This situation… was honestly kind of awkward.

Xiao Xueman quickly changed out of his night clothes, stuffed the wolf spine away, and pulled out the money pouch. He handed it to Xiao Wan.

“Something urgent came up… went out to earn a bit,” he mumbled, trying to explain vaguely. “It’s for you—your reward.”

Xiao Wan hugged the heavy pouch close to his chest, eyes instantly lighting up into sparkly stars. He looked so touched, like the kind of kid who’d believe anything his daddy said. Honestly, too easy to fool.

“I’ll go check the courtyard,” Xiao Xueman said, feeling a little guilty for lying. He softened his voice to change the subject. “Xiao Wan, go hide under the covers for now, alright?”

Xiao Wan nodded and obediently climbed onto the bed, but his little head peeked out from the curtain, watching his daddy intently. When Xiao Xueman left his line of sight, he quietly got down, tiptoed to the window, and pushed it open just a crack.

Out in the courtyard, Xiao Xueman was already walking toward the source of the noise—and very quickly caught a whiff of blood in the air.

He crouched behind the person and saw wound after wound across their back. The blood had turned black, a grim, ragged mess.

But… what did that have to do with him?

Not his problem. Xiao Xueman had no misplaced compassion for someone who fell randomly into his courtyard. His plans had already been disrupted, and he wasn’t about to bother figuring out who or why this guy showed up. His first instinct was to haul him over to the nearest clinic and drop him at the door. That’d be more than enough.

But as he hefted the guy over his shoulder and took a few steps, he suddenly felt something odd.

His hand brushed against a large tail—draped over his back. Soft. Kinda nice to touch.

A yao clan.

In plain terms, yao were spiritual beasts that had cultivated long enough to take on human form. They were extremely rare in the Lower Realm, nearly nonexistent in Seventeenth Heaven. The reason was simple: not enough spiritual power. The Ghost Wolf he hunted earlier? Nowhere near the level to shape-shift. But in the Middle and Upper Realms, the yao clans were powerful, numerous, and formidable.

This person definitely wasn’t local. With those injuries and that tail… combined with the wanted notice he saw earlier, Xiao Xueman immediately understood.

This was a huge problem. All the more reason not to keep him.

Xiao Xueman decided to hurry and dump the guy somewhere farther away while it was still early and the streets weren’t crowded yet. But just as he reached the door, the yao stirred—coughing weakly and mumbling in a barely-there voice.

“Xueman… is that you?”

From the bedroom, Xiao Wan could see everything through the open window.

He saw his daddy look like he was about to throw the guy out, then suddenly freeze mid-step… and turn right back around, carrying him into the house and gently placing him on the other bed.

Xiao Wan rushed over. He saw the man now lying on the bed, the clean white sheets beneath him quickly soaked in dark red.

“Daddy?”

“I need to treat him,” Xiao Xueman said seriously. “His condition is very bad.”

Xiao Wan was a smart kid. He didn’t ask any more questions. He just glanced at the wardrobe.

Xiao Xueman had rushed to change earlier and had stuffed the night clothes carelessly inside. The door hadn’t fully closed, and a corner of the black outfit was still visible.

“Go lie down for a bit, Xiao Wan. Don’t look—his wounds are scary.” Xiao Xueman, while rummaging for bandages, glanced over to soothe him. “I’ll call you when breakfast is ready.”

Xiao Wan didn’t say anything and knew better than to cause trouble right now. He nodded, climbed back into bed, pulled the curtain down, and lay there with his eyes open, still very much awake.

He peeked across the room. He saw his daddy tear the man’s clothes open, clean the wounds, and then start applying the hemostatic powder from their shop.

The scent of herbs filled the room—strong, calming. As Xiao Wan kept sniffing, it actually lulled him into sleep.

When he next opened his eyes, it really was Xiao Xueman calling him for breakfast.

It looked like a bright, sunny day when he got up, but by the time they were eating, rain had started pouring down. Strangely timed, but it did help wash away the blood scent in the courtyard.

Since it was raining, they couldn’t eat outside. Xiao Wan sat at the small table inside, slurping congee while sneaking glances at the man lying in bed.

He was clearly already cleaned up. Almost his entire body was wrapped in white bandages, but that huge tail at his waist was impossible to cover. If you looked closely, you could also spot the furry ears on top of his head.

Human… or spiritual beast?

Xiao Wan had lived his whole life in Seventeenth Heaven. He’d never seen anything like this. His little brain was in a fog for a while, until he finally remembered—he’d briefly skimmed something about this in his second-grade textbooks.

He couldn’t recall the details, though, so he lowered his gaze and focused on finishing breakfast.

After scarfing down his food, he hopped off his stool. “I’m going to study!”

The rain came quickly and left just as fast—like its only purpose was to clean the courtyard.

Xiao Wan, with his book in hand, headed to the courtyard to cultivate. With a stranger in the house, he didn’t use his usual multitasking technique, and besides, his mind wasn’t really focused on training today. He hurriedly flipped through his textbook, trying to find what he was looking for.

Soon, he found the section on yao clans.

After reading it, his expression turned a little weird.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xueman, though fully aware of his son’s actions and glances, was too distracted to care.

The yao in the courtyard was… an old friend.

There weren’t many people Xiao Xueman still considered friends, but that tattered figure with the big fluffy tail was one of them. His sudden appearance felt like someone had ripped open all the old memories Xiao Xueman had been hiding beneath his peaceful life. The mask he wore here was cracked in an instant.

The tail belonged to Shen Guan.

When Xiao Xueman met him, they were both in their prime—spirited and full of dreams. Thinking back on it now felt like a lifetime ago.

Shen Guan’s true form was a fox, and not just any fox—he was a Samadhi True Fox, the strongest bloodline in the Fire Fox tribe. He was born a golden child, destined to stand at the pinnacle of the continent. The last memory Xiao Xueman had of him was when he became Patriarch of the fox clan. By all logic, he should now be surrounded by praise and glory.

“How did it come to this?” Xiao Xueman muttered.

Then again, he looked down at himself and figured… maybe he wasn’t in a position to say that.

Everyone has their low points, right?

Shen Guan’s injuries were serious—he wouldn’t be waking up for a while. And the outside world was still buzzing from the wanted notices. People from the upper realms hadn’t given up. Even though tracking artifacts didn’t work here, patrol dogs were running everywhere. Luckily, the rain had washed away all scent traces.

Xiao Xueman’s shop usually closed by 10 a.m., and the hemostatic powder was sold out fast lately. With the bounty rumors spreading, even slightly capable folks were chasing the reward. A lot of chatter happened right in the shop. Most guessed the fugitive was hiding in the forest.

No one would think he was being hidden in the middle of the city.

Even Xiao Wan, just eavesdropping, could pick up on the gossip. And Xiao Xueman could clearly feel that his son’s gaze had been getting more and more suspicious these days.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. Sometimes, he really wished Xiao Wan weren’t quite so clever. Being too sharp at such a young age was exhausting for a parent. The kid was only four, yet sharper than most tweens.

So today, Xiao Xueman sat him down for a proper talk.

“Before you were born, Daddy had a very complicated life. I don’t really like to think about it, and I didn’t bring it up because the past is the past.” He paused. “That yao in the house is a friend. He helped me a lot before. That’s why I’m helping him now. Even if he’s wanted, it doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.”

Xiao Wan lowered his head, thought for a moment, then quietly crawled into Xiao Xueman’s arms.

Xiao Xueman, waiting nervously, thought he’d get bombarded with questions. But after a long pause, Xiao Wan just said softly:

“If Daddy doesn’t want to talk about the past, you don’t have to. I was just a tiny bit curious.”

Then he looked up to confirm, “But Daddy’s not going to leave me, right?”

“Never,” Xiao Xueman kissed his cheek. “You’re the most important person in my life.”

That was enough for Xiao Wan.

Everyone had secrets. Even he had a secret right now—saving up money for a surprise gift for Daddy. He didn’t want to say it aloud, so it made sense Daddy had secrets too.

When the time was right, Daddy would tell him.

The intense bounty hunts lasted a few more days before gradually dying down. People started to accept the reality that the fugitive wasn’t getting caught, and their enthusiasm faded.

As for Shen Guan, it took him ten full days to wake up.

It was Xiao Wan who noticed first.

“You’re awake,” he said politely as he leaned over. “Do you want water?”

He poured from the nearby teapot, carefully cupped it in both hands, and gently helped him drink.

Shen Guan squinted, probably from being asleep so long. It took a while before he could clearly make out the kid’s face.

When he did, his whole body jolted. If not for his injuries, he probably would’ve jumped straight out of bed.

“Xiao… Xiao Xueman, you—you—” he gasped, eyes round as saucers. “Why are you… smaller?!”

Xiao Wan tilted his head and corrected him, “I’m not Xiao Xueman. He’s my Daddy.”

Shen Guan froze for a moment as it dawned on him.

Then in the next second, his only working eye nearly popped out of his skull.

Xiao Xueman… has a son?!

What the heck!!

So sudden!

Shen Guan seriously began to doubt if he’d died and landed in some strange alternate dimension—or maybe this was all a weird dream. Because otherwise, how could something so earth-shatteringly shocking be true?!