They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Provocation

Inside the Cui residence, Cui You and Liu Yu lay unconscious by the edge of a bed. Yang Yuanli stood before the bed, using spiritual power to probe Liu Yu’s memories.

After following them for days, he knew today was the perfect moment.

Liu Yu’s memories were in utter chaos, though a closer look revealed that the confused scenes were all of the same content.

Yang Yuanli’s brow furrowed slightly. Could this person be a fragmented memory of the Scarlet Flame Divine Sovereign?

If so, he looked at Cui You.

Is this person the same as well?

He was about to reach out to confirm when the tremor from the destroyed barrier reached him.

He felt annoyed. Why did they return so quickly!

Yang Yuanli shot an unwilling look at Cui You, withdrew his hand, and decided to leave the Cui residence before Yun Qingwu found him.

“Junior Brother?”

After entering the Cui residence, Yun Qingwu sensed Yang Yuanli’s location. When he arrived, he saw the figure of Yang Yuanli leaving.

Yang Yuanli did not slow down, wishing to avoid an encounter with Yun Qingwu and Leng Licí at this moment. However, things did not go as planned. The moment he stepped out of the Cui residence, Leng Licí’s bone sword arrived before his eyes.

“Thinking of leaving?”

Leng Licí settled Little Dāo and chased after Yang Yuanli with murderous intent.

Yang Yuanli summoned the Duanyue Blade and slashed backward. A swathe of blue light clashed with the red light, blocking the latter’s destructive force.

But there was a significant difference in their cultivation levels. The red light was only momentarily repelled before it surged back with renewed force. Leng Licí’s robes billowed, and in a flash, he was in front of Yang Yuanli, grasping his neck:

“It seems you think your life is too long,” Leng Licí said coldly.

Yang Yuanli snorted defiantly. He channeled power, and the Duanyue Blade instantly disassembled into several sharp small knives, which, leveraging their close posture, all aimed for Leng Licí’s abdomen.

“Demon fox, face death!”

Leng Licí sneered. The grip on Yang Yuanli’s neck remained firm, and he rotated his body at an extremely high speed, dodging the attack. Simultaneously, eight fox tails extended backward, wrapped in true fire blades, shooting towards Yang Yuanli with the force to pierce the prey like a sieve.

“A-Cí! No!”

At the critical moment, Yun Qingwu, who had rushed out, set up a barrier, intercepting the blades.

Leng Licí was displeased. The strength in his hand tightened. “Yun Qingwu, have you been kicked in the head by a donkey?”

Yang Yuanli’s face was flushed red due to asphyxiation. His eyes were furious as he looked at the rushing Yun Qingwu. Even though breathing was a problem, he still tried to speak, “Yun Qingwu, you—”

“Shut up!”

Yun Qingwu coldly snapped a word, then grabbed Leng Licí’s wrist and coaxed, “A-Cí, let go. He can’t die here.”

Leng Licí’s phoenix eyes narrowed, his jaw tight. He stared at Yun Qingwu for a long moment and said coldly, “Do you know what the consequences will be if he leaves here alive today?”

“I won’t let him leave alone.” Saying this, Yun Qingwu formed hand seals and struck towards Yang Yuanli’s Dantian.

The Duanyue Blade, which had been trying to resist, clattered to the ground. Yang Yuanli stared at Yun Qingwu in disbelief.

Yun Qingwu: “I have sealed his Dantian. He is no different from a mortal now.”

Leng Licí snorted, lifting Yang Yuanli and throwing him to the ground, his tone still dissatisfied. “Useless benevolence!”

Yun Qingwu swung his ice spear in the direction Yang Yuanli was falling, giving him a boost and saving him from the absurd fate of being fatally slammed to the ground.

“It may be useless, but at least it brings peace of mind. He is my junior brother. Nothing can happen to him at my hands.”

Yun Qingwu held Leng Licí’s hand, squeezing the back of his hand. “Besides, Little Dāo is watching. Slaughter is not suitable for children.”

Leng Licí “hmphed.” “What’s unsuitable? It’s better for her to recognize reality early.”

Yang Yuanli lay on the ground, gasping for air. Once he could speak normally, he glared at the two who were still holding onto each other nearby, saying harshly:

“Yun Qingwu, do you still remember who you are? How dare you be entangled with this demon fox?! Have you thought about the consequences if the Celestial Realm finds out!”

“Noisy.” Leng Licí frowned. He swung his right hand, and a rush of air from his sleeve knocked Yang Yuanli, who had just propped himself up halfway, back down.

Then, as if to show off, he firmly clasped Yun Qingwu’s hand in his palm, as if saying, what can you do to me?

Yun Qingwu let him, maintaining the posture of fingers interlocked as he walked up to Yang Yuanli. “Junior Brother, I will bear whatever consequences there are. But for the time being, you’ll have to endure staying with us.”

“Do you think just because you sealed my spiritual power, I can’t escape?” Yang Yuanli’s tone was sharp, veins bulging on his forehead due to his heightened emotions.

Leng Licí’s gaze chilled. He pulled a silver needle from his sleeve, and before anyone could react, he plunged it into the area of Yang Yuanli’s heart.

“If you leave ten lǐ of our vicinity, this Lord will make you explode.”

Leng Licí looked down at Yang Yuanli, his expression indifferent.

Yang Yuanli glared at Leng Licí, trembling with rage, yet helpless for the moment. After a while, he seemed to finally accept it and simply stood up and walked into the Cui residence. “Fine, arrange a room for me.”

Just then, Cui You, who had woken up a while ago, staggered quickly over, grabbing Leng Licí’s sleeve. “You… are you from the Fox Clan?”

Leng Licí’s eyes showed impatience. He forcibly yanked his sleeve out of Cui You’s grip. “What? Are you scared?”

Cui You shook his head and continued to press, “Then… then have you seen Yuè’er?”

At this, both Yun Qingwu and Liu Yu were somewhat surprised.

A wave of malice surged within Leng Licí. He stared at Cui You. “Haven’t seen her. She’s probably been dead for who knows how many years, or maybe she never existed, and you—”

Leng Licí smiled mockingly. “Are nothing more than a memory fragment.”

“A memory fragment?”

Cui You repeated softly, “A memory fragment…”

Yun Qingwu stepped forward, pulling Leng Licí back. He looked at Cui You. “Yes, in fact, you… are a memory fragment of the Scarlet Flame Divine Sovereign, Yun Chuān. Our purpose for this trip is to bring you back to the Celestial Realm, back to your original body.”

“Scarlet Flame Divine Sovereign… I see… I see.” Cui You looked dazed, but showed no further surprise.

Liu Yu was perplexed by Cui You’s overly calm reaction. He walked up to Cui You, openly scrutinizing him. “Why do you accept this explanation so easily?”

Cui You walked to the flower bed and sat down. “Because I knew I wasn’t a mortal, but I couldn’t remember my true identity.”

“Initially, I tried to verify it, but aside from strange looks, I found no clues. Later, I was picked up by Dad and became Cui You.”

Liu Yu clicked his tongue. “Then your luck is more than a little better than mine.”

Cui You looked at Liu Yu, confused. “You…”

Liu Yu fanned himself. “Mhm, like you, I am also a person formed from a memory fragment.”

“Brother Cui, what exactly happened between you and Liú Qīngyuè?” Yun Qingwu asked.

Cui You lowered his eyes. “Yuè’er is a fox demon. She discovered that I knew this secret.”

He sounded a little lost. “I didn’t care who she was, but I didn’t get a chance to tell her that.”

So that was it.

Yun Qingwu realized that this was why Cui You wasn’t surprised even when he saw the illusion of the Liú family’s existence.

Cui You suddenly remembered something. He raised his head, his eyes full of urgency. “If I’m just a memory fragment, what about the real Yuè’er? What happened to her?”

Yun Qingwu looked at Leng Licí.

Leng Licí lifted his chin slightly, the mockery in his eyes undiminished. He said coldly, “Dead.”

“Dead…”

Cui You had already guessed, but hearing the definitive answer, he still found himself unable to cope. Yuè’er’s demonic power wasn’t weak. How could she have…

His eyelashes trembled, followed by an uncontrollable slight trembling in his body.

Yun Qingwu had never seen Father God like this before and felt a pang of sympathy. He comforted him, “This matter happened over six hundred years ago. We still don’t know the full extent of what transpired, but that’s not the emotion the current you should bear.”

Yun Qingwu sat down beside him. “If different fragments constitute different timelines, it can be said that in your timeline, she is still alive and waiting for you to tell her your true feelings.”

Cui You’s rapid breathing slowed slightly. He looked up at Yun Qingwu. “Over six hundred years?”

“Yes. Instead of acting distraught here, you should return with us sooner and tell us in person what crime you committed six hundred years ago.”

Leng Licí’s expression was mocking and unmoved.

“A-Cí!” Yun Qingwu spoke up to stop him.

Leng Licí looked at Yun Qingwu. “What? Was I wrong?”

“You…”

Cui You’s gaze fell upon Leng Licí’s face. He hadn’t noticed before, but looking closely now…

He stood up and walked towards Leng Licí, reaching out a hand, wanting to touch Leng Licí’s face. “You look very much like Yuè’er. What is your relationship with her?”

Leng Licí turned his face away in disgust and took a step back. “No relationship.”

Then, he looked at Yun Qingwu. “Since you want to handle it, deal with it yourself. I’m going back to the room.”

Yun Qingwu looked at Leng Licí’s retreating figure and was silent for a moment. He understood that Leng Licí had already done his best to be civil. He couldn’t demand that he interact with Father God in a specific way.

“Brother Yun, is he… is he Yuè’er’s child?” Cui You turned to Yun Qingwu.

Yun Qingwu nodded. “A-Cí is the son of you and the Fox Clan Empress.”

Cui You curved his lips, his emotions hard to describe. “I understand. I will go with you.”

He looked at the still-lit lanterns on the street. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl figures on the lanterns cast shadows on the ground. The shadows merged over the magpie bridge, symbolizing the reunion of lovers.

“Actually, I originally planned to confess my past and the future I wanted to share with her after I found Yuè’er. Although she won’t appear anymore, I still want to complete this.”

“Alright, I will help you.”

Yun Qingwu’s gaze also fell upon the intertwined shadows on the ground.

…

The next day.

“This is it. Thank you all for helping me move these onto the carriage.”

Cui You opened a locked storage room. Inside, it was completely filled with neatly arranged Kongming lanterns. Yun Qingwu stepped forward, picked up one, and saw a painting of a man and a woman in red wedding clothes performing the wedding rites.

He picked up another one. It also had a painting, this one showing a young man holding a kite and teaching the woman how to fly it.

Cui You noticed Yun Qingwu’s actions and scratched his nose a little self-consciously. “I wanted Yuè’er to believe that I truly didn’t mind her true identity, to believe that we could have a beautiful past and a wonderful future. So I painted our memories and my imaginings of our future, one by one, onto these Kongming lanterns.”

When mentioning the future, his expression dimmed slightly, and he gave a self-deprecating smile. “But I guess I failed to do that.”

Yun Qingwu put down the Kongming lantern and looked at another one, which showed a woman sitting in the courtyard while the man was performing a shadow puppet show for her.

Leng Licí stood by the doorway, his peripheral vision scanning the lanterns that carried such deep affection.

“A-Cí, want to come in?” Yun Qingwu noticed Leng Licí standing there and invited him.

Leng Licí looked away, turning his back completely, answering with his posture.

Yun Qingwu didn’t push him. He picked up a few more Kongming lanterns and looked at Cui You. “I’ll take these to the carriage first.”

Cui You’s gaze lingered on Leng Licí’s back, as if he had something he wanted to say but held back.