They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Reconciliation

Yun Qingwu: “What happened?”

The household chef grabbed Yun Qingwu’s sleeve as if seeing a savior. “Your companion rushed into the kitchen without explanation and chased us out! What is he trying to do? Is he trying to blow up the kitchen?! This kitchen cannot be blown up! Please help us save our kitchen!”

Yun Qingwu’s heart sank. He walked up in two or three steps, knocked on the door, and called out, “A-Cí? A-Cí! Leng Licí!”

After three calls with no response, only a more violent “bang” came as a reply.

Yun Qingwu stepped to the side, blocking the view of the others with his body. He formed a hand seal and forcefully broke open the door. The moment the door opened, thick smoke, like a maze, surged out relentlessly.

Flickering flames could still be vaguely seen beneath the dense smoke.

Yun Qingwu covered his mouth, coughed violently a few times, and waved away the smoke, searching for the person. “A-Cí?”

Still no reply. He walked a few more steps inside and finally saw Leng Licí, who was wrestling with some unknown dish in a wok amidst the swirling smoke.

Whether due to the smoke or internal annoyance, Leng Licí’s face and neck were flushed red. The man, who was usually fastidious about cleanliness, was now stained with flour and soot here and there. The ends of the few strands of hair on his chest were also singed.

Looking at Leng Licí, who now resembled a little “flower fox,” the last bit of anger in Yun Qingwu’s heart vanished, replaced by amusement and a warm, flowing sensation in his chest.

He quietly walked up, leaned his head into Leng Licí’s shoulder, forcibly drawing Leng Licí’s attention away from the wok. He teased, “A-Cí, you can be angry, but why take it out on the back kitchen?”

Leng Licí frowned, looking down at Yun Qingwu. “You are the one who is angry.”

Yun Qingwu raised his arms to hug Leng Licí and whispered, “I wasn’t angry. I was… a little scared. I was afraid… of becoming a redundant person.”

Leng Licí glanced sideways at the blackened mass in the wok. He moved his lips as if to say something but failed to speak it. He pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and hardened his resolve. His tone involuntarily became a little rough. “I didn’t mean that.”

Then, he took a few quick breaths, his voice grew louder, shouting with an air of challenge. “I’m sorry!”

“I know.”

Yun Qingwu muffled his voice. “It’s my own problem.”

“It’s good that you know,” Leng Licí scoffed, turning his head.

Yun Qingwu: “…”

Leng Licí pulled Yun Qingwu away from his shoulder so their eyes could meet directly. He said seriously, “What do you have to be afraid of? Yún Chuān and You Su Xiǎozhú are indeed redundant, but you are definitely not!”

Yun Qingwu was momentarily stunned, then let out a light laugh and nodded. “Mhm, I understand. In your heart, I am indispensable.”

Leng Licí sneered, looking away. “That’s what you said. I never said that.”

Yun Qingwu smiled. “Yes, I said it. You are responsible for thinking it.”

As he spoke, he quickly formed a seal to clear the smoke in the room, then reduced the excessively strong fire, finally revealing the kitchen’s messy true state.

Yun Qingwu then directed the pots, bowls, and utensils to return to their original places. Finally, he pulled Leng Licí toward a chair, but Leng Licí was still thinking about his creation. He let go of Yun Qingwu’s hand. “Wait.”

Yun Qingwu watched with an expression that was slightly hard to describe as Leng Licí scooped the unknown contents of the wok onto a plate and brought it directly to the table.

Leng Licí sat on the other side, crossed his arms, and glanced sideways at the dish. “Eat it.”

Yun Qingwu examined it carefully and recognized it as scrambled eggs with green peppers. He picked up his chopsticks and tried a bite. Sweetness, saltiness, and a burnt wok flavor exploded in his mouth simultaneously. Only the taste of egg was mostly absent.

But he showed no reaction, eating the mouthful of egg without changing his expression. “Delicious.”

Leng Licí’s eyes showed a hint of triumph. He also picked up his chopsticks to try his masterpiece, but before his chopsticks could touch the egg, Yun Qingwu picked up the entire plate and quickly finished the eggs in a few bites.

Instinct told Yun Qingwu that he couldn’t let Leng Licí discover the truth, or Leng Licí might take up residence in this kitchen for the next few days.

“You made this for me. It makes no sense for you to eat it yourself. I’ll make you something else later.”

Leng Licí’s furrowed brow smoothed out slightly, accepting this explanation.

After the impact on his taste buds had somewhat faded, Yun Qingwu continued the conversation he had started earlier. “The fear I mentioned stems from the life I built over the past six hundred years and the future I am about to learn. It’s difficult for me to control it. I have never stopped fighting it these past days, but clearly, I have failed.”

As he spoke, his eyes dimmed with a bit of self-reproach.

Leng Licí: “So what if you fail? As long as you don’t call quits, you won’t fail.”

Yun Qingwu’s eyes widened slightly. Leng Licí’s gaze was candid and unconcerned, as if this truth were naturally so.

Leng Licí continued, “When I was young, I was constantly afraid of water, so I jumped into the river again and again. After many times, I realized that water was nothing special. Later, in the Mirror of Suspended Views, I was terrified of the Táotiè. The feeling of being devoured by it was terrible, so I thought that one day I must kill it. See, now it’s just a sword for me.”

Leng Licí drew the bone sword. The cold light of the sword reflected in his eyes. “I allow myself to be afraid, but I do not allow myself to succumb to fear.”

So that was it.

Yun Qingwu curled his fingers. He finally understood why Leng Licí often fell into a state of obsession when facing failure.

At the same time, his internal frustration and the fear born from fear itself also calmed down.

Yes, fear is not an overwhelming calamity. With the passage of time, one day, he will completely overcome this hurdle and truly stop caring about these matters.

Understanding this principle, the burden in Yun Qingwu’s heart, which had been present since learning his origins, dissipated completely at this moment.

He acted on his strongest current desire, leaning over to kiss Leng Licí. He received an even more passionate response. The cold war of the last two days had meant fewer words for each other, and now there was a heightened desire for mutual intimacy.

The green sleeve and the black sleeve intertwined. The few rays of sunlight that snuck through the window lingered in the remaining thin white mist, adding a sense of tranquility. The occasional smacking sounds during the kissing interspersed the silence, adding an embarrassing ambiguity to the tranquility.

The kiss lasted too long. Yun Qingwu wanted to breathe some fresh air, but the moment he moved away even slightly, Leng Licí’s lips immediately chased after him, unsatisfied, once again stealing the fresh air he had just managed to inhale.

At the same time, he was given a pair of dissatisfied eyes.

Yun Qingwu let out a light laugh and cooperated, kissing him again. His left thumb gently rubbed the flour smudges on Leng Licí’s face that hadn’t been dealt with, subtly transforming his little “flower fox” back into a clean little fire fox.

“Young Master Yun, you—”

!

The two, who were kissing passionately and nearing the point of no return, instantly sobered up, separating abruptly.