11092-chapter-38-making-li-mochou-cry
Little Mochou was still sobbing, tears rolling down her cheeks as she whimpered. Granny Sun was anxiously pacing in circles, while Sun Bu’er stood awkwardly, torn between leaving and staying, unsure what to do. Just then, Xuan Yuan ’s gaze shifted toward a certain direction.
Moments later, a fragrant breeze swept through the air.
«Brother Xing! Rong’er’s back!»
Sun Bu’er turned her head, only to see a young girl appear seemingly out of nowhere. She was stunned—again.
In the span of just half a day, she had encountered not one, but two young individuals whose martial prowess vastly surpassed her own.
Huang Rong stood beneath the tree and noticed that Xuan Yuan was now holding a baby in his arms. She blinked, tilted her head.
«Brother Xing, whose child is this?»
«Ours,» Xuan Yuan replied with a raised brow, leaping down from the treetop.
He quickly recounted what had happened earlier to Huang Rong, then turned to Sun Bu’er with a light smile.
«Taoist Sun, this is my wife, as you can see. With the child, Long’er, being taken in by us as a couple, you can rest assured.»
«Long’er…»
Sun Bu’er suddenly recalled the jade pendant with the character “龙” (dragon) that the baby wore. The name fit perfectly. Looking at Huang Rong—charming and lovely—and Xuan Yuan together, the two seemed like a pair of Celestials from a painting. Sun Bu’er’s heart was finally at ease.
«Very well, very well. Then this child… Long’er, I entrust her to you both.»
Just as she said that, Sun Bu’er noticed something familiar in Huang Rong’s features. She squinted, looked left and right, and her expression shifted in surprise.
«Wait a moment! Young lady, might your surname be Huang?»
Huang Rong, happily playing with the baby alongside Xuan Yuan , blinked at the question. «Do you know me?»
«Is your esteemed father one of the ‘Five Supremes,’ the Eastern Heretic, Huang Yaoshi?»
Huang Rong nodded.
Sun Bu’er looked both amazed and uncertain. It wasn’t strange for Huang Yaoshi to have a daughter, but… had she already married?
Though Sun Bu’er had taken vows and become a Taoist, she had once been married. Seeing Huang Rong’s youthful, untouched appearance, she could tell that despite the couple’s affectionate manner, they likely hadn’t consummated their relationship yet.
Well, so be it. Since the child would be raised by the daughter of the Eastern Heretic and the man she favored, it was no longer her concern.
Sun Bu’er gave a respectful salute. «Back in the day of the Huashan Sword Debate, I followed my late master to the summit and had the honor of witnessing your father’s extraordinary presence. Your features resemble his, hence my question.»
At this, Huang Rong pouted. During that debate, her father had lost, and hearing it brought up again left her feeling as if Sun Bu’er had thrown shade at her.
But then she remembered that she had just finished copying all the martial arts texts from the Chongyang Palace in secret. That thought lifted her spirits again.
Too bad she hadn’t found the Xiantian Gong.
Now that matters were resolved—and with the recently expelled Li Mochou awkwardly nearby—Sun Bu’er didn’t want to linger. She made a quick exit.
Xuan Yuan and Huang Rong’s eyes simultaneously fell on Li Mochou.
Still wiping her tears, Li Mochou glared at them. «What are you looking at!?»
Huang Rong wasn’t one to take insults lying down. Since Xuan Yuan hadn’t told her anything about Li Mochou, she was completely blindsided by the aggressive tone. She retorted, annoyed, «You’ve got the face to cry, but others aren’t allowed to look?»
«You want a beating!» Li Mochou snapped, raising her hand to strike.
She did possess some genuine skill—already a standout among her peers. Otherwise, she wouldn’t one day become the feared Scarlet Serpent Fairy.
But her cultivation was still shallow, and against the now utterly transformed Huang Rong, she had no chance.
Huang Rong didn’t even bother to fight back. She simply danced away within inches, her movements agile and fluid. She’d sometimes pat Li Mochou’s shoulder, tap her forehead, and laugh with silvery delight the whole time.
The more Li Mochou fought, the angrier she got. She couldn’t even touch the hem of this annoying girl’s clothes, while being humiliated at every turn. Her emotions boiled over, her techniques fell apart, and in the end, she stumbled and fell flat—
«Waaaah—!»
She burst into tears.
Huang Rong: «…»
Xuan Yuan : «—?»
Was this really the same Scarlet Serpent Fairy who, in the future, would wipe out entire families and leave behind bloody handprints before every fight?
Granny Sun, who hadn’t left yet, rushed over in distress. She knelt and hugged Li Mochou tightly, comforting her over and over, then turned to Huang Rong, clearly displeased.
«Young lady, was there any need to go so far just to toy with her?»
Huang Rong now felt slightly embarrassed. She stomped her foot.
«I—I didn’t know she was so touchy!»
«You’re so mean! I hate you!» Li Mochou screamed.
When Li Mochou had been brought into the Ancient Tomb, she’d been old enough to remember things, but still very young. Years of isolated life in the tomb had made her extremely naive. Right now, aside from shouting «I hate you,» she had no idea how else to retort.
With a guilty conscience, Huang Rong shuffled back to Xuan Yuan ’s side, scratching her cheek.
«Brother Xing, what do we do? Rong’er made her cry…»
«You made her cry, you fix it,» Xuan Yuan said, silently taking a step back as if to say he wanted no part in it.
But to everyone’s surprise, Li Mochou’s crying suddenly triggered the baby Long’er to start wailing as well.
The sound of the infant’s cries made even Li Mochou freeze mid-sob. She stared blankly at the Little Dragon Maiden in Xuan Yuan ’s arms—and hiccupped.
Huang Rong panicked. She didn’t know how to calm a baby. Desperate, she turned to Li Mochou.
«See! You made Long’er cry!»
Li Mochou flared up. «It’s not my fault! I didn’t even touch her!»
The two girls started bickering, back and forth, neither giving an inch. Meanwhile, Granny Sun was quietly observing them both, deep in thought.
Xuan Yuan ignored the squabbling. He tried to soothe Long’er but to no effect. He checked inside the swaddling cloth and, finding nothing wrong, suddenly realized:
«Stop arguing. Long’er’s hungry.»
The two girls froze, staring at each other. Then they both blushed deeply.
Granny Sun chuckled. «Young sir, please wait a moment. I’ll return to the tomb to fetch some honey.»
«No need. I’ll be right back. Rong’er, hold her for me.» Xuan Yuan stuffed the Little Dragon Maiden into Huang Rong’s arms.
Having never held a baby before, Huang Rong flailed helplessly. By the time she got a grip, Xuan Yuan had already vanished.
How could they feed such a young baby honey!?
In just a few flickers of movement, Xuan Yuan evaded all eyes and swiftly returned to the Eastern Emperor Palace.
«Nuwa! Nuwa! Quick, get me some baby formula!»
Nuwa, who suddenly appeared: «???»
After Xuan Yuan explained the situation in a few rushed sentences, Nuwa’s eyes went wide.
«Weren’t you supposed to be out collecting martial arts manuals? How did you end up kidnapping the Little Dragon Maiden!? A swaddled Little Dragon Maiden, no less!? Master, that’s kind of beastly!»
«Forget that. Do you have formula or not?» Xuan Yuan blatantly ignored the insult.
«You caught me off guard! Where am I supposed to get baby formula on the spot? I’ll give you some edible nutrient solution for now. Give me a few hours, I’ll get the factory to synthesize something proper for infants.»
With a snap of her fingers, golden automatons delivered emergency nutrient vials.
By the time Xuan Yuan returned to the tomb, Huang Rong was still helplessly holding the baby, flustered and drenched in sweat.
Even Li Mochou was trying to help soothe the child, looking more anxious than Huang Rong.
Granny Sun just sighed. The child was clearly hungry—soothing her without feeding her was useless.
When Xuan Yuan reappeared, all three girls let out a collective sigh of relief as if they’d seen a savior descend from the heavens.