Chapter 200 Langzhi is here again.
The heavy snow that had lasted for several days finally stopped, and the sun shone brightly, its warm rays gradually dispelling the dark clouds that had shrouded the snow-capped mountains. The wolf packs, which had been resting for months, came out to patrol their territory and survey the snow-capped peaks.
On the vast snow-covered slope, bonfires were lit again, and the women, who hadn't gathered for a long time, came together again, chatting and laughing...
"White Ear, in my opinion, the commander's baby is definitely a boy!" Rat Diviner's mother said with a smile. "Her belly is pointed and facing forward, just like when I was pregnant with Rat Diviner!"
"Hahahaha! Rat Mother, you must be joking! You're a snow wolf! When you were pregnant with Rat Mother, your belly was down!"
The girl, whose face was flushed from everyone's laughter, said, "So what! No matter which way her belly is facing, it's definitely the young master!"
"Hey? Aunt Hu, I heard you can predict the future. Tell me, will the commander's child be a boy or a girl?"
Hu Lingli tightened her grip on the thread, gently bit it off, and then shook the animal hide in her hand. A small animal hide jacket was finished!
"I think that as long as the young master and young lady are healthy, that's all that matters!"
"Of course! Whether it's a young master or a young lady, it's a great joy for our wolf clan to have new members!" the Rat Goddess said with a smile. "But... have you noticed? The commander's pregnancy this time is different from when he was pregnant with Ling'er!"
"How are they different?"
"When he was pregnant with Ling'er, the commander was never idle! He was hunting all the time, not only managing the Four Little Peaks, but also causing a ruckus at the Heavenly Palace! But this time... apart from regular patrols, the commander hardly ever goes out!"
"Yes! Now that you mention it, it really does make a difference!"
"Oh dear! Alright!" Bai Er interrupted the women's pointless gossip. "When Miss was pregnant with Miao'er, she had the help of Boss Sa and Madam, so she naturally had a lot of free time. Now that Miss is the only one managing the snow mountain, she doesn't even have enough time to sleep, let alone have time to do anything else!"
Upon hearing this, the women all nodded silently.
"But... if that's the case, why doesn't the commander let his wife come over?"
“Sigh…” Bai Er sighed and said, “Miss said that everyone has their own path and we can’t always rely on others! I don’t understand either…”
"No need to understand!" Hu Lingli packed up a stack of small clothes, handed them to Bai Er, and said with a smile, "We're all just menial workers, we just need to follow orders! Leave the brain-teasing work to the quick-witted ones!"
Upon hearing this, the women all looked at the Rat Goddess and burst into laughter...
Inside the Guangyu Hanyao Palace, a cloud of black mist billowed from the throne, within which a giant python, its eyes closed and seated, was faintly visible. The python slightly opened its eyes, and the black mist gradually dissipated, revealing the fair-skinned Su Yuyao.
"Commander! We've got it all figured out!" Ghost stepped forward and said, "The population in the four northern cities hasn't increased significantly, but the amount of excrement around them is outrageously high! Judging from the amount of excrement found, just one city alone has at least tens of thousands of people in the surrounding area! If we extrapolate from this, if the four cities form a defensive line, it's possible that hundreds of thousands of people are involved!"
Shu Bu stepped forward and said urgently, "Commander! News has come from the south that the people besieged in Shitou Peak are plotting to break out! Lord Qimen has already led men to Shitou Peak in secret!"
Su Yuyao slightly opened her eyes, "Shadow and Sandstorm haven't returned yet?"
"They should be back soon," Rat replied softly.
"Awooo—!" A long wolf howl rang out.
Ruixue wagged her tail and rushed into Guangyu Hanyao, transforming into human form and excitedly shouting, "Ningbao! Ningbao! A crane has arrived!"
"A crane?" Su Yuyao asked with a hint of doubt, "Can you tell where the crane is from?"
Ruixue shook her head.
Su Yuyao sighed softly and asked patiently, "Is it Lao Bai?"
Ruixue thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Is it the same as the cranes that came from the Heavenly Palace?"
Ruixue thought for a moment, then shook her head.
Does it look like the crane that Mother rode?
"Uh...it looks a bit like it!"
Su Yuyao frowned slightly. Could it be that her mother had arrived? No way! She'd heard from Dead Fish that her mother had been secretly summoned by Yi Mu; she should have already reached the Heavenly Palace…
"Daughter—! Your father is here!" A loud and clear voice pierced the clear sky, interrupting Su Yuyao's thoughts and reigniting the flames on Chengma Peak!
Several cranes gracefully searched for a place to land, making Langzhi anxious and grumble incessantly, "It's all rocky and snowy ground, but Binglun Palace will land anywhere, but here they're so picky. They really take after their master! So fussy!"
The crane rolled its eyes and landed at the entrance of Guangyu Hanyao's cave. Before it could even lower itself, Langzhi jumped off the crane and rushed into the snow cave.
"Daughter! Daughter!" Lang Zhi's eyes immediately welled up with tears when he saw Su Yuyao sitting majestically on the throne. His lips trembled as he said, "Daughter... Father is here..."
Su Yuyao stood up, supporting her pregnant belly, and walked towards Lang Zhi, asking in confusion, "Father? What brings you here?"
Lang Zhi stared in shock at Su Yuyao's belly, gritted his teeth, wiped away his tears in anger, and said, "Daughter, Dad is too late! That brat Xuanfeng has gotten you pregnant again! I won't let him get away with this!"
Shu Bu quickly gave a wink and led Rui Xue and the ghost away.
Su Yuyao stroked her belly and smiled faintly. She glanced at the crane peering into the cave and said, "It seems Mother sent you!"
"Yes!" Langzhi composed herself, nodded, and replied softly, "It was indeed your mother who sent me. She said Feihua suddenly fell ill at Binglun Palace, insisting that she was going to have another baby! Your mother was worried about you, so she sent me to check on you! I never expected that you... really... are going to have another baby..." As Langzhi spoke, she couldn't help but wipe away her tears again, "It's truly a mother's heart is connected to her daughter's..."
Su Yuyao wasn't too surprised, because she had long discovered that the seemingly dazed Feihua could foresee things about her at certain times. However... if it was foresight, then Feihua's abnormal behavior couldn't have happened recently, so her mother should have known she was pregnant long ago. Why didn't she send her father then, but instead sent him now?
She looked up at Lang Zhi, whose face was streaked with tears. This once slovenly spider had already regained his charm when they last met, and this time, Lang Zhi was not only more dashing and handsome, but also had a confidence and courage to stand alone!
"Since Mother was worried about me, why didn't you come in person?" Su Yuyao asked with a smile.
“Hey… your mother wanted to come too, but she was too busy with affairs at Binglun Palace, and Feihua’s crazy ways couldn’t be left unattended, so your mother sent a crane to Jiujiao Mountain to pick me up, and I came straight here!” Langzhi’s emotions finally calmed down. He rubbed his hands together and walked straight to Su Yuyao’s bedroom. “Where’s the little one? Why didn’t he come out? Is he asleep?”
Su Yuyao wasn't in the mood to respond. She stepped out of the cave and looked at the things that had been taken off the crane, asking, "What are they?"
"Miss! It's some fine grains and supplies, as well as some tea and medicinal herbs!" Bai Er reported excitedly.
"Tea and medicinal herbs?" Su Yuyao asked, puzzled. "I don't drink tea, and I'm not often sick, so why would I be given tea and medicinal herbs?"
Lang Zhi, having failed to find the secret, wandered out dejectedly. Seeing Su Yuyao, he immediately perked up, grinning as he approached her, saying, "It's all because of that mountain you burned! To stabilize the soil on that mountain, Xianmingjun planted tea trees there. Who would have thought the finished tea would taste so good, so fragrant and mellow! Even more special, the brewed tea has a natural peach aroma! Guan Yue named this tea 'Peach Charm'! Knowing I was coming to see you, he specially asked me to bring it for you to try!"
“Peach Charm…” Su Yuyao pondered this meaningful name. In the past, she would have jumped up excitedly, but now her heart was as still as a pool, without a ripple.
Lang Zhi was somewhat surprised by Su Yuyao's indifference. He looked at his daughter, who was both familiar and unfamiliar. Although her appearance hadn't changed much, her aura, temperament, and demeanor were not as lively as before. Instead, she had a kind of...mature and aloof feeling. This aloofness...was strangely familiar...
"Awooooo—!"
"Awooo—!"
"Awoo! Awoo!"
The joyful howls of the wolves drifted from afar.
"Run! Run! Kill—!" The melodious, childlike shouts struck Langzhi's heart.
"A little kid? Is it a little kid?! The little kid can talk?!" Langzhi's eyelids drooped again. He ran towards the snow slope with tears in his eyes, watching as several snow wolves ran up from the foot of the mountain.
A man dressed in a long coat of animal skins rode on the back of the lead snow wolf. A bear skin was tied around the man's chest, tightly wrapping around his round, mysterious figure!
Xuanmiao, wearing a brown-red deerskin hat, tilted his chubby, rosy face upwards, holding up a piece of grayish-white shinbone, baring his little teeth, and shouting, "Kill! Kill!"
"Little one—!" Langzhi exclaimed excitedly as he looked at Xuanmiao, "Little one... Grandpa's here!"
Xuanmiao froze, staring at the familiar figure drawing ever closer. "Ah... Master?"
"Hey! Little one! Oh my! My little one can call me Grandpa now..." Langzhi's tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down onto the snow.
"Ah—! Grandpa—!" After a brief moment of stunned silence, the mysterious and deafening shout made Langzhi lose his footing.
Ren Shen frowned, flipped off the snow wolf, shook out the bear skin, and put Xuan Miao down.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Xuanmiao stood steadily on the snow, waving her little hands and shaking the little leg bone in her hand, and wobbled towards Langzhi, "Grandpa...hug!"
“Oh! My… little baby… can walk now…” Langzhi knelt in the snow, opened her arms, and hugged the round and plump Xuanmiao tightly in her arms with tears in her eyes.
"Grandpa!" Xuanmiao held up his shinbone to show Langzhi. "A bone!"
"Oh my! Bones!" Langzhi said with a smile, wiping away her tears. "The little one is so clever!"
"Hehehe!" Xuanmiao chuckled a few times, then solemnly pointed the bone at the returning wolf pack, and with all his might shouted, "Kill!"
"Oh my! The little one went hunting?" Langzhi's eyes were completely captivated by the chubby Xuanmiao, and he seemed unable to move them.
"Hmm!" Xuanmiao blinked her big eyes and nodded solemnly at Langzhi, pouting as she said, word by word, "Wonderful! Killing! Aura again!"
"Oh my! Hahahaha! The little one can eat meat now!" Langzhi exclaimed, both surprised and delighted as she held Xuanmiao in her arms.
"Yes! Mother!" Xuanmiao pointed at Su Yuyao with her bone, pursed her lips, and said, "Don't be angry!"
“Eh… your mother can’t feed him…” Langzhi touched Xuanmiao’s face with heartache.
"Hmm!" Xuanmiao pouted, patted her belly, and said pitifully, "Mommy! Baby!"
"Oh dear!" Langzhi felt a pang of sadness looking at Xuanmiao's aggrieved expression. "Your mother is pregnant again!"
"Mmm!" Xuanmiao blinked, squeezing out two lines of tears, and nestled into Langzhi's arms, sobbing silently, "Mother...no...Miao..."
"Oh dear..." Langzhi's eyes welled up with tears, her heart aching. "Poor little child... my daughter... even if you're pregnant, you can't neglect the child... don't forget! The child has suffered a lot because of you..."
Su Yuyao rolled her eyes speechlessly, walked over to Langzhi, and helped him up from the snow. "Dad! Don't be fooled by Miao'er! She's the little tyrant here now! Who would dare mistreat her!"
"You didn't mistreat us?!" Langzhi weighed the heavy baby in his arms. "Look how hungry our little one is..."
Xuanmiao, with her chubby cheeks puffed out, stared at Langzhi with wide eyes.
"Look... the little one is so cold..."
Xuanmiao lowered his head and fiddled with the tight-fitting animal skin jacket he was wearing.
“Well…” Langzhi looked up and saw the pieces of wild animal dragged back by the wolves, and said, “Such a young child! You’re letting her go hunting by herself…”
Su Yuyao did not argue, but instead looked coldly at Lang Zhi.
Langzhi swallowed hard, finally realizing what that cool, familiar feeling was... It was so much like Tuanyue!
“Um…daughter…it’s this…hunting…As her mother, shouldn’t you go along yourself…You’ve always taken the little one before! Even though you’re pregnant…” Langzhi glanced at Su Yuyao’s pointed belly, guiltily trying to cover up her words, “It’s true that you should rest when you’re pregnant, but…”
"Father!" Su Yuyao reached out and stroked Xuanmiao's flushed face, saying, "Miao'er was born and raised in the wolf clan, so it's only right that she go out and gain some experience! They're just coaxing Miao'er to play nearby; she won't go to dangerous places or do anything dangerous! To put it simply, this is the wolf clan's snow mountain; to put it more broadly, this is Xuanfeng's immortal mountain! Miao'er is Xuanfeng's precious darling and Mother Yi's apple of her eye; who would dare to do anything to her?"
Xuanmiao seemed to understand, and proudly shouted while holding up the bone, "Kill!"
"Yes! Anyone who dares to bully our little one, we'll kill them!" Lang Zhi grinned, examining the porcelain doll-like Xuanmiao in his arms with his fork, his face beaming with joy. "Little one! Grandpa will grill some meat for you, okay?"
"Hmm! Hehehehehe!" Xuanmiao waved the bone in his hand, turned to look at Renshen, and shouted with a loud laugh, "Qiyou! Agan! Miao! Qiyou!"
Hearing Xuanmiao call his name, Renshen quickly stepped forward. Su Yuyao, however, stepped in front of him, blocking his way, and said with a slightly smug smile, "These days, there have been many affairs on the snow mountain, and I'm also pregnant, so I've indeed neglected Miao'er a bit. Fortunately, you've helped me take care of Miao'er! Now that my father is here, you don't need to worry about Miao'er anymore! You should just focus on doing your job well!"
Ren Shen frowned slightly, glancing at Su Yuyao, who was barely suppressing her anger. He knew all too well that his survival was not only due to his ability to relay messages from the Heavenly Palace, but also to Xuanmiao's favoritism and dependence on him. If Su Yuyao were to reclaim Xuanmiao's "protective umbrella," he might survive, but how well he would live was uncertain…
He glanced at Xuanmiao, who was excitedly swinging the bone at him, and replied in a low voice, "Miss Yao'er, I would like to inform Lord Langzhi about Miao'er's habits and preferences, so that Miao'er will not feel uncomfortable."
"No need!" Langzhi followed Xuanmiao's gaze and looked Renshen up and down, then said disdainfully, "You've only been here a few days?! I raised this little guy myself, do you think I don't know his habits and preferences?! Do you need to report to me?!"
Ren Shen slightly raised his eyelids and glanced at Lang Zhi.
"Ah..." Langzhi received Renshin's gaze, picked up Genmyo, turned around and left, calling out as she went, "Ruisetsu! Start a fire, let's roast some meat!"
"Ruixue!" Su Yuyao shouted, "Take Miao'er away, we have something to say!"
Inside the Guangyu Hanyao Palace, the air was chilling. Su Yuyao, supporting her pregnant belly, paced back and forth in the hall, glancing at Langzhi and Renshen who stood on either side.
Ren Shen saw that Tian'er was being scrutinized by Su Yuyao, but he was already used to it. He simply stood there silently with his hands down and his head bowed.
Lang Zhi felt a little guilty. Looking at Su Yuyao, who looked so much like Qing Yue, her heart pounded. She prayed, "Oh... Tuan Yue... but you asked me to take her in, so it's only natural that I would have sex with her... please don't be angry..."
Su Yuyao suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Lang Zhi.
Lang Zhi shuddered under Su Yuyao's gaze, cleared her throat, and asked, "Um...daughter, you've been wandering around for ages, what's up? I still need to grill meat for the little one..."
"father."
"ah?"
"who is he?"
"She...she..." Langzhi blinked, blushing and embarrassed, "Isn't she...Yu Qing..."
Su Yuyao rolled her eyes and pointed at Renshen with her chin. "I'm talking about him! Do you know him?"
"Huh? Him? I don't know him!" Langzhi breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head as he spoke.
"Don't you recognize him?" Su Yuyao walked up to Lang Zhi with a cold smile. "If you don't recognize him, then how did you determine that he's not a member of the wolf clan, but rather... someone who just arrived recently?"
"Huh?" Lang Zhi looked at Su Yuyao with some surprise, her heart skipped a beat, and she laughed, "Oh dear, I've been watching the children in this snowy mountain for so long, and I've never seen him before! So he must have just arrived not long ago!"
"Oh, since you know he hasn't been here long, you're not suspicious about why he's the one looking after Miao'er, but instead you're concerned about his habits and preferences in reporting to Miao'er?" Su Yuyao glanced at Lang Zhi with a sidelong look. "You trust him that much?"
That tone, that expression, they're becoming more and more like Tuan Yue!
"Oh, hehehehe." Langzhi chuckled, hands behind his back, glancing at the silent and motionless Renshin. "He's looking after the baby right under your nose, so he must have your permission. Besides, he's doing a good job with the baby, so..."
Su Yuyao didn't want to listen to Lang Zhi's nonsense, so she turned around and walked towards Ren Shen, "So, how far have things progressed in the Heavenly Palace?"
A look of surprise flashed across Ren Shen's eyes. "Miss Yao'er, I have already reported that Princess Jinyu is already able to circulate her Qi field. However, her mother is still worried and is staying by Princess Jinyu's side, not yet having left seclusion!"
Is the situation stable within that palace?
Ren Shen was startled again. "The information I received is that things are stable!"
"Hmph!" Su Yuyao glanced at Renshen and then strolled over to Langzhi. "Such important news from within the Heavenly Palace, and you don't even try to hide it from Lord Langzhi! I'm curious, is it because you two have been in cahoots for a long time, or are you both acting on someone's orders?"
Langzhi's heart pounded a few times, then jumped again. "What instruction? Who instructed me? What instruction? No! Absolutely not!"
"Father, I ask you, where is Mother now?"
“At the Ice Wheel Palace!” Langzhi said definitively.
"So sure?" Su Yuyao said with a smile, "The crane traveled from Binglun Palace to Jiujiao Mountain, and then from Jiujiao Mountain to Chengma Peak. It's such a long journey. How can you be so sure that Mother is still in Binglun Palace?"
“This…” Langzhi scratched his head.
Su Yuyao smiled again, "Father, what exactly is the purpose of your visit this time?"
"Uh..." Langzhi scratched his forehead and secretly glanced at Renshin, "The purpose... is to help you have a child..."
"Will you help me have a child, or..." Su Yuyao's smile gradually faded, and she asked seriously, "...help me guard Chengma Peak?"
Langzhi was taken aback, and Renshen was also stunned. The two of them looked at Su Yuyao at the same time...
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