Master Bai! This Celestial Fox Spirit Is Asking For Divorce-Chapter 385: Episode 41.5 Thrilling Rainy Morning
Soon, the news of Lee Jinhyuk’s arrest reached the ears of the Cardinals.
In a dim, subterranean conference room, seven shadowy figures sat around a massive round table. The largest seat remained ominously empty.
"That idiot!" the Cardinal of Envy, Rin, snapped. His teeth are grinding intensely. "I told him to be careful after we managed to outsmart the Hunter Association. And yet he still managed to screw up!"
If Shen Yuan could see his favourite enemy now, he wouldn’t recognize him. The omega necromancer’s bubble–gum pink hair was gone, dyed into a raven-black curtain that sharpened his already pallid face. He looked like a starving teenage vampire.
The stench of death rolling off him was stronger, sharper, and far more unsettling than when he was imprisoned in the Diyu.
"You can’t really blame him," the Cardinal of Avarice drawled. Calm, composed, the opposite of Rin’s explosive temperament.
"Chairman Mao—old, musty fox that he is—acts like a harmless geriatric buffoon. Even I would be disarmed if he approached me with a business opportunity."
"There’s no need to panic. We prepared for situations like this. He’ll kill himself—he was trained to. Though the fact that he got captured is... unfortunate."
"This old fool!" Rin burst out. "Do you even know how the Hunter Association handles prisoners? They forbid suicide. They don’t even let them scratch themselves! Look at that stupid trainee from your faction. That maggot summoner didn’t even have scars when we retrieved him!"
Avarice’s face twisted with restrained anger.
"You can insult my people all you like, but don’t expect me to tolerate you raising your voice at me. I am not below you, and you absolutely don’t stand below me. Tone down your bitchiness, Rin."
The already frigid air grew colder.
"Ahahahaha! What a stupid bitch!"
A light, mocking voice echoed across the room. It came from a female beta wearing a black, pointy hat.
"Lust!" Rin spat, standing. One look made it clear they were not on friendly terms.
"What?" Lust smirked, arms crossed. "Judging from your tone, you seem to think we’ll all band together to save your little lackey."
Her smile thinned. "Did you forget it was because of you that our plans were forced forward? We exposed ourselves early thanks to your stupidity, and we’re still cleaning up the mess."
Her voice dropped, low and dangerous.
"Some people already find you an eyesore. So stop acting like a bitch and shut up."
Rin swallowed his fury. He never asked anyone to save him anyway.
Bang! Bang!
The tall woman seated to the right of the head seat—Pride—slammed her palms against the black wooden table. Her imposing height and savage aura made her look like a barbarian queen who wandered out of a mythical wilderness.
At once, every trace of hostility vanished, crushed under her presence.
Rin dropped back into his chair. The Cardinal of Lust folded her hands neatly, her smirk dying on her lips.
"That’s enough," The Cardinal of Pride said, voice steady and heavy. Her authority pressed against the room like a physical weight.
"The matter of Lee Jinhyuk will be left cold for now." Her words echoed off the stone walls.
"He’s not important enough to warrant saving, and we absolutely cannot send anyone to kill him in secret."
Her gaze slid briefly to Rin and the silently brooding Bruno Rivera—an unspoken warning.
Rin bit back a retort. Bruno simply hummed in agreement, though his expression said he wasn’t confident about another break-in at the Diyu.
"The Hunter Association is a hot rod right now—charging forward, ready to run down anyone who crosses its path," Pride continued. "If we attack them directly, we’re just handing over our people to be arrested."
She leaned forward.
"Instead of wasting manpower trying to topple the Hunter Association, we return to our true objective."
Pride’s words and Bruno Rivera’s unspoken thoughts collided—forming something new.
"It’s time," Pride declared, "to give everything we have... and search for the vessel of our Tailed Guardian."
With those words, another incoming storm is brewing for Country C.
~~~
In City B, September rains were nothing unusual.
But today, thunder boomed and lightning cracked across the sky, making parents hesitate about sending their children to school—especially the little ones who easily fell sick.
Inside the Bai residence, a 116-inch LED TV blared the morning news, drowning out the soft pattering of rain against the glass walls overlooking the garden.
It was six a.m., and Yanyan was already dressed in his school uniform. His backpack sat on the couch beside him, together with a neatly folded raincoat.
He is ready for another day.
But his Daddy and Papa had told him to wait.
So, he watched the news while his rotund pet panda lay on its back near the couch, completely knocked out from a food coma.
His parents were nowhere in sight. They were "getting dressed"—or so they claimed.
"Yangyang," Yanyan whispered to his panda, "did you see Papa and Daddy? Are they dressed yet? Why do they always take forever when bathing and changing clothes?"
He bombarded the poor animal with questions born of boredom and confusion.
Ever since that dinner with his grandparents, Yanyan noticed something strange: Papa and Daddy often disappeared together into their room... and stayed there for a long time.
Suspiciously long.
Yanyan puffed his cheeks. They must be playing without him. What else is the reason for his Daddy’s rosy cheeks and bright smiles every time they came out of their room?
"I don’t even know if I’m going to school today. Should we go look for them?" he asked, tapping his panda’s head.
The panda wobbled upright just in time for Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng to finally emerge.
Both were impeccably dressed.
Bai Tingfeng wore his custom black suit—his standard guild-business attire. Shen Yuan, dressed more simply in a fiery red turtleneck and earth-toned pants, clearly planned to stay home after the school drop-off.
"Yanyan," Shen Yuan called gently. "I spoke with your school. Classes aren’t suspended—the rain isn’t heavy enough. Are you ready to go?"
Yanyan hopped toward them. "Yes! I’m ready, Daddy!"
But then his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I have a question. Papa, Daddy... what were you doing? Why did you take so long to get dressed? You’re usually fast."
He squished his lips into a flat line. "Are you playing without me?"
Both men stiffened.
Yes, they were playing—but it’s absolutely not the kind of playing a child should know about!
"No! We weren’t playing," Shen Yuan said instantly, flashing a too-bright smile. "We were just—uh—"
He could not bring himself to admit they had been doing intimate things in the bathroom. That would be wildly inappropriate. He needed an excuse... but his mind was blank.
"Your Daddy had another bout of morning sickness," Bai Tingfeng said smoothly. "I was helping him."
Shen Yuan nodded with a grateful smile.
"Really?" Yanyan asked. He inspected them with round eyes, but seeing them agree in perfect sync, he accepted it.
"If Daddy isn’t feeling well, then you don’t have to take me to school. Daddy can rest at home."
Both fathers blinked—stunned by the uncharacteristic kindness.
Shen Yuan felt his heart soften. He wasn’t sick at all! And he really wanted to drop Yanyan off.
"I’m fine now, Yanyan. No need to worry," Shen Yuan assured him.
Before Yanyan could insist—because stubbornness was hereditary—Shen Yuan grabbed the backpack and lunchbox and hurried toward the door.
"Come on! We’re running late!" he called, sliding into the waiting car.
Bai Tingfeng lifted his son into his arms. "See? Daddy’s fine. He’s been well-rested and pampered lately. No need to worry."
Yanyan squinted up at him, suspicious.
They said Daddy was sick.
Now, Daddy wasn’t sick.
So... which one was it?
Yanyan is quite invested in his parents’ mysterious rendezvous in their room. But unfortunately, it’s time for school, so he quickly ran to his panda and hugged it.
"You must watch over the house while I am gone, okay? I will be back later, Yangyang."
The boy then followed his parents to their car.
And the family of three set off to Qilin Academy.
"It is easy to get sick in this kind of weather, so I expect you to always stay indoors."
"And if you are going to the canteen, you should make sure to use your raincoat and umbrella."
Bai Tingfeng and Shen Yuan alternately give some advice to their son.
They cannot help it. It was raining heavily. And they just wanted to keep Yanyan healthy no matter what.
"I will listen to Papa and Daddy." Thankfully, Yanyan was such a delight. He always listens to his worrywart parents. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng had trust in their boy’s character, so when they heard that statement, they no longer nagged and enjoyed a quiet trip.
However, who would have thought that when everything is going as usual despite the weather, they would receive some important news?
"The class is suspended?" Shen Yuan involuntarily raised his voice when the guard flagged them to stop and delivered the news.
They are already in the Qilin Academy, only a few meters from the parking lot. Why did such news come so late?!
Shen Yuan’s face is sour, very understandably.
"The Office of the Mayor issued the class suspension just a few minutes ago, Master Shen. They said something about kidnapping incidents? It was very weird and very unsettling. The teachers and students are all going home now as we speak." The guard told them.
Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng locked eyes.
