Children don’t lie. When Yun Heng said he was sleepy, he truly was. Before the Jade Emperor had even carried his son out of Leiyin Temple, the little one had already fallen asleep on his shoulder.
The Jade Emperor glanced down at his precious son. His thick eyelashes fluttered gently, and his tiny hands clutched tightly at his Immortal Robe. It seemed he had truly played himself to exhaustion, paying no mind to where he was or his surroundings, simply leaning against Father Emperor and drifting into a deep slumber.
Tathagata and several Bodhisattvas stood behind them, watching as the Jade Emperor strode out of the main hall with his son in his arms. Their expressions were quite telling.
There had long been rumors that the Jade Emperor, having had a son late in life, doted on this youngest child to an extreme degree. The Crown Prince had secretly followed him out on this Tour of the Three Realms.
Today, seeing it firsthand, the rumors proved true. Even as the Jade Emperor discussed celestial duties with Tathagata and the Bodhisattvas, the Crown Prince interjected freely. Not only did the Jade Emperor show no displeasure, he was exceedingly indulgent.
When the Crown Prince rubbed his eyes and said he was sleepy, the Jade Emperor rose and left without hesitation.
Perhaps because they were about to return to the Heavenly Court, Yun Heng slept especially soundly. From time to time, he would murmur a few words in his childish, milky voice. The old father held his breath, straining to hear what his son was saying.
“Feathers, the Great Peacock’s feathers.”
“I want the Great Peacock to be my master!”
“Ling’er, come to the Heavenly Court quickly and play with me.”
“I want lots of mounts and Magical Treasures.”
“Mother Empress, Heng’er misses you so much.”
“…”
The Jade Emperor listened for a long while. His son’s dreams were truly rich and varied—from the heavens to the ocean depths to the Western Paradise, from Immortals to Magical Treasures to mounts, everything was there. Everything, that is, except him, the Father Emperor.
The Jade Emperor frowned. He had just raised his hand, intending to pinch the little one’s nose to express his dissatisfaction, when his son mumbled indistinctly, “Father Emperor~”
This single call delighted the Jade Emperor immensely. It seemed his son still relied on him deeply. Otherwise, why would he only want to be held by him while sleeping?
“What is it, Heng’er? Father Emperor is right here.”
“Want… want…”
The little one babbled incoherently, and the Jade Emperor couldn’t make out what he said. “Want what?”
“Want snacks! Mung bean cake, lotus flower pastry, and glutinous rice balls!”
With that, the little one smacked his lips twice, turned over, and fell soundly asleep again.
The Jade Emperor: “…”
He had thought his old self had finally appeared in his son’s dreams. Little did he know, the boy was just craving a snack.
The Nine-Dragon Imperial Carriage soared on the clouds, stopping outside the Southern Heavenly Gate. A host of Immortal Officials were already there to welcome the imperial carriage, with the Queen Mother of the West standing at the forefront, surrounded by the Seven Fairies. Though she tried her best to maintain her dignified posture and bearing, her slightly craned neck and searching gaze betrayed her anxious anticipation.
Yun Heng had slept the entire journey, waking just as they were returning to the Heavenly Court. After being apart for many days and about to see his Mother Empress, the little one, in his excitement, suddenly became concerned about his appearance.
“Sister Qiluo, is my hair crown on properly?”
“It is.”
“Is my robe on properly?”
“It is.”
“Adjust my belt a bit more.”
“Alright, alright.”
“The feathers? Where are my feathers?”
“They’re in your pouch.”
“…”
The Jade Emperor led Yun Heng out of the Nine-Dragon Imperial Carriage, looking down upon the Immortal Ministers who had come to welcome them.
With a single glance, Yun Heng spotted the Queen Mother standing at the very front. He raised his little hand and waved it vigorously. “Mother Empress, Mother Empress, I’m back!”
The Queen Mother spotted him immediately, her lips twitching slightly before she quickly shifted her gaze away, pretending not to have seen him.
The little one grew a bit anxious: "Huh? Why isn't Mother acknowledging me?"
The Jade Emperor spoke briefly and dismissed the Immortal Officials. Matters concerning the Tour of the Three Realms would be discussed further at tomorrow's court assembly.
Yun Heng eagerly toddled forward with his short legs, heading straight toward the Queen Mother: "Mother! Mother! Mother!"
The Queen Mother glanced down at him but did not respond, walking directly to the Jade Emperor's side.
The little one sensed something was off—Mother seemed deliberately ignoring him. Growing anxious, he stumbled on the steps, his left foot tripping over his right, nearly falling flat.
The Queen Mother remained outwardly calm, but with a subtle use of magical power, she steadied the tottering child, ensuring he stood firmly.
She then turned her gaze to the Jade Emperor, ignoring her son: "Will Your Majesty rest at Taiwei Yuqing Palace or proceed to Jasper Pool?"
The Jade Emperor glanced at the Queen Mother and then at his son: "Let's go to Jasper Pool."
Throughout the journey, the little one grew increasingly distressed: "Mother! Mother!"
Yun Heng reached out to tug at the Queen Mother's immortal skirt but grasped nothing.
"Mother, why aren't you acknowledging me?"
The Queen Mother walked beside the Jade Emperor, eyes fixed ahead.
The little one insisted on squeezing between Father Emperor and Mother: "Mother, don't you recognize me? I'm your Heng'er."
"…"
From the Southern Heavenly Gate to Jasper Pool, the child's emotions gradually shifted from excitement at returning to his mother's side to confusion over "why Mother isn't acknowledging me." His little face puffed up, his gaze persistently following the Queen Mother.
Seeing his son's pitiful state, the Jade Emperor tried to take his hand, but the little one pushed him away without mercy.
Finally arriving at Jasper Pool, the Seven Fairies prepared immortal fruit and Immortal Tea, arranging them on the stone table.
Seeing Ziyuan, Yun Heng no longer felt the urge to rush over and cling to her. The little one's entire focus was now on the Queen Mother, disregarding everything else.
"Mother!"
As soon as the Queen Mother sat down, Yun Heng clung to her leg. The little one anxiously asked: "Why aren't you acknowledging me? Why aren't you acknowledging me?"
The Queen Mother leisurely sipped her tea: "When you sneaked away, you didn't say a word to me either."
Yun Heng pursed his lips: "So you're angry with me?"
The Queen Mother looked at him: "You ran off without a word, stayed away so long—shouldn't I be angry?"
"But I went with Father Emperor on the Tour of the Three Realms. Why aren't you angry with Father Emperor?"
The Queen Mother's gaze shifted to the Jade Emperor: "Indeed, knowing you sneaked away would worry me. Yet you didn't send the child back, only dispatched an Immortal Child to inform me."
"…"
In this matter, the Jade Emperor knew he was at fault and dared not speak further, burying himself in drinking tea.
Yun Heng remained clinging to the Queen Mother's leg, straining to reach her hand: "Mother, I've returned now, so please don't be angry."
"No, I am very angry."
"Being angry is fine," Yun Heng tilted his head thoughtfully, then added, "Then just be angry with Father Emperor, not with me."
This little one knows how to deflect blame, and the Queen Mother nearly burst out laughing but managed to hold it back: "I'm angry with you. You ran off for so many days, and I worried about you every moment. Can't I be angry?"
Yun Heng gradually grew impatient: "But I'm back now."
"You're back, and I'm even more angry."
"You…"
"Heng'er!"
Yun Heng wanted to say more, but the Jade Emperor interrupted him, reaching for his son's small hand: "Since your mother is still upset, you can come with Father Emperor to stay at Taiwei Yuqing Palace."
Yun Heng stubbornly clung to the Queen Mother's knees: "I won't go."
The Jade Emperor asked him: "During the Tour of the Three Realms, weren't you with Father Emperor every day, and you even insisted on Father Emperor holding you to sleep at night?"
"No! I want to stay at Jasper Pool, be with Mother every day, and have Mother coax me to sleep at night!"
A child's attachment to their mother is innate. When the Queen Mother wasn't around, Yun Heng would cling to the Jade Emperor, but once back in the Heavenly Court, the little one wanted no one else—only his mother.
Moreover, his mother was still angry and unwilling to talk to him. At this moment, the urgent problem he wanted to solve was to make his mother stop being angry with him.
Yun Heng stretched out his arms to the Queen Mother, tears welling up in his eyes from urgency: "Hold me, Mother, hold me!"
The Queen Mother cherished her son dearly and couldn't truly ignore him. She complied with his request, lifting him up and placing him on her lap.
The little one reached out, carefully touching the Queen Mother's face with his fingertips: "Mother, don't be angry anymore. Heng'er knows he was wrong."
The Queen Mother asked him: "What did you do wrong?"
"Next time…"
The little one hesitated, and the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother thought he would say he shouldn't have sneaked out and wouldn't dare to do it again.
However, unwilling to admit he shouldn't have sneaked out, he leaned close to the Queen Mother's ear and whispered, "Next time I go out to play, I'll secretly tell Mother."
The Queen Mother couldn't hold back anymore and patted his little butt: "Do you know how worried and how much I missed you?"
Yun Heng wrapped his arms around her neck: "I missed Mother too!"
"How much?"
"Really, really much!"
The Queen Mother held her son, examining him closely. Though only a few days apart, the little one hadn't changed much, but she felt as if they had been separated for a long time.
Seeing his mother wasn't angry anymore, the little one eagerly recounted his experiences along the journey: "I went to many, many places, met many, many Immortals, and their mounts…"
"I have a good friend named Ling'er, a plump little dragon cub."
"I also saw the Great Peacock." The little one spread his arms wide, "So, so big, even more beautiful than the Goddess of the Moon."
The Queen Mother teased him with a smile: "The Goddess of the Moon would be sad if she heard that."
"The Goddess of the Moon is also very beautiful," Yun Heng quickly corrected himself, then chuckled twice: "But the Great Peacock is just a tiny bit more beautiful than her. You mustn't tell her!"
The Queen Mother adored her precious son too much, pinching his little face: "Alright, I won't tell her!"
The Jade Emperor came to Jasper Pool originally to discuss important matters with the Queen Mother. But Yun Heng kept chirping incessantly, leaving him no chance to interject.
The mother and son happily embraced each other, making the ruler of the Three Realms seem somewhat superfluous.
Yun Heng took out the peacock feather again and showed it to the Queen Mother: "Mother, look, this was given to me by the Great Peacock. He told me to carry it with me, and if I'm in danger, he will come to protect me. He also said that after he finishes his spiritual practice, he will come to the Heavenly Court to see me."
The little one had previously been upset because Kong Xuan defeated Yang Jian, but after going out to meet him once, he returned chattering about the peacock nonstop, completely forgetting about his cousin.
The little one carefully put away the feather: "I also wanted him to be my master, but he wasn't willing."
The Jade Emperor set down his tea cup and chuckled: "You really should have a master to properly discipline you."
Yun Heng tilted his head: "A master like the Great Peacock?"
The Jade Emperor teased him: "What if I send you to Lingshan to study under a master? You won't be able to see Father Emperor and Mother ever again. Would you go?"
The little one clung tightly to the Queen Mother: "No! I can't not see Mother."
He only said he couldn't bear not seeing Mother, not mentioning Father Emperor at all.
The more the Jade Emperor listened, the more displeased he became. With a stern face, he said: "In a few days, after I finish handling the celestial duties, I will first take you to Tushita Palace to meet Taishang Laojun. Then I will find you a master who will come to the Heavenly Court every day to watch over you. Let's see if you still dare to run around."