Chapter 12: Newborn

At dusk, Wu Ma arrived with Xiao Qi and the gourd vine.

“PAPA?”

Xiao Qi waddled around in her awkward gait, searching everywhere for Wu Ye.

She squatted in front of an ant hole, seriously asking the ants if they had seen Papa.

Then she lifted the lid of the water jar and shouted “Ah~~~” into the empty container.

No luck.

The little girl wasn’t ready to give up. 

She searched by the wall, checked behind the rice bags, and turned over every room.

In the end, she let out a heavy sigh, empty-handed.

“Papa’s dead.”

With that, her soft little hand pulled out a suona.

She began to blow it wildly, producing all sorts of screechy sounds.

“……”

Who the heck taught her that?!

“Pffft hahahahaha—” Wu Ma burst out laughing on the side.

“What exactly… What did you people do to her?”

“I thought I wouldn’t make it back today, so I had Ah Miao take her and flee. I guess she must’ve seen a funeral along the way and instinctively started copying it. You know how kids are—they love imitating adults… Hahahaha—”

You’re still laughing?!

Wu Yi had a massive headache now. 

Why did she ever become friends with this clueless musclehead?

“Good girl, good girl. Once you get good at playing the suona, you can use it to cheer your dad on when he’s in battle,” Wu Ma said in an encouraging tone.

Shut it. Stop teaching my daughter weird things!

A battle BGM can be down-to-earth, but not down-to-the-underworld!

Are you trying to cheer him on, or send him off?!

“I’ll get going now,” Wu Ma waved. “Holler if you need me—I’m right across the hall.”

Yes, please leave quickly.

A few more minutes, and Wu Ye’s grave would already have a nice pavilion on top.

Once Wu Ma was gone, the little girl finally focused her attention on Wu Yi.

Like a squirrel, she climbed onto Wu Yi’s lap and burrowed into her arms, sniffing left and right.

Finally, she took a strong sniff of the band over Wu Yi’s eyes.

“Hmm?”

Xiao Qi’s hair tuft drooped, her beast ears flopped down, and hugging her fluffy tail, she fell deep into thought.

Even though Wu Yi couldn’t see, she could clearly sense the soft, fragrant suspicion up close.

This little one… did she notice something?

Wu Yi’s whole body tensed up—she didn’t even dare to breathe.

A moment later, Xiao Qi seemed to have figured something out.

She beamed with joy, hugged Wu Yi’s neck tightly, and rubbed her cheek against hers with delight: “Mama~ Mama~”

Was that… a speedrun to recognizing a new mom?

Maybe because Wu Yi’s blindfold still had Wu Ye’s scent on it? And the little one picked up on it? So sharp…

Xiao Qi was the friendly type. Once she recognized a new mom, she clung to Wu Yi like glue.

“Mama~ Xiao Qi wants… to go to school!”

Huh? The little girl actually wanted to go to school?

That was rare for a kid so young.

“Why do you suddenly want to go to school?”

“Big Sis Xiaoke said, if I go to school, I can become strong!”

Big Sis Xiaoke? Oh, Wu Xiaoke—Wu Ma’s daughter. 

A few years older than Xiao Qi, and knows more.

“Why do you want to become strong?”

“So I can be… as strong as Wu Yi~~!” Xiao Qi stretched out her arms to show just how awesome Wu Yi was.

“Oh~ that’s strong, huh? And then what?” Wu Yi couldn’t help but chuckle.

“And then, I’ll find Wu Yi and defeat her!”

“Defeat me? And then what?”

“Hehehehe~” Xiao Qi tilted her little head up mysteriously, looking like “I’m not telling you.”

“Alright, alright, you don’t have to tell me.”

Once you defeat Wu Yi, I’ll find out for myself~

Wu Yi smiled and pulled the little one into her arms, lying down on the bed and wrapping them both in a thick blanket.

Meanwhile, her mind was already turning to the matter of school.

There’s no way around it—growing up means going to school.

And as it happens, there’s a good academy right here in Bibo Port. 

It’s even Wu Ye’s alma mater.

She’ll take the little one to try enrolling tomorrow.

“Mama~”

In her arms, the little girl suddenly lifted her head.

“Hmm?”

“Good night~” The little girl gently pecked Wu Yi on the cheek, then finally closed her eyes in peace.

Wu Yi was left frozen, unsure how to respond.

She had never felt this kind of warmth that seeped right into her soul.

For ten years, her only companions were rocks. 

The cold, stiff blankets were always uncomfortably damp.

When it got too unbearable, all she could do was shout into the ocean to let it out.

The only person she could talk to was herself.

She’d mutter constantly like a madwoman, just to keep herself from forgetting how to speak.

But what did it feel like to be with another person?

She’d long forgotten.

That unconscious little goodnight kiss from the girl—it was like a magic potion turning stone to gold, melting the sealed shell around her, making Wu Yi’s long-numbed heart suddenly lurch in her chest.

“Good night,” Wu Yi replied softly.

For some reason, her nose stung again, but this time, it wasn’t from pain.

It was from a wordless, indescribable sense of warmth and contentment that overflowed from her chest and filled her whole body.

……

Late at night.

A heavy fog rolled in from nowhere, blotting out the sky and moon.

The thick mist made it impossible to see even a hand in front of one’s face in Bibo Port. 

Only the lighthouse beam struggled to pierce through the haze.

But not long after, even that beam was completely swallowed by the fog.

Then, from the boundless darkness came an ancient, unnameable voice.

“l’a l’a. Cthulhu Fhatgn——”

It sounded like it surged up from the bottom of the sea, yet also echoed from deep within the soul itself.

At first, it was faint—like a lover’s whisper. 

But soon, that voice filled the air from every direction.

“L’a L’a. Cthulhu Fhatgn——”

Countless ships lay trapped in the mist, dead still.

The voice held an irresistible allure, evoking primal desire and ecstasy.

Under its spell, every crew member went mad. 

Their eyes turned vacant, and they dropped to their knees, bowing reverently toward Bibo Port.

Their mouths echoed the chant:

“L’a L’a. Cthulhu Fhatgn——”

The sea was as still as glass. 

Waves no longer lapped the shore, and even the tides paused in homage to this newborn king.

And as the chant continued, the mist grew thicker and more immense.

It took on the form of a colossal beast, opened its gaping maw, and swallowed the moon whole.

Moonlight surged down its throat, flooding into its body, like countless silver veins. 

Using the beast as a conduit, they all flowed toward a single target.

—A little gourd.

More precisely, the silver light converged on one of the six gourds on the vine—one with delicate beast ears and a fluffy tail.

Bathed in silver light, the little fox-gourd rapidly matured, quickly shedding its gourd form, transforming into an expanding sphere of light.

The glowing orb floated off the vine and gently descended into the courtyard’s center.

“Wu Yi… I’ve come…”