SLLBTT Chapter 82
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
⋇⊶⊰Chapter 82⊱⊷⋇
Upon hearing the tragic news, the Snow Wolf King quickly walked to Xing Palace to inspect. Bai Lingling and Liu Jiao followed.
Inside the palace, Bai Lingling said, "I'm sure Leng Jiao must have been greatly shocked. I'll check on him first."
The Snow Wolf King nodded. "Go ahead."
Bai Lingling went to the residence of the Sheep Noble Consort.
The Snow Wolf King and Liu Jiao went to the main hall and summoned the royal physician.
The Goat Doctor, trembling like a grain shaken in a sieve, knelt and declared, "I deserve a thousand deaths!"
The Snow Wolf King said, "The Wolf Noble Lady is a pure-blooded divine snow wolf, protected by divine powers. How could he die due to difficult childbirth?"
"Because this pregnancy seemed like a 'divine conception'," the Goat Doctor spoke cautiously.
"A divine conception?" The Snow Wolf King was taken aback.
The Goat Doctor simply said, "It seems the Great King's wolf lineage was too powerful, and the Wolf Noble Lady's body couldn't handle it. Since last month, he had been constantly fatigued and gradually became thinner."
"If such a thing happened, why wasn't I informed?" the Snow Wolf King demanded angrily.
"Forgive me, Great King," the Goat Doctor replied, "At the time, it seemed like the Wolf Noble Lady just had a poor appetite and was losing weight. And as you mentioned, it's usually easy for a divine snow wolf to conceive and give birth. After all, they are robust. If a thigh is cut off, just apply a hemostatic patch, and it would heal. Giving birth shouldn't be a problem. So, I neglected it."
"What's happening now?" The Snow Wolf King couldn't believe it. "Is he really dead?"
"Yes," the Goat Doctor expressed sorrow, "During childbirth, we noticed something amiss. The room was filled with a sweet fragrance, and there were strange signs. After the child was born, the Wolf Noble Lady immediately lost his spiritual powers, withering away and distorting, resembling nothing more than wolf fur."
"Ah!" Liu Jiao shuddered at the thought. "That's too horrifying."
"As the Wolf Noble Lady lost his spiritual powers, the child, on the other hand, was brimming with divine magic, unlike ordinary infants. In just two days, the child had grown to over 1.7 meters!"
Liu Jiao, frightened, exclaimed, "Over 1.7 meters!"
The Snow Wolf King was utterly astonished. "Such bizarre occurrences?"
Thus, guided by the Goat Doctor, the Snow Wolf King, accompanied by Liu Jiao, went to the nursery.
The nursery was filled with baby supplies, but there was no baby, only a tall man over 1.7 meters. He had a handsome face, but his expression was vacant, resembling someone with intellectual disabilities.
The Goat Doctor said, "This is the prince."
The Snow Wolf King, looking at the newly born "prince," couldn't help but be surprised. A bizarre child born of a divine snow wolf and the Son of Heaven?
The Goat Doctor said to the prince, "Prince, look, this is your daddy!"
The Snow Wolf King quickly waved his hands, "Hey, hey, don't say such things."
The prince glanced at the Snow Wolf King, still with a vacant expression, devoid of emotion.
The Snow Wolf King asked, "Is the child eating normally?"
"Not quite normal," the Goat Doctor said, "He can eat a whole cow in one meal."
A servant inquired, "Great King, should we give the prince a name for blessings?"
The Snow Wolf King pondered and said, "When this prince was born, there were various auspicious signs, perhaps indicating a blessing from the heavens! I'll name him Nafu, but I'm afraid it might not be enough to contain his destiny."
The servant smiled. "The Great King is the ruler of the nation, how could you not contain it?"
"Let the Son of Heaven bestow the name!" the Snow Wolf King suggested.
So, the Snow Wolf King had the Goat Doctor compile a report, submitting it to the Heavenly Palace, explaining the cause of the Snow Wolf Noble Lady's death and requesting the Son of Heaven to bestow a name upon the Snow Wolf King's son.
The Son of Heaven publicly replied, "Such things indeed! I find it hard to believe. Bring the body of the Wolf Noble Lady and the Snow Wolf King's son to the Heavenly Palace. I want to see with my own eyes."
Since the Son of Heaven had spoken, the Snow Wolf King rightfully took the prince to the Heavenly Palace.
As the Chief Guard, Liu Jiao naturally accompanied them.
The night before the departure, the Snow Wolf King drafted an edict, telling Lanmao, "Tomorrow, have the officials from the Ministry of Rites announce this."
Lanmao, looking at the edict, was quite surprised. "This is...?"
Liu Jiao curiously asked, "What's the edict about?"
The Snow Wolf King replied, "It's an edict allowing the release of the unfavored concubine from the palace, resolving a concern for Bai Lingling."
Lanmao, puzzled, said, "Why issue such an edict in such haste?"
The Snow Wolf King sighed. "I fear that with the death of the Wolf Noble Lady, the Son of Heaven might be displeased. He may seek someone to blame. Leng Jiao could be implicated, so I thought it better to release him from the palace for his own good."
Blue Cat frowned. "But if the Son of Heaven truly wants to vent his anger, even if Leng Jiao leaves the palace, it might not guarantee his safety."
The Snow Wolf King said, "Let Bai Lingling handle this. He will surely have his ways."
Upon hearing the news that Leng Jiao would leave the palace, Bai Lingling was so delighted that he couldn't sleep the entire night. As soon as Leng Jiao settled in at the inn after leaving the palace, Bai Lingling brought a basket of grass carp to him.
Meanwhile, the Snow Wolf King and the others set off for the Heavenly Palace.
Along the way, the newly-born snow wolf prince remained silent, with a vacant expression. The Snow Wolf King said, "Letting the Son of Heaven know he lost a wife but gained a mentally challenged son will surely spark his anger."
At that moment, a falcon descended from the sky, carrying a USB drive in its beak, and handed it to the Snow Wolf King.
The Snow Wolf King took the USB drive, furrowing his brow. "I recognize you. You're one of the Bird Guards from the Bai manor."
The falcon replied, "I was before, but not anymore."
With that, the falcon bid farewell and soared high into the sky, flying away alone.
The falcon originally belonged to the Bai manor as one of the Bird Guards. However, Bai Lingling, concerned about Leng Jiao's safety at the palace, had the falcon follow Leng Jiao, listening to his commands. Leng Jiao, sensing something amiss with the Wolf Noble Lady, discreetly observed him.
On the Wolf Noble Lady's side, everything remained calm, except for a few days ago when he suddenly began showing signs of labor, a month earlier than expected.
Leng Jiao found it peculiar and discovered that, before going into labor, the Wolf Noble Lady had unexpectedly used the internet.
Difficult childbirth and still surfing the web?
Naturally, Leng Jiao wouldn't let such a clue slip by. He obtained the internet records of the Wolf Noble Lady and discovered that he had sent an encrypted video to the Heavenly Palace before going into labor.
Unable to decrypt it himself, Leng Jiao had the Falcon Guard deliver this information to the Snow Wolf King.
On his car, the Snow Wolf King took out a laptop and inserted the USB drive to check. Only Hong Huli and Liu Jiao were in the car. Liu Jiao, observing the actions, had nothing to say, but Hong Huli asked, "Does the Great King happen to know the password?"
The Snow Wolf King said, "Bai Qingsi sent the video to the Heavenly Palace, presumably to the Son of Heaven. I'm familiar with the encryption methods the Son of Heaven often uses."
Most people have their commonly used passwords and rarely change them, providing an opportunity for acquaintances to exploit. For someone like the Snow Wolf King, a familiar face to the Son of Heaven, unlocking the video was relatively easy.
The video opened, revealing Bai Qingsi's face covered in blood.
With tears and blood on his face, Bai Qingsi cried out, "It's Bai Xiaoxiao—if I die, he's the one who killed me—he can't tolerate me—"
Watching the scene, the Snow Wolf King's expression chilled, quickly ordering, "Stop the car!"
At the Snow Wolf King's command, the convoy quickly came to a halt.
The Snow Wolf King opened the car door and pushed Liu Jiao out.
Startled, Liu Jiao glanced back at the Snow Wolf King, nervously biting his tail.
The Snow Wolf King gazed tenderly at Liu Jiao, patting his head, and said, "You can go now."
Confused, Liu Jiao asked, "Where am I going?"
The Snow Wolf King replied, "Go find Bai Lingling."
"Why should I find him?"
Smiling, the Snow Wolf King said, "Just go when I tell you. Not obedient?"
Though obedient, Liu Jiao felt something was amiss. He took a few steps away, then turned to glance at the Snow Wolf King. There, the Snow Wolf King leaned against the car door, looking at him with an extremely gentle expression.