They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: Cause and Effect

Leng Licí looped one arm around Yun Qingwu’s neck, pulling him closer. His tongue skillfully darted into Yun Qingwu’s mouth, gently exploring every inch of his territory.

Unlike his usual biting, this time he was extremely patient and gentle, matching the other’s rhythm.

The warm contact moved inside Yun Qingwu’s mouth, yet it ignited the rush of heat in his body faster than before, and the two bodies entwined.

When passion ran deep, the frustrating friction of clothes could no longer satisfy them.

Amidst quickening breaths.

Their originally neat clothes gradually became disheveled, their positions shifting until they could barely hang onto their bodies. Yet, the owners of the clothes were completely oblivious; their eyes and hearts were fixed only on their beloved, whose body and soul were melding with theirs.

Ripples spread out from around the small boat.

Leng Licí’s hands were bound by the forehead ribbon he himself had braided. Below him was the chill transmitted through the thin cloth, and behind him was the scorching, pressing body of his aggressor.

He bit his lower lip hard, struggling to suppress the urge to attack that came with the loss of bodily control, as he plunged into the current pleasure.

His eight fox tails sometimes thrashed nervously, sometimes swept slowly behind him. When the sensations became unbearable, they would simply wrap directly around the perpetrator on top of him, but most of the time this only proved counterproductive.

Yun Qingwu’s movements were relentless, yet his mouth affectionately licked Leng Licí’s neck and ears.

“A-Cí, will you call my name once?”

Leng Licí relaxed his jaw, and the sound he had barely managed to suppress suddenly escaped, only to be forcibly muffled in his mouth the next second.

After a long while, his voice, already slightly hoarse, finally emerged: “Yun… Qingwu.”

Yun Qingwu abruptly increased his pace. “Not that.”

“When did you… change your name?” Leng Licí gritted his teeth, finding it hard to speak.

“I’ve called you before, you know.”

Leng Licí’s fingers were starting to go soft, but his eyes were still stubborn. “I don’t know.”

“You really don’t know?”

“I… don’t know!” Halfway through his sentence, Leng Licí felt his vision blur, and his tear ducts uncontrollably secreted liquid.

“Call me!” Yun Qingwu nestled his head against Leng Licí’s neck, his voice carrying a plea, but the force of his actions intensified.

Leng Licí felt the disparity between the two extremes, and his internal resistance suddenly weakened slightly. But whether from exhaustion or internal reluctance, his voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz: “Xiāng—”

“What?”

“Xiāng—Go away!”

…

In the night sky, the river of stars formed by the Kongming lanterns gradually drifted away, but the sparks on the lake surface showed no sign of dissipating for a long time.

The painted boat drifted quietly on the tranquil lake. The occasional low moans and laughter from the boat added a touch of romance and ambiguity to the silence.

…

Meanwhile, Cui You stood on the riverbank, watching the last few Kongming lanterns drift out of sight. Only then did he notice that Yun Qingwu was not present.

Liu Yu noticed his gaze, opened his fan, and waved it. “Don’t look for them. You don’t even have to guess. Our adopted son is definitely with our biological son. They must be doing something indecent right now.”

He reached behind him, picked up Little Dāo who was playing in the sand, and pushed her towards Cui You. “See? They even left the child behind.”

Cui You was stunned, his expression hesitant. “Are you saying… they are… the kind of relationship I think they are?”

Liu Yu nodded with a complicated expression. “Now do you understand my painstaking effort? Do you know why I needed you to help arrange blind dates?”

Then, he sighed. “It’s really not easy being a father.”

Cui You took a moment to process this, but quickly adjusted. He turned back to look at the dark night sky. “If they genuinely like each other, why should we make things complicated?”

Liu Yu’s fanning motion paused. He looked at Cui You in shock. “Are you serious? Their relationship defies worldly conventions and is a great transgression!”

Cui You smiled nonchalantly. “Those are other people’s rules. As long as they are my and Yuè’er’s children, I will grant them the greatest freedom in whatever they wish to do.”

Liu Yu eyed Cui You suspiciously, looking him up and down. “Are you and I really the same person? It’s hard to imagine I would become someone so unprincipled.”

“That just means your life is too boring.”

Cui You raised an eyebrow and smiled, attempting to walk past Liu Yu. However, as he turned, he saw a familiar figure not far away—it was Cui Ming.

When Cui Ming saw Cui You’s gaze fall upon him, he turned and left without a word.

Cui You stood where he was, not chasing after him, just staring blankly at Cui Ming’s already slightly stumbling back.

“Not going after him?” Liu Yu’s gaze followed as well.

Cui You shook his head.

In another area, Yang Yuanli leaned against a large tree, his figure hidden in the darkness, looking thoughtfully at the night, which had returned to its monotonous state.

The Scarlet Flame Divine Sovereign, who usually seemed aloof and untainted by worldly affairs, actually had a memory fragment that was a devoted lover.

Although forced to stay here, the humiliation in his heart lessened somewhat at this moment, replaced by an indescribable sense of anticipation. This trip might be more interesting than he thought.

…

As dawn approached, and the sky began to lighten slightly, Yun Qingwu and Leng Licí returned to the Cui residence courtyard. To avoid disturbing others, they decisively chose to walk straight through the wall.

Unexpectedly, the moment they passed through, they came face to face with Cui You, who was sitting in the courtyard lost in thought.

Yun Qingwu felt a little guilty. “Brother Cui, why are you still awake?”

Leng Licí crossed his arms, raising his eyelids to glance at Cui You. “What, did letting off a few Kongming lanterns move you so much that you got insomnia?”

Cui You’s gaze lingered on the two for a moment. He picked up the teapot and poured three cups of tea, clicking his tongue. “It seems you two had a very enjoyable night.”

Leng Licí gave a cold “Hmph.” “None of your business.”

Yun Qingwu felt his cheeks flush and deliberately looked away, clearing his throat. “Ahem… It was alright. We just wanted to try boating before leaving.”

Cui You nodded with a serious expression, then looked at the two again and suddenly smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not like Liu Yu. I can understand your feelings, so I support you.”

Yun Qingwu hadn’t expected Cui You to say this. He looked at Cui You in surprise. “Brother Liu said this is against human ethics and a great transgression.”

Cui You took a sip of tea, nonchalantly. “It doesn’t harm lives or hurt others, so why worry about ethics and the great Dao?”

Leng Licí’s sarcastic remark was on the tip of his tongue, but hearing this, he unusually didn’t feel like arguing. He just said, “At least you have some sense.”

Cui You smiled, said nothing, and gestured with his chin towards the two seats beside him. “Sit down for a bit?”

“Since Brother Cui waited here tonight not to wait for us, you must have something to say?” Yun Qingwu pulled Leng Licí to sit down beside him.

Cui You nodded. The crowing of roosters could already be heard in the distance, chasing away the night. He listened quietly for a moment before speaking. “Are you going to look for the third fragment next?”

Yun Qingwu: “Yes.”

Cui You brushed the lid of his teapot. “I’d like to stay here a little longer. My father… can’t handle the shock of suddenly losing a son again.”

“You think too highly of yourself. I don’t see your father regarding you with much importance,” Leng Licí couldn’t help but scoff, hearing that Cui You didn’t want to leave.

Cui You didn’t mind this. “My father actually had a very difficult life. He lost his wife early and single-handedly raised Cui You—I mean the real Cui You—into a famous scholar in Yuèlín City. Cui You lived up to expectations, passed the imperial examination, and should have been the third place scholar that year, but unfortunately…”

He set his teacup back on the table, sighing lightly. “On the night the results were announced, Cui You suddenly died of a sudden illness. The cause of death was a mystery. Dad was devastated and nearly spent all his family savings searching for the truth, but in the end, he never got an answer.”

“His temper now is the result of that time.”

“After he took me in, he seemed to treat me as a substitute for Cui You, but in small matters, he never demanded anything of me.”

Yun Qingwu: “Cause of death a mystery?”

Cui You nodded. “I only heard about this from the neighbors. They said no wounds were found on Cui You’s body, and poisoning was ruled out. Later, everyone said that only demons or evil spirits could kill someone so silently. But my father doesn’t believe in the existence of demons and still refuses to give up.”

Yun Qingwu’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively looked at Leng Licí.

He was no stranger to this manner of death; the victims of the Rebellion Against the Gods died silently in this way.

If…

Yun Qingwu’s thoughts sank. The cause and effect in this world are sometimes difficult for even gods to control.

Leng Licí looked at Yun Qingwu, confused, completely missing the implication. “Why are you looking at me? Do you want to agree to his request?”

Yun Qingwu nodded. “Yes. We still need to find the third and fourth fragments. As long as Brother Cui can meet up with us at the location of the fourth fragment, it won’t affect the outcome.”

Leng Licí frowned, disagreeing. “Why add unnecessary risk?”

Cui You immediately promised, “I will definitely arrive on time! You can rest assured.”

Leng Licí was about to say something else, but Yun Qingwu grabbed his hand and pressed it down. Yun Qingwu looked at Cui You. “Brother Cui, if there’s nothing else, A-Cí and I will head back to the room.”

“Good, good. You go ahead.” Having gotten the result he wanted, Cui You waved his hand dismissively.

Back in the room, Leng Licí finally shook off Yun Qingwu’s hand, which had forcefully held him, and said coldly, “Why did you agree to him? Have you considered the consequence if he disappears like this?”

Yun Qingwu turned and sat on the couch, his expression becoming more serious. “A-Cí, was Cui You’s death related to you?”

Leng Licí: “How is it related to me?”

“I mean the Rebellion Against the Gods.”

Leng Licí frowned in thought for a moment, then waved his sleeve and sat on the other side of the tea table, saying stiffly, “I don’t know. Mortals make countless wishes. Do you expect me to remember every single one?”

Yun Qingwu looked at Leng Licí. “This is why we must agree. Cui You is the cause, and Cui You is also the effect. The past cannot be traced, and at least now, we cannot disrupt things a second time.”

Leng Licí stared at Yun Qingwu, questioning him in a deep voice. “What cause and effect? Are you saying Cui You’s actions are atoning for me? What sin have I committed?!”

“Cui You died because of you. The Cui family should not have fallen to this state. Why don’t you understand, A-Cí?” Yun Qingwu rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat weary.

He knew in his heart that ever since his near-death experience, although Leng Licí no longer brought up the matter of the Gǔ-Suppressing Azure Lamp, he had never truly recognized the core of the problem.

“What do I need to understand? Even if Cui You died by my hand, the person who made the wish should be the one who is guilty, not me.”

Seeing that the conversation was once again circling back to the issue they had argued about countless times without resolution, Yun Qingwu sighed. “A-Cí, I don’t want to fight with you.”

Leng Licí frowned. “Who wants to fight with you?!”

Yun Qingwu stood up and got off the couch. “I’ll go back to my own room to rest today. Please think about this matter properly.”

Leng Licí’s voice turned cold. “You’re leaving?”

“I just want to go back to my room to rest.” Yun Qingwu stood with his back to Leng Licí, not turning around.

“Fine.” Leng Licí got off the couch and walked towards the bed. “Get out.”

Yun Qingwu curled his fingers, but ultimately pushed the door open and walked out.