Having heard a "frightening" secret, Luo Qian fled the Heavenly River before he could be "silenced." As for Little Goldfish, Prince Goudan, he could stay and let that nine-headed beast have its way with him.
Luo Qian emerged from the Heavenly River. Behind him came a sudden splash. He looked back to see the water churning as a column half as tall as a man rose from the river. At its crest, a child of two or three was crawling about. Luo Qian found it strange. He was at least ninth rank, yet he had not sensed a child behind him. There had to be something unusual about the boy.
The child crawled in a circle atop the water column. The river did him no harm; on the contrary, whenever he nearly fell, the water surged up and pushed him back. The little fellow had a round face and chubby limbs. He was adorable.
"Daddy!" The little fellow suddenly reached his tiny hands toward Luo Qian and called out in a babyish voice. Luo Qian shuddered with fright. The boy held out both arms to be picked up, spreading his clumsy little fingers. "Daddy!" Luo Qian turned and ran. Good grief, what was this?
"Waa, waa, waa..." Loud sobs came from behind him. The little fellow had plopped down atop the water column and burst into tears, which flew from both sides like shells ejected from a machine gun. Luo Qian sighed and turned around, looking wryly at the child of unknown origin. Whatever else he might be, he was irresistibly cute. The moment Luo Qian turned, the boy stopped crying and began climbing down. "Daddy!"
Luo Qian thought it over for a long while, then muttered, "Forget it. If I really leave the little fellow here, those four tigresses