Chapter 8 That’s Clearly the Child’s Future Stepfather

Chapter 8: That's Clearly the Child's Stepfather

Whether it was the deliberately affected posture or the lingering, syrupy tone with which he uttered “Zizhen,” it sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

Yuan Xiao didn’t understand his father’s perverse sense of humor; he was simply wondering if he would have to call him “Mother” for the entire journey ahead.

The thought alone made Yuan Xiao shudder, not daring to dwell on it further.

Since they were brought by the Jade Mountain Immortal Lord, the young disciples didn’t dare misbehave. Though curious, they respectfully addressed him as “Senior Xi Mu.”

If the elders of Tianshu Palace knew their disciples were being so deferential to this demonic leader, they’d probably faint from rage.

A widow?

Everyone froze in unison.

Ke Xuesong, recalling his earlier vague probing and suspicions, was suddenly filled with remorse.

Here was a widow and her orphaned child seeking refuge with the Immortal Lord, and he had doubted them.

He truly deserved to die.

“S-Senior, there’s no need to be modest. Since you’re an old acquaintance of the Jade Mountain Immortal Lord, you must possess exceptional qualities. It’s only right to address you as ‘Senior,’” Ke Xuesong stammered.

“Yes, yes,” the others chimed in. “Senior Brother Ke is right.”

These inexperienced young disciples wore their hearts on their sleeves; their thoughts were written all over their faces, truly innocent.

But if the elders of Tianshu Palace were present, they would indignantly inform them that their Zizhen had always been a loner since childhood—how could he possibly have any old acquaintances?

Yuan Qichen continued persistently: “In that case, I’ll humbly accept the title ‘Senior’ on Zizhen’s behalf. I hope Zizhen doesn’t mind?”

He kept saying “Zizhen” as if the two were extremely close, and everyone else certainly thought so.

But Que Zizhen suddenly turned away, his tone turning cold. “It’s fine.”

Fortunately, everyone knew his temperament and didn’t think he was targeting anyone. Only Yuan Qichen, hidden beneath his veil, smirked silently.

Being associated with a demon like him was naturally unpleasant—so why would he look pleased?

Aside from Ke Xuesong, there were three other Wen Dao Academy disciples on this trip.

One was Yu Xinchen, the direct descendant daughter of the Northern Yu Clan. At just fourteen, she was only a step away from the Golden Core stage—a prodigy, the focus of everyone’s attention.

Another was Qiu Shanshan, a rogue cultivator who had tested into Tianshu Palace on his own talent and merit. He was the oldest disciple present, a year older even than Senior Brother Ke Xuesong. Though he had already formed his Golden Core, his cultivation wasn’t the strongest among the three.

“Disciple Tang Lin pays his respects to the Jade Mountain Immortal Lord,” said the young man, his face lightly flushed from nervousness. Yet his demeanor was proper, neither subservient nor arrogant, leaving no room for criticism.

Que Zizhen nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Others might not have noticed, but Yuan Qichen saw it clearly: Que Zizhen’s gaze lingered on the youth named Tang Lin longer than on anyone else, as if he had long known of his existence.

Given Que Zizhen’s reclusive nature of keeping to himself, very few people ever caught his attention. What was so special about this young man that he warranted such regard?

Tang… Tang…

Yuan Qichen silently repeated the extremely familiar surname, his eyes suddenly sharpening as understanding came to him.

No wonder.

-

While Yuan Xiao was still wavering over whether to call him “Father” or “Mother,” Yuan Qichen unhesitatingly removed his veil, revealing his face to everyone without hesitation.

Though the Disguise Talisman had altered his appearance, it still bore a resemblance to his true form—a face so beautiful it blurred the lines between masculine and feminine.

Ke Xuesong and the others naturally assumed he was a woman dressing as a man, effortlessly resolving Yuan Xiao’s dilemma of what to call him.

In contrast, Yuan Xiao’s ordinary appearance seemed utterly commonplace.

At the very least, he didn’t resemble his “mother.”

Yuan Qichen’s explanation was: “This child takes after his father.”

What a magnificent flower, stuck on a pile of cow dung.

“Zizhen, don’t you think?”

The more reluctant Que Zizhen seemed, the more Yuan Qichen wanted to pull him into the exchange, unwilling to let him off even verbally.

But Que Zizhen remained unresponsive. “We should enter the city now.”

Young people form bonds quickly. Yuan Xiao, interacting with peers for the first time, was initially uncomfortable. Yet when asked about mundane things like age, cultivation level, and hobbies, he blushed and answered obediently despite his reluctance, reminding Yuan Qichen of someone from his memories.

But in the end, Yuan Qichen’s lineage prevailed. As the youths chatted and laughed along the way, by the time they reached Canglan City, Yuan Xiao had successfully blended in.

It was as if he, too, were a young disciple from Wen Dao Academy on a training mission.

Though Zhongzhou was a mortal realm, cultivators often passed through. In border cities like Canglan, the presence of immortals was a common occurrence.

Yuan Qichen and Que Zizhen followed behind the group, close enough to be seen with a glance.

With their presence deliberately downplayed, Ke Xuesong and the others soon forgot about them and reverted to their true selves.

Yuan Qichen spoke in a voice only audible to the two of them, not caring whether the other responded.

“What was Pei Tianhe thinking, sending a silent type like you to look after these kids? Isn’t he afraid they’ll all turn into little silent types? If they all stand there silently, not uttering a word, wouldn’t it be maddening?” He mused aloud, his eyes drifting to the energetic youths ahead. “They’re so full of energy.”

It turned out that the Young Mistress’s newly bought candied hawthorn skewers had been knocked to the ground by Qiu Shanshan, who promptly shifted the blame to Tang Lin, claiming it happened during their horseplay. Yuan Xiao was dragged into it as well.

The three of them pointed fingers at each other before exchanging a glance and running off in unison.

Even the apparently steady and innocent Senior Brother Ke wasn’t spared—Qiu Shanshan pulled him into sharing the blame.

“Stop right there!” Yu Xinchen shouted, chasing after them.

In the mortal alleys, the youths ran with youthful abandon.

Yuan Qichen watched it all with a smile. “It seems Tianshu Palace isn’t entirely filled with boring people.”

Que Zizhen remained silent, living up to his reputation as a quiet one. He only sighed inwardly when Yuan Qichen quickened his pace and left him behind.

There were countless interesting souls in this world, but when it came to being dull, he was undoubtedly number one.

On the way, Qiu Shanshan spent heavily on malt candy to apologize to Yu Xinchen, finally placating the Young Mistress.

Yu Xinchen accepted the average-quality candy and said magnanimously, “Since you’re so sincere, I’ll forgive you this time.”

Qiu Shanshan grinned, clasping his hands in gratitude. “Thank you, Young Mistress.”

* * *

Tang Lin, without changing expression, said to Yuan Xiao, who was watching the commotion intently, "You'll get used to it."

Yuan Xiao nodded with only partial understanding.

The group arrived at the city lord's mansion amidst their playful roughhousing, with Yuan Qichen lagging a few steps behind, strolling over slowly.

There was a smile on his face, yet it carried no warmth. The moment Qiu Shanshan and the others, who were still chasing and roughhousing, saw him, they immediately stiffened and stood up straight: "Senior."

Strangely enough, although Senior Xi Mu appeared delicate and fragile, pitiable and tender, after changing into men's clothing, he gave off an intangible pressure.

It wasn’t the kind of guilt or awkwardness one feels in the presence of an elder, but more like... more like...

Before they could figure it out, someone from the city lord's mansion came forward to greet them. After scanning the group, their gaze finally settled on Yuan Qichen, who had the most extraordinary aura: "Honored guests, my apologies for not welcoming you sooner. Might I ask if you, Immortal Lord, have come to Canglan City to eliminate demons?"

A certain great demon raised an eyebrow slightly and chuckled.

"I'm no Immortal Lord. I'm afraid you've got the wrong person." With that, he turned back toward the direction they came from and smirked. "Immortal Lord, someone here is asking you to rid the world of demons and uphold justice."

As the top name on the Various Immortal Sects' most wanted list, Yuan Qichen didn't even blush as he said this.

Que Zizhen, who had arrived late, didn’t take the bait and simply said in a deep voice for the person to lead the way.

Yuan Qichen kept hitting a wall, but far from being annoyed, he found a long-lost amusement.

After all, the road ahead was long—he’d see how long the other could keep his composure.

The city lord of Canglan City was named Cang Ling, a middle-aged man of pleasant appearance with an early Golden Core cultivation.

In the Central Plains, where ordinary people made up the vast majority, Golden Core cultivation was enough to make him a city lord. But among this group of youngsters, he, who had cultivated for decades, couldn’t even compare to the sixteen-year-old Tang Lin.

Correspondingly, the demons and monsters here wouldn’t be too highly cultivated, which was precisely why Tianshu Palace felt confident enough to send Wen Dao Academy disciples out for training after receiving the request for help.

Cang Ling warmly welcomed their arrival, then proceeded to pour out his grievances, speaking of the demon clan causing trouble near Canglan City.

This demon clan had been entrenched outside Canglan City for a long time but had always hunted only within its own territory. However, starting half a year ago, it began frequently entering Canglan City with clear targets—only attacking those with some level of cultivation.

To date, thirteen rogue cultivators had become victims, including some with decent cultivation levels.

No trace of them was found, alive or dead.

"Quite principled," Yuan Xiao commented.

Not killing ordinary people, only targeting cultivators—clear about grudges and favors, which is surprisingly decent of it.

Ke Xuesong didn’t notice his muttered comment, sitting upright and saying solemnly, "City Lord, rest assured, we are duty-bound to take on this task of vanquishing the demon!"

Cang Ling politely praised his fervor, then quickly turned his attention to Yuan Qichen and the other, who seemed more authoritative: "Might I ask your esteemed names?"

"Xi Mu." Yuan Qichen smiled gracefully, smoothly provided his alias, then, before Que Zizhen could speak, casually made up: "This is Jia Zique."

The man himself, "Jia Zique," glanced at him out of the corner of his eye but said nothing, tacitly accepting his nonsense.

Cang Ling didn’t suspect a thing and asked further, "Might I ask which sect you hail from?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the silence was heavy.

The children exchanged glances, suddenly understanding why Senior Xi Mu had given Jade Mountain Immortal Lord an alias.

The plea for help had been sent from Canglan City, yet Cang Ling was asking about their sect affiliation.

The name "Que Zizhen" was renowned—once spoken, there would be no need for further probing.

They had thought the city lord’s people approached them because they knew Tianshu Palace was sending someone, having had someone waiting outside early. But now it seemed the person they were waiting for might not have been them.

Yuan Qichen put on a show, sighing rather mournfully: "If any sect were willing to take us in, why would we be wandering around with our family in tow? Those lofty, major sects—how could we rogue cultivators ever hope to enter?"

Cang Ling nodded in agreement, finding it quite reasonable.

The two before him didn’t seem like nobodies—minor sects probably couldn’t easily meet their standards, while major sects wouldn’t want them. Thus, being neither here nor there, it was understandable.

Of course, it wouldn’t be polite to say this outright, so Cang Ling stroked his beard and said courteously, "That’s no issue. I see your esteemed disciples are all exceptionally talented—starting your own sect in the future is certainly possible."

Seeing the misunderstanding deepen further, Ke Xuesong inwardly grumbled.

If it wasn’t City Lord Cang Ling who sought help from Tianshu Palace, then who could it be?

"Esteemed disciples?" Yuan Qichen feigned surprise. "They’re not my disciples."

Although Que Zizhen held the title of instructor, he had never taught at Wen Dao Academy, so these children couldn’t be considered his disciples.

"This..." Cang Ling was confused.

If not disciples, then what? They couldn’t be his children, could they?

After all, cultivators found it extremely difficult to have children—the higher their cultivation, the harder it became.

One or two might be possible, but five children of various ages? Even ordinary people without cultivation might not manage that.

That would require extraordinary talent.

But Yuan Qichen refused to be ordinary, clapping his hands and saying, "Exactly!"

Cang Ling had only been being polite, never expecting that Yuan Qichen’s earlier remark about "dragging the family along" was actually true. He was momentarily speechless.

Yuan Xiao was used to his father’s nonsense and said with a strained smile to Tang Lin beside him, "You’ll get used to it."

Tang Lin: "..."

Cang Ling looked bewildered, his gaze shifting between Yuan Qichen and Que Zizhen: "Then the child’s mother..."

Since it was a family matter, why would they bring an outsider along? Men couldn’t have children together, and the two didn’t look like brothers. That meant one of them must be a woman disguised as a man.

The more Cang Ling thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. But then Yuan Qichen shot him a glance, half-chiding, half-pitying: "City Lord, is there something wrong with your eyesight? That’s clearly the child’s stepfather."