At the same time, far away beneath the Xianding Lake in Rongyun Sect City.
Xie Chi slowly emerged from the bottomless lake, holding a dripping wet little kid in his hand.
That face was no longer Xie Chi’s. It was unmistakably Shen Han, who had once been imprisoned in the water dungeon by Shen Fei!
If Shen Tanqi were here, he would recall what the system had said — after the original body died, the Shen family suddenly had a ruthless, cunning illegitimate child. After the Shen family head died of illness, this illegitimate son tightly controlled the Shen family, repeatedly using schemes to almost kill Yu Ce.
The illegitimate son mentioned by the system was actually ‘Shen Han’ after Xie Chi took over his body.
Xie Chi was obviously very satisfied with this body. Although it couldn’t compare to Shen Tanqi’s body, which he had nourished with the dragon ball, it was still talented. As a member of the Shen family, once that old coot of the Shen family died, he could openly inherit the Shen family’s vast assets and the entire Shuoxia City.
Next to him, a pale-faced teenager quietly approached, as if he had been standing there for a long time.
“I still don’t understand why you brought Shen Tanqi’s child?” Jing Wei returned to Xie Chi’s side, staring numbly at the Taro Ball in his hand, as if looking at a lifeless object.
Xie Chi smiled and placed the little kid on the ground, laughing, “This isn’t just Shen Tanqi’s son, he’s also Yu Ce’s son.”
He leaned down, looking at the soaking wet little kid whose eyes showed a hint of fear, and smiled wickedly, “Right, Little Goldfish?”
‘Little Goldfish’ shivered in fear, whispering, “What are you going to do?”
Seeing the fear on the face so similar to Yu Ce’s, Xie Chi felt even more delighted. He reached out, gently stroking the little kid’s head, and said, “Nothing at all, don’t be afraid. Do I look like a bad person?”
The little kid hesitated for a moment. “No, you don’t.” In his mind, Taro Ball silently added a string of insults, thinking of Xie Chi as nothing more than a huge jerk and a big idiot.
Xie Chi seemed even more pleased, sitting on a rock by the lake and placing the kid on his lap. He started to untangle the wet strands of hair, pretending to be gentle. “That’s right, how could I be a bad person? I’m your uncle.”
Taro Ball bit his lip, glancing at Jing Wei on the opposite side. Jing Wei’s eyes darkened a bit, seemingly recognizing him.
They had met that day in Wenqiu City when he had taken his little brother to get treated. Daddy’s brother had said that Jing Wei would become his daddy’s godson.
But why was Jing Wei with this bad guy Xie Chi now?
It was so strange; something felt off.
“What’s wrong?”
Xie Chi’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Taro Ball instinctively looked up, his voice trembling. “Nothing.”
He needed to put on a good act, make Xie Chi let his guard down, and wait for the right moment to reveal his identity. By then, his daddy and father should have finished their swordsmanship trial and would quickly realize he was missing.
Hearing his obedient response, Xie Chi felt even more satisfied. “You’re much more sensible than your father.”
Taro Ball didn’t know if he was referring to Shen Tanqi or Yu Ce, or maybe both.
This villain, too scared to face his father directly, only resorted to sneaky tricks. Taro Ball despised him!
Just then, a few demons hurried down from the mountain. Seeing Xie Chi’s breakthrough, they immediately knelt and saluted. “Congratulations to the Demon Lord on successfully transcending the tribulation to become a Great Golden Immortal!”
Great Golden Immortal.
Taro Ball was shocked, suddenly understanding why Xie Chi had taken over a human body.
Dragon tribulations are incredibly fearsome. Typically, a dragon reaching the Nascent Soul stage is considered highly powerful. To advance beyond that, they had to endure even harsher tribulations.
The more one’s cultivation accumulates, the stronger the lightning tribulations they would face.
Without taking over a human body, Xie Chi would likely never have a chance to surpass Yu Ce.
Human tribulations are child’s play compared to those of daemons. Even post-tribulation advancement is much simpler for humans, likely the reason Xie Chi chose to possess a human body.
Xie Chi seemed quite pleased by the demons’ words, casually remarking, “Great Golden Immortal… it’s not much after all.”
He reached out, and the vast lake behind them instantly evaporated, replaced by roaring flames emerging from the lakebed, transforming the lake into a sea of fire!
The scorching heat waves made Taro Ball squint, his heart pounding even faster.
He was scared. With Xie Chi’s current cultivation, could he already see through the fact that he wasn’t the real Goldfish?
After all, a Great Golden Immortal could easily detect someone’s cultivation level with a mere wisp of spiritual energy.
Fortunately, Xie Chi didn’t seem to doubt Taro Ball’s identity, nor did he show any intention of probing.
Terrified, Taro Ball watched the raging sea of fire. The flames licked the shore, as if they could burn right into his bones. He could only silently pray for his father and daddy to arrive quickly.
Otherwise…
Rongyun Sect might really face a catastrophe!
Meanwhile, Shen Tanqi lay motionless beside Shen Tanwu, allowing himself to be carried back to the inn.
He wanted to watch Yu Ce finish the final match, but his body ached terribly, feeling as if his bones were falling apart. His arms were completely drained of strength, and all he wanted was to find a bed and sleep.
“That’s what you get for showing off, knowing you can’t win but still insisting on fighting,” Shen Tanwu muttered softly, adjusting Shen Tanqi on his back. “Didn’t you say Yu Ce is the protagonist? Why are you even trying to fight the protagonist?”
Shen Tanqi slumped against his shoulder, pouting. “But I wanted to try.”
Hearing this, Shen Tanwu snorted lightly, “I never knew you were so determined. Have you been running marathons behind my back?”
Shen Tanqi chuckled, “How could I run? I can barely move.”
“…Get lost.”
Lying on his brother’s back, Shen Tanqi felt completely relaxed. The world seemed beautiful—he had his family, Yu Ce, and the little kids sleeping soundly at the inn..
He must be the happiest person in the world, right?
“Why is there only one?”
Shen Tanqi snapped out of his blissful thoughts, puzzled. “Only one what?”
Shen Tanwu furrowed his brows, gently placing Shen Tanqi on a nearby seat. “Look.”
Shen Tanqi had mentioned there were two twins and an egg. Shen Tanwu, not yet accustomed to his new body, hadn’t checked on them yet. But now, looking at the bed, there was only one little kid.
Following his gaze, Shen Tanqi saw the soft bed where Goldfish was sucking on his finger, tiny butt facing them, softly snoring in his sleep.
Shen Tanqi looked more closely and indeed didn’t see Taro Ball.
Suddenly alert, Shen Tanqi scanned the room. Taro Ball wasn’t hiding in any strange corner. Where could he have gone?
Although Taro Ball was at the Nascent Soul stage, he was still just a three-year-old child. Shen Tanqi felt a growing unease. He climbed to the bed, gently shaking Goldfish’s shoulder, hoping Taro Ball had just gone out to play. “Goldfish, wake up. Where’s your brother?”
Goldfish blinked sleepily upon seeing Shen Tanqi, instinctively reaching out with tiny hands. “Brother is sleeping…”
Shen Tanqi asked anxiously, “Where is he sleeping?”
“Just right…” The little kid’s brows furrowed lightly as he fully opened his eyes, seeing the empty bed beside him. He scratched his cheek. “Brother was sleeping with me just now.”
How could he wake up and find his brother gone?
This was bad.
Goldfish didn’t know either, indicating that Taro Ball was really missing!
Shen Tanqi knew Taro Ball wasn’t the type to leave without saying anything. He always informed someone before going out. How could he have left without even a note?
Could he have encountered some danger?
The more Shen Tanqi thought about it, the more anxious he became. His fingertips, already weak, trembled even more lightly.
Shen Tanwu noticed his brother’s anxiety, furrowing his brow. He reached out and held Shen Tanqi’s hand, saying, “I’ll go find Yu Ce. Don’t let the child worry.”
At these words, Shen Tanqi calmed down briefly, nodding. “Thanks, brother.” His body was truly powerless now, forcing Shen Tanwu to take charge. If he could move, Shen Tanqi would have flown to Yu Ce himself to find their child.
Hearing this, Shen Tanwu sighed helplessly. “It’s no trouble. I’m your brother, after all. I’ll go.”
Shen Tanqi nodded, but suddenly remembered something. He turned back and dug deep into the bed, uncovering layer after layer of soft blankets, until he unearthed a round, smooth dragon egg.
Thank goodness, thank goodness.
Both Goldfish and Sandan are fine.
But where could Taro Ball possibly have gone?
Shen Tanqi gritted his teeth, pushing himself up and rolling up his sleeve to reveal the wrist branded with golden patterns.
He didn’t know what use this master-servant contract held, but he had to try contacting Jing Wei to see if Xie Chi was behind this.
He cautiously infused spiritual energy into the contract pattern on his wrist. Under the influx of energy, the pattern gradually emitted a golden glow, which quickly dimmed again. It seemed the other party wasn’t willing to communicate at this moment.
“Jing Wei?”
No response.
Shen Tanqi felt an unbearable anxiety, as if a fire was burning in his heart. Beside him, Goldfish seemed to sense his distress and approached carefully, eyes shimmering with water. “Daddy, what happened to Erdan?”
In front of the little kid, Shen Tanqi subtly took a deep breath and whispered, “He’s fine. Taro Ball went out to play. I need to bring him back for something.”
So that’s it.
Goldfish looked at him with a sense of understanding, pursing his lips. Even though daddy said that, he could feel daddy was really worried.
The little kid lowered his long, thick eyelashes and gently placed his soft hand over the golden pattern. “Can this find my brother?”
Shen Tanqi nodded, unsure of what he intended.
Goldfish bit his lip and softly called out, “Brother, can you hear me? Come back quickly.”
Surprisingly, the pattern on Shen Tanqi’s wrist began to glow.
A faint young voice echoed in Shen Tanqi’s mind.
“Jing Wei is here.”
Before Shen Tanqi could utter a word, he heard the voice in his mind continue calmly, “Don’t worry, with me here, your son will be safe.”
Shen Tanqi:!
Taro Ball had indeed been abducted by that beast Xie Chi. He knew it!
Damn it.
But why did hearing Jing Wei’s voice suddenly make him feel so secure?
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
