They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Child’s Affection

As it turned out, the child’s “affection” was fair.

The schadenfreude Cloud Qingwu felt last night was fully repaid to him today.

There is a mortal saying, “A propitious snow foretells a year of plenty.” The first snow of winter symbolizes a good harvest in the coming year. Therefore, this snow-bestowing ceremony is equally significant for the Celestial Realm, a ritual of blessing the mortal world. According to past practice, the blessing ceremony is alternated between the Yuanjun and the Yuannü (Divine Maiden) each year.

This signifies that they will be the next Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress.

This year’s blessing ceremony fell to Cloud Qingwu.

Amidst the dense rosy clouds, the faint golden figure moved like a soaring dragon, walking on the clouds. Illuminated by the cloud glow, he emitted a soft golden light, adding a sense of solemnity.

Where the ice spear danced, snow petals gently scattered, drifting down to the mortal world.

“Yuanjun’s talent and appearance are the best among his peers; he truly possesses the style of the Azure Flame God Lord back then!” exclaimed an attending Divine Lord.

“They are biological father and son, after all. The Azure Flame God Lord back then…”

These whispers reached the Heavenly Emperor, seated in the center. His brow lightly furrowed, and the surrounding air pressure dropped slightly. He glanced at his son, the Azure Flame God Lord, Yun Chuan, who was seated two seats away.

If Yun Chuan hadn’t acted foolishly back then, conceiving a son before ascending to the throne, why would his son only have “back then” to speak of?

The person being discussed remained composed, ignoring the whispers, focusing only on the distant Cloud Qingwu, who was shining brightly.

A quick-witted Divine Lord nearby immediately interjected: “I think Yuanjun and the Azure Flame God Lord both resemble His Majesty, and will surely achieve great things in the future.”

Hearing this, Yun Chuan also turned to the Heavenly Emperor. He knew his Father God’s knot was still unresolved: “Father God, Qingwu is excellent, more like you than I am.”

A scholarly-looking Divine Lord standing below heard the phrase “achieve great things” and immediately echoed: “That’s right, Yuanjun is my most prized disciple.”

“Knowledge gives one strength; what does that have to do with you, Martial-star Lord? He is my good disciple,” countered the burly Divine Lord next to him.

Seeing them about to argue again, Divine Lord Shanyun blocked their view: “The civil and martial arts complement each other and neither is dispensable. Martial-star Lord Master, Scholar-star Lord Master, you are both very important to Qingwu!”

Amidst this debate, the Heavenly Emperor’s somewhat sullen expression softened slightly. He looked at the figure in the clouds, his eyes carrying a hint of pride.

“When I grow up, I want to be as powerful as Yuanjun Cousin!”

The small child standing on Divine Lord Shanyun’s left had sparkling eyes.

“With you skipping class every day to play?” the identically-looking small child on the right said stiffly.

“Alright, alright, Di’er, don’t discourage your younger brother,” Divine Lord Shanyun chuckled, holding a hand of each.

At this moment, Di’er’s eyes suddenly widened, and he cried out in surprise: “Yuanjun Cousin’s spear is falling!”

“What?!”

Those who heard the exclamation looked toward the clouds, but lacking Di’er’s clairvoyance, their visibility was limited.

A sudden change occurred. Cloud Qingwu felt as if his spiritual energy had sprung a leak. In an instant, it seemed about to drain completely.

Not good!

This feeling was far too familiar to him.

Why now of all times!

He instinctively looked in the direction of the Heavenly Emperor.

No, I cannot make a mistake today!

The next moment, the Bai Ze—snow-white, lion-like body, golden dragon horns on its head—suddenly appeared in the rosy clouds, forcefully halting the downward trend. The Bai Ze re-gripped the ice spear. Rainbow clouds moved with its golden-patterned white feet, gathering together or scattering, leaving behind brilliant tracks. The intertwining shades resembled a natural, divine ink painting.

Snowflakes drifted down. The mortals below looked at the snow-covered fields, their eyes full of hope.

“So that’s how it is! Yuanjun Cousin is amazing!” Di’er jumped up and down excitedly, his eyes, capable of seeing a thousand miles, shining brightly.

The surrounding gods and immortals did not realize the danger of the previous instant. Seeing this sight, their appreciation turned into gasps of wonder. Some even took the opportunity to flatter the Heavenly Emperor.

However, the Heavenly Emperor’s eyes held no joy. From the moment the sudden change began, his tightly furrowed brow had not relaxed.

After the ceremony, Cloud Qingwu came before the Heavenly Emperor. He knew his mistake had not escaped his Grand-Father God’s eyes.

“Go and receive ten Heavenly Lashes. Do you object?”

Cloud Qingwu lowered his gaze: “No objection. Thank you, Grand-Father God.”

Even though the Heavenly Emperor currently had the appearance of a 15-year-old boy, the imposing power in his eyes when he looked at Cloud Qingwu did not lessen: “Qingwu, do not let there be a next time.”

Others looked puzzled, not understanding the Heavenly Emperor’s action, but they did not say anything more.

Lash after lash of the Heavenly Whip struck, leaving marks on Cloud Qingwu’s back. The damage caused by the Heavenly Whip was a dual pain to the body and the soul for the punished, not fatal but agonizing. The attending Divine Official looked on with reluctance, but the one being punished made no sound, as if already accustomed to the pain.

In fact, Cloud Qingwu was accustomed to it. Over the years, his Grand-Father God had always been quite strict with him, and punishments were once a common occurrence. But he knew his Grand-Father God wanted him to remember the lesson and become better.

He didn’t care about this physical pain, but he cared about his Grand-Father God’s attitude.

The disappointment in the Heavenly Emperor’s eyes during the ceremony involuntarily surfaced in his mind. He fiercely bit his lower lip. The pain in his body and the regret in his heart tinted his usually ocean-like clear blue eyes with a hint of red, like a bloodstained sea.

The big picture comes first. He should not be so sentimental. He deserved this punishment.

When the last Heavenly Lash fell, another Immortal Lord waiting nearby handed a bottle of medicine to Cloud Qingwu.

“Yuanjun, this is prepared for you by His Majesty.”

Cloud Qingwu endured the pain and thanked him. After returning to his room, he quickly applied the medicine, and the frightening wounds began to heal rapidly.

His Grand-Father God was always like this—punishing without mercy, but afterwards unable to bear his suffering.

Cloud Qingwu sighed, quickly getting dressed. It was time for him to go to You Su Mountain.

With his spiritual power weakened, he could only trudge to the South Heaven Gate. Before leaving, he bumped into several Immortal Lords who looked terrified and furious as they walked in together.

“Fellow Immortal Lords, why such panic?”

The leading male Immortal Lord saw it was the Yuanjun, and his tone was mournful: “Yuanjun, you must seek justice for us! That fox demon, without distinction, not only captured our fellow immortals but publicly tortured and killed them. If we hadn’t acted fast, we would have… we would have…”

His voice trembled with emotion.

Another continued: “We saw those demon creatures presumptuously claiming godhood and causing chaos in the mortal world. It was truly infuriating, and we couldn’t help but go down to eliminate the demons.”

“They had calmed down a while ago, but these past few days, a group of mortals has been praising the God-Defying figure, clamoring to invite the ‘god’ home.”

“What God-Defying figure? Do demons deserve to be called gods?!”

The immortals grew more and more furious.

Cloud Qingwu tightly pressed his lips together. All the emotions of the day coalesced into a surging killing intent at this moment.

Leng—Li—Ci!

“Hey, Yuanjun! Where are you going?” the leading Immortal Lord called out, looking at Cloud Qingwu’s retreating back.

Cloud Qingwu leaped up, saying coldly: “To settle the score!”

The Bai Ze’s snow-white fur flew in the wind, and he vanished in the blink of an eye.

Leaving behind the marveling Immortal Lords: “We were actually fortunate enough to see Yuanjun’s true form today. This trip was worth it!”

…

You Su Mountain.

Inside the alchemy room, red flames eagerly spat out tongues of fire, doing their utmost to scorch the azure elixir furnace on the stand.

The furnace, hot from the heat, became scalding all over. Wisps of smoke climbed up along the furnace wall, directly fanning the infant’s tender cheeks, highlighting a rosy blush.

The infant was wrapped in an iron chain. The other end of the chain hung from the ceiling beam. When the wind blew, the infant swung back and forth with the chain.

Leng Lici sat upright on the soft bed nearby, holding a velvet cloth and wiping the sword blade in slow strokes. However, his gaze was fixed intently on the cooing and giggling child, his golden eyes deep and sullen, conveying a determination to burn all bridges.

“You really intend to refine this little doll?” the bone sword asked hesitantly.

“Otherwise? Sit and wait for death?”

Since Cloud Qingwu didn’t care, he had to find a way to save himself.

Leng Lici stood up and walked to the furnace. His gaze was cold: “What are you laughing at? I’m going to refine you into an elixir, not amuse you.”

“Ya ya ya~” The infant was more excited as Leng Lici approached, reaching out to grab him.

Leng Lici waved his sleeve, and the little chubby paws missed. The owner of the chubby paws frowned in dissatisfaction, wrinkling her shapeless eyebrows, and looked pitifully at her cold father.

The cold father remained unmoved, raising the sword in his hand.

The sword blade trembled as if in warning, a red light flashing toward the suspended iron chain.

“Bang!”

With a loud crash, the wooden door, under a powerful impact, split into pieces and scattered everywhere.

At the same time, a white shadow rushed in.

Leng Lici couldn’t react in time, only feeling a massive force strike his chest. When he regained his senses, he was forced backward, lying on the bed. A huge paw covered in white fur was pressing down hard on his chest.

In an instant, the air was filled with the crisp scent of ice and snow, completely obscuring the originally restless scent of flames. The surrounding sounds were filled with a greater stillness.

Only the giggles of the infant, delighted by being swung high by the chain, provided a touch of decoration.

Leng Lici looked up at the Bai Ze pressing down on him, his face calm, his eyes carrying a hint of mockery, as if the creature pressing down on him was just a large cat: “Yuanjun honors me with your presence today. What is your business?”

The Bai Ze lowered its head and moved closer, its blue eyes filled with fury: “I didn’t realize that the dignified Demon Lord was so eager to join me in Wushan.”

As it spoke, the Bai Ze’s long, curly mane brushed past Leng Lici’s face, bringing a slight itch. Leng Lici frowned in displeasure, and a crack appeared in his calm facade: “Get off me!”

“Killing immortals wasn’t enough, so you caused trouble in the mortal world. Wasn’t that all to force me to come to you? And now you want me to get off?” The force under its paw increased slightly: “What, does everything have to go your way?”

“Tch.”

Hearing this, Leng Lici sneered. He pushed away the white fur disturbing his face, then grasped it and pulled down, forcing the Bai Ze’s head lower. The amusement in his eyes turned into a cold glare: “You know very well why you came to find this Venerable One. Don’t frame our mutually beneficial arrangement with such high-sounding words. I have no interest in a ‘virtuous goddess’ like you.”

Sharp claws suddenly emerged from the white beast paw. Cloud Qingwu looked down at the calm yet arrogant demon beneath him, a flicker of hatred in his eyes. If he could take one step forward and pierce the half-fox’s heart right now, it would be extremely satisfying.

Thinking this, he moved his paw, tilting the sharp claws slightly.

“Ooh ah~ Ooh ah—”

The infant, swinging over with the iron chain, reached out and grabbed one of the Bai Ze’s tails.

The sound and an imperceptible pain pulled the Bai Ze out of its rage.

No, I cannot perish with this fox yet.

How does a demon deserve it?

The sharp claws suddenly retracted. The white beast paw retreated one step. In the blink of an eye, the massive Bai Ze transformed back into the handsome young man. The youth looked coldly at Leng Lici, who was propping himself up, the coldness in the demon’s gaze not much warmer than his own.

After a long moment, Cloud Qingwu looked away, silently sitting down cross-legged.

Leng Lici saw this, a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, but said nothing more, settling down in his position.

The chilling scent of the snow mountain gradually filled the air. Then, the smell of burning fire immediately followed, aggressively vying for territory. The two distinct scents divided the limited space within the cave into two halves, yet each was unwilling to stay put, constantly trying to cross the boundary and claim the other’s space for its own.