Famine

Chapter 71

After drinking, I felt a little hot, and it kept getting hotter. I looked at Tang Chen, and Tang Chen looked at me. It was as if some nerve that had been severed for hundreds of years had been reconnected, and I actually felt... felt...

Tang Chen is so beautiful and wonderful.

When Tang Chen tackled me, a tiny bit of my reason remained. My fingers trembled as I stammered, "Huang E, you..."

She tilted her head to look at me, gradually dissolving into a fiery red and golden mist.

I really wanted to warn Tang Chen that we'd fallen for his tricks, but when he kissed me, my reason vanished without a trace.

I don't want to talk about the process. (covers face)

Of course it was wonderful, like having a sweet dream. But even my sweet dreams were from junior high school, like a distant memory.

When I finally fell asleep from exhaustion, I woke up again, only to find that the nerves that had been temporarily reconnected had snapped again. Staring at the ceiling, I was drenched in sweat.

You wretched bastard! You've made a complete mess of my life... I'm already in my thirties, how am I supposed to start all over again with a child?! How am I supposed to see Tang Chen in the future?!

I cursed inwardly, but I could no longer hear my shikigami, the Fiend Bird, retort.

You bastard.

I turned my head. Tang Chen was fast asleep, her face looking exceptionally young and innocent. Oh no. Even though I was the one who was pushed down, I felt incredibly guilty, as if I had forced myself on Tang Chen.

My heart felt like a spilled jar of sauce, a mix of emotions swirling within me. I quietly got out of bed, my thoughts drifting to things like how difficult it would be to wash the sheets…

What kind of time is this to worry about bed sheets?!

I sneaked off to shower, feeling aches and pains in my limbs, and... well... you all know that. I grabbed my clothes and put them on like a thief. Tang Chen was probably exhausted; she wasn't awake at all.

I tiptoed out the door. It was just dawn, still a hazy gray. The morning breeze was a bit chilly, which cleared my restless head slightly.

On the way to the Mazu Temple, I kept thinking. What's done is done. It's not that I don't like Tang Chen... Although I was drugged by Huang E, I do... love Tang Chen very much, although it's not the kind of passionate love.

Since it was Tang Chen, it's done. But our beautiful and pure relationship has come to an end. I will probably give birth to twins in the future, one of whom will be Huang'e.

Using a child to force Tang Chen to marry me is not something I would do. Even if Tang Chen were to take on the "responsibility" as society would, I wouldn't accept it. I can't imagine myself becoming anyone's wife and entering into a family, even if it's him.

I was born into an emotionally corrupt and barren family. I didn't want to watch my once pure and beautiful relationship with Tang Chen degenerate to that extent. I have dedicated most of my life to the path of witchcraft and have no energy left to delve into the intricate family and kinship relationships.

I have long since abandoned my family.

Anyway, I've settled things here, so where can't I become a sorcerer? But I still need to report this to the authorities.

As I stood before the Holy Queen, gazing upon her merciful golden statue, tears suddenly streamed down my face. That bastard Huang'e had forcibly twisted the course of my life, destroying the relationship I cherished most. Tang Chen and I could never return to the carefree, pure love we once shared.

Not wanting to embarrass him, I'm afraid I should leave.

"What is purity? What is impurity?" the Empress asked, smiling.

“…I am pregnant out of wedlock and do not want to get married.” I whispered, “I cannot stay here, as I have failed to live up to your trust.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with this, child,” the Holy Queen said, her beaded veil fluttering slightly. “You’ve chosen this path, and you’re not a monk.”

"I have long since abandoned my family."

He chuckled softly, lowering his eyes. “I have heard that you witches serve Chaos, and that you believe in the balance of the Great Way.”

"…yes."

His smile deepened. "Isn't that fitting? You desire purity, yet you've become tainted by the world, turning into chaos. What is your true path? Having children and men—isn't that your true path?"

He closed his hands, then opened them again, holding a hazy, spinning gray sphere of light in his palms. "Drink down your chaos. This is your life, neither clear nor muddy."

I took it, tears streaming down my face. I still had to move forward, kneeling to bid farewell to the last vestiges of my youth. Clear or turbid, I drank it all down in one gulp.

Then I heard a noise behind me.

I turned my head. Tang Chen's expression was flustered and confused, very complicated. There might be self-blame or pain, and maybe even a little joy and happiness. "...Xiao Zhi, I'm sorry."

"Say sorry and we're breaking up." I just finished crying, so I'm very calm now.

"Huh?" He stared blankly, looking genuinely dumbfounded.

“I don’t want to get married,” I said, putting my hands in his arms. “And I absolutely won’t move. You can come see the kids… or it’s okay if you don’t.”

"Huh?! A kid?!" I could tell he hadn't recovered from his shock yet.

“Last night… was the cruelest joke Huang E ever played.” What was there to hide from him? “She’s already in my belly, waiting to be born.”

"What?!" He was completely stunned.

I let him process it before delivering the fatal blow.

"How did I do yesterday?" I asked calmly. "Did you enjoy it, Mr. Tang?"

“…Xiao Zhi!” His toes were probably red from the heat.

In the end, I still moved... but to a bungalow in the village. The house had been empty for a long time because the whole family had moved to Taipei. Tang Chen somehow found out about it, asked around, and rented it.

I originally thought that even if the Empress Dowager forgave me for being pregnant out of wedlock, the village elders would never forgive me. It seems I'll have to resign...

But they looked at me like I was an idiot, "Sister, are you really living in the 21st century? Still hoping for a chastity arch?"

"It's good that they're willing to have children. My five kids, they don't even want to get married, they won't even have a cockroach."

"Marriage and divorce are such a hassle. I've long since come to terms with it... Mr. Tang is a good man, as long as we're on good terms, it doesn't matter..."

"I'll help you take care of the baby..." "I was wondering why you two, after all these years of fighting, are only having a baby now..."

…Am I the only one living in ancient times? I thought I'd be hit by a stone and die.

Tang Chen panicked terribly, clutching a huge stack of books, completely losing her composure. Seeing me clear my throat, she frantically flipped through the books, afraid I was having an epileptic seizure or diabetes.

…There are still nine months left, and he's already this nervous. Can he really hold on until I give birth?

He moved his entire residence in Taichung City here, preferring to drive an hour and a half to work and come home.

But our relationship... is actually no different from before, not at all like what I worried about. At first, it was a little awkward, and I couldn't help but think about that night. But we're really weaker than lions; we're older now, and we can't get impulsive anymore.

We continued our normal lives, but Tang Chen became a little nervous, jumping up at the slightest sound and rushing to call an ambulance.

He'll drive me crazy.

When my belly got so big that I had some difficulty moving around, he scared himself again. He went online to watch live videos of childbirth, and started to feel frustrated and guilty, becoming a bit hysterical.

He's driving me crazy.

What worries me most is that no matter how many ultrasounds I get, it's always the same. I'm worried that I might have missed the bus... But after I give birth, I'll realize I was worrying too much.

She didn't cry when she was born. When the doctor showed her to me, she desperately opened her eyes, stared at me, and then turned her eyes to look at Tang Chen, who insisted on being there for the birth.

I didn't suffer much during childbirth, of course, this bastard was in a hurry to be born, so he naturally cooperated.

We've been waiting for this moment for nine months.

I weakly pulled her close, and with the last of my strength, I slapped her hard on the bottom. "You bastard! You tricked me! Just wait and see how I deal with you, you son of a bitch!"

Chaos erupted in the delivery room. My baby, Xiaohuang'e, burst into loud, extremely angry cries. The doctors and nurses suspected I was having a hysterical episode and rushed to give me a sedative.

I slept peacefully, though. Want to be my daughter, huh… heh heh heh heh.

We'll see.

(To be continued)

Epilogue: An Unfinished Journey of Life

My story with Huang'e seems to have come to an end.

That arrogant princess who tricked me didn't start speaking until she was eight months old, and when she did, she immediately launched into a tirade of curses: "What kind of lousy tongue do humans have? It takes them eight months to even speak! Their evolutionary level is so low... I don't want to drink milk anymore! Isn't there any other food I have to eat? How utterly boring the beginning of human life is..."

To be honest, it's really like something out of a horror movie for an eight-month-old baby to start talking like this, but she's not a demon baby... she's a monster baby.

“...When Aunt Wang takes care of you tomorrow, please don’t say anything that might scare her.” I said helplessly.

"Do I need you to remind me?" she glared at me. "Are you kidding me, living at 1,500 years old?"

You've already wasted your life, without even a splash.

However, she really acted very well, and no one noticed anything amiss. They even praised "Ruizheng" for being well-behaved and obedient.

…Many things are too complicated to think about or investigate in detail.

It can only be said that the Crimson-Eyed Fox Girl is truly powerful, not only able to make aphrodisiacs (…), but also able to preserve Huang E's complete consciousness and memories. However, all the cultivation he possessed as a Golden-Winged Roc was used to create a complete human body, making him thoroughly human.

I was horrified when I learned of the magnitude of her sacrifice.

"What's the point of living so long? How can you endure hundreds of years of suffering?" she said harshly.

Later, the missing-corner dragon told me that Huang'e, because of her uncle's death, realized that Tang Chen and I would eventually abandon her. She couldn't bear it, so she decided to become human, not wanting to spend hundreds or thousands of years immersed in pain.

This was an irreversible process, and her friends didn't approve. That's why the White Lady and the Red-Eyed Fox Lady came to see me and Tang Chen, to understand her reluctance and determination, and that's why they were willing to help her with this decision that was tantamount to suicide.

My heart softened. But I shouldn't have softened. This bastard took the opportunity to become arrogant, threatening to call 113 at the drop of a hat.

(They're saying my child is threatening me with an indoor phone before he's even a year old; I really don't know what to do in the future...)

Her name is now "Tang Ruizheng". I would rather die than get married, and Tang Chen isn't the type to force anyone. But he adopted Huang'e, so Huang'e's household registration shows that both parents are alive.

Tang Chen used work as an excuse to move his household registration out of his parents' house, so he kept this a secret from his parents. But I didn't hide it from Shuo and Uncle Shi. Shuo just smiled faintly, but Uncle Shi marveled and said it was an unprecedented coincidence. He doted on Xiao Huang'e and would drive a long way to visit him whenever he had nothing to do.

When Huang'e turned one year old, Yu Zheng rushed back from England. Upon seeing little Huang'e, he was utterly smitten. "He doesn't look like he rolled out of your belly, he looks just like my own son!"

Little Huang'e adored her too, rolling around in her arms, giggling and chattering incessantly. Yu Zheng, true to his shamanistic nature, didn't seem to mind that this was a demon baby straight out of a horror movie; he almost stuffed it into his luggage and took it with him, but I had to desperately stop him from doing so.

Before I left, she gave me a jar of perfume, saying that the formula was at least two thousand years old and that it was a household remedy, a top-quality face cream.

“My husband…” she mumbled, “gave me a big jar, he always asks me to massage his bruises. He can’t use it all, so I’ll share some with you.”

Later, Shuo took a sniff and laughed until tears streamed down his face. "...It's not bad. Jesus probably used it too."

Huh? Jesus?

"The final oiling ceremony..." Shuo couldn't help but laugh again, "I heard that this formula seems to be only left by the Knights Templar. Don't worry, it won't do any harm."

I silently put the jar of perfume away. I know Jesus' testimony is very powerful, but I'm not dead yet, applying it now is really too early…

Yu Zheng probably thought it tasted good and was effective, which is why she gave it to me. Her knight is so reserved; he gave her this first, so that if she gets a sore spot, Yu Zheng can apply the oil for her.

The romance of kings is something ordinary people like us can't understand.

Little Huang'e is growing up day by day, and sometimes she's so naughty that I want to strangle her with a rope. She really enjoys being a child, completely and faithfully embodying that naughty state, and she's incredibly noisy. I'm starting to worry about the possibility of her becoming completely deaf.

Tang Chen and I both have jobs. Thankfully, Huang E is only a child on the outside; inside, he's more experienced and shrewd than anyone else. If he were a real child, Tang Chen and I would have collapsed long ago, even though we're exhausted right now.

Tang Chen spoiled her rotten, and Huang E loved to cling to him. Often, Huang E would get tired of arguing and fall asleep on Tang Chen's lap.

"Don't spoil the kids too much, especially since there's an old monster inside," I complained.