When the two children were a little older, Ah Jing no longer wanted to play with his sister because she was clumsy. She was always caught when she secretly went to the Blood Domain to play.
Ge'er, in a fit of pique, also refused to play with him and busied herself with medicinal herbs in the Medical Pavilion. Ye Luan, fearing she might harm herself, confiscated them all.
However, this child, for some unknown reason, managed to concoct many poisons. She often fed them to Xue Qiu, or to the palace maids and guards. Xue Ren also suffered her poisons frequently, having been tricked into eating them.
Yet, this little one was very clever. As soon as Ye Luan discovered her, she would lift an innocent little face, her alluringly beautiful red eyes misting over, and cling to Ye Luan's leg with soft, sweet coaxing.
Ye Luan would scold her and punish her, but afterwards, she would still mischievously bully others.
In Bei Gong, she was truly a little demoness.
Later, she even bullied Li Dabao, feeding him medicine until he vomited for several days. Enraged, Xiao Chi Zhan confined her to the Heavenly Pagoda to stand as punishment.
But this child was fierce and restless, poisoning guards and then sneaking out herself. She even lured Li Dabao to play everywhere.
Although Ah Jing remained composed, he too was a little devil. After finding the mechanism to the Blood Domain, he often snuck off to play.
Ye Luan didn't want him to be exposed to that so early, but Xiao Chi Zhan was unconcerned. He even threw him into the divine temple of the Blood Domain, letting him do as he pleased, as if the child wasn't his own, showing no tenderness. This angered Ye Luan, and she argued with him.
However, the more Ye Luan protected the two children, the harsher he became, under the guise of "training."
The two children were delighted. As they grew older, they were practically wild, disturbing the peace of the underground Blood Domain. Ge'er was particularly mischievous, often using poisons to trick the death warriors and secret guards within the Blood Domain.
Yet, she was also very clever, leaving no trace.
Moreover, they were not afraid of Ye Luan. When they caused trouble, Ge'er would cling to her leg, knowing Ye Luan's soft heart.
But in front of Xiao Chi Zhan, they would act pitiful, their beautiful red eyes filled with tears, eliciting sympathy.
However, Xiao Chi Zhan would not indulge them. They were beaten when they made mistakes, and were often spanked.
A few days ago, Li Qiong Yu had tracked down Xuan Qing and discovered a child who looked almost identical to Liu Rong Ruo. She hurriedly sent a message via carrier pigeon to Liu Rong Ruo, who was still on the snow mountain.
But they couldn't find the person at all.
After handling state affairs, Xiao Chi Zhan planned to take Ye Luan to the Western Regions to find that unruly child.
The two children were still young, and he initially didn't want to bring them, planning to send them to the General's Mansion.
But Ge'er was very mischievous and insisted on going. Every night, she would deliberately come to bully the two of them. Seeing her father's stern expression, she would quickly run away on her little legs, but she dared to come again the next day.
Ah Jing also longed to go out and see the world with them.
Ye Luan was uneasy about leaving the two children at home, so she wanted to bring them, which made Xiao Chi Zhan's head ache.
"Father, we won't disturb you and Mother when you're being affectionate."
Ge'er blinked her dewy red eyes at her father's stern face, pushing her elder brother beside her.
Ah Jing immediately chimed in, "Yes, we'll just follow Mother and carry things for her."
Ye Luan: "----"
She secretly glared at Xiao Chi Zhan, blaming him for not setting a good example. Listen to what these two children were saying.
Xiao Chi Zhan said, "Two little followers."
The two children glanced at their father's expression and dared not retort, twisting their chubby little hands.
They were most afraid of their father.
Later, at Ye Luan's insistence, they brought both children along.
It was their first time traveling far. They excitedly rolled around in the carriage, occasionally poking their heads out to look at the world outside. But when they saw Xiao Chi Zhan's expression, they were frightened and dared not move.
Xiao Chi Zhan hugged Ye Luan's waist, intending to kiss her. He glanced at the two children and was annoyed, wanting to cover their heads.
But the journey was still lively. They traveled by carriage to a small border town in the Western Regions. It was the cusp of spring and summer, and the frontier was hot, but the small town was prosperous and bustling.
Xiao Chi Zhan took Ye Luan to Li Qiong Yu's secret chamber, leaving the two children to be looked after by Xue Ren.
The two children found everything novel, and when they heard the vendors calling out at the roadside stalls, they clamored to eat.
Xue Ren and Xue Ying were frightened by these two little troublemakers. To prevent a snake from suddenly appearing from under the covers in the middle of the night, they basically granted the children's every request.
Without Xiao Chi Zhan, the two children were like wild horses that had broken free from their reins, bounding everywhere.
"Xue Ren, look, that person looks so much like Uncle Liu."
Suddenly, Ge'er saw something and darted out.
Xue Ren and Xue Ying turned around, and seeing that the little ancestor was gone, they quickly picked up Ah Jing and chased after her.
"Hey, what's your name?"
Ge'er looked at Chi Jin standing at the entrance of the shop and squatted down, looking at him curiously.
"You look so much like Uncle Liu."
Chi Jin's little face was cold, unfazed by the child in front of him.
Ge'er was displeased, "I'm talking to you."
Chi Jin ignored her and turned to leave.
Ge'er was annoyed. She stamped her foot and pounced, catching Chi Jin off guard and pinning him beneath her.
He pushed her away with a cold face.
"Get up."
Ge'er grunted, took out some medicine from her embrace, and forcefully fed it to him.
Chi Jin's face turned red from her actions. Just as he was about to hit her, he tilted his head and fainted.
When Xue Ren and the other arrived with Ah Jing, they saw this little ancestor dragging a child's leg and waving at them with a smile.
Xue Ren: "----"
Not long after Ye Luan and Xiao Chi Zhan arrived at the secret chamber, they saw Liu Rong Ruo.
"Where have you been? Li Qiong Yu thought you were lost and has been looking for you for months."
As Xiao Chi Zhan entered, he immediately began to berate him.
Ye Luan looked at the dejected figure and her gaze paused on the bracelet on his wrist. She sighed softly.
"She's not dead."
Suddenly, the person ahead spoke with a hoarse voice.
Ye Luan was slightly startled and exchanged a look with Xiao Chi Zhan.
Liu Rong Ruo chuckled softly. In the silent, dim hall, his laughter sounded somewhat terrifying.
"The corpse on the snow mountain was fake, it wasn't her."
Xiao Chi Zhan suddenly recalled the message Li Qiong Yu had sent him.
"It was that person named Xia Yun who switched the medicine and saved her."
The figure in front stopped speaking, his aura chilling.
Xiao Chi Zhan spoke, "I'll have the Blood Corpse people investigate. If she's alive, they'll surely find her. There's also something else, Li Qiong Yu discovered that Chi You had a --"
Before he could finish, Ge'er's voice suddenly rang out from outside.
"Mother! Mother--"
The two turned around and saw the two children, panting, carrying a small, unconscious child towards them.
"Whose child did you kidnap?"
Ge'er blushed, "He looks exactly like Uncle Liu, so I knocked him out and brought him back."
Liu Rong Ruo's body stiffened, and he turned his head.
Ye Luan quickly went forward and took the child, looking at the face before her with slight surprise.
Liu Rong Ruo stared blankly, his expression somewhat flustered.
Ge'er quickly fed him medicine to wake Chi Jin.
As soon as Chi Jin woke up and came to his senses, he looked up and saw someone who looked almost identical to him.
His mouth opened in astonishment.
The father and son stared at each other, speechless with shock.
The wind whistled by, and the surroundings were silent.
Chi Qi blinked his dark eyes.
He had no father or mother since childhood, following his uncle everywhere.
His uncle never mentioned his parents. Sometimes, when he asked insistently, he would say they were all dead.
But later, his mother came.
When she was sent by Uncle Xia Yun, she was unconscious. After waking up, she always stared at his face in a daze.
Later, after his mother's health improved, his uncle and Uncle Xia Yun were driven away by his mother and returned to Nanjiang.
He had been living here with his mother.
He envied others who had fathers and always asked his mother, but his mother said his father was dead.
So, his father wasn't dead.
He had a father.
Chi Qi looked at the excited person in front of him, reached out to hold his finger, and asked eagerly.
"Are you my father?"
Liu Rong Ruo's eyes were fixed on the little person before him.
The title "father" felt foreign yet his heart trembled uncontrollably.
Ge'er looked at the two of them staring at each other, squeezed between them, and waved her hand.
Ge'er's actions jolted Liu Rong Ruo back to reality. He picked up Chi Jin from the ground.
She had secretly given birth to a child and brought his son to this desolate place.
He was desperate to see her.
"Where is your mother?"
As the words fell, a figure suddenly appeared at the doorway.
Everyone looked in surprise and saw Chi You, who had been led to them by the secret guards of the dark chamber.
Chi You hadn't expected that she had only gone out to buy something, and her son had been kidnapped.
Chasing after him, she found it was them.
She tried to calm the emotions in her heart and looked coldly at the man not far away, "Give me the child."
The wind howled past, and the world was vast and desolate.
Liu Rong Ruo held Chi Jin, his eyes fixed on her. His dark pupils contained only Chi You's reflection.
In the silent courtyard, the Prime Minister of Daliang, who had been celibate for half his life, suddenly had tears welling up in his eyes.
Ye Luan watched the scene and tugged at Xiao Chi Zhan, who was watching, "Let's go."
Xiao Chi Zhan picked up a child in each arm and left the secret chamber.
"Mother, who is that?"
On the way, the two children blinked curiously and asked questions.
Xiao Chi Zhan found them annoying, "If you talk again, I'll sew your mouths shut."
Ge'er immediately covered her mouth with her small hands.
Ye Luan affectionately stroked Ge'er's nose, "It's an old acquaintance."
What is an old acquaintance?
Ge'er wanted to ask, but glancing at her father beside her, she dared not.
The spring breeze caressed their faces, and under the vast frontier sky, the family of four rode camels to play in the desert beyond the pass.
Ye Luan, wearing a crimson dress, sat on the camel's back and looked at the two children being tricked into walking in the desert, her anger flashing at Xiao Chi Zhan, who was riding a camel beside her.
"Ge'er, Mother will hold you. Ah Jing, go sit with your father."
The two children, sweating, turned their heads, their alluring red eyes looking stunning against the frontier landscape.
Xiao Chi Zhan dismounted his camel, lifted the two children onto it, and then sat behind Ye Luan, embracing her soft body.
Ye Luan glared at him, "Let them ride themselves. What if they fall?"
"Mother, we can do it."
The two children, unwilling to be outdone, huffed and puffed as they rode their camels.
Ye Luan laughed and turned to hit Xiao Chi Zhan with her fist.
"Go down and lead them."
Xiao Chi Zhan was unhappy and grumbled, nibbling her ear.
"Hurry up."
Xiao Chi Zhan dallied for a moment, then jumped down and led the two camels inward.
They stopped in a desolate place.
The scorching sun shone on the vast land, and proud eagles circled in the sky, their wings spread. In the boundless desert, beneath a withered tree, there was a crescent-shaped clear spring.
The two children kicked their little legs, playing by the clear spring.
Ye Luan stood on the rolling sand dunes, looking at the surrounding scenery, a smile gracing her lips.
Xiao Chi Zhan embraced her from behind, burying his head in her neck, his voice low and tender.
"Luan Luan."
Ye Luan's heart melted at his call. She turned, wrapped her arms around his neck, her smile bright and radiant.
The white light in the sky illuminated his handsome, devilish profile. She slowly leaned closer to him, whispered into his ear affectionately.
"Chi Zhan gege."
The story's end is that a demon god dwelling in hell is redeemed by a goddess.
The End.
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May A Luan and her Chi Zhan gege live and continue their existence in this grand feast of the mortal world.