Bai Yu widens his eyes immediately, even wondering if he’s gone deaf. “Qiao Qiao, say that again?” 

Bai Yu asks in disbelief. “Say that again. What does your uncle like to watch??”

Ming Qiao blinks his innocent eyes and obediently repeats in his sweet, childish voice, “Uncle likes to look at Qiao Qiao’s bum.”

Bai Yu: “…”  He’s sure now—he didn’t mishear. His face darkens instantly, and his fists clench tightly, trembling with anger.

“Unacceptable.” He grits his teeth in hatred, unable to keep his composure.

“You sick pervert! How dare you mess with my child!”

Bai Yu shouts, swinging his rock-hard fists and turning to punch Xie Qingyun right in the face. Xie Qingyun doesn’t expect the sudden attack, but quickly dodges to the side just in time.

“Are you crazy?” Xie Qingyun snaps, completely baffled. “What’s wrong with you, attacking me out of nowhere?”

If it weren’t for the fact that Bai Yu had taken care of Qiao Qiao, Xie Qingyun wouldn’t have just dodged—he would’ve struck back.

Bai Yu offers no explanation. Right now, all he wants is to beat this pervert to death. As the two adults begin to fight, little Ming Qiao is left standing there, confused. He looks at his senior brother, then at his uncle, growing more and more anxious.

“Don’t fight!”

With his short legs, Ming Qiao rushes over and tries to get between them, shouting loudly, “Don’t fight!”

With Ming Qiao’s little arms outstretched, Bai Yu grits his teeth but finally lowers his fists. “You sick pervert! As long as I’m still alive, I won’t let you near Qiao Qiao ever again!”

Xie Qingyun: ? 

Xie Qingyun frowns, visibly restraining his emotions. His deep, piercing gaze locks onto Bai Yu , he demands coldly, “Give me a reason.” 

He’s Qiao Qiao’s blood relative—why shouldn’t he be allowed near him?

Bai Yu scoffs coldly. “You need a reason? Don’t you know what you did to Qiao Qiao? In public, don’t push me to embarrass you.”

Xie Qingyun’s face tightens. He has no idea what Bai Yu is talking about.

Ming Qiao, seeing the tension, grows anxious, his eyes turning red. He reaches out his chubby little hand and tugs at Bai Yu’s.

“Senior brother, don’t hate Uncle.” 

Ming Qiao doesn’t know why his senior brother suddenly hates his uncle, but he remembers that it was right after answering a question that Bai Yu’s face changed. Tearfully, he tries to recall his response.

“Senior brother, do you not like uncle looking at Qiao Qiao’s bum?”

Uncle looked at the little flower on his bottom, but he also saw Uncle’s too!

The moment Ming Qiao says this, Xie Qingyun’s face turns green. He finally understands why Bai Yu is furious. Some cultivators nearby, eavesdropping on the gossip, start looking at Xie Qingyun suspiciously. Not wanting to actually be labeled a pervert, Xie Qingyun grits his teeth and explains,

“I wasn’t looking at his bottom! I was looking at the birthmark on it!”

“Liar!” Bai Yu doesn’t believe him.

“He has a red flower-shaped birthmark on his bottom. I have one too.”

Xie Qingyun, still composed on the outside, grabs Bai Yu’s hand and pulls up his shirt, showing him his waist.

Bai Yu: “…”

Bai Yu looks down. “You really do have one.”

Bai Yu had seen Ming Qiao’s birthmark before. And now, seeing the identical one on Xie Qingyun, he’s momentarily stunned. With the misunderstanding of “pervert” cleared up, Bai Yu’s expression becomes awkward. He reaches out and awkwardly pulls Xie Qingyun’s shirt back down.

“Ahem, it’s windy. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

Bai Yu’s awkward concern only adds to Xie Qingyun’s irritation. He clearly doesn’t want to accept Bai Yu’s forced kindness. The gossiping crowd nearby still hasn’t dispersed, their eyes occasionally darting toward the two. Bai Yu coughs and decides it’s time to move somewhere else to talk.

He doesn’t have much money left on him. These days, looking for the child has drained his savings and any valuable items he brought along. He even sold off the last few talismans that Mo Fan had brought him at a discount, but the money was still not enough.

Without enough money for an inn, Bai Yu’s temporarily staying in a rundown temple. The human emperor of Cangxuan Realm was a devout follower of Buddhist cultivators, so many temples and monasteries were built, with lots of monks. 

However, after a monk committed a serious offense, it enraged the emperor, leading to the downfall of other monasteries. Over time, fewer monks remained, and many temples became abandoned. Beggars and those down on their luck took over these empty temples for shelter.

The temple Bai Yu is staying in is relatively intact—at least the walls don’t let in the wind. He points to the clothes laid out on the ground and invites Xie Qingyun, “Sit down. I laid it out flat, so it won’t be uncomfortable.”

Xie Qingyun stands at the door, silent for a few seconds. Then, picks up the child and heads to a nearby inn to book a room. Bai Yu watches him reserve a nice room, Bai Yu feels reluctant to take advantage of him. But he also doesn’t want Ming Qiao to stay in the ruined temple.

“I’ll repay you for the room” 

Bai Yu says as he steps into the room, explaining earnestly to Xie Qingyun. “This time was an accident. Next time I take Qiao Qiao out, it won’t happen again.”

“There won’t be a next time.” Xie Qingyun waves his hand, shutting the door. He sets Ming Qiao on a stool and hands him some fresh fruit from the table, instructing him to sit quietly and eat.

Then he turns to Bai Yu and brings up Ming Qiao’s custody. “Ming Qiao is my child. I won’t forget the care your sect has given him these days.”

Gratitude is one thing, but family is family. No matter how well Bai Yu’s sect has treated him, Xie Qingyun would never leave him to be raised by others.

Bai Yu could tell from the way Xie Qingyun held the child earlier that he intended to take him away. The two men lock eyes, and the tension in the room thickens again.

Ming Qiao, sitting on the stool, puffs out his cheeks. He understands that his uncle wants to take him away, but he doesn’t want to leave his senior brother or his big brother at the back mountain of the sect.

“Uncle.” 

Ming Qiao jumps off the stool and tugs at Xie Qingyun’s sleeve. Looking up with his soft, innocent face, “Can we all live together?”

“Uncle, mommy, senior brother, and big brother—we can all live together!”

He counts on his chubby little fingers, listing everyone. He doesn’t mention his father because his father is still missing. After counting, his face lights up with hope. “If we all live together, Qiao Qiao will be happy!”

Bai Yu would actually like to agree with this idea, but when he looks at Xie Qingyun, he knows that his sect can’t accommodate someone like him.

“Brother Xie, I haven’t heard of you having any siblings, but since Qiao Qiao acknowledges you, I have no reason to keep him.”

“Qiao Qiao can go with you, but I need to know. Can you really take care of him?”

Xie Qingyun’s name is well-known, not just to Bai Yu, but to almost anyone. He’s the elder brother of Immortal General Qing Heng. However, unlike Qing Heng, Xie Qingyun has no sect and lives a solitary life. On top of that, his relationship with Qing Heng is tense. Bai Yu can’t help but worry about leaving a sickly child in the care of someone like Xie Qingyun.

Hearing Bai Yu’s concerns, Xie Qingyun frowns and replies confidently, “Of course, I can take care of him.”

Bai Yu doesn’t seem entirely convinced by his confidence.

“Just to be clear” 

Bai Yu asks, pressing further. “Are you planning to raise Qiao Qiao on your own?”

“That’s right”, Xie Qingyun answers firmly.

“This is my paper crane, take it.” 

Bai Yu says calmly: “If you ever find it difficult to take care of Qiao Qiao alone, you can send a message to me.”

“No matter what, our sect will always be willing to take care of Qiao Qiao.”

Bai Yu doesn’t continue arguing over custody. Instead, he shifts the topic to Ming Qiao’s health. Ming Qiao watches the two adults closely, feeling a bit disappointed that no one seemed to consider his suggestion about them all living together. His little face looks slightly disappointed.

No one knows how much time has passed.

In the room, Bai Yu and Xie Qingyun are calmly discussing Ming Qiao’s frail and sickly body. They seem to have found some common ground, the conversation is peaceful. As they discuss, Ming Qiao can’t join in, so he plays quietly by himself. He is a well-behaved and quiet little child.

After sitting in the room obediently for a while, Ming Qiao opens the door and sits on the doorstep. They are on the second floor, and next to the third room is a small tea pavilion where people are chatting and eating sunflower seeds.

Ming Qiao rests his chubby face in his hands and slowly scoots toward the pavilion, his back turned to the adults inside the room. Both Bai Yu and Xie Qingyun are fully aware of his small movements. They don’t stop him from playing but also keep him in sight.

Once Ming Qiao sits by the pavilion, Xie Qingyun pauses for a moment, Xie Qingyun resumes their conversation “Ming Qiao can’t rely on medicine alone to survive” 

Xie Qingyun says. “He needs to cultivate.”

Although neither Bai Yu nor Xie Qingyun are medicine cultivators, they both know enough about Ming Qiao’s condition. Simply relying only on medicine won’t help Ming Qiao grow up healthy. They need to find another way to extend his life.

“I haven’t tested Ming Qiao’s spiritual roots yet” 

Bai Yu says, looking concerned. “Cultivation isn’t for everyone.”

Bai Yu is deep in thought, considering whether Ming Qiao can even walk the path of cultivation. Ming Qiao’s body is weak. Ming Qiao’s body is weak, if he has no spiritual roots or physical strength, it might be impossible for him to take that path.

While the two adults are seriously discussing his fate. Ming Qiao, is sitting with his little ears perked up, listening intently to the gossip nearby. Someone is talking about a male cultivator disguised as a woman to marry a senior brother from a major sect, only to be discovered on their wedding night. 

Another person mentions a notorious red-clad hero who has slain hundreds of traffickers and vowed to kill a hundred more. Someone else talks about a newly founded cultivation academy recruiting students.

Ming Qiao listens so closely that he even covers his mouth to stop himself from coughing, afraid the adults will stop talking if they hear him. As he quietly listens, he suddenly hears a familiar name.

“I heard that Immortal General Qing Heng has left seclusion.” 

“Yeah, I’ve heard that too. It’s rare for him to leave seclusion. Do you think it’s because of what happened in our city?”

“Probably. I heard from Yang Jian of the Lin Tian Sect that he personally went to ask Immortal Qing Heng for help.”

“Well, you’re not entirely right. Qing Heng did leave seclusion, but he’s heading to Feilong City, not here.”

“Apparently, there’s a spiritual root test happening in Feilong City, and Qing Heng is going to stay there for a few days.”

After processing this key information, Ming Qiao takes a few seconds before getting up from the ground. Holding his chest, which is pounding with excitement, he runs back to the room. His eyes are sparkling, and his little voice is filled with joy.

“Uncle, senior brother, Qiao Qiao wants to go out!” He wants to go find his mother!

——————————————————

Author’s note:

Qiao Qiao: Mommy, wait for me!