Chapter 54.2 Paternity Test
The bloodline test Yanluo mentioned wasn’t as simple as just dropping two drops of blood into a bowl to see if they merged.…… Well, technically, that was the process, but before the test could be performed, a special kinship verification spell had to be cast to ensure the result was accurate. In this room, only Yanluo knew how to perform this ancient spell. Moreover, it worked even for foreign gods.
Venus turned to Poseidon. “Would you like to try?”
Before his pregnancy, he had only slept with Adonis, Ares, Hephaestus, and Hermes. Among them, Adonis and Ares were both forms taken by Poseidon. If the test didn’t work, Venus didn’t want to know whether it was Hephaestus or Hermes who fathered Cupid.
“I hope he’s yours,” Venus whispered.
Those words softened Poseidon’s expression.
Originally, he didn’t care whose child Cupid was and hadn’t planned on getting the test done. Even if Cupid was his, Poseidon wouldn’t show him any extra affection. He only loved Venus, but he wouldn’t love everything related to him. Even if the child was his, Poseidon saw him only as someone competing for Venus’ attention.
But Venus’ words made Poseidon feel hopeful. If Cupid was his child, he would be happy.
Because it would be the fruit of their love.
Venus hoped the child was his, and that was proof of Venus’ love for him.
For this reason, Poseidon was willing to give a little extra love to their child. Of course, all of his love would always belong to Venus.
“Alright,” Poseidon agreed to try.
What had started as a dinner gathering soon turned into a paternity test. Yanluo opened an empty bowl, poured in a bit of water from the River of Forgetfulness, closed his eyes, and chanted a spell, casting the magic into the bowl.
“Each of you, drop a drop of blood,” Yanluo instructed.
Poseidon swiftly cut his fingertip, while Cupid, after gathering his courage, bit his finger hard and let the blood fall as well.
Venus watched the scene with tension in his eyes.
The two drops of blood dispersed into the water, forming a mist that slowly began to merge……
The blood blended into one drop, blooming on the surface of the water like a rose made of blood.
Fan Wujiu was somewhat surprised but still congratulated them. “Congratulations, it’s your biological child.”
Cupid felt confused.
How could his real father be that cold, distant God of Sea?
Cupid had long been accustomed to calling Hephaestus “Father God.” He had absorbed the power of the God of Smithing, so he felt a natural closeness to Hephaestus. Not to mention, he had lived with Hephaestus during his early years. After Hephaestus disappeared with Venus for several centuries, Cupid spent more time with Dionysus and Hermes on the mountain. His impression of the God of Sea was limited to the fact that he had once taken Venus away. When he first met Poseidon, Cupid hadn’t dared to get close to him.
That man had looked so intimidating.
However, recently, Poseidon had been making an effort to bond with Cupid.
Cupid had reached adulthood in age, but his body hadn’t grown, and his temperament was still that of a child. Venus had previously taken Cupid to an amusement park, but due to lack of money and the accidental shooting, they didn’t enjoy the trip and returned early. Poseidon, however, had taken Cupid there again, using his financial power to let him enjoy the experience to the fullest. He also bought Cupid a huge pile of toys, and when they returned, Cupid was happily calling him “Dad” with every breath.
Venus had been too poor. For a while, Cupid had longingly watched the other demon children in the neighborhood play with all sorts of fun toys. Poseidon’s arrival had allowed him to finally hold his head high. With the most toys in the neighborhood, Cupid had become the leader among the children.
Venus looked out the window and saw Cupid showing off his new toys to the other kids downstairs, enthusiastically praising how wonderful his dad was and bragging that all of these toys were gifts from him.
Venus: “……”
It seemed he no longer needed to worry about their father-son relationship. Money truly was all-powerful.
Poseidon wrapped his arms around him from behind, and together they watched Cupid playing with the other children downstairs. “After buying him so many toys, that little brat finally stopped bothering you all the time.”
Venus: “……So that was your real goal.”
“Hmm.” Poseidon kissed the side of Venus’ neck. “Venus, would you like to try in the living room tonight?”
Venus closed the window. “Take it easy.”
“Isn’t Venus strong enough to handle anything?”
Venus sighed. “I’m pregnant again. Just the night you arrived.”
Poseidon’s hit rate was indeed high. He just didn’t eat seaweed that one time, and yet it had worked.
Poseidon: “……”
He rubbed his temples. “I’ll get myself sterilized tomorrow.” He didn’t want another child disrupting their live. Venus had already gone through so much during this pregnancy.
“What about this one?” Venus replied. “Just so you know, I’m not getting rid of it.” As the God of Fertility, he disliked abortion.
Poseidon’s gaze dropped to Venus’ abdomen. “This time, I’ll be here for you every step of the way.”
When Venus was carrying Cupid, Poseidon had been unable to leave the sea. All the companionship during the pregnancy had come from another god. This time, he wasn’t going to let anyone else take that role.
Soon, the residents of the apartment found out about Venus’ pregnancy. Fan Wujiu and Xie Bian sent over gifts to congratulate them, and after much thought, Yanluo reluctantly waived their rent for the month.
“The missing artifact will serve as my gift to you,” Yanluo declared.
Fan Wujiu commented, “If I were Venus, I’d be so mad I’d have a miscarriage.”
The fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, eight days after Qixi Festival.
In the living room on the first floor, Venus and Poseidon sat on the sofa watching TV. Venus was engrossed in the hottest romance drama at the time, a show that Xie Bian had recommended to him. Venus had a particular interest in all kinds of love stories. The larger screen on the first floor made it his preferred spot for watching.
Poseidon, on the other hand, had no interest in boring soap operas. He was simply there to keep Venus company.
Cupid sat on the sofa playing with the Rubik’s Cube Poseidon had bought him. He had managed to solve one side, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t complete the rest. His frustration was starting to make his halo glow with heat.
“Father, can you help me solve it?” Cupid asked, looking at Venus for help.
Venus took the Rubik’s Cube from him. “Can’t you do something this simple? Wait, I’ll have it done in a minute.”
Cupid looked at him with hopeful eyes.
Venus lowered his head, calmly twisting the cube.
One minute passed.
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes passed.
Venus’ confident smile slowly faded. He had originally thought that a child’s toy like this would be a piece of cake, something he could solve with just a few twists. But to his surprise, the Rubik’s Cube was far more difficult than he had anticipated. Now, not only could he not complete the other sides, he had even managed to completely scramble the one side Cupid had already solved and couldn’t figure out how to restore it.
With a sigh, Venus gave up and shoved the mess of a Rubik’s Cube back to Cupid. “You need to do your own work. Only then does the success feel worthwhile.”
Cupid looked down at the cube, seeing all his hard work undone and the challenge now even greater. His lips trembled, and it was clear he was about to burst into tears.
Venus’ eyelid twitched, and he quickly took the cube from Cupid and handed it to Poseidon. “Ahem, Poseidon, can you help? Our son’s about to cry.”
Poseidon had already noticed what was happening and had been waiting for Venus to ask him for help.
“You called me what?”
“Poseidon. Aren’t you called Poseidon?”
Poseidon glanced at the TV. “Think again.”
“Oh, honey, just help me out.” Venus pouted and went to kiss him on the cheek, not hiding any of his playfulness.
Only then did Poseidon turn toward him, take the cube from his hands, and twist it a few times. In just a few seconds, he restored all six sides to their uniform colors. “There. Done.”
Venus was dumbfounded.
Had he really just done that in three seconds???
Why was the gap between gods so vast?
“How did you do it so quickly?” Venus was deeply shocked.
“You just need to remember the restoration formula. It’s in the Rubik’s Cube manual. I glanced at it when I bought it,” Poseidon explained. “You just follow the steps: restore the top cross, bottom edges, bottom corners, edge blocks, top edges, top corners, and top edges again. The formula is RUR’U’, R’F, R2U’R’U’……”
“Wait, let’s drop this topic,” Venus got a headache just listening.
A Rubik’s Cube was this difficult? He’d never be able to learn it in this lifetime.
“Playing with a Rubik’s Cube?” Fan Wujiu descended the stairs, seeing the cube in their hands. “What’s so fun about a three-layer cube? Xiao Bai and I play with a seventeen-layer one.”
Venus: “……”
Was it him who had a problem with his IQ, or was it them?
“Are you two heading out for work?” Venus asked as he noticed Fan Wujiu and Xie Bian had both changed into their impermanence uniforms, which gave off a strange, eerie vibe.
Being an impermanence wasn’t easy. They had to work overtime late at night.
“No, today is the Zhongyuan Festival, our Chinese Halloween. There’s a hundred ghosts procession outside, and we need to patrol to prevent any humans from encountering spirits and causing trouble,” Fan Wujiu explained.
Although they said it was a patrol, it was also a chance to join in the festivities, as the Zhongyuan Festival was a holiday for the spirits. While the Black and White Impermance were gods, not ghosts, they could still join in the fun.
Xie Bian urged, “Let’s go quickly. King Yan has already been out for quite a while.”
“Oh.” Venus had no interest in the ghost festival. Most of the ghosts were ugly, and as a God of Beauty, he had no desire to see anything hideous. He’d rather stay on the couch and continue watching TV.
After finishing a few episodes, the door suddenly opened.
It was likely the Black and White Impermanence or King Yan, as they had keys to the apartment.
The family of three on the couch looked toward the door, only to see an unexpected sight.
In the moonlight, two sahdowy figures appeared…… ah, no, neither had shadows, but they were a pair, and though they looked quite out of place, they somehow seemed perfectly matched.
But it wasn’t the Black and White Impermanence.
Yanluo was dressed in fine robes, wearing a crane-feathered cape, a crown atop his head, his dark hair flowing like silk, his features sharp and clear. In one hand, he was holding a fan, and in the other, a wolf-hair brush scroll. He looked like a noble young master from an ancient family.
The other figure was wearing a black robe, holding a scythe, most of their face concealed by a hood. Only a pale, gaunt chin and a flash of blood-red lips were visible.
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