They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Caught in the Act

“It’s not time to declare a winner yet.”

Leng Lici was noncommittal. He picked up his chopsticks, ate a slice of osmanthus sugar lotus root, and, unusually, complimented: “The Sovereign’s cooking has improved again.”

Yun Qingwu: “…”

After the meal, Xiao Dao became a little restless and impatient in her cradle, so the two had no choice but to take the child out for a walk.

“You want to break through the limitations of being a half-demon. Cultivation through incense is not the only path to gain stronger demonic power,” Yun Qingwu broke the silence, still wanting to persuade Leng Lici.

Leng Lici scoffed: “Limitations of a half-demon? I told you, what I want is the position of the ruler of the Three Realms.”

He glanced at Yun Qingwu, his eyes meaningful: “By then, I will be the rule-maker. Your God Clan has held this position for so long; it’s time to step down, isn’t it?”

Yun Qingwu’s brow furrowed slightly. He said sternly: “If that day truly comes, I will kill you without hesitation.”

Leng Lici’s footsteps paused imperceptibly, but quickly returned to normal. He said with a hint of mockery: “Heh, it’s not certain who will kill whom.”

The atmosphere became silent again.

The two walked in silence along a main road, passing through the marketplace. The demons encountered on the road gradually became scarce.

The sky was covered in evening glow, casting a warm hue over Mount You Su.

Yun Qingwu stopped: “Let’s go back.”

Leng Lici turned around. As the two prepared to return the way they came, a sudden conversation broke the silence of the otherwise quiet environment.

“Don’t move!”

A cold but slightly husky male voice commanded.

“Alright, alright! I won’t move, just don’t cry.” The other clear male voice sounded distinctly anxious.

“I won’t cry. Close your eyes!” The cold male voice carried a hint of stubbornness.

Leng Lici and Yun Qingwu exchanged glances. Leng Lici recognized the voices as Lu You and Qing Yuan, but why were they here?

He walked towards the source of the sound, wanting to see what was happening.

However, after only two steps, the conversation nearby suddenly ceased, followed by a series of urgent, suggestive “tsk tsk” water sounds, and a muffled groan escaping from another throat.

Leng Lici’s steps abruptly froze. Before fully comprehending the source of the sound, his body reacted first, stiffening on the spot.

Equally frozen was Yun Qingwu, whose subconscious mind only had time to cover Xiao Dao’s ears.

The distance between them and the source wasn’t actually very close, but the hearing of foxes and Bai Ze is naturally keen, so the sound reached their ears as clearly as if they were eavesdropping next door.

Yun Qingwu instinctively looked at Leng Lici. Coincidentally, Leng Lici’s gaze also turned, and their eyes met in surprise. Both quickly tried to regain their composure and looked away.

After the initial surprise, Leng Lici’s main feeling was confusion. Although dual cultivation between the same sex is often antagonistic and less helpful for cultivation than between opposite sexes, it still offers some benefit. But these two were simply kissing.

What was the point?

Yun Qingwu saw that Leng Lici seemed prepared to continue eavesdropping, and his expression grew increasingly unreadable.

In the concepts he was raised with, same-sex partners were low-class beings, never presentable. He never expected such a shameless act to occur so openly in the Demon Realm.

Truly… truly unrestrained!

He cleared his throat, his voice stiff: “How long do you plan to stay here?”

Yun Qingwu’s voice brought Leng Lici’s thoughts back. His gaze suddenly landed on Yun Qingwu’s tightly pressed lips, and the memory of their passionate entanglement resurfaced.

His Adam’s apple bobbed.

But it seemed… it was not entirely without pleasure.

“The one-month deadline is approaching. We should go back,” Leng Lici glanced at Yun Qingwu and started walking back the way they came.

Yun Qingwu was stunned, but quickly understood Leng Lici’s meaning. His Adam’s apple also bobbed. He, too, had clearly recalled the same memory and subconsciously followed Leng Lici.

After two steps, he paused, suddenly realizing his excessively fast heartbeat seemed to be looking forward to this matter.

But this shouldn’t be happening to him…

Rationally, he understood this, but the blurred, ambiguous figures from moments ago were persistent in his mind.

Yun Qingwu looked up at Leng Lici’s taut profile. His thumbnail unconsciously scratched the pad of his index finger. A sudden panic arose in his heart: When did he stop resisting this?

Perhaps… it was just habit.

Yes, that must be it.

He steadied his mind, instinctively refusing to delve into the source of this panic.

“Why are you dawdling?” Leng Lici’s impatient voice rang out.

Yun Qingwu snapped back to reality, realizing Leng Lici had already reached the courtyard gate.

He quickly increased his pace and followed him into the small house.

The two settled Xiao Dao in the cradle and sat facing each other as usual. Leng Lici noticed that Yun Qingwu had been particularly quiet since earlier and was clearly distracted now.

He frowned in dissatisfaction: “What are you thinking about?”

Yun Qingwu collected his swirling thoughts, summoned his soul consciousness: “Nothing. Let’s start.”

Leng Lici looked at Yun Qingwu suspiciously for a moment, saw nothing amiss, and also summoned his soul consciousness.

The red demon consciousness, once released, rushed impatiently towards the white divine consciousness. As soon as the white divine consciousness emerged, it subconsciously wanted to move towards the demon consciousness, but after moving a short distance, it seemed to be influenced by the main body, its speed abruptly slowing, then stopping in place, hesitant to proceed.

It wasn’t until the red demon consciousness aggressively intertwined with it that the hesitant divine consciousness wrapped itself back.

The familiar scent of burning incense aggressively enveloped Yun Qingwu. The sensation of the mingling souls stimulated his senses, and his breathing became uncontrollably rapid.

He looked at Leng Lici, only to see the other man staring straight at him. His golden eyes had turned into vertical pupils, and the eight tails behind him were restlessly sweeping back and forth.

Looking at him, the agitation in Yun Qingwu’s heart also surged dramatically. The deafening heartbeat in his ears—he couldn’t tell if it was his own or the other’s.

Want to get closer…

Want to get closer still…

Want to be as close as last time.

No!

His body had just leaned forward an inch when rationality suddenly pulled him back.

He couldn’t indulge himself anymore!

He couldn’t possibly harbor such feelings for Leng Lici!

No!

He absolutely cannot!

Leng Lici felt like he was standing on a giant steamer. The rising heat made his vision hazy, and only the familiar mountain snow scent could bring him a thread of coolness.

But…

Why wouldn’t this person touch him?

He couldn’t help but recall the movements he had heard in the forest moments ago.

He stared at the tightly pressed lower lip and the slightly protruding upper lip bead, his breathing growing heavier.

Why wasn’t this person coming over to kiss him like last time?

Was he expecting him to take the initiative?

Dream on!

Leng Lici frowned deeply, the confusion in his eyes gradually turning into anger.

At the same time, the red and white forms in mid-air were inextricably intertwined, reaching their peak.

Both men couldn’t help but let out muffled groans. Their clothes clung to their bodies due to sweat, showing signs of disarray.

A red tail quietly reached forward, trying to touch the partially revealed white tail, but as soon as it got close, the white tail recoiled instantly, as if meeting a flood or monster.

Leng Lici’s eyes darkened. He abruptly retracted his tail, forcibly pulling back his soul consciousness, which was still in the midst of warming connection.

Without a word, he got off the bed and left.

Yun Qingwu sat on the bed, slowly calming his breathing, not stopping him.

It wasn’t until a loud slamming sound echoed as the door shut that his heart sharply dropped, feeling a sense of loss.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself into a meditative state, trying hard not to think about anything more, but his hands instinctively gripped the edge of his clothes.

Perhaps, he should speed up dealing with the Ancient Town Lamp and leave Mount You Su.

…

Leng Lici returned to the Li Palace. The cold wind blowing on him all the way failed to extinguish the anger in his heart.

He slammed the palace door shut with a huge force, causing the fox cave to tremble slightly.

“Why are you suddenly so angry?” the bone sword asked, confused.

This question stumped Leng Lici. He didn’t know why he was so angry, so he replied stiffly: “Who said I was angry?”

The bone sword flew out from Leng Lici’s waist, circled him, and bent its blade: “Are you… perhaps angry because Yun Qingwu didn’t respond to you?”

After saying this, it suddenly straightened up, startled yet gossiping: “Oh my god, Leng Lici, you haven’t actually developed feelings for Yun Qingwu after sleeping with him, have you?!!!”

“Nonsense!”

Leng Lici waved a hand at the bone sword. The bone sword was immediately struck down by true fire, landing on the ground and yelping in pain.

As if still not appeased, Leng Lici smashed a nearby lamp stand into pieces with another strike.

He likes Yun Qingwu?

Not in this lifetime!

…

After a night of calm, Yun Qingwu knew that if he relied solely on objects, Leng Lici would likely be prepared. He decided to change his approach and start with a person.

He looked at You Suke, who appeared daily at the prison gate, and knew that this person might be his best option.

Since seeing You Suke near the treasury that day, he had paid more attention to her and learned from others that she was key in finding the Ancient Town Lamp.

However, he currently held the identity of a nanny on Mount You Su. If he rashly proposed a deal to You Suke, not only would it likely fail, but it would also likely bring trouble to Leng Lici.

So, Yun Qingwu observed You Suke for a few more days and decided to use her weakness, You Suqian, as a breakthrough point.

Firstly, You Suqian didn’t know him, and secondly, with You Suqian opening his mouth, You Suke would be more likely to give him the location.

At night, Yun Qingwu sneaked into the prison as planned. The guards outside Mount You Su’s prison were strict, but the inside was much more relaxed, with only a few minor demons patrolling occasionally.

Yun Qingwu applied the demon core to himself again, effortlessly transforming into a believable minor demon guard.

He strutted about, inspecting the cells one by one, and quickly found You Suqian.

He was easy to spot because You Suqian’s cell was noticeably cleaner than its surroundings, well-stocked, and could even be described as luxurious.

Next to him was You Sumei, the main figure in the earlier disturbance, whose injuries had not yet healed, forcing him to remain lying on his bedding.

The combination of these factors made You Suqian’s identity clear.

“You Suqian.”

Yun Qingwu called out to the person carving words on the wall.

You Suqian stopped carving and turned to look at Yun Qingwu, his eyes gloomy: “Who are you? How dare you call out my name?”

Yun Qingwu quickly unlocked the prison door, and to You Suqian’s surprise, walked openly into the cell.

The prison lock had multiple mechanisms and could not be easily opened by spellcraft, but it was an area of expertise for Yun Qingwu.

“Who exactly are you? What do you want?”

Yun Qingwu dissolved his disguise, revealing his true appearance: “I want to make a deal with you.”

“What deal?” You Suqian recognized Yun Qingwu, and the vigilance in his eyes deepened.

“You may not know this yet, but there is still an Ancient Town Lamp remaining in this world, and it is now in Leng Lici’s hands, found by your own mother. If You Sumei hadn’t caused that ruckus, you would probably be out by now.”

Yun Qingwu stood with his hands behind his back, looking indifferently at the constantly changing, increasingly unpleasant expression on You Suqian’s face.

After a moment, You Suqian seemed to understand something and let out a sinister laugh: “You want that lamp?”

Yun Qingwu was noncommittal: “You give me the location of the Ancient Town Lamp, and I give you freedom.”

He looked at You Suqian: “Well, do you accept this deal?”

You Suqian stared at Yun Qingwu in silence for a while, then smiled: “Yes, why wouldn’t I? As long as Leng Lici is unhappy, I am extremely happy!”

Yun Qingwu’s blue eyes darkened slightly, a hint of displeasure showing: “I’ll give you three days. I will come back for you then.”

You Suqian waved his hand: “I await the Sovereign’s presence.”

Yun Qingwu didn’t give You Suqian another look. He walked straight out of the cell, put the lock back in place.

He took a step, then stopped, quickly forming a hand seal and waving it at You Suqian’s cell before leaving the prison.

Inside the cell, You Suqian suddenly hugged his arms, ice beginning to form on his face, his teeth chattering: “Cold! Why is it suddenly so cold! Someone, help—”

But no one answered, even as he lost the ability to speak.