The two little ones hopped off the long bench and knocked on the door.
“Uncle, my brother and I suddenly remembered there’s something else we need to do. We have to go out for a while.”
Shen Tanqi, who was conspiring with the system on how to smoothly navigate the plot, looked up with a hint of reluctance. “Ah, why are you leaving so soon?”
“Because we want…” Little Goldfish had only spoken half of his sentence when Taro Ball covered his mouth.
Taro Ball, with his eyes curved into a smile, waved, saying, “We ate too many snacks and need to take a walk outside to aid digestion.”
Shen Tanqi, slightly disappointed, nodded, saying, “Okay, but don’t run around.”
The little ones nodded heavily, obediently exiting the Yaoting Pavilion. Once outside, they headed straight to the foot of the mountain.
Goldfish held Taro Ball’s hand, blinked, and asked, “Little brother, how did you know for sure that daddy would take this carriage?”
Taro Ball lifted his eyelid, a demeanor strikingly similar to Yu Ce, “Because it has the emblem of Rongyun Sect painted on it, see?”
He tiptoed, patting the cloud pattern on the carriage confidently, “Moreover, I’ve inquired. Daddy is a young master of a prominent family. Everything he uses is top-notch, and this carriage is the most luxurious, so it must be his.”
Little Goldfish bit his finger and pointed to a nearby red carriage, whispering, “But, I think this red carriage looks really nice. Can I ride in this one?”
“Brother, you can’t go,” Taro Ball refused without hesitation. “You haven’t broken through the Qi Refining stage yet. If you go recklessly, Daddy and I will have to divert our attention to look after you.”
Upon hearing this, Little Goldfish twisted the corner of his clothes, feeling a bit disheartened. He knew he wasn’t as clever as his younger brother, but… he also wanted to stay by Daddy’s side.
Seeing him seeming a bit upset, Taro Ball’s heart softened. Regretting his straightforward words earlier, he pursed his lips, reached out, and shook Goldfish’s sleeve gently, “Are you mad?”
In reality, he was just worried that his brother might get hurt. They had lived in Canglong Valley with their father for three years and never experienced the outside world. Dad mentioned that many people outside were dangerous, including demons, monsters, and humans with malicious intentions.
Children like his brother, who had no means to defend themselves, shouldn’t go to such perilous places.
Taro Ball had already subconsciously separated himself from the realm of childhood. He couldn’t help but hug his brother’s shoulder, comforting him in a soft voice, “Don’t be sad, Brother. I’ll definitely protect Daddy in your place. Trust me!”
Little Goldfish lifted his head, pulled out a piece of his cherished little biscuit from his pocket, and handed it to Taro Ball, tears welling up in his eyes, “Okay, if you get hungry on the way, eat some.”
Taro Ball, who had been fasting for a while, looked at the already softened biscuit, feeling a mix of wanting to cry and laugh, “Okay, I got it.”
After a moment, Taro Ball remembered Yu Ce. He quickly reminded Little Goldfish, “Remember to inform Dad when you go back. If anything happens to us, I’ll use long-distance sound transmission to send him a life-saving message and ask him to come to Shuoxia City to save Daddy and me.”
Because the little ones didn’t know how to address the second dad, Taro Ball thought of Daddy as just Daddy, if they had to change, it might be better to call Yu Ce ‘father.’ So, privately, they still referred to Shen Tanqi as Daddy.1Taro Ball and Goldfish actually call both Yu Ce and Shen Tanqi ‘Dad’. To avoid confusion, since ‘Dad’ and ‘Daddy’ are synonyms, I decided to use ‘Dad’ for Yu Ce and ‘Daddy’ for Shen Tanqi right from the start! Just to make sure it’s easy to follow along. 😊
Little Goldfish nodded vigorously.
With all the instructions in place, Taro Ball tightened his brother’s collar, turned around and got on the carriage. He climbed into the cargo compartment, sticking his head out to give Little Goldfish one last look, “Remember to notify Dad!”
Little Goldfish nodded once again.
Once Taro Ball had settled comfortably into the cargo compartment, Little Goldfish scratched his little face and gazed at the red carriage.
The small carriage looked so soft; would sleeping in it be very comfortable?
Hmm.
Little Goldfish is feeling sleepy.
After a while, Shen Tanqi received the task of overseeing the demon-slaying competition in Shuoxia City from the main hall of Rongyun Sect.
Currently, Shuoxia City was still calm, and he only needed to go there to command the disciples in arranging some things.
Considering Shuoxia City was under the control of the Shen family, the responsible elder of the sect entrusted this task to him without any concerns.
Shen Tanqi, accompanied by Little Black and the system, descended the mountain, taking 9,999 steps of sincerity. As he walked, he contemplated the upcoming plot.
This task would unexpectedly encounter the plot point of ‘Ghost Night’ in Shuoxia City.
According to the system, this plot point was extremely dangerous.
Since the male lead wasn’t involved in this segment, the book only indirectly described the deaths of many Rongyun Sect disciples and Shuoxia City residents. Even the Shen family suffered significant casualties.
Just thinking about it made his heart pound.
The psychological shadow from the last time he was pushed off the cliff by the demon and Gu worms hadn’t completely dissipated.
But for the sake of the normal progression of the plot, for the survival of his children, and also for the chance to return home sooner, he had to go on this journey.
Little Black, nestled in his arms, grumbled discontentedly, “What Chen Gui? Is it as powerful as me? You, surnamed Shen, you’re truly overshadowing others with your own prestige. When danger comes, just hide behind me and cry. That’s all.”
The system, sitting atop Little Black, spoke seriously, “In this plot point, the male lead is absent, suggesting that it might be a character the current male lead can’t defeat. He’ll have to wait until his cultivation advances before challenging it. Don’t underestimate it.”
Upon hearing this, Little Black snorted twice, disdainfully dismissing the topic, “How powerful is this male lead you’re talking about? Golden Core or Nascent Soul?”
Shen Tanqi fell silent for a moment before saying, “Silly dog. Yu Ce is the male lead.”
As he finished speaking, Little Black thought of Yu Ce at the Nascent Soul stage, and then thought about the possibility that even Yu Ce might not be able to defeat this monster.
Little Black exclaimed, “Ah, I suddenly need to pee.”
Shen Tanqi replied sternly, “Hold it.”
Little Black howled in despair and reluctantly closed his eyes. If only he hadn’t crawled out from the bottom of the Bloodthirst Abyss.
Shen Tanqi walked for an unknown duration and finally reached the foot of the mountain. Most of the disciples sent by the sect to set up the competition venue in Shuoxia City had already left, and now there were only carriages for the use of the elders.
“Senior Brother?”
Hearing the words ‘Senior Brother,’ Shen Tanqi’s heart skipped a beat, and immediately, the image of Yu Ce with a gentle smile appeared in his mind.
He turned around to see Xiao Qingyu carrying a huge bundle, looking somewhat surprised. He asked, “Are you taking the carriage too?”
Shen Tanqi nodded, pointing to the large bundle behind Xiao Qingyu, “What’s this…”
Xiao Qingyu smiled, swaying the large package, “I took on a mission from the sect to submit the list of participants traveling to and from Shuoxia City.”
Hearing that he was also going to Shuoxia City, Shen Tanqi furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “Is it necessary to go?”
This wasn’t an easy task, and there was a chance it could cost him his life.
Xiao Qingyu, not understanding why he asked, glanced at him and said, “Once you accept a sect mission, you cannot refuse. Senior Brother, why do you ask like that?”
Hearing the words ‘cannot refuse,’ Shen Tanqi stopped trying to persuade him to go back. With a sigh, he asked, “How are you going?”
At his words, Xiao Qingyu brightened up, patted a small red carriage in front of him, and said, “Assigned by the sect, compact and efficient.”
Watching him carry the enormous package, unable to even fit through the carriage door, Shen Tanqi fell into silence.
His gaze shifted to the luxurious carriage next to the small red one, and he asked in confusion, “Junior Brother, why don’t you take that one?”
Following Shen Tanqi’s pointed finger, Xiao Qingyu’s eyes landed on the luxurious carriage. After a moment of hesitation, he whispered, “Senior Brother, that was left by the Shen family when they came to give New Year’s gifts. They said it was for your use.”
Hearing that it was from the Shen family, Shen Tanqi waved his hand reassuringly and said, “If it’s mine, then it’s yours too. Let’s take that luxurious carriage together.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qingyu’s eyes welled up slightly, and he said, “This doesn’t seem appropriate…”
Shen Tanqi chuckled, helping him stuff the package inside, “What’s appropriate or not? We’re both going to Shuoxia City, so it’s perfect to share the same carriage. You’re always too formal with me.”
However, after fitting the large package inside, Shen Tanqi realized…
The luxurious carriage had a cargo box inside, and with the large package taking up space, there was only room for one more person.
He hesitated for a moment, then turned to Xiao Qingyu, clearing his throat, “I’ll take the red small carriage assigned by the sect. I didn’t bring any luggage with me, so it’s suitable. Besides, I happen to like the color red.”
After saying this, without waiting for Xiao Qingyu to refuse, Shen Tanqi swiftly jumped into the red small carriage. After activating a simple touch of spiritual power, the carriage started moving on its own.
The carriage sped up quickly, according to the system, covering a thousand miles in a day without any issues. However, despite the fast speed, the ride was surprisingly smooth.
Shen Tanqi placed Little Black on the ground and continued chatting with the system, “By the way, in the original book, what’s the deal with this Ghost Night? Why did so many people die?”
The system was about to speak when Little Black under the carriage suddenly yelped, frantically barking, “There’s something! There’s something!”
Shen Tanqi was startled and quickly leaned down to look under the seat. He saw a little white bundle curled up into a ball, soundly asleep.
When Little Black brought the little bundle out, Shen Tanqi was dumbfounded.
“Li-Little Goldfish?”
There were no red marks on the corners of his mouth; evidently, it was indeed Little Goldfish. The little one rubbed his eyes sleepily, let out a soft “ah,” and then hugged Shen Tanqi’s leg, his voice tender, “It’s Daddy. Dandan dreamed of Daddy.”
Shen Tanqi disbelievingly stroked Little Goldfish’s face and urgently asked, “Why are you here? Where’s your little brother?”
Nuzzling his face against Shen Tanqi’s palm like a lazy lamb, Little Goldfish said, “Little brother is in the big carriage. Dandan is so tired, so he crawled into the small carriage to sleep.”
After waking up, he still had to go back and inform Dad about Little Brother.
“What??”
Hearing that Taro Ball was in the large carriage, Shen Tanqi felt a chill in his heart. If this small carriage was moving so fast, then Xiao Qingyu’s large carriage might be arriving at Shuoxia City soon!
Shen Tanqi hugged the little one in his arms, gritted his teeth, and instructed Little Black, “Go back and find Yu Ce. Tell him to come to Shuoxia City and take the children back to the sect.”
The system took a deep breath and said, “Host…”
“You don’t need to say it. I know the situation.” Shen Tanqi gently rubbed Little Goldfish’s head, straightened the messy hair on the little one who had slept under the seat, and whispered, “I just want the male lead to take his children back.”
Little Goldfish didn’t understand what was happening, and he couldn’t comprehend why Shen Tanqi was so anxious. However, he understood the word ‘Yu Ce’ was his dad. From his chest, he patted around and took out a sound transmission silver token, placing it in Shen Tanqi’s palm. “Daddy, you can use this to hear dad.”
After saying that, Little Goldfish buried his face in Shen Tanqi’s arms and diligently sniffed the warm and fragrant scent emanating from Shen Tanqi, as if trying hard to remember his scent. In a soft voice that Shen Tanqi couldn’t hear, he murmured to himself, “Great, so great.”
Waking up and being able to see his beloved Daddy right away was just great.
Thinking that he wasn’t as smart and capable as his little brother and couldn’t help Daddy, he felt sad.
But now, it seemed like he could finally stay by Daddy’s side.
Dandan will definitely do his best.
He’ll use all the abilities and everything he knows to protect Daddy.
As soon as Shen Tanqi took the sound transmission silver token, he immediately sensed the cool dragon breath attached to it.
On the surface, there was Yu Ce’s aura.
Experimentally, he gently tapped the smooth mirror surface of the silver token. Like ripples spreading across the water, the touched area created concentric circles of undulating patterns.
“Where did you go?”
A cold, indifferent voice came through from the other end.
Shen Tanqi was so startled that he almost dropped the token when he heard that voice.
“Dandan?”
Only when he heard the nickname for Goldfish did Shen Tanqi realize that Yu Ce wasn’t asking him that question.
With the events of the previous night rushing into his mind, Shen Tanqi took a deep breath and quickly responded, “Yu Ce, I’m heading to Shuoxia City now. Yu Yuan and Yu Jin unexpectedly followed me in a carriage. Please hurry and come to pick them up.”
After saying this, Shen Tanqi flipped the silver token onto the seat with a thud, looking at the stunned system and Little Black. Feeling guilty, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Little Black tilted its head, “Are you afraid of what he might do?”
Shen Tanqi coughed, “I’m not afraid of him.”
The system blinked, “Then why did you hang up so quickly?”
Shen Tanqi explained nervously, “You don’t know what happened yesterday. I always have bad luck when I meet him. I don’t want to suffer a second time. When we reach Shuoxia City, I’ll place Goldfish and Taro Ball in a safe place, and then Yu Ce can come and take them himself. I absolutely won’t meet Yu Ce during the entire process!”
Shen Tanqi was about to return the silver token to Goldfish when he heard a faint resonating sound from it, and a cool voice transmitted,
“I can hear it; you didn’t turn it off.”
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)
