Kun had initially expected Lu Yunian to put up fierce resistance before being overpowered and captured. He had even prepared a haughty demeanor to chastise Lu Yunian, to show how his strength was like an ant trying to topple a chariot, utterly insignificant before him. He remembered how Lu Yunian had looked down on Alphas like Gu Zeyu, and though Kun was an ancient god, he was not magnanimous.

However, Lu Yunian followed him in silence, offering almost no resistance. Only when he realized Kun was leading him into the sea clan’s palace did he pause, furrowing his brow and saying, “Not only did you take my husband and child, but you’re also delivering them to my sworn enemy’s home?”

Kun turned back to look at Lu Yunian upon hearing the word “husband.” Though his gaze remained cold, he still patiently addressed him.

“A thousand years ago, this was one of my lairs,” he said, parting the waves with a wave of his hand. The seascape on both sides resembled an aquarium tunnel, with luminescent jellyfish drifting leisurely and whale sharks turning back at the sea’s edge, their black fins raised.

“You must be really old then. Unlike Xiao Yu, who’s still a child,” Lu Yunian remarked, knowing he couldn’t win in a fight. His rise to the rank of general wasn’t solely due to the abilities Kun had bestowed upon him; Lu Yunian had mastered the art of being flexible when necessary. He even joked about Kun’s pheromone scent, trying to gain some verbal advantage. “Your pheromones smell expired. Xiao Yu’s sweet milk scent is much nicer.”

Kun was not good at bickering with mortals, and could only answer with silence in the end. After confining Lu Yunian in the shell room prepared by Hai Mu’er, he reclined on a lounge chair, feigning sleep while listening to Lu Yunian’s continued chatter.

“Did you bring me here because Xiao Yu missed me? Let him come see me then,” Lu Yunian said. With Kun’s eyes closed, he looked almost like a normal sleeping Alpha, without those blue eyes Lu Yunian despised. Though irritated, Lu Yunian was willing to coax Gu Zeyu to come home. “Can you two communicate? Does he know you kidnapped them both? Is he sulking because of the separate sleeping arrangements?”

Hai Yu brought Gu Lulu in, hearing Lu Yunian’s rambling. Shocked, he walked towards Gu Zeyu and whispered, “Do both of them have dissociative identity disorder? Since when did Lu Yunian become so talkative?”

Kun had originally intended to ignore Lu Yunian, but after hearing his self-assured monologue, he finally couldn’t help but answer one question. “It was his decision to leave. He wants to leave you. Lu Yunian, Xiao Yu is my younger self.”

Lu Yunian had just taken Gu Lulu, who excitedly waved his arms and legs upon smelling his Omega father’s pheromones. He whispered to his son, “Don’t be afraid, Daddy’s here to take you and your Alpha father home.”

Upon hearing Kun’s words, his arms froze. After a long pause, he asked hoarsely, “What do you mean?”

“My divine consciousness was severely depleted in the last battle with Taotie¹饕餮 (tāo tiè) – ferocious mythological animal, the fifth son of the dragon king, so I retreated to the young Kun form that still retained a human side, which became Gu Zeyu. When I awakened, the young Kun was also gradually growing up. Our consciousnesses have always coexisted, not simply as primary and secondary personalities as you humans understand it,” Kun explained earnestly, seeing Lu Yunian’s face turn ashen with anger.

“In other words, since my first awakening, he has known that everything you did to him meant dislike and lack of love. You didn’t want a weak Alpha, so he tried hard to become stronger. Unfortunately, you never saw his efforts…”

“Actually, I’ve always disagreed with him changing for you. You were merely a switch I chose to awaken my consciousness. I never truly intended to be with such a weak Omega like you.”

“What nonsense are you spouting…” If not for holding Gu Lulu, Lu Yunian would have rushed forward to punch Kun.

“Even now, Gu Zeyu can see everything happening, but he’s chosen to hide. He doesn’t want to see you, and even wants to hand over control to me, never to emerge again,” Kun said, tilting his head slightly and revealing a tired expression. He sighed deeply, “To be honest, I don’t want to see you either, but the god’s child still needs your nurturing. When we no longer need you, we’ll send you back.”

Gu Lulu, having licked Lu Yunian’s chest wet through his clothes and still not getting milk, began to cry loudly in frustration. Lu Yunian clenched his fists tightly, but after weighing the pros and cons, he still lifted his clothes to feed the child.

He didn’t believe a word this madman said. How could Gu Zeyu not want him? Gu Zeyu had just run away because he was angry about not being allowed to sleep holding him. Gu Zeyu was such an easily placated child; once he came out, a kiss, a hug, or even letting him sleep with him would be enough to soothe him.

Before leaving the room, Kun suddenly remembered something and returned, placing his hand on Lu Yunian’s gland. The powerful Alpha pheromones immobilized Lu Yunian. Streams of electricity surged from the gland, converging in Kun’s palm, finally condensing into a translucent eight-petaled snowflake. Kun looked at the snowflake with satisfaction, then called Hai Yu over and pressed it against his gland, reciting an ancient incantation.

“I bestow upon you the blessing of the gods, granting you the power of ‘military prowess.’ Taotie’s ghost legion will eventually track us here. The responsibility of protecting the god and the god’s child now falls to you.” Kun never once looked at Lu Yunian, leaving as soon as he finished speaking.

Hai Yu’s eyes widened in shock, the burning sensation in his gland confirming that everything that had just happened was real. He had suddenly transformed from a useless Alpha into a military expert with abilities equal to those of the Imperial War Star Lu Yunian. Surprised, he chased after Kun, shouting, “This… this… Big brother, this gift is too precious… How can I accept such a thing…”

Lu Yunian collapsed on the edge of the bed, holding the child. His rapid breathing accompanied an increasingly strong feeling of being drained. He casually tried to crush the table leg but found his strength no different from that of an ordinary Omega.

He stared blankly in the direction Kun had left. Gu Lulu, satisfied after eating, smacked his lips contentedly in Lu Yunian’s arms. Lu Yunian didn’t feel particularly heartbroken. He lowered his head to kiss his son’s little cheek and said softly, “Gu Lulu, it seems your father is really angry. If he refuses to come out and see me, this situation will be quite troublesome.”

Within three days of Hai Yu receiving his military talent, the Ghost Legion indeed began to deploy troops to attack the sea clan. On the third day of Lu Yunian’s confinement, Hai Mu’er finally came to see his worthy opponent, only to find Lu Yunian lying in bed, cradling his son to sleep, seemingly oblivious to the world.

“Lu Yunian, they’re coming to take your son, and you’re just going to do nothing?” Hai Mu’er was furious. He ordered the seahorse Omega to take the child aside so he could have a man-to-man talk with Lu Yunian. “We’ve fought numerous battles. We had our own victories and defeats. Pei Xiuran said you were the most formidable Omega he’d ever seen, even surpassing me. But now that I see you, you’re nothing special!”

Lu Yunian was completely unfazed by his insults. He even yawned and turned over, preparing to go back to sleep, muttering, “You’ve got the talent now, given to your Sea King. I’m just useless now, so why should I care about any of this? This child has a god for a father, if you can’t beat them, go find him. Why come to me?”

Kun’s divine consciousness was still unstable, spending most of the time in a dormant state. Gu Zeyu also refused to come out, and since that day, that body had remained in a deep sleep. Seeing this family playing tricks, Hai Mu’er became even more enraged. He raised his hand to strike at Lu Yunian’s vital points. It was a simple horizontal chop that, in the past, Lu Yunian could have easily dodged with a side roll.

But Lu Yunian’s reaction speed was no longer what it used to be. He had become an ordinary Omega, and so a mouthful of fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he immediately lost consciousness.

Author’s Note: It’s quite heartbreaking.

You can’t say who’s right or wrong.

Everyone is right from their own perspective.

But somehow, it’s inexplicably cruel.

Perhaps, then, it’s the author who’s at fault?

TL Notes

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  饕餮 (tāo tiè) – ferocious mythological animal, the fifth son of the dragon king