Chapter 30

His black robes decorated with golden embroidery, and a black intricate head piece, reminiscent of a coiling dragon, only made him seem lofty and extremely dangerous.

"Humor me." Kaijun challenged, seemingly unaffected with the Devil Venerable's presence. He seemed to grow bolder the more oppressing the Devil Venerable was.

The Devil Venerable sneered. "I'm here for my child." He stopped right next to the Immortal, his shoulder a breath away from Ming Yongnian's own.

The child in question peeked from inside Ming Yongnian's lapels. She had begun sucking her hands, again. Oblivious to the danger in front of her. Or maybe she wasn't oblivious, simply the child felt no threat towards herself.

"I could have chosen to hide her away, but I did not."

Ming Yongnian's words could be simply translated to "the only reason you're seeing her now is because I let you".

The Devil's Venerable's lips may have stretched into a smile, but the raging fire in his eyes seemed to say another thing. "So what was this? You couldn't possibly have been foolish enough to not realize that I would not put the pieces together? That I would think you had a child with some woman, and not from a spiritual foetus? Physical connection is merely entertainment for the two of us. A way to pass time."

Although Ming Yongnian might be the image of the "righteous sects" the Devil Venerable knew that his so-called rival was not a shallow man. Ming Yongnian should have known that there were spies, belonging to him everywhere. And knowing that, Ming Yongnian used his spies to lure him out for… something the Devil Venerable had yet to pieced together.

That battle, when they fought against one another. Only the two of them knew the true extent of each other's wounds. And he knows for certain that Ming Yongnian did not have enough spiritual energy to cultivate a spiritual foetus.

As rivals that had clashed for countless times, the Devil Venerable had some understanding of Ming Yongnian's personality. Having a child out of the blue was out of the question, Ming Yongnian was not unscrupulous enough. This was why the thought that Ming Yongnian had discovered a spiritual foetus and decided to cultivate it, did not pass his thoughts.

The child's existence could only be an accident, one where Ming Yongnian was distracted or otherwise occupied. Which could happen in the midst of battle, and they did fight one another. Their battle also fulfilled the prerequisite of needing to feed the spiritual foetus, intentionally or unintentionally, with a high amount of spiritual energy.

"Hmm, I would not stoop so low to hide the fact that you and I had a child together. Which is something you will certainly do in my position."

To the side Feng Delun and Kaijun watched the scene with varying expressions. The former was flabbergasted, the latter was holding his lips down from curving too wide.

There it was, Ming Yongnian's blunt tongue.

The Devil Venerable sneered. "Your purpose here is to taunt me? You are supposed to play the role of a righteous cultivator, and yet the way you acted points in the other direction."

"Oh? The only ones who called me righteous were some old men. I never claim as such."

"If only those who praised you to the heavens and beyond heard your words. They'd rather find out the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, and the heavenly emperor is dancing naked." The Devil Venerable's voice was laced with sarcasm. "Hand over my child. Then you can ascend to the place people call heaven."

"I refuse."

The Devil Venerable frowned. He was not expecting Ming Yongnian's answer. "Why cut your ties from your sect?"

"Because I have the ability to do so." Clearly Ming Yongnian was not planning to explain the why's and what's to his actions.

The Devil Venerable raised a brow — again he was not expecting Ming Yongnian to be impulsive. At least that was the impression Ming Yongnian was giving others with his words. "What will your fellow righteous cultivator say when they discover you have yet ascended to the heavens."

Slightly tilting his head, Ming Yongnian said, "Vomit a mouthful of blood. Apparently it is a classic according to Xiaotong."

As if hearing a ridiculous joke, the Devil Venerable burst out laughing. "Turns out you are acquainted with that peculiar man, Jiang Xiaotong. Is he not too peculiar for your position?"

"I have no position, nor have I ever held any."

Never held any? He was clearly the "righteous sects" celebrated loyal cultivator dog.

"Regardless, my intention coming here today is to retrieve my child. Hand her over." The Devil Venerable wrapped his hands around the baby's body.

"Ah?"

But Ming Yongnian was also holding the baby.

When Kaijun saw the two men holding and fighting over a baby, he was suddenly reminded of his son fighting for a toy with another child in the past. His son was fighting over a kite, if his memory was correct, with another boy. The two children were stubborn, none of them would let the kite go. The ending was unpleasant with the kite broken and two children crying for the whole day. He would have to do something before the situation escalates, and before the child could potentially be ripped into two parts like the kite.

"Why not ask Xiaobao?"

The Devil Venerable glared at Kaijun. "Xiaobao, who is Xiaobao?"

"The baby." Kaijun helpfully, or unhelpfully, pointed at the baby.

"Ah!" That'll be me!

The Devil Venerable felt that his child understood them. It couldn't be, she was a baby, how could a baby understand what people say? Then his attention returned to Ming Yongnian like an intense fire. "You name this Lord's child XIAOBAO?!"

Ming Yongnian's expression was flat.

Without even glaring daggers at Kaijun, the man could feel Ming Yongnian's frosty hatred. Kaijun cleared his throat. "It is a nickname that I gave the baby."

"Hmph, what a nonsensical nickname."

"It's best to call her something temporarily, she doesn't have a name yet." Kaijun sighed.

"She doesn't have a name?" The Devil Venerable pointedly stared at Ming Yongnian, who remained silent. Not willing to speak? Fine, he would name his child on his own. "Then I'll name her."

"No." Ming Yongnian tugged the baby closer, but the other was not willing to give up.

The Devil Venerable smirked. "I was not asking for your opinion."

"Neither am I."

The air felt static, the two men's spiritual energy began to rise. An array began to form beneath the two's feet.

Feng Delun was alarmed. "Stop, both of you! You'll trigger the city's defences."

The built up spiritual energy immediately plummeted. Though Ming Yongnian and the Devil Venerable's hands were still wrapped around the baby.

"Why not let Xiaobao decide which father she would like to follow?" Kaijun tried.

Pinching his nose bridge, Feng Delun said, "I agree with Kaijun's idea, let… Xiaobao decide who she wants to go with."

Again, with the idea of asking a baby who she wanted to go with. Were Ming Yongnian's fellow cultivators so dumb, or being around Ming Yongnian decreased one's intelligence? The Devil Venerable clicked his tongue. "She's a baby."

"Ah!"

"She's mad that you're not taking her opinions seriously." Kaijun translated.

"Ah, ah!"

Again, Kaijun translated, "'What he said', she said."

The veins on the Devil Venerable's on forehead were bulging and ready to pop. Before the Devil Venerable could say anything else Kaijun interrupted, "Mo Huijun, before you say anything that might hurt your child's feelings, you should know that your child is rather special."

Surprise was clearly written all over Mo Huijun's, or the Devil Venerable's face. "You, how did you—?!"

Not only the Devil Venerable, Feng Delun was also surprised. Judging from the Devil Venerable's reaction, Mo Huijun should be his given name. His birth name, which was a mystery to many. Most would only know of the Devil Venerable's courtesy name or in a sense name-title, Mo Huoyuan. Even then people rarely refer to him as Mo Huoyuan, and outrightly refer to him as the Devil Venerable.

So for Kaijun to know and outrightly refer to the Devil Venerable with his name was a great surprise. Feng Delun saw that Ming Yongnian remained passive and unsurprised. Did he know, or was Ming Yongnian expecting Kaijun's behaviour and degree of knowledge? Feng Delun could only guess.

"It mattered little as to how I know your name. It's best that you listen to what your child is saying, which parents she wants to go with, and let her decide for herself."

"Ah, ah, ah."

"She's also telling the two of you to let her go, or you'll hurt her." Kaijun translated the baby's words.

Not only the Devil Venerable, but Ming Yongnian saw Kaijun with an undeniable hostility. The seemingly daft man, Kaijun, shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just relaying to the two of you what Xiaobao was saying."

Suspicion dripped from Ming Yongnian's voice, "Are you hearing her speak telepathically?"

"Hm, telepathically? No, I did not. I just… felt what your daughter was trying to say." Kaijun was really not communicating with Xiaobao telepathically. He followed his guts and instinct as a father.