Chapter 189: A Blood-Locked Dungeon?
"Ningyan went to the Water City?" Jun Haoxuan didn’t look up at first, his gaze fixed on the scroll in his hand as he walked.
An Moshang kept pace beside him. "Yes. Your parents escorted him."
That made Haoxuan pause. He looked up. "...All of them?"
"Just Liu Ruobing and Shen Taiyu."
Haoxuan’s eyes dropped back to the letter. He read the line again.
Once. Twice. Then he stilled. "...He has a son?"
An Moshang stopped walking. "What?"
Haoxuan cleared his throat and closed the scroll, his expression smoothing out almost immediately. "Let’s... deal with that later."
He resumed walking. "He’s safe. That’s what matters."
An Moshang gave him a look, but didn’t push.
"By the way," he added casually, "Yan Wuhen."
Haoxuan glanced at him. "What about him?"
"He was the one impersonating Teacher Chu. He’s the reason the children were crying."
Haoxuan stopped again. This time slower. "...What?"
"He was banned from the clan, remember? So, he used the teacher’s identity to slip in for the banquet."
"I didn’t even remember that." Haoxuan stared at him and scoffed under his breath. "...And he just showed up in the middle of a battle like that."
His brows furrowed. "Wait. How do you know this?"
"He apologized to the children."
Haoxuan blinked once. "...He apologized."
An Moshang nodded.
Haoxuan exhaled lightly. "...Then I suppose that settles it."
He resumed walking, tone returning to something calmer. "I doubt he’s leaving anytime soon anyway. Not when he’s planning to marry Ningyan."
An Moshang let out a quiet laugh. "Well, then Ningyan’s son becomes your son. And Meishan’s. And Wuhen’s."
He glanced at Haoxuan. "That child is going to be the most protected existence in all three realms."
Haoxuan didn’t respond immediately.
They reached the chamber doors.
He pushed them open and stepped inside.
Then, almost absently, "...I have a son."
The words were quiet as if he was still testing how they felt. "And knowing Wuhen, he’ll probably try to drag Rong Yue into this as well."
An Moshang huffed a laugh. "That sounds about right."
Haoxuan didn’t smile fully but there was something softer in his expression now.
An Moshang suppressed a laugh, clearing his throat as he composed himself.
Jun Haoxuan gave him a flat look. "You may leave."
His tone was calm but final. "You don’t need to involve yourself in the war plans. However, for safety, you, Bai Ziru, Shanyuan, and Shenzhen will remain on standby. Lan Yunlai’s forces will most likely be wielding demon tools."
And Ningyan cannot come into contact with them.
An Moshang bowed and left without another word.
The door closed behind him.
Jun Haoxuan exhaled quietly before pushing the inner doors open and stepping inside.
The scene that greeted him ...was not what one would expect from a war council.
Yan Wuhen was asleep. His head rested on the table, crimson hair scattered, breathing slow and even.
Rong Yue sat beside him, absentmindedly running his fingers through Wuhen’s hair while holding a cup of wine near his lips.
Across from them, Lan Meishan reclined carelessly, his hair loose and still damp. His torso was bare, revealing dark scales along his neck.
He held a scroll in one hand, his expression focused yet relaxed as he read.
"You’re late, Your Majesty." Rong Yue didn’t look impressed as he set the wine down, his gaze sliding toward Haoxuan.
"Just as my title suggests," Haoxuan replied evenly, stepping further in, "I am busy."
Rong Yue clicked his tongue, fangs flashing briefly. His gaze flicked around the room. "...Ningyan isn’t coming, is he?"
"Seems he’s gone to the Water City to retrieve his son." Meishan closed the scroll with a soft snap. "...Which, I suppose, makes him ours now."
His eyes slid toward Rong Yue. "Well. Ours, excluding you. You’re not married to him. Wuhen has a better chance than you."
Rong Yue’s expression flattened. "I take that back. I don’t like this side of you."
Meishan chuckled softly.
Jun Haoxuan ignored them both as he took his seat.
No one made any effort to wake Wuhen.
Rong Yue continued idly stroking his hair, as if the conversation had nothing to do with war.
For a moment, it almost felt... calm.
Then Haoxuan spoke. "We’ll begin."
The shift was immediate.
"This operation will be precise. No unnecessary expansion. No drawn-out conflict."
His gaze moved between them. "Lan Yunlai is the target. However, there is something else we need to consider."
That got Meishan’s attention. Fully.
"The demon tools." Haoxuan’s voice lowered. "The crystal within Ningyan... can devour them. If he comes into contact with too many..."
He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to.
The implication was clear.
"I’ll handle the demon tools with Wuhen." Rong Yue said confidently. "Lan Yunlai no longer has his core forces. Lan Tianheng, Lan Tianlong, Lan Shiyu, they’re all dead. But the remaining Lans..."
His blue feline sharpened. "...we need to be cautious."
Lan Meishan’s expression dimmed, the usual teasing amusement suddenly gone.
"...My mother," he whispered, the words escaping him in a low breath.
The change was immediate. Gone was the careless posture and the lazy confidence. Meishan straightened, his movements precise and composed as he folded into a meditative sitting position.
Jun Haoxuan and Rong Yue exchanged a brief look of surprise and alert.
"Meishan?" Haoxuan called.
"It’s me." Meishan lifted his head, his gaze clear and focused.
"My mother is alive. She’s imprisoned in a dungeon sealed by Lan Yunlai’s blood."
His jaw tightened vaguely. "If he dies before she’s released... the seal may never open."
"How do you expect us to bypass a blood-locked dungeon?" Rong Yue asked.
Meishan’s expression twisted. A sharp groan tore from his throat, and he struck his own face as if forcing something back into place.
His fingers dragged through his hair, his head tipping back as the shift snapped.
His serpent eyes sharpened. The wild edge had returned.
"I thought we were starting to trust each other." The tone was sharp... defensive.
Jun Haoxuan exhaled quietly.
Rong Yue’s claws tapped lightly against the table.
"It seems," he said, voice smooth, "he only cares about his mother."
"His mother is dead." Meishan scoffed dismissively. "There’s nothing to save but bones. We focus on killing Lan Yunlai. No one mentions this to Ningyan, or we lose focus."
Jun Haoxuan and Rong Yue exchanged a quick, clear glance.
They didn’t trust him.
Meishan didn’t notice. He was too busy pressing his fingers into his temples as if he was holding himself together.