They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Seeking Lodging

Cloud Qingwu looked at the man opposite, whose eyes held four parts wariness and one part confusion.

That’s right. Even if this was reincarnation, this person was no longer the man from the past, let alone anything else.

He collected his emotions, and according to mortal etiquette, clasped his hands and explained gently: “My brother and I were chased by bandits. We are currently penniless and utterly exhausted, which is why we presumed to enter this shack to rest. We apologize sincerely, and we will leave now.”

The man listened, sized the two of them up and down, and made no move to lower the weapon in his hand.

“Then how do you explain the child?”

Leng Lici’s grip on the sword hilt tightened slightly, ready to attack at any moment. He said stiffly: “What is that to you? Give me the child.”

At his words, the expressions of the other people turned angry.

“It really is them!”

“They must be child traffickers!”

“Boss! Stop wasting time with them, let’s arrest them first!”

Cloud Qingwu pressed his lips tightly, inwardly beating the hell out of that damnable half-fox Leng Lici over and over, which finally quieted his buzzing head somewhat.

After calming down, he quickly grasped the keywords from their remarks.

“That child is…”

He paused mid-sentence, thought for a moment, and pointed behind him: “She is my younger brother’s daughter. See, the birthmark on her forehead is the same.”

“Who is your younger brother?” Leng Lici snapped, his brow lowering. He turned the sword tip inward, his tone sinister.

Cloud Qingwu nodded with a smile: “Pardon us, my brother and I have a bit of internal conflict and had a fight.”

The farmwoman, holding the child, walked next to the leading man and whispered: “Qu Wen, the child’s forehead does have the same birthmark as the red-haired young man, and I think their looks are somewhat similar too.”

Qu Wen looked at the child, then examined the hostile-looking Leng Lici. He lowered his knife slightly but was not entirely convinced: “Are you… biological brothers?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Cloud Qingwu turned his head and shot a cold glare at the demon who was deliberately contradicting him.

The demon, intent on contradicting him, glared back with an expression full of impatience.

Despite this, the murderous intent in his heart was uncontrollably soothed.

This damned contract!

The farmwoman glanced at the two men’s somewhat disheveled clothing. When her gaze landed on a certain spot, it paused abruptly. Looking back at the two men glaring at each other, her expression became instantly complicated, but being well-versed in the ways of the world, she quickly absorbed it.

She patted Qu Wen, gave him a meaningful look, and handed the child to Cloud Qingwu with significant meaning: “As the saying goes, a couple quarrels in bed and makes up quickly. It’s the same with brothers. Just talk it out if you have a disagreement. Here, hold the baby.”

Qu Wen looked at his mother’s sudden change of attitude in confusion: “Mother?”

Is that how you use that saying?

Cloud Qingwu subconsciously took the child, looking slightly bewildered.

They believed that?

The farmwoman patted her son’s shoulder: “Don’t worry. This child clearly has a blood relation with that red-haired young man. Whether the brothers are biological or not, they are still brothers. It doesn’t matter.”

She has a point.

Qu Wen put down his knife, clasped his hands in return, and bowed: “I apologize for the offense.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just glad the misunderstanding is cleared up.” Cloud Qingwu looked down at the child. Her purplish face had returned to a healthy rosy color.

Leng Lici held his sword, suspiciously watching the mortals whose attitude had changed. His vigilance had not lessened in the slightest.

The farmwoman, making herself at home, chuckled and affectionately played with the child. She offered warmly: “If you have nowhere to stay, you can stay at my house for a while to transition. I think this child is starving.”

“This…”

Cloud Qingwu hesitated, but without his spiritual power, staying here was indeed the best choice.

“Alright.”

Before he could speak, Leng Lici suddenly agreed, completely reversing his attitude.

Cloud Qingwu: “…”

Prioritize the big picture.

Prioritize the big picture.

Prioritize the big picture!

He mentally repeated it three times, then put on a smile and looked at the farmwoman: “Then we will trouble you, sister-in-law.”

The farmwoman waved her hand: “Don’t be polite. You can call me Sister Liu. This is my son, Qu Wen, who works for the local government.”

She spoke with pride: “My son is very capable. If you encounter any problems in town, just find him.”

Qu Wen coughed awkwardly: “Mother!”

Cloud Qingwu chuckled in agreement, then quickly provided names for himself and Leng Lici: “I’m called Yun Wu, and he is Yun Ci.”

“Leng Ci,” Leng Lici corrected coldly.

Cloud Qingwu badly wanted to roll his eyes, but that would be unseemly.

Sister Liu laughed heartily, easing the tension, and changed the subject: “Then what is this little thing called?”

“No name,” Leng Lici said, sheathing his bone sword.

Cloud Qingwu looked down at the little fellow in his arms, who was smacking her lips. He didn’t know if it was the bloodline at work, but looking into those innocent, smiling eyes, a sense of compassion and guilt arose in his heart. Although the child had demon blood, she was still just a child…

Leng Lici was not a qualified father, and neither was he.

“Xiao Dao (Little Knife). Her nickname is Xiao Dao.”

Although the road ahead was unknown, he hoped she would be able to cut through difficulties and move forward bravely, like a knife.

“Xiao Dao?” Sister Liu repeated softly, then smiled: “That’s a very unique nickname. This little girl will definitely grow up to be an impressive young woman!”

Leng Lici glanced at Cloud Qingwu with an unreadable expression, sneered softly, and looked away.

Under the guidance of the enthusiastic Sister Liu, the two headed towards the Qu family house. After Qu Wen lowered his guard, he became more talkative.

“Recently, children have been going missing around here, so everyone is extra vigilant. That shack just now is used by everyone for hunting and rest. We heard the child crying and smelled a strange fragrance, so… I truly apologize.”

Qu Wen scratched his nose awkwardly.

Leng Lici looked away, his face sullen.

Cloud Qingwu coughed, his ear tips slightly red, and calmly explained: “Xiao Dao likes the scent of mint, so we wanted to use incense to soothe her.”

Qu Wen nodded: “Oh, so that’s it.”

During their idle chat, signs of human habitation gradually appeared in the mountains. The flow of pedestrians increased, and their clothing styles were all the same as Qu Wen’s. Qu Wen greeted everyone along the way, occasionally stopping to chat, the conversation reflecting the simple and warm folk customs of the area.

Further up, the dirt path was replaced by a stone road. Layer upon layer of steps led upward. After every section, a flat area appeared, where several wooden houses were located. Small paths branched out between the houses, leading further into the area. White smoke curled up from the chimney of every house, indicating a residential cluster.

When they reached the second flat area, Qu Wen pointed to the small path on the left: “My house is over there. Up one more level, there is a market. You can go check there if you need anything.”

Cloud Qingwu looked up in the direction Qu Wen pointed. Even from a distance, he could vaguely see the path extending upward. He looked at Qu Wen: “What is further up?”

“Oh, we live nestled against the mountain. The area above has the same layout, but closer to the mountaintop is the royal palace area. It is heavily guarded, and ordinary people cannot enter.”

Qu Wen opened the courtyard gate, signaling for the two to enter the house.

Inside the courtyard, a grape trellis met the eye. Various vegetables were planted on the ground along the wall, though some patches were covered with a thin layer of snow due to the winter climate.

“Cluck—cluck-cluck—”

A group of fat chickens approached. Leng Lici frowned, raising his foot to kick away the bold and dirty chickens. Perhaps by instinct, the chickens let out a “cluck” and turned direction just before disaster could strike.

Cloud Qingwu caught a glimpse of this scene from the corner of his eye. He expressionlessly raised his hand to cover Xiao Dao’s eyes.

The half-fox is disliked even by chickens.

Sister Liu opened the door to the house in the center. An Eight Immortals table was placed in the middle, with two grand chairs on either side. Three wooden chairs were neatly arranged on both sides of the main room.

The materials used were simple but neat.

Sister Liu pulled aside the cloth curtain on the left: “This room is for guests. It’s usually empty. You two can sleep here.”

“Only…” Cloud Qingwu started to say something, then swallowed it.

It was a common family; having an empty room was already fortunate. He couldn’t ask the hosts to inconvenience themselves. Moreover, since they said they were brothers and they were both men, there was no reason to ask for separate rooms.

Leng Lici’s frown hadn’t eased since they arrived. He pursed his lips and examined the room, remaining silent.

Seeing his expression, Sister Liu thought he was worried about the room’s cleanliness and quickly explained: “Oh, don’t worry. We clean this room every day. It’s spotless!”

“We didn’t mean that. We are already very grateful that you are willing to take us in, Sister Liu,” Cloud Qingwu replied promptly.

Leng Lici walked over to the chair opposite the bed, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

Cloud Qingwu looked at Leng Lici, who clearly had no intention of engaging further. His palms were itching to throw an ice spear at him, but reason kept him calm. He turned back and smoothed things over: “He’s a little tired. He gets quiet when he’s tired. Don’t mind him.”

Sister Liu waved her hand and laughed openly: “I understand, I understand. You two rest. I’ll get you something to eat.”

Cloud Qingwu instinctively wanted to refuse, but the unfamiliar hunger pangs in his stomach made him change his approach: “We’ll trouble you then, Sister Liu.”

After Sister Liu left, the room fell silent. Cloud Qingwu placed the sleeping Xiao Dao on the bed and sat down. He looked at the meditating Leng Lici opposite him, his expression stern: “If you don’t want to be found out and kicked out, I advise you to cooperate with me more.”

The meditating man opened his eyes, his gaze cold: “This Venerable One has already made an exception by sparing their lives.”

The implication was that letting those people live was his cooperation.

Cloud Qingwu let out a short, mocking laugh: “If they had all attacked together, could you have escaped in your current state?”

These words precisely hit Leng Lici’s sore spot. Anger surged in his cold eyes: “Get lost!”

“You can get lost if you want; I won’t stop you.” Cloud Qingwu looked down and gently patted the swaddling cloth. The muffled irritation he had been suppressing felt much better.

Of course, Leng Lici couldn’t possibly leave, so silence returned to the room.

After a while, Sister Liu’s voice was heard from outside. Dinner was ready.

Cloud Qingwu got up, picked up the child, and walked toward the door. Before leaving, he glanced at the demon on the chair. Leng Lici was still sitting with his eyes closed, his posture unchanged, clearly having no intention of coming out.

He’d better starve to death.

He inwardly grumbled, then left the room without looking back.

“Here, this is the cradle our youngest daughter, Qu Lin, used when she was little. Put Xiao Dao in it. It’s inconvenient to hold her all the time.” Sister Liu pointed to a wooden cradle nearby. The cradle showed obvious signs of wear, indicating it had some age.

A little girl with two thick, long braids and silver ornaments on her head ran over. She eagerly strained her neck to look into the swaddling clothes, her eyes full of curiosity: “Mother! Am I going to have a little brother or sister?”

“You want a little brother or sister? Then you’ll have to beg Father and Mother more.” Qu Wen walked in, pinched his sister’s cheek, and chuckled.

Sister Liu slapped her son’s shoulder and teased: “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Everyone took their seats. Sister Liu glanced at the curtain in the doorway: “Yun Wu, why didn’t your younger brother come out?”

“He’s not hungry, Sister Liu. Don’t worry about him.”

“How can that be!” Sister Liu got up, took an empty bowl, and put a little of every dish in it, placing it next to Cloud Qingwu’s seat. She thought for a moment, silently organizing her words, then spoke vaguely: “Hus… companion…”

“There’s no such thing as holding a grudge overnight between brothers. Since you’re the older brother, you should be more understanding. Take this to Leng Ci later, alright?”

Why is Sister Liu’s tone so strange?

Cloud Qingwu looked confused but couldn’t pinpoint what was strange about it.