Chapter Text
When Su Xiyan realised she couldn’t breastfeed her newborn, she cried helplessly for days. The poison she consumed had destroyed nearly everything in her body, including the duct in her breast that would provide milk for her baby.
The royal healer informed her and Tianlang-jun that she couldn’t have any more children as the poison had also damaged her womb. Even the Heavenly Demon’s blood parasite couldn’t fix it. Her omega pride had been crushed; she couldn’t provide for her own child and bear children for her alpha.
Tianlang-jun had seethed in anger, wishing he could bring back the Old Palace Master to life and torture him to death one more time. Zhuzhi-lang had infiltrated Huan Hua Palace when Tianlang-jun felt something off about the message sent to him by Su Xiyan to meet in Bailu Mountain. They had secretly married just after seeing each other in less than half a year, and Su Xiyan’s note sounded too formal, especially when writing to one’s husband. When Zhuzhi-lang found her, she informed him about the Old Palace Master’s insidious plan to imprison or, worse, to kill Tianlang-jun. He had quickly sent the warning via a transmission array before he sacrificed his own life fighting against her former Shizun and her former martial siblings while Su Xiyan escaped from the Water Prison.
Tianlang-jun had been upset by his nephew’s death and his omega’s torment, so he abducted the Old Palace Master into the demon realm and tortured him. If she had not gone into labour, Tianlang-jun would have prolonged her former Shizun’s suffering rather than quickened his death.
“Husband, do not be angry. Binghe is alive and healthy.”
It was a miracle that she had given birth to a healthy baby boy. However, her health was constantly precarious, and only the blood parasite from her husband kept her stable. Out of safety for her baby and to make sure her child would not inherit her misfortune, Su Xiyan decided to give him the surname Luo. It stemmed from the River Luo where she finally reunited with Tianlang-jun after she escaped from the Old Palace Master.
It broke her heart to see Luo Binghe being fed with other omega demons’ milk. Unfortunately, being a half-demon, her baby couldn’t digest the milk and vomited them. After the third day, Tianlang-jun brought an omega human boy hoisted under one of his arms. “Let me go!” The boy screamed as he struggled in the Heavenly Demon’s firm hold.
“A wet nurse for Bingbing,” Tianlang-jun said as he dropped the boy carelessly in front of Su Xiyan. He looked just about fourteen or fifteen years old.
Su Xiyan could smell this omega was still untouched and about to have his first heat. A child suckling on their tits would trigger the breasts to be swollen with milk. But she hesitated to trust her baby to a stranger. The omega kept cursing at Tianlang-jun as he tried to loosen the ropes around his hands and feet.
“Brat, you should be grateful this Emperor saved you from being raped!”
Su Xiyan blinked in shock, “What happened?”
“I went looking for someone to be a wet nurse when I saw this creepy beta cultivator. He was trying to sell his disciple to the highest bidder alpha to rape him when he’s on heat. So I killed that bastard and took off with this kid! If he started nursing our baby, his heat would be automatically suppressed. It’s a win-win situation for him and our son!”
After Su Xiyan dismissed her husband, who pouted at her with puppy eyes, she learned more about the omega - Shen Jiu. He was a slave who had escaped and had followed a rogue cultivator because he promised to teach Shen Jiu. But the man had tried to sell him when he realised Shen Jiu was an omega and would have his first heat. Once the boy figured out she was a human just like him, the omega finally agreed to breastfeed Luo Binghe.
“A month,” said Shen Jiu. “I will only be his wet nurse for a month. You should find a replacement after that.”
Su Xiyan nodded. “But if you harm my baby, I swear I will skin you alive and hang you at the main gate of the palace.”
She smirked. Shen Jiu might look unafraid with his green eyes glaring at her, but she could smell the boy’s fear in the air.
A month passed and Shen Jiu remained in the palace as a full-time wet nurse to Binghe. Su Xiyan had been tremendously jealous watching his baby son nursing from another omega. So after two weeks, she decided to stop keeping an eye on them because she knew Shen Jiu would never harm an innocent, helpless baby. And another reason was it kept getting harder and harder for her not to feel bitter about her inability to feed her own child.
She regretted trusting her former Shizun and took the poison she believed to be water. If she had not done that and had been just a little mistrustful towards the Old Palace Master, she could have been in Shen Jiu’s position. Because Su Xiyan had witnessed his baby open his eyes and look at Shen Jiu first, and the way he gurgled happily after he was full of Shen Jiu’s milk. And she had glimpsed a smile from Shen Jiu, and heard him murmuring ‘little beast’ to Luo Binghe with hidden fondness. The former slave would have been a perfect mother to Luo Binghe. And Su Xiyan had to be reminded of her failure as an omega, as an inadequate provider for her child every single day when she watched Luo Binghe with Shen Jiu.
She prayed to the Gods willing to listen that her own child would never see Shen Jiu as his mother.
.
Tianlang-jun was about to enter the study hall when he heard his son whining to his royal tutor. “Can we finish our lesson now? I’m really hungry.”
The Demon Emperor swore never to let his son starve. He would never admit it out loud, but he was traumatised from watching his infant son dying of hunger for three days after his birth. So he quickly rescued Luo Binghe from his royal tutor.
“What does my Bingbing want to eat? Fried rice? Dumplings? Tell baba and he will cook anything for you.”
“I’m not hungry for that kind of food,” Luo Binghe smiled sheepishly, his cheeks red with embarrassment. “I want A-Jiu’s milk.”
Luo Binghe was ten and was supposed to outgrow nursing from his wet nurse since a few years ago. Tianlang-jun had once teased his son but instead of feeling humiliated, Luo Binghe was rather smug about it. He shamelessly boasted to his father about how Shen Jiu was only nice to him, and especially when he did well in his lessons, he would be fed with the omega’s milk directly from his breasts!
The Demon Emperor had been quite surprised when he first heard it. He thought Shen Jiu had stopped nursing Luo Binghe that way since the boy turned five. But it didn’t take long for him to notice it was all due to his son’s impressive ability to charm the cold-hearted Shen Jiu. He was aware of how ruthless that omega brat was towards everyone. He had once punched Tianlang-jun in the face because the omega thought he was ogling at his breasts. It was untrue. He preferred his darling Xiyan’s breasts, which were bigger and heavier. And Shen Jiu had also stabbed a palace guard with a dagger because he tried to grope the omega. But Shen Jiu was easily receptive to the little Crown Prince’s whim, no matter how childish or questionable. He would bet on his limited edition collectable yellow books that Luo Binghe was the one who requested to feed from Shen Jiu’s breasts for doing well in his lessons.
“When was the last time your wet nurse fed you?”
“A week ago. A-Jiu said I need to control myself. But I’m still a little boy and need A-Jiu’s milk to grow up!”
“Bingbing is already a big boy. Isn’t this the time to stop nursing from your wet nurse?”
Luo Binghe pouted, teary eyes glowering at him. “Baba sounds just like mama! When Bingbing grow into a big and strong alpha, I will marry A-Jiu and drink his milk anytime I want! No one can stop Bingbing!”
Su Xiyan had tried to separate his son from his wet nurse permanently after she heard from the gossip mongers in the palace how Luo Binghe would run to Shen Jiu after his every lesson. She was worried that Luo Binghe was replacing her with Shen Jiu as a mother figure. Tianlang-jun had to stop her, saying that their son was simply fond of Shen Jiu and there was nothing wrong with that. What he didn’t tell his wife was Luo Binghe had imprinted on the omega, and separating them would deteriorate their precious son’s health. And Tianlang-jun had sensed his son would be an alpha. The obvious sign was when Luo Binghe became more territorial over Shen Jiu.
The wet nurse had blossomed into a beautiful young man and had caught the eyes of many demon lords. Tianlang-jun watched with pride as his son successfully stopped them from courting his future mate. At a young age, Luo Binghe had already become an uncontrollable menace that even Su Xiyan’s punishment did not deter him from ensuring these demons never returned.
Luo Binghe had set the Crown Prince Xiao of the East Kingdom on fire that he became disfigured. He also poisoned General Lin's meals until most of his internal organs were permanently dysfunctional. And twice Luo Binghe had dug out the eyes of the palace servants who had looked at his wet nurse with interest. His son had also imprisoned the palace guard who Shen Jiu had stabbed and used the demon as a vessel for him to practice his blood parasite, inflicting constant pain and torture on the poor demon. The Demon Emperor couldn’t be more proud of Luo Binghe. He was a half-demon but acted more like a pure-blood Heavenly Demon alpha on a path of razing anyone who might show a slight interest in his omega.
Tianlang-jun grinned cheekily. “Look at you. Just like your mother when she wanted something so badly!” He pinched his son’s cheek which was puffed in anger. “How could baba say no to that face? Keep nursing as much as you want. And when you marry A-Jiu, give your omega lots of babies. Baba deserves grandchildren!”
Since he wasn’t able to beget more children with his dearest wife, he could only wait for Luo Binghe and Shen Jiu to give him and Xiyan many grandchildren to spoil. Tianlang-jun had thought about adopting children, giving Luo Binghe siblings to play with. Still, politics among royalties in a demon empire could be cumbersome, especially when the adopted children did not have the bloodline of Heavenly Demons. Shen Jiu was human, but his offspring with Luo Binghe would be born as Heavenly Demons and no one could dispute the empire belonged to them.
“Your future father-in-law is dropping off your future mate,” announced Tianlang-jun playfully. Shen Jiu watched them enter his courtyard with a stern glare. The omega was lazing on the open terrace under the sunless sky with a thick book in his hand. Tianlang-jun patted his son’s head. “Bingbing is seeking his wife’s tiny tits.”
Shen Jiu, as usual, has no respect for Tianlang-jun even though he was the current Demon Emperor of the entire demon realm. He flung the book to his face. “Get out!”
Luo Binghe, the precious little prince he loved and adored with his whole being, kicked Tianlang-jun viciously with his tiny foot. “How dare baba says audacious words to my A-Jiu! Baba must die!”
“Both of you! Out! Now!”
“But A-Jiu-” Luo Binghe left his father’s side and rushed towards his wet nurse.
“Little beast! Stop with your fake tears! Hey! Don’t climb me like a monkey!”
“I did well in my exams today! You promised I could have your milk!”
Shen Jiu and Luo Binghe had already forgotten about his presence, so Tianlang-jun left with a swollen forehead and a limp. The royal chief of ceremonies had looked into his son’s fate and fortune and prophecised that the Crown Prince was going to face the trial of his life sooner rather than later. If it were to come true, Luo Binghe deserved to spend as much time as possible with his future wife.
Now he had to think of a way to distract Su Xiyan before she started asking where their son was.