Chapter 31: Family Meeting!!!

The little cub living in the eastern hall woke up early. When his stomach was hungry, he rolled up and climbed out of bed, only to realize that what he was holding was not Wowo-gege, but a big steamed bun. He stared blankly for a while.

Had Wowo-gege gone to cultivate with the elder?

As soon as Meng Nangnang woke up, Meng Wowo woke up at the same time and reminded him, “We’re at Hengxue Mountain, oh.”

Awo!

Meng Nangnang remembered. They were at Hengxue Mountain eating freshly made cornmeal buns and little steamed buns.

He reassuredly knelt on the bed and started gnawing on the large steamed bun from last night. The surface had become a little dry, so Meng Nangnang tore off a bite with an “awo.”

Wen Tingshu woke up according to his experience of making breakfast for his disciple. Just as the food went into the pot, the golden bracelet reminded him that the cub was awake.

He hurriedly wiped the flour off his hands and entered the room, only to discover that his son was so hungry he had started gnawing on yesterday’s hard steamed bun.

“…”

It was his first time raising a child, and he had no experience. Wen Tingshu felt deeply guilty and hurriedly picked the child up.

Lanshe loved sleeping in. Did he have to wake up this early every day while raising children alone?

Meng Nangnang held a mouthful of torn steamed bun slices, his cheeks puffed out, innocently staring at the Immortal Venerable.

Oh no. He had eaten the pillow. Would the Immortal Venerable be angry?

“Nangnang, spit it out.” Wen Tingshu reached out and held his son’s chin, coaxing him to spit out the dry, hard steamed bun. “Wait a little longer. The cornmeal buns will be ready soon.”

Meng Nangnang spat out the steamed bun and answered with his messy bedhead of granny-gray hair, “Okay, oh.”

Wen Tingshu carried him to the stove. While watching the fire, he gently combed the cub’s hair with a wooden comb.

In the past, he had also combed Lanshe’s hair.

Wen Tingshu parted the granny-gray hair and saw that a black section had already grown at the roots. The dyeing had clearly been done some time ago.

The firelight flickered faintly, reflecting Meng Nangnang’s round, distinct little face. He leaned against the Immortal Venerable’s arms, completely tiny. If there were two cubs sitting side by side, both would fit.

Seeing the little cub’s hair half-gray and half-black made Wen Tingshu feel somewhat uncomfortable, so he asked, “Shifu will wash your hair for you, all right?”

He wanted to see his son’s original black hair. He would surely look even more like Lanshe.

He warned him in advance, “After washing, it will become black hair.”

Meng Nangnang’s whole heart was on the cornmeal buns coming out of the pot, so he answered without thinking, “Okay, oh.”

The stove had two pot openings: one pot steamed buns, and the other boiled hot water. It was just right for mixing with some cold water to wash the cub’s hair.

He threw two blades of grass into the water to remove the coloring from the gray-paste grass.

A warm wet towel soaked in water was poured over his hair. Meng Nangnang, who had been immersed in smelling the aroma of cornmeal buns, suddenly realized something was wrong.

If Baby washes it, he won’t look exactly the same as Wowo-gege anymore!

He immediately struggled, like a plump fish flopping around, rolling from Wen Tingshu’s arms into the wooden basin with a splash. Water splattered all over Wen Tingshu’s head and face.

“Nangnang won’t wash!”

Wen Tingshu quickly fished out the cub who had suddenly changed his mind for some unknown reason and dried his hair with spiritual power.

“All right, no washing, no washing. We won’t wash.”

He combed Meng Nangnang’s hair again, tying the granny-gray hair into a loose bundle, not daring to make it too tight.

Meng Nangnang suddenly realized that Immortal Shifu seemed to have a really good temper, oh.

The cornmeal buns Meng Nangnang had specifically requested were ready.

Wen Tingshu discovered that the little cub focused only on eating wheat foods, holding one cornmeal bun in each hand. If he did not feed him water, he would always eat until he choked before drinking a little soup by himself.

In the morning, he had cooked a little immortal grass sugar water. It was faintly sweet, and he fed it to him whenever there was a gap.

Meng Nangnang drank the sugar water perfectly, without letting it spill from the corner of his mouth. Wen Tingshu praised him, “Nangnang is the most obedient baby.”

Meng Wowo stared eagerly at the sugar water and cornmeal buns.

Wowo is also obedient, oh.

After Wowo and Nangnang learned to eat by themselves, Meng Baixu no longer served them like this. He fed no one. If he fed them, he would have to divide everything equally into tiny portions: one for this one, one for that one. His arms would get tired from stretching.

Meng Nangnang wiped his mouth and got down from the stool. He opened the qiankun pouch and began packing cornmeal buns. Then he pointed at the immortal grass sugar water in the Immortal Venerable’s hand.

“Can this be taken away?”

He could not say Wowo wanted to eat it, so inspiration struck him.

“My daddy wants to eat it.”

Wen Tingshu crouched down and looked at the little cub with a gentle gaze. “Then next time, call your daddy to come eat too, all right?”

Meng Nangnang did not care about anything else. He nodded first. “Baby will pack first.”

Wen Tingshu used a sealed jade jar to pack a bowl of immortal grass sugar water for him.

Since Lanshe wanted to eat it, Wen Tingshu packed a lot and sealed it very tightly. Only his spiritual power could open it.

It was not exactly to prevent Meng Nangnang from sneaking food. It was to preserve freshness.

Meng Nangnang anxiously wanted to go out. “Baby will go play for a bit again!”

Wen Tingshu: “…”

He believed this little cub would come back to eat, but… why was he always so impatient to go down the mountain?

Just like Lanshe rushing to class.

Was it because he did not like spending time with old people?

Wen Tingshu said, “You may. Change into another set of clothes first.”

He had made Meng Nangnang several new outfits. The outfit he had worn yesterday while playing in the sand at Peak Master Dongyang’s place had even split at the cuffs.

Meng Nangnang quickly shook his head. He wanted to wear the same thing as Wowo.

There were many benefits to being the same. For example, Elder Grandpa could not tell whether Wowo or Nangnang was sleeping.

He wanted to wear the same clothes as Wowo for his whole life, oh.

Wen Tingshu had no choice but to watch the little cub go down the mountain.

After a while, he sensed that Meng Nangnang had gone to Peak Master Dongyang’s cave again.

What was there so fun that it was worth visiting again?

Dongyang was at least three hundred years old too, not much younger than him. Was he very good at playing with children?

A while later, he sensed Meng Nangnang throw the bracelet away at the cave entrance.

The moment Meng Nangnang entered the cave, he took out the cornmeal buns and sugar water. As a result, the two little cubs stared at the tightly sealed jar of sugar water.

“Can’t open it, oh?”

Meng Wowo hugged the body of the jar while Meng Nangnang pulled hard at the lid, but the jar did not move at all.

“Someone help us!”

Meng Nangnang loudly called for help. “Gege! Gege!”

Shi Wumi-gege had said he would wait for them near the Hengxue Sect.

Little demons could enter Hengxue Mountain. Big demons could not enter Hengxue Mountain.

This was also the reason the two of them had decided to stay and eat. Once they grew into big demons, they would not be able to come anymore.

Meng Nangnang thought he had already walked very far and was no longer inside the Hengxue Sect, so he started calling for someone.

Suddenly, sharp-eyed Meng Wowo saw that there was a beautiful gege in the corner. He wore a veil, and his brows and eyes were gentle and affectionate. He looked like a gege who was very easy to talk to.

This was… an illusion spell!

Elder Grandpa had said that if someone did not want to be seen, they could use an illusion spell.

“Immortal Venerable Gege, have you been here the whole time? Is this your home?”

This person was precisely Peak Master Dongyang. When someone came in, he immediately turned invisible, but he had not expected these little cubs to come here according to three meals a day.

Looking at their brows and eyes, they seemed to be Wen Tingshu’s sons. They came specifically to eat at his place, and after eating, they could not even open a jar.

They were truly pitiful and lovable babies.

No one was helping them open the jar.

The little cubs had even called him gege. Dongyang could no longer stand aside and watch, so he appeared and helped them open the jar.

“Thank you, gege!”

“Gege, eat with us.”

Meng Wowo took several little bowls from the qiankun pouch. Meng Nangnang had brought them, and now they came in handy.

Dongyang opened his mouth, wanting to say he did not need to eat, but faced with the little cubs’ warm hospitality as if they were the hosts, he could not say a refusal at all.

“Thank you.”

“Gege, eat.”

Meng Nangnang was full and began learning from how Wen Tingshu had served him food, pouring water and carrying plates. Seeing that Dongyang ate very little, he even lifted a cornmeal bun to Dongyang’s mouth.

He got sleepy learning anything else, but he learned food-related things immediately.

Dongyang had cultivated immortality for a hundred years, and for once, he ate until he was full.

“Thank you. What do you want?”

Meng Wowo thought deeply. This cave only had sand. Dongyang-gege had nothing, oh.

Daddy had said little demons could only ask rich people for money.

“Gege, I’ll treat you to little steamed buns. Tell us a story.”

Dongyang: “…”

He might as well have asked for something outrageous.

He racked his brains, not knowing what story to tell. His earlier experiences were not suitable for children, and his later experiences were unremarkable.

In the end, he could only recall an ancient book and recite its full text.

“…When the heavenly pillar broke, the Fusang was born…”

Before long, he had Meng Nangnang knocked out from listening.

Meng Wowo rubbed his eyes. Wowo also wanted to sleep, but, but… that would be too impolite.

Meng Wowo struggled hard to keep his eyes open.

Dongyang struggled hard to recite the book.

Both of them were trying very hard.

At the end, in order to prove that he had listened seriously, Meng Wowo pretended that Gege’s story was very interesting and solemnly promised with his little face, “Wowo will come listen again tomorrow.”

Dongyang: “……I’ll wait for you here.”

What was he saying?

***

Wen Tingshu looked at Meng Nangnang, who ran away right after eating. Did he like playing with sand that much?

He sent a voice transmission to Dongyang, asking whether Nangnang had caused him trouble.

Dongyang slowly replied, “No.”

He had become more and more skilled at telling stories, and his speaking speed was gradually returning to normal.

Having two innocent little cubs for company was actually quite nice.

Wen Tingshu was not very well.

He could tell stories too. Why did Meng Nangnang fall asleep as soon as he listened to him, but ran to Dongyang’s place every day to listen?

Was he that boring?

Would Meng Nangnang want to leave after only a few days?

After living on Hengxue Mountain for several days, Meng Nangnang went from an exquisite, jade-carved little child to a dusty little cub.

Wen Tingshu did not understand why the little cub refused to change clothes, so he could only use cleansing spells to clean them.

But clothes would always become more and more tattered.

The ragged Meng Nangnang came back on time to eat. As he ate, he asked Wen Tingshu, “Immortal Shifu, do you dry cow dung?”

Wen Tingshu: “What?”

Today, Dongyang-gege’s story had been about life in the mortal world. Aside from burning firewood, mortals could also burn dried cow dung for cooking. Once dried, it would not stink. When burned, it even carried the fragrance of pasture grass, making cooked food delicious.

As for the two blue oxen left by his disciple, Wen Tingshu had always used cleansing spells to clean up their dung, and he cleaned it very frequently.

Meng Nangnang volunteered, “Baby will dry cow dung.”

What could such a tiny little thing do? In the end, wasn’t it the old father who had to do it?

Wen Tingshu worked without complaint.

Between the eastern and western halls, a patch was marked out on the cold jade floor tiles to dry cow dung.

Zhongli Yun came up once for business. When he left, he repeatedly sighed that Hengxue Mountain was becoming more and more grounded.

The Sect Master truly had no bottom line.

***

Meng Baixu and the Left Protector worked together to place the silver kite into the center of the secret realm, trying to pull the secret realm to Hengxue Mountain.

The two worked hard for an entire day, and the secret realm moved only two li.

The secret realm master’s strength could not be underestimated.

Meng Baixu discovered that this secret realm seemed to like floating over the vast, endless Gobi desert. This place was rarely visited. Once they tried pulling it toward Xiling Mountain, into a place of human activity, the secret realm did not advance but retreated instead.

Too obsessive.

Not only was there nothing inside the secret realm, even the world it occupied had to be empty and desolate.

“Sect Leader, don’t be anxious,” the Left Protector comforted him. The former Sect Leader had already been trapped for over twenty years. A year or half a year would not make much difference.

Meng Baixu was just somewhat worried about Wowo and Nangnang at home. If he spent several years transporting the secret realm, the little cubs would already be old enough to run errands, and he would miss the best time to teach Wowo and Nangnang to become demons.

“Forget it. I’ll go find Wen Tingshu.”

The Left Protector asked, “What if Sect Master Wen refuses to leave the mountain?”

Meng Baixu imagined that scene and hugged Fengxing Sword a little tighter. Wen Tingshu almost never refused his requests, but that had been before he betrayed the sect.

If Wen Tingshu refused, that would really be embarrassing.

“I… I’ll let Wowo say it.”

Little saintly father versus big saintly father. Could Wen Tingshu bear to refuse a son who was exactly the same saintly father as him? He had raised such a good cub for Wen Tingshu. Shouldn’t Wen Tingshu be moved to tears with gratitude?

The Left Protector completely agreed.

The silver kite was the treasure of successive Fuguang Sect leaders. When Meng Baixu used the silver kite to lock onto the secret realm, he sensed Meng Fuguang’s presence.

Now it could be confirmed that Meng Fuguang was inside. As for whether the other person was Xie Tongchen, that was not set in stone.

The Left Protector suggested, “Sect Leader can use Xie Tongchen as bait to lure Sect Master Wen over.”

Would Wen Tingshu not save his sworn brother?

As for whether the person rescued was actually Xie Tongchen, that was another matter.

When it came to Xie Tongchen, Meng Baixu subconsciously argued, “You mean that, in Wen Tingshu’s heart, Xie Tongchen’s face is greater than Wowo’s?”

He did not want to borrow his enemy’s name. Presumably, his father would also be unwilling to benefit from it.

They were enemies to begin with. In the end, he did not want to owe anyone a favor.

The Left Protector said, “How could a petty villain like Xie Tongchen compare to the saint baby?”

Meng Baixu pursed his lips. He simply would not mention Xie Tongchen. If Wen Tingshu dared refuse him, then he would think of a way to save his father himself, and then kill Xie Tongchen, making Wen Tingshu regret it.

This sect leader was truly full of evil schemes.

He wanted that old thing to know that he could not refuse him at any time.

***

The two hurried back to Guiye City, only to find the home empty. The cubs were on Hengxue Mountain.

The Left Protector could not believe it. “He Shangxian, you mean both saint children were sent to Hengxue Mountain?!”

He Shangxian felt bitter inside. The saint babies had cried at home, wanting to find Daddy. What could he do? At least after they were sent to Hengxue Mountain, probably because of some unseen bloodline comfort, according to the informants, Wowo and Nangnang stopped crying over there.

The Left Protector wanted to beat each of these three reckless fools.

“Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you look old. You’ve completely destroyed the Sect Leader’s prodigal son plan!”

He Shangxian hurriedly said, “It’s not destroyed! We followed the Sect Leader’s will and sent Nangnang to Hengxue Mountain to torment Wen Tingshu! Wowo is only attached to Nangnang. Wen Tingshu doesn’t know.”

Meng Baixu: “…”

The plan has changed, Elder. We can’t torment Wen Tingshu for now.

Meng Nangnang was just a glutton. At most, he would pester Wen Tingshu to make steamed buns. He probably was not tormenting him, right?

***

Drying cow dung—no matter whether one used spells to flip it or move it, it was difficult to maintain the cold, banished-immortal air.

The refined and dignified Immortal Venerable held his increasingly filthy son and stacked the dried cow dung.

He had already warned Dongyang to pay attention to the scale of the stories he told, lest Meng Nangnang become interested in bamboo worms like Meng Baixu did next time.

Even though they played in the sand at Dongyang’s every day, Meng Wowo and Meng Nangnang—one was like a freshly steamed white cornmeal bun, and the other was like a little steamed bun that had been stepped on twice.

Since he refused to change out of the same outfit as Wowo, Wen Tingshu could only patch it for him.

His hair was gray mixed with black. Only his face was wiped clean by Wen Tingshu every day.

Once the cow dung dried, it could be used to start a fire.

Meng Nangnang had become familiar with Wen Tingshu and asked to cook outside, just like how Daddy had taken them outside to dig a pit and roast sweet potatoes.

Wen Tingshu liked hearing him talk about father and sons, so he set up a little stove under the viburnum tree. “Mn. How many sweet potatoes did you roast?”

“Three!” Meng Nangnang answered. “One for Daddy, one for Wo—”

Realizing he had misspoken, Meng Nangnang tightly closed his mouth.

Wen Tingshu asked, “Two for you?”

Meng Nangnang guiltily nodded. “Baby ate two.”

Wen Tingshu asked, “What happened after eating?”

Meng Nangnang said, “Baby went to be a little demon!”

Wen Tingshu laughed. Did he even know how to be one?

The next moment, Meng Nangnang drilled out of his arms, hugged a cow dung patty with his bare hands, and threw it into the fire.

The fire was too small, oh.

Wen Tingshu looked at his son’s hands. “…”

Had they not agreed to control it from a distance with spells? How did he still use his hands?

Wen Tingshu was about to wash his hands when something suddenly sliced through the void, tugging at the most sensitive thread of his mind.

He subconsciously turned his head and stared in the direction the sword was coming from.

Fengxing Sword.

Lanshe had returned. Was he here to take Nangnang away?

First, it was only a speck. Then it became clearer and clearer: sword edge, human figure, rapidly enlarging in his eyes.

Fengxing Sword came straight toward his heart. Wen Tingshu neither dodged nor avoided it; he merely pulled the confused Meng Nangnang behind him.

The sword did not pierce his chest, but his chest swelled with pain.

Only when Meng Baixu arrived close did he stop the sword. At this moment, he also clearly saw Shizun’s full head of white hair.

Earlier, when he had been in the sky, Wen Tingshu’s figure was half-hidden by the blooming viburnum tree. He had thought the white was a tree full of flowers. When he came closer, he finally saw clearly: the white was an entire head of hair.

How could this be…

Two years ago, wasn’t there only one white hair?

Hadn’t Wen Tingshu promised him he would not grow any more white hair?

The arrogant smile he had warmed up in advance froze on his face. Meng Baixu stared blankly at Wen Tingshu.

Wen Tingshu saw his disciple’s gaze and only then realized his white hair had frightened him. But there was no veiled hat to cover it now, and he did not want a brim to block his sight.

Lanshe had grown thin.

Responsibility rested on his shoulders.

So father and sons had all dyed their hair granny gray.

“Daddy!”

Meng Nangnang poked his head out from behind him. The moment he saw the daddy he had not seen for many days, his eyes immediately reddened.

Meng Baixu’s gaze moved down from Shizun’s hair and landed on the messy Meng Nangnang.

Meng Baixu’s heart jumped. Wen Tingshu’s hair could not have been turned white by Meng Nangnang’s torment, right?

No, no. It must be that Shizun deliberately dyed his hair to coax the little cub, just like he had dyed his hair too.

This, this… why was there cow dung around them?

Seeing that Meng Nangnang wanted to hug Meng Baixu, Wen Tingshu reached out and pressed his head down, first washing his hands.

“All right. He touched cow dung earlier.”

He still explained, “Nangnang said he wanted to dry cow dung and use it as firewood.”

Meng Baixu: “…”

Meng Nangnang, you one-and-a-half-year-old cub, you bullied a five-hundred-year-old elder like this. No wonder his hair turned white.

When he had wanted to conceive a prodigal son for Wen Tingshu, he had been full of ambition. But now, seeing Wen Tingshu made so disheveled by Meng Nangnang, his heart felt stuffy, as if covered with a layer of shattered ice.

Baby, why are you so dirty? If you look like this, will Wen Tingshu still be willing to go save your demon grandpa?

“This is my son.”

Wen Tingshu said, “Mn.”

As expected, Meng Baixu said “my son,” not “our son.” Perhaps, in his heart, this was the Situ family’s son.

Wen Tingshu should not feel disappointed by this, but he still admitted the unspoken jealousy in his heart.

Why did Shizun’s face look a little bad?

Meng Baixu suddenly felt a little awkward. Then, abruptly, he remembered he still had another cub!

Right, right! There was still one presentable one!

He pulled Meng Wowo out at once and pushed him forward.

“This is your son.”

Meng Wowo stood obediently, his face clean and his clothes fresh. He looked exactly the same as Meng Nangnang.

Wen Tingshu closed his eyes.

One.

There was another one.

He had starved one.

Attached Form Technique. If one did not know, it could not be seen through. Once known, it was like a layer of paper.

Meng Baixu: ?

Why did Shizun’s face look even worse?