They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Great Bath Battle

The two were extremely close, their breaths almost mingling.

Yun Qingwu could feel the familiar warmth of Leng Lici’s body.

A gentle breeze lifted their hair, and strands brushed against each other’s cheeks, stirring a subtle itch in Yun Qingwu’s heart.

After finally taking off one sleeve, Leng Lici noticed the gaze on his face, subconsciously looked up, and the sensory barriers that had been up instantly broke down and intensified.

His gaze felt warm, and wherever it landed, an inexplicable heat arose.

Leng Lici instinctively looked away: “What are you looking at?”

Yun Qingwu suddenly snapped back to attention, concealing the momentary flurry in his heart, and said calmly, “Watching how long it takes you to take off this shirt.”

“Hmph.”

Leng Lici’s eyes sharpened, his lips pressed tightly together. He immediately adopted a focus twice as intense as before to deal with the other sleeve.

The first time is unfamiliar, the second time is practiced. This time, he quickly and smoothly peeled the small shirt off the child’s body.

Leng Lici picked up the shirt by the collar with his fingers, looked at Yun Qingwu, and raised an eyebrow in a gesture of defiance: “Tch, that was nothing.”

“Ah-ya—” Xiao Dao cooperatively moved her legs and reached out to grab the dangling ribbon of the shirt.

Yun Qingwu carried Xiao Dao towards the tub, the corner of his mouth slightly raised, his eyes filled with a smile. He turned to look at Leng Lici, who was still standing there: “This is just the beginning. Don’t think about running away.”

“Who wants to run away?” Leng Lici glared, holding the shirt, and walked over.

Most mortal babies fear water, but Xiao Dao, perhaps due to her mixed and complex physique, not only wasn’t afraid but got excited the moment she touched the water, like a fish in its element.

Xiao Dao: “Ah, gulu gulu—”

Yun Qingwu struggled to support Xiao Dao’s neck, afraid she might slip and plunge straight into the water.

Leng Lici looked at the sticky rice ball paddling its limbs in the water. His usual reckless, barbaric parenting methods suddenly left him at a loss for where to start.

“Reach out your hand and hold the edge of the tub,” Yun Qingwu instructed, thankful that he had taken a few lessons from the “Midwifery Master,” otherwise he really wouldn’t be able to handle this.

Leng Lici hesitated, but eventually stretched out his hand.

The next second, a soft, warm sensation leaned onto it. Leng Lici’s arm stiffened. The barely-defined neck area pulsed with a heartbeat, yet it felt as though it could be easily snapped.

This was the first time he felt the fragile yet obvious vitality of this small infant.

He stared blankly at the sticky rice ball leaning on his arm.

Yun Qingwu glanced at Leng Lici, his own movements equally cautious. He poured warm water over Xiao Dao’s back, then wet a cotton cloth and wrapped it around the child’s belly to prevent a chill.

“Hey, don’t you think Xiao Dao is starting to look more and more like you?” Yun Qingwu freed a hand to wipe Xiao Dao’s eyes. “Especially those eyes, see?”

Leng Lici’s body was still stiff. Hearing the comment, he only moved his eyes and scoffed: “I think she looks more and more like you.”

“Is that so?” Yun Qingwu wiped Xiao Dao’s face, examining her closely. After a while, he smiled: “I still think she resembles you more.”

Leng Lici blinked unnaturally, feigning impatience: “Are you done yet?”

“All done, all done.” Yun Qingwu held Xiao Dao’s body, lifting her off Leng Lici’s arm, and settling her half-reclined in the water.

Leng Lici let go, feeling a wave of numbness on his hand. His stiff body finally showed signs of relaxing.

However, once Xiao Dao regained her freedom, her playful spirits amplified exponentially. She excitedly splashed both hands up and plunged them back into the water with a plop.

The resulting splash wasn’t large, but Leng Lici was directly facing Xiao Dao and didn’t have time to move away. He was immediately soaked from head to face.

Xiao Dao: “Giggle giggle—”

Leng Lici: “…”

Yun Qingwu tried hard to hold it in but failed, bursting into laughter.

Leng Lici wiped his face, his expression darkening. He immediately plunged both hands into the water, scooped up a wave, and splashed it towards Yun Qingwu.

Yun Qingwu: “…”

Leng Lici watched Yun Qingwu, looking like ice melting under water. His previously sullen expression cleared like a break in the clouds, and his golden eyes brightened several degrees.

Yun Qingwu wiped his eyes, shot Leng Lici a glance, but didn’t get angry. He supported Xiao Dao with one hand and reached for the nearby stream with the other, splashing the water back.

Leng Lici quickly turned sideways, saving his face, but his hair couldn’t escape the spray.

Before Yun Qingwu could react again, Leng Lici grabbed a nearby ladle, scooped up a full scoop of water, and poured it over Yun Qingwu’s head.

Xiao Dao’s eyes darted between them, shining brightly, and she immediately decided to join the fun, clapping her hands and splashing the water vigorously.

Not far away, Dan Mu stood frozen in shock, staring at the overly harmonious trio. Her eyes nearly popped out. In all the years she had known His Honor, this was the first time she had seen a creature splash water on him and remain perfectly intact.

Moreover, there wasn’t even a trace of anger in His Honor’s eyes?

This didn’t sound like what His Honor had claimed at all!

Even if they hadn’t gotten together yet, she felt like it wouldn’t be long!

I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed.

Dan Mu blinked. She felt disaster was imminent.

Of all people, why did he have to mess with the Celestial Sovereign of the Heavenly Realm? That was the Heavenly Realm’s precious darling!

Dan Mu paced in a circle.

But since His Honor did this, there must be a reason!

So, she had to do something, too!

Dan Mu thought hard and decided she needed to carve out a retreat path for His Honor in Yun Qingwu’s heart. Sometimes, a small retreat was all the space His Honor needed to amass strength!

Dan Mu nodded in self-affirmation, transformed into a colorful crane, flew onto a branch, and concealed herself among the leaves. She stared intently ahead, ready to strike at the opportune moment.

Meanwhile, the water in Xiao Dao’s tub was so depleted by the sudden “battle” that it only covered her lower half. The two fathers, who couldn’t exactly be called reliable, finally remembered the child in the tub and ceased their fighting.

Both were panting slightly, the smiles in their eyes lingering. They were completely soaked, their long hair twisted into strands, dripping water.

Leng Lici slicked his hair back. His neat-freak tendencies flared up, and his nose wrinkled. Tiny water droplets clung to his fair skin, and the demon crest on his forehead shimmered with fragmented light.

Yun Qingwu looked at Leng Lici’s dishevelled state, smiled, leaned closer, and reached out to wipe the water droplets away, his voice still laced with laughter: “I guess we just had a bath together.”

The hand, still cool from the stream water, suddenly touched his face. Leng Lici’s eyelashes fluttered, and he looked up at Yun Qingwu.

Yun Qingwu was also startled. His hand was already on Leng Lici’s face before he realized what he had done. He felt a momentary awkwardness, his palm unconsciously remaining in place.

Leng Lici didn’t immediately move the warmth off his face. His gaze involuntarily rested on Yun Qingwu’s cupid’s bow. A single, crystal-clear water droplet hung there, reflecting the dappled sunlight, seemingly about to fall.

Yun Qingwu felt the gaze resting on his lips. A sudden, indescribable tension arose in his heart. His breathing slowed. Despite being drenched in water, he felt unusually dry.

The surrounding environment suddenly quieted. The flow of time slowed, leaving only the clamor within their hearts.

“Your Honor!! I have important matters to discuss with this nanny!” Dan Mu, seizing the moment, made a dramatic landing, stopping right in front of the two.

The previously intimate distance was abruptly widened. One gaze turned left, the other right.

Leng Lici looked down at Dan Mu, his voice inherently cold: “Why are you looking for him?”

Dan Mu’s body involuntarily shivered.

What’s going on? It suddenly feels so cold…

She rubbed her arm, then stated matter-of-factly: “Your Honor, parenting is a delicate task. I believe the nanny and I have much to discuss and absolutely need to learn from each other.”

Leng Lici looked at Dan Mu suspiciously, a hint of unconscious vigilance in his eyes: “You—”

“Your Honor, Lady Ke requests an audience,” a small demon ran over to report.

Leng Lici paused his sentence. He glanced at Yun Qingwu, then at Dan Mu, considered the situation, turned, and walked away.

Once Leng Lici was gone, Yun Qingwu quickly finished dressing Xiao Dao, who was only half-clothed. The heat that had flushed his face finally began to subside.

“What instructions do you have?” He held Xiao Dao securely, still unable to show Dan Mu a kind face.

Dan Mu felt the same way. She beckoned for Yun Qingwu to follow her.

The two went to a relatively secluded hillside. Dan Mu sat down without formality and got straight to the point: “What is your purpose in clinging to His Honor?”

Yun Qingwu adjusted how he held the child and sat down as well: “What does it matter to you? What, do subordinates in the Demon Realm need to manage the Demon Lord’s private affairs?”

The feathers on Dan Mu’s head bristled: “I warn you, if you dare to harm His Honor, I will make you suffer!”

Yun Qingwu peered at Dan Mu, his expression conveying everything he wanted to say.

“Leng Lici is ruthless and heartless in his actions, so why do you care about him so much?” Seeing Dan Mu’s cheeks puffing up with anger, Yun Qingwu decided to change the subject to something more useful.

Dan Mu snorted: “How could a favored son of Heaven like you understand?”

Yun Qingwu frowned. He had heard similar words from Leng Lici, and the slight discomfort in his heart deepened.

“If you don’t speak, how would you know I don’t understand?”

Dan Mu averted her gaze, looking at the small grass rustling in the wind on the ground: “No matter which tribe we half-demons appear in, we are outsiders whom everyone can bully. No one will stand up for us. Few half-demons in our Colorful Crane tribe live to adulthood.”

“Our bloodline is inherently impure, and we are always a step slower than the pure-bloods in cultivation. So, many times, we are just free nourishment for their cultivation journey. That year, I was just a hair’s breadth away—just a hair’s breadth away from being thrown into that damn furnace!”

Hatred flashed in Dan Mu’s eyes, followed by relief: “Fortunately, His Honor stormed in, completely subdued those who were disobedient, and even appointed me as Clan Leader!”

Yun Qingwu looked at the person in front of him, whose face was filled with pride, with some suspicion: “Did he perhaps just point randomly, and it just happened to be you?”

“You—you’re talking nonsense!” Dan Mu abruptly stood up, glaring with slightly guilty, wide eyes: “His Honor has sharp eyes and chose me for a reason!”

“In any case, it was not easy for His Honor to achieve what he has today! Whatever your current goal is, I won’t allow you to harm him!”

Yun Qingwu shook his head. He roughly understood why Leng Lici trusted Dan Mu so much.

Such an easy-to-read person saved Leng Lici, who was so suspicious, a lot of trouble.

Moreover, if the Colorful Crane tribe faced such hardship, the suffering Leng Lici experienced, being in the even more rigid hierarchy of the Nine-Tailed Fox tribe, was indeed beyond his imagination.

The Sentence of the Suspended Mirror was probably just one small part of it.

Yun Qingwu looked down at the same demon crest on Xiao Dao’s forehead, reaching out to gently stroke it.

If he was willing to be kind, perhaps…