hint of despair.

Cold Lici’s usually proud and active eight tails were now listlessly drooping. Even in the extreme environment of the Mind Realm, he had never seen Cold Lici look like this.

He had done some research on demons over the years. As far as he knew, half-demons were inherently flawed, born with various disabilities compared to normal demons. Cold Lici was now refusing to talk about the sudden change into a fox.

Could it be related to this?

“You can’t change back to human form now because of your half-demon flaw?”

Hearing this, Cold Lici suddenly opened his eyes, staring at Yun Qingwu with vigilance. If Yun Qingwu made any rash move, he would not hesitate to bite off the throat of the person before him.

Yun Qingwu saw Cold Lici’s reaction and understood immediately. He chuckled: “It’s just changing back to your true form, isn’t it? I really like my own true form.”

With that, a flash of white light appeared, and he changed back into Bai Ze.

Bai Ze shook his body. The horn on his forehead glowed faintly: “To be honest, when I used to cultivate here by myself, I preferred to stay in my true form.”

Cold Lici was stunned for a moment, then he sneered: “Are you showing off? What do you know? You know nothing.”

Yun Qingwu ignored the barbs in Cold Lici’s words. His tail flickered slightly: “I don’t need to know anything. If you mind your current situation, I’m willing to interact with you in my true form.”

“I don’t need your pity!” The fox, whose body had been drooping, suddenly arched up.

“I don’t have the time to pity a malicious demon. I’m just choosing a way that is more comfortable for myself.” Yun Qingwu said, walking toward the door.

At the doorway, seeing that the fox on the bed was still rooted to the spot, he tilted his eyes: “Let’s go. Let’s go out and wander around. There are no gods or demons here, only animals. No one cares about you.”

Cold Lici stared at Yun Qingwu for a long time. His body calmed down, and he reluctantly jumped off the bed.

Seeing this, Bai Ze turned around and walked out of the room. The tip of his fluffy tail lifted slightly.

Walking to the cradle, Xiao Dao looked excitedly at the two, trying hard to wave her little hands, making continuous “Ah” sounds. Bai Ze smoothly extended his tail, wrapping Xiao Dao onto his back: “Hold tight. Papa is taking you out to see the scenery.”

“Oh ya wu—”

“Tch.” The fox looked away, raising his head and stepping out of the room first.

Outside the small courtyard, the forest was dense and uninhabited. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating scattered patterns of light. It was a scene of vibrant spring life.

However, this vitality was not enough to dispel the gloom in Cold Lici’s heart at the moment. His raised head drooped again.

He hated the weak most in his life, yet for these seven days, he was forced to be weak, a small creature at the mercy of others. These few days each year always brought back those unpleasant memories of the past.

“Wait a minute, listen. What’s that sound?”

Yun Qingwu, who was a step behind, stopped and signaled Cold Lici to listen. Xiao Dao, as if she understood, lay still on Bai Ze’s back.

The initially uninterested fox perked up his ears. After a moment, his ears twitched slightly.

It was the ground trembling, accompanied by continuous low growls.

“It sounds like bears fighting.” Bai Ze’s ears moved slightly, his tone excited: “Let’s go, want to check it out?”

Cold Lici looked at Yun Qingwu with a complicated expression: “What’s there to see in low-level animals fighting? Does the dignified Heaven Sovereign Lord have such boring hobbies?”

Yun Qingwu disagreed: “What? Are you even afraid of these ordinary bears now?”

“You’re the one who’s afraid! Let’s go, look!” The fox raised his head again and stepped toward the direction of the sound.

A trace of mischief flashed in Bai Ze’s blue eyes. He quickened his pace, followed him, and stood side-by-side with the fox.

They initially thought it was a fight between two bears, but when they arrived, they realized it seemed to be a group fight.

They saw two distinct groups of black bears facing each other, growling to challenge the opposing side. Simultaneously, the two bears standing in the middle occasionally clashed physically, clearly the main combatants in this brawl.

“A fight like this is so exhausting. Only using brute force, what’s there to see?” Cold Lici narrowed his fox eyes, his tone disdainful.

Bai Ze tilted his head, motioning for Cold Lici to stand behind the cover of a large tree, concealing their figures mostly.

“Who said it’s only brute force? They are clearly observing etiquette before resorting to force. The roaring process is about testing the opponent’s strength and determination. Only when absolutely necessary, when neither side is willing to show weakness, will they resort to physical force. Moreover…”

Yun Qingwu paused, giving Cold Lici a meaningful look: “Don’t underestimate brute force. Brute force, when reaching a certain level, is an invincible killing weapon. Isn’t your obsession with cultivation essentially just wanting to acquire invincible brute force?”

“Are you comparing me to a bear?” Cold Lici’s eight tails stood up. He glared at the white-furred beast before him. If the other party nodded, he would definitely show him “brute force” without hesitation.

Yun Qingwu: “…Is that the point of what I said?”

Cold Lici flicked his tail and looked away.

“I just wanted to say that there are many ways to prove your strength. Don’t limit your perspective.” Bai Ze turned his head to look at the side profile of the fox next to him, his blue eyes shifting slightly: “You said that the law of the jungle is the rule of survival in the world. Although you are a flawed half-demon, you are now dominating the Demon Realm. Doesn’t that prove something? Why still care about this insignificant flaw?”

“Of course. Not only do I dominate the Demon Realm, but I will dominate the Three Realms in the future.” Cold Lici turned his head, staring at Yun Qingwu with a condescending expression.

Yun Qingwu was silent for a moment, then raised his tail high and sharply whipped the fox’s back: “You dare try.”

The fox’s fur bristled. His eyes were menacing, and his tail rose up: “Are you seeking death?”

Just as his tail was about to fall, a massive shadow loomed over them.

The two stopped abruptly, turning to their right. They saw a giant black bear curiously observing them.

The black bear lowered its head, sniffed their scent, then suddenly squatted down, lifting its rear end. It made continuous “woo woo woo” sounds.

Cold Lici watched the black bear vigilantly, his tail bristling as a threat. Yun Qingwu, however, frowned, instinctively sensing trouble.

Sure enough, the next second, the two groups of black bears that had been facing each other abruptly shifted their focus. They charged over with angry roars. Dozens of huge black bears running simultaneously caused the ground to shake violently.