Chapter 17

Tornado?!

Without much time to think, Wu Qingluan tightly embraced the Yu Lang closest to her, shielding him within her arms. Her other hand waved frantically, trying to reach for the other children.

The wind howled like ghosts and the world suddenly changed colors, sending shivers down one’s spine. The entire house creaked and groaned.

Wu Qingluan’s eyes were blinded by the swirling sand and dirt, and her feet were suddenly lifted off the ground. In an instant, she was swept up into the sky!

She spun violently in mid-air, her stomach churning, and it seemed she was about to vomit when she suddenly crashed into a broad and sturdy embrace.

“Don’t be afraid.” Upon hearing that familiar voice, tears welled up uncontrollably in Wu Qingluan’s eyes.

She still clung tightly to Yu Lang, her runny nose and tears smeared his face.

After that, Wu Qingluan knew nothing more.

Yu Xuanwei gently lowered Wu Qingluan to the ground and roughly pulled his eldest child from her arms, tossing him to the ground. “Protect her!”

Above their heads, a furious and howling wind raged in a whirlwind, with several black dots swirling within it, all of which were humans swept up by the tornado.

Yu Xuanwei flew into the wind, piercing through the center of the vortex and grabbing onto something.

As soon as he got hold of that something, the fierce wind immediately dissipated. Just as it seemed those people were about to crash to the ground like pancakes, several fluffy tails unfurled in the air, catching all of them without a miss.

Yu Jin and Yu Jue, who had also been swept up into the sky, reacted quickly. They landed gracefully, tucking their heads and rolling to stabilize themselves. They each held onto one of Yu Xuanwei’s arms as they descended slowly.

The eldest child, Yu Lang remained by Wu Qingluan’s side, not daring to leave, but his eyes were fixed on Yu Xuanwei, or more precisely, on whatever Yu Xuanwei was holding in his hand.

“Squawk!” With a tender chirp, a fluffy bird’s head emerged from Yu Xuanwei’s clenched fist.

Yu Lang held his breath.

Yu Xuanwei kicked Yu Lang to the ground and said coldly, “I told you before, let it hatch naturally. You’re not allowed to use magic to accelerate it.”

Yu Lang didn’t dare utter a word, clutching his stomach as he got up and knelt down on the ground.

Yu Xuanwei frowned and stared at the small creature in his hand, slowly closing his palm. If he hadn’t arrived in time, everyone present might not have survived.

“Squawk!” The bird’s eyes bulged as it emitted a dying whimper.

“Dad!” Yu Lang couldn’t help but plead, “Please…”

Yu Lang truly regretted it. This was a Windhunter Bird, born to be the master of the wind. If he hadn’t been impatient and tried to make it hatch immediately using magic, it wouldn’t have gone out of control, and his mother, grandmother, and other innocent people wouldn’t have been injured.

Tears of regret fell in large drops from the eldest child’s face. He just couldn’t control himself; he had been obsessed with various bird eggs since childhood, unable to resist the pleasure of hatching and raising them. But this time…

Seeing that the little Windhunter Bird was about to be crushed to death by Yu Xuanwei, Yu Jue tugged on Yu Jin’s  sleeve and said, “Think of a solution quickly. I don’t want to see Big Brother cry all day.”

Yu Jin stepped forward, looked up at his tall and imposing father, and said softly, “Dad, please calm down. Big Brother’s love for hatching eggs is because he takes after Mother.”

He pointed at the little Windhunter Bird, which was rolling its eyes, and continued, “It’s even distantly related to Mother’s past tribe.”

Yu Xuanwei lowered his head to look at his second son, Yu Jin. This child bore the strongest resemblance to his mother and always received more of his affection. He couldn’t help but be gentler with him compared to his other two sons.

Yu Lang pleaded for forgiveness once again, saying, “Please, Dad, spare it. I am willing to accept any punishment!”

Yu Xuanwei snorted coldly and tossed the little bird to his eldest child. “Take care of it!”

Yu Lang hastily caught the bird and held it tightly against his chest.

…

On Saturday evening, Wu Qingluan woke up in her own bed and checked the time. “I actually slept the whole afternoon.”

After getting up, she had a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something important, but she couldn’t quite recall what it was.

What had she done today? She had spent the morning with Yu Lang, who was obsessively incubating eggs with magic, and then… she had scolded him, and after that, had lunch?

Rubbing her head, which was still a bit dizzy from sleep, Wu Qingluan walked out of her bedroom. Mrs. Zhou was already preparing dinner, and the sound of children playing happily in the courtyard reached her ears.

She walked to the window and saw the triplets in the yard, playing with a white ball of fluff.

What was that?

As Wu Qingluan stepped out of the door, the white fluffy ball unexpectedly fluttered its wings and flew towards her. However, it was evident that this little creature was running low on energy, or perhaps it was just too chubby. It started to descend halfway, but Yu Lang, who had chased after it, caught it just in time.

Upon seeing Wu Qingluan, the eldest child’s face displayed a hint of guilt, and he stood up straight. “Mom.”

Wu Qingluan felt a bit overwhelmed. These children had all started calling her “Mom” following after Yu Jue, and every time they did, she felt a pang of guilt, as if she had snatched someone else’s child.

The white ball in the palm of Yu Lang started to chirp, flapping its tiny wings as if attempting to fly.

“Hmm, has it already hatched?” Wu Qingluan crouched down beside Yu Lang, astonished as she looked at the white fluffball in his hand. “When did this happen?”

Yu Lang stammered, “Just… a while ago, while you were still asleep.”

It was a small white bird entirely covered in fluff, with no visible neck, a round body, and big, watery eyes, incredibly cute. It was very lively and constantly tried to wriggle out of Yu Lang’s grip.

A look of confusion appeared on Wu Qingluan’s face as she reached out to touch the bird’s feathers. “Have you given it a name?”

“Yes, its name is Feng.”

” Wind?” Wu Qingluan nodded. “Its Grand. What kind of bird is this? I’ve never seen a bird with such big eyes.”

“…I think it’s some kind of mountain sparrow, but I’m not entirely sure. We’ll know when Dad comes back.”

“Actually, it really does resemble that internet-famous chubby chirp,” Wu Qingluan shook her head, pushing aside the odd feeling. “It’s time for dinner. Everyone, go back to your rooms and wash your hands.”

Yu Jin and Yu Jue exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, after putting the triplets to sleep, Wu Qingluan found herself unable to sleep. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to shake the feeling that something was missing, yet she couldn’t quite remember what it was. It was a frustrating sensation.

She had experienced a similar disorientation the first time she traveled abroad for a film shoot and struggled with jet lag. She had always felt like she had lost several hours on that day, and she couldn’t seem to adjust.

Since she couldn’t fall asleep, she decided not to force it and changed into her workout clothes to head to the gym on the third floor.

After her workout, covered in sweat, she felt the strange discomfort had eased a bit. Yes, exercise was indeed a mood lifter.

As she descended the stairs, she heard some activity in the living room. Her heart skipped a beat. Could it be that he had returned?

Unbeknownst to herself, Wu Qingluan hurried downstairs.

The living room was dark, and she could only make out the silhouette of a tall man, but she knew it was Yu Xuanwei.

She opened the light panting, “So, you finally decided to come back.”

Yu Xuanwei didn’t expect her to turn on the light so suddenly and hastily turned away.

Wu Qingluan looked at his back and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“It’s nothing.”

Yu Xuanwei covered his chest with his right hand, but he couldn’t stop the fresh blood from spilling out.

The blood dripped onto the solid wood floor, creating a thick, rhythmic sound.

The smell of blood hit Wu Qingluan’s nose, and she immediately realized something was wrong. “You’re injured!”

“It’s nothing,” Yu Xuanwei repeated, still trying to shield her from seeing his disheveled state by slightly hunching his body.