The thunder still grumbled in the heavens, but its rage had passed, leaving only silence over the Chen courtyard.
Bai Chen stood like a spear rooted in stone, white hair gleaming in the fading stormlight. His brother's honeyed words still echoed — pitiful, heavy with false sorrow, wrapped in loyalty like silk hiding a blade. The crowd had swallowed it whole.
But Bai Chen? He had seen through it.
Fear. That was what trembled behind his brother's mask. Fear that Bai Chen had returned alive. Fear that he might reclaim what once belonged to him.
And yet, Bai Chen smiled anyway.
He bent down, lifted his cute handsome son into his arms like a baby , and carried him away. Behind them, disciples whispered of brotherly unity, servants wept with relief, and the clan exhaled as if a storm had passed.
But the Heavenly Dao did not roar.
The Heavenly Dao waited.
Homecoming
The doors closed. Silence. Just father and son.
Xuan sat straight at the table, black hair hanging loose, his young face carrying the stubbornness of a child and the brightness of someone older than his years.
For a boy barely sixteen, his eyes were too sharp. Like a sword still waiting to be forged.
"Father," he asked softly, " where were you gone so long father? The clan spread rumors. Some even said you were… dead."
Bai Chen blinked twice, rubbed the back of his neck sweating , and let out an awkward laugh like a fool. "Dead you say? Hah. Your father is too stubborn for that son . I just… found a cave. Slept for a few months there."
His son's brows drew together. "A cave?"
"Fine, fine." Bai Chen waved his hand, his tone growing more serious. "It was an ambush. They wanted me gone. I escaped, hid, lived on bitter grass and stale water like some half-dead monk. Not very heroic, eh?"
The boy frowned deeper. "But… why hide so long?"
Bai Chen leaned closer to him, lowering his voice volume as though sharing a secret. "Because swords are not the sharpest thing in this world. Words are sharper. If I returned too soon, the wolves would've torn at my throat. Sometimes… you must act weak, so they lose interest in biting."
The boy nodded slowly. Thoughtful. Too thoughtful for his age.
Bai Chen chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Look at you. Only sixteen, already thinking like a little minister. If you start reciting poetry, I'll faint on the spot."
Xuan blushed, trying to hide his smile.
Inside, Bai Chen's heart whispered: This son… so bright. So handsome. Like those protagonists in the novels I once mocked. Maybe this is what it means to be the son of Heaven.
Aloud, he only said, "Remember this, my son: we don't always need to roar to show strength. Sometimes silence wins bigger battles."
The boy nodded again, serious this time.
Meanwhile....
The Warm Meal
The storm outside had passed. Lamps glowed warmly. Father and son ate together — roasted meat steaming, rice fluffy and fragrant, fruit juice cold and sweet.
For a rare moment, Bai Chen felt peace. Not the fleeting kind found in caves or battlefields, but the quiet, human peace of chopsticks clinking against bowls. The sight of his son gnawing happily on a chicken leg Was new to him .
If he closed his eyes, he could almost forget the world outside. Almost.
And then it came.
A faint green flicker across his vision.
[System Alert: Host in danger.]
Bai Chen nearly choked on his rice as surprise or some shock reaction cuaght him. He coughed, slammed down his chopsticks, and glanced around the places of the room like a cornered beast in a group or brink of survival. What is this ?
"Danger? Here? Already?!"
His eyes narrowed again. "Assassins? Poison?"
He sniffed the roasted meat suspiciously. Perfect. He sniffed the juice. Sweet. He eyed the fruit. Untouched.
"What, do you want me to starve?!" he hissed under his breath.
[Not assassins. Not poison.]
"Then what?!"
[The danger… is sitting across from you.]
Bai Chen froze. Slowly — painfully slowly his gaze slid toward his son in sense of worries.
Xuan was chewing noisily meat of chicken tits, chicken bone clutched in one hand, juice dripping down his chin as oil was well dripping, completely oblivious.
"…My son?" Bai Chen whispered, horrified.
[Affirmative. Displaying information.]
A glowing panel unfurled before his mind:
—
Name: Chen Xuan (Bai Chen's son)
Past Identity: Heaven Destroyer – An Overlord who shook the Heavens.
Fate: Died to Tribulation.
Current Status: Reincarnated as Bai Chen's son. Potential threat to Heavenly Dao.
—
The chopsticks clattered from his hand. His jaw nearly unhinged.
"Wait… wait, wait, WAIT!" His voice cracked. "You're telling me this brat—this brat chewing bones like a puppy—is the Heaven Destroyer?!"
Xuan blinked, chicken leg halfway to his mouth with huge mouth open then he asked. "Father? Why are you staring at me like that? Do I… have sauce on my face?"
Bai Chen coughed violently, waving his hands as though fanning away ghosts. "No! No, nothing! Eat! Eat more, grow strong!"
Inside, his mind roared: Heavenly Dao, are you kidding me?! Out of all children—MY son reincarnates as the lunatic who once tried to overthrow the heavens?!
The system's voice was merciless: [Correction. He was not a lunatic. He was your greatest threat.]
Bai Chen slapped his forehead. Wonderful. Perfect. I'm the Heavenly Dao, and I'm raising the very brat who once tried to kill me. If this were a novel, the readers would already be throwing rotten fruit at me.i would be blessed with a contract soon. That's was all his mind thinking.
Fatherly Panic
He poured himself another cup of juice and downed it like wine. His hand trembled. His lip twitched.
Not in battle. Not in tribulation. But from high blood pressure caused by my own son. This is how the Heavenly Dao dies.i guess life is really unfair.
Across the table, Xuan grinned like a puppy. "This chicken is amazing, Father. We should eat like this every day."
Bai Chen's eye twitched. "Eat, eat, eat! Eat the whole chicken if you like! Just don't… don't destroy the heavens while you're at it."
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Nothing. Have some fruit." He shoved a peach across the table. "Yes. Fruit is good. Strengthens qi flow. Eat more fruit!"
The boy bit into it happily with peace, juice dripping down his chin good thing he didn't had a beard and washed his body. . His smile was so bright it almost burned Bai Chen's heart. Like melting a ice cream of chocolate.
And Bai Chen — Heavenly Dao, cultivator, survivor of a tio forest — sat there with his face buried in his palm, muttering to himself: "This is my life now. I'm the father of the Heaven Destroyer. Congratulations, Bai Chen. You've won the lottery of madness."
The Heavenly Dao's Patience
Later, when Xuan finally went to his room to sleep, Bai Chen sat alone in the quiet hall. The lamp burned low. His chopsticks lay abandoned,and his cup is empty.
He stared into the dim light, whispering, "The clan doesn't know yet. The world doesn't know. If they find out… they'll try to kill him. Or fear him. Or worse."What should I do.
He leaned back, lips curling into a smirk.
Then he decided.To say those good words
"But he's my boy now Currently. Mine. Heaven couldn't kill him last time. Let's see if it can touch him while he's under my roof." And change his perspective.
The thunder outside rolled again. Quiet, almost approving.
And Bai Chen, the Heavenly Dao himself, raised his cup in mock toast.
"To fate," he muttered, "and to the son who was supposed to kill me. Let's see who laughs last."