Chapter 26: Trouble Brewing on the Horizon

John leaned back in his chair. “So let me get this straight. You hung out with a woman late into the night yesterday… This ‘old friend’ of yours. Because of that, you left your adorable daughter with your older brother all night waiting for you to get back, and you want to make it up to her by doing whatever she wants today… and she wants to meet your friend?”

Silence on the other line. Then… “That’s about right?”

“And you can’t just call up that ‘old friend’ of yours to meet with her?”

“Of course not! Tsuki’s mother just died! What will she think if she sees me with another woman?!”

John laughed.

“What? Do you think this is a joke?”

“To be honest… yeah?”

The guy seemed to be having similar troubles to John in the past. In fact, John keenly remembered a situation that happened just like this where he had to explain to Alpha why she didn’t have a mother…

“Good luck.”

“W-Wait! You can’t just-!”

John hung up the call and blocked the number again.

It probably wouldn’t help in the long run since Kai seemed to have plenty of burner phones and John’s number saved, but it’d be enough to stop him from calling for a bit.

Placing his phone back in his pocket, John scoffed. “Trying to weasel out of your situation by dragging someone else in? Like I’d let you do that.”

If John had to deal with all of his women issue head on, then he wasn’t about to let someone else in the same situation get off scot-free when he didn’t.

—–AI|IA—–

Once more at the Celestial Jade Palace. However, this time, within a vast bedroom, filled to the brim with divine treasures, sacred manuscripts, and fragments of the laws themselves.

Inside of that room, a heaven-defying beauty held open a bag, tossing in treasures with a huff. “That man… thinking he can leave me behind like that… Who does he think he is?” Gritting her teeth, the beauty tucked a strand of her light green hair behind her ear and then stood up, walking over to a pile of divine elixirs.

Her regal emerald robes shifted behind her as she did, almost like a trail of clouds.

Narrowing her eyes, the beauty scanned the elixirs and said, “Divine Yang Pill, Devouring Yin Elixir, Yinyang Unified drop…” Muttering to herself, the beauty picked out a few of the more potent fertility elixirs and flicked them into her bag before moving onto the pile of manuscripts.

Before she could though, a low sigh echoed throughout the room.

“Yue, my jade princess.” A powerful and imposing voice called out from the doorway of the room and said, “Are you *certain* that you wish to pursue him?”

The heaven-defying beauty, Yue, glanced at the door.

A man with an imposing aura stood there. Long white hair and a flowing silver beard. Lofty, light green robes and a sash that seemed like a cloud dragon revolving around him.

Yue’s father, the Jade Emperor and the formal ruler of the Three Realms who had inherited the Heaven’s Mandate.

“Hmph. Still trying to dissuade me after all these years, Father?” Yue scoffed and then walked over to the manuscripts, scanning them for anything useful.

The Jade Emperor nodded. “Of course I am trying to dissuade you.” He sneered and said, “That scoundrel of a man isn’t worth someone as valuable as you. Moreover, the marriage contract-“

“Is something that both Master and I accepted.” Yue tossed a book titled ‘Dual Cultivation of the Divine Yin and Yang’ into her bag.

The Jade Emperor scowled. “What ‘Master’? All he did was trick you into his bedroom with the excuse that he had a divine technique that would remove your heart demon during your heavenly tribulation.”

“And he did just that.”

“By taking your-!”

Yue narrowed her eyes. “Enough, Father. You know nothing of what happened then.”

“I know enough!” Lightning crackled, and then the Jade Emperor said, “That foreign scoundrel-“

“You know *nothing*.” Yue slammed her bag shut and stood up. “And you will continue to know nothing so long as you do not accept him, Father.”

The Jade Emperor flinched and then narrowed his eyes. “…Hmph.” He spun on his heel and walked off. “So be it.” After taking a few steps, he paused and said, “…You truly are going to pursue him across the void?”

“I am.”

“Then…” The Jade Emperor resolutely walked forward and said, “From this point on, I have no daughter.”

Yue watched her father leave and let out a sigh. “Stubborn old man… Though I guess I can’t blame him considering Master’s history…”

Her beloved husband had a frustrating karma of causing misunderstandings and tension wherever he went. Not to mention that there was still the soul contract between them that made Yue have to call John as ‘Master’ until he fulfilled his end of the bargain…

Yue sighed in frustration, remembering that, suddenly getting mad again. “You bastard… When I arrive, you had better have a good explanation for leaving me behind.”

She walked over to the pile of treasures and started sorting through for charms and talismans that might ward off bad luck and improve ‘unity’ between couples.

When she did, footsteps echoed in the doorway again. Without looking over, Yue said, “I thought you said you had no daughter anymore? Did you have second thoughts?”

Contrary to her expectations, instead of that imposing voice, a delicate female voice called out. “My apologies, Dearest Mother.”

Yue blinked and looked over.

A teenaged girl with light green hair, tinged gold at the ends, stood in the door way. Like Yue, she wore light green clothing. However, instead of robes, she wore a lacy blouse and a white skirt that was just a tinge green.

Seeing that it wasn’t her father, Yue’s expression softened and said, “Don’t be. I didn’t mean to yell at you, Omega.”

The girl… Omega, gracefully walked into the room, lightly shaking her head. “I understand. Dearest Mother has been under quite a bit of stress after my worthless father left us behind.”

The words were said in a light and melodic tone. However, a faint flicker of crimson flashed in the young girl’s golden eyes as she said that.

“Hmph. Don’t remind me.” Yue went back to sorting her bag and said, “Leaving me with all of the sect affairs, having to sort out all of those women claiming to be his lovers or his daughters… A lifetime of reparations won’t be enough to resolve the bad karma between us.”

“And yet Dearest Mother still loves him.”

Yue paused, flushing a bit. “…As much as I hate to say it, I do. But as much of an imbecile as that man may be, at the least he has never betrayed me.”

Omega gave Yue a blank look. “And you do not consider my worthless Father leaving us behind as a betrayal?”

Yue closed her bag again and said, “You’re too young to know, but this isn’t the first time he’s run off to escape his duties. He just ran a bit further than last time.” She picked up her bag and said, “Master is a coward like that. Reliable in other matters, but a worthless flake when it comes to responsibilities and commitments.”

Omega frowned. “…I still believe that Dearest Mother should find another husband. My worthless Father-“

“Is still your father, Dear. Now come.” Yue adjusted her bag around her arm and said, “The next time the stars align will be in a year. If we want to hold your Father accountable, we have to ensure that we’re properly prepared when they do.”

Omega bowed. “As you say, Dearest Mother. Though…” She raised her head and said, “Might I make a request?”

“Of course, Dear. What is it?”

“Should Father become involved with women on that other world… May I scold him?”

“…In moderation.”

Omega grinned. “Worry not, Dearest Mother. I will at least leave him half-dead.”

“…I believe the term is ‘half-alive’, Dear.”

“I know what I said.”

—–AI|IA—–

Back on Earth, John finished dropping Rin and Sakura back home in his car after a day’s work. To make sure there weren’t any mishaps… and because she was more suited to paperwork than Alpha, he left Beta behind to manage the office and start responding to comments on the website while he took her older sister with him.

But just as John started to drive off back to Myth Inc. HQ, he got a shiver down his spine.

Alpha lowered her game console and glanced at John. “Is something wrong, Father?”

“…I just got a bad feeling that I’ve done something I’m going to heavily regret later.”

“Ah.” Alpha nodded. “So then nothing new.”

John opened his mouth to argue… but then closed his mouth to drive off.

After all, he… couldn’t really argue with that fact.

The car ride back was uneventful, filled with the faint echoes of Alpha playing her usual game.

But when they got back…

“Friend! You’ve returned!”

A familiar gruff man with a lightly scarred face and graying hair. Like the last time John saw him, the guy was dressed in a sharp suit. But unlike last time, there was someone else with him.

A cute young girl with light brown hair and clear blue eyes. Wearing a pristine white blouse and a black skirt, as well as a lacy pink headband, she seemed almost too pure for the world. And then there was the pink kitty backpack and the way she tightly clutched Kai’s right hand… Adorable.

Tilting her head slightly, she looked at John and then back at Kai, saying, “Is this your friend, Daddy?”

Kai laughed. “Of course! Mister Smith and I go back quite a long ways. Isn’t that right?”

A perfect mask of happiness. Despite that, there was clear and frantic desperation in the man’s eyes.

Of course, John didn’t notice that. Instead, he turned to Alpha and said, “Why weren’t you that cute when you were younger, Alpha?”

Alpha gave John a blank look and said, “I do not know. Why were you a terrible father?”

“…”