Chapter 48: Grandpa Meets His Grandsons

Seeing that Xie Chen showed neither surprise nor delight, Jia Liance frowned. Gossip was only fun when shared with one’s brothers. Otherwise, what was the point?

Could it be that Brother Xie had suffered such inhuman torment that he had become numb to all the joys and sorrows of the mortal world?

No. He couldn’t simply stand by and watch the once-chivalrous and tenderhearted Xie Chen become so apathetic.

Jia Liance adopted an even more exaggerated tone in an attempt to stir Xie Chen’s emotions. “I nearly died of shock! Wen Tingshu even had a son in his old age!”

Xie Chen: “???!”

That did it. Brother Xie’s expression finally changed!

Pleased that his miraculous treatment had worked, Jia Liance was about to keep going when his throat suddenly tightened and his vision went dark. Someone had seized him by the collar.

He knew this news was shocking, but Brother Xie didn’t have to get this worked up, did he?

Jia Liance struggled to open his eyes, only for his heart to nearly stop.

The person before him wasn’t Brother Xie at all—it was the Great Demon Lord, glaring at him with murderous eyes!

Jia Liance had fought Meng Fuguang before. Since he was the weakest of the Three Swordsmen, the Great Demon Lord always targeted him first. What kind of demon lord would he be if he didn’t attack his enemy’s weak point?

Jia Liance was already thoroughly familiar with what to shout in this situation.

“Brother Wen, save me!”

Not only did no one come to save him, he had only added fuel to the fire!

Brother Wen wasn’t here, so Jia Liance hurriedly shouted again, “Brother Xie, save me!”

Xie Chen was still immersed in his shock and didn’t save him either.

Meng Fuguang’s beautiful face drew closer. Jia Liance was so frightened that he instantly turned meek as a grandson.

“Let’s talk this out calmly.”

Meng Fuguang said, “Fine. Then calmly explain where Wen Tingshu’s son came from!”

“Well…” Only then did Jia Liance remember that Meng Fuguang was the father of Brother Wen’s Dao companion—and Wowo and Nangnang’s biological grandfather!

Everyone from the Demon Realm had accepted the situation remarkably well. They doted on the Holy Child babies, chatted and laughed with the righteous cultivators, and lived together in perfect harmony. Jia Liance had nearly forgotten the true nature of Fuguang Hall.

Feeling particularly innocent, Jia Liance kept one detail to himself and didn’t mention that they were twins.

“He’s Wen Tingshu’s son, the young sect master of Hengxue Sect, and also your esteemed Holy Child baby.”

Meng Fuguang nearly ground his pearly teeth to pieces.

Bai Xu had actually given birth to Wen Tingshu’s son! Had no one tried to stop him?

Pregnancy weakened the body and caused one’s cultivation to plummet. Back then, Meng Fuguang had only dared to become pregnant because he was certain Xie Chen couldn’t enter the secret realm and hurt him.

How had Bai Xu dared to become pregnant in a place surrounded by wolves and tigers?!

Meng Fuguang extended his spiritual senses toward Hengxue Mountain. The clear sound of reading drifted into his ears. They were reciting the teachings of Confucius and Mencius—basic lessons for young children.

There was a school on Hengxue Mountain. Could his grandson already be old enough to study?

Didn’t that mean the child was already five or six?

Meng Fuguang then used his golden core to sense the mountain. More than a dozen golden cores were packed closely together up there, and every one of them was at least in the late Golden Core stage.

Xie Chen sensed them as well. His expression grew so grave that it seemed ready to drip water.

His grandson was already at least in the late Golden Core stage. Even if the child had been born with cultivation, he would still have needed time to cultivate. Most cultivators didn’t learn how to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth until they were over ten years old. Even an exceptionally precocious child would have to be seven or eight.

No matter how Meng Fuguang calculated it, it meant Meng Bai Xu had still given birth to Wen Tingshu’s child when he was only sixteen or seventeen!

Brother Wen had said he wanted to become Dao companions with his son. Although Xie Chen had found it difficult to accept at first, he trusted Brother Wen’s noble character. Those who acted in ignorance could not be blamed. The two were also well-matched in appearance, and a somewhat large age gap didn’t matter.

But it certainly mattered if one of them had been underage!

Meng Fuguang suddenly understood why Meng Bai Xu had insisted on making Wen Tingshu stay behind.

He was afraid that Wen Tingshu would receive a combined beating from both fathers this time!

Meng Fuguang tossed Jia Liance aside and shot toward the mountaintop.

Xie Chen caught the stumbling Jia Liance and said bitterly, “Haven’t you always been good at reading people? Why didn’t you stop Wen Tingshu from doing something so foolish this time? Couldn’t you tell that Meng Bai Xu was Meng Fuguang’s and my child?”

In the past, the three of them had wandered the world together, upholding justice and tempering their Dao hearts. They often encountered arrogant local tyrants who didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. After being taught a lesson, those tyrants would run home crying for their grandparents and return with reinforcements.

Whenever someone approached them with hidden malice, Jia Liance could always see through them at a glance.

“The grandfather of that brat from yesterday is here!”

Jia Liance’s single-lidded eyes widened as far as they could go.

“I—I did notice something, but I didn’t dare imagine it!”

A single baby’s face contained a blend of three familiar faces. How was he supposed to figure out that combination?

Didn’t that mean Meng Bai Xu was also his dear nephew?!

Afraid Meng Fuguang would do something irrational, Xie Chen hurriedly followed him.

Jia Liance remained frozen in place.

So both his brothers had secretly started families behind his back? And each of their sons was older than the last?

After fighting demon lords for so many years, had all of them merely been pretending?

Was he the only one who had genuinely been beaten by the demon lord?

At that moment, jealousy made Jia Liance seem as lively as a young man in his twenties again.

The moment Meng Fuguang reached the mountain, he saw two palaces standing opposite each other to the east and west. Between them lay a wide plaza, where desks had been arranged in three rows and three columns.

A teacher stood at the front, lecturing endlessly about benevolence, righteousness, and morality.

Meng Fuguang found himself directly facing the lecturer and immediately recognized him as Daoist Xixia of Hengxue Sect.

How could someone keep preaching the exact same teachings for several hundred years?

And how could he remain so enthusiastic when the group of demon lords sitting below him were all asleep?

The distinguished senior members of Fuguang Hall—Liu Xishi, He Shangxian, Shi Wumi, and the rest—were all seated among them with their eyes closed, quietly resting.

The sunlight was warm, the breeze was gentle, and the desks didn’t resemble desks at all.

They were comfortable rocking chairs.

Only at the very front were there two miniature desk-and-chair sets, each holding a round, chubby little cub.

Their soft little backs looked exactly alike.

Who had found a pair of young study companions?

The one on the left sat upright with his head raised. He repeated every sentence after Daoist Xixia in a soft, milky voice. The one on the right was slumped inside his desk, head tilted back as he snored away.

Meng Fuguang instinctively searched for his five- or six-year-old grandson.

There wasn’t one.

Wait! Could it be—

Those twins in the front?!

Liu Xishi was the first to sense the approaching demonic energy. Before he could even open his eyes, he sprang out of his rocking chair.

The next moment, his chair turned into a ball of fire.

The commotion startled everyone awake—including the sleeping Meng Nangnang.

The moment the little cub opened his eyes, he immediately cried, “Baby wasn’t sleeping!”

Then he rubbed his eyes and discovered that the entire plaza had descended into chaos.

A beautiful big brother stood furiously in the middle of the plaza. The Demon Lord uncles had formed a long line, each hiding behind Grandma Mingyue.

The beautiful big brother could summon fireballs from his palm. He hurled one toward the Demon Lord at the end of the line, and Brother Liu Xishi twisted his waist to dodge it.

“Oh! It’s break time now! They’re playing hawk catching chicks!

“Baby wants to be a little chick too!”

The babies’ desks were fixed in place, so Meng Wowo and Meng Nangnang used both hands and feet to climb out. Bracing themselves on their chubby little elbows, they tumbled down from their chairs.

Meng Nangnang dashed through the flying fireballs on his short little legs and grabbed the corner of He Shangxian’s robe at the end of the line. Meng Wowo tightly clutched the back of his little brother’s jacket.

Never in their lives had they played such an exciting game. The two little cubs tilted their heads in opposite directions, watching the front with sparkling eyes as they eagerly waited for the beautiful big brother to catch them.

The demon lords breathed a long sigh of relief. The mortal maiden Mingyue was protecting them at the front, while the Holy Child babies were trailing behind them like two little tails. At last, their lives were no longer in danger.

All the affection they had showered upon Wowo and Nangnang hadn’t gone to waste. The babies knew to run over and shield them at the critical moment!

Liu Xishi cleverly introduced Mingyue’s identity.

“Mingyue is the nursemaid our Young Hall Master found. Her kindness in raising the babies is as weighty as a mountain. Hall Master, please show mercy!”

“And the two behind us are the Young Hall Master’s biological sons! Please show mercy to them too, Hall Master!”

Meng Fuguang: “…”

He watched his two grandsons running around and adding to the chaos, then flew forward and swooped to the end of the line. He caught one baby in each hand and lightly rose into the air. With a turn of his wrists, he shifted them into his arms, turned around, and prepared to leave.

He was taking them with him!

An invisible formation spread before him like a soft net and gently pushed him back.

Meng Fuguang landed where he had started. The two little cubs in his arms were so excited that their eyes seemed to shine. The beautiful big brother carried their daddy’s scent.

“The little chick babies got caught by the hawk!”

“Brother Hawk, pwease don’t eat Wowo.”

After giving birth to Meng Bai Xu, Meng Fuguang had only held him briefly before sending him away. Now, with two solid little cubs in his arms, he finally learned what one-and-a-half-year-old babies were like.

They had soft black hair, plump baby cheeks, and round, dark eyes. They hooked their little arms around his neck and said the cutest things.

Meng Fuguang saw traces of his son in both little faces, and his eyes abruptly grew warm.

These were his grandsons. He would raise them himself!

He absolutely couldn’t allow the righteous cultivators to corrupt them.

“What are your names?”

Meng Wowo politely replied, “Immortal Lord Brother, my name is Wowo.”

Meng Nangnang announced, “Baby is Nangnang!”

Individually, their names sounded adorable. But when combined, Wowo Nangnang sounded exactly like the phrase for being spineless and cowardly.

Why would anyone give them names like these?

Had Wen Tingshu named them?!

Meng Fuguang glared at the whole cowardly bunch of subordinates hiding behind a mortal woman.

“What is going on? Why can’t I take them away?”

After pushing and shoving one another for a while, the group selected Shi Wumi, the meritorious hero of Fuguang Hall, to speak. After all, he had slept innocently for twenty years. He had made contributions and committed no wrongs.

Shi Wumi explained, “Here’s the situation. The Young Hall Master and Sect Master Wen went to West Spirit Mountain. A descendant of Sect Master Wen’s bloodline must remain behind to guard Hengxue Mountain. Therefore, Wowo and Nangnang cannot leave.”

Meng Wowo declared, “Brother, Wowo is a guardian-deity baby!”

Meng Fuguang snorted.

They were already instilling in such a tiny baby the idea that he bore the immense responsibility of protecting all living beings.

Wen Tingshu was truly wicked!

“Was that why Bai Xu gave birth to children?” Meng Fuguang frowned. “Wasn’t the price too great?”

Shi Wumi hesitated.

“No.”

Meng Fuguang: “?”

Bracing himself, Shi Wumi said, “It was because the Young Hall Master devised a plan to raise a prodigal son.”

Looking back, the whole matter was absurd.

What “plan to raise a prodigal son”? Meng Bai Xu had obviously only been looking for an excuse to sleep with Wen Tingshu. He no longer wanted to deal with his shizun himself, so he had passed the task on to the next generation.

Meng Fuguang looked at Wowo, then at Nangnang.

He couldn’t tell which one they intended to raise into the prodigal son.

Liu Xishi winked at Meng Nangnang.

“Nangnang, he’s your grandpa. Hurry and say the words your daddy loves hearing most. Your grandpa will love hearing them too.”

Oh! So this big brother was the grandpa Daddy had told them about!

Meng Nangnang immediately declared, “Baby is a little demon lord!”

Everyone applauded enthusiastically.

Meng Wowo declared, “Baby is a little wotou bun!”

The crowd didn’t dare slacken in giving him equally enthusiastic applause.

Meng Fuguang: “…”

Was a “little demon lord” the sort of demon lord who slept through class?

And if one of them had to remain with Hengxue Sect, should it be the obedient and studious Wowo?

The memory of what Meng Fuguang had seen when he arrived—the entire group, old and young, asleep in their seats—made his fury surge again.

“Are all of you here at Hengxue Sect to enjoy your retirement? Have you decided you don’t want your jobs anymore?”

Liu Xishi replied, “Not at all! We are accompanying the Holy Child babies in their studies.”

“Fine. You’re studying, are you?”

Holding one little cub in each arm, Meng Fuguang shoved Daoist Xixia aside and sat down in the teacher’s place. With his spiritual power, he opened a book.

He could recite its entire contents with his eyes closed.

As for his subordinates, the three people who hated studying most in all of Fuguang Hall were gathered right there. They only knew anything because they had lived so long that knowledge had somehow passively seeped into their minds.

The Left Protector willingly read books, which was why he was a little more intelligent and didn’t get manipulated in circles by the righteous cultivators.

“Sit properly.”

Master Meng Fuguang would personally teach the lesson.

He Shangxian, Shi Wumi, and Liu Xishi felt as if the sky had collapsed.

If they had known this would happen, they would rather have let the Hall Master bombard them with fireballs.

They knew Meng Fuguang had once been a noble young gentleman who was extensively read and highly educated. It was only later that he discovered being a demon lord allowed him to act more freely, without being burdened by his reputation.

An evildoer could become a Buddha simply by putting down his butcher’s knife, while a good person wasn’t allowed to take a single wrong step throughout their entire life.

In that case, why not be the villain?

“Daoist Xixia, please distribute paper and brushes to them.” Meng Fuguang raised his eyelids.

Meng Nangnang sat bewilderedly on his grandfather’s lap.

He suddenly didn’t quite dare fall asleep in class anymore.

Daoist Xixia had truly broadened his horizons today.

Over the past several days, he had turned a blind eye whenever the others slept. It was enough as long as Meng Wowo listened to the lesson. He had never encountered such a promising little saint before. A fine bamboo shoot had emerged from rotten bamboo!

Daoist Xixia had become so energized that he wanted to nurture another saint like Wen Tingshu.

Now, he watched in amazement as Meng Fuguang forced an entire group of demon lords to study classical texts.

How shocking!

It turned out that the fine bamboo shoot’s ancestor had once been an elegant bamboo stalk himself!