CH 165

Bonus Chapter

A Long-Awaited Snowfall on His Birthday

The early morning sunlight streamed in through the cracks of the bamboo window and fell on Yan Yuan's face. Yan Yuan frowned and subconsciously rolled over to wrap his arms around the person beside him, but his arms turned up empty.

He immediately woke up, sat up, rolled out of bed and ran out of the door. He rushed downstairs to the entrance of the dining room and saw the man with the big belly standing in front of the stove, wrapping dumplings. Hearing the sound, the man raised his head and looked at Yan Yuan.

Yan Yuan's eyes skimmed over the fat white dumplings on the round plate on the stove, and only after making sure that Xuan Long was safely in front of him did he breathe a sigh of relief. He walked over and wiped the white flour smeared on Xuan Long's cheeks and spoke distressingly, "Why are you up so early, didn't you say you would wait for the baby to come out before making them?"

Ever since Xuan Long became pregnant, Yan Yuan had forbidden him from entering the kitchen, and he was the one who took care of everything in and out of the house, from food, clothing, housing and transportation to household chores. It had been too long since he had eaten Xuan Long's chicken dumpling soup, and he missed it. Last night before he went to bed, he mentioned to Xuan Long that when the baby came out, he wanted him to make chicken dumplings for him to eat, and Xuan Long agreed, so Yan Yuan happily hugged him and went to sleep. But today, Xuan Long got up early and started preparing the dish.

He had a big belly and his pubic bone had been hurting a lot recently, so he had to be carried by Yan Yuan everywhere he went.

"It's okay." Xuan Long saw Yan Yuan in profane clothes and his eyes travelled down to land on his feet, "But you... it's cold and dewy, why are you running around with bare feet?"

Yan Yuan did not say anything. He walked behind Xuan Long and slowly embraced him, placing his hands on his towering stomach and dropping a kiss between his ears, "I miss you, I wanted to see you when I woke up."

Xuan Long lifted the lid of the pot and the hot steam came out of it. Although his face was pale, the tips of his ears were faintly red.

On the small burner on the stove, the chicken soup in the ceramic pot was boiling, emitting a strong fragrance and warmth with the dense hot mist.

As soon as the lid in Xuan Long's hand was put down, he was picked up by Yan Yuan and placed on a thickly cushioned chair.

"Just sit still, I'll do it."

On the day of the wedding, the sacred snow that descended from Heaven completely repaired Xuan Long's damaged soul and body, including the scars on his face from the karmic fire that could not be washed away even after his soul had been burned in reincarnation. Xuan Long's body was already recovered, but being pregnant was not the same as usual, so Yan Yuan did not dare to be negligent and was very careful with everything he ate and used, for fear of making any mistakes.

Originally, he did not intend to have any more children. A'Zhi had already succeeded the throne and started a family, so he and Xuan Long could live in a world of their own from now on. When they got tired of staying at home, they could go travelling in the world, which would be perfect.

He had clearly taken special measures. Before each lovemaking session, Yan Yuan would take a bowl of special medicine, but he forgot to drink it one day and asked Xuan Long to bear with it.

If he wanted Xuan Long to abandon it, he wouldn't, as Xuan Long considers the little one in his womb as more important than his own life, which Yan Yuan learned when he was pregnant with A'Zhi.

When he gave birth to A'Zhi, Xuan Long left. The fact that he could not be with A'Zhi when he grew up has always been a regret in Xuan Long's heart, and although Xuan Long does not talk about it, Yan Yuan understood.

When Xuan Long found out that he was pregnant, he was very happy. One day when Yan Yuan was not at home, he went to the shop alone to buy some clothes and toys for the baby, and came back to ask Yan Yuan if he was happy with what he had chosen.

When Yan Yuan saw how happy he was, he was relieved. If he let Xuan Long watch the child being born and grow up with the child, it might be able to heal the pain in Xuan Long's heart.

As for Xuan Long's health, he would take very good care of it.

Just now, Xuan Long had already wrapped the dumplings and stewed the chicken soup, so all he had to do was to cook them in the pot and they would be ready to eat. This step can be done by Yan Yuan without affecting the flavour.

Xuan Long listened to him and sat still. Yan Yuan boiled the dumplings and put them into two bowls of chicken soup, sprinkled them with a handful of green onions, and with a wave of his hand, the two bowls of chicken dumplings instantly appeared on the table.

The two of them sat facing each other and ate the chicken soup.

When Yan Yuan saw Xuan Long taking half a day to chew and swallow, he asked, "Still have no appetite?"

Xuan Long shook his head, looking a little distracted: “It's nothing."

“That day, when you returned to the Heavenly Realm, had A'Zhi's relationship with A'Lie eased up?"

"No." Yan Yuan conjured up a black jar, opened the lid and took out some pickled radish, put them on a small plate and pushed it into Xuan Long's hand, "It was just pickled a few days ago, try it, see if it's to your liking. It should make you feel better after eating it."

"Whoever tied the bell has to untie it. The misunderstanding between them is too deep and things have come to this, it's useless for you to worry too much, it's important to take care of your own health."

Xuan Long sighed and eventually stopped talking.

Before going to bed that night, Yan Yuan and Xuan Long discussed his birthday which was three days away.

He asked Xuan Long how he wanted to celebrate his birthday. Xuan Long said that he did not need to make any arrangements, but Yan Yuan refused to do so, hugging Xuan Long and kissing his eyebrows.

"How can you not have a birthday? You have to celebrate it every year. If you don't have a particular birthday gift you want, I'll see that something is prepared."

“En." Xuan Long replied in a warm voice, "I will be happy with whatever you give me."

Yan Yuan's kiss gradually traced its way from his eyebrows to Xuan Long's lips, and the two of them exchanged a long kiss before parting with a panting breath. Yan Yuan's hand gently pressed against Xuan Long's towering stomach under the covers, and he moved it carefully, asking, "Did the baby bother you today?"

"It didn't fuss much."

"That's good, go to sleep." Yan Yuan curled his lips and kissed Xuan Long's forehead, and the two of them cuddled up together and went to sleep.

The weather was beautiful on the day of his birthday. Yan Yuan was busy preparing the evening meal in the kitchen, while Xuan Long sat on a chair watching him.

For Xuan Long's birthday, his favourite fish soup was a must, and in addition to that, Yan Yuan was preparing a table full of his best dishes.

Ever since A'Zhi had inherited the throne and started a family, Yan Yuan and Xuan Long had moved from the Heavenly Realm to this small courtyard by the East Sea where they have lived together for nearly ten thousand years. In the mortal world, there is no one to disturb them, but there is no one to wait on them for food, clothing, shelter and transportation as there was in the Heavenly Realm. Previously, Yan Yuan was only good at making fish soup, but now that the two of them were living on their own, they had to do everything themselves, and over time they had acquired a good cooking skill.

In the past, when Yan Yuan had nothing else to do, he would hide his divine spirit and blend in as a mortal to learn how to cook in a restaurant in the market. Xuan Long sat in the hall and drank tea while Yan Yuan pretended to be a young man who wanted to win the hand of a beautiful woman and learn the art of cooking. As long as the money kept coming, the restaurant owner couldn't wait for him to come back every day.

When it got late, the two of them went home hand in hand with the setting sun.

Yan Yuan hadn't been there since Xuan Long was pregnant, but the cooking skills he had acquired before were enough to sustain the evening's festivities. After making the fish soup, Yan Yuan began to prepare braised pork belly, squirrel fish, and Buddha jumps over the wall...

The previous square table for three or four people was transformed into a round table for seven or eight people, and all kinds of dishes were gradually put on the table, with all kinds of flavours and aromas. After lunch, Yan Yuan began to cook, and by now he had already cooked more than ten dishes. When he saw that he had not yet finished, Xuan Long could not help but stand up from his chair.

“A'Yuan, isn't this more than enough dishes to cook?"

Ye Ling and Yan Jing had recently gone on a trip and could not make it to Xuan Long's birthday, so they had the birthday gifts sent in advance.

Although A’Lie has become A'Zhi's Heavenly Empress, he has not been recognized by A'Zhi, so when A'Zhi comes, he will not bring A'Lie. The number of people having dinner today including himself and Yan Yuan was at most three, so it would be a waste to cook so many dishes and not finish them.

"It's not too much, we have distinguished guests today." Yan Yuan put the chicken wrapped in clay into the oven and roasted it, smiling a little mysteriously.

Xuan Long had no clue: "Noble guest… who is it?"

Yan Yuan smiled and his peach blossom eyes curved up, "You will know later."

Xuan Long's heart grew warm, and when he didn't say anything, he didn't press the issue.

After sitting all afternoon, he was tired of sitting, so Xuan Long informed Yan Yuan and made his way outside, ready to go to the courtyard to loosen his muscles.

The sun was setting over half of the sky and the warmth of the afterglow wrapped around the courtyard. The golden crow was still a little blinding at this point, and Xuan Long couldn't help but squint his eyes and reach out to block it. From where the remaining light reached, he vaguely saw what appeared to be a man standing outside.

“A'Po."

The call drifted into Xuan Long's ears like the wind.

Xuan Long lowered his hand to shield his eyes and fixed his eyes on them, and froze. His lips trembled as he squeezed out two characters that he could barely hear: "Hu Le."

Outside the half-human high fence, the other party, who had been ten metres away, rushed towards Xuan Long with lightning speed in the next breath, his figure passing straight through the half-human high fence and pouncing on Xuan Long.

“A'Po wu wu wu wu wu wu wu wu wu"

Perhaps because Xuan Long was pregnant, the strength was well-controlled, and when he pounced on him, he only caused Xuan Long's body to sway. The young man hugged him and cried. Xuan Long's eyes blurred as he reacted, and his palm slowly climbed up the other man's back.

When Hu Le was tired of crying, he gently pushed Xuan Long away and raised the back of his hand to wipe away his tears heavily.

"Why didn't you come looking for me?"

Xuan Long looked at him quietly and said hoarsely, "I went looking for you."

"You and your brother worked as ghost messengers in the underworld and were happy."

After his death in the mortal world, Xuan Long was reborn in the Heavenly Realm and went to look for Hu Le, who had already forgotten his past and Li Lianhuan, the monk who had killed Hu Le, had fallen into reincarnation and into the world of animals.

The past was too painful to look back on. If you are happy now, it is good to forget the past.

"Are you stupid, if I never remember, are you prepared to never see me again?"

Xuan Long lowered his eyes: "I'm sorry."

Hu Le: "Every year on my birthday, a ghost comes to my house to bring me roast chicken, did you ask him to do that?"

Xuan Long: “En."

Hu Le choked back a sob and said, "The taste of that roast chicken is unique to Jing Yu Lou in Chang'an, and that ghost can't leave the underworld, so you go to the mortal world every year on my birthday and buy the roast chicken, then enter the underworld to find that ghost and have him give it to me."

Xuan Long: “En."

Hu Le burst into tears, "You remember my birthday every year and bring me roast chicken, but you refuse to come and see me."

Xuan Long looked up at him, "I'm sorry."

Hu Le leapt forward and hugged him, "Idiot! Don't say sorry again!"

"I know, I know everything, you're doing it for my own good."

"At first, when I found out that someone had mysteriously brought me a roast chicken, I thought someone was trying to hurt me and almost threw it away. Then I thought about it, I'm already a ghost, and I can't die from poisoning, so I just ate it… The roast chicken from Jing Yu Lou is so delicious… wu wu"

"That low-ranking ghost wasn't even sane enough for me to ask anything, and I ate your roast chicken for over a hundred thousand years before I gathered my soul together and thought about it. Luckily I remembered, otherwise I don't know when I would have been able to see you."

Xuan Long: "It was Yan Yuan who told you to come?"

Hu Le let go of Xuan Long and coldly hummed, "I was just about to ask Hades to grant me leave and then go looking for you, but just after I left the Hades' residence, he came looking for me and asked me to come and accompany you for your birthday."

Xuan Long paused, no wonder when he woke up in the middle of the night the previous night, he saw that Yan Yuan was not beside him. He waited until early morning before Yan Yuan returned and asked what Yan Yuan had gone to do, but he would not say.

"You hated him."

Hu Le sighed, grabbed Xuan Long's hand and said, "I know all about what happened between you, it really was the Heavenly Way playing tricks. It doesn't matter what I think of him, as long as he treats you with sincerity and you are happy with him, that's all that matters."

The Heavenly Emperor had even given up his position for the sake of his beloved, and had gone down to the mortal realm, reincarnated for a hundred lifetimes, tasting the pains of old age, sickness and death. When he finally found someone, he misidentified him, causing his beloved to lose his life and making himself not a person yet not a ghost.

If Yan Yuan had told Hu Le this himself, Hu Le would not have believed it, but he had seen it with his own eyes. The Reincarnation Mirror, Hades' personal magic tool, could see the past of all beings in the Six Realms, and it was through the Reincarnation Mirror that Hu Le saw what Yan Yuan and Xuan Long had gone through over the past hundred thousand years.

What else could he say besides sighing at the way the Heavenly Way had played tricks.

Xuan Long: "Thank you... Hu Le."

Hu Le wrinkled his brow and pretended to be angry, "You silly dragon, saying such nonsense again."

"Say it again and I'll get upset."

“En, I know." Xuan Long curled his lips.

Yan Yuan had heard that someone had arrived, but he was mindful of the fact that they hadn't seen each other for a long time and must have a lot to talk about, so he consciously stayed in the kitchen. However, his ears were perked up, listening with bated breath to the commotion outside, even slowing down his cooking speed.

He was very grateful to Hu Le for taking care of Xuan Long in the mortal world, and knew that Xuan Long loved him, but because he knew all too well what kind of thoughts Hu Le had for Xuan Long, he felt a little uneasy when he thought of the two of them alone outside at the moment, and he wanted to bring Xuan Long back and hide him.

Thinking that Xuan Long would be happy to see his old friend from the past, he forced himself to hold back.

"You're having his child again?" In the courtyard, Hu Le's eyes fell on Xuan Long's towering belly and raised his hand to touch it cautiously.

Xuan Long: “En."

Hu Le: "It's so big already, it's about to be born, isn't it?"

Xuan Long: “En, next month, it will be out."

"He's good, he can have a beautiful child with you without much effort, you suffer and he takes the blessing." Even though he knew he shouldn't blame Yan Yuan, he still felt that Xuan Long was at a disadvantage, and he couldn't help but feel sad.

Xuan Long's face softened, "No, since I got pregnant, he has been more nervous than me."

Hu Le looked deeply at the man's handsome face, "I am relieved that he treats you well, otherwise with your nature, you would have been bullied to death without knowing it."

Because of his pregnancy, Xuan Long was not wearing a belt, and his ink robe looked loose on his body. Although he seemed to have more weight than usual, he looked rosy and healthy, so it was clear that he was well taken care of, so he didn’t say any more. He thought of his little nephew, whom he had never met, and said, “Where's Shui Shui?"

Xuan Long: "He has become an adult and inherited the position of Heavenly Emperor, residing in the Nine Heavens. He will come down to earth later to spend my birthday with me, and you will be able to meet him."

Hu Le: "It's been so long."

Xuan Long: “En."

After more than a hundred thousand years, the little fox with two hundred years of tao had become an uncle, and although he had accompanied that child when he was in his womb, he had not been able to wait to see him born. The name Shui Shui was given to him by Hu Le, so inevitably he couldn't wait to see the child.

"I heard that Hua Niang is also coming today."

Xuan Long froze.

"He didn't tell you?"

Not only was Hua Niang coming tonight, but also Yin Long, the senior who had helped keep Xuan Long's baby alive in the Dragon Realm.

After his rebirth, Xuan Long visited Hua Niang and Senior Yin Long. At that time, his senior saw that he was in a difficult situation and did not charge him. He promised his senior that he would repay him double when he had safely given birth to the child and passed the heavenly tribulation.

In the beginning, it was agreed that a thousand years would be paid for the birth, and twice that would be two thousand years. On the day he went to the Dragon Realm, his senior was not at home, so he put the two thousand years of Taoism into a small white porcelain vial and placed it on his table in his home, left a note, and left.

When he went to look for Hua Niang, he saw that there was a man in her courtyard. The man had the eyes of a snow wolf and was playing with Hua Niang's daughter in the courtyard. Looking at the resemblance between the man and the girl, he knew that the man was Hua Niang’s husband, the snow wolf demon who had been missing for many years. As he was hesitating to go in, he saw Hua Niang, with a pregnant belly, coming out of the house and gently asking the man and her daughter to come in for dinner.

Xuan Long originally wanted to tell Hua Niang that he was still alive, but when he saw that they were happy, he thought that his presence might disturb them, so he dismissed the idea. He didn't know what to do to repay the kindness he had received from Hua Niang, so he left the same two thousand years of Taoism in a porcelain vial and placed it on the round stone table in her courtyard.

He did not expect that Yan Yuan would invite all the beings who had been kind to him to come here today.

Xuan Long's eyes felt hot, and when he saw the people he had not seen for a long time, he could not speak for a long time. Hua Niang’s eyes filled with tears when she saw him.

“A'Long."

Hua Niang was soft-natured and would not ask him why he did not go to see her like Hu Le did, she only cried and said it was good that he was alive, it was good that he was alive. A hundred thousand years ago, although she had seen the porcelain vase containing the Tao and felt that it belonged to Xuan Long, she was not sure, for normally it was impossible for a living being to be resurrected from the ashes.

When Yin Long saw Xuan Long's big belly, he frowned with an expression that was difficult to describe.

"You stupid dragon, you are really mindless, you have suffered so much and it's not enough, why are you having another one?"

"Even if that god treats you well, he can't withstand the pain of conception, do you know that? He would have to work for you as a horse to repay you for what you have done."

Xuan Long didn't know how to reply, "Senior"

"It is good to know that although you are mindless, you are not wrong about this god. Congratulations, boy, happy birthday." Yin Long stroked his white beard and smiled as he handed over the red square gift box in his hand. Although his words were not nice, when he learned that he was pregnant, he hastened to find the best embroiderer in the dragon realm and had a small set of clothes made before Xuan Long's birthday.

Xuan Long looked down and said, "This is..."

"It's for the little baby in your belly."

Xuan Long lifted his hand to accept it, and a warm current gathered in his heart, which lasted for a long time.

After the sun had set and the sky had quickly darkened, Yan Yuan's full feast was finally ready.

A'Zhi was the last to arrive. By the time he arrived, everyone had just been seated, and the night was completely plunged into darkness. He was dressed in a silver and white brocade robe, with a jade crown on his head and covered in a white fur cloak. Smiling, he walked in from outside, his appearance was unparalleled in the world, a gentleman like no other.

"Father, Mother, I am here."

A'Zhi's eyebrows were very similar to Yan Yuan's, but he was more energetic. Only when he entered did everyone realise that he was holding a white fluffy rabbit in his arms.

When Xuan Long stood up to greet him, Yan Yuan helped Xuan Long's bulky body up and looked at A'Zhi, "Why did you bring a rabbit with you to celebrate your mother's birthday? Is it a gift for your mother’s birthday?" A'Zhi bowed his head and touched the rabbit's ears with his immaculate fingers: "I saved it when I passed by the bamboo forest next to the East Sea, it was injured by a hunter's trap in the forest, I have used ‘Broken Meteor' to heal it. It would be good to keep it here, so that when my sister is born, she can play with it."

As he said this, he gently placed the rabbit on the ground. The mortal rabbit had been cured by a god and had developed a spiritual sense, so when A'Zhi put it down, it hugged A'Zhi's hand, buried its head and pouted, refusing to move. A'Zhi stroked its head and softly comforted it before coaxing it down.

Yan Yuan was not surprised by this. When A'Zhi was young, when he was still in the mortal palace, a stupid bird flew too fast and accidentally hit a tree. He saw it and ran to pick it up in a panic, rushing to order the imperial doctor to treat the bird. If it was not cured and died, the little man could have cried for several days.

He got so big in a flash.

"Come quickly, we're just waiting for you."

"This is your Grandpa Yin Long, Uncle Hu Le and Aunt Hua Niang."

After Yan Yuan had finished introducing them, A'Zhi greeted them one by one before taking his seat. These were all people who had been kind to his mother, and his father wasn't putting up a facade, so even though he was the emperor, he wouldn't act either, sitting here today as a junior.

The table was filled with people who were happy to get together and start their dinner. Yan Yuan greeted everyone while serving Xuan Long's food, but he vaguely felt that there was a mixed aura of a god and a demon outside in the courtyard. He frowned and asked A'Zhi using a voice transmission technique that only they could hear each other.

"Where is A'Lie, didn't you ask him to come with you?"

"He's here, I told him to wait outside in the courtyard." A'Zhi replied with a voice transmission, his face was filled with joy as he peeled a shrimp and put it into Xuan Long's bowl with his hands, "Mother, the shrimp today is very sweet, try it."

"Thank you, A'Zhi." Xuan Long smiled. He was unaware that father and son were secretly exchanging fire. Being pregnant had made his ability to sense spiritual energy less stable, so he did not notice A'Lie's presence outside in the courtyard.

The others were not aware of it because they did not have enough cultivation.

Yan Yuan was furious in his heart. It was not enough for the Heavenly Empress to be treated like a servant by A'Zhi, how can he insult him like this? The family was having a warm birthday, eating hot food, while the man outside listened to the liveliness of the house and stood guard alone, he was not a watchdog.

A'Lie is a child who listens to A'Zhi, he would do whatever A'Zhi told him to do. If A'Zhi told him to die, he probably wouldn't hesitate for even a moment.

Yan Yuan was already afraid of Xuan Long's pregnancy and was afraid that Xuan Long would be in a bad mood, so he refused to talk much about it in front of him. Today, on Xuan Long's birthday, he could not upset Xuan Long whatsoever. He tried his best to contain his anger and used his voice transmission technique to say: "Even if he is guilty of all kinds of wrongdoings, he is still your wife now. Besides, your master is alive and well, so why do you trample on him so much?"

"I have never recognised him as my wife.” A'Zhi said coldly with his voice transmission technique, and he sneered, "The Heavenly Empress? Is he worthy of that?"

"You!"

As the crowd chatted merrily, Xuan Long noticed that Yan Yuan's face did not look right and asked him what was wrong. Yan Yuan relaxed his face, said it was nothing and made an excuse to go out.

Pushing aside the half-person high gate and walking out into the courtyard, he saw the slim young man standing quietly by the side. He was tall, wearing a fiery red outfit, with a basalt crown on his head and his ponytail hanging high.

It was unknown what he was thinking, but only when Yan Yuan approached did he hear the movement and turn around, revealing an overly bewitching yet very cold face. His blood-red pupils were quickly covered by his drooping eyelids, and he bowed respectfully.

“Greetings to the Purple Star Yuan Jun." His voice was originally very soft, but for some reason it had recently become so hoarse, as if he had been injured.

Yan Yuan and Xuan Long had instructed A'Lie to call them Father and Mother along with A'Zhi, but perhaps A'Zhi had done something behind their backs, because after A'Lie had addressed them once, he had never done so again, and after that he had always addressed them respectfully as 'Purple Star Yuan Jun' and 'General Xuan Long'.

Yan Yuan especially remembered the way A'Lie was honoured and cautiously addressed him and Xuan Long, especially when he called out the word ‘mother’. It was as if his throat was burned, and it took him half a second to squeeze out two syllables incoherently.

"Good boy, you must be hungry, come in with Father and have your dinner, your mother and A'Zhi are waiting for you."

Perhaps knowing that A'Zhi could not possibly wait for him, he was silent for a moment before leaning down and cupping his hands, "Thank you for your kindness, Purple Star Yuan Jun, A'Lie has already eaten before coming."

"Come in and sit down even if you have eaten. How can you stand outside in the middle of the night like that? Quickly, come in with Father." Yan Yuan was not his father after all, so he could not reach out to pull him, he could only try his best to persuade him.

However, he did not move at all, maintaining his half-bowing posture, like a stone statue, as if he could not hear.

Yan Yuan sighed, "A'Lie, it's been hard for you."

"You are now the Heavenly Empress, why do you have to do everything he tells you to do? There are some that are too much, and you should refuse them, or else that bastard will really be uncontrollable."

"Sit happily as the Heavenly Empress and live your life. Whatever he thinks, don't pay any attention to him, maybe he will even come back to pester you."

Yan Yuan probably also felt that what he said was unlikely and stopped talking when he finished. He waited for a ragged and mute sentence.

"A'Lie is at the Emperor's disposal."

Yan Yuan finally returned home, leaving the solitary red figure outside the courtyard, and soon afterwards, the long-awaited snow fell from the sky. There was snow and white frost on the man's eyelashes, but he seemed unaware of it.

It was a heart-warming birthday that lasted late into the night, with the house as warm as spring inside and as cold as bones outside.