Inside the mountain cave, a chill filled the air.
A dazzling blue light emanated from the dagger at Huo Yening’s waist. He slowly rested his hand on the hilt, his voice no longer casual: “Since you know everything, it seems the deal is off.”
The Dragon Ball, he had no choice but to use it.
This barely clinging-to-life existence wouldn’t end until the damn moment arrived.
The temperament of Bai Long, he had come to understand over these years. Unyielding, adhering strictly to his own sense of justice, lending the Dragon Ball to him for a few years was already the greatest concession.
Perhaps, in the eyes of Bai Long, their demon clan would forever be wicked and malicious. Helping them was just aiding and abetting tyranny.
Moreover, he had just betrayed Bai Long. Bai Long would never trust him again.
Never trust again…
Huo Yening tightened the grip on his dagger, swiftly unsheathing it. The sharp, cold blade was aimed at Bai Long.
Let it end here.
He thought.
A fierce battle was on the verge of erupting. At this critical moment, instead of drawing his sword to meet the threat, Bai Long slowly raised his hand, signaling Huo Yening to wait a moment. In an instant, he halted the overwhelming demonic aura surging from Huo Yening.
Huo Yening squinted at Bai Long, his tone unfriendly, “What tricks are you trying to pull?”
Ignoring his words, Bai Long was evasive, casually picking through the bamboo basket of bayberries. Finally, he selected a dripping, crimson, and sweet plum. Carefully turning it in his hand for a moment, he tossed it to Huo Yening from a distance.
Huo Yening blinked for a moment, subconsciously reaching out to catch the plum. His eyes dared not leave Bai Long for even a fraction of a second. “Trying to distract me, your move is a bit lame.”
Bai Long calmly spoke, “It’s what my senior brother taught me.”
“Huh?” Huo Yening lifted his eyes in slight confusion. However, he felt a chill in his hand. When he looked down, it wasn’t a delicious bayberry but a golden Dragon Ball radiating an icy and mysterious aura, harboring the essence of the heavens and the earth.
He was momentarily stunned, his hand gripping the dagger frozen in place.
Biting into a bayberry, Bai Long, with a smile, said, “As long as the goal is achieved, the morality of the process is irrelevant.”
As if not daring to believe, Huo Yening turned the Dragon Ball in his hand several times, tightly clutching it. He could feel the subtle threads of life force following his pulse, infiltrating every part of his body.
Turns out it’s a genuine Dragon Ball.
“Do you believe me?”
With trembling fingertips, Huo Yening lifted the Dragon Ball, holding it before his eyes. In disbelief, he looked at it again and again. For days, he couldn’t sleep, troubled by how to obtain Bai Long’s Dragon Ball. He never expected that Bai Long would simply give it to him.
Bai Long nonchalantly nodded and added, “But you have to tell me why you must use my Dragon Ball.”
At these words, Huo Yening set down his dagger, knowing he couldn’t escape this conversation. He sat beside Bai Long, sighing deeply, “The demon clan is too restless nowadays. If it weren’t for the thin face of our demon clan elder a hundred years ago, they would have invaded the realms of monsters and humans long ago.”
Glancing over, Huo Yening spotted the leftover melon seeds of Shen Tanqi. Familiarly, he grabbed a handful, started munching, and casually said with his legs crossed, “The longer I live, the more I can do when the war between humans and demons breaks out. Plus, you see, I can still gather some inside information from the demon clan and pass it on to you, right?”
The corner of Bai Long’s mouth twitched, inexplicably feeling that Huo Yening and Shen Tanqi seemed more like a pair of brothers.
Their actions of cracking melon seeds were identical, quite peculiar.
He rubbed his forehead and asked, “So, what exactly is that demonic creature?”
“I heard it’s some relic from five hundred years ago, called Chen Gui, a creature formed from the evil thoughts of the three realms,” Huo Yening recalled for a moment and continued, “I only know that the demon clan has found the ritual to resurrect Chen Gui. They probably haven’t succeeded yet. Inform Rongyun Sect when you return, so they can prepare. Let me extract more detailed information, and then you can make plans.”
Pausing, as if just remembering something, Huo Yening pointed outside the cave, smiling mysteriously, “By the way, earlier you called him senior brother. What’s going on? Are you and Shen Tanqi getting along well now, a blossoming romance?”
He distinctly remembered the first time Bai Long mentioned his ‘good senior brother’ Shen Tanqi – one was insulting, the other enduring everything. Although their relationship wasn’t deeply hostile, there was a hint of resentment.
Now, he was casually calling the other senior brother, sounding quite intimate.
Mentioning Shen Tanqi, Bai Long’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and he blurted out, “No, my senior brother and I are pure and clean.”
“Pure and clean, huh? Clean enough to share a bed.” Huo Yening chuckled, evidently not believing his nonsense.
Just as Bai Long was about to explain it was only out of necessity, Huo Yening waved his hand, indifferent, and stood up.
“I don’t want to hear about the affairs of you young people,” Huo Yening chuckled and said, “But I feel that this Shen Tanqi is quite different from your previous description. If you didn’t lie to me earlier, I guess Shen Tanqi might have been possessed by someone.”
As his words fell, Bai Long hesitated for a moment.
He had never considered possession before, and Shen Tanqi showed no signs of the dead aura associated with possession.
If the current Shen Tanqi had been possessed… would there come a day when he wanted to leave this body?
Would he revert to the arrogant, mistreating Shen Tanqi of the past?
Bai Long found it difficult to imagine that day.
Suddenly, he wondered.
—If he treated Shen Tanqi a bit better, even better, and then even better, would Shen Tanqi be reluctant to leave?
He hoped so, and it could only be so.
Time passed swiftly, the peak of summer went by quietly, and before they knew it, autumn arrived. The days grew colder with the addition of white dew and the start of frost, marking the change of seasons.
Bai Long was meticulous in his actions, considering Shen Tanqi in every way. He somehow obtained a warming spirit pearl, embedded in the cave walls, resembling a burning bonfire from every angle, emitting intense heat. Outside, the autumn wind rustled, but Shen Tanqi’s face remained rosy from the warmth.
Several new satin quilts were added to the bed, each embroidered with golden mandarin ducks using golden threads. When Shen Tanqi awkwardly inquired about it, Bai Long vaguely mentioned it was because the other beddings weren’t warm enough, so he bought this set.
Indeed, it was warm. Every night, nestled in the soft blankets, looking at the pale yellow spirit pearls embedded in the cave walls, Shen Tanqi felt extremely content.
When Bai Long was away, Huo Yening would often visit, whether or not it was something they had agreed upon.
Shen Tanqi enjoyed Huo Yening’s visits. He would always tell stories from the past to entertain Shen Tanqi. According to Huo Yening himself, he had lived for over a hundred years. During the year of the three realms’ war, he had just become an elder in the demon clan, witnessing countless innocent lives perish due to endless conflicts.
But whenever they brought up Bai Long’s past, Huo Yening always evaded, saying, “Ask him yourself.” He dismissed the matter with this phrase.
When pressed further, Huo Yening occasionally revealed a few sentences. “I don’t know him well, not familiar.”
When the questions became too pressing, Huo Yening would rub his temples and helplessly say, “Why are you so persistent?”
“In any case, I only know that he had a tough time before.”
As the words fell, Shen Tanqi had already imagined countless hardships and grievances that Bai Long had endured in the past.
But his next sentence wasn’t actually spoken. Seeing Shen Tanqi’s slightly lost and expectant gaze, Huo Yening decided to withhold it.
The unsaid words were—
Most of the time, Bai Long didn’t have a good life because of you, kid.
In the blink of an eye, the snowfall of winter had also passed, and Shen Tanqi’s due date was approaching.
Whether it was due to carrying a half-daemon child or not, Shen Tanqi always felt that the child in his belly had its own thoughts. If he felt uncomfortable, the little one would obediently stay in his belly and not cause any trouble.
Occasionally, in his dreams, he could hear the little one mumbling.
“Daddy, I had to wait in line in the sky for a long time to find you.”
“I can’t wait anymore, sniff.”
“I really want to see Daddy.”
Shen Tanqi woke up in the middle of the night, and those small voices instantly disappeared, as if everything was just his imagination.
But unexpectedly, after having that dream, Shen Tanqi was indeed about to give birth.
On the day of delivery, he lay on the soft bed the entire day, and Bai Long stayed by his side without a step away. They didn’t look for a midwife, and perhaps even if they did, they wouldn’t find anyone who could deliver a half-daemon in this world.
Feeling uncomfortable all over but unable to pinpoint exactly where, Shen Tanqi tightly gripped Bai Long’s hand, refusing to let him leave.
“Bai Long, where do you think the child will be born from?” This question had puzzled Shen Tanqi for a long time, and he couldn’t figure out how the birth process worked.
Bai Long gently wiped the cold sweat on his forehead with a damp cloth and reassured him in a low voice, “You’ve asked many times already. Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine. I heard that in the past, there were instances of males in the clan getting pregnant, and they safely gave birth in the end.”
The lower abdomen seemed to be filled with a chill, alternating between intense cold and intense heat. Shen Tanqi was convinced that these were definitely not signs a normal human would have.
Until the sunrise and slanting sun, Shen Tanqi showed no signs of giving birth. He clenched Bai Long’s shoulders, his voice tinged with a hint of crying, “Bai Long, it feels like I’m gonna die.”
This wasn’t childbirth; it was giving birth to Nezha1Nezha is a figure in Chinese mythology and folklore, commonly depicted as a protective deity. Nezha is used metaphorically to convey the intense and challenging nature of the situation Shen Tanqi was experiencing during childbirth, comparing it humorously to the legendary character’s unconventional birth.!
Bai Long embraced him and reassured patiently, “You won’t die. I’ll find a solution.”
In intense pain, Shen Tanqi couldn’t hold back his frustration and cursed with fury, “No, why did you guys write a cultivation novel and set it up so that men can give birth?”
He didn’t care whether Bai Long could understand him or not. He just wanted to vent his emotions, wanted to curse someone, wanted to curse the author to death!
Seeing Shen Tanqi’s worsening state, Bai Long seemed to finally think of something. He found a copper-green dagger from his storage ring, ruthlessly slashed his own wrist, startling Shen Tanqi.
“What are you doing?” Shen Tanqi forgot the pain for a moment, watching as Bai Long let his blood flow into a teacup and handed it to him.
Bai Long calmly spoke, “Drink.”
Shen Tanqi hesitated, but the cup of dragon blood was already at his lips.
The voice on the other side carried a soothing tone, “Once you drink it, the pain will go away. Be good.”
He hesitated, watching Bai Long’s wrist bleeding, and his heart inexplicably twinged for a moment. But soon, Shen Tanqi snapped back to reality.
Alright, he should drink it quickly. What was he dilly-dallying for? Otherwise, Bai Long’s blood would run dry.
At this critical moment, Shen Tanqi didn’t dare to hesitate. Without thinking, he drank the cup of dragon blood. As the blood flowed into his body, the pain throughout his body seemed to alleviate significantly. Even the back pain and soreness from the past few days disappeared.
Damn, it’s so potent. He forgot this is a cultivation world, where giving birth could be painless.
He drank the tea in one go, and only then did Bai Long finally relax. He casually used a handkerchief to wrap his injured wrist, sending soothing spiritual energy to Shen Tanqi bit by bit while wiping his sweat.
Gentle spiritual energy flowed into his meridians like water, rushing through his limbs and gradually relaxing his tense nerves.
In no time, Shen Tanqi lay on the bed, his eyelids slowly drooping.
…Almost fell asleep.
No, you can’t sleep when you’re pregnant, right?
Can’t risk two lives.
The will to survive compelled Shen Tanqi to force himself to open his eyes. In a daze, he seemed to see Bai Long sitting by the bed, cradling a large, round, snow-white egg in his arms.
Is this a dream?
Why is there an egg in this dream? Shouldn’t it be a little kid who looks like Bai Long…
Wait, it seems to be a real egg.
Just that one glance, and Shen Tanqi abruptly woke up.
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)
