Chapter 161 - The Little Hatchling – Continued

A/N: Please make sure that you've read the previous segment~

∘―o―∘

Encircled by the tall trees, the clearing was filled with diluted rays of amber light dripping down through the canopy of tightly woven branches above. The floor was a dense mass of knotted roots, not a hint of flat land to be revealed in between. Flowers with translucent petals and luminous pollen swayed at the clearing's edges, occasionally sending out specks of dust flowing with the wind. Random pieces of furniture―like a large table with plush chairs, a few chests of drawers held in place by wooden vines, and a bed piled high with quilts and pillows―littered the clearing, seeming to blend in and turn the ancient place more comfortable and homey.

On the side opposite to where Qinghe and Wei Yuan entered the clearing from, a hammock stretched between two of the trees. Kong Min laid in the hammock, one foot dangling out and swaying to and fro merrily. Dappled with sunlight, his copper-hued skin looked especially warm. His light brown eyes were focused intently on the thick tome he was reading from. Held up in a bun as usual, his black hair looked ruffled and windswept, a few tendrils shifting lightly in the breeze.

Leaning against the tree by Kong Min's head was Ying Xulin. His dark brown hair fell down to his knees, several locks having turned into green vines halfway and littered with small leaves and white flowers. The transparent golden stag horns he usually sprouted seemed to have been put away this time. Contrasting with his usual dark attire of a full-sleeved black inner robe under a purple sleeveless outer robe, Ying Xulin's fair skin seemed to glow with gentle luster. His dark green eyes swirling with potent magic stayed fixed on his lover. His fingers, tipped with long claws, gently swept away the locks of Kong Min's hair that seemed to be getting into his eyes. Kong Min murmured a thanks and continued reading. Ying Xulin smiled, his countenance full of contentment and deep peace.

Wei Yuan stared at Ying Xulin with an intent gaze. His instincts prickled with warning. But before he could act cautious, Wei Yuan heard his father say, "That's your Uncle Ying, Yuan-er. He and your Uncle Kong will take care of you until I return later. Be good with them, okay?"

Wei Yuan relaxed. Since his father was leaving him here with this dangerous seeming person, it must mean that he won't hurt him. Wei Yuan obviously trusted his father's judgment far more than his own instincts. Smiling cutely, he nodded. "Okay, I'll be good!"

Qinghe patted his head with a loving smile.

Ying Xulin looked at the little child with an uncertain and uncomfortable expression, then silently turned back to gazing at Kong Min.

Realizing that the guests he'd been waiting for had arrived, Kong Min hurriedly read a few more lines from his book before putting it away and getting down from the hammock. "Little Bro, I see that you've brought Yuan-er. How long should we look after him?"

"Until late evening or night, if you don't mind," Qinghe replied.

Kong Min nodded. "That's not long." Bending down, he smiled at Wei Yuan. "Did you hear that, Yuan-er? You'll be spending time with me and your Uncle Ying today, alright?"

Wei Yuan grinned and ran up to Kong Min. "Yes!"

Kong Min chuckled and caught the child under the armpits and raised him up. "My, look how enthusiastic we are! Tell me, little nephew, who's your favorite uncle?"

Giggling cheerfully, Wei Yuan called in his childish voice, "Minmin!"

Already used to this silly address, Kong Min laughed and brought the child close to rub their noses together affectionately. He said in a mock-solemn voice, "Yes, it is I, your Uncle Minmin."

Wei Yuan chortled happily.

Qinghe shook his head with a smile. "I'll be going then. Please take care of Yuan-er."

Kong Min nodded.

Shooting one last affectionate glance at the Wei Yuan who was happily waving at him, Qinghe left the clearing.

Holding Wei Yuan to his chest, Kong Min turned to Ying Xulin while saying, "Yuan-er, see? That's your Uncle Ying. Why don't you greet him."

Wei Yuan blinked his big blue eyes at Ying Xulin, then showed a bright grin. "Hello, Uncle Ying!"

Ying Xulin uneasily looked at Kong Min, then turned back to the lively child and forced himself to respond. "…Hello."

Sensing that his lover was nervous since this was the first time he was interacting with a child, Kong Min shook his head with a small smile. Walking up to Ying Xulin, he unceremoniously handed Wei Yuan to him. "Here, Ah-Xu, hold the kid. We'll be babysitting him in the future as well, so you should get close and familiarize yourself with him now itself."

Ying Xulin carefully held the fragile little child in the way he'd seen Kong Min doing while his body went stiff with apprehension. At least he knew already that this child was supposed to be a male, so he didn't have to fear misgendering him and offending hm somehow. Looking down at Wei Yuan's inquisitive expression, Ying Xulin gulped. What should he do after this?

But Wei Yuan hardly needed an excuse to try and charm his uncle. He cheerfully wriggled in Ying Xulin's arms and rubbed his cheek against his shoulder. Then burying his face in the crook of Ying Xulin's neck, Wei Yuan took in a deep sniff. He smelled the earth on him, damp and full of life, along with tender green leaves warmed in the sun and dry wood. Wei Yuan sighed. "Uncle Ying, you smell very nice."

The anxiety fluttering in Ying Xulin's chest lessened. "I…I see. Thank you."

Wei Yuan straightened and grinned. "Uncle Ying, you're very comfy for cuddling."

Ying Xulin looked vaguely confused, but he still nodded to accept what he thought should be a compliment. "Thank you. You feel comfortable to hold as well."

Wei Yuan brightened. "Then we'll cuddle a lot in the future! Ah, but we should also include Uncle Minmin or he'll get lonely."

Kong Min rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "I'm glad you didn't forget me in favor of your new uncle, brat."

His expression softening, Ying Xulin showed a small smile to Wei Yuan. "Yes, I would like that."

Kong Min felt his heart warming. It seemed that his lover was finally opening up a bit to the kid. Feeling cheerful, Kong Min suggested, "Yuan-er, would you like to eat something? Did you already have lunch?"

Wei Yuan nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, I want to eat!"

Chuckling, Kong Min motioned towards the table. "Let's eat there then."

Wanting to be set down, Wei Yuan shimmied in Ying Xulin's arms. Ying Xulin bent and carefully placed the child on his feet. Wei Yuan nimbly navigated the uneven ground and ran up to sit on one of the chairs before bringing out boxes of food from his newly acquired private storage space. The moment he'd gotten his own spatial storage, he had happily stuffed it full of his favorite food, so he had quite a lot of it now. Kong Min and Ying Xulin joined him at the table as well, sitting down on either side of him, and Wei Yuan generously shared his food with them.

"So, Yuan-er, how is school going? Is there any boy or girl who caught your fancy?" Kong Min asked with twinkling eyes.

Wei Yuan frowned. "Father Qinghe and Father Xiang help me with my homework and explain stuff, so school's easy. But I don't understand what you mean by catching a fancy boy or girl."

Kong Min chuckled. "I meant, is there someone you like very, very much and want to spend a lot of time with? Someone you'd want to cuddle with and smooch?"

Wei Yuan scrunched his nose. "Oh. That. No, definitely not."

Kong Min suppressed his laughter at the child's less than thrilled expression. It seemed that his little nephew still had ways to go before he became interested in people that way. "Well, let's put that aside then. How about your training? Are you learning a lot with your Father Qinghe and grandmother?"

Wei Yuan perked up. "Yes, and it's very fun! Grandmother said that if I kept doing this good, she'll give me a special and sharp dagger of my own soon!"

Kong Min felt complicated. Was it even a good idea to give a weapon to a child? But knowing that his master was there in that house too, Kong Min could at least be assured that he would take care of any problems.

Meanwhile, Wei Yuan was peeking up at his other uncle from the corner of his eye. All this while, Ying Xulin had remained quiet and still. Not wanting him to feel left out, Wei Yuan used his chopsticks to laboriously pick up a certain piece of fruit and held it in front of Ying Xulin. "Uncle Ying, quick, eat it before it falls down."

Ying Xulin blinked, but seeing how the fruit was indeed beginning to slide down, he took it into his mouth without delay. Wei Yuan grinned happily and held up another piece of fruit. In this way, the child began feeding Ying Xulin. Kong Min simply smiled and remained silent to let his lover bond with the boy.

Once the fruit pieces were fully consumed, Wei Yuan merrily moved on to feed Ying Xulin other things while chattering about what he liked or disliked about the food.

"Here, Uncle Ying, try this! It's spicy and chewy and nice. It also has a lot of juice though, so don't let it drip! Last time when Father Xiang made some for dinner, the juice fell all over my favorite belt and made it unusable." Wei Yuan's cheeks puffed up displeasedly at that remembered accident.

Ying Xulin's gaze was warm as he solemnly replied, "Yes, I will take care. Thank you for warning me."

Wei Yuan's mood immediately brightened. "That's good."

As the pair kept chatting, Kong Min quickly finished his food and decided to braid his Ah-Xu's hair to pass the time. Ying Xulin cooperatively held still and let his beloved play with his hair as he liked.

In the meantime, Wei Yuan was done feeding Ying Xulin all the messy foods and moved onto sharing some of the flat circles of hard rice treats with him. These treats were the size of an adult's palm and extremely difficult to break off with one's teeth alone. Wei Xiang had made these for Wei Yuan to chew on when he was teething as a human baby. Back then, it had taken several weeks of dedicated chewing for Wei Yuan to make a dent on even one of them. Even now, it took a full day for him to fully break up and finish a single treat.

However, to Wei Yuan's disbelief, Ying Xulin unconcernedly crunched on one of them and finished it in seconds.

Unable to hide his awe, Wei Yuan exclaimed, "Uncle Ying, your teeth are so sharp and strong! Can I touch them?"

Ying Xulin nodded before bending down and cooperatively opening his mouth. Wei Yuan stuck a hand in, eyes shining with curiosity. As the child's fingers felt up his sharp incisors, Ying Xulin's hand hovered over Wei Yuan's wrist, ready to gently guide his fingers away in case he was about to cut himself.

Just then, Kong Min finished with plaiting Ying Xulin's hair and said, "Yuan-er, would you like to finish your Uncle Ying's hair by finding some good flowers and putting them in? I'll help you too if you want."

Wei Yuan retrieved his fingers from within Ying Xulin's mouth and nodded at Kong Min. "Yes! Can I take the glowy flowers from near the trees?"

Kong Min smiled. "Yes, it shouldn't be a problem. Isn't that right, Ah-Xu?" he asked, turning to his lover.

Ying Xulin nodded. "Yes, take as many as you'd like."

Wei Yuan leapt down from the chair and grinned happily. "Then I'll take the best ones to put in Uncle Ying's hair!" Saying so, the little boy scurried away to crouch down and carefully examine the flowers littering the clearing's edge.

Kong Min and Ying Xulin watched the child carefully peering at each flower, assessing their worth with pursed lips until his eyes went cross from concentration. Once he decided that a flower met his high standards, Wei Yuan would carefully pluck it and tenderly cradle it in his arms before setting off to look for another. Within half an hour, Wei Yuan had picked an armful of flowers that he thought were the best of all and walked up to place them on the table.

Next, he dragged a chair behind the one Ying Xulin was sitting on and stood atop it to study his uncle's braided hair with his little hands on his hips. Sitting at the side, Kong Min rested his chin on a palm and watched his little nephew with interest. Wei Yuan carefully deliberated before choosing a flower to tuck into a particular part of the braid, then continued to add more flowers in so that it would form a straight line down the middle of the braid. Once he was done tucking all the flowers in, Wei Yuan got down from the chair and declared, "It's a bit wobbly, but I think it looks very nice."

Ying Xulin nodded and sincerely said, "Yes, I'm sure it looks great. Thank you…Yuan-er." He felt a little awkward while using the little hatchling's name for the first time, but Wei Yuan didn't even notice as he beamed up at him cheerfully.

Kong Min's eyes twinkled as he saw two of his precious people growing closer. He had to say, as open and talkative as his dear nephew was, it would be difficult for anyone to stay cold with him for long. It was all too easy to get caught up in that wide and charming smile of his, bubbling with happy energy.

Wei Yuan went back to eating his food and feeding Ying Xulin. Once the food was gone, Wei Yuan looked up at Ying Xulin with expectant eyes. "Uncle Ying, do you want to play with me?"

Ying Xulin felt a little nervous, but he'd also grown to feel comfortable with the cheery little hatchling by now. Nodding, he said, "Yes. How would you like to play?"

Wei Yuan vibrated with excitement as he immediately said, "Can you make trees fly?"

Kong Min looked at the child incredulously.

But Ying Xulin didn't even hesitate before nodding. "Yes, I can. Which tree would you like me to make fly?"

Wei Yuan quickly pointed to the tree he'd hugged just before and said with eyes gleaming excitedly, "There, that one!"

Ying Xulin wordlessly lifted a hand. The wild magic suffusing the clearing thickened, gathering under Ying Xulin before surging forward. The tree Wei Yuan chose trembled. With snapping sounds, the trunk of the tree bulged in two places on either side before new branch-like protrusions extended out, forming into the shape of wing bones. Leaves began sprouting on them, covering the wing-shaped branches in a thick and dense layer as if to mimic feathers. The tree flapped its new foliaged wings in slow motions, making crackling sounds.

The powerful gusts of wind resulting from the large wings blew back their hair. With stunned expressions, Kong Min and Wei Yuan watched the tree's transformation. On the other hand, Ying Xulin studied the tree's wings critically, trying to figure out if this size was enough to carry the tree's weight or if he needed to extend the wings more.

As the tree strained upward, the ground under it quivered due to its roots being pulled out. Infused by old magic and aided by its metamorphosis, the tree freed itself from the hold of the earth and gradually floated up. It's roots jerked out of the ground and the tree beat its wooden wings with more vigor, gaining height. The canopy of intertwined branches above the clearing shifted and parted to make space for the tree taking flight. It floated up and up, flying into the sky over the Forest's Cradle. It flew in circles while twisting and twirling in the sky, its long roots trailing behind it like ribbons as it performed tricks to entertain the little child watching it.

Wei Yuan jumped and clapped in fervent enthusiasm, his joyful laughter and the open wonder in his expression bringing a pleased smile to Ying Xulin's face.

Kong Min's lips twitched. Should they even be showing something so unrealistic to his little nephew? Wouldn't he end up thinking that flying trees were normal then? But considering the type of strange household the boy was growing up in, Kong Min decided that flying trees would be the least of the little one's worries. Letting out a soul-weary sigh, Kong Min gave in. He would just have to have a talk with his little nephew later and try to make him understand that he shouldn't expect every tree to fly and perform on demand. Ahh, he'd never thought there'd be a day when he'd be the one to act as the responsible person…

Meanwhile, Wei Yuan was hopping up and down with uncontrollable excitement. With a wide smile and sparkling eyes, he pleaded, "Uncle Ying, more! Do more!"

And watching his sweet little nephew's entreating gaze, how could the completely enamored Ying Xulin refuse?

As a result, for the first time ever, with gaping mouths and wide eyes, the people of this world saw the surreal sight of a flock of trees flying in the sky above the Spirit Bewildering Forest.

...

Wei Yuan spent his days learning and playing while being lovingly pampered by his parents, grandparents, and uncles. He was glad to have such a large family full of such nice people, and spending each day with them was so much fun. But Wei Yuan also began to think it was strange how he had no spiritual beast relatives except Zheng Xuan.

Wei Yuan had long ago been told how his Father Xiang was actually his biological brother and that the many eggs in the egg chamber he had been born in would also hatch into their siblings in the future. Though Wei Yuan had thought it strange, he had eventually grown to accept it. For him, his Father Xiang would be his father as long as he accepted and treated him as his son. He knew that he was fortunate to have his Father Xiang and Father Qinghe as parents and didn't intend to change anything in their already comfortable relationship.

But that still left the question: What happened to his Father Xiang's and his own parents?

One day, Wei Yuan grew curious and asked Wei Xiang about it. For some reason, the Father Qinghe who was standing nearby looked vaguely worried while his Father Xiang only smiled a small, calm smile and asked, "They died a long time ago. Would you like to go see their resting place?"

Wei Yuan had bobbed his head in agreement, but Qinghe called hesitantly. "Xiang…are you sure? Do you feel…ready?"

Wei Xiang nodded. "It's time. And no matter how long I wait, I might never feel any more ready than this."

Qinghe sighed. "Very well, then. I suppose you should notify the dragons that we'll be visiting their Mausoleum of Sovereigns."

And that was what Wei Xiang did.

On a certain cloudy day, Qinghe, Wei Xiang, Wei Yuan, and Zheng Xuan set out to visit the burial chamber of Wei Xiang's and Wei Yuan's parents. Since it was something only a Sovereign's direct family, their spouses, or their personal guards could visit, Xie Xingye, Feng Huixin, and Feng Chunyi could not accompany them.

The Mausoleum of Sovereigns was located in an idyllic pocket dimension that could only be accessed from the back of the dragon Sovereign's palace. The silver-haired dragon elder who was the who had headed the three elders who tried to make trouble for Qinghe and Wei Xiang the last time they visited was the one who served as their guide this time. He led the group through the pocket dimension's entrance and into a flat plain covered in an even layer of bright green grass. In contrast to the weather outside, the skies inside the dimension were a clear, piercing blue with thready white clouds floating peacefully.

Rising up from the ground in the middle of the green field was a pure white tower with curling golden roofs adorning the top of each level. The tower had twelve sides and rose up to hundreds of levels. From the distance, it was like a bright, ethereal needle piercing the sky. Cradled between the verdant green fields and serene blue skies, the tower seemed to be wrought of hazy dreams that would be forgotten the moment one took their eyes away from it.

Wei Yuan's eyes shone at this scene and he happily began prancing around on the grass. Wei Xiang and Qinghe smiled while Zheng Xuan cautioned in an affectionate voice, "Xiao Yuan…be careful. Don't run around…like that…or you might…fall."

"Yes~" Wei Yuan said and skipped back towards his parents. He lifted his arms and held one each of Qinghe's and Wei Xiang's hands, settling in between them.

The silver-haired elder narrowed his eyes, but only said, "We should begin."

The group started walking, heading directly towards the tower.

Looking around at the almost empty dimension with bright eyes, Wei Yuan asked curiously, "Why is that white building all alone in here? Shouldn't it be outside with the other buildings?"

Before anyone could reply, the silver-haired dragon elder puffed up his chest and proclaimed in a grand manner, "Dragons are glorious beings whose physical bodies are too precious down to the very last hair. It is especially so for our Sovereigns who are lauded as the strongest of our kind. Due to that, disrespectful knaves often seek to steal their remains to sell or use in powerful spells. Those unsavory types had made many attempts and almost even succeeded in desecrating the Sovereigns' tombs a few times. Something like that happening to our divine rulers is unthinkable! As a result, we have chosen to build this tower in here to convey our respect to them and inter the remains of our beloved Sovereigns so that only those who are deemed worthy can even think of approaching close to them."

Wei Yuan blinked at him and said blankly, "Ah, I see."

The silver-haired elder's face spasmed at this lackadaisical response. Reducing his imposing manner, he smiled and tried to put on the airs of a kind grandpa to connect better with the child. "Young Prince Wei, you might not know, but your legacy is a special one. You might not be a full-blooded dragon, but we of the True Dragon Clan will still welcome you with open arms if you ever choose to visit us and learn about your proud heritage."

Wei Yuan blinked at him again and asked, "Do you all have flying trees?"

The silver-haired elder's eyebrow twitched. "…I'm afraid not."

Shrugging, Wei Yuan looked away, already losing interest. "Then it sounds boring."

Inside his sleeves, the silver-haired elder clenched his fists. What sort of strange criteria was this child using to determine the worth of visiting the mighty True Dragon Clan?! How could he decide it just like that?!

At the side, Qinghe's and Wei Xiang's eyes danced with suppressed laughter, but they didn't say anything. Even if their son truly wanted to visit the True Dragon Clan, they would still support his decision and let him make his own choices as long as he allowed them to send someone with him to assure his safety. However, that didn't mean that they wouldn't feel gleeful and entertained at this helpless sight of the silver-haired elder.

Walking at the back of the group, Zheng Xuan simply shook his head. Maybe this dragon elder had grown too old to remember what appealed to children. As old as he was, even Zheng Xuan knew that the pompous way he was acting wouldn't endear him to the child at all.

Coughing to regain his composure, the silver-haired elder tried another approach. "We might not have flying trees, but we have children around your age that you might like to play with. Especially my grandson. He's an adorable child only a year or two younger than you. Would you like to spend time with him?" If even a single person from their clan could make a connection through which this child could be influenced in the future, he'd consider it a success!

Not knowing his thoughts, Wei Yuan perked up. "That sounds like fun!" Maybe if he had a dragon friend, he could fly with him in his wyvern form and learn things about being spiritual beasts together! Turning to his parents, Wei Yuan asked, "Can I go play with the dragon boy?"

The silver-haired elder smoothly added, "Even if Sovereign Wei and Deity Feng do not wish to send your son alone to the True Dragon Clan, we can allow our Xiao Shang, Shang Riyao, to visit your residence to spend time with Young Prince Wei."

Qinghe and Wei Xiang shared a glance. They could already guess what this elder was planning. But they also had faith in their son. In the end, Qinghe patted Wei Yuan's head and nodded. "Very well, if the dragon child doesn't mind coming to play with our Yuan-er, then there is nothing to object."

"Yay!" Wei Yuan jumped up and down cheerfully.

Showing a satisfied smile, the silver-haired elder threw a jab, "It is good that Deity Feng didn't let your prejudices get in the way of your child's happiness. Your stubbornness to go against us in certain matters recently has been most petty, so I was afraid you would once again disregard common sense and choose to oppose us."

Wei Xiang's eyes narrowed with a dangerous gleam while Qinghe merely smiled, the sharpness in his gaze hidden. "By those 'certain recent matters', I'm assuming you mean our refusal to pardon one of your elders and dragging him to the heavenly court to be trialed after the way he attempted to orchestrate my son's kidnapping?"

The silver-haired elder gritted his teeth. "Deity Feng, you crossed too many boundaries at that time! We can even forgive how you manipulated us in the situation with the wyvern eggs. But on top of that, you went so far as to extort land and other assets from us recently even after we agreed to let you punish the offending elder! How arrogant of you to ask us to bow our head that far! What do you take the True Dragon Clan as?!"

Qinghe shot him an amused glance. "Extort? I merely asked you to follow the terms of the contract you and your fellow elders signed two hundred years ago. I kept up my half of it, and yet you dragons seem unable to fulfill your part of the bargain. The compensation we exacted from your clan in return for its kidnapping attempt was just and exactly as stipulated in the contract."

The silver-haired elder was unable to retort against that, so he could only switch his target and say, "Sovereign Wei, do you share your human mate's views as well?"

Wei Xiang looked uninterested. "Everything that has to be said has already been stated by my husband. What more do you want me to add?"

"The True Dragon Clan was the home of your mother, the Sovereign Song Xia. She was beloved by us and we honor her memory even now. Is it wrong for us to ask for some leniency from you on her behalf? Shouldn't you have shown your support for us at least for your mother's sake?" the silver-haired elder said self-righteously.

Wei Xiang froze, the corners of his lips lifting in a silent snarl. "You dare say she was beloved by you lot after everything your dragon court did to her? Did you forget how you all pried her from her mate and hatchlings, using her as a puppet in your politics before sending her to her death in the battlefield? How many fucking holes do you think I have in my head to believe your delusional bullshit?! Why don't you recite your nonsense to the air and spray your saliva on a moldering wall, you slimy-tongued viper!"

Heavy silence echoed in the wake of his outburst. Unable to get out words in his fury, the silver-haired elder went red in the face.

"Xiao Xiang," Zheng Xuan said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Wei Xiang halted. He took in a deep breath and let it out. Once he was able to bring his anger under control, he resumed walking, his expression somewhat stiff. Qinghe wrapped an arm around his shoulders in silent comfort while Wei Yuan hugged his waist, looking up worriedly with big blue eyes. "Father Xiang?"

Wei Xiang's face unconsciously softened. He bent down to lift up his son and Wei Yuan snuggled up to him, rubbing his cheek over Wei Xiang's in a silent show of placation. Wei Xiang's gaze warmed. "I'm fine, Xiao Yuan. Thank you."

Recovering his voice just then, the silver-haired elder choked out, "S-Such impudence! Wyvern Sovereign Wei! You―!"

Frowning, Zheng Xuan interrupted the silver-haired elder, "Your court has…broken up his family…enough. You pulled apart…his mother and father…and now you try…to take away…the brothers and sisters…he wants to raise…as his own children. Just how much…must you torment him…before you all are satisfied?"

Rebuked like this by the Zheng Xuan who was much respected among the dragons after his return from exile, the silver-haired elder could only shut up and glare at Wei Xiang silently.

Seeing his seething gaze, Wei Yuan puffed up his cheeks and scolded him, "You! Stop making Father Xiang grumpy, or Father Qinghe will make you cry!"

Qinghe burst into laughter while Zheng Xuan suppressed a chuckle. Even the Wei Xiang whose mood had begun to worsen again cracked a smile. This child was too adorable to let them keep up their anger.

Meanwhile, the silver-haired elder was once again struggling to compose himself. As much as he wanted to shout at the child, he knew that he had to control himself. The adults of this family were a lost cause. But at least the child should be relatively easy to influence and open to persuasion. He couldn't alienate him and risk losing the chance.

Stabilizing his emotions, the silver-haired elder put away all his disgruntlement and showed a strained smile to the little boy. "Young Prince Wei, it was not my intention to make your father angry. I keep trying to make amends, but your parents always behave in a hostile manner towards me. Maybe you could help me convince them that I mean them no harm?"

Qinghe raised an eyebrow. Did this elder really think that children were that blind or stupid?

Wei Yuan frowned dissatisfiedly. "That's because you keep saying mean things. If you sincerely say you're sorry, Father Xiang won't be mad at you."

The silver-haired elder froze.

A hint of humor appeared in Wei Xiang's eyes. He mercilessly prodded, "Xiao Yuan is right. If you and everyone else involved in angering me can bend your backs and sincerely apologize to me, I can consider letting you off." Turning to his son, he continued, "What I said is reasonable, isn't it Xiao Yuan?"

Wei Yuan nodded with a wise expression on his chubby little face. "Yes, Father Xiang is right!"

Stiffening, the silver-haired elder glared at Wei Xiang and sputtered, "A youngster like you demanding bows from your elders is too―! Such insolence!"

Wei Xiang shook his head with pretend-sadness. "As long as you lot hold on to that pride and refuse to admit your wrongs or make amends, I'm afraid we can't be friends. How regrettable." Hugging his son tighter, Wei Xiang said to him, "See, Xiao Yuan? I tried, but he's refusing to even apologize."

Wei Yuan shot a displeased look at the elder before directing a sympathetic expression towards his father. Patting Wei Xiang's jaw, he seriously said, "It's alright, Father Xiang. You already have lots of good friends, so don't feel sad about losing a bad friend."

Wei Xiang nodded as if solemnly accepting his consoling. "My Xiao Yuan is so wise. I'll listen to you then."

Qinghe's eyes watered from containing his laughter while Zheng Xuan chuckled silently with his head turned away. Oh, this was too adorable!

The silver-haired elder gave up. There was no curing this family, hmph! He could only place his hopes on his grandson and trust that he'd win over the wyvern child before turning him against his parents and bringing him over to the dragons' side.

After this discussion full of twists and turns finally wound down, silence slowly settled on the group. Under the influence of the wide blue sky stretching above, the expanse of green plains sprawling below, and the fresh breeze blowing through, the tense mood from before gradually cleared up.

All the time, the tower had been getting closer and closer. Soon, they reached its base and climbed up a short set of stairs onto a wide, railing-less platform. A simple and meticulously neat white staircase wound around the outside of the building, snaking through the gaps cut into the wide golden roofs while being shielded by it. The silver-haired elder took the lead in climbing up and the group followed after him. Wei Yuan happily scampered up. Of all the activities he liked to do, he loved climbing up tall structures the most, with flying a very close second.

While the child hopped up the steps cheerfully, the atmosphere around Qinghe, Wei Xiang, and Zheng Xuan was somber. Walking at the back, Zheng Xuan's eyes were full of deep thoughts and remembrances of times long ago. Meanwhile, Qinghe kept peeking up at his husband, trying to see if he was alright. Wei Xiang eventually had to pull his beloved close, kiss his forehead, and reassure him that he was fine before Qinghe stopped looking so worried.

Holding Wei Xiang's hand, Qinghe let himself relax a bit, his mind drifting back to the time around half a century ago.

The pair of husbands had been poking around in the wyvern's secret dimension in the Spirit Bewildering Forest, trying to see if they could find anything interesting left behind by Wei Xiang's mother, when they came across a stone crypt, it's entrance buried under eons worth dust and debris. Inside laid the remains of Wei Xiang's father and the first generation wyverns, Wei Xiang's siblings. After some discussion, Wei Xiang and Qinghe had decided to leave the wyverns in the place they were born and raised in, only taking Wei Xiang's father's coffin with them to the heavenly realm to inter him beside Sovereign Song Xia's final resting place in the Mausoleum of Sovereigns. But instead of accepting the True Dragon Clan's invitation to preside over his father's reinterring, for some reason, Wei Xiang had instead given Zheng Xuan that responsibility and had stayed back home in the Feng residence.

That whole day, Wei Xiang had stayed in a strange mood. He'd spent all his time sitting in the Feng residence's library, looking over his mother's journals and other books detailing the events around his parents. Finding him poring over the ancient tomes, Qinghe had wordlessly sat down on a nearby table, taking out his writing tools and the reports he needed to finish for the heavenly court by the next day. In this way, the couple spent their time silently in each other's company.

After a few hours, as the light of day faded into dusk, casting the inside of the library in warm and nostalgic hues, Wei Xiang finally began talking. He spoke about what he'd pieced together about his parents, and Qinghe intently listened.

From what his mother had written about him, his father, Wei Zan, seemed to have been a carefree and easygoing person despite being the Sovereign of the entire Metal Serpent Clan. He had several advisors and aides who would take care of most of his work, leaving him to roam freely around his territory and cause mischief. That was how came across Wei Xiang's mother for the first time.

Wei Zan was particularly skilled with making magical mirrors out of an amalgamation of his scales and silver, but seldom found any use for his creations. Wei Xiang's mother Song Xia, on the other hand, was skilled with spatial manipulation; especially things like creating dimensions, making spatial storages, connecting two places using transportation arrays and the like.

Later, Song Xia had to leave her mate and children to return to the heavenly realm due to her deal with the dragon court, exchanging her freedom for the lives of her family and loyal guards. But not content to be separated from his mate, Wei Zan made a pair of special mirrors, one for him and one for his lover. Before leaving, Song Xia connected the two mirrors using her ability so that she and her beloved mate—and later, their hatchlings—would be able to communicate with each other even if they were in different realms. She then hid away her mirror in a small spatial pocket within her storage space so that the dragons wouldn't find out. In this way, the pair used the mirrors to secretly keep in touch even while apart.

Millennia later, when the dragon queen fell in battle, her mate died as well. Because even though no one knew, their souls were tied together. They had been bonded their whole lives without either of them finding out till the end. It seemed that they had tied themselves to each other in a past life, the soul bond following them into this life without them needing to create it anew, persevering till the end.

As Wei Xiang talked about it all, his gaze had been complicated, a sense of wistfulness detectable. Here were the two people who had brought him into this world, and yet they had already been so far away when he was born. It made him uncertain about how to face them now, and so he kept putting off his meeting with their remains. But no matter how much time passed, Wei Xiang didn't feel any more prepared to visit their graves. For this reason, he kept delaying his visit.

Decades later, when Wei Yuan curiously asked him about their parents, Wei Xiang finally decided that at least for his son's sake, he would face this. Wei Yuan deserved to know about this and have the chance to see his parents graves, and he deserved to have both his adoptive parents there beside him when he did.

And so they were now here, visiting Wei Xiang's parents' final resting place for the first time.

After about an hour of climbing stairs, the silver-haired elder finally stopped on a certain floor. He got off the staircase and crossed the veranda that encircled this level of the tower before heading in through the giant stone archway inlaid with delicate gold filigree and set with fist-sized gemstones. A series of doors waited within, and the silver-haired elder used different keys to enter each one. The group followed him all the way inside silently until they reached their destination.

The room was large, cylindrical, and airy, constructed entirely of the same white stone as the outside of the tower. The chamber's walls were carved to show different images and aspects of a single dragon. Her eyes were set with radiant gems while each of her scales seemed to have been individually crafted with gold and fixed into the reliefs. She stood tall and imposing in one carving, a regal queen reigning supreme, while she was shown as wise and calm in another, thinking solemnly of the welfare of her people. In one relief, she stood with battle armor, a grim and determined expression on her face as she wielded weapons, but in yet another, she gently cradled a clutch of eggs, her eyes unfathomably tender. Many such sculpted figures lined the walls, grandly celebrating the various faces of the Sovereign.

The wall facing the entranceway was left free of any carvings. A knee-high platform was situated in front of it with two coffins placed side by side atop the platform. Hanging on the wall directly above the pair of coffins was the painting of a couple, presumably of the two people currently interred here. Both of the coffins resting under it were made of dark brown wood shining with faint luster. One of them had a golden lid etched with a majestic dragon while the other coffin had a blank silver lid that shone like a mirror. A transparent dome of spells the height of a person covered the entire platform. Its job was to both prevent anyone from tampering with the coffins and to contain the power of the deceased held within. If left alone, each of the Sovereigns' power would have long suffused the tower, intermingling and changing the environment here.

The atmosphere in the room felt hushed and dry. An air of solemnity and reverence weighed the spacious chamber, seeming to turn even the cheerful sunlight subdued and muted. But there was nevertheless a sense of timeless peace and still calm permeating the room, as if nothing had moved here for an eternity and nothing would move in the future as well. Everything here had found its place and was content to rest here until it turned to dust.

Qinghe looked at the coffins, then lifted his head to study the painting hanging above. In it, a dark-haired woman sat on a worn bench under a wisteria tree, while a silver-haired man laid sprawled on it, his head resting on her lap. Strings of purple blossoms hung in curtains both behind and above them as if to form a protective canopy gently enfolding the couple. Lit with daylight, a soft and warm glow suffused the scenery, lending a tender and poignant air to the scene.

The posture of the woman in the painting was balanced and poised, with a hint of majesty and readiness for battle that seemed to have softened in the man's presence. Her skin was a creamy white tinted with the warm gold of sunlight dripping down from above. She wore a plain white robe with simple gold embroidery adorning the lapels and hem. Her hair was a deep ebony that turned slightly wavy near the ends, with streaks of brown intercepting the shining locks. Small frown lines were etched between her arching brows, but her forehead stayed smooth and unwrinkled now. Her eyes were a profound black, fixed on the man using her lap as a pillow with an exasperated look tinted with calm affection. Her lips were slightly raised at the corners, yet it seemed that her face was too used to remaining stiff to allow her any more of a smile.

The man lying on her lap was far more expressive. His gleaming blue eyes shone with vivid emotions as he gazed lovingly at the woman, his entire attention seeming wrapped around her. Mischievousness, teasing, contentment, peace, and joy radiated from him. One of his hands was placed on his stomach while the fingers of the other lifted up a lock of the woman's hair to his lips. Colored a dark honey, his lips were pulled up in a playful grin while his body laid loose and boneless on the bench. His skin was tinted with honey, the exact hue as Wei Xiang's. He was dressed in a sleeveless grey outer robe that flowed like water over his form. His shining inner robe was a shade or two darker than true silver, the same color as his thick and straight hair. Black thread adorned his sleeves and the border of his outer robe. His lean body looked full of energy, ready to leap up at any time. Yet he stayed still and obedient in the presence of the woman he loved.

Together, the woman, Song Xia, and the man, Wei Zan, looked like a harmonious couple spending time quietly together, free of worries and responsibilities.

As he studied the painting, Qinghe's eyes kept being drawn towards all the little details in their expressions, postures, and other physical attributes that resembled Wei Xiang and Wei Yuan. Thinking how these two people would be unable to see their sons now, Qinghe felt his heart grow heavy.

Beside him, Wei Yuan was also looking intently at the painting of the two people that his parents had said he was born from. He stared transfixed at the man's tarnished-silver-colored hair and blue eyes, and the woman's calm gaze and steady temperament. He could feel his connection to them through the picture. The strange sense of familiarity he felt with them was same as what he felt with his own Father Xiang, the unmistakable tie of blood.

For a moment, Wei Yuan felt regret that he wasn't able to get to know these two people before they went away. But looking at his Father Xiang and Father Qinghe, that strange, tight feeling in his chest loosened. Even if his and his Father Xiang's real parents were gone, Wei Yuan was still glad to have been adopted by his current parents, being able to soak in their affection and company every day. He was happy with his current life.

Seeing Wei Yuan's gaze on the painting filled with many thoughts, Wei Xiang smiled and patted his head. "Xiao Yuan, after we return home, would you like me to tell you stories about them?"

Wei Yuan snapped out of his contemplations and nodded excitedly, his eyes shining with curiosity.

"Now that we are here, we shall pay respects to the Sovereign…and also her mate," the silver-haired elder spoke.

The elder, Zheng Xuan, and Wei Xiang knelt on the ground and bowed down. Wei Yuan blinked at them and rushed to copy their actions. Qinghe slowly followed suit as well.

When they rose back up, Wei Xiang looked at his husband with surprise. He knew that his Qinghe was too prideful to bow simply for the sake of upholding traditions. If he ever made a gesture of respect, it would only be because he truly meant it.

Seeing his beloved's expression, Qinghe showed a small smile. "I wanted to show my gratitude towards your parents for existing and thank them for bringing my Xiang and Yuan-er into this world. If nor for them, then the two most precious people in my life would never have been born."

Wei Xiang hugged him tightly, hiding his expression in Qinghe's shoulder. "Thank you, love."

Qinghe patted his back, his smile soft.

"Father Qinghe, I want a huggy too!" Wei Yuan demanded.

Laughing, Qinghe lifted him up with his free arm and pulled him close in an embrace. Wei Xiang used an arm to wrap around his adorable son too. As the family of three stayed pressed together like this, Zheng Xuan smiled quietly while the silver-haired elder let out a dissatisfied huff and strode outside. He'd see how long this closeness would last after his grandson managed to pry that brat away from the Feng household!

With this intention, a few weeks after the visit to the grave, the silver-haired elder's grandson Shang Riyao was sent to the Feng residence to play with Wei Yuan. But as the two children grew more friendly with each other, Wei Yuan happily dragged the little dragon off to the mortal realm to meet his other two friends, the younger child Wu Jiyue and adult Yan Minglan.

As the three boys became closer and grew up under the care of Yan Minglan, the silver-haired elder stroked his beard with satisfaction. Good! If the situation kept proceeding like this, it was only a matter of time before he could start using his grandson to plant suggestions into that wyvern child's mind and turn him over to their side!

But little did the elder know that it was his grandson who had ended up being utterly taken in. Not only did Shang Riyao become a loyal friend to Wei Yuan and grow to respect Yan Minglan, he was also irrevocably charmed by a clueless Wu Jiyue to the point of having stars in his eyes whenever he saw him. Would there still be any chance for him to listen to his grandfather and act against Wei Yuan?

But unknowing of what the future held for his grandson, the silver-haired elder merrily continued plotting his plans that, alas, would never reach fruition.

...

On a certain day, Qinghe and Wei Xiang ended up needing to take care of a rampaging ancient beast in the heavenly realm that had broken free of its seals and began wreaking havoc.

Unfortunately, Feng Huixin had gone just today to deal with something in the Order of Sentinels while Feng Chunyi and her most trusted warriors were out visiting chaos to a certain city that seemed to have started secretly amassing powerful deities and training them with the purpose of infiltrating and planning a coup d'état in the heavenly capital.

Not willing to disturb either of them while they were busy, Qinghe and Wei Xiang decided that together, they would be more than enough to handle this issue and began preparing to take on the berserk creature. In the meantime, since there would be no one at home to look after Wei Yuan, the couple invited Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan to come and watch over the child for a bit.

Before Qinghe left with Wei Xiang, he didn't forget to warn the two babysitters, "Uncle Xie, Uncle Zheng, since it's getting late and nearing Yuan-er's bedtime, he might try to sneak out to play in the forest again while hiding his presence. Please stay with him until you're sure that he is really asleep."

Xie Xingye grinned and nodded, "Yes, leave it to us and go play with your husband."

And so, reassured, the couple had left Wei Yuan to the dependable Zheng Xuan and the not-so-dependable Xie Xingye.

Now faced with the task of babysitting, Xie Xingye looked at the child consideringly. He wasn't used to dealing with children, and he even felt slightly panicked at the thought of something so fragile, impressionable, and vulnerable being near him. What if he hurt the child accidentally? It made him quite anxious. But thankfully, his Lord Zheng was here to make sure he wouldn't end up inadvertently doing anything bad, so Xie Xingye felt more or less at ease. And seeing how adorable this child looked—with big blue eyes blinking inquisitively, round and rosy cheeks that seemed so soft, and hair a couple of shades darker than silver turned messy after a day of playing—he couldn't deny that he was curious to spend some time with him and indulge in the child's company. After all, this would be the first time in years that he'd gotten to see this nephew of his.

Meanwhile, Wei Yuan was also studying Xie Xingye. Though he vaguely recalled this uncle's scent as if they'd met before, he couldn't remember much about him. And it was no surprise, since he had still been an infant at that time. Wei Yuan's gaze intently took in Xie Xingye's handsome yet not overly-beautiful face, dark grey eyes framed with a thick sweep of lashes, eyelids tilted up at the corners and lined with black, a wide, smiling mouth with dark red lips, neat black hair simply tied behind him, bright amber stones studding his ears, and black clothes seeming to leave smoky trails when they swished through the air. Wei Yuan's final verdict after observing everything was that this uncle of his seemed very interesting! He wondered what new games they could play together and whether he could sucker him into letting him stay up late.

At the side, Zheng Xuan merely watched with a smile as Xie Xingye and Wei Yuan looked at each other with almost identical curious and assessing gazes.

Wei Yuan suddenly lifted his arms up. "Uncle Xie, hold me!"

Xie Xingye's face jerked. Would that really be…alright? He looked at Zheng Xuan with a question in his eyes and received an encouraging nod in reply. Taking a deep breath, Xie Xingye bent down and carefully lifted Wei Yuan up by his armpits before straightening. The child dangled from his hands and looked at him with gleaming eyes. Xie Xingye peered back at him with puzzlement. So…what should he do with this kid now?

Wei Yuan cheerfully smiled up at him. "Can I eat your hair?" He'd never tried to eat hair before, but he wanted to try it now! He was curious to see if it would taste like dry noodles.

Xie Xingye shot a freaked out look at Zheng Xuan. What the fuck?!

Zheng Xuan suppressed his amusement and replied to the child in his lover's stead, "Xiao Yuan, no…you can't."

As Wei Yuan's attention was diverted to Zheng Xuan, Xie Xingye let out a breath in relief.

"Why not?" the child asked, his clear eyes staring at the scarred dragon with a piercing intensity and demanding answers.

Zheng Xuan patiently explained, "Because…it's not…food."

Wei Yuan tilted his head in thought, his dangling legs starting to swing energetically in the air. "Even if I put tasty syrup or gravy on it?"

Xie Xingye's lips twitched, but Zheng Xuan solemnly shook his head. "Yes…even then…hair will remain…inedible."

Wei Yuan appeared to have begun pondering deeply about something.

Xie Xingye looked at Zheng Xuan with a gaze that screamed 'What do I do now?!'

Zheng Xuan chuckled and stepped closer. "First…why don't you…hold him…properly?" he said and lifted a cooperative Wei Yuan out of Xie Xingye's hands. He then demonstrated to his lover the proper method of holding a child, how he could support the weight of the small body without putting too much pressure on any delicate areas, and how to balance him properly.

Xie Xingye studied it carefully, then nervously took Wei Yuan into his arms to try and copy Zheng Xuan's posture. Zheng Xuan corrected the position of Xie Xingye's hands and made him spread out his fingers more before finally stepping back with a satisfied nod.

Wei Yuan snuggled happily in the comfort of Xie Xingye's warmth and turned a sparkling gaze towards Zheng Xuan. "Uncle Zheng, you're a dragon, aren't you? So do you have treasure? Do you have a treasure cave like my father to keep all the shinies?" Since he'd already had the chance to meet and grow familiar with Zheng Xuan before during the mausoleum visit, Wei Yuan was more chatty with him.

Zheng Xuan smiled and said, "The biggest treasure…of any draconic being…be they a dragon…or a wyvern…is their mate. As such…Xingye is my…biggest treasure,"

Xie Xingye grinned and batted his lashes at his lover. "Aww, Lord Zheng, you'll make me blush."

Wei Yuan looked up at Xie Xingye with appraising eyes and nodded. "Yes, he's very pretty and interesting like a treasure."

Xie Xingye preened, "Boy, you have good eyes." It felt especially good to be praised by a child, since children were after all supposed to be more forthright and honest with their opinions, weren't they?

Zheng Xuan let out a gravelly laugh and shook his head. It looked like his adorable nephew had captured the heart of yet another of his uncles. "Alright now…Xiao Yuan. It's dark outside…so you should…go to bed."

Wei Yuan puffed up his cheeks and pouted. "But I just met Uncle Xie! I don't want to sleep yet!"

Xie Xingye gave a light pinch to the stubborn little boy's bottom. "Are you trying to use me as an excuse, you brat?"

Wei Yuan blinked his eyes at him pitifully.

Sighing, Xie Xingye relented, "How about this: I and Lord Zheng will accompany you in your room for a bit more if you promise to go to bed now and sleep like a good boy."

Wei Yuan frowned. It seemed he couldn't get away from bedtime that easily. It was such a pity. Hesitantly, he tugged on Xie Xingye's robe and asked, "Then…will Uncle Xie tell me a story? I'll sleep after that, promise!"

Xie Xingye pondered. If he remembered right, then it was normal for children to love stories. But what type of story could he even… Xie Xingye's gaze abruptly shone with a gleeful light. He almost wanted to break out into laughter while rubbing his hands together evilly. If the kid wanted a story, then he'd tell him a story he'd never forget while also making sure that it'd curb his troublesome antics in advance! "Very well, I'll tell my cute little nephew a wonderful bedtime story~"

Zheng Xuan looked at his beloved's cheer with a wary expression. What was his lover plotting?

But not noticing anything, Wei Yuan happily cheered. He was greatly looking forward to what sort of stories this new uncle of his would tell him.

With that decided, Xie Xingye carried Wei Yuan to his room, with Zheng Xuan accompanying them. As soon as they neared his bed, Wei Yuan leapt into it and happily burrowed under the sheets before looking up at Xie Xingye expectantly.

Xie Xingye pulled up a chair to the bedside and settled into it comfortably, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and anticipation on his face. Zheng Xuan rested back against the wall near the headboard, wondering if it really was okay to let the child be subjected to whatever his beloved was conspiring.

With a smile, Xie Xingye asked, "Are you ready for me to start my story?"

Wei Yuan nodded eagerly.

Xie Xingye's smile widened. "Let me begin then." In a smooth voice, he recited, "Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Yuan-er."

Wei Yuan excitedly raised up a hand and declared, "Father Qinghe and Grandfather call me Yuan-er too!"

Xie Xingye exaggeratedly widened his eyes. "Oh? How strange!"

Zheng Xuan's lips twitched. What was his beloved planning?

Xie Xingye then continued, "This Yuan-er was a lively little boy with silver hair."

Wei Yuan raised up his hand again to state, "I have silver hair too!"

Xie Xingye made a big show of looking at the child's hair and nodded. "Yes, so you do. What a coincidence!"

Wei Yuan wriggled happily on the bed while Zheng Xuan shook his head with a wry smile.

Xie Xingye went on, "This boy named Yuan-er with silver hair had a strange hobby. He liked to sneak around and eat hair. One day, he spotted a droopy figure with especially long and tasty-looking hair. So Yuan-er did what he always did. He took a step forward and chomped down on the hair. The figure suddenly turned around, and Yuan-er was so shocked that his mouth dropped open and he let go of all that hair. Do you know what he saw?"

With big eyes, Wei Yuan shook his head.

Xie Xingye grinned and continued, "He saw that the figure with the long hair was not a person. It was a ferocious looking monster with a large mouth covering its whole face. And that mouth was full of sharp black teeth."

The kid's eyes grew wider as he drew up the bedcovers to just under his eyes. "A-And then?"

Xie Xingye smirked. "And then the monster gave a hideous shriek and tried to leap onto Yuan-er. But the second Yuan-er saw the monster's face, he had already started running towards the nearby woods. He ran and ran as fast as his legs could carry, and the monster's unearthly shriek also grew fainter and fainter as he left it behind. Soon, he'd lost the monster."

Wei Yuan let out a breath in relief.

But Xie Xingye's smile turned evil as he continued, "After escaping into the dark forest, Yuan-er walked around in it for a while. The forest was full of bare black trees without any leaves and with dry black dirt on the ground. Yuan-er wandered in the dark for a long time without being able to find a way out. He stumbled and fell again and again. His body became littered with small scrapes and bruises. He grew hungry and thirsty. But there was no escape from the forest. It was so still and silent here except for the rustle of the trees…or so Yuan-er thought at first. Then he remembered, these trees had no leaves, so how would they make rustling noises? Getting curious, he listened closely. And it turned out it wasn't rustling after all." Xie Xingye leaned forward even more and said, "They were whispers."

Wei Yuan clutched the edge of the quilt tightly and gulped.

Xie Xingye went on, "And the whispers said:

'What a sweet smelling boy! I reckon he'd taste just like candy!'

'Look, he doesn't have his parents with him!'

'He eats hair, he is a naughty little boy.'

'If he's a bad boy, then he needs to be punished!'

"Hearing all this, Yuan-er was terrified. He tried to run away, but he couldn't escape the forest. Seeing him desperately trying to get out, the evil trees laughed loudly. Their laughter sounded like creepy hisses, echoing and slithering dryly through the forest.

"As he was fleeing, Yuan-er stumbled over a tree root and fell down. But before he could get up, he felt a sharp line of pain on his back. The tree behind him had whipped him with its stark branch. Yuan-er wanted to scramble up and get away, but another tree bent down and struck him with its branch as well. Then another, and another, and yet another… Yuan-er was soon covered in lash marks. His skin was torn and blood kept pouring out. Poor little Yuan-er screamed and screamed for his parents, but they couldn't hear him.

"The bloodthirsty trees kept hitting him again and again, scraping his flesh off his bones little by little until there was nothing of Yuan-er left except a pale skeleton on bloodied ground. Yuan-er's soul still remained, hovering over what was left of his body and trembling pitifully. The trees finally stopped and laughed again, saying, 'Now that the naughty child has been punished, it is time for him to become one of us.' The other trees all waved their branches in agreement.

"The earth under Yuan-er's skeleton sank down and ate up his bones. From the bloodied soil, a new tree grew, its black trunk just as twisted as the other trees, its branches just as bare and sharp. Yuan-er's soul was sucked into this new tree, and so Yuan-er became a tree. The other trees yelled out congratulations to Yuan-er and said, 'The next time a naughty child passes through here, we will give you his hair.' Hearing this made Yuan-er feel happy again. And so, he eagerly waited along with the other trees for the next naughty child to pass through their forest. The end."

Wei Yuan looked up at Xie Xingye with terrified eyes. This story was so scary!

The Zheng Xuan who had ended up getting taken into the morbid tale sighed. He probably should've stopped his lover when the story started becoming gruesome. The child was probably traumatized by now.

Smiling cheerfully, Xie Xingye said to the wide-eyed child, "Yuan-er, you're a good kid, aren't you? So you have nothing to worry about. Ah, but there are a lot of trees outside the house, so I hope you don't go there without having someone accompany you, or who knows what'll happen? You'll stay in this room like a good boy during bedtime, won't you?"

Wei Yuan frantically nodded. "Yes! I'll be a good boy! I-I won't eat hair, promise!"

Xie Xingye smiled happily and led Zheng Xuan out, leaving the child to try and sleep. He had no doubt that his dear nephew wouldn't get up to any mischief while the story was still fresh in his mind.

And so, dragging his lover into one of the rooms in the Feng residence that was reserved specifically for them, Xie Xingye decided to have some fun with Zheng Xuan on the bed. A helpless Zheng Xuan could only oblige, and the long night was soon filled with passion before giving way to peaceful sleep for the couple.

...

A few hours later, Qinghe and Wei Xiang returned to the residence. Due to how the beast they'd gone to hunt had ended up exploding over them, they were both now covered in splashes of blood, some jelly-like white fluid, and large chunks of reddish-pink flesh. Rather than contaminate the house with the gore clinging to them, the pair decided to first have a wash to remove the goo and bits of body parts in the stream flowing through the forest surrounding the house. After washing the blood, disentangling themselves from the coils of ruptured intestines, and picking out eyeballs and teeth out of their hair, they finally returned to their room to have a longer bath in a tub of warm water.

Soaking relaxedly in the tub while clouds of steam wafted up, Qinghe sighed with satisfaction. "I finally feel clean again."

Leaning back on the opposite end of the tub, Wei Xiang chuckled. "I really didn't think I'd ever be free of the feeling of gunk stuck to my skin. Having a bath in warm water really does feel much more cleansing than a wash in the cold stream."

Qinghe murmured his agreement and closed his eyes. Ahh, this was heavenly… He suddenly felt a warm palm sliding up his leg, brushing past his knee and caressing the inside of his thigh. Qinghe opened his eyelids to half-mast and peered at his beloved.

Wei Xiang's eyes bore a suggestive, inviting look. His lips quirking up seductively, he proposed, "Love, why don't we do something fun together to wind down?"

Qinghe's lips stretched in a slow, sensual smile of his own. "Something fun, you say? What does my Xiang have in mind, I wonder?" But even as he asked that, Qinghe was already leaning forward to trace his husband's shoulders, his fingers sliding down Wei Xiang's muscled arms before sweeping back up his firm abdomen and chest. Meanwhile, Qinghe parted his legs to let his beloved slip his wandering fingers in between, taking his length into that warm palm before massaging it to life.

Giving out a soft groan, Qinghe leaned into Wei Xiang and brought their lips together. Wei Xiang's hand lifted up from Qinghe's shaft to hold him by the hip. Qinghe wrapped his arms around his husband and pressed down on Wei Xiang until he was lying back against the tub's edge again. Qinghe's lips sucked over his beloved's while his tongue danced slowly in Wei Xiang's mouth as if taking its own time to savor a delicious feast. Wei Xiang's hand squeezed and released Qinghe's hip in approval while his other palm lifted to cup his beloved's nape.

The mood turned thick and amorous, their flushed and wet bodies sliding against each other in an unconscious temptation. The liquid desire pooled in their bellies, flowing languidly through their veins like sweet honey.

Knock, knock.

The sound broke through the haze enveloping the bedroom, interrupting them. A sleepy, childish voice called from outside, "Father Qinghe? Father Xiang?"

Qinghe disengaged from the kiss and panted while resting his forehead against Wei Xiang's. In a husky voice, he said, "It's Yuan-er."

Wei Xiang sighed. "So it is. It seems he hasn't slept yet. But I'm already thankful that he didn't escape to play in the forest again."

Qinghe chuckled.

Pushing his husband to lie back in the water, Wei Xiang stood up from the tub and said, "I'll take care of this, so you continue bathing." Since his beloved loved soaking in water, Wei Xiang decided to let him be.

Qinghe nodded. "Thank you. I'll be out in a short while."

Wei Xiang bent to press a kiss to his cheek before saying, "Alright. Take your time." He quickly got out, dried off the water, and dressed in a long robe before heading towards the door and opening it.

On the other side stood Wei Yuan, tiredly rubbing his eyes and waving on his feet. Seeing his father in front of him, Wei Yuan raised his arms in a silent request. Wei Xiang obliged, lifting him up and holding him to his chest. Rubbing his son's round head affectionately, Wei Xiang asked in a quiet and kind voice without any hints of dissatisfaction or impatience, "What's wrong, Xiao Yuan? Why haven't you slept yet?"

Wei Yuan rubbed his face on Wei Xiang's chest as if trying to wipe away his drowsiness. "I'm scared the tree monsters will eat me."

Wei Xiang's brows shot up while Qinghe hid his amusement and called from within the room, "What tree monsters do you mean, Yuan-er?"

Wei Yuan blinked to become more awake before explaining, "Uncle Xie told me a scary bedtime story about evil trees that are actually monsters. They wait for children who eat hair to get close and then they use their branches to suddenly hit them." Wei Yuan demonstrated by flailing his little arms as if to mimic wobbly noodles before continuing, "Then a new tree comes out and gobbles up the children's souls." So saying, he started grabbing fistfuls of air and pretended putting it into his mouth with an adorably ferocious and evil expression. "Then the children become trees!" he finished while sitting up straight in Wei Xiang's arms, his own arms extending diagonally up and his fingers spreading out as if imitating the branches of a tree. Holding this position with wide eyes, Wei Yuan looked at his parents as if saying, 'See, isn't it horrifying?'

Witnessing all this, both Qinghe and Wei Xiang had to struggle to contain their laughter. How could their son be so cute!

Wei Xiang patted his son's back and solemnly promised, "It's alright, Xiao Yuan. Though the tree monsters sound very…formidable, you can rest assured that I and your Father Qinghe won't let them get you."

Wei Yuan nodded. "I know. That's why I came to ask if I can sleep here even though I'm a big boy now."

Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang bent to press a series of small kisses to his little son's adorable face. "Yes, my Xiao Yuan is such a big and brave boy. But even big and brave boys will want to cuddle with their parents, so yes, you can stay with us tonight."

Wei Yuan smiled happily, his eyes turning to crescents. "Yes, let's cuddle!"

Qinghe chuckled warmly at his lethally adorable husband and son duo. Shifting lazily in the tub of warm water, Qinghe placed an elbow on the edge and cupped his chin with a palm while looking at his son. "Yuan-er, would you like me to ask Uncle Xie not to tell you scary stories like that again?" After all, whatever story Xie Xingye had told Wei Yuan seemed dark enough to scare such a small child into weeks of nightmares.

But to the couple's surprise, Wei Yuan shook his head with bright eyes while saying, "No, I like Uncle Xie's scary story. I want him to tell me more scary stories!"

Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "Since Uncle Xie and Uncle Zheng are staying at our house for now, you can ask him tomorrow."

Wei Yuan looked delighted while Wei Xiang wryly shook his head and carried his son to the bed. Laying down Wei Yuan in the middle, Wei Xiang settled on one side of the bed, leaving the other side open for his husband. Placing his palm on the restlessly shifting child's stomach, Wei Xiang said, "Your Father Qinghe will come join us after he's done bathing, so be good, Xiao Yuan."

Wei Yuan nodded. But after a bare few minutes of exercising his patience, Wei Yuan squirmed impatiently and asked in an aggrieved voice, "Is Father Qinghe not done yet?"

Chuckling, Wei Xing rubbed his son's stomach. "Settle down, Xiao Yuan. Your father will be here soon."

In a low murmur, Wei Yuan grumbled to himself, "'Soon' is just one of the adults' lies to kids." Then turning around, he snuggled into Wei Xiang's chest.

Laughing quietly, Qinghe decided to not keep his son waiting any longer and got out of the tub. After drying himself using wind and dressing in a loose robe, he laid down on Wei Yuan's other side. Wei Yuan turned onto his back again and wriggled like a happy little worm. His favorite place in the whole world was lying like this between his fathers!

Qinghe and Wei Xiang draped an arm each on the giddy child and settled in to sleep. Wei Yuan stilled, trying to soak up this comfortable feeling and sleep as well. But as he blinked up at the ceiling, he realized that he wasn't as drowsy as before. Wei Yuan frowned up at the shadows overhead, feeling a bit stifled. Just past the barrier of this ceiling, there laid the vast sky with boundless stars. Yet here he was, stuffed into a room. If not for his parents, Wei Yuan might have tried to escape out into the forest like usual.

"What is it, Yuan-er?" Qinghe asked softly, noticing his son's disquiet. "Are you unable to sleep?"

Wei Xiang opened his eyes to peer at his son as well.

Wei Yuan puffed up his cheeks and said, "The ceiling is too boring, and trying to sleep in a gloomy room doesn't feel nice. Maybe I'll feel more sleepy if I can see the starts and be outside in the forest."

Qinghe and Wei Xiang exchanged a glance. So this was why their son kept trying to escape into the forest at bedtime? Was he feeling suffocated inside the confines of the house at night?

Wei Xiang frowned and asked Qinghe, "Do you think we should build an open-air room for him to sleep in during fair weather?"

Qinghe sighed. "Let's discuss it together with Mother and Father later." Then looking at Wei Yuan, he smiled. "Yuan-er, you should've told us before why you wanted to run into the forest during bedtime every night. We would've listened and tried to make it feel better for you."

Wei Yuan blinked up with tentative hope. "Then…I don't have to sleep inside?"

Wei Xiang patted his son's head. "You might have to stay inside when there's rain or snow. But I don't see why you can't sleep outside the rest of the time as long as you remain within the residence's grounds and somewhere we can check up on you."

Wei Yuan shot upright on the bed and bounced happily. "Yay! Then can we sleep outside now?"

Qinghe rose up as well and grinned. "Yes, we can." Then turning to Wei Xiang, he said, "Xiang, I'll bring the spare mattress, so can you carry out the quilts and pillows?"

Wei Xiang nodded and the family of three soon got to work. Within minutes, they'd spread out a thick mattress out on the training field behind the house. After the pillows and quilts were added to make it cozy, Wei Yuan jumped onto it and rolled around with pure joy on his adorable face. Lying down on either side of him after he settled down, Qinghe and Wei Xiang smiled at each other over their son's head.

Something suddenly occurring to him, Qinghe turned to Wei Yuan and began tickling his belly while asking, "I thought Yuan-er just said that you were afraid of the tree monsters? Since we're outside, aren't you afraid the tree monsters will be able to get to us more easily?"

Wei Yuan squirmed and giggled under his father's merciless tickling. Grabbing Qinghe's hand with both of his to make him stop, Wei Yuan lifted it and hugged it to him with a sweet smile. Shaking his head, he replied confidently, "Since Father Qinghe and Father Xiang are here, the trees won't dare to eat me!"

Qinghe and Wei Xiang chuckled at how proud their son looked. His faith in them was clear as day.

"Yes, Xiao Yuan is right," Wei Xiang said. "We won't let anything happen to you."

"Mn!" Wei Yuan nodded with a grin.

Qinghe and Wei Xiang smiled back with gentle expressions.

Silence stretched for a few moments, filled with warm feelings.

Then patting Wei Yuan's head, Qinghe said softly, "Yuan-er, the next time something is bothering you and you don't know how to resolve it on your own―like how you didn't want to sleep inside the house, for example―I want you to clearly tell us, alright? I'm sorry that we were unable to notice this issue before today. But as your parents, as long as you tell us if something's wrong, we'll try to help you as much as we can."

Wei Yuan tilted his head as if digesting his words, then cheerfully nodded. "Okay!"

Qinghe pecked him on his forehead. "Good. Now, let's sleep."

Gazing up at the glittering stars spread above him and feeling the fresh breeze brushing his face, Wei Yuan felt more relaxed and calm than he could ever describe. Lying down out in the open like this, he was sure that he'd have the best sleep ever!

However, the family of three were soon interrupted in their quest to reach dreamland.

After Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi were done with their respective tasks, they met in the heavenly capital to spend some time together before leisurely returning home at night. But when Feng Chunyi casually gazed out the window in her and Feng Huixin's room, the sight that greeted her was that of her sons and grandson happily stargazing together on a comfy mattress without even inviting her to join them in such a fun activity! How unfair!

And so, Feng Chunyi grabbed a mattress, a pair of pillows, a quilt, and her husband before marching outside, determined to not be left out.

Seeing his grandparents and hearing that they would be joining them, Wei Yuan was more than thrilled. Qinghe and Wei Xiang could only sigh wryly. With Feng Chunyi here, they would probably not be able to sleep for a while. But of course, they didn't refuse her enthusiastic declaration of joining them. Soon, Feng Chunyi laid out her mattress adjoining the top of her sons' and grandson's mattress. This way, she and her husband could lie in such a manner that all five of their heads would be near to each other. It would be most conductive to chatting.

Once the new arrivals were finished settling down, there was a few moments of silence. Insects chirped in the distance while leaves rustled. The breeze was pleasant and the starry sky serving as their ceiling glimmered with quiet tranquility.

And then Feng Chunyi spoke, "Now that we're all together, are we just going to sleep? It'll be boring!"

Feng Huixin shook his head helplessly. Where did his wife even get this boundless and inexhaustible energy from?

Wei Xiang tilted his head towards her and asked, "What else do you suggest we do, Mother-in-law?"

Feng Chunyi grinned. "We can talk about something fun~"

"Like what?" Qinghe prodded.

"I don't know. I don't have anything particular in mind right now," Feng Chunyi replied with a shrug. "What about you, my darling son? Is there something interesting you want to talk about?"

Qinghe frowned, pondering seriously. Then brightening, he turned to Feng Huixin with shining eyes, "Father, do you know any embarrassing childhood stories about Xiang?"

Wei Xiang's mouth twitched. To his relief, Feng Huixin shook his head with an amused gaze. "I'm afraid Wei Xiang was already a well-behaved child when he came to me."

Narrowing his eyes at his naughty little husband, Wei Xiang chuckled cheerfully. "Well, since you opened the door, love, maybe it's time I heard some of your embarrassing childhood stories." Turning to Feng Chunyi, he prompted, "Mother-in-law?"

Feng Chunyi giggled gleefully. "Yes, there are too many funny little stories about this son of mine."

"Mother!" Qinghe called loudly.

Feng Chunyi ignored him and went on, "For example, the way he hated wearing pants. Sometimes, he'd even remove his robes and run around naked in the forest. The amount of wood splinters and sand I had to pick out from his bouncy little butt cheeks because of his propensity to plop his butt down anywhere he could are uncountable."

Qinghe buried his burning face in his hands while Wei Xiang's low laughter rang out. To add insult to injury, Wei Xiang said, "Mother-in-law, I wouldn't say that's something he only did as a child. Sometimes when he's drunk, he says he dislikes clothes and tries to do the same thing, though he thankfully retains enough awareness to keep on at least a single layer before going outside."

"X-Xiang!" Qinghe shouted and clamped a hand over his husband's mouth before he could say anything else.

Feng Chunyi laughed merrily, taking great joy in her son's mortification.

Just then, Feng Huixin spoke, "That's something Qinghe might have gotten from Chunyi. I clearly remember that one a certain day back in our world, after drinking copious amounts of alcohol, Chunyi went to take a bath to cool off and decided to head to town after that to eat. Only…she forgot to put on anything. It was a good thing that Master caught her before she could leave the pocket dimension or who knows how far she'd have gone without putting on clo―"

"A-Ah-Xin! Enough!" Feng Chunyi exclaimed and blocked her husband's mouth. She puffed up her pink cheeks and glared at him as if he'd betrayed her. Feng Huixin's eyes smiled back at her with humor.

Seeing that Feng Huixin had cooperatively stopped talking, she took back her hand from her husband's face and tried to say something to embarrass him in return, "Well, it's not like I never caught you naked too! Whenever you were in the communal bath chamber, you were always naked!"

Feng Huixin raised a brow. "Chunyi…since I must have gone there to bathe, it's only a given that I wouldn't have any clothes on. How else would I bathe?"

Feng Chunyi's face turned redder. "A-Ah-Xin! You dare argue with me using logic!"

Qinghe burst out laughing, finally removing his own hand from his husband's face as well. Wei Xiang shook his head with a smile. His mother-in-law was so ridiculous.

Having been witnessing everything with gleaming eyes, Wei Yuan giggled happily. "Grandmother, you're so funny!"

Feng Chunyi turned to him and energetically ruffled the child's hair. "You brat! Are you disrespecting your grandmother?"

Wei Yuan only giggled harder, squirming under her hand.

Feng Chunyi's face softened. "So what about you, Grandson? Are there any stories you'd like to report today?"

Hearing the word 'stories', Wei Yuan perked up and narrated the tale of the scary tree monsters to his grandparents using the same exaggerated gestures to show how the evil tree gobbled the souls of hair-eating children. Feng Chunyi and Feng Huixin looked like they were suppressing their mirth while trying not to squish their adorable grandson's cheeks as he seriously demonstrated for them.

"I see," Feng Huixin finally said after Wei Yuan was done telling his tale. "That certainly sounds frightening. Is Yuan-er afraid because of that?"

Wei Yuan cheerfully shook his head. "Father Qinghe and Father Xiang and Grandfather and Grandmother are here, so the trees won't be brave enough to come here!"

Feng Chunyi nodded approvingly. "Yes, they won't have the guts to bother the great Heavenly General's grandchild!"

"Yes!" Wei Yuan cheered with his arms up in the air. Then blinking expectantly at his Feng Chunyi, he asked, "Grandmother, do you know any fun stories?"

Feng Chunyi grinned and asked in return, "Have you ever heard stories about your grandfather before?"

Feng Huixin's eyes widened. What?!

To his embarrassment, Wei Yuan nodded. "Yes. We learnt it in school. The day before yesterday, the teacher told us about how Grandfather took down a very old and strong monster that even the previous Heavenly Emperor couldn't beat. Everyone was talking about how unbeatable Grandfather was, and they all got so jealous when I told them he was my grandfather!" Wei Yuan laughed with smugness and satisfaction at that remembered image.

Feng Huixin coughed, his ears burning red. He felt secretly pleased at how his little grandson seemed proud of his relationship to him. Feng Chunyi chuckled quietly and hugged her husband, snuggling into his warmth. Her Ah-Xin was so cute!

Smiling, Qinghe told his son, "Yuan-er, you should sleep now. We have a playdate for you to attend tomorrow with Yue-er and your older sister Lan-er at her house, remember? Everyone is going to be there. You don't want to be sleepy when you greet them, do you?"

Recalling that there was more fun to be had tomorrow, Wei Yuan's face up while he wiggled with excitement. Then his expression suddenly drooped as he complained, "But Grandmother and Grandfather never come to my playdates."

As Wei Yuan's lethally cute eyes blinked sadly at his grandparents, Feng Chunyi quickly said, "We'll come, we'll come! I and Ah-Xin don't have much to do tomorrow since we just finished difficult tasks today. Isn't that right, Ah-Xin?"

Feng Huixin nodded and lifted a hand to pat his grandson's head. "Yes, we'll accompany you tomorrow."

Wei Yuan's expression turned cheerful again. "Yay! We're all going to play tomorrow!"

Wei Xiang laughed. "Yes, yes. But if you don't sleep, that tomorrow won't come, Xiao Yuan."

And so, the happy child wiggled a bit more to vent his excitement before cuddling with his fathers and closing his eyes. Surrounded by what he knew was the best family in all the worlds, Wei Yuan drifted off into sleep with a content smile on his face.

...

The next morning, miffed that they didn't get to sleep under the stars with the others, Xie Xingye made sure to tag along while dragging Zheng Xuan with him as the family of five went to the play date at Yan Lin's place. After the way Qinghe, Wei Xiang, Jing Shui, Wu Xiao, Chen Xiande, and Hei NingYu often came to meet up here, Yan Lin's cottage had become the unofficial gathering place for everyone.

Even after two hundred years, Yan Lin's cottage remained much the same. A vegetable garden sprawled in front of it while the wooden hut looked small and cozy as always. But its wooden boards and thatched roof had already had to be replaced several times over these past two centuries. However, Yan Lin and Zheng LiYing insisted on remaking their cottage the same as it was.

In the land behind the cottage, the ground had been cleared of weeds and rocks to make it smooth so that it could be used for gatherings. A long, worn table sat in the middle, with unlit lamps in a line at the center. Instead of chairs, two long benches rested on either side of the table to offer seating.

On one side grew Yan Lin's fruit orchard, and on the other side was a small pond that was added more recently. As the land shifted over the centuries, a pit had opened up there. As a result, Chen Xiande had used his earth ability to firm up the land so that it wouldn't fall apart further while Jing Shui used his water ability to pull up water from deep underground and established a channel to fill and supply the pit with clean water. Hence the pond came to be. On Yan Minglan's request, Chen Xiande had created a small island at the very center of the pond, and a single tree now grew out of there. Seeing how Yan Minglan spent most of her time there, it was unanimously agreed that it was her territory.

When the entire Feng household arrived, Zhang LiYing was having Hei NingYu, Chen Xiande, and Jing Shui help her set the table. Wu Xiao was playing with his little son on the island while Wu Jiyue was resting on Yan Minglan's lap. Yan Lin was puttering inside the house, filling bowls with food and doing other menial tasks. Already familiar with these people, Feng Huixin said simple greetings and went inside to help Yan Lin. Zheng Xuan followed him. Feng Chunyi and Xie Xingye happily skipped off to play with Wu Jiyue a bit while waiting for dinner to be ready. But their respective beloveds soon came to drag them off, saying that they needed more hands.

Seeing that Wei Yuan was here, Wu Xiao came over with gleaming eyes while the four people setting the table were drawn over as well. As familiar hands pinched his cheek, rubbed his head, patted his back, and tickled his tummy, Wei Yuan giggled cheerfully. He was already used to all the attention he got from his aunts and uncles, and he happily took it as his due.

Once they'd had their fill, Zhang LiYing and the others in the table-setting group went back to their duties while Wu Xiao held Wei Yuan and asked, "Are you here for the playdate, brat?"

Wei Yuan nodded and smiled brightly. "Yes! I want to play with Xiao Yue!"

Qinghe chuckled. "Sect Master Wu, could we trouble you to take Yuan-er to Yue-er then?"

Wu Xiao agreed and walked towards the island before depositing his nephew beside his cute son. "Xiao Yuan, will you take care of Xiao Yue and play with him?"

Wei Yuan nodded and seriously sat down beside Yan Minglan and the Wu Jiyue on her lap. Yan Minglan took out a fruit from the basket beside her and offered it to Wei Yuan. "Want one?"

Wei Yuan nodded and accepted it. "Thank you, Sister Minglan!"

Yan Minglan smiled and patted Wei Yuan before taking out a fruit of her own to munch on. In her lap, the baby Wu Jiyue blinked at them both with big eyes while sucking his own thumb. He turned his head to his father silently and stared.

Seeming to understand his son's thoughts, Wu Xiao rubbed Wu Jiyue's head and said, "You can eat fruits if you grow up quickly, Xiao Yue. Now be good and play with your big brother and sister, alright?"

Wu Jiyue burbled softly and turned away.

Smiling affectionately, Wu Xiao kissed his son's cheek and leapt over the band of water around the island so that he could go and accompany his Ah-Shui. Wu Jiyue watched him go from the corner of his eyes and carefully got down from Yan Minglan's lap, crawling towards the island's edge.

"Xiao Yue, do you want to watch the fishies in the water? I'll come with you too! Who knows if there'll be any monster fishies who can eat you in one gulp!" Wei Yuan said after finishing his fruit and followed the toddler.

Yan Minglan kept watch on them both silently while eating fruits. If they leaned too much over the edge, she would quickly use the pole with the wooden hook sitting beside her to drag them back by their collars.

Having reached the island's edge, Wu Jiyue was splashing his hands in the water, his face solemn. Thin feathers of silvery frost crept outwards from his palms, freezing the water into a layer of delicate designs. The strands of frost shimmered in the bright afternoon light as if encrusted with glitter.

Holding Wu Jiyue by the waist so that he wouldn't fall in, Wei Yuan watched it with shining eyes and exclaimed, "Xiao Yue, that's so pretty!"

Wu Jiyue paused, looking up at Wei Yuan. Then, with a focused expression, he returned his attention to freezing more water for Wei Yuan to admire. Though he had wanted to freeze the water to make a bridge so that he could go to his fathers, now that he had his big brother Yuan here, he didn't feel the need to anymore. Plus, he liked it when this big brother of his praised him, so Wu Jiyue contended himself with making more pretty patterns on the water.

Near the table, Jing Shui sighed. "Is Yue-er using his ability again? I hope he doesn't exhaust himself like last time."

"It's alright. That brat Xiao Yuan and Miss Yan are there with him," Wu Xiao reminded.

"Yuan-er is surprisingly astute for his age, so Brother Jing doesn't have to worry. Not to mention that Miss Yan is very dependable," Chen Xiande added. Turning to Zheng LiYing, he said, "Madam Yan, may I ask you to set aside two more bowls of food and pairs of chopsticks? I ended up talking about today's gathering to my twin junior brothers and they said that they wanted to come too."

Zheng LiYing smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'll take care of it." Since she had just finished her share of the work, she went in to prepare the two additional portions.

Soon enough, the twins arrived as well, directly making towards Qinghe for a round of hugging and acting spoiled before being sent off on babysitting duty with Yan Minglan. Just then, Feng Chunyi and Xie Xingye managed to escape from working inside the house, slumping on the benches by the table as if they'd just finished the most grueling tasks of their lives.

On the island, Fei Jin crouched by Wei Yuan and said to him teasingly, "Yuan-er is such a good big brother to Yue-er. When you have more siblings, I can see that you'll take care of them very well."

Wei Yuan puffed up his chest and sat straight. "Of course I will! I'll be a good big brother to everyone!"

Fei Yin smiled and praised in his whispery voice, "Yuan-er is so mature. Have you thought of what you want to be in the future?"

Wei Yuan grinned and nodded. "Yes, I want to be a general like Grandmother!"

By the table, Feng Chunyi froze, her eyes growing wide. W-What? For once, she was rendered speechless, her face going red with bashful embarrassment. She felt so happy that she was unable to express it.

Xie Xingye chuckled and hugged his sister with an arm. He knew how much her grandson's words meant to her.

Meanwhile, standing together under the shade of a tree and leaning against its trunk, Qinghe and Wei Xiang shared a look. Without having to exchange a word, they silently decided that they would work hard to have the laws of the heavenly court amended so that even spiritual beasts could head the heavenly armies as long as they were strongly affiliated with a deity household. No matter what their son chose, they would wholeheartedly support him.

Turning back to the sun-drenched scene of energetic bustle before them, the couple observed in peaceful silence.

Qinghe was the first to speak, "It's too bad that your senior brother couldn't come with Master Ying, or this gathering would have been complete."

Wei Xiang chuckled. "Kong Min skipped out on too much work this week, so I've chained him to his desk again. I suspect the Master of Land is accompanying him. But even if I didn't make Kong Min work, I doubt that reclusive lover of his would want to come to a place and be a part of such a lively horde."

Qinghe hummed thoughtfully. "That's true. Even without them, this is already quite a crowd." His face easing into a content smile, Qinghe went on in a soft voice, "It's incredible when I think about it. At first, it was just me and the twins. But now, the group of people I love have grown so much. It was more than anything I could have imagined."

Before he and his Xiang's paths had crossed, Qinghe used to run himself ragged, then drop down in front of the twins while exhausted and riddled with injuries. As Fei Yin and Fei Jin held back their tears and grimly attended to his wounds, he would pretend to not see his junior brother's worries about what all he was doing to himself or their fear that they would lose him. He pretended that everything was alright and that he could handle all the sufferings he put himself through.

As long as he didn't die, everything else could be fixed.

But it was only after his lover and friends interceded that he realized that no, he was not alright, and that he could use their support as a crutch until he healed enough to be alright again. It was okay to say that he couldn't do some things. It was okay to say that he was uncomfortable. And it was okay to treat himself with as much kindness as he would treat at least a stranger. He wouldn't say that he was completely free of issues even now, but he knew that he would one day get there with the help of all the people who cared about him. And that was enough for him.

Qinghe closed his eyes and leaned his head on Wei Xiang's shoulder. "There really are a lot of people in my life now, and I am all the more happier for it."

Wei Xiang chuckled and gently wrapped an arm around his husband. "Yes. And Qinghe, it was you who brought them all together. It was you who created this big and wonderful family connected by both blood and bond."

Qinghe's cheeks turned pink. He turned his head to bury it in Wei Xiang's shoulder, feeling both pleased and happy.

"The food's ready!" Zhang LiYing's voice called out.

Qinghe opened his eyes and straightened from Wei Xiang's embrace. Chaos abounded in front of them as everyone fell on the food like a pack of starving wolves, fighting to get more of their or their beloved's favorite food. Laughter, teasing, and banter filled the space.

Wei Xiang shook his head at this scene. Holding his husband's hand, he strode forward, pulling Qinghe along with him and out of the tree's shade. Turning back with an amused smile, he said, "Love, if we don't hurry, all the food will be gone."

Letting out a laugh, Qinghe followed his Xiang into the light.

Feng Qinghe and Wei Xiang thus continued to walk on the road to eternity, every day spent with joy and contentment while surrounded by their friends, family, and each other.