Chapter Text
Four-year-old Liu Yichen wandered through his a-niang's office, humming quietly to himself. He had accidentally discovered a hidden room after tripping into a wall, only for a concealed door to swing open.
Curiosity immediately won over caution.
Inside, shelves upon shelves of strange artifacts glittered under the dim light. His little hands reached out, touching everything with innocent fascination.
Then he found a mirror.
Except... it didn't show his reflection.
Instead, he saw his a-niang sitting before it, calmly brushing his hair. Before Liu Yichen could call out, the figure stood and walked away.
"A-niang!"
He reached toward the mirror, only for his hand to pass through the surface.
"Eh?"
The world spun.
With a small yelp, he tumbled through and landed face-first on a wooden floor.
"Oww..."
His eyes watered, and he nearly cried. But after puffing out his cheeks and rubbing his nose, he proudly decided that brave children didn't cry. He climbed back to his feet and looked around.
"A-niang...?"
He pushed open the door and hurried outside.
Thud.
He walked straight into someone's leg.
Recognizing the familiar robes, Liu Yichen looked up and immediately beamed.
"Ah! Mean-gege!"
Without hesitation, he wrapped both arms around the man's leg and even tried climbing him like a tree.
"YOU—! Who are you?!"
Liu Yichen blinked in confusion.
"It's me! A-Chen! Mean-gege is being mean again!"
Liu Yichen whined
Shen Jiu took a slow breath, forcing down the irritation threatening to surface. Arguing with a toddler would be beneath him... no matter how much that toddler resembled him.
"...How did you get here?"
"I was trying to hug A-niang, but I fell on the floor instead."
"Your a-niang..."
Shen Jiu stared at the child's face.
Who is this child's mother...? And why does he look so much like me?
Before he could ask another question, Liu Yichen let go and dashed down the corridor.
Shen Jiu snapped out of his thoughts and lunged after him.
He barely took three steps before crashing into someone turning the corner.
"Watch where you're—"
Both brothers lost their balance and ended up tangled on the ground.
Liu Yichen stopped, turned around, and his eyes lit up.
"A-niang!"
He happily ran back and threw himself into Shen Yuan's arms.
The corridor fell silent.
Shen Jiu slowly lifted his head, staring at the scene with complete disbelief.
"...What?!"
"A-A...niang? Kid, what are you saying...?"
The words had barely left Shen Yuan's mouth when the child's face crumpled.
His lips trembled.
Then he burst into loud, heartbroken sobs.
"Waaah—! A-niang doesn't remember A-Chen anymore!"
Shen Yuan froze.
"...Ah?"
His first instinct overrode everything else. He hurriedly scooped the little boy into his arms before the child could throw himself onto the ground in protest.
"H-Hey, don't cry! Don't cry, okay? Let's... let's talk this out..."
He awkwardly patted the child's back, completely at a loss. His fox ears flattened against his head while his tails swished anxiously behind him, betraying every ounce of panic he was trying to hide.
"There, there... I didn't say I didn't know you, I just... um..."
Help.
'Why is there a crying child calling me his mother?'
'Why does he look like Jiu-ge?'
'Why is jiu-ge u looking like he just saw a ghost?'
Across from him, Shen Jiu remained rooted to the spot.
His face had gone completely blank.
"..."
No.
Impossible.
Shen Yuan "hated" children.
Not only that, his brother had never shown even the slightest interest in romance.
Yet there he was—holding a four-year-old with practiced familiarity, instinctively soothing him despite looking utterly bewildered.
And that child...
The resemblance was undeniable.
The eyes.
The brows.
Even the way the boy pouted while crying reminded Shen Jiu unpleasantly of looking into a tiny mirror.
"...Yuan."
Shen Yuan looked up weakly.
"I have no idea what's happening."
"I know."
"..."
"..."
"I wasn't accusing you."
"I know! I just... felt like I needed to defend myself!"
Shen Jiu pinched the bridge of his nose.
His head hurt.
The child sniffled, burying his face into Shen Yuan's shoulder.
"A-niang forgot A-Chen..."
"I didn't forget you..."
"You did..."
"I... might have temporarily... misplaced my memories?"
Shen Jiu shot him a flat look.
"You misplaced years?"
"...When you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous."
"It is ridiculous."
Before Shen Yuan could answer, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.
"Shen Yuan!"
A familiar voice rang out.
Both brothers turned.
Liu Qingge strode toward them, sword still at his waist, his expression as cold and stern as ever.
The moment Liu Yichen looked up and saw him, his tears vanished as though someone had flipped a switch.
His eyes sparkled.
"A-DIE!"
Without hesitation, he launched himself straight out of Shen Yuan's arms.
Liu Qingge reacted on instinct, catching the flying child before he hit the ground.
"..."
The peak lord stared down at the little boy clinging happily around his neck.
The little boy stared right back.
"A-Die!"
"..."
"..."
Liu Qingge slowly lifted his gaze to Shen Yuan.
Then to Shen Jiu.
Then back to the child.
"...Explain."
Shen Yuan looked ready to cry.
"I wish I could."
Shen Jiu folded his arms inside his sleeves, his expression dark.
"...He called a-yuan 'A-niang.'"
Silence.
Liu Qingge looked at the child again.
"...And me?"
The boy grinned, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"You're A-Die!"
"..."
For perhaps the first time in years, the famed God of War stood completely speechless.
Shen Jiu's eye twitched.
"...a-yuan."
"...Yes?"
"If this is another one of your spirit beast accidents, I'm throwing both you and that beast off Qing Jing Peak."
"I told you I don't know what's happening!"
Meanwhile, Liu Yichen blinked at the three strangely behaving adults.
"...Did Mean-gege hit his head again?"
The corridor fell into another heavy silence.
"...Oh."
Shen Yuan buried his face in his hands.
"...I'm in so much trouble."
There was no way this child wasn't from the future.
Liu Yichen looked far too much like him for it to be coincidence—the shape of his eyes, the soft features...
...and the sharp brows that were unmistakably Liu Qingge's.
Even Shen Jiu had stopped questioning it.
He was simply staring at the child with narrowed eyes, as though trying to determine what heavenly tribulation had dropped into Qing Jing Peak.
Shen Yuan, meanwhile, felt his spirit leaving his body.
Forget Jiu-ge...
If the sect finds out...
He could already picture it.
His fellow peak lords staring.
The disciples whispering.
The entire Cang Qiong Mountain Sect learning that Qing Jing Peak lord's twin had somehow produced a four-year-old child with Bai Zhan Peak's peak lord despite the two of them not even being dao companions.
He wanted to crawl into a hole.
"...This is bad."
Shen Jiu crossed his arms.
"Only now you've realized?"
Shen Yuan looked ready to cry.
"Jiu-ge..."
"You've always attracted trouble. Congratulations. This time, you've attracted a child."
"..."
"...I don't even know how future me managed it!"
Shen Jiu scoffed.
"Neither do I."
Liu Qingge remained silent.
His gaze settled on the little boy, who had somehow become comfortable enough to lean against his side while playing with Shen Yuan's sleeve.
"..."
He did not dislike the child.
That realization came unexpectedly.
Normally, he would have little patience for noisy children.
Yet when Liu Yichen had thrown himself into his arms earlier...
His first instinct had been to catch him.
Not because he was a child.
Because...
...he couldn't allow him to fall.
The thought made Liu Qingge frown slightly.
"...What?"
Shen Jiu had noticed.
"...Nothing."
"Hmph."
Shen Yuan let out a miserable sigh.
"Until we figure out how he got here, we have to take care of him."
"No."
Shen Jiu answered immediately.
"He stays with you."
"W-What?"
"He's calling you 'A-Niang.'"
"That doesn't count!"
"It counts enough."
"He also calls qingge 'A-Die!'"
The two brothers simultaneously looked at Liu Qingge.
Liu Qingge met their gazes without the slightest intention of arguing.
"...Mm."
"...Mm?"
"I'll help."
Shen Yuan blinked.
"...That's it?"
"He is my responsibility."
"You accepted that awfully quickly!"
"He recognizes me."
"..."
"..."
Shen Yuan suddenly had no rebuttal.
Liu Yichen looked up happily.
"I knew A-Die wouldn't leave us!"
The words struck with frightening accuracy.
Liu Qingge's expression remained composed, but the tips of his ears quietly reddened.
Shen Jiu watched the scene unfold with growing irritation.
"...Disgusting."
"Jiu-ge!"
"I wasn't referring to the child."
Shen Yuan's shoulders slumped.
"..."
He looked down at Liu Yichen, who had begun absentmindedly brushing one of his tails while humming to himself.
The little boy looked completely at ease, as though this was simply another peaceful afternoon with his parents.
Shen Yuan's expression softened despite himself.
"...Just until we send him home."
Liu Yichen looked up.
"Home?"
"...Mm."
"So A-Chen can stay with A-Niang and A-Die until then?"
"..."
Shen Yuan opened his mouth.
Closed it.
The hopeful look in those familiar eyes was impossible to refuse.
"...Yes."
Liu Yichen beamed so brightly it could have lit the entire courtyard.
"I knew A-Niang loved me the most!"
"..."
Shen Yuan sighed in defeat, gently patting the little boy's head.
"...Future me..."
He muttered under his breath.
"...You'd better have a very good explanation waiting for me."
~
Three days.
Shen Yuan had slept for perhaps six hours in total.
His study, tucked away behind his house on Qing Jing Peak, looked as though a whirlwind had torn through it. Ancient scrolls covered every available surface. Shelves overflowed with texts on spatial arrays, ancient artifacts, and the peculiar abilities of huli jing. Beside them sat neatly labeled jars containing the remains of spiritual beasts Liu Qingge had hunted over the past several months.
If there was one thing Liu Qingge excelled at besides swinging his sword, it was bringing Shen Yuan anything he requested without asking unnecessary questions.
"Heart of a Moon Wolf... no reaction."
Shen Yuan scribbled another note.
"Huli jing bloodline... enhanced spiritual affinity..."
He glanced toward the bronze mirror resting in the center of the formation.
"...Still nothing."
With a tired sigh, he abandoned his human form.
Golden spiritual light shimmered through the room.
In the next instant, a large white fox settled onto the floor, nine tails lazily fanning out behind him.
Foxes naturally possessed denser spiritual energy than ordinary cultivators. According to the scroll before him, if the mirror truly responded to huli jing spiritual essence, maintaining his true form should have made the array resonate.
It didn't.
The mirror remained stubbornly ordinary.
"..."
The fox let out an irritated huff, laying his chin on crossed paws.
Worthless book.
Just then—
"A-niang!"
Tiny footsteps pattered across the wooden floor.
Before Shen Yuan could even lift his head, Liu Yichen launched himself onto the fox's back with all the confidence of someone who had clearly done this countless times.
The impact barely made Shen Yuan flinch.
Instead, one fluffy ear twitched.
Liu Yichen buried both arms into the impossibly soft fur with a blissful sigh.
"So warm..."
His little face disappeared between Shen Yuan's shoulders.
"..."
Within moments, his breathing evened out.
He had fallen asleep.
Shen Yuan's tails swished once in resigned amusement.
"..."
He really was impossible to dislike.
The door slid open.
Liu Qingge stepped inside, carrying another stack of ancient records borrowed from Qiong Ding Peak.
His gaze immediately fell upon the sleeping child.
Then the exhausted fox beneath him.
"..."
Without a word, Liu Qingge quietly set the scrolls aside.
His movements were slow and deliberate as he carefully slid his arms beneath Liu Yichen.
The child stirred.
His little hands instinctively tightened around white fur.
"...Niang..."
Shen Yuan glanced over.
"...He's asleep."
"I know."
Liu Qingge gently loosened each tiny finger one by one.
Only after making certain Liu Yichen wouldn't wake did he lift him into his own arms.
The little boy frowned in his sleep.
"...die-die..."
He shifted.
Then immediately snuggled against Liu Qingge's shoulder.
Liu Qingge adjusted his hold almost instinctively.
Years of looking after Liu Mingyan whenever she exhausted herself from training had left him surprisingly adept at carrying sleeping children.
"...He'll wake if you move too quickly," Shen Yuan said, his voice muffled in fox form.
"I know."
"...Support his head."
"I know."
Shen Yuan's ears flicked.
"...You've done this before."
"...Mingyan."
"...Ah."
That explained it.
For a while, neither spoke.
Liu Qingge simply stood there with the sleeping child in his arms.
Shen Yuan remained sprawled on the floor in fox form, staring at the stubborn mirror as though sheer annoyance might force it to activate.
"...Rest."
Shen Yuan pretended not to hear him.
"You've been awake three days."
"I'm close."
"You've said that since yesterday."
"..."
Liu Qingge's voice remained flat.
"The mirror isn't changing because you refuse to sleep."
"It could."
"It won't."
"..."
Shen Yuan flattened his ears.
"You sound exactly like Mu-shidi."
"...Mm."
"...That wasn't a compliment."
"I know."
Silence settled over the room once more.
Eventually, Liu Qingge looked down at the sleeping child.
"...He likes you."
Shen Yuan snorted.
"He climbs onto me every chance he gets."
"He calls for you first."
"..."
"He follows you."
"..."
"When frightened, he looks for you."
Shen Yuan looked away, embarrassed.
"...Children usually cling to the parent who spends the most time with them."
"...Mm."
"...Future me probably spoiled him."
Liu Qingge considered that.
"...You still do."
"...What?"
Liu Qingge nodded toward the fox.
"You're letting him use your tails as a blanket."
Shen Yuan froze.
Only then did he notice that, even after Liu Yichen had been moved, two of his tails had unconsciously remained curled around the child, refusing to let him get cold.
"..."
"..."
The tails slowly retreated.
"...That was involuntary."
Liu Qingge didn't argue.
"...Mm."
The simple response somehow made Shen Yuan even more flustered.
"...Don't give me that look."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I looked."
"...Exactly."
Liu Qingge's expression remained as stoic as ever, but there was the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes.
Shen Yuan huffed, curling into a tighter ball.
"...Future me has terrible habits."
After a long pause, Liu Qingge answered quietly,
"...Not terrible."
Shen Yuan blinked.
Liu Qingge glanced at the sleeping child, whose hand had unconsciously reached back to grab a tuft of white fur even while asleep.
"...He looks happy."
The room fell silent again.
This time, Shen Yuan had no sarcastic reply.
He simply watched Liu Yichen sleep, his ears lowering ever so slightly.
"...Yeah."
"...He does."
Once Liu Qingge carried the sleeping Liu Yichen out of the study, silence settled over the room once more.
Shen Yuan waited until the door slid shut before slumping over his desk.
"...System."
No response.
"...System."
A familiar mechanical chime rang in his mind.
[System online.]
Shen Yuan glanced toward the door to make sure no one was nearby before transferring back into a human and lowering his voice.
"That kid isn't supposed to be here. What kind of ridiculous wife plot are you trying to force on me now?"
The System remained silent for a moment before answering.
[Due to a System error, Host was scheduled to be deceased at this point in the original timeline. As a result, Liu Yichen was accidentally transferred from a parallel future timeline in which Host survived.]
Shen Yuan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...Of course."
He should have known.
Whenever the System was involved, "error" always translated to catastrophic disaster.
The cheerful notification continued as though it hadn't just dropped an absurd revelation.
[Host should cease unnecessary research. Little Liu will automatically return to his own timeline one month from now. ᐠ( ᐢ ᵕ ᐢ )ᐟ Host is encouraged to enjoy quality family time.]
"..."
"...Family time?"
Shen Yuan's eye twitched.
"...Fine."
If the kid would return on his own...
That solved one problem.
Which only left...
"...How exactly did I obtain a son?"
A brief pause.
Then—
[Host reproduced.]
"..."
"...Reproduced?"
Shen Yuan frowned.
"Like... a spiritual plant?"
"...Did I split into two?"
[Negative.]
"...An egg?"
[Negative.]
"...A fruit?"
[Negative.]
Shen Yuan stared blankly at the wall.
"...Then how?"
The System answered with its usual, emotionless honesty.
[Host experienced pregnancy.]
"..."
"..."
"...Pregnancy?"
His brain stopped functioning.
"..."
"...Pregnancy."
The word echoed in his head several more times before comprehension finally struck.
"...PREGNANCY?!"
A horrified scream erupted from the study. So loud that the bamboo outside rustled.
Birds scattered into the sky.
Several Qing Jing disciples nearly dropped the books they were carrying.
"What do you mean pregnant?!"
"I'm a man!"
"There's no way this world has mpreg! And how does that even work?! Where did the baby even—"
He stopped himself before finishing that sentence.
"...No. I'm not asking. I refuse to know."
The System chimed pleasantly.
[Host should not worry.]
"I am worrying!"
[The huli jing race possesses unique reproductive characteristics.]
"I don't want to know!"
[Successful conception rates remain statistically low.]
"I said I don't want to know!"
[Host's pregnancy lasted—]
"I'M NOT LISTENING!"
Outside the study—
Liu Qingge, carrying the still-sleeping Liu Yichen, paused.
"..."
He recognized Shen Yuan's voice.
There was no danger.
Only panic.
After a brief moment, he continued walking.
Behind him, several Qing Jing disciples stared toward the study with pale faces.
"...Shen-shibo sounds..."
"...Like he's having a qi deviation?"
"...Should we call Peak Lord Mu?"
Liu Qingge answered before anyone could move.
"...No."
"...Peak Lord Liu?"
"He'll recover."
The disciples exchanged uncertain glances.
"...How can you be so sure?"
Liu Qingge's expression remained perfectly calm.
"...He's shouting."
"..."
"If he had a real qi deviation...He'd be quieter."
"..."
"..."
No one knew how to respond to that.
Back inside the study, Shen Yuan had collapsed face-first onto the desk.
"..."
"...System."
[Yes, Host?]
"...I'm never asking you questions again."
[Acknowledged.]
A beat later—
[Host will likely have additional questions within twenty-four hours.]
"..."
"...Get out of my head."