They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Taboo

North Yang Palace.

The Black Emperor sat by the Celestial Pool, slowly reeling in his fishing rod. In the wooden bucket beside him, a few koi fish were already swimming.

“Why was the fox demon not executed on the spot this time?”

Hua Yuan stood beside the Black Emperor, recounting the events of that day precisely to his father: “The Sovereign’s attitude in this operation was highly suspicious. Your son intuitively feels he had no intention of killing him.”

The Black Emperor removed the fish from the hook and tossed it into the bucket: “That is rather interesting. He is unexpectedly similar to my cousin, Yun Chuan, in that his emotions are always unnecessarily abundant.”

“There is one more thing your son finds strange.”

Hua Yuan looked at the myriad forms of life in the Celestial Pool: “The fox demon’s fox fire felt somewhat familiar to me, very much like… Uncle’s true fire.”

The Black Emperor’s movement paused. The leisurely expression on his face faded. He looked at his son: “You must not spread this matter further.”

Hua Yuan was puzzled but did not question him. He nodded: “Your son understands.”

…

Leng Lici felt dizzy and groggy. His body was emitting a chilling coldness that made him unable to move an inch.

Under this extreme cold, the pain from his injuries gradually became indistinct, creating a comfortable illusion.

Yes, an illusion.

Although his consciousness was hazy, he vaguely remembered being taken advantage of and becoming the fish on the chopping block once again.

If he was fish on a chopping block, what comfort could there be?

“You have a surprisingly tough life. You actually managed to survive until now.” An unfamiliar male voice, carrying a hint of disdain, sounded.

Leng Lici tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt heavy, as if weighted with ice. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t open them even slightly.

The voice, utterly calm, spoke again: “Things that shouldn’t exist ought to disappear quietly. You Su Xiaozhu didn’t understand this principle, and it seems you don’t either.”

Things that shouldn’t exist?

Is he talking about me?

Hmph. Why shouldn’t I exist? I have lived until now by my own ability. I should exist!

What are you, daring to judge me so casually!

“It doesn’t matter. Everything should have ended completely long ago.” The voice was extremely cold, followed by the sound of footsteps leaving.

Ended?

Who are you? By what right do you decide when things end?!

A massive sense of dissatisfaction and anger surged up violently.

Swish.

Light returned to Leng Lici’s world. He strained to turn his gaze. The first thing he saw was an iron chain dangling from the ceiling. The other end of the chain was bound to his wrist.

Both of his hands were restrained, and his body was immersed in a water pool that had frozen solid.

The surroundings were completely white, and the figure was gone.

…

The doors of the Clear Cloud Palace were tightly shut. Yun Qingwu sat alone on a soft couch, gently patting Xiao Dao’s back.

He had a selfish reason for confessing Xiao Dao’s parentage to Grandfather God: he wanted to secure a chance for Leng Lici’s survival. Yet, thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel resentful.

Leng Lici acted so self-servingly. He probably never considered Yun Qingwu at all.

Perhaps he didn’t even have those feelings for him.

Yet, even so, he found himself unable to stand by and watch him die.

Yun Qingwu gave a self-deprecating laugh. He truly was a disappointment.

Thump-thump-thump—

A series of knocking sounds rang out. Yun Qingwu looked up at the door. He wasn’t in the mood to receive visitors, but the people outside were highly informal. When the knocking didn’t prompt an opening, they simply pushed the door open and walked in.

“Oh no, His Highness doesn’t want to see anyone!” Hong Yuan tried in vain to block them.

The Bed God waved his fan, unconcerned: “I heard you brought back an illegitimate daughter? Even if the Celestial Emperor scolded you, there’s no need to punish yourself with self-isolation.”

Yun Qingwu waved his hand, signaling Hong Yuan to let them in, and Hong Yuan finally withdrew.

The Matchmaker God and Li Qingyang were also accompanying him.

“Junior Brother, how is Xiao Dao your child?” Li Qingyang’s lips were tightly pursed, his face serious.

Yun Qingwu glanced at everyone: “It’s a long story, but Xiao Dao is indeed my daughter.”

The Bed God tutted twice, leaning in to examine the child closely: “You really are quiet until you shock everyone. I wondered why you were always asking me about childcare recently. Oh, this little face looks just like you. Wait—”

Halfway through his sentence, the Bed God suddenly remembered something. The rattle drum on his head went dong-dong twice. He pointed at the child: “You mentioned a strange incident last time, where a divine artifact merged with a demon’s bloodline and transformed into a human. You weren’t talking about her, were you?”

Yun Qingwu remained silent.

The Bed God continued on his own: “You are her father. She also has demon bloodline inside her. The divine artifact is the Ancient Town Lamp. Then this demon…”

He abruptly clamped his mouth shut, as if that wasn’t enough, and covered it with his hand.

Li Qingyang, however, had already grasped the key points from the fragmented words. He looked at Yun Qingwu for confirmation, his voice disbelieving: “This child is yours and Leng Lici’s?”

Yun Qingwu sighed softly, no longer intending to conceal it: “Yes.”

“You—!”

Li Qingyang looked at his Junior Brother with disappointment: “So, during the mental realm trial, did you deliberately let Leng Lici escape?”

Yun Qingwu nodded.

“How could you become so lost to right and wrong!” Li Qingyang said coldly. In the end, he simply flicked his sleeve and left.

Yun Qingwu couldn’t defend himself. The underlying reasons were impossible to explain to others.

The Bed God, seeing the atmosphere was tense, deliberately tried to lighten the mood, pretending to gossip but half-seriously asking: “You didn’t actually fall in love with that fox demon, did you?”

Yun Qingwu lowered his eyes, falling silent. He didn’t answer the question.

In recent days, he had been both seeking and intensely resisting the answer to this question, but at this point, he couldn’t bring himself to utter a denial.

Seeing Yun Qingwu’s reaction, the Bed God’s heart skipped a beat. He lowered his voice: “This violates not only Heavenly Rules but also worldly norms! You are not being serious, are you!”

The Matchmaker God, who had been enjoying the show, muttered in sudden realization: “A while ago, the Bed God insisted I check the direction of your red thread. I was wondering why I couldn’t see who your red thread was connected to, Sovereign. Turns out your red thread belongs to the Tu’er Shen (Rabbit God) category!”

Then, he soberly put down his snack and promised: “Don’t worry. Once I leave this room, I will pretend this never happened!”

“Tu’er Shen? What about the Tu’er Shen? And what matter is that?” A young man in a bright yellow robe with naturally curly hair tied in a ponytail burst in, naturally joining the conversation.

Yun Qingwu: “…”

“White Primordial God Lord?” The Bed God and the Matchmaker God looked at Yun Feiyu in surprise.

“Why are you here?” Yun Qingwu looked at his cousin.

The current White Emperor was about to pass away, and his cousin was about to succeed him. He shouldn’t have time for this kind of leisurely visit.

Yun Feiyu sat down on the soft couch without any formality, reaching out to tease Xiao Dao: “You’ve been obedient for so many years, and now you’re rebelling. As your cousin, how could I not come and see you?”

“You’ve missed the gossip,” Yun Qingwu said irritably, waving Yun Feiyu’s hand away.

Yun Feiyu didn’t mind, propping himself up with his hands behind him: “Not late, not late. I have a suggestion for you. Are you going to listen?”

“Speak,” Yun Qingwu had no interest in beating around the bush.

Yun Feiyu tutted: “According to Heavenly Rules, regardless of anything else, there’s no way you can keep this child. But this matter is something your father, the Scarlet Flame God Lord, has a lot of experience with.”

Yun Feiyu deliberately looked Yun Qingwu up and down: “Look, didn’t the child you had before marriage grow up to be this big?”

“That is also an option.”

The Matchmaker God touched the red thread on his body, recalling: “Indeed, in the records left by my Father God, only the Scarlet Flame God Lord’s partner was not his originally appointed match.”

“It’s just a pity that the outcome was not good,” the Bed God sighed, thinking of the past events.

“Since the child’s mother is not a god, you shouldn’t think about making her legitimate. But if Uncle is willing to find a way, there’s still great hope for this child,” Yun Feiyu added.

Yun Qingwu picked up the crawling Xiao Dao and held her. He didn’t know much about his mother, only that she and his father had him before marriage. She died prematurely before he was born due to forcibly suppressing the ferocious beast Taotie.

As for his father, he didn’t want him to be caught between himself and Grandfather God, in a difficult position.

“Qingwu.”

As everyone was talking, another voice interjected. Yun Qingwu looked in the direction of the voice, his expression freezing.

The person who arrived was the Scarlet Flame God Lord, Yun Chuan.

Everyone greeted Yun Chuan one by one, giving the father and son some space at the appropriate moment.

“Then we’ll be going now. Your Highness, if you want a drink, just come find us,” the Bed God said.

Yun Qingwu nodded: “Thank you.”

The group then withdrew.

Yun Qingwu looked at Yun Chuan: “Father God, I—”

Yun Chuan patted Yun Qingwu’s shoulder reassuringly: “I know everything.”

Yun Chuan held Xiao Dao’s hand, and Xiao Dao immediately grasped it affectionately.

“I can protect this child for you, but Qingwu…”

Yun Chuan looked at the demon crest on the child’s forehead: “You need to make a decision regarding Leng Lici. That demon is wicked, ruthless in his actions, and absolutely not one of us. If you have no feelings for him, you don’t need to take extra responsibility just because of this child.”

Yun Qingwu clenched his right hand into a fist. He whispered: “Father God, I…”

As the door closed again, the light in the room dimmed. Yun Qingwu, standing in the shadows, looked a little downcast.

Yun Chuan was startled by his son’s expression: “Don’t tell me you have feelings for that demon…?”

He paused, swallowing the rest of his sentence. He seriously held Yun Qingwu’s shoulders: “You must know that this is impossible. If you cannot do it yourself, then at least do not try to interfere anymore.”

Yun Chuan collected his expression and said gravely: “Don’t try to challenge the Heavenly Rules.”

“Then what about you, Father God?”

Yun Qingwu looked up at Yun Chuan: “Back then, why did you defy Grandfather God’s decision and the Heavenly Rules to be with Mother?”

A look of confusion appeared on Yun Chuan’s face, but it lasted only a moment before he quickly returned to normal: “You should learn from my mistakes.”

Yun Qingwu withdrew his gaze again, only saying: “I will try my best.”

“Alright. Take Xiao Dao and stay at Azure Bamboo’s residence for a few days. I will try to buy you some time with Father God.”

Yun Chuan, unwilling to pressure Yun Qingwu further, explained the purpose of his visit.

Yun Qingwu nodded: “Thank you, Father God.”

After settling the large and small figure, Yun Chuan went alone to the Celestial Prison where Leng Lici was being held. Since Yun Qingwu could not make the decision himself on certain matters, he, as the father, could only step in and cut the ties.

In the ice pool, Leng Lici’s head was slightly bowed, his eyes closed. His striking red hair stood out like cinnabar against the stark white surroundings, easily becoming the focal point of attention.

He had long heard about Leng Lici’s deeds, but this was the first time he had met the notorious fox demon.

Yun Chuan looked at the wicked demon confined by the ice and frowned. For some reason, he didn’t feel the expected sense of aversion toward this demon. On the contrary, he felt a strange, inexplicable closeness.

Yun Chuan suppressed this anomaly in his heart and said gravely: “You wretch, do you recognize your mistake?”

Leng Lici opened his eyes, his gaze lightly sweeping over Yun Chuan before falling again: “Why do you gods always like to ask people if they recognize their mistake?”

He gave a slight laugh: “What, is any behavior that doesn’t conform to your rules considered a mistake?”

Yun Chuan’s brow slightly furrowed: “I do not wish to discuss basic morality with you here. The Celestial Emperor has already decreed that your death day is imminent. I hope that the ill-fated relationship between you and Qingwu will be severed here.”

Saying this, Yun Chuan raised his left palm vertically, rotated his right palm downward, and a fierce fire ignited between his hands. It shot directly toward the chains on Leng Lici’s body.

With this mark, even if Yun Qingwu wanted to save him, he could detect and stop it immediately.

Leng Lici’s indifferent eyes froze slightly when he saw the extremely familiar true fire. He looked up again at the man in front of him with the same red hair.

“Tch—”

He suddenly laughed, his tone icy: “So, it is the Scarlet Flame God Lord who has graced me with his presence.”