Chapter 122 The idiot isn't an uncle! He's a father! ...

"How did it go?" After finishing her business, the Xuanqing Snake Woman rushed over, and the three of them stood outside the Water Palace.

“Yuan Guang is still receiving treatment,” Bai Yuheng said, estimating the time in her mind. “He has been inside for four hours.”

Today is an important day for Xuan Lang's healing. Bai Yuheng and Pei Yuan have nothing to do, so they stand guard outside the door so they can respond promptly if anything happens inside.

The Azure Serpent Woman breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart was still in suspense. Her thick blue eyebrows were furrowed as she stared at the entrance of the Water Palace, as if she could stare a hole through it.

"Let's sit here for a while." Bai Yuheng poured her a glass of wine, and the three of them sat at a white jade table under a Bodhi tree that would require five people to encircle.

"Have you finished taking care of your business?"

The Azure Serpent Woman took a sip of wine, nodded, and said, her mind still troubled by the matter, "Pretty much. Recently, many cultivators have come to Nanshao City, all wanting to enter our Netherworld to search for treasures. I spoke with the chieftain several times and we decided to join forces to drive out those ill-intentioned people... In the coming days, you should also not leave Xuanji Palace. There are quite a few spirits and beasts in the realm that have been bewitched, and they are very difficult to deal with..." The Azure Serpent Woman sighed and drank her wine in one gulp.

Seeing this, Bai Yuheng filled the cup and said, "That chieftain is quite good. He is young and promising, and a man of great vision. You don't need to worry about cooperating with him."

The Azure Serpent Woman nodded in agreement: "Indeed, after meeting her a few times, she is indeed a good collaborator."

"Oh, by the way, he asked me to tell you that their wedding is in a few days, and you absolutely have to come."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuheng realized that three months had already passed since she entered the Divine Netherworld, and it was already time for Fang Xichun and Bai Zhixing's wedding!

"Time flies! I almost forgot about this if you hadn't mentioned it!" Bai Yuheng exclaimed.

The Azure Serpent Woman said, "In the Netherworld, black and white are indistinguishable. If you stay there for too long, it is indeed difficult to tell what year it is."

"Since I have nothing to do these days, I might as well take a trip down the mountain!" Bai Yuheng said with a smile. "It's been quite a while since I've seen Xiaoying and Xiaocan. I wonder how they're doing..."

Although she knew that Xi Chun would not mistreat the two of them, she still couldn't help but feel a motherly worry. Moreover, the two of them loved to bicker and fight, and she was afraid that if she didn't intervene, they would start fighting today and be fine tomorrow, which would only put Xi Chun in a difficult position.

“Your injury is almost healed. Do you want to come along?” Bai Yuheng scratched Pei Yuan’s palm under the stone table, then he held her hand in his own. He nodded, “Yes, I’ll go wherever you go.”

"Cough cough!" Xuanqing Snake Woman was really just bored and had nothing better to do than eat the food of the two of them. She was speechless for a long time. Although she had seen many of the two of them being clingy and sweet, she still found it hard to accept.

Suddenly, she sighed to herself. Although she felt disgusted, she was more envious. She thought to herself that she hadn't had a loving relationship for hundreds of years. Should she find a Daoist partner to enrich her life?

While drinking, he ignored the two lovers whispering sweet nothings to himself and pondered the matter.

After sitting for an unknown amount of time, the door to the water palace finally opened.

The three walked over in unison, and Bai Yuheng and Xuanqing Snake Woman asked in unison, "How is it?"

Yuan Guang was somewhat weak, his face pale, and he clutched his chest, saying slowly, "It's alright now, it was a great success, I reckon he'll wake up tonight."

Are you alright?

Bai Yuheng couldn't help but worry when she saw that he looked unwell.

Yuan Guang shook his head and said nothing.

After thanking him, the Black-Green Snake Woman went into the Water Palace to take care of Xuan Lang.

Only Bai Yuheng, Pei Yuan, and Yuan Guang remained outside the hall.

Just as Bai Yuheng was about to ask something else, she saw Yuan Guang swaying as if he was about to fall, and instinctively reached out to help him.

Pei Yuan, with keen insight, pushed Bai Yuheng's hand aside and supported the weak Yuan Guang, pressing his entire body against him. The latter lifted his eyelids and glanced at him. Pei Yuan's expression remained unchanged, his movements forceful and distant, like a business transaction, as he led the person to sit down at the stone table.

Bai Yuheng was pushed aside and couldn't help at all.

"Are you alright?" Bai Yuheng reached out to check his pulse, but Pei Yuan beat her to it.

"The pulse is stable; it's just that you overused your spiritual energy, but there's nothing wrong with it."

Pei Yuan calmly stated the diagnosis.

"Eating more nourishing soups and medicines can help you recover. You must not stimulate your spiritual power for the time being."

Yuan Guang smiled and said, "It's not that exaggerated. I'm a doctor, so I naturally know my own situation."

After saying that, he withdrew his hand and teased them again: "I've never seen anyone as stingy as you."

Pei Yuan didn't speak, not even lifting his eyelids, clearly not wanting to talk to him about these things.

Bai Yuheng rolled her eyes at him: "Alright, alright, you still have the energy to joke around, so you're probably fine. Why do you always talk about Pei Yuan? He's just concerned about me and doesn't want me to suffer. Don't you even look at how tall and heavy you are, and how skinny I am? If you put your weight on me, I'd be exhausted!"

"..." Yuan Guang looked at her with a deep look. He had never seen anyone so biased towards outsiders. It had only been a short time since they last met, and she was already calling out to Pei Yuan. He still remembered that the two of them hadn't even become Daoist partners yet. They hadn't even obtained proper proof, and she was already protecting him. Yuan Guang's heart, that of an old father and older brother, was somewhat broken.

"Cough, all better." Pei Yuan took Bai Yuheng's hand, a warm feeling of protectiveness spreading through his body. He said softly, "The patient needs to rest, so we won't disturb you. Didn't you say you were going to attend a wedding? Are you going to prepare a wedding gift?"

Bai Yuheng snorted and thought about it; she really should start preparing.

"Then you should rest well, we'll be going now."

Yuan Guang nodded and waved his hand, wishing the two of them would leave quickly and stop getting in his way.

After everyone left, Yuan Guang sat under the stone table, lost in thought for a while, then looked at the water palace with its doors tightly shut and sighed deeply.

A moment later, the Azure Serpent Woman excitedly walked out. Yuan Guang's heart skipped a beat, and he heard the Serpent Woman say, "Your Majesty, the Heavenly Venerable has awakened!"

Yuan Guang's Adam's apple bobbed, he nodded, and remained silent, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Xuanqing Snake Woman: "Your Majesty, the Heavenly Venerable requests your presence."

Yuan Guang breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders and neck relaxed, and he said easily, "Okay."

The Black-Green Snake Woman watched him go inside and then sat down at the stone table.

Inside the Water Palace.

Xuanlang leaned against the elongated lotus stem, closed his eyes to rest, and slowly opened them after hearing the sound.

The two looked at each other without saying a word.

Yuan Guang sighed inwardly, walked over to her, and sat down on the ground.

As soon as Fang sat down, a sharp palm strike came and landed crisply on his face.

Yuan Guang touched his burning, throbbing cheek and laughed, "That was really strong. Looks like you've recovered."

Xuan Lang pursed her lips tightly and stared at him.

Yuan Guang's smile faded, and the two looked at each other.

"...I'm sorry, I broke my promise...If you don't want to see me again, I'll do it now—"

Before he could finish speaking, a warm, soft body suddenly rushed into his arms, and his neck was tightly held.

"..."

"Fool!"

"Fool!"

"Son of a bitch!"

Xuan Lang's voice was still a little hoarse, but his tone was firm and resolute when he scolded him.

Yuan Guang was momentarily dazed, but upon confirming that the person in his arms was real, his lifeless heart instantly rekindled, and he pulled her into his arms with even greater force.

"Yes! Yes, you're right, I'm an idiot, a fool, a bastard..."

The two wished they could use all their strength to meld each other into their very bones, so that they would be inseparable for all eternity.

Ripples on the water, twin lotus blossoms open.

*

Bai Yuheng and Pei Yuan, holding the jade token given to them by the White Crane Boy, left the Netherworld Realm from another heavily guarded location.

As soon as I stepped outside, it was dusk, the sky was bathed in orange light, while Wangyue Mountain was shrouded in miasma, gray and gloomy, like a dark night.

From time to time, eerie screams could be heard from afar, which were particularly terrifying.

The two walked side by side, and the spirits hidden behind the dark trees were all observing them. But seeing that they came from the dark realm, none of the demons dared to go forward.

They followed them all the way to the foot of the mountain. There was a barrier at the foot of the mountain, so they could not go down the mountain at will, lest they frighten the ignorant mortals.

He could only silently watch the two leave.

“There are so many spirits in these mountains,” Bai Yuheng said. “There are about a hundred of them following us all the way.”

Pei Yuan played with her fingertips, and after hearing this, he hummed in agreement and said, "As long as they don't harbor any harmful intentions towards us, we don't need to worry about them."

"Xuanlang and the snake woman manage this place really well. I think those spirits are just curious about people, but they don't attack or test people, and they don't have any ill intentions."

"Yes, they are indeed well managed. The spirits in the mountains are well-behaved and have not caused any trouble."

Pei Yuan enjoyed spending time alone with her, and he especially liked chatting with her about meaningless things, even if he didn't know how to respond. He just wanted to hear her talk to him.

Because it was some distance from Nanshao City, and considering that Pei Yuan had just recovered, Bai Yuheng summoned Duobao to carry the two of them into the city.

Duobao hadn't seen its two owners for a long time, and now they were together at the same time, chirping happily.

Bai Yuheng stroked Duobao's head, running her hand smoothly from head to tail; the smooth, white fur felt wonderful to touch.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

—Your Majesty! Your Majesty!

"Duobao still remembers me." Bai Yuheng smiled at Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan glanced at Duobao, blocked the bird's head that was nudging him, held it in his palm, gently rubbed it, and smiled at her with a gentle expression: "Hmm, Duobao is very smart, she can smell your 'scent'."

Bai Yuheng smelled it herself and asked doubtfully, "Is there?"

“Hmm,” Pei Yuan replied seriously.

"Oh? What's that aura?" Bai Yuheng leaned closer to him, teasing Duobao.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan leaned down, smelling her from the top of her head to the back of her ear and then to her neck, and said seriously, "A very clean and cool scent."

Bai Yuheng chuckled and asked Duobao, "Duobao, tell me what it tastes like?"

Duobao: "Chirp chirp chirp!"

—Mother's fragrance!

Bai Yuheng was taken aback, then burst into laughter.

He leaned over and kissed her beak and the top of her head.

She's just my mother! She and Pei Yuan delivered me back then and raised me from infancy!

"Oh? Then she's my mother, and who am I?" Pei Yuan leaned closer and asked casually, as if it were just a casual question.

Duobao's round eyes darted around, and it opened its mouth wide with joy: "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp chirp!"

—Uncle! Uncle! It's Uncle!

"Pfft—hahahahahaha..." Bai Yuheng couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Pei Yuan's face darkened. He used one hand to close Duobao's beak and narrowed his eyes, warning, "What did you say?"

Bai Yuheng could understand his frustration. After all, Duobao was only three or four years old when she passed away, which meant that Pei Yuan had raised him with great care and attention...

Bai Yuheng silently gave Pei Yuan a sympathetic look.

Duobao dared not joke around anymore. She nuzzled against him ingratiatingly, pulled her hand away, and chattered excitedly, "Chirp chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!"

—Not Uncle! It's Daddy! Daddy, Daddy!

Pei Yuan combed her fur with satisfaction, then offered her his hand, revealing a plump, bright red fruit in his palm.

Duobao shouted excitedly, making Bai Yuheng take a few steps back and rub her ears.

Why do you still carry this with you?

She remembered that this was Duobao's favorite fruit.

Pei Yuan fed Duobao, saying, "I happened to see some little demons selling these in the Netherworld, so I bought them all."

Upon hearing this, Duobao rubbed against Pei Yuan vigorously, happily circling him several times, its barking clear and bright.

"Don't eat too many." Pei Yuan ignored Duobao's attempts to please him and warned in a low voice, "You can eat three a day, and you can't even beg for it."

Seeing that this approach wouldn't work, Duobao looked at Bai Yuheng with his round, bright eyes. The latter quickly waved her hands, making her stance clear: "I'll listen to your father!"

Duo Bao hung her head in dejection, but Pei Yuan subtly curled his lips, took her hand, and sat on Duo Bao's back together.

Poor Duobao not only couldn't eat any delicious fruit, but he also had to work like a cow or a horse and eat the "fruit" from his unscrupulous parents.