They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 87

Chapter 87: The Fourth Yún Chuān

Yun Qingwu looked at the two restless Father Gods and the figure of Cuī Yóu, who was now visible. His expression was serious; he didn’t know what awaited him at the finish line.

Leng Licí noticed Yun Qingwu was a bit preoccupied. After thinking for a moment, he picked up Little Dāo, who was eating nearby, and handed her to Yun Qingwu. “She said she’s tired.”

Little Dāo’s mouth was still stained with crumbs. She looked at her A-dàd in confusion, then at Daddy.

Yun Qingwu chuckled, holding Little Dāo on his lap. He gave Little Dāo a piece of bean cake and looked at Leng Licí. “I’m fine. Don’t torment our daughter.”

Yang Yuanli, as usual, closed his eyes, choosing blissful ignorance.

The carriage stopped in front of the inn. Liu Yu was the first to step out. He enthusiastically wrapped his arm around Cuī Yóu, pointing to Jì Lín, who was stepping down next. “There, this is Jì Lín.”

Jì Lín looked at Cuī Yóu. Even though he already knew the whole story, seeing a person who looked exactly like himself in the flesh still felt strange.

Cuī Yóu had adjusted his emotions these past few days. He extended his hand first. “Pleased to meet you. I am Cuī Yóu.”

Jì Lín returned the greeting. “Pleased to meet you.”

Liu Yu, holding one person on each side, headed toward the inn. “Let’s go, let’s go. Let’s rest first.”

Yun Qingwu and Leng Licí followed them into the inn.

…

By the time the group had rested sufficiently, it was the Hour of Shen (3-5 PM). Based on previous experiences, the encounter with the fragments was always triggered by a random event, so Yun Qingwu suggested they wander around the market.

Yang Yuanli turned to walk toward his room. “You go. It has nothing to do with me anyway.”

Yun Qingwu didn’t insist. “Alright, then, Junior Brother, stay safe in the inn. Remember not to wander off.”

Yang Yuanli turned his back, giving his answer with his retreating figure.

Just as Yun Qingwu, Leng Licí, and the three Yún Chuāns were about to leave the inn, Yang Yuanli turned around, frowning as he looked at Yun Qingwu and Leng Licí.

If the matter of his origins is as he suspects, then once the truth is exposed, based on the Heavenly Realm’s obsession with bloodlines, Yun Qingwu will undoubtedly be sealing his own path to survival.

Although he dislikes Yun Qingwu and these rigid rules, that doesn’t mean he can accept the possibility of a ruthless and callous person like Leng Licí intervening in Heavenly Realm affairs.

He must think of a countermeasure in advance.

…

Yúnlì City was surrounded by the sea on three sides. Fishermen carrying fish baskets and village women with wicker baskets were seen everywhere. The air was filled with the salty smell of the sea breeze.

Little Dāo stopped at a stall where a vendor was quickly weaving shrimp cages from salted grass, looking at him curiously.

The vendor smiled at Little Dāo, his hands still working. “Little girl, do you want a shrimp cage to catch shrimp?”

Little Dāo pointed to one of the finished shrimp cages and looked back at Yun Qingwu and Leng Licí. “Catch shrimp.”

Leng Licí glanced at the shrimp cage with disdain. “How many shrimp can that thing catch?”

Seeing the vendor’s face show a look of indignation, ready to issue a challenge, Yun Qingwu immediately pulled out copper coins and handed them to the owner. He casually grabbed a shrimp cage, gave it to Little Dāo, and successfully nipped an unignited conflict in the bud.

The two turned to continue walking, only to find that the three fathers had vanished.

Leng Licí frowned, alerted. “Where are they?”

Yun Qingwu calmed down and looked around. He sighed in relief when he saw a group of figures standing in a line of similar colors. He pointed over there. “They’re over there.”

Leng Licí quickly walked over, speaking harshly. “Who allowed you to wander off?!”

The three men were all staring at a single cage. Only Liu Yu was willing to respond. “I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t walk past it.”

Leng Licí and Yun Qingwu frowned and squeezed in. Inside the cage, a sick-looking white fox lay on the ground, appearing very pitiful.

Liu Yu could still barely control himself, but Cuī Yóu and Jì Lín’s eyes were immediately red-rimmed, as if they saw an old friend through this white fox.

Leng Licí: “…”

Yun Qingwu: “…”

Little Dāo: “It’s a little white fox!”

Leng Licí looked at the way the three men were behaving, feeling impatience and a hint of disgust. “What are you looking at? You can look until the end of time, and it’s still just an ordinary fox.”

Cuī Yóu: “It’s hurt.”

The vendor, seeing this group of people gathered but showing no intention of buying, was also impatient. “Are you buying or not? If not, stand aside! Don’t block my business!”

The white fox lifted its head slightly and whimpered a few times, its fox eyes looking quite wronged.

Yun Qingwu also felt a little compassion. He looked at the three Fathers who couldn’t move, and a decision was made. “Boss, how much for this fox?”

The vendor’s attitude immediately did a 180-degree turn when he saw a potential sale. He enthusiastically introduced it. “This is a rare white fox! Look at its fur; there’s not a single impurity! Give me five hundred taels of silver.”

Liu Yu: “Five hundred taels? Why don’t you just rob someone?”

Vendor: “If you don’t know quality, then leave quickly!”

Yun Qingwu carefully observed the white fox and then looked at the other items the vendor was selling, none of which were fox-related. He had a suspicion. While Liu Yu was arguing with the vendor, he quietly used a spell to unlock the cage.

The white fox in the cage immediately sensed the opportunity. It pushed off with its hind legs and shot out of the cage with a bang, fleeing outwards.

“Hey, hey, hey, my fox!” The vendor abandoned his argument with Liu Yu and sprinted after it.

However, as soon as he lifted his leg, the silent Jì Lín swept his leg across, sending the vendor tumbling onto his backside.

Cuī Yóu followed suit. The vendor had just gotten up but hadn’t fully stabilized when he fell flat on his face again.

By the time the vendor tried to chase again, not a single fox hair could be seen.

Having committed the mischief, the group tacitly left the scene before the vendor could react.

“Do you think this fox can find its way home safely?” Cuī Yóu looked at the spot where the fox disappeared, still a bit worried.

Leng Licí crossed his arms, glancing sideways at him with sarcasm. “What? Do you want to play ‘body double’ literature?”

Jì Lín looked at Leng Licí, his eyes full of satisfaction. “You are indeed very much like Xiǎozhú.”

Cuī Yóu, unaware of the backstory, asked, “Who is Xiǎozhú?”

Liu Yu walked up to Cuī Yóu, fanning himself. He leaned in and smiled mischievously. “Liú Qīngyuè. Didn’t you know? Your Liú Qīngyuè is a phantom, but the Liú Qīngyuè by Jì Lín’s side was truly real.”

Cuī Yóu suddenly looked at Jì Lín, wanting to ask something, but there was no Liú Qīngyuè in sight, so there seemed to be no need to ask anything further. Since they were the same person, he could understand that this wasn’t a suitable topic to bring up.

Jì Lín, however, turned his gaze away, stubbornly insisting, “Xiǎozhú is Xiǎozhú. She is my wife, not some Liú Qīngyuè.”

Liu Yu: “We are—”

“That white fox is back.” Yun Qingwu timely interrupted Liu Yu’s actions, trying to redirect the three fathers’ attention.

Leng Licí followed Yun Qingwu’s gaze and indeed saw the white fox hiding behind a wall, peering at them.

He frowned, displeased. “Why is this fox back? It doesn’t learn its lesson. Utterly foolish!”

Yun Qingwu, however, instinctively felt that the white fox was waiting for them. Perhaps…

“Let’s go and see.” Yun Qingwu suggested.

Leng Licí was quite reluctant but still followed Yun Qingwu. The others didn’t need to be told.

As they approached, the white fox whimpered a few times, walked a few steps forward, and then looked back at them.

Liu Yu: “It wants us to follow it?”

Yun Qingwu nodded. “Perhaps it can lead us to the fourth fragment.”

Leng Licí was skeptical. He looked at the most ordinary-looking fox. “It hasn’t even developed sentience.”

“We’ll know if we follow it.” Yun Qingwu was insistent.

So, the group followed the white fox, passing through the bustling streets. The surroundings became more open. Cattle, sheep, and rice paddies replaced the lively market as the main landscape.

Small clusters of farmhouses could vaguely be seen not far away.

The white fox looked back and whimpered a few more times, then impatiently sped off toward a relatively secluded small courtyard. With its cries, a chorus of fox calls responded, echoing back and forth.

“Oh, looks like there’s more than one fox here.” Liu Yu was surprised.

Yun Qingwu slowed his pace.

Did he just overthink things?

“What are you crying about! So loud! Can’t a person get some peace and quiet!”

“Yeah, the smell is awful! How are we supposed to live here!”

Along with the fox calls came waves of neighborly complaints.

However, there was no sign of rebuttal from the complained-about courtyard, as if it were an empty house. The white fox leaped up and jumped over the wall into the courtyard.

Yun Qingwu was hesitant about whether to visit this household rashly, but Leng Licí had already walked up and knocked on the door heavily a few times.

After only a few knocks, the sound of a door latch being lifted came from inside. Then, the door opened, and a middle-aged man in simple clothes with visible white hair appeared behind the door.

Leng Licí looked at the person in front of him, his brow slightly furrowed. Although this man was completely different from the other Yún Chuān fragments, this face was indeed Yún Chuān’s.

Yun Qingwu saw the Fourth Father God, and the rock that had been constantly rising and falling in his heart finally settled.

He could sense the Father God, too.

He opened his mouth to greet him, but the Fourth Yún Chuān didn’t give him the chance. After glancing at them, the Fourth Yún Chuān walked out of the door on his own, muttering, “The foxes are hungry. I need to get them some food.”

The other three fragments looked at each other. Liu Yu was the first to regain his composure. “Looks like I’m going to have to hand over my title of ‘Worst Situation’ to someone else.”

Jì Lín quickly empathized with the Fourth Yún Chuān’s state. He volunteered, “I’ll follow him. You guys check out the courtyard first.”

Yun Qingwu nodded and stepped into the small courtyard with Leng Licí.

As soon as the group entered the small courtyard and before they could examine it closely, a pack of foxes, led by the white fox they had just seen, enthusiastically rushed toward them, whimpering all the while.

Little Dāo looked astonished and took a few steps forward to meet them. “Wow, so many foxes!”

Faced with this assault, Cuī Yóu and Liu Yu could barely move. Yun Qingwu couldn’t help but look at them a few times, but in the next second, he was forcefully pulled out of the fox circle by Leng Licí.

Leng Licí shot a cold glare at the two Yún Chuāns. He said coldly, “Useless.”

Yun Qingwu smiled, raised his hand to wrap his arm around Leng Licí’s shoulder, and whispered, “It’s understandable. Foxes are indeed adorable.”

Leng Licí withdrew his gaze, giving Yun Qingwu a blank look, and gave him a muffled jab with his elbow.

Yun Qingwu let out a weak groan, pretending to be delicate. “That’s called spousal murder.”

Leng Licí scoffed, walking away impassively. “Then that spouse is too weak. Unworthy.”

Yun Qingwu: “…”