Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Qi Mo looked at the two eating watermelon: "Are you hungry?"

Bai Bin nodded: "Yes."

"I still have some ant eggs here. You can snack on them first, then we’ll make cold noodles," Qi Mo said.

Chou Yun stared at the ant eggs in surprise: "You actually got mutant ant eggs? These are a delicacy."

"You two eat them. Don’t feed Chubby baby—he might choke," Qi Mo warned as he noticed Bai Bin eager to feed the little one.

Chou Yun reassured him: "Relax, I’ve got him."

As Qi Mo headed to the kitchen, Snowball jumped onto the table.

Chou Yun watched Bai Bin, who clearly wanted to feed someone: "Why don’t you peel and feed the kitty instead? She definitely won’t choke."

Chubby baby, seeing everyone else eating while he got nothing, started tearing up immediately.

Bai Bin adored Chubby baby. Though Qi Mo had warned him not to feed the whole egg—marble-sized ant eggs could easily cause choking—he cleverly removed the white, crushed the yolk, and fed only the yolk to Chubby baby to avoid any risk.

Bai Bin gave Chou Yun a look—*See how smart I am?*

Chou Yun was laughing internally—*How are they both this cute?*

He blanched the large bones, then stewed them for broth.

After kneading the dough, Qi Mo needed to let it rest. When he stepped out of the kitchen, he saw Bai Bin feeding Chubby baby.

Spotting Qi Mo, Bai Bin explained: "We were all eating, and he was the only one left out, looking so sad. I crushed the yolk—no risk of choking."

Qi Mo sighed: "Actually, choking isn’t the only issue. Haven’t you noticed Chubby baby is getting too chubby?"

Bai Bin took a closer look at the little one, who was eagerly opening his mouth, then rubbed his own chin. Unable to argue, he admitted: "Okay, maybe a little chubby."

"Just a *little*? Try a whole lot! Other kids his age are much slimmer," Qi Mo retorted.

Chou Yun, amused by their exchange, chuckled: "Alright, you two, enough. It’s just baby fat. He’s building up energy—soon he’ll shoot up in height and slim down naturally."

Qi Mo paused: "Seriously? So I don’t need to put him on a diet?"

"Of course not! He’s still so young—why put him on a diet? He’s perfectly healthy. Don’t mess with that and risk making him sick," Chou Yun cautioned.

Watching the two discuss Chubby baby, Chou Yun said: "Momo, grab the ingredients. I’ll handle the cooking while you chat."

"When we go to Shangjing City, dinner’s on me for your whole family," Chou Yun added with a smile.

Qi Mo raised an eyebrow: "You know how to cook?"

Bai Bin nodded: "He’s actually pretty good at it."

Qi Mo studied Bai Bin, realization dawning: "You’re all about food, huh?"

Bai Bin huffed: "What’s that supposed to mean? I eat plenty, but I’m not fussy."

Qi Mo smirked—*Sure, keep telling yourself that.*

Cucumber strips, chopped green onions, shredded meat...

Bone broth and cold noodles. Qi Mo took a sip of the soup: "Really good."

Chubby baby gobbled up a lot of bone broth noodles, but cold noodles were a no-go for the less-than-one-year-old.

Meanwhile, the kitty’s belly was stuffed round.

Qi Mo looked at the two: "You really not gonna take a shot? Don’t even need to kneel."

Chou Yun shook his head: "Not that we’re unwilling. There’s stuff here we gotta discuss first—avoid unnecessary trouble."

Qi Mo replied: "Fine. I’ll help where I can. That’s what being human’s about—helping others."

As for those who don’t act human? No need.

Evening came before Huo Liangzhou got home.

In the kitchen, Chou Yun was cooking dinner—an old duck, some beef, a big heap of mixed seafood—shellfish and all—plus veggies.

"You’re here," Huo Liangzhou said, eyeing Bai Bin and Chou Yun.

Chou Yun nodded.

Bai Bin spoke up: "Boss Huo, we’d like your family to come to Shangjing. Got things to discuss."

Huo Liangzhou replied: "Not today. I’m relocating. Jiangcheng’s gonna collapse. Qiu Qiu, Qiu Qiu—got anything to say?"

Curled up lazily in her dad’s arms, Qiu Qiu meowed once.

Translation: "Nope."

Mostly ’cause she’s lazy. The enemy temples were barely half-built—not much to plunder anyway.

Then Qiu Qiu popped out from her dad’s embrace and meowed at Huo Liangzhou.

"You saying you can haul that building back too? People can come on their own," Huo Liangzhou said.

That building was all the Huo Group had left.

Qi Mo didn’t go, but kitty Qiu Qiu followed her dad to Jiangcheng.

That evening, Jiangcheng was partying hard—water, food, and though the heat lingered, the temple’s three-mile radius stayed perfectly cool...

Even giving up free will was worth it if it meant full bellies.

As crowds celebrated by the temple fountain, a massive cat paw print blazed across the fiery sunset.

"Holy crap, what’s that?!" someone yelled.

Qi Huai felt it too—a crushing, godlike pressure that left him shaking.

A god. Had to be a god.

Only a god could wield that kind of power, could make him tremble like this!

The giant paw landed on a skyscraper—and instantly, that chunk of the building was sliced clean off. Gone—foundation and all.

"Boss Huo! Bro! What’s happening?" Huo Liangchuan and others outside the Huo Group building shouted.

Huo Liangzhou glanced at his brother, then clapped Wu Di and Chen Lei on the shoulders: "Qi Huai’s small-time. Mine’s just a lazy bum. Chen Lei, Liangchuan, Third Master Bai—get everyone to Taohua Town in Jiangcheng."

Third Master Bai's inner circle got fired up.

They'd been resisting Qi Huai's temple to keep their free will.

Now, it seemed someone could stand against Qi Huai—how could they not be pumped?

Huo Liangzhou saw them out of Jiangcheng before taking off himself.

Qi Huai was still in shock, clueless which god had touched down in this world...

Turning around, Qi Huai roared, "Get on it! Find out what god just landed here!"

Immediately, half of Jiangcheng jumped to action.

When Huo Liangzhou left, plenty of mind-control resisters tagged along.

Numerous witnesses saw the Huo Security Building vanish—not destroyed, but like it got yoinked.

The Huo family was a legend in Jiangcheng, and many believed Huo Liangzhou hadn't fallen under Qi Huai's control, meaning he had an exit strategy.

By the time Qi Huai received the news, everyone from the Huo Security Department had already left.

The spread was insane.

Old duck soup, fire-kissed shellfish and conch, steamed sea fish...

Huo Liangzhou glanced at Chou Yun. "Your cooking skills are impressive. You take classes or something?"

"Same as you. Momo told me you're quite the cook yourself—can't just be cooking for yourself, right?" Chou Yun chuckled.

They both chuckled and dropped it.

After dinner, as night fell, a thunderous crash rocked the foot of Huo Village's mountain, followed by the arrival of a massive dark shadow. [BOOM!]

It scared the hell out of the villagers, who rushed out to see what had happened.

Soon, they noticed a new building at the mountain's base—Huo Security, its name clearly displayed.

"Isn't this Liangzhou's security company? How did it end up here?" someone blurted out.

Huo Jingxuan took a glance. "We've got a god-kid now—building-moving's child's play."

"Right, right! You've awakened with Wood Psychic Power—no shortage of fruit for you. When are you planting strawberries again?" a villager chimed in.

Huo Jingxuan snorted. "Screw strawberries—they don't fill you up. I'm planting radishes tomorrow, aiming for a hundred. Swap me some grub—just a fistful of rice or beans'll cover it."

"Don't get too big for your britches, Huo Jingxuan. Tomorrow, we'll ask Momo's divine child to awaken us too!" a young man retorted defiantly.

The village was lit with excitement, everyone brimming with energy.

Snowball took a swipe at the quarry, sending a cascade of rocks tumbling down—enough to keep the whole village hauling till dawn.

With the village affairs settled and home matters wrapped up, Huo Liangzhou first traveled to Shangjing City to pin the location before warping everyone over.

Too many people at once was pushing his limits, but four or five posed no issue.

In Shangjing City, the heart of power, the silver-haired senior commander, the battle-worn general, and other old-timers were hashing things out.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

During peacetime, everyone might have their own thoughts and agendas, as long as they don’t harm national interests, people tend not to bring them up.

But when a nationwide—or even global—disaster strikes, everyone is scrambling to figure out how to prevent this vast nation from collapsing on their hands.

This disaster is too terrifying. Without water, people will die—many will die, with maybe one in a hundred making it.

When news came from Jiangcheng that crops could be grown and small-scale rainfall could occur, everyone was thrilled and overjoyed.

But when they learned the temple faction demanded constructing shrines, even mind control, and required becoming devout believers, these elders calling the shots for the nation knew things weren’t so simple…

If we lose ourselves, are we still us? Is this nation still this nation?

Once the spirit is destroyed, it’s hard to recover.

Fortunately, as reports from dispatched investigators came back, one piece of news was particularly uplifting—someone could resist this terrifying mind control.

"Have they returned yet?" the senior commander asked, holding a cigarette. He was old and had quit smoking long ago to enjoy his retirement in peace.

But after the apocalypse struck, the crushing pressure and countless challenges forced him to start again.

A puff to stay alert during meetings, or to relieve crushing pressure.

The information minister shook his head. "Not yet, but my guess is it’ll be today or tomorrow—soon."

"Qi Huai’s temple is like a plague. None of us must ever come into contact with it—not even our loved ones," the senior commander warned.

The security minister frowned. "This thing is damn near impossible to guard against. Even drinking their water causes problems."

"Let’s wait for them to arrive and ask for a solution," the senior commander sighed. In these times, we’re out of our depth.

Bai Bin and Chou Yun brought Huo Liangzhou and Qi Mo to the gates of the government building.

Soon, a squad in full gear appeared.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Qi Mo quickly hid his chubby baby.

The soldiers watched in astonishment as the young man made his baby vanish.

Bai Bin told them not to make a fuss—with gods walking around, hiding a baby was nothing.

In the conference room, many elders had already left. After all, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Only the senior commander, the security minister, and the finance minister remained.

"Huo Liangzhou, I’ve heard of you. A fine young man," the senior commander said bluntly.

Then, his expression softened as he turned. "This must be Momo. I hear you like painting. I have a few decent pieces—I’ll give them to you tomorrow."

"You hid the baby. Did they scare you?" the senior commander chuckled.

Qi Mo nodded. "It was too much, so I sent the baby to his little brother."

"I told them it wasn’t necessary, but these youngsters wouldn’t listen. If you really had ill intentions, they wouldn’t be able to stop you anyway. Bai Bin already filled me in—you can perform the awakening ceremony without major side effects," the senior commander said with a smile.

Qi Mo nodded firmly. "Of course. My baby is my baby. Even if he’s got divine powers, he’s still my baby—all human."

Then, he glanced at his husband, screaming inside his head—*Husband, handle this! Husband, go! I’m about to lose it!* Huo Liangzhou, seeing his little lord about to lose it, reached out and mussed his hair. "I grew up in Huo Family Village, Jiangcheng. My wife was born and raised in Yuncheng. Our baby, naturally, is also one of Daxia’s own. Even if he’s been beyond our borders, he’s still one of us."

"That entity, Qi Huai’s deity, is an outsider with ill intentions. No need for me to explain—our senior commander can surely guess. Momo and I, just like all of you, love this land deeply. Despite its flaws, in our hearts, we all wish for its prosperity. Outsiders don’t give a damn; they’ll just reap their harvest and leave, with no intention of helping you build—just like our mindset," Huo Liangzhou explained.

"What about your little one?" the elder asked.

Huo Liangzhou chuckled at the question. "With me and my young master around, he won’t slip through our fingers."

Then, just to spite him, a tiny dark cloud appeared above, and rain poured down, drenching Huo Liangzhou.

Qi Mo burst into laughter.

Huo Liangzhou scowled.

*Brat, you’re really showing me up.*

The elder couldn’t help but laugh too—this proved the little one was still just a child!

Look, when upset, he just throws a little tantrum—a drizzle at most...

Unlike Qi Huai, who hung and bled his own father—a monstrous act—this little one’s still innocent. How you raise him is how he’ll turn out.