More than ten days of cozy, comfy camp life zipped by. Everyone’s main routine? Dote on our adorable genius baby, and check on the enemy to make sure it’s safe out there.
"Heeheehee!" The little guy giggled away in Eli Crane's arms, loving every second of being fussed over.
"Little Seven, let me hold you, okay?" Today, Eli Crane and Liam Willow were on baby duty, while the rest were out scouting. Liam’s always on the roster—everyone else rotates.
Honestly? Liam Willow is hands-down the best babysitter of all seven husbands. Maybe it’s all those books he’s read, but he’s got diaper changes and baby-wrangling down to an art.
But his loyal sidekick Colin Kerr? Even though he’s been told to chill (that was about Ivy!), now seeing Liam cradle and pamper another ‘man’—even a baby—Colin’s losing his mind with jealousy.
Butterfly Rogue tried to talk him down, explaining, "That’s our son, duh! Of course Liam’s gonna be devoted!" But Colin just exploded: "That’s Adrian Night’s kid, not his! How can he be so gentle with someone else’s baby, so sweet—he even kisses his face every day! I can’t take it anymore!" With a roar, Colin stormed off to the front lines, totally triggered.
But Ivy Shen didn’t expect Ethan Chu, Emperor of Chu, to shamelessly fan the flames. Right as Colin was about to go supernova, Ethan told him, "That baby isn’t Liam Willow’s, so why’s he fussing over him? Why’s he so nice?"
Only one reason—he likes men. But specifically, the bold and heroic kind! The baby’s first cry was so loud and thunderous, it shook the whole camp and everyone’s hearts.
If you want him to notice you, you’ve gotta make your name echo across the battlefield—just like the baby’s first cry!
"Alright then, I’ll give you a shot! The snow’s almost melted, the next battle’s about to kick off. Go spill your hot blood on the field, make everyone cheer for you, go wild—then he’ll have to see you!"
So Colin Kerr barged in, totally ignoring Ivy Shen, and declared to Liam Willow, "Once my name thunders across the land just like his, you have to treat me the same!" Then he really did rush off to the front lines, teaming up with General Nee to slay enemies.
They made a legendary, unstoppable duo. Even before the snow fully melted, their squad had pushed forward another ten-plus li! Ivy was already prepping to move camp up.
Ethan Chu—seriously, this guy’s a master at using people. Ivy Shen was speechless!
Not only did the five husbands scout out the enemy, they even started setting up the new tents ahead. Lanny and Pinkie got dragged over, plus midwives Madam Yin and Madam Bao—everyone was checking the new layout.
Madam Jin stayed behind with Ivy Shen for easy baby care. Ivy knew this move was probably the last—since it meant getting even closer to Soaring Phoenix Realm.
The closer they got, the more dangerous things became. If it really came down to a siege, Ivy would have to send Liam Willow and the baby back to the palace first—only when they were safe could she go all-out on the battlefield.
But honestly, who knew when the siege would actually start? For now, it was a waiting game.
"Little Snowball!" Liam Willow grinned, teasing the wide-eyed baby in his arms. But as soon as he said it, the little guy pouted, shooting a grumpy look off to the side.
Liam frowned. "Honey, I don’t think Little Snowball likes his name. Every time I call him that, he gets all sulky!"
"Ignore him! He was born in a blizzard, so what else should we call him? Isn’t ‘Little Snowball’ perfect?"
"It’s perfect, it’s perfect!" Liam Willow was honestly obsessed with the nickname, but Eli Crane couldn’t help laughing—yeah, that’s a tough name for a boy to swallow.
‘Craaa—’ Suddenly, a white crane’s cry echoed from outside the tent.
Instantly, the little guy perked up—big dark eyes glued to the door, mouth stretching into a giant grin.
"What’s up, wanna see Little White?" Eli Crane teased, smiling. By now, everyone was packed up, and Liam Willow bundled the baby up tight before heading out with Eli.
The moment Little Snowball got outside, he started waving his arms and legs like crazy. Little White swooped and spun overhead, and the baby cracked up, laughing nonstop.
Ivy Shen finished packing and stepped out, just in time to see the chubby baby hand poking out of the wrappings, flapping at the air. Little White circled right next to him, and his little hand kept grabbing at its wings, giggling up a storm. The crane cawed back, clearly having a blast.
"Xin’er, Little Snowball’s got spiritual sense! Little White says he can already communicate with him," Eli Crane said with a smile.
"Huh?" Ivy Shen blinked, super curious. Was her kid really this magical?
But then—cue jaw-drop! Suddenly, with every giggle from the baby, a whole cloud of butterflies appeared out of nowhere, swirling around them in a rainbow flurry.
"Whoa, it’s winter! Where’d all these butterflies come from?" Yvonne Li gasped, and everyone left behind to pack was just as stunned.
"Little White says his happiness can summon animals—the butterflies showed up because he was laughing!" Eli Crane explained, totally calm, but his eyes sparkled with awe.
"Xin’er, this kid is unreal!" Yvonne Li blurted out again, still in shock.
Ivy Shen just stared at her little guy, speechless. Sure, he looked like Adrian Night, but his personality was a mashup of all seven dads. Like—Lanny tried to hold him, nope, not happening. But wave a gold ingot, and he’d reach out instantly—pure Caleb Miles greed.
Same thing with Madam Jin—nope. The concubines? Totally blank face. But the moment Butterfly Rogue picked him up, he broke into a huge grin. Yeah, definitely inherited Butterfly’s flirtiness.
Or when Liam Willow cuddled him while Lucian Vane brewed up poisons—the kid got all excited, waving his hands to join in. Lucian tested him with two bottles, one toxic, one safe. Nobody else could tell them apart, but the baby reached straight for the safe one, just like Lucian’s natural poison sense.
Sometimes he’d just sit there, silent and serious, listening to everyone talk—totally Liam Willow vibes.
Whenever the midwives tried to change his diaper against his will, he’d let out this epic cry—loud as a bell and packed with imperial swagger. The midwives froze, too scared to move. That’s pure Ethan Chu energy.
And he’s especially attached to Eli Crane—just like Eli, he can understand Little White’s speech.
As for his actual dad, Ivy Shen hasn’t spotted any Adrian Night traits yet—mainly because the other six guys never let Adrian get close. Every time he comes back, they all rush to snatch the baby and boot the real father out of the way.
"Miss, the little master inherited everyone’s brains—and maybe the Jade Seal helped, too. My teacher said someone else helped the late emperor with the ritual." Wind piped up, just arriving yesterday.
"Who?"
"The number one sage in the land—Master Xuanluo!"
"My teacher?" Ivy Shen blinked, then got it. "Right, Master Xuanluo’s the only one in the serpent world with real spiritual power. He can summon storms, turn beans into soldiers, transform at will. He helped my dad finish the ritual, so that beam of light must’ve been special. Maybe he pulled everyone’s best traits together—so the kid’s got all seven dads’ talents rolled into one?"
"Sounds about right."
Hearing that, Ivy Shen grinned and scooted over to her baby. "Hey, Little Snowball, hurry up and grow big! Once you can walk, I’ll hand Soaring Phoenix Realm over to you. You’ve got all our best tricks—cunning, scheming, poison skills, bird talk, you name it—so no one will ever bully you. Then I can finally go travel the world!"
The little guy in Liam Willow’s arms saw his mom’s sneaky grin and pouted, clearly onto her not-so-innocent plans.
"Looks like we’d better hurry up and take that city!" Ivy Shen said, stretching and getting busy.
Just gotta take down Dog Cao, teach this kid everything, and let him run Soaring Phoenix Realm. And if I want to travel, well, Ethan Chu’s kingdom... no problem! With a genius like this, he can manage Chu Kingdom too. If he gets bored, he can run Lyu Domain, or chill at Ice Palace, or go hang out in Endless Valley!
Bottom line—once everything’s settled, I want my freedom. No more egg-laying, ever!!!