They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 92

Chapter 92: Working Together

The pressure on Leng Licí and Yun Qingwu intensified sharply. Veins on their foreheads subtly bulged from the exertion.

Leng Licí stared at You Su Qiān, his gaze chillingly cold. He abruptly reverted to his true form, rushing toward You Su Qiān. As he neared, his bone sword extended, attempting to wrap around You Su Qiān.

You Su Qiān sneered, striking with his long whip, shua, breaking free.

Leng Licí swiftly changed direction. Fire erupted on his sword, leaping toward You Su Qiān. You Su Qiān grasped the bone sword with his bare hand, forcibly redirecting the flame with the wind, making it rush toward the fields.

Yun Qingwu tightly gripped his ice spear, holding back the downward pressure. He formed a hand seal with his left hand. The moisture in the air immediately condensed into ice, freezing the fire, which was about to spiral out of control, right where it was.

The villagers below watched the scene, all of them anxious.

Sister-in-law Lí shouted: “Brother Yún, Brother Leng, you can’t fight anymore! If you keep fighting, our homes will be destroyed!”

Some villagers, seeing the seawater rapidly approaching, couldn’t help but sound like they were about to cry. “If everything is gone, how are we supposed to live!”

Leng Licí delivered another strike. He said coldly, “Stop? Not only your homes, but you won’t even keep your lives.”

Yun Qingwu looked at the increasingly out-of-control You Su Qiān, understanding that if the stalemate continued, it would be detrimental, not beneficial. They needed to resolve this quickly. He looked at the villagers below: “Can everyone please look for a formation centered around an iron rod carved with blood patterns? If this array is destroyed, everything will calm down.”

You Su Qiān gave a scornful laugh. “With these mortals? Yun Qingwu, are you arrogant or desperate?”

Hearing this, the villagers looked highly displeased.

Sister-in-law Lí: “Mortals? What about mortals? Don’t you look down on people!”

The crowd: “Exactly! Exactly! Is there anyone who knows this village better than us?”

Leng Licí looked at Yun Qingwu doubtfully. Yun Qingwu nodded, and Leng Licí said no more. He instead drew a fire token. “When you find the array, someone will come to help destroy it.”

Lǐ Dá: “Don’t worry! We’ll mobilize the whole village. We’ll find it for you within one hour!”

“Hmph, overestimating yourselves.” You Su Qiān swung his long whip, sending another wave of wind and sea energy.

Leng Licí met the attack head-on. The two began to shift from offense to defense, striving to buy the villagers more time.

“Are you sure they can find it?” Leng Licí asked, his voice strained, as he quickly returned to Yun Qingwu’s side during a lull.

Yun Qingwu nodded, his tone firm. “Since they were able to find the Crazy Old Man, they will surely be able to find the Spirit Gathering Array.”

Leng Licí tossed all the defensive magical artifacts in his possession toward the villagers. “Then this Lord will trust them this one time.”

…

In the small courtyard, Liu Yu, Jì Lín, and Cuī Yóu watched the increasingly fierce wind outside the courtyard with worry.

Liu Yu: “They won’t be in trouble, will they?”

Jì Lín and Cuī Yóu suggested, “How about we go and see?”

“You going will only add to the chaos and is completely useless.” Yang Yuanli walked out of the room, with the still-confused Crazy Old Man standing beside him.

Yang Yuanli looked at the sky, which was already half-dark, and then at the three Yún Chuāns. “I will take you away from this village first. Only when you are safe can they focus without worries.”

Hearing this, the others were hesitant.

Cuī Yóu: “Little Cí and Qingwu don’t know the situation. How can we leave them behind?”

Yang Yuanli’s face showed impatience. “What use can you be by staying? If you are captured, you will only trouble them.”

Liu Yu looked at the other two. “I feel like what he says makes sense.”

Jì Lín looked at Yang Yuanli. “Where are you taking us?”

Yang Yuanli: “Don’t worry, it won’t be far. My movement is restricted to a maximum of a ten-mile radius.”

The group exchanged glances and temporarily agreed to the plan. They took the Crazy Old Man and followed Yang Yuanli out of Yùhǎi Village and toward the city center.

Yang Yuanli felt the item in his embrace. As long as he recovered his spiritual power, he would be able to lift the restriction Leng Licí had placed on him. Then, he could take the four men back to the Heavenly Realm and seize the initiative.

However, even though everything was going according to plan, Yang Yuanli did not feel pleased. He recognized the aura of the Spirit Gathering Array in Yùhǎi Village. If You Su Qiān chose mutual destruction, neither Yun Qingwu nor the villagers would likely survive.

“Brother Yáng? Brother Yáng?” Liu Yu’s voice snapped Yang Yuanli out of his thoughts. He looked at Liu Yu.

Liu Yu: “What are you thinking about? You’re so absorbed.”

Yang Yuanli composed himself. “I was just wondering how Senior Brother and the others are doing.”

The lie wasn’t entirely false. Liu Yu didn’t notice anything amiss and urged, “Where should we stay?”

Yang Yuanli casually pointed to an inn. “This one.”

…

Late at night, the inn was closed, and the daytime clamor had completely subsided.

Yang Yuanli opened the window and sent a secret message to the Heavenly Realm.

The four fragments were also still awake that night. Thanks to Jì Lín’s mediation, the four were in the same room, staring at each other and contemplating countermeasures. They happened to witness the martial deity Yáng Duàn flying into Yang Yuanli’s room through the window.

Except for the Crazy Old Man, the other three exchanged looks. The meaning was clear: “This Yang Yuanli is up to no good!”

Liu Yu: “It looks like we need to find a way to escape Yang Yuanli’s watch.”

Cuī Yóu beckoned for everyone to gather, whispering, “How about we do this…”

…

“Yuǎnli, what exactly happened?” Yáng Duàn struck the palm of his hand against Yang Yuanli’s back, forcing the needle out.

Yang Yuanli shook his head. “Nothing, I was just carelessly ambushed by that demon fox.”

Yáng Duàn recalled Leng Licí, and his anger still simmered. He turned his back. “That demon fox is truly arrogant! Next time, I will teach him a good lesson!”

Yang Yuanli had other matters to attend to and didn’t want to elaborate. He urged, “Father, you can leave now. I will handle my own affairs.”

Yáng Duàn gave a heh and chuckled. “After you’ve used your father, you think he’s redundant. Fine, I have my own important matters to attend to.”

After Yáng Duàn left, Yang Yuanli called for the waiter and ordered a pot of wine. Some matters were best handled quickly before things got complicated. He needed to act fast.

This played right into the hands of Liu Yu and the others.

After three rounds of drinks, the empty wine bottles on the table piled up. Yang Yuanli felt as if his mind had been stuffed with cotton wool; every step he took felt unsteady.

He shook his head, looking at Liu Yu, who was still sober across the table.

Faintly, he thought, I clearly put a sleeping spell in the wine. Why is this person still so sober?

“Brother Yáng, come, let’s have another drink. You’re not drunk, are you?”

“Of course not.”

No, he needs to increase the dosage.

Yang Yuanli thought, and drank the wine in his cup.

After two more pots, he suddenly collapsed onto the table, completely unconscious.

“This immortal’s tolerance for alcohol is quite good.” Liu Yu stood up, wiped the wine from his mouth, and clapped his hands. The door opened. Cuī Yóu and Jì Lín were dressed identically to Liu Yu. The three stood together like superimposed images, though the faces of the other two clearly showed a flushed sign of intoxication.

Only the Crazy Old Man behind them was markedly different from the trio.

“Done. Let’s take the Crazy Old Man and go.”

“Stop!” The unconscious person suddenly propped himself up and shouted.

The four froze, staring intently at Yang Yuanli. After a while, the person who had propped up slumped back down.

A gold-flashing object fell to the ground with a clang during this up-and-down movement. The four pairs of eyes all looked at it.

Jì Lín’s eyes widened in shock. It’s his hairpin!

But the Crazy Old Man was the quickest to react. He rushed forward in a few steps, picked up the hairpin, and his hazy eyes instantly became clear. “I found it! I found it! Xiǎozhú… I found you.”

Liu Yu and Cuī Yóu were stunned, then looked at Jì Lín with doubt. “How did your hairpin end up on him? What was with the hairpin the other day?”

Jì Lín knew he was in the wrong but was also furious. He said angrily, “What else could it be? That hairpin was a fake I prepared specifically. I didn’t expect the real one to disappear suddenly afterward.”

As he spoke, he angrily walked up and slapped Yang Yuanli’s head hard. “So it was this thief who stole it!”

The Crazy Old Man was now lucid and much more composed. He put the hairpin into his bosom and looked at the other three. “There’s no time to lose. We need to hurry back.”

Jì Lín rolled his eyes at him. “Now you know to be fast.”

Despite the remark, the four immediately set off.

…

After the four walked away, the room became quiet again. The person who had been seemingly drunk and unconscious opened his eyes. Although there was a sign of intoxication, he was far from completely unconscious.

Yang Yuanli stood up and walked toward Yùhǎi Village.

Since they went to Yùhǎi Village, I should naturally go and capture them.

…

Meanwhile, in Yùhǎi Village.

After switching to a strategy focused on defense, Yun Qingwu and Leng Licí’s attacks were constantly constrained. This caused the usually aggressive Leng Licí’s face to grow darker and his strained patience to run thin.

Due to the excessive consumption of spiritual energy, a few cracks had appeared on You Su Qiān’s face, but he was completely unaware. Seeing the pair thus constrained, he became even more excited, launching attacks even more recklessly.

“Heh, Leng Licí, when did you become so timid? Why are you playing the good guy here? Are you the kind of person who cares about the fate of these ants?”

“Shut up!” Leng Licí stared at You Su Qiān, his eyes as cold as sharp blades. His bone sword and the ice spear combined, condensing into a massive energy shield that completely dissolved You Su Qiān’s attacks.

However, due to the prolonged stalemate, the efficiency of this absorption was already strained.

“Can they actually do it?!” Leng Licí looked at Yun Qingwu, his tone grinding.

Yun Qingwu’s face was also pale. “Give them a little more time.”

“A-dàd, Daddy—”

In the midst of the stalemate, a sweet, childlike voice suddenly appeared in the howling wind.

Both Yun Qingwu and Leng Licí’s hearts lurched. They turned their heads to the source of the sound—it was Little Dāo, who should have been sleeping in the courtyard.

Little Dāo had clearly had a rough journey; her body and face were covered in mud. When she saw Yun Qingwu and Leng Licí, her previously wrinkled little face immediately brightened. She shouted again, “A-dàd! Daddy!”

Leng Licí frowned, sharply ordering, “Go back!”

Yun Qingwu looked at Little Dāo. A different thought occurred to him: Where is Yang Yuanli?

Little Dāo blinked her large eyes, looking blankly at her two fathers, clearly unable to understand the current situation.

You Su Qiān looked at Little Dāo with disgust and sneered. “I thought it was just a little bastard you had with some female demon, but it turns out to be a little monster created by you two men.”

As he spoke, he looked Leng Licí and Yun Qingwu up and down with a frivolous and malicious gaze. “Which one of you gave birth? Leng Licí, was it you, hahahaha—”

“None of your business!” Leng Licí’s tail suddenly swelled several times its size, forming an avatar of the tail with the surrounding air currents and powerfully whipping toward You Su Qiān.

Yun Qingwu followed closely. With a wave of his hand, a pile of ice shards from the void pelted You Su Qiān’s head and face.

You Su Qiān looked at Leng Licí’s fluffy tail, recalling his own mutilation. The anger nearly burned away his remaining reason. He forcibly gathered all his spiritual power once more, concentrated it in his long whip, and violently lashed out at Little Dāo.

“Die!”

The hurricane roared even more fiercely than before. Some trees were already swaying precariously under the force. A giant wave, like half a mountain peak, swept toward them with the force to destroy the entire village.

Yun Qingwu looked at Leng Licí. “A-Cí, I’ll save Little Dāo! I’ll leave this to you.”

Leng Licí nodded. Yun Qingwu flew toward Little Dāo.

But at that very moment, all the changes suddenly ceased. All the commotion and the wind and waves seemed to be calmed by someone, abruptly falling silent.

The spiritual power that had caused the unrest continuously flowed into Little Dāo’s body, bathing her in a layer of light. The person at the center of the light was oblivious to all of this. She merely found it amusing, poked the bright light in front of her, and smiled at the approaching Yun Qingwu. “Shiny!”

Leng Licí: “…”

Yun Qingwu stared at the scene in astonishment, momentarily forgetting about You Su Qiān.

You Su Qiān, on the other hand, watched Little Dāo in disbelief. He tried to stir up the wind and waves again, unwilling to give up, but no matter how he gathered his spiritual power, it was like a clay ox plunging into the sea, unable to cause any ripple.