Family Old and New

The morning sun shone bright outside, yet all the curtains in the room were drawn closed. Filtering through the fabric, the daylight cast diluted shadows in the bedroom, shifting and flowing languidly in the comfortable hush.

On the bed in the center of the room, moving on top of the rumpled sheets, were two bodies in the midst of connecting. Soft pants issued from them as they shifted, muscles flexing restlessly under skin slicked with sweat and flushed with exertion.

Wei Xiang sat on the bed with his back to the door, his hands on his little lover's hips as his beloved hugged him. Meanwhile, Qinghe's chest heaved, eyes squeezed closed as he trembled while lowering himself over his lover's hard shaft. As he felt the thick, vein-corded organ pushing in and dragging over the walls of his prepared passage, Qinghe groaned softly, tightening his arms around his beloved.

Wei Xiang's eyes were deep and dark with lust, his cheeks flushed and his lips open to let out hot puffs of breath as he focused intently on his little lover's face. He thought his Qinghe had never looked more beautiful than right now, with passion tensing his expression while the urge to give in to the mindless pleasure visibly battled with the need for control on his face.

Those reddened cheeks, lowered eyebrows over quivering eyelids, shining ebony hair sticking to his sweat-slicked skin, his dusky pink lips that were swollen with kisses and parted to let out breathless gasps, the little peek of even white teeth beyond, the red tongue venturing out to occasionally swish over his lips…every detail was etched deep into Wei Xiang's mind as he eagerly absorbed them.

The shape of his lover's face and his external features were indeed beautiful to look at, but these little details he showed when they were alone, the expressions on his face, the look in his eyes, and his little secret smiles that he only let Wei Xiang see…they were beyond beautiful. For the Wei Xiang who felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper into his little lover with every moment spent together, the allure of this scene was indescribable.

But right now, despite his own need and the feeling of his wonderful little lover's tight passage squeezing his member, Wei Xiang managed to hold on to his self-control. His tone was still caring and considerate as he spoke, "Take it easy, love. Don't rush and hurt yourself. Take it in bit by bit."

As he heard his lover whisper in a deep and hoarse voice by his ear, Qinghe gave a shudder and groaned, "A-Ah…Xiang…but I want you…deeper…"

Wei Xiang let his palms glide up and smooth over his beloved's sides and down his back, over his shoulders and down his arms. He let out a small chuckle as he heard the complaining tone and impatience in his little lover's voice. "Even then, take it slow."

Qinghe let out a huff of breath and buried his face in his beloved's sweaty shoulder. He gave the familiar honey-tinted skin there a good suck before licking the blooming red mark. "You always…make me go slow…" he groused playfully even as his hips kept gradually bearing down.

Wei Xiang hissed at the slight sting and spreading warmth on his shoulder. His hands moved back down and settled over the firm and elastic mounds of his beloved's buttocks, squeezing and kneading them to let out his increasing need. Feeling his lover's warm palms gripping his backside as his strong fingers massaged with a steady rhythm, Qinghe moaned unsteadily and melted into his Xiang's body.

The couple teased and played like this, driving each other higher and higher. When Qinghe finally managed to take in the full length of his lover, they groaned in unison. As they sat panting while trying to adjust to the blissful sensation, their mouths found one another as if of their own volition, meeting and melding, sliding and sucking each other.

Their bodies pressed as close as physically possible, hands stroking and caressing hungrily as their mouths moved and tongues entwined. The burn of passion was bright all the same in spite of its familiarity. With each passing day, their desire for each other only grew more eager and insistent, threatening to swallow whole their willing minds and bodies.

Though they only stayed pressed together, their lover halves not yet starting to move, they still felt themselves inching towards that distant peak of ecstasy. The movements of their hands grew more frantic as their mouths devoured each other with desperate fervor. The air around them seemed to grow misted with heat as the pervasive need wound tighter and tighter, boiling their blood with passion and making their heart thunder in their chests, seeming to beat to the cadence of the other's breath as the need to satisfy their desire blinded them to everything else…

This was when the door to their room suddenly banged open.

Before they could think, Qinghe and Wei Xiang reacted instinctively.

Wei Xiang had snapped open his large golden wings, wrapping it around himself and his little lover to hide and shield them from the shoulders down.

Qinghe had immediately summoned his spiritual artifact and molded it into a spear with a long shaft, the exceedingly sharp spearhead pointed towards the doorway and right at the throat of this unexpected intruder.

The air stilled, thick with tension as golden motes of dust floated languorously in the calm light passing through the closed window curtains. For a moment, hushed silence and terse hyperawareness filled the room.

Then Feng Chunyi indifferently slapped away her son's weapon and spoke, "Oi, you brats, why are you so vigilant even in your own home? You didn't even let me take a peek to assess your technique!"

The tension in the room broke and melted away as Qinghe and Wei Xiang let themselves relax.

"Mother, did you interrupt us just for this?" Qinghe asked irritably in a husky voice, his chin resting on Wei Xiang's shoulder as he glared at her. His spiritual artifact had already been put away.

However, Wei Xiang was unable to act as casually as the mother and son pair. His shaft was still hard and buried deep inside his beloved, wrapped in the liquid, pulsing heat. He could feel his little lover's warm body pressed flush against him, his beloved's heartbeat vibrating against his chest and melding with the thudding of his own heart. How could anyone expect him to be calm in this situation?!

But thankfully, since his back was to the doorway anyway, Wei Xiang let himself drown in his persistent lust as he buried his face in his little lover's hair, his wings remaining closed over them both.

Feng Chunyi's carefree voice sounded out, "Oi, Son, I'm going to be busy today evening, so I can't promise I'll be available to conduct our daily training session. If you want to train, then finish your business quickly and get to the backyard soon."

After giving her entwined sons one last look, Feng Chunyi left, closing the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Qinghe's eyes shone with eagerness at the thought of getting to fight with his mother so soon. As his body tensed with excitement, Qinghe unthinkingly clenched his inner muscles, drawing a strained hiss out of Wei Xiang.

Qinghe confusedly tilted his head and asked worriedly, "Xiang? Are you alright?"

Wei Xiang withdrew his wings and folded them away. In a hoarse whisper, he spoke, "Love, did you forget that I'm still inside you?"

Qinghe blinked confusedly before realizing how tight he was squeezing his beloved's shaft. As the color in his face deepened, he slowly relaxed himself, leaning his body limply on Wei Xiang. In an earnest voice, he asked, "I-Is this…better?"

Feeling the warmth against his bare skin increase as his little lover pressed this close, Wei Xiang only felt his need heighten. With a growl, he slid one of his hands between their bodies and towards his beloved's slender hardness, beginning to pump it slowly yet firmly.

Qinghe groaned, his eyelids falling closed as pleasure began suffusing him. Feeling that it was not enough, he decided to start moving his hips, raising and lowering them slowly, then gradually increasing the pace as his desire mounted higher while Wei Xiang helped him move faster with a hand supporting his hip and buttocks.

And so, the room was filled with the sounds of their passionately frenetic lovemaking once again.

...

"You're leading with your left foot again! Adjust that habit. Use your shoulders more! I told you this before and I'll tell it to you again, loosen up and act as if your body is liquid!" Feng Chunyi's voice rang out commandingly amid the clacks of the practice blades colliding and the whoosh of robes as the two people flew through the air quickly, clashing and parting again and again.

A thin sheen of sweat covered Qinghe's body, his clothes dusty from all the times he'd fallen due to a swift and well-placed kick or blow from his mother. Boot prints marked the cloth over his abdomen, chest, and legs, indicating all the places Feng Chunyi had kicked at him. Small tears and rips were scattered over the robe, but not a hint of red was to be found. After all, practice or not, Qinghe was still her son, and so Feng Chunyi refrained from drawing blood or hurting him too much.

But Qinghe found that his mother was still a very formidable opponent, and it only excited him more. His keen eyes drank in every detail of his mother's movements and their surroundings, the blood in his veins flowing fast and hot as he constantly attempted to strike at the minute openings his mother provided. Sometimes, he even succeeded. As he fought, the world seemed so cuttingly vibrant and alive as all his senses went on overdrive. And throughout the practice session, the small smile curving his lips had never once diminished.

Sitting casually on the back porch, Wei Xiang watched his little lover enjoying himself with gleaming eyes.

A large area behind the Feng residence had long since been cleared out of everything to allow Feng Chunyi to practice her martial arts. With Qinghe's arrival, it had now turned into their training area. Every evening, the mother and son would use this training area to fight as Feng Chunyi taught Qinghe to become an even more lethal martial artist.

But Wei Xiang thought that besides just training, this was also a way for this pair of mother and son to bond over doing something they both loved―fighting.

After another forty minutes of this, they finally decided to stop. Though Feng Chunyi was also lightly panting and sweating by the time they were done, Qinghe was definitely in a worse state, though his grin was bright enough to blind anyone watching.

Qinghe walked back to the Wei Xiang who was resting on the porch and let him carefully wipe away the sweat on his face with a soft and cool cloth. Just as he was contemplating taking a dip in the stream of spiritual water to refresh himself, he heard his mother call out.

"Oi, brat, don't scamper off this soon. Take off your clothes, I want to observe something."

Qinghe blinked at his mother confusedly, but nodded, "Alright."

He began undoing the layers of his clothes one by one while folding them neatly to place on the porch beside his beloved.

Wei Xiang looked up at his mother-in-law with narrowed eyes and asked, "Why does he have to take off his clothes?"

Feng Chunyi had folded her arms and was standing with a straight back, her feet placed slightly apart. Shifting her attention from her son, she answered, "I need to assess his muscle distribution and flexibility more thoroughly and gain a complete understanding of it to tailor the next part of his training to his specific build. It would avoid me misunderstanding his strength again."

His eyes widening in realization, Wei Xiang nodded to show that he understood.

Shortly after Qinghe woke up from the healing pool, Feng Chunyi had tried to train both his physical and spiritual strength by asking her son to hold up an entire mountain with nothing but his hands and a few strands of spiritual force for seven days. In her excitement, she seemed to have forgotten that her son was only thirty-nine years by then, not millions of years old like some of her famous and powerful lieutenants in the heavenly army.

After four days of straining himself to the maximum to fulfill his mother's expectation—a duration that made many a people's jaws drop when they heard of it later—Qinghe finally collapsed due to exhaustion. Thankfully, Feng Chunyi was able to quickly hold up the mountain with the vines she had kept at the ready just in case. The unconscious Qinghe was then rushed to Feng Huixin, who then carefully transferred some of his wind-based spiritual energy to replenish his son's spiritual energy that was depleted to near-lethal levels.

After a distressed Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang explained to her about how Qinghe was still too young and his divinity too unstable to attempt something like that, Feng Chunyi finally understood that she had misjudged her son's power and ended up treating him as a millennia-old deity because of the maturity with which he usually acted. From then on, she tried very hard to be careful with his training regimen.

Understanding that this was why she was taking precautions even now by wanting to first evaluate Qinghe's body, Wei Xiang nodded and let her have her way.

Having removed all his clothing, Qinghe stood completely naked without even a hint of self-consciousness.

Feng Chunyi calmly circled him, reaching out to touch him now and then to assess his musculature with a thoughtful expression. By now, almost all the bruises Qinghe had suffered due to their bout had disappeared due to his deity-level healing. However, the only cluster of bruises still left on his body didn't look like something he'd gotten due to sparring at all. In fact, it actually looked like…

Her fingers gliding over a particular gathering of blue and red imprints on his shoulder, Feng Chunyi called out amusedly, "Son-in-law, just how passionate were you this morning for these marks to remain until now?"

Qinghe coughed uncomfortably while Wei Xiang chuckled happily. "Mother-in-law, I don't think they are any darker than those you leave on Master."

Feng Chunyi leaned her head back and laughed cheerfully. "That is true! At least I'm glad to see that you both didn't waste the time I gave you this morning to finish your romp on the bed."

Qinghe's face turned pink. "Mother! Just concentrate on what you're doing now and finish it quickly. It's a bit chilly outside today."

Feng Chunyi rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I'll be done soon. Lift your knee a bit and flex your thigh muscles for me."

Sighing, Qinghe easily shifted his balance to one foot while doing as told. A few minutes later, after she'd finished asking her son to move, bend, and twist various parts of his body, Feng Chunyi finally let him off.

Qinghe immediately fled towards the porch and was in the process of hastily wrapping a robe around himself to ward off the chill when Wei Xiang pulled him onto his lap and hugged him close. Ignoring the half-tied belt and the gaping lapels of his robe, Qinghe snuggled into his Xiang's warmth and sighed contentedly.

Feng Chunyi walked up to the comfortably cuddling pair of lovers. Extending a hand, she pinched her son's belly that was exposed by the gaping robe and commented grinningly, "Look at you! Despite all those muscles, you still have this much baby fat left!"

"Ow!" Qinghe slapped away his mother's obnoxious hand with a glare. Standing up, he reached out a hand to pinch one of his mother's cheeks and remarked in return, "Hmph, your cheeks aren't much better either!"

Feng Chunyi huffed. Lifting her hands, she pinched both of her son's cheeks in retaliation. There, that would show this brat not to disrespect the great Heavenly General!

His eyes narrowing, Qinghe did the same to his mother's cheeks while pulling at them with both his hands now as if to show just how elastic they were. As if he would submit to some general, no matter what she was called!

Mother and son thus glared at each other with identical expressions of disdain and competitiveness, both of their hands pinching the other's cheeks and distorting their faces.

"Pfft―"

Unable to bear this ridiculous scene, Wei Xiang suddenly let out a chuff of helpless laughter before clamping a hand over his mouth to stop himself. But unfortunately, it was already too late.

Two pairs of glaring eyes immediately redirected their attention towards the source of that sound of amusement.

Wei Xiang acted as if he was only coughing before making up an excuse. "I just felt something stuck in my throat, that's all."

The two pairs of identical eyes squinted at him, similar expressions of disbelief in both of their faces that were still stretched by the cheeks.

Unable to help himself, Wei Xiang let out another bout of suppressed laughter. What could he do? His little lover and mother-in-law just looked too silly!

As if their thoughts were connected, Qinghe and Feng Chunyi let go of each other's cheeks at the same time and turned to Wei Xiang as one.

In the serious tone of an underground organization's boss ordering her henchman, Feng Chunyi said, "I'll hold him down, you do it."

With a small, eerie smile, Qinghe nodded.

Before Wei Xiang could even think of escaping, Feng Chunyi landed behind him and pulled him down, quickly pinning him on the porch floor by his arms.

Qinghe approached the helpless Wei Xiang with an evil grin, his fingers wriggling suggestively as he spoke in a cheery singsong voice, "Xiang~ I know all your tickle spots~ Since you love laughing so much, let me help you laugh even more~"

Wei Xiang burst out laughing once again even as he tried to futilely struggle in his mother-in-law's hold.

Just as Qinghe gleefully reached out his hands to begin torturing his beloved, a faint ripple suddenly washed over the residence's barrier, signaling that a visitor had arrived.

Qinghe halted, then regretfully retrieved his hands while Feng Chunyi also let go of her son-in-law with a sigh. Ah, they had been looking forward to tormenting him so much!

The Wei Xiang who had barely managed to escape his fate of being tickle tortured by his family couldn't help but let out a breath of relief. His family was really too lovably crazy.

Still chuckling as he stood up, Wei Xiang remarked, "We should go and see who it is."

And so, the three people quickly made their way out of the house.

Beyond the black gate of the Feng residence stood a tall and sturdily built man. His long, wavy hair was a rich golden brown and his eyes a vivid emerald. The clean lines of his face made him look handsome, yet also managed to convey that he was someone who was sheltered, bearing a slight arrogance that boasted that he never lacked for anything. The way he held himself was courteous yet confident, his expression unwaveringly blank with hints of politeness.

As the three people arrived in front of him, the visitor's gaze immediately fixated on Wei Xiang.

Executing a deep and flawless ninety-degree bow with his hands cupped in front of him, the visitor spoke, his voice low and magnetic, "Wyvern Sovereign Wei Xiang, son of the Dragon Sovereign Song Xia, the court elders of the True Dragon clan invite you for a private talk. Your human mate is also allowed to join us."

The three people blinked.

Qinghe knew that Wei Xiang's mother's name was Song Xia, and by the deferential way this person addressed Wei Xiang while using his title, Qinghe also understood that these elders of the dragons must hold some respect for Wei Xiang.

But the way this messenger tacked on a 'human' in front of the word mate and said that he was 'allowed' to join them, Qinghe, as well as Wei Xiang and Feng Chunyi, understood all too well that Qinghe was being looked down upon.

Wei Xiang frowned with displeasure while Qinghe and Feng Chunyi both smiled with identical hints of sharp humor, their eyes growing half-lidded as unfathomable thoughts deepened their gazes.

Before Wei Xiang could refuse, Feng Chunyi asked Qinghe, "Oi, son of mine, why don't you and Son-in-law go and see what these old geezers want?"

Qinghe cheerfully nodded. "Xiang, do you mind?"

Understanding that his beloved wanted to mess with these dragons, Wei Xiang let out a sigh, his mouth curving up in a helpless, indulgent smile. "Very well then, since both my dear mother-in-law and little lover wish so, I will naturally comply."

Then turning to the messenger who'd begun to frown, Wei Xiang spoke firmly, "I accept your invitation, but I will warn you this once against disrespecting my mate. Do it again and I will not be responsible for the consequences. Now, lead the way."

The messenger blinked at Wei Xiang, then nodded. "Understood. Then may I request the use of the Feng household's transportation array?"

Feng Chunyi nodded, easily allowing it with an amused smile. No matter what schemes those wily old men at the True Dragon clan wanted to cook up, she was confident that her son could handle it.

And so, Qinghe and Wei Xiang walked the path leading to the platform with the transportation array while accompanying the messenger. As they stood on it, the array flashed silver once, and the three people vanished.

...

From a long time ago, despite being the strongest of their species, the Sovereign of the True Dragon clan was understood to only be a puppet ruler. The true power in fact lay with the court elders who pulled the strings behind the scene.

The court elders were made up of courtiers of the previous Sovereign's court, and sometimes the previous Sovereign themselves. As such, they naturally had their claws embedded deep within the court's politics and the heart of the clan itself, granting them more power than the fledgling regime of the new Sovereign.

And now that they had invited Wei Xiang and Qinghe to have a talk, it was naturally understood that it would be for no simple matter. After all, it wasn't wrong to say that the weight of these court elders' summons exceeded even that of the ruling Sovereign's.

Currently, Qinghe and Wei Xiang were following behind the messenger and were walking through a wide field of white stone towers.

Each tower was octagonal and rose up high, its top ending in a pointed roof. Its size was large enough for a dragon to comfortably stay and move around inside.

Railing-less balconies jutted out from various floors of the towers, offering a place to land for the dragons that roamed above, scattered in the sky like dark specks with wings spread wide open. Atop each roof was a thick and long horizontal bar, seeming to be made for the dragons to perch on like birds on branches.

Large, transparent bridges consisting of golden light woven into lines and sigils connected the towers and offered an easy way of travel between them. From below, the network of these bridges seemed like a giant glowing canopy overlying the sky, both awe-inspiring and brilliant.

As the three walked along the path that cut through this field of towers, the sensation of being pierced by shrewd gazes and the sound of sharp giggles followed them. It seemed that the inhabitants of these towers were both curious and amused by their visitors, yet none stepped out to greet them, seemingly out of cautiousness.

At the end of the path was a gigantic building carved out of pure white marble and decorated lavishly with thick gold ornamentation. Its intricately wrought gold-colored gate itself was over five hundred meters in height, yet it looked small in comparison to the massive white building itself that glowed softly in the sun.

As the group of three made their way inside, the messenger led Qinghe and Wei Xiang to a side path and towards the hall where the elders usually met visitors.

The floor in the court elders' receiving hall was a shimmering white with a layer of very delicate gold designs laid into it. Though the walls and the far away ceiling were the same white as the rest of the building, the pillars intercepting the space seemed to be made entirely of gold.

Seeing this, Qinghe hoped that there was something more sturdy within those pillars to hold up the ceiling, since gold was after all not strong enough on its own.

At the end of the hall, the ceiling sloped up and arched over a wide platform, giving it a spacious air. Set within the sloping part above, glowing opals emitted a brilliant white light that showered down, illuminating the entire platform while the rest of the hall was left in the diluted shadows. Four shallow stairs led up to this platform, where three elders with long and flowing beards sat looking over the entire hall, their gazes sharp and expressions unreadable.

As the messenger stepped aside inside the entrance and gestured for Qinghe and Wei Xiang to keep going, the three elders on the platform snapped their attentions to the two youngsters at once.

The elder in the middle stroked his gleaming silver beard, his expression mildly curious as his half-lidded eyes studied Wei Xiang before moving on to settle on Qinghe. Concealing his craftiness behind politeness, he gave a small smile that seemed to hide untold meanings behind it.

The elder on the left looked at them with a sharp raptor-like gaze, his curly black beard lightly twitching as if to show his displeasure. A fierceness seemed to shroud him as his gaze fixed on Qinghe, a faint sneer lifting the corner of his lip.

The elder on the right just looked lightly dazed, his sparse snowy white beard swaying in the faint breeze. After giving Qinghe and Wei Xiang a once-over, his eyes seemed to droop as his chin lowered to touch his chest. His eyelids closed and soft snores soon issued from him.

The other two elders ignored him as if by habit and kept their focus on Qinghe and Wei Xiang.

The silver-haired elder in the center finally spoke, his voice raspy yet kind, "So, Wyvern Sovereign Wei Xiang, you've finally come to the halls of the dragons. As a direct descendant of one from the True Dragon clan, we welcome you to come here any time. As your elders, we will naturally help and guide you. And since you are the Sovereign of your own clan—albeit also the only one of your species left—we will treat you as an equal and share our resources if you have the need. After all, because of your blood, the True Dragons are your family."

Wei Xiang let out a cold chuckle at this old man putting on a virtuous grandpa act even as he had cleanly excluded his beloved from his invitation.

Completely unimpressed, Wei Xiang replied, "I have no need of your help, and I already have a family. And since it seems like my mate is unwelcome here, I see no need for further relations between us."

This was already as polite as Wei Xiang was able to be in the current circumstances.

The black-haired elder on the left snorted in anger. "Who do you think you're scorning, boy?! You are only some fourteen or fifteen centuries old, and yet we offered to treat you as our equal! And this is how you repay us for our consideration?!"

Qinghe suddenly let out a soft laugh. "If this is the level of your consideration in treating my lover as your equal, then I'm afraid that it is sorely lacking. How can you say you look at him as an equal when you sit up high above while making him stand below you like this? It's utterly hypocritical."

The black-haired elder banged his fist on his armrest in anger, but couldn't say anything back while the silver-haired elder looked at Qinghe with narrowed eyes as if appraising him anew.

In a quiet voice filled with remorse, the silver-haired elder turned to Wei Xiang and slightly inclined his head while saying, "I'm afraid we didn't realize that such a small matter would cause Sovereign Wei's mate to feel offended. I apologize. We will relocate to another place then."

So saying, the silver-haired elder got up and began walking to a gilded white door at the side, followed by a fuming black-haired elder and a drowsy white-haired elder who was just being pulled along by him.

Wei Xiang had on a displeased frown as he reluctantly followed them while Qinghe hid a smirk. The way that silver-haired elder had phrased his words deliberately shifted the blame to imply that it was Qinghe who was being a troublemaker. If it was any other pair of lovers, it might even cause slight dissent between them. But now, Wei Xiang was the one actually offended on behalf of Qinghe. The silver-haired elder had unknowingly dropped a huge rock on his own foot with that move.

The five people soon moved to a large yet cozy room and seated themselves on the wide low-backed couches on either side of a heavy golden table. A bowl of dried nuts and fruits sat at the center, sprinkled with a few edible flower petals and dusted with sugar granules.

As soon as he sat down, the white-haired elder began dozing off again, somehow managing to keep his back upright.

Letting out a breath, the silver-haired elder began, "I hope this at least satisfied Sovereign Wei's mate?"

Qinghe smiled noncommittally. "I suppose it is satisfactory."

The black-haired elder hmphed, "A youngster like you throwing your weight around here… Too outrageous!"

Wei Xiang ignored him and directly asked, "Is the reason you called us here just to keep trying to offend me by insulting my mate or do you have anything of value to say?"

The silver-haired elder hesitated, but the black-haired elder immediately puffed up angrily. "Sovereign Wei, do not disrespect us just for the sake of your human mate! Disrespecting us means disrespecting the entire True Dragon clan! Are you prepared to face us as an enemy just for this human deity?!"

Wei Xiang smiled sharply, his gaze cutting. "I would be unworthy of my beloved's affections if I do not even defend him against others. And you threaten me by pulling up the name of the True Dragon clan, but tell me, are you prepared to face against the Feng household in return that holds not one, but two of the future Heavenly Emperors?"

Since the Feng family had already taken him in as one of their own, Wei Xiang felt comfortable enough to use their name as if they were his own family. This feeling of having a family he trusted to back him up was truly too wonderful.

Hearing his words, the elders' faces abruptly changed. Not only was the presence of two future Heavenly Emperors in that household terrifying on its own, but the fact that the Deity of Judgment and the Heavenly General themselves were a part of that household was enough to deter anyone. Only someone who had a death wish would challenge that family.

The silver-haired elder coughed and tried to advise in a kindly voice, "Sovereign Wei, the Feng household is truly very powerful, of that we have no doubt. But since you are after all only their son-in-law and not related to them by blood, I'm afraid they might not rush to your aid as you expect. You only started staying with them around a year ago, so what familial bonds do you think you might have established with them during that time? What obligation do you think they would feel towards you?"

But Wei Xiang's smile only grew more amused. Thinking back to the scene just before he came here where he was cheerfully laughing and playing with his little lover and mother-in-law, and recalling all the times his master had taken him to the Offices of Judgment to earnestly guide him and get him familiar with that place so that he could one day make him his successor, Wei Xiang had no doubt that he was a very much welcomed part of the Feng household and treated just as they would a son.

But rather than directly saying it out loud, Wei Xiang decided to let these old geezers guide the conversation so that they would show their hand sooner. "So what if we're not blood related? What is the point you're trying to get at?"

The silver-haired elder solemnly replied, "Rather than clinging to a family that might not feel like your own, Sovereign Wei, why don't you try to make your own family?"

Qinghe's smile widened as he understood what they were getting at, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Raising an eyebrow, Wei Xiang prodded, "Just spit out what you want to say."

The black-haired elder blurted out, "Just put your human mate aside and have a female dragon lay your eggs!"

The silver-haired elder hastily followed up with, "And don't worry, we will all help take care of the eggs and the hatchlings as well. You can still keep your mate, but in this way, you can also have a family of your own related to you by blood."

Rather than bursting out with anger, Qinghe instead leaned into Wei Xiang's side, one hand wrapping around his lover's waist from the back while the other rested on Wei Xing's clenched fist, slowly stroking it in a soothing gesture.

Wei Xiang let out a breath and suppressed the rage boiling within him. In a deceptively normal tone, he asked, "And why would I do that?"

Though the silver-haired elder noticed that something was wrong, the black-haired elder simply charged ahead by declaring, "To rejuvenate the wyvern bloodline, of course! The power of a wyvern has the potential to surpass even that of dragons, and mixing it with the divine bloodline of the dragons again can only ensure that it gets stronger! Or even if dragons don't interest you, as long as the female who lays your eggs is at least a serpent, the wyvern's strength will be carried on undiminished!"

Qinghe froze and a vicious light sharpened his gaze. The more he heard them speak about his beloved like this, the more angry he got, to the point where he could only laugh with fury. How dare these people talk about his Xiang as if he were some breeding horse and his children some sort of objects!

But on the other hand, hearing this black-haired elder's words, it suddenly became very clear what their objective was.

From what they'd heard till now before from various sources, it seemed that the dragons had been so focused on keeping their bloodline 'clean' all this while, even advocating interbreeding over cross-species relationships, that their power had slowly started to weaken with each successive generation. And so, they now wanted to make use of Wei Xiang's fresh and powerful wyvern blood to produce eggs that would hatch strong children whom the elders would then try to make use of to rejuvenate the bloodline of the dragons.

After all, Wei Xiang was already an experienced adult set in his ways, but his children would be vulnerable and easy to manipulate, especially if they were left here in the care of the True Dragon clan from even before they were born. And since Wei Xiang was the genuine, full-blooded son of one of the most powerful dragon Sovereigns, even the most narrow-minded courtier wouldn't be able to contest the mixing of his bloodline with the dragons' to produce offspring the way they would have if it involved the mixing of any other bloodline with theirs.

Also understanding this, Wei Xiang's eyes had turned into molten gold, sparks of fury easily visible in them.

Sensing that things were not going smoothly, the silver-haired elder said placatingly, "We know that you might be reluctant to leave your mate for a while and even feel that you are betraying him, but understand that we also only have your best interests at heart. A blood-related family that you make for yourself will definitely prove more reliable and useful in the future. But if you need more incentive…then I am willing to give you your inheritance from your mother as well."

Qinghe and Wei Xiang narrowed their eyes. In a quiet voice that gave nothing away, Qinghe asked, "Since it is something that belonged to his mother, it should naturally be his. What right do you have to meddle in between and try to blackmail him using his own rightful inheritance?"

The black-haired elder chuckled sinisterly, "We are the law of the True Dragon clan, and with so much time having passed in between Sovereign Song Xia's passing and the return of her next of kin, her possessions have naturally been taken in by the clan elders for safekeeping. Of course the former Sovereign's son has the right to it, but how easily he'll get it still depends on our good graces! Think wisely before you decide, for if you make the wrong choice, Wyvern Sovereign Wei might never see his inheritance in this life!"

The silver-haired elder sighed at the completely undiplomatic way his companion had put this, but he didn't refute it either.

An oppressive silence claimed the room in the wake of the black-haired elder's words.

After all he'd heard and read about her till now, Wei Xiang definitely respected his mother, and inheriting the things she left behind would certainly let him understand her better and make him feel closer to her. In that regard, he couldn't deny his desire to obtain this inheritance of his.

But he definitely did not think it was worth agreeing to these elders' conditions. He would rather very literally kill himself than betray his beloved for any reason within his control.

The room was still, with Qinghe looking like he was considering something with a sly smile while the elders looked at Wei Xiang, anticipating his answer.

A cold, humorless laugh cut through this quietness. In an amused voice, Wei Xiang spoke, "Is that all you have to offer me? How boring. And here I thought you old geezers would have something more to offer. But no matter what you gave me in exchange, I would still not agree to your idiotic conditions, so I suppose there was no point to this from the start. If that's all you wanted to say, then we'll take our leave now."

With that, Wei Xiang made to stand up, but Qinghe abruptly called out, "Xiang, wait. I… If the elders agree to my terms, then I am willing to negotiate regarding this."

Wei Xiang looked at his little lover with shock, only to see a calculative glint flashing in them as he looked at the elders with a small, almost too innocent smile.

Witnessing this, the burning anger in his chest that had started smoldering the second these elders opened their mouths to spew those infuriating words suddenly seemed to vanish as something wicked and cunning took root.

Wei Xiang sat back down with a happy smirk. He didn't know what his Qinghe was planning or why he said that he would consider these elders' words, but he was definitely looking forward to seeing how his little imp would twist this around to his advantage and make the elders vomit blood. It would be much more satisfying than simply storming out of this place.

With a pleasant smile and twinkling eyes, Qinghe turned to the silver-haired elder and asked, "So what you are saying is, as long as the bloodline of the wyverns is rejuvenated, you will immediately give Xiang everything he inherited from his mother?"

Seeing Qinghe's expression and hearing his words, the silver-haired elder narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but still answered, "Yes, it is as you say. But Deity Feng, even if you use some miraculous method to form a womb, you cannot give birth to the kind of children we seek, so please don't consider it."

After hearing this, the black-haired elder's face suddenly showed an expression of realization as if saying 'Aha! So that's what you were aiming for!', as he looked at Qinghe.

In a snide tone, he said, "Yes. Even if you can somehow give birth, that child would inevitably have human blood coursing through it. We will not permit the bloodline of the Wyvern Sovereign to be mixed with any other race! We want pure-blooded wyverns! The best option is for Sovereign Wei to mate with one of the dragon females and have her lay his eggs."

Qinghe and Wei Xiang remained calm in the face of this. In an even tone, Qinghe spoke, "I understand. I will confirm once more: You only want the hatching of more wyverns with the same bloodline as Xiang, is that right?"

The black-haired elder showed a stupefied expression at how Qinghe really seemed willing to agree to their condition while the silver-haired elder furiously tried to think of any loopholes in what the young deity said. Finally, he nodded with a hint of caution.

Wei Xiang was undoubtedly the last wyvern alive, and so, to produce more wyverns, he would undoubtedly have to mate with a dragon or a serpent at least, neither of which was his human mate. And as long as another beast was in the picture, the dragon court's elders could use their authority to coerce, threaten, or make a deal with the female chosen by the Wyvern Sovereign to mate with and get custody of the eggs from her. And as long as the eggs' mother herself agreed to stay in True Dragon territory with the eggs, the elders would naturally be able to use their influence on the young hatchlings when they were born and mould them however they wanted.

Thinking this, the silver-haired elder decided to be careful and said, "Another thing I'd like to add to the list of conditions is that if the eggs' mother agrees, we will get custody of the eggs. Of course, as their father, Wyvern Sovereign Wei is free to visit and spend time with them. But hatchlings will naturally need a lot of care and attention, so it is best if they stay here with us."

Understanding what they were trying to get at, Wei Xiang only looked at them amusedly. He wondered how his little lover was planning to get through all these conditions without giving these elders what they wanted.

Qinghe smiled at the silver-haired elder and easily agreed, "As long as their mother assents, you are free to keep all the eggs. But if you are unable to gain her approval, then the wyvern eggs and the children they hatch will be raised by us. Is that agreed?"

The silver-haired elder squinted his eyes and nodded. "However, I hope Deity Feng does not plan to interfere in this matter."

Qinghe's smile turned wide as humor gleamed in his eyes. Suppressing his laughter, he solemnly promised, "I will not try to influence her by any means or even meet the mother of the eggs as long as she is alive. Does this satisfy the elders?"

Once again, the silver-haired elder nodded. Though things seemed to be moving along too smoothly for his comfort, he still decided to proceed with this and not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Qinghe grinned happily. "Now that that's decided, let's make a vow and seal this. But since I'm not sure if I can recognize it if the esteemed elders concealed any hidden thorns between the words of the contract, I would like to write it myself."

The black-haired elder snorted. A young one like this, of course he wouldn't be able to do anything if elders like themselves tried to outwit him! And so, in a gracious tone, he acquiesced, "Very well. Since you're young and inexperienced, I suppose it wouldn't be right for us to take advantage of you with our intelligence anyway."

The silver-haired elder frowned and added, "But we will need to look it over after you are done outlining it before we agree."

Qinghe easily nodded. "Of course."

Taking the offered spelled paper used for vows, along with an inkstone and a brush, Qinghe spent almost half an hour to write down the terms of the contract.

Seeing what his little lover was writing, Wei Xiang's brows wrinkled with confusion. He'd thought that his little imp would be the one hiding thorns within the words, but the terms were surprisingly straightforward. They were exactly what he and that silver-haired elder had discussed just now, added with things like 'the True Dragon clan shall provide assistance in all manners possible to aid and support the wyvern eggs in maintaining their health and to stimulate their hatching' and 'any attempts by anyone proven to be related to the True Dragon clan of stealing the eggs or kidnapping the wyverns hatched from these eggs shall make them liable to legal action, along with recompense payable to the Feng household in the form of a public apology and the transfer of the following assets into the Feng household's name…' and other such things.

Wei Xiang shook his head. His little lover's thoughts escaped him even now, but he unquestionably trusted that Qinghe would not let him down.

Once Qinghe was done, he gave it to the silver-haired elder to check. The elder went over the contract several times and couldn't find any fault with it at all. It said exactly what they'd discussed, and the added terms only followed the spirit of the rest of the contract and were nothing that would bother the clan anyway.

And so, the three elders—after waking up the white-haired elder as well—added their blood to the spell on the paper to swear their vow. Qinghe and Wei Xiang did the same, and the contract was thus sealed.

After that, Qinghe and Wei Xiang left the elders' hall and walked back to the nearest transportation array while led by the messenger who had been waiting outside. Upon Qinghe's instruction, rather than taking them back to the Feng residence, the array transported them both to the mortal world, just outside the Spirit Bewildering Forest.

In a leisurely pace, Qinghe and Wei Xiang walked into the forest.

Unable to bear his curiosity anymore, Wei Xiang asked, "Love, I know that you don't really want me to mate with someone else, so what are you really planning?"

Qinghe chuckled cheerily and spoke, his tone playful, "And here I was wondering how long it would take before you'd ask me." Then in an even voice, he continued, "Xiang, did you see? Throughout the discussion or in the contract, I never once said that the eggs would be your children, only that they would have wyvern bloodline. After all, the elders might not know, but we already have access to wyvern eggs."

Wei Xiang frowned confusedly before his forehead smoothened with realization. That option hadn't even occurred to him! As expected of his little lover to remember it after he just mentioned it once so long ago.

Looking around, Wei Xiang asked, "Is that why we've come to the Spirit Bewildering Forest?"

Qinghe nodded.

After all, deep inside this forest laid the dimension where the wyverns had once made their home.

A few years ago, after Qinghe and Wei Xiang had just gotten together, they had come this way along with Jing Shui, Lei Zihua, her junior brother Xiao Ran, and An YaLing to take care of a serpent beast. After the incident with the Nightmare Parasite that ended up being far more dangerous than it had to be because of the tree guardian's interference, only Qinghe had been able to pass with Wei Xiang. After tracking the traces of the serpent beast, they found the cave it was hiding in. In the end, it turned out to be a female wyvern, and Qinghe and Wei Xiang had killed her when she attempted to unsuccessfully seduce Wei Xiang before charging at them with killing intent.

After that, Wei Xiang had rested his head on his little lover's lap and told him about his past and how he was born. The clan leader of that time had chosen the strongest unhatched egg of the late dragon queen to imbue into it the power he had extracted from many powerful beasts. The egg had absorbed that power and hatched, birthing Wei Xiang.

And in the same temple where his egg had been before hatching, there were several other unhatched eggs as well.

All Qinghe had to do was retrieve those eggs, then use the True Dragon Clan's resources per the contract along with his own and try to hatch those eggs. They would be of wyvern lineage just as he'd promised, and since the dragon court's elders wouldn't be able to obtain the permission of those eggs' mother, since the dragon queen who laid them was after all long gone, they would also be unable to snatch the eggs from Qinghe and Wei Xiang as stipulated by the contract they had so willingly signed.

Thinking this, Wei Xiang felt endless glee. Not only did he and his beloved not lose anything this way, but they would also get the inheritance and gain the True Dragon clan's help in hatching those eggs that would otherwise remain unhatched. He wondered just what expressions those old geezers would show when they heard of how they'd been outwitted so thoroughly.

As Wei Xiang expected, when they come to know about this in the future, the black-haired elder would cough out blood and faint due to sheer anger while the silver-haired elder would be pushed to the verge of a qi deviation because of the frustration at being outsmarted by a youngster he'd looked down upon.

But this was something that would happen later.

Currently, as Qinghe and Wei Xiang walked towards the dimension, Wei Xiang suddenly asked, "Love, I have to ask, what are you planning to do with those eggs after they hatch?"

Qinghe stayed quiet for a while, then asked hesitantly, "Xiang, if I said that I wanted to adopt those eggs and raise the wyvern hatchlings as our children…would you agree?"

Wei Xiang almost stumbled. "Q-Qinghe? You… Love, are you really sure?!"

Qinghe smiled nervously. "Yes, I-I'm sure. But Xiang, this is both of our decision. Are you… Is that alright?"

Wei Xiang quickly nodded his head. "Yes, I would like that very much."

They both looked at each other and saw the same excitement, joy, and apprehension in their beloved's face.

Swallowing, Wei Xiang asked, "They would technically be my brothers and sisters. Would it really pose no problems?"

Qinghe moved closer to his lover, hugging him and pressing against the side of Wei Xiang's body. "As long as we raise them as our children, they'll be fine. After all, we are both already old enough to be fathers. And isn't this similar to how the person I thought I would one day call father-in-law actually turned out to be my father?"

Wei Xiang laughed, his hand winding around Qinghe's shoulder as he pulled him close to peck him on top of his head. "That is true. I suppose we'll have to prepare a lot of things then."

Sighing happily, Qinghe nodded. "We'll have to set aside a large room to store all those eggs and turn it into a hatching chamber. Maybe we should block off the windows and ward the entire room in several layers of spells so that no one can even think of attempting to steal them. The True Dragon clan might be deterred by the contract, but there will be plenty of others who will also try to snatch the eggs. Wait, will those warding spells affect the eggs due to close proximity?"

Chuffing out an amused laugh, Wei Xiang shook his head. "Except for necessary things like heat or the unstructured spiritual energy found in nature, the shells of the eggs will block out almost all other outside stimuli like scent, noise, and light, and it will also prevent things like spells and talismans from working on the unhatched ones inside, so don't worry."

Qinghe thoughtfully nodded. After a pause, a wide smile suddenly bloomed on his face as he erupted, "Xiang, we're really going to be fathers!"

Wei Xiang smiled until his eyes crinkled at the corners. "Yes, we are."

And he couldn't be happier about it.

And so, despite the eerie environment and frigid gloom of the Spirit Bewildering Forest, the couple seemed to be shrouded in an atmosphere of warmth and love, smiling blissfully and holding each other as they traversed the twisted dirt path as if they were on a romantic outing.

...

Qinghe and Wei Xiang soon reached the clearing edged with glowing corals where the tree guardian had been.

The metallic silver formation on the ground was buried under fine wooden splinters seemingly from the thoroughly destroyed tree guardian and mixed with years of debris.

Since this pocket dimension had been created by the dragon queen eons ago, without the tree guardian, only she would be able to enter it. The last time they came here, Wei Xiang had still been at the peak of tenth realm, so he had been unable to overwrite his mother's imprint to gain ownership of the pocket dimension.

But now that he had ascended, along with having the blood of the dimension's creator, on top of his mother's imprint also weakening due to so many millennia having passed after her death, Wei Xiang would be able to assume ownership of the dimension relatively easily.

Glistening red liquid welled and dripped from the gash on Wei Xiang's arm, thick droplets of blood splashing onto the silver transportation array. The newly opened injury knitted closed quickly, leaving behind smooth skin and a scant smear of blood.

Power gathered around them and swelled before twisting into a new shape and getting sucked into the array.

The array glowed bright silver.

Qinghe felt the air turning crisp, the potent power saturating it causing a slight sting when it touched bare skin. Suddenly, he felt the recoil of something forcefully snapping, sending a ripple through the air.

Wei Xiang's lips pressed together at the uncomfortable sensation of the broken spell of ownership latching onto him, attaching itself to him and branding his spiritual self.

Qinghe concernedly rubbed Wei Xiang's back. "Xiang, how does it feel? Does it hurt anywhere?"

Wei Xiang's tense expression relaxed and he smiled at his frowning little lover. "I'm fine. It was slightly uncomfortable, that's all, so there's no need for you to worry."

Qinghe tilted his head. "Then…is it done?"

Wei Xiang nodded. "Yes, it's done."

Now that Wei Xiang had gained ownership of the dimension, he could come and go how he wanted and bring whoever he wanted with him without the need for additional tests or trials.

And so, holding Qinghe close, Wei Xiang activated the formation, sending them both into the pocket dimension.

The pocket dimension seemed a bit more lively now than the last time. A few woodland creatures scuttled about in the shrubbery while birdsong rang through the dry forest air and insects chirped in the foliage.

Standing in place where the array transported them, Wei Xiang took some time to recall his memories of the temple before leading Qinghe in a different direction from last time. Dried leaves crunched underfoot as the couple walked. All the while, Wei Xiang seemed to be lost in deep thought, so Qinghe simply hugged him in comfort and followed along.

Hours passed like this as they walked through the forest, flew over a valley, and crested a line of hills, then walked through another, thicker forest littered with marshes, small brooks, and lakes.

As they reached the vicinity of the burnt town where the wyverns had lived, Wei Xiang skirted it without saying anything. Almost everything had been reclaimed by the forest after ten thousand years anyway, so there was nothing much to see except the rotten and burnt corners of a few tall buildings that were draped with the vines of climber plants.

Understanding that the sight might still stir bad memories in his beloved, Qinghe stayed silent as well.

On the other side, a few ways away from the edge of the town, was an ancient looking building made mostly of metal and wood. The arch of its entrance, its doors, and pillars were all painted a faded red. The rest of it was decked in peeling paint in the colors of bright cyan, turquoise, and green. The metal ornaments gilding the corners and edges looked to be made of copper that might have once gleamed brightly, but was now coated with an uneven layer of green.

Enveloping this entire building was a translucent golden barrier that flickered now and then, with holes worn thin in certain places. It must have protected the building from being overgrown with greenery, but it couldn't erase the passage of time itself, though it certainly seemed to have mitigated it to a certain extent.

"Is this the temple?" Qinghe asked.

Wei Xiang nodded and walked forward, with Qinghe soon following behind.

When Wei Xiang pushed open the metal gates that were sitting askew, they fell over with a loud rattle, the rusted segments disintegrating into bits due to the disturbance. Not minding it, Wei Xiang kept walking on, over the wide expanse of now-yellow stone flooring in front of the building and up the pitted set of stairs that led to the temple's aged wooden door studded with a line of tarnished circular copper studs around the edges.

Qinghe and Wei Xiang pushed open the door with a creak and ventured inside. The temple was gloomy and filled with a solid wall of cobwebs hanging like ratted, feathery drapes, completely clogging up the path. Qinghe sent out a controlled sweep of his wind to collect all the dusty cobwebs and rolled it into a tight and sticky grey ball before throwing it outside.

Wei Xiang led Qinghe down the now-cleared corridor and to a warded, thick stone door at the end. Since Wei Xiang was a wyvern, he was easily able to enter past the wards and brought Qinghe with him.

At the other side of the door, down a short series of stairs, was a huge, semicircular chamber. Ornate frescoes layered the ceiling, long obscured by peeling paint and mold. The room seemed strangely free of cobwebs, dust, debris, and insects. All along the edge of the room, where the floor touched the walls, a line of golden fire burned brightly, uninterrupted except for a few gaps in between. As a result, the temperature in this room was significantly higher than outside.

On the smooth stone floor, placed in neat rows and within a small cup-shaped indentation each, were several eggs.

Each egg was around knee-high, all of them in various colors and patterns. Some had straight stripes, some had smoky swirls, some were copper, some were green, and there was even a silver-grey one. In total, there were twelve eggs and a single broken eggshell at the front.

Qinghe walked up to the broken golden eggshell, with several pieces still scattered around it and what looked like hardened strings of amniotic goo connecting the edges of the intact part of the eggshell with the broken off fragments.

Tilting his head, he asked, "Xiang, is this eggshell yours?"

Wei Xiang smiled. "Yes. I have some fragments of it kept in my storage space that I later used for smelting my strings, but I left most of it here."

Hearing this, Qinghe crouched down to study it with more interest, raising a hand to brush his fingertips over it. The shell was thick, hard, and cold, seeming smooth and metallic to the touch. The color of the shell itself was a deep gold undimmed and untarnished by time, with irregular, brighter gold swirls atop it.

Qinghe's gaze turned warm. How would his Xiang have looked when he tumbled out of this egg for the first time? Would he have been lying slumped on the ground, a tiny wyvern that looked cute and disoriented? Would he have looked gangly and covered with goo, his wings flopping beside him as his large eyes blinked confusedly?

Wei Xiang was surveying the chamber when he suddenly heard his little lover trying to suppress giddy giggles at some thought. "Love? What is it?"

Qinghe turned to look at his Xiang, then erupted into laughter as he clutched his stomach, his body shaking with the force of it.

Wei Xiang's eyes twinkled. "Qinghe, since you were so eager to tickle me earlier, maybe I should reciprocate now when you can't fight back."

Laughing harder, Qinghe wobblingly tried to get up and escape, only to be tackled by his lover and mercilessly tickled until he gasped with laughter.

Qinghe felt his insides hurt as he begged with tears of laughter streaming down his face, "N-No…Xi-Xiang! …Stop…please…!"

After a minute, Wei Xiang finally stopped his assault, a wide grin on his face as Qinghe laid on the floor, curled up and still wheezing breathlessly.

A few minutes later, Qinghe could finally breathe. He laid panting on the warm stone floor, shifting himself to lie down more comfortably as he let his gaze wander over all the eggs in the chamber. He tried to imagine how each of these wyverns would turn out when they hatched, but all he could come up with was his lover's wyvern form with different colored scales.

Stifling a chuckle, Qinghe smiled happily. The thought of raising kids with his Xiang was strangely fulfilling.

Wei Xiang suddenly spoke, his voice uncharacteristically uncertain, "Qinghe…what if history repeats itself once again and these hatchlings turn out like the clan of heavenly wyverns before?"

Qinghe rolled on the floor and laid on his back, looking up at the worried face of his beloved standing beside him. "Xiang, that won't happen. Unlike what happened with the first batch of wyverns, with your mother having to abandon them and your father having to raise a few generations in this isolated place, we'll stay with them together till the end and let them grow out in the open. That in itself is enough to start them on a different path.

"The reason the heavenly wyverns devolved into what they were was because they put too much emphasis on power and status. We'll just teach our children that those kinds of things are not that important. With us as their parents, along with their grandparents and uncles, the whole Feng household will guide them. We will give them a proper environment to grow healthily, with proper values and morals. When they have their own children and grandchildren down the line, they will pass it on. And if they permit it, we will also be involved in raising their offspring. In the end, though we cannot predict how the generations far in the future will be, I know that if we raise the first generation well, it will certainly make a big difference.

"Another thing that influenced the heavenly wyverns was the attitude of the people during that time. Since everyone was greedy for power and lacking in morals, the wyverns naturally grew to be so as well. But Heaven is different. It is tolerant and kind and promotes equality, unlike our world at that time. Keeping all this in mind, I don't think our children will turn out into vicious murdering monsters."

Wei Xiang's frown had gradually smoothened, the corners of his mouth slowly rising. "Well, since my little lover is able to use this much logic to weigh against my fears, I suppose I have no choice but to believe that our children will turn out fine."

Qinghe grinned and nodded. "Of course you should believe me! Our children will turn out to be naughty little brats, but we'll love them and make sure they know that. We'll teach them right from wrong and everything we know about the world. We'll be one big, happy family!"

As he spoke while lying on his back, Qinghe spread out his arms and legs, soaking up the warmth of the stone floor as he looked up happily at his lover.

Wei Xiang's smile grew wider, his heart feeling like it would melt. "Love, you look so comfortable there… Maybe I should join you."

Qinghe looked at him confusedly, then gestured to the space beside him uncertainly, "Do you want to cuddle here?"

Wei Xiang let out a low laugh, his gaze growing deep and half-lidded. "How about I lie on top of you instead? Or you can ride me too, I don't mind."

Understanding what he was getting at, Qinghe blushed. "X-Xiang! There are eggs here! What if they—"

Chuckling, Wei Xiang slowly bent to settle himself over his beloved's spread out body. "Didn't I tell you already? They won't be able to hear or see us."

Qinghe's blush deepened as he felt his Xiang's warmth covering him, his lover's smirking face hovering over him. His breathing deepened, lust starting to heat his blood languorously.

But the thought of the eggs' presence certainly put a damper on things.

Qinghe raised his hands and hesitantly pushed at his beloved's shoulders. "N-No…I… If we do it here, I won't be able to look the children in their eyes when they hatch, because…"

As he trailed away, Wei Xiang continued with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "…Because every time you look at them, you'd remember how you screamed my name while writhing under me, begging me to go faster and give you more, touching me in unmentionable places and being filled with my release, all the while lying right beside their egg…is that it?"

Qinghe covered his burning face and yelled, "Xiang!"

Wei Xiang leaned back and laughed. Standing and straightening himself, he helped his mortified little lover get up as well.

"Hmph, you're growing meaner!" Qinghe remarked as he looked away from his beloved, his face still red. But since his lover hadn't continued to try and seduce him into sleeping here, which might have very well worked if Wei Xiang had pushed just a bit more, Qinghe decided to graciously forgive him.

Wei Xiang hugged Qinghe, pressing a kiss to his forehead while smiling. "Yes, yes I am a mean bastard. But you're stuck with me now."

Qinghe chuckled softly. If he was stuck to this man, then it was something he would gladly celebrate.

After a few more minutes of indulging in each other, the pair of lovers parted, turning to look at the eggs.

"Since they're alive, we can't put them in our spatial storage to transport them… Do we have another option?" Qinghe turned to Wei Xiang.

After a moment of searching, Wei Xiang took out a large cart from his storage space. "I think this has more than enough space for all the eggs."

Qinghe carefully looked over the spacious cart and nodded in agreement. With a worried frown, he asked, "Do we need padding to make sure the eggs don't knock against each other or the cart's edges and crack?"

Wei Xiang chuckled. "Look at you already worrying like a parent."

Qinghe stuck out his tongue at him.

Shaking his head amusedly, Wei Xiang spoke, "The shells of those eggs are sturdy enough. They won't break due to something as light as a few knocks. Don't worry."

Hearing this, Qinghe let out a breath in relief and nodded.

The couple thus busied themselves with carefully transferring the eggs into the cart. Qinghe asked Wei Xiang to put the rest of his eggshell into his storage space as well, reluctant to let something that once contained his beloved sit all alone here.

Once all that was done, Wei Xiang used one of his strings to pull the cart along and headed towards the door of the empty chamber. When they reached the steps of the chamber, Qinghe made his wind lift up the cart so that they could get it through the door.

As they rolled the cart through the corridor, Qinghe looked at the doors lining each side. "Xiang, do you need to take anything else from this place?"

Wei Xiang halted and looked at his little lover, then hesitantly nodded. "If we could, I'd like to take the books in the library. They were something my mother seemed to have left here in the dimension for her children when she had to return to the dragons."

Qinghe smiled. "Then why don't go and take what you want? Don't hesitate to put the whole bookshelf in your storage space if you want. I'll wait here with the eggs."

Wei Xiang gave him a small smile and nodded before turning to open one of the doors. Dust ballooned out, but Wei Xiang didn't seem to care as he stepped in.

Fifteen minutes later, Wei Xiang stepped out, the tips of his fingers noticeably dusty as he'd touched the bookshelves inside the room to transport them into his spatial storage. "I'm done. I took everything I needed. We can go now."

And so they set out again, going out the temple and tracing their way back to the place where they'd entered the dimension. Finding the transportation array of this side and injecting it with spiritual energy, the couple finally left the wyverns' pocket dimension with their cartful of large eggs.

...

The room that was designated as the eggs' chamber was a large one with small windows at the top. It had been used to store furniture and random knickknacks that Feng Chunyi collected on a whim and ended up dumping here.

Now, the small windows were easily sealed, the contents of the room cleared away, and several campfire talismans were stuck to the lower part of the walls in neat lines. Glowing golden flame constantly danced, burning soundlessly while giving off light and heat, but also not catching on anything it came in contact with.

Rows of small, evenly spaced pits were carved into the floor to place the eggs in, and all twelve eggs now rested there, with soft cloths lined near the bases as if cradling each egg. The love and care allotted to each and every egg was obvious. On the walls, various sigils and formations were drawn, the layered protections making sure that no one except the people of the Feng household could enter.

Of course, this also included the Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan who were now currently being shown the egg chamber by Qinghe and Wei Xiang.

Xie Xingye looked at all the eggs that looked so well-behaved while unhatched and turned to Qinghe doubtfully. "Can you handle these many brats?"

Qinghe chuckled. "It's not like they'll all hatch at once. By the estimate of the specialist the True Dragon clan searched up for us, it wouldn't be strange if there was a several-thousand-year delay between two hatchings. She recommended that we focus on hatching one egg at a time, so by the time the next egg begins to hatch, the previous hatchling would have already become an adult. This will also allow us to take care of and nurture one child at a time."

Xie Xingye looked at the eggs with gleaming eyes. "Say, how about you give me a few too. I'm sure Lord Zheng and I will make excellent fathers."

Qinghe sneered. "Of Lord Zheng, I have no doubt. But as for Uncle Xie…"

"You brat! Are you telling me I won't be a good father?!" Xie Xingye growled at Qinghe, then turned to an amused Zheng Xuan. "Lord Zheng, I would make an amazing father, wouldn't I?"

Zheng Xuan smiled and patted his beloved's back. "Yes…after you gain…some maturity."

Xie Xingye's jaw dropped open as Qinghe burst out laughing. "As expected of Uncle Zheng, he's far more sensible."

Xie Xingye shot a glare at his nephew before pouting pitifully at his lover. The expression on Zheng Xuan's scarred face melted into a smile as he bent down to give his lover a kiss on his lips. "Xingye…be good now."

Feeling wronged, Xie Xingye sulked. Ever since his sister's brat and his lover had begun spending more time together, they'd gotten very close. Zheng Xuan doted a lot on that sly brat, and that brat also behaved like some well-behaved kid in front of his beloved Lord Zheng. Hmph, but Xie Xingye definitely knew his true colors!

Qinghe let out a chuckle and offered a compromise. "Uncle Xie, how about this? After they hatch, we can see which of the children have the most affinity with you and Uncle Zheng, and you can take them to raise as your own if they agree."

Xie Xingye's expression turned cheery again. "Well, since you insist, let's do it that way."

Zheng Xuan gave a gravelly chuckle while Qinghe smothered an eye-roll. His uncle was so childish some times that he couldn't help but want to tease him.

Just then, Wei Xiang walked to them from where he had been studying an egg at the other end of the room and asked, "Old man, do you know about caring for wyvern eggs and about their hatching? Wyverns are after all neither dragons nor serpents, so that expert on eggs that the True Dragon clan sent was not very sure about certain points. But since you were with my mother, you must have seen how she incubated the eggs and took care of them."

Zheng Xuan nodded. "Yes…I did. The queen…and some of us…her guards…studied about both dragon…and metal serpent eggs…to prepare for…the future."

Wei Xiang looked relieved. "Then do you remember that knowledge? Do you think you can help?"

Zheng Xuan once again nodded, his expression confident.

Qinghe smiled up at him brightly and asked, "Then Uncle Zheng, will you come and visit and help us take care of them now and then? Oh, and Uncle Xie can tag along too, I guess."

Smiling, Zheng Xuan easily agreed, "…Alright." But Xie Xingye was once again glaring at that brat. Did he really have to sound so reluctant when inviting him?!

With a huff, Xie Xingye went off to examine the eggs. As he surveyed all the colors and patterns, he suddenly stopped before a certain one. It was a greyish-blue egg, with wavy silver lines wrapping around it like wisps of clouds dragged in circles over in the sky.

Xie Xingye looked up and grinned at Qinghe, "This one reminds me of my dear nephew. Maybe this brat will take after you after hatching."

Qinghe scoffed. "You're speaking as if I gave birth to it."

Xie Xingye's eyes were wide while projecting innocence even as he smirked. "Why, I would never imply that! My dear nephew's ass looks so trim, not at all like someone who could have given birth!"

Qinghe's mouth twitched. Why did it feel like he was implying the exact opposite?! For the first time, he understood the concept of being annoyed enough by someone to want to give them a beating.

At the side, Wei Xiang shook his head with a smile at their bickering. Turning to Zheng Xuan, he asked, "I've heard that it is possible to guess a few things about unborn hatchlings from their shells. Old man, do you know how?"

Zheng Xuan smiled as old memories slowly resurfaced. "Yes…I can. After comparing both…dragon and serpent eggs…we, the queen and…her guards…came to several conclusions. The more silver…the color was…with stretched out…or diffused patterns…the more likely it is to be…similar to the…serpents. And the more golden…with dense and…round patterns …the more similarities…it would have…with dragons."

Then with a warm glimmer in his eye, he looked at Wei Xiang and recalled, "Your egg had been…a frequent point of…discussion. Your egg was…completely golden…but also had…irregular and…very diffused swirls. We all argued about…how that…'golden egg hatchling'…would turn out."

Wei Xiang felt a strange sense of both embarrassment and warmth, coughing and turning his face away to hide his reaction.

Qinghe chuckled and redirected everyone's attention to give his uncomfortable lover some space. "Then how about we try to guess how much percentage of which side each of the eggs' hatchlings will take after?"

The other three people agreed, and Qinghe, Wei Xiang, and Xie Xingye soon had fun calling out their guesses and cheerfully arguing about it. Zheng Xuan chose to stay back near the door and watched them play around with a small smile.

Soon, Feng Huixin and Feng Chunyi also joined them. After hearing about the guessing game, Feng Chunyi also went off to play. Feng Huixin stood beside Zheng Xuan, the both of them looking at the raucous group of four with contentment.

And so, the entire family spent another happy day while arguing and laughing together, surrounding the new, unborn members of their family.