They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Sleepless

In the Li Palace.

Leng Lici sat on the high seat, resting his head on his right hand, his expression inscrutable as he looked at the person standing below.

You Suke’s gaze was lowered, but her tone was neither humble nor arrogant: “Your Honor, this old woman has found the whereabouts of the Deer Clan leader. As long as you keep your promise and release my son first, this old woman will immediately bring the person to you.”

Leng Lici rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes, unmoving: “Are you negotiating terms with this Lord?”

“This old woman merely seeks assurance.”

“Bring the person, and this Lord will naturally keep the promise.” Leng Lici opened his eyes, his gaze cold: “Or do you believe you have some irreplaceable value?”

You Suke clenched her right hand into a fist, bit her lip, and after a moment of consideration, took a step back: “I understand. This old woman will deliver the person in three days.”

You Suke turned to leave, but the gloom between Leng Lici’s brows did not dissipate. The demon message sent to the Deer Clan had not returned, yet You Suke was so confident…

It seemed likely that something had changed in the Deer Clan.

“In three days, have him blend into the tribute procession when he comes to see me.”

Leng Lici said gravely. You Suke was noncommittal: “Understood, Your Honor.”

On the other side, after separating from Dan Mu and with fewer difficulties, Yun Qingwu finally had time to wander around Mount You Su with Xiao Dao.

Last time, he had called the Demon Realm “foul,” but looking at it now with an open mind, he had to admit his words were biased.

At the very least, the environment of Mount You Su had nothing to do with those words.

The residents here were primarily of the Fox Clan, but various other demon races and spirits could be seen everywhere. The number of half-demons was particularly noticeable; it was a melting pot of demon races.

Despite this, the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.

There was even a hint of scholarly refinement?

Yun Qingwu’s gaze fell on a group of young demon cubs sitting neatly in front of him, listening to a lecture, his eyes filled with curiosity.

The teacher was a gentle-looking young man, clearly a Book Spirit.

The cubs were shaking their heads and reciting with great seriousness, and the content was the mortal realm’s Three Character Classic.

Perhaps Yun Qingwu’s gaze was too direct. The young scholar noticed the unfamiliar guest. He motioned for his students to continue, stopped his head-shaking, and approached Yun Qingwu. He performed a scholar’s bow, clasping his left hand over his right fist.

“Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar? May I ask where this brother hails from?”

Yun Qingwu nodded slightly, bounced Xiao Dao in his arms, and smoothly introduced his new identity: “I am the new nanny.”

“Oh, forgive me, forgive me. So you are the little master’s nanny. My name is Li Shu, a friendly teacher,” Li Shu said politely.

“You—”

Just as Yun Qingwu was about to say something else, the man who had been so polite suddenly rushed back to the open-air classroom. His gentle and handsome figure abruptly became huge and distorted, and he roared with a bloody mouth at a little demon attempting to sneak away: “Truant students, DIE!!!“

The formerly harmonious classroom descended into chaos due to this upheaval. A fierce wind swept the area, scattering leaves and debris everywhere.

Screams erupted.

There was no trace left of the polite scholar.

Yun Qingwu frowned. An ice spear had just formed in his hand, but two squads of lightly armored fox demons were faster. With lightning speed, they confined the raging Book Spirit and hauled him off to jail.

Their movements were practiced, and their response was swift.

The screaming little demons returned to their seats and cheered, throwing their books into the air.

Xiao Dao followed suit, holding her hands up to the sky: “Ya ya ya—”

Yun Qingwu was left standing there, utterly confused.

A bystander demon nearby saw Yun Qingwu’s expression, patted his shoulder knowingly, and said: “This scene happens every day. How can teaching students not drive one mad? You’ll get used to it, you’ll get used to it—”

Yun Qingwu: “…”

He felt it necessary to advise Leng Lici to keep Xiao Dao away from this Book Spirit in the future.

He didn’t want the child to fail to learn much and end up being traumatized.

Xiao Dao: “Waaah”

After touring all of Mount You Su, Yun Qingwu returned to his small courtyard. He had originally planned to cook more dishes if Leng Lici came over, so they could dine together as they did in the realm of Nian, but Leng Lici was nowhere to be seen, even late into the night.

After settling Xiao Dao, Yun Qingwu lay alone in bed. Mount You Su was not entirely quiet at night; it was the time when nocturnal demons were active.

However, since this area was close to the Li Palace, it was probably the quietest spot on Mount You Su at the moment.

Once the environment quieted down, the thoughts in one’s head easily spiral out of control.

The warmth of the daytime, close enough to breathe, and the dampness clinging to his palm were indelible in Yun Qingwu’s mind. Equally indelible were Dan Mu’s words.

As his thoughts drifted, he desperately wanted to fall asleep immediately. Some things were forbidden and should not be touched; he instinctively wanted to avoid them. But the harder he tried, the clearer his mind became. Tossing and turning for several rounds, he couldn’t summon a single shred of sleepiness.

Naturally, the other party involved was not peaceful either.

Inside the Li Palace, Leng Lici lay in bed, staring at the stone ceiling. The image of the water droplets right before his eyes during the day flashed before him. Thinking about it, he felt agitated.

What could Dan Mu and Yun Qingwu be talking about regarding parenting?

Which one of her litter of cubs had she personally raised?

Could it be that…

Leng Lici suddenly sat up. With a stiff face, he drew a fire talisman that read: Demons and Gods are forbidden from illicit relationships.

The fire talisman took shape and flew swiftly towards the Colorful Crane Clan.

Afterward, he simply closed his eyes and began meditating and cultivating on the spot. Only then did the chaotic thoughts in his mind begin to subside.

Perhaps because both fathers were feeling unsettled, Xiao Dao, who usually slept peacefully, completely changed her nature tonight. She whimpered and wailed, refusing to sleep and refusing to let anyone else sleep.

As a result, Yun Qingwu’s already vexed heart became even more troubled.

He picked up Xiao Dao from the cradle, walked back and forth in the room, and bounced her, trying to use the secret techniques provided by the “Midwifery Master” to coax her to sleep. Unfortunately, this method was useless.

He then thought of lullabies. He patiently hummed a tune. This humming failed to put Xiao Dao to sleep but finally brought back his own sleepiness that had vanished for half the night.

The first half of the night, he couldn’t sleep. The second half of the night, he wasn’t allowed to sleep.

Even using his tail, that sharp tool, only made the child’s nerves more excited.

Although rationally, gods do not need to sleep, Yun Qingwu was fond of sleeping.

Staying awake until daybreak, he felt as if half of his vitality had been sucked away.

So, the moment the outside world returned to its bustling activity, he immediately went to the Li Palace without a word, shoved Xiao Dao into Leng Lici’s arms, and only left behind one sentence: “I’m taking the day off. She’s your responsibility today.”

Leng Lici looked down at the wide-eyed little cub, and when he looked up again, the person who had just been there was already gone.

Xiao Dao: “Woo—”