Goldfish trembled as he held onto Sandan tightly within the depths of the soft blanket, silently praying in his heart that Daddy, Father, and Erdan would all come back safely. He vowed to protect Sandan with all his might, not making a sound no matter what noises came from outside.
A faint creak sounded.
Goldfish shuddered all over, clutching Sandan even tighter, holding his breath. He heard footsteps entering the room, as if someone was surveying the surroundings. The room fell slightly quieter. Goldfish’s heart nearly jumped into his throat.
“No one here?”
A familiar voice rang out, causing Goldfish to pause for a moment, almost thinking he had misheard.
Was it Father? Has Father really come back?
Or was it a bad person pretending to be Father?
“Just a moment ago, they were clearly in the room. How come now not a single one can be seen?”
Another voice, the uncle from the demon clan who was with Daddy.
He tentatively tried to lift a corner of the soft blanket, peeking outside to assess the situation. Before he could even lift it a bit, the whole blanket was snatched away.
Instinctively, Goldfish held Sandan closer, trembling and turned his little bottom towards the intruder, his voice tinged with tears, “Don’t take away my little brother. If you want to take someone, take me!”
The room fell silent for a moment. Goldfish dared not open his eyes, but found himself enveloped in gentle arms.
“Dandan, it’s Father.” Yu Ce’s heart ached slightly, holding the little kid in his arms, smoothing out his messy hair, and softly asked, “Daddy and your little brother went away?”
Upon hearing his familiar tone, tears that Goldfish had been holding back streamed down his face. He threw himself into Yu Ce’s embrace, choked up, “There was a bad person who came and wanted to take me and Sandan away. Daddy led him away to protect us.”
In his embrace, Sandan lay quietly as if asleep, unharmed. He had protected his little brother well.
He was so scared.
Yu Ce’s heart clenched. He hadn’t expected so much to happen at this moment. With Shen Tanqi’s nearly depleted spiritual energy, he couldn’t possibly match the demon clan.
Suppressing his anxious thoughts, Yu Ce gently placed Goldfish on the ground and whispered, “It’s okay, Father’s back. Don’t be afraid. I’ll go find Daddy and Erdan. You stay here with Uncle and don’t run around.”
Goldfish nodded, clutching Yu Ce’s collar tightly, nervously saying, “I’ll be good. Father, please save Daddy and Erdan.”
Yu Ce took a deep breath. He had just won the final match of the grand sect competition, defeating Lin Tanjiu. He hadn’t even had time to collect the rewards before hearing the news of Taro Ball’s disappearance from Shen Tanwu. Now Goldfish told him that Shen Tanqi had also been taken by the demon clan.
If something happened to Ah Qi and Erdan, he would never forgive himself!
As he pushed open the door to leave, a head collided with his embrace. Instinctively, he reached for his sword, but froze in place when he recognized the person’s face, feeling somewhat bewildered, “Ah Qi, are you alright?”
Shen Tanqi rubbed his sore forehead and whispered, “You scared me. I thought the demons had come back to take Goldfish.”
Having just killed Yan Ning, his hands were still hot. Thinking of Xie Chi tying up Taro Ball, Shen Tanqi couldn’t wait to rush back to Rongyun Sect and chop Xie Chi into pieces.
Upon hearing Shen Tanqi’s voice, Goldfish rushed over like a little cannonball and hugged him tightly, “Daddy, you’re not hurt, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” Shen Tanqi bent down, embraced Goldfish, rubbed his head gently, and softly said, “Goldfish did a great job, protecting Sandan well.”
With his voice down, Goldfish, who was already suppressing sadness and fear, couldn’t help crying. He clenched his fists and said firmly, “Because I am the big brother, I must protect my little brother!”
The little kid was so thoughtful that it was heartbreaking. Even though he was only three years old, he was so scared that he was shaking all over, but he was trying so hard to protect his family.
Shen Tanqi’s eyes slightly reddened with relief. “Good, Goldfish, let’s go rescue Taro Ball together.”
Shen Tanwu held Sandan in his arms, sitting on a bamboo chair, and said quietly, “Hurry up, there’s no time to waste. With Senior Brother Fang watching over at the grand sect competition, you should go back now.”
Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce nodded in agreement. They had no time to pack up. Leading Goldfish over to Shen Tanwu and carefully packed Sandan into a small bundle. Shen Tanqi said, “Brother, please take care of the two children for me.”
Goldfish and Sandan couldn’t protect themselves. With Xie Chi breaking through to the Golden Immortal stage, Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce weren’t sure they could win. Entrusting the children to Shen Tanwu was their best option.
Shen Tanwu frowned and said, “The children will be safe with Senior Brother Fang here. I’ll go with you. More hands make lighter work.”
How could Shen Tanqi not know his brother’s concern for him? After a moment of hesitation, he heard Yu Ce quietly say, “Let’s go together. Otherwise, if Xie Chi sends people to attack again, the children will be in even greater danger.”
“But…” Shen Tanqi pursed his lips and glanced at Shen Tanwu. His brother had just crossed over and hadn’t fully adapted to Huo Yening’s body, which had very little demonic energy left. If the demons really came, Shen Tanwu might not be able to handle it either.
After a moment of silence, he sighed and said, “Alright, let’s go together. Brother, take Goldfish and Sandan in another carriage. Yu Ce and I will take the fastest carriage ahead.”
Shen Tanwu hugged Sandan close and nodded, “OK.”
Before leaving, clouds had gathered in the sky, shrouding the world in a heavy, murky fog, casting uncertainty over the path ahead. Shen Tanqi glanced back at the two little cubs and Shen Tanwu.
“Second,” Shen Tanwu watched as Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce boarded the carriage, looking at him firmly, “Win without losing a single hair, you hear me?”
Hearing this, Shen Tanqi smiled to ease his worry, nodding, “It’s alright. With Yu Ce there, nothing will happen.”
Yu Ce had the protagonist’s aura and wouldn’t die no matter what. In the original book, Yu Ce had never lost, so this time wouldn’t be any different.
Under Shen Tanwu’s concerned gaze, Shen Tanqi turned away and got onto the carriage with Yu Ce without looking back.
The carriage was specifically provided by Rongyun Sect for inner disciples, faster than others. Yu Ce infused it with spiritual energy, and the carriage immediately sped out of the city.
In the narrow cabin, the two sat facing each other, both with furrowed brows.
Shen Tanqi sensed Yu Ce’s somber mood and gently asked, “How was the trial?”
Upon hearing his voice, Yu Ce slowly raised his gaze and replied, “I won.”
Lin Tanjiu’s strength was formidable, especially being from the Feiluan Sect with robust physical stamina. They battled for a long time before determining the winner.
Shen Tanqi narrowed his eyes and chuckled, “I knew you’d win.”
“Got lucky,” Yu Ce murmured softly.
He knew Ah Qi was just trying to comfort him, to ease his nerves.
But even with Shen Tanqi’s words, Yu Ce couldn’t calm down.
Dragons had a premonition ability about future events, shared by him and Goldfish. For instance, this time, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a plot aimed at them from the start.
Maybe Ah Qi was right. He was the son of heaven, but not one who had an easy path to success. Instead, he often encountered numerous conspiracies that put those around him in danger.
“Ah Qi, you should go back,” he suddenly said in the quiet carriage.
As the words fell, Shen Tanqi incredulously looked up at him and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? Taro Ball has been taken away, and you want me to go back alone?”
What did he mean? Did he think he would be harmed by Xie Chi if he went, or did he think he would get in the way?
He had just taken the Stretch Legs and Widen Eyes Pill, his spiritual energy surged throughout his body.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Shen Tanqi felt he was halfway to the Soul Transformation stage. With two Soul Transformation cultivators, they might stand a chance against a Golden Immortal. If Yu Ce went alone, even if he didn’t die, he would be severely injured.
Yu Ce lowered his eyelashes, turned his face away, and looked out at the blurred scenery rushing past the window. He solemnly said, “This journey is dangerous. It’s enough for me to go.”
This silly dragon was once again fixating on strange details. Shen Tanqi stood up, sat beside him, gently turned Yu Ce’s face towards him, and said seriously, “Taro Ball is not just your child, he’s my child too. You ask me to wait while you go rescue him, I can’t do that.”
His warm, dry palms held Yu Ce’s face. Yu Ce gazed silently at him, his eyes tinged with worry and a cold mist. Their eyes met, and Shen Tanqi couldn’t help but lean down and kiss the corner of his lips softly, whispering, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Didn’t we agree to return after the grand sect competition and get married?”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ce nodded obediently. His eyes still fixed on Shen Tanqi, he murmured softly, “Hmm, bring Taro Ball back home, and we’ll get married.”
He wouldn’t break his promise. He would bring their son back and marry Ah Qi.
At Xianding Lake, Taro Ball nestled in Xie Chi’s arms. This jerk had been combing his hair, even shamelessly chatting about his father in front of him.
“You look just like Yu Ce when he was young.” Xie Chi stroked the child’s head, reminiscing about the past. “Your father and I grew up together. Although he’s surnamed Yu and I’m surnamed Xie, I’ve always treated him like a brother—”
His words trailed off slightly, Xie Chi’s gaze suddenly turning cold. He continued lightly, “Of course, that was before he kicked me out of Hidden Dragon Valley.”
Taro Ball didn’t believe a word Xie Chi said. Right now, all he wanted was to free his innocent hair from Xie Chi’s hands, or he might end up bald under Xie Chi’s care.
He tentatively reached out to rescue his strands of hair, but Xie Chi seemed oblivious, speaking softly with a hint of melancholy, “You’re also of the dragon race; you should understand my feelings. Imagine growing up with your younger brother, just like I did with your father.”
“He excelled at everything, exceptionally talented with strong comprehension ability. He was the most outstanding among all the dragon children, just like your Nascent Soul stage brother.”
Taro Ball paused slightly.
“No matter what you do, you can never surpass him. He was appointed by my aunt as the future leader of the dragon race when he was born. Everyone must obey and support him, finding ways to elevate him to the top position in the Three Realms.”
“If it were just that, you might endure it, knowing you’re not as capable as him. To survive among the dragons, you must abide by their rules.”
Xie Chi’s voice paused briefly, his gaze suddenly darkening. “But he stubbornly refused to know his place, foolishly dreaming of saving humanity and completely forgetting where he came from. So, I had to find ways to toughen him up.”
“When he was seven, he kept a foolish rabbit, just as foolish as you. I accidentally caught him feeding water to the rabbit that day and told my aunt. I said, as the clan leader, he should be more ruthless and heartless. How could he do such foolish things like raising a rabbit?”
Taro Ball looked up at him in disbelief, unable to comprehend why Xie Chi would think this way. It was just a rabbit; how could it relate to the position of clan leader?
Xie Chi smiled lightly and continued, “You should understand, I was certainly doing it for my brother’s own good. Back then, I hoped Yu Ce would ascend to the position of clan leader. Then, I could be by his side, and together we would wield power over all three realms.”
Pausing here, Xie Chi sighed deeply and said, “But Yu Ce didn’t understand my good intentions. Instead, he thought I was deliberately plotting against him, intentionally causing my aunt to kill his rabbit. Don’t you think he’s ungrateful?”
Taro Ball felt his scalp tingling, a chilling sensation creeping over his entire being.
Not only because of what Xie Chi and his aunt had done, but also because Xie Chi believed he had done nothing wrong at all. Everything was blamed on Yu Ce.
Xie Chi was no longer just a member of the demon clan; he had truly become an emotionless demon.
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)
