Chapter 428: Chapter 428 : Negotiating With Fate

Zhang Fengxi stared at his son as if he had just encountered a ghost. The latter tilted his head to the side and gave him a suspicious look.

"You seem oddly familiar," Zhang Mingrui remarked. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"I... I... Uh, I..."

Zhang Mingrui’s eyes scanned this unknown boy in front of him from top to bottom.

"Why do you have no markings?" He asked.

"Mar-Markings?"

"Yeah, like my tiger ears or tails," Zhang Mingrui pointed at his ear. "See? These markings tell everyone that I am a tiger."

"I... Uh..."

"Wait, are you a human child?" Zhang Mingrui’s eyes inexplicably lit up from excitement. He had never seen a human child before!

"No," Zhang Fengxi said.

"Oh."

Zhang Mingrui’s face visibly fell.

"Wait, then what are you?"

A vein popped at Zhang Fengxi’s temple. Had this son of his always been this curious about others or was he just this unfortunate?

By a stroke of luck or unluck, more people poured out of the Longjing Palace.

Lady Song emerged with Xie Junjie, the little boy’s hand clasped in hers.

When Xie Junjie caught sight of Zhang Fengxi, he narrowed his eyes at the other little boy in suspicion.

Lady Song gave Zhang Fengxi one look before she gasped and cried out, "Feng...!!!"

In return, Fengxi too cried out, "No!!!"

Thankfully, Lady Song was quick to react.

"... Fengyu..."

Zhang Mingrui and Xie Junjie repeated in unison, "Fengyu?"

"Yes, hohohoho~"

Lady Song let go of Xie Junjie and pulled Zhang Fengxi to her side.

"A distant relative of Zhang family."

"Daddy’s name is Zhang Fengxi," Xie Junjie remarked. "This little boy must be in the same generational level as Daddy?"

If Zhang Fengxi were in his adult body, he would love to commend Xie Junjie on his sharp mind and impeccable instincts.

Right now, just for today, he wished that Xie Junjie was not as smart.

"A distant cousin!" Lady Song’s voice went up one pitch higher. "A distant cousin of your father, yes!"

Zhang Mingrui and Xie Junjie exchanged confused looks.

"But we have met all of Daddy’s cousins," Zhang Mingrui said.

"A VERY, VERY, distant cousin!" Lady Song emphasized the word "very" repeatedly in panic.

The elder woman broke into a nervous giggle.

"Mingrui and Junjie, why don’t you play in your bedroom for a while? Fengyu must have brought some news for me and your grandfather, hohoho~"

Zhang Fengxi could feel four lines of sight drilling into his back as he was dragged into the palace by his mother.

Lady Song did not dare to utter another word as they rushed through the corridors.

The door to Zhang Zhiyuan’s study was pushed open hastily, prompting the elder man to raise his head.

"Dear, what’s wrong?"

Panting heavily, Lady Song closed the door behind them before she marched toward Zhang Zhiyuan’s desk with Zhang Fengxi in tow.

Lady Song lifted Zhang Fengxi by his armpits and held him up before the palace master.

"This happened!"

Zhang Zhiyuan’s mouth fell open.

He blinked at Zhang Fengxi several times, and then he mouthed, "Fengxi...?"

Little Zhang Fengxi shot his father an uneasy smile.

"Hi, Father."

"Fengxi, what the hell happened??? Why did you turn into a child???" Zhang Zhiyuan lowered his voice into an urgent whisper.

"It’s a long story," Zhang Fengxi quipped. "Basically, this happened."

He rolled up his sleeves and showed his parents the markings of the "Binding Seal Of Heaven".

Lady Song’s jaw went slack in amazement. She followed up with a smack at Zhang Fengxi’s head.

"Bad boy!"

"OWWWWW! Mother, why did you hit me???" Zhang Fengxi cried out while holding his head with both hands.

"This seal is a punishment given to those who commit serious, irreversible crimes in another realm. What have you done, Fengxi?" Zhang Zhiyuan’s face was carved with concern.

"I have... I may have changed someone else’s fate in the Human Realm," Zhang Fengxi answered weakly. "But I did not do it intentionally, I swear!!!"

A gasp escaped Lady Song, followed by another round of hitting.

"You bad, bad boy!!!"

"Owww, Mother!!! What the heck? Stop hitting me!!!" Zhang Fengxi ran around the study to escape his mother’s wrath.

"Just how else can you accidentally change someone else’s fate? You must have been cheating on Little Yu! Oh, my poor son-in-law!"

Zhang Fengxi rolled hard with his eyes.

Yes, he had been cheating on Xie Jianyu, but it was with him, not with other people!

"That can’t be the only transgression that put the seal into effect, Mother!" Zhang Fengxi howled.

Lady Song yanked at Zhang Fengxi’s tiny arms. She knelt before him, her face inches from his, her gaze boring into his like a searing flame.

"Tell me, which woman fell pregnant from your irresponsible action?"

"No one!" Zhang Fengxi snapped. "I didn’t bed anyone at the Human Realm!"

To be exact, he tried to sleep with Qiao Wei several times, but the latter kept pushing him away.

But it was Qiao Wei. It was Xie Jianyu!

"Okay, Dear, let’s trust Fengxi. I am sure that he did not cheat on the Crown Prince. Whatever his transgressions were, he is now back at the Heavenly Realm. Let’s focus on getting rid of the seal."

Zhang Fengxi’s knotted chest unraveled with a sigh of relief.

His father’s words gave him a glimmer of hope.

"Father, how do I get rid of the seal?" Zhang Fengxi demanded to know. He needed to get back to Qiao Wei as soon as possible.

Zhang Zhiyuan hemmed and hawed a bit before answering.

"One cannot negotiate with fate, as fate is fickle. Anything you do from this point onwards can be helpful, but it can also be destructive.

Fengxi, stay in Longjing Palace and wait until the seal is lifted from your body. That is all you can do for now."

Zhang Fengxi widened his eyes in disbelief.

"And how long can that take?"

Zhang Zhiyuan shook his head.

"No one knows. It can be hours, but it can also be years."

...

Years???

Zhang Fengxi meekly turned his head to look at his mother.

"Mother, have you seen Caihong around?"

To his knowledge, his mother was the one who took care of Caihong.

"That bird likes to disappear now and then. It left three days ago and has yet to return."

...

Basically, the Goddess took flight before Zhang Fengxi could wring her neck.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay