Who Stole My Eggs?

Tiandi carried Wu Xiao as they chased the thunder and lightning all the way until they finally arrived at Leize Mountain.

At the top of Leize Mountain, Tiandi couldn’t wait to reach out his hand into the thunderbolt. He looked forward to holding Huo Yao’s strong hand again and touching his firm arms.

“I caught you!” Tiandi exclaimed happily.

Suddenly, Tiandi froze. He felt something, but it didn’t feel right… Why was it so chubby, soft, and small?

Wu Xiao noticed the strange expression on Tiandi’s face and urged him, “What’s wrong, Heavenly Father? What’s in there?”

Tiandi stretched out his hands and pulled out a white, plump, and smooth baby boy!

The baby had a pair of watery golden eyes and swollen cheeks. He neither cried nor fussed but looked at Tiandi with a serious expression.

Tiandi’s heart quietly cracked: ‘What should I do? The lover I longed for has turned into a baby. How can I still talk about love?’

The depression was only temporary. Tiandi looked at the newborn Huo Yao and quickly became happy. It didn’t matter—he would grow up soon.

“Huo Yao!” Tiandi exclaimed as he hugged the baby version of Huo Yao tightly. Such a soft and cute little thing!

Huo Yao struggled and pushed him away with his lotus-like arms. “Who are you?”

The smile on Tiandi’s face disappeared instantly. Why? Did he forget everything after coming to this world?

“Don’t you remember me?” Tiandi asked.

“I don’t know,” Huo Yao replied coldly.

Sure enough, he had forgotten! Tiandi secretly wept. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Once someone entered reincarnation and was born again, they forgot all their past memories.

Wu Xiao, unable to tolerate Huo Yao’s arrogant look, reached out to grab his silly hair. But before he could touch it, there was a crack sound, and a series of thunder and lightning struck Wu Xiao, instantly transforming his big waves into a straight, spiky hairstyle.

Wu Xiao stood there, dumbfounded.

Tiandi tried hard to hold it in, again and again…

“Hahahahaha—!” Tiandi finally burst into laughter. “I’m sorry, Wu Xiao, hahahaha—! You look like this… so cute, hahaha!”

Tiandi laughed so hard that he almost rolled on the ground. Wu Xiao, now furious, wanted to teach Huo Yao a lesson. “Just wait! See if I don’t twist your head off!”

Tiandi, still trying to hold back his laughter, carefully protected Huo Yao. “He’s still young and can’t control his strength yet. Don’t be angry. Don’t be angry. I’ll help you fix your hair.”

Wu Xiao glared at Huo Yao sternly, “Huh” and turned away.

Tiandi looked away from Wu Xiao, no, he would laugh again if he took another look.

The newly born Huo Yao looked around curiously before turning to Tiandi. “Who are you?” he asked.

Tiandi coughed lightly and replied, “I am your father.”

Huo Yao remained silent for a moment before saying, “I was born and raised without parents.”

Tiandi tried another approach. “My name is Heavenly Father. Just call me by my name.”

Huo Yao thought carefully for a while and then said slowly, “Heavenly Father.”

“Hey!” Tiandi answered loudly, his voice filled with delight.

Wu Xiao, standing nearby, stomped his feet in frustration. “Heavenly Father, you said you would only raise me! Why are you randomly picking up a son now?”

Tiandi laughed heartily. “Haha! This isn’t a son. No, he’s different from you, hahaha!”

Wu Xiao, jealous, snapped, “What’s so cool and noble about him that he deserves to be treasured like this by you?”

Tiandi noticed Wu Xiao’s genuine anger and freed a hand to gently wipe the dirt off his face. “You’re also my baby, my big baby!”

Wu Xiao blushed and muttered, “Stop coaxing me! You still have a second baby. You’re such an amorous person.”

“Hahaha, I’m not sentimental,” Tiandi replied with a grin. He glanced at Huo Yao, who was still in his arms, and added, “I’m still very dedicated. Right, little Huo Yao?”

Huo Yao continued to look at him seriously, without a hint of playfulness.

Tiandi held his little lover in one arm and grabbed Wu Xiao with the other. “Let’s go!”

Before finding Huo Yao, Tiandi had wandered the six realms with Wu Xiao, never settling in one place. On their travels, he had spotted a small island in the East China Sea. He had thought that once Huo Yao came into the world, they could live in seclusion on the island together. Wu Xiao could return to the sea anytime, and they would live happily as a family of three.

However, Tiandi hadn’t anticipated that Huo Yao would be born again as a baby. Unable to bear taking a child on endless travels, he decided to settle down early on the small island.

Since their arrival had been rushed, the island lacked any infrastructure. Tiandi handed Huo Yao to Wu Xiao and used the technique of moving mountains and filling the sea to swiftly build pavilions and gardens, creating a peaceful and stable home.

Once he had finished, Tiandi admired his work with satisfaction. Turning around, he called for Wu Xiao to join him in the new house, only to realize his arms were empty.

“Where’s Huo Yao?” he asked, his voice tense.

Wu Xiao feigned shock. “Oh no! Where’s the little cub? Heavenly Father, could he have run off on his own? See, this is what happens when you don’t know how to raise someone properly. Let him go; he’s just a white-eyed wolf.”

Tiandi’s face darkened, his usual warmth replaced by a sharp, cold anger. “Where did you leave him?”

Wu Xiao shuddered under Tiandi’s piercing gaze. Tiandi rarely lost his temper, but when he did, his serious demeanour always left others trembling. Wu Xiao didn’t dare to lie anymore. He sheepishly walked to a large tree, began digging a hole, and pulled out a dirty, soil-covered Huo Yao who had been buried there.

“Give him to me!” Tiandi demanded as he took Huo Yao from Wu Xiao. Seeing that the child was sleeping soundly, he let out a sigh of relief. Then, without hesitation, he gave Wu Xiao a hard slap. “If you do this again, I’ll skin you alive. Got it?”

Wu Xiao muttered unhappily, “Got it.”

Huo Yao’s childhood stretched on endlessly, and while Tiandi waited for him to grow up, all his once-charming thoughts gradually dissipated.

Huo Yao had long forgotten the events of the land of void. He respected and loved Tiandi but maintained a relationship that was more reverent than affectionate. Huo Yao was serious, upright, and taciturn, in stark contrast to Wu Xiao, who loved to chatter about everything and anything.

Tiandi often hoped Huo Yao would regain memories of their past, but as time passed and Huo Yao grew from a child into a teenager, it became clear he only remembered this life. To him, Tiandi was nothing more than his heavenly father.

Looking at Huo Yao’s face, filled with righteousness and youthful determination, Tiandi sometimes felt ashamed of his own thoughts. At those moments, he believed it was wrong—dirty, even—to harbour such feelings toward him. Because of this, Tiandi kept a deliberate distance from Huo Yao, both physically and emotionally, even as they lived together.

On this day, the Lantern Festival in the human world had arrived.

Early in the morning, Feng Yi strutted in, his magnificent red tail feathers gleaming as he came to visit Tiandi. He earnestly invited Tiandi and the others to join him in celebrating the festival in the human world.

Wu Xiao, who had never gotten along with Feng Yi, especially disliked his feminine attire. Seeing Feng Yi dressed in gauzy, low-cut robes made Wu Xiao shudder with disgust. “What’s so fun about the human world?” Wu Xiao sneered. “If you want real excitement, the ghost world is hosting a torture show in the Eighteen Levels of Hell tonight. Now that’s entertaining!”

Feng Yi fanned himself lightly, his tone dripping with mockery. “Who wants to watch a pile of swords and fire on New Year’s? Talk about bad luck!”

Tiandi’s forehead throbbed as he listened to their bickering. “Shut up,” he snapped. “If you don’t stop arguing, both of you can leave.”

The room fell silent.