The crimson pillars of the corridor pavilion felt as cold as ice, despite the familiar bubble barrier warding off the winter night’s chill. The bone-piercing coolness still managed to seep through the stone columns.
Surrounded by silence, it was well past midnight, and no one would pass by Shen Tanqi’s Yaoting pavilion at this hour.
Pinned against the pillar of the corridor pavilion, he found himself gazing at a hazy moon, white and almost indistinct.
His chest burned, the heat gradually spreading to every limb and bone, repelling even the biting cold wind. With each slow push to the extreme by Yu Ce, it felt as though he was being roasted over an oil pot.
“How many times now?”
“Senior brother.”
“Hmm?”
A heavy, deliberate questioning voice reached his ears, laced with the dragon’s cold breath. Shen Tanqi’s vision blurred, and he instinctively shook his head.
“Forgetting is not allowed…” The other seemed to find amusement in this, saying in a low voice, “Or you’ll blame me for not being as thorough as Qingyu.”
Shen Tanqi forced himself back to reality, gritting his teeth. He ruthlessly pinched a handful of the fair, muscular arm beneath his grip.
“Damn you.”
This foolish dragon must be renamed as Neurotic Dragon in the future.
The person behind him chuckled, showing no annoyance or evasion. “Senior brother, no need to feel bothered. After all, it’s not the first or second time. Even if you just consider me a tool, I’ve never blamed you.”
Shen Tanqi took a deep breath, clinging to the corridor pillar in front of him as if grasping a lifeline. One thought echoed in his mind.
Unlucky.
If you meet Yu Ce, you will end up getting sleep-deprived.
What else could it be if not bad luck!
Tomorrow, he would leave swiftly, pack up his things, and fly away on his sword overnight!
After an unknown amount of time, Yu Ce took a break.
Seizing the opportunity like an escape, Shen Tanqi picked up his clothes from the stone bench in the corridor, hastily putting them on halfway, pretending to be weary. “It’s too late; you should go back and rest.”
Yu Ce hesitated, his eyelashes falling as he softly complained, “But I’m not feeling well yet.”
His tone was plaintive, like an abandoned puppy.
Shen Tanqi, not overly concerned, continued buttoning his shirt casually, saying, “Deal with it yourself then.”
At his words, Yu Ce’s eyes darkened.
Senior brother only cares about himself, truly detestable.
He grabbed Shen Tanqi’s wrist, lifting him off the ground.
Shen Tanqi, suddenly in the air, was surprised. He clung tightly to Yu Ce’s shoulders, a mix of fear and annoyance. “What are you doing again?”
The other person still maintained that usual indifferent and self-assured demeanor, but his tone sounded like a gentle coaxing. “The ground is cold.”
Shen Tanqi’s feet remained bare, with slender and fair ankles. Yu Ce held them in the palm of his hand, as if applying a bit more pressure would leave a red mark.
Shen Tanqi had completely seen through the facade of his pitiable appearance, knowing well the heart beneath it, one that liked to bear grudges and retaliate.
As for the male lead, damn him!
“Let me down.”
Shen Tanqi wasn’t falling for his act.
Yu Ce raised his head, whispering softly, “No, it’s really cold.”
In retaliation, Shen Tanqi bit his neck, rarely using a classical phrase, “Cut the crap.”
At his words, Yu Ce fell silent for a moment, then slowly placed him on the ground. Watching those fair feet shrinking on the icy ground, he suddenly laughed, somewhat triumphant, and said softly, “See, I told you.”
Shen Tanqi: …
Forcing himself against the cold, he took a step, unable to resist inhaling a breath of cold air.
Before he could even take two steps, he was unreasonably pulled back into someone’s arms.
“Senior brother, don’t be mad at me.” Yu Ce whispered, “It’s really cold on the ground.”
After a pause, Shen Tanqi hesitated for a while, but eventually withdrew his foot, letting Yu Ce hold him.
After all, it was indeed quite cold, so why did he have to suffer that?
One step at a time, leaving footprints on the snow-covered tiles of the corridor, Yu Ce stopped abruptly as he passed the trees adorned with red lanterns.
“Senior brother?”
Shen Tanqi’s heart skipped a beat; he knew there must be something on Yu Ce’s mind.
Following Yu Ce’s gaze, he saw him staring at the tree full of red lanterns. After a while, Yu Ce turned his eyes to Shen Tanqi.
“This tree is nice,” Yu Ce slowly put Shen Tanqi down, leaning against the tree. His gaze deepened. “The lanterns are pretty too.”
Shen Tanqi: ?
“I warn you…”
“Yu Ce!”
“Bai Long!”
The next morning.
When Shen Tanqi woke up, the sunlight streamed in through the window, brightening the room. Yu Ce and the two little kids were nowhere to be seen. Even the bed had vanished, as if they had never been there.
His waist and back ached, as if he had been secretly beaten by Yu Ce last night.
Rubbing his shoulder, Shen Tanqi discovered a bite mark from a certain scoundrel. He sighed, took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to hit someone, and suddenly heard a strange commotion under the bed.
Frowning, Shen Tanqi bent down to look and saw a small black dog and a yellow chick happily stealing and eating something.
“What are you two doing?” Shen Tanqi’s tone was unfriendly.
The black dog suddenly looked up, bumped into the bed frame with a clang, whined, then turned to Shen Tanqi, annoyed, and said, “What do you think we’re doing?”
Shen Tanqi paused, pondering, “Well, there’s reproductive isolation.”
System: “? Host, I’m an AI, you know!”
He took the little dog and chick out from under the bed, and upon closer inspection, he realized the two little creatures had somehow gathered a bunch of flowers and herbs.
“What is this?” Shen Tanqi picked through the flowers and herbs, but the system and the little black dog quickly blocked his view.
The little black dog woofed discontentedly, saying, “Don’t mess with them. These are the most precious spirit herbs I picked near Bloodthirst Cliff. They can cure all poisons. Can you afford to ruin them, kid?”
Hearing this, the system incredulously said, “Clearly, we picked them together all night. How can you say it’s all yours? These are the detoxifying herbs I picked for the host!”
“I picked them. What else did you do besides carrying me while flying near the cliff?”
“Carrying you is quite tiring, okay? I’m not your system!”
Seeing them about to argue, Shen Tanqi took a deep breath and said, “In such a crucial moment last night, you two went to pick flowers and herbs?”
The system and the little black dog exchanged glances, puzzled, “What’s wrong? What crucial moment?”
Just as they were speaking, a knock on the door sounded from outside, accompanied by the childish voice of the little ones.
“Daddy, daddy, we’re back!”
“Big brother! Dad said we should disguise ourselves and call Uncle Shen.”
The system and the little black dog turned to look, only to see the two little kids holding a bag full of snacks, standing at the door and pretending not to know each other.
“Uh-huh, Dandan is here to find Uncle Shen!”
“Cough, is Uncle Shen at home?”
The system and the little black dog both looked at Shen Tanqi simultaneously, unbelievably speaking, “In one night, you gave birth to two three-year-old kids?”
Shen Tanqi: … Does he look like that capable of giving birth?
He was too lazy to explain, so he got up and opened the door, welcoming the two little ones inside.
Little Goldfish was holding a blue windmill, with sparkling eyes. He struggled to hand over the bag of snacks to Shen Tanqi and said in a slow, deliberate voice, “Uncle, Dad knew you invited us to eat snacks. He told me and my little brother about reciprocity, so we came to bring you snacks.”
Even though Shen Tanqi was still filled with frustration towards Yu Ce, it all disappeared in an instant when facing the two little ones. He bent down, ruffling their little heads one by one, and smiled, “Goldfish and Taro Ball are so well-behaved. But Uncle is a bit busy now; can you wait in the main hall for a while?”
Little Taro Ball brushed past him, and his gaze fell on the little black dog and the system behind Shen Tanqi, a faint darkness coloring his eyes.
Identifying a demon clan was an easy task for a Nascent Soul stage, something they could do effortlessly.
However, how could there be demons… Did Daddy get deceived by the disguise of these little demon beasts?
He needed to pay attention and ensure Daddy wouldn’t be harmed by the demon clan.
Shifting his gaze away from the little black dog, Little Taro Ball gently held his brother’s hand and obediently replied, “Okay, Uncle, you’re busy.”
Shen Tanqi hugged the two little ones, then returned to the bedroom, facing the stunned little black dog and system. He said, “What are you staring at? Hurry up and figure something out.”
The system, unbelievably, rubbed its chicken-winged eyebrows and pointed to the main hall where the little ones were, saying, “Host, when did you…”
“It’s a long story.” Shen Tanqi felt like smoking a cigarette. He recounted the events from meeting Bai Long in the cave in one breath.
The system’s face went from pale to ashen, and Shen Tanqi realized a chicken could have so many expressions.
“Host, have you gone mad?” The system desperately wanted to check Shen Tanqi’s mental state. Flapping its wings urgently, it said, “If the mainframe finds out about this, the world might be destroyed.”
Shen Tanqi was momentarily stunned and asked, “What is the mainframe?”
The system drew a cross on its chest and closed its eyes, saying, “The mainframe is like the natural order of this world, and all plots are predetermined by the mainframe. Your interaction with the male lead and the children you have is a colossal bug. If you continue like this, the mainframe might send someone to fix the bug.”
Fix the bug?
The only bug in this world is his and Yu Ce’s children, isn’t it?
Shen Tanqi’s heart sank suddenly. He initially thought that, even if he became a bit of a salted fish with the system, it wouldn’t matter as long as he followed the plot. But now, there’s a mainframe above the system.
This won’t do.
He turned to look at his children and immediately shifted his gaze back to the system. “So, what should I do now?”
The system’s expression turned serious as it said, “Fortunately, this incident hasn’t caused significant plot changes or alerted the mainframe. From now on, you must follow the original plot without developing any other relationships with the male lead.”
“Okay,” Shen Tanqi readily agreed. This was his original plan anyway. Once they leave here, Yu Ce and the children can continue living in this world, or rather, in this book. As long as that happens, he will be content.
After a pause, Shen Tanqi remembered how Yu Ce had brought his own bed and quilt last night, probably intending to stay in the Yaoting Pavilion for a long time.
He needs to figure out a way to leave.
Thinking about this, Shen Tanqi asked, “Is there any recent plot related to me? I need something so I can leave tonight.”
Seeing this thousand-year-old lazy salted fish ready to take on a mission, the system, on the verge of tears, quickly checked and replied, “Yes!”
“The Ghost Night of Shuoxia City, just before the grand competition in the original book. It’s the most significant plot point. However, it’s dangerous. Host, you…”
Shen Tanqi shook his head, putting on his outer robe. “Why fear danger?” he laughed, patting the chick’s head. “I still have you, don’t I?”
Hearing this, the system’s teary eyes filled with gratitude, hugging Shen Tanqi’s pants leg. “Rest assured, although our system doesn’t have many cheat abilities and is a bit useless, we can definitely keep you alive!”
Meanwhile, behind the curtains of the main hall, little Taro Ball slowly opened his eyes, a glint of understanding flashing in his gaze.
As a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, his senses were exceptionally sharp. His daddy spoke too loudly. He hoped his daddy wouldn’t blame him for eavesdropping.
Ghost Night in Shuoxia City, dangerous journey…
Considering his daddy’s cultivation in the later stage of the Golden Core, there might be risks. He had to find a way to help his daddy.
Having made up his mind, little Taro Ball whispered something in the ear of the little Goldfish.
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)
