Shen Tanqi didn’t quite understand what happened when Bai Long left, but since the other party made it clear that it wasn’t necessary to explain, he didn’t press further.
He let out a low “hmm,” thinking Bai Long was probably just in a bad mood. Shen Tanqi chuckled lightly and said, “My bad, I can’t really help you with anything.”
His voice was soft, tinged with a hint of helplessness.
Bai Long’s raven-like thick eyelashes drooped slightly, concealing the ink-like turmoil in his eyes.
For a while, neither of them spoke, letting the silence linger.
For some reason, Bai Long suddenly wondered, what if Shen Tanqi really lost his memory? Would it change anything?
It seemed like it wouldn’t.
As long as Shen Tanqi remained a member of the Shen family, they would forever be separated by an insurmountable gap, like a vast expanse and deep ravines.
If this child fell into the hands of the Shen family, how would they treat him? The Shen family had always been hostile to those who were different, and in the city of Shuoxia, even the presence of the Demon Clan isn’t allowed in public. What more for someone who is neither human nor demon – a half-daemon? He would probably be considered a disgrace and swiftly killed.
He seemed to have grasped a crucial point and spoke slowly, “After the child is born, I will take him back to the Dragon Clan and raise him on my own.”
Shen Tanqi was momentarily stunned. After a long pause, he murmured, “Hmm, that works too.”
In truth, Shen Tanqi hadn’t planned on keeping this child. He brought the child into the world out of gratitude, not with the intention of dedicating the rest of his life to the child. After all, they were from different worlds.
He had been pondering how to mention the topic with Bai Long, never expecting Bai Long to bring it up first, especially in such a situation.
Did Bai Long hate him?
But why? He hadn’t done anything wrong.
Damn.
The more he thought about it, the more infuriated he became.
After a pause, Shen Tanqi looked up at Bai Long and said, “If it’s because you hate me that you want to take the child away on your own, can you please give me a reason?”
His words came unexpectedly, causing Bai Long, who was in the midst of cultivation, to nearly disrupt his spiritual energy.
Bai Long looked at him in surprise, but Shen Tanqi sat straight across from him, neatly pushing the basket of bayberries back to him. He calmly spoke, “I’m not someone who likes to be wronged. If you can’t give me a reason and just want to hate me for no apparent reason, I won’t accept it. Take back your things as well.”
A tense silence filled the air. Little Black’s ears twitched as it looked up, sensing a brewing argument between the two, and wisely slipped out of the cave.
Gods arguing – little dog didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire.
After a while, Bai Long stopped his cultivation, and in a low voice, he said, “I don’t hate you.”
Shen Tanqi’s gaze circled his face, staring at him intently until Bai Long averted his eyes. Shen Tanqi then spoke with a cold expression, “Fine, starting from now, I hate you.”
For the first time in his life, someone straightforwardly expressed dislike for him. Bai Long inexplicably felt a moment of confusion, even though he himself didn’t understand where this unease came from.
He asked in bewilderment, “Why?”
Shen Tanqi, seemingly indifferent, tidied up the snacks on the table and the bedding. Grabbing one of his own outer garments, he nonchalantly placed it on a rock. “From today on, I won’t use anything of yours, and after the child is born, I’ll leave.”
With that, he lay down on his own outer garment, closing his eyes to sleep.
Seeing him disregard his own well-being like this, Bai Long immediately got up, lifted him, and gently placed him back on the bed. Suddenly, he realized his own forehead was covered in cold sweat.
He hesitated several times, finally managing to blurt out, “The ground is cold; you can’t do this.”
Shen Tanqi gently pushed him away, sat up, with a calm expression, and said, “Why can’t I treat you the way you treat me?”
As the words fell, Bai Long half-knelt in front of his bed, falling into silence.
Shen Tanqi sneered inwardly.
Still won’t say, huh? I can’t fix you that easily.
He turned away, no longer looking into Bai Long’s eyes, his tone growing colder, “Since you won’t say why you hate me, don’t ask me why I hate you. While you did me a favor, I’m not someone to be easily manipulated or humiliated.”
“I didn’t mean to mistreat you.” Bai Long explained somewhat anxiously. He dared to swear to the heavens that he never harbored any intention of mistreating Shen Tanqi. It’s just… today’s scene had been hard to bear. He couldn’t help but associate the actions of the Shen family with Shen Tanqi’s past demeanor.
After a moment, Bai Long lowered his head and softly said, “Today, I went to Shuoxia. The summer fruits in Shuoxia are abundant and delicious, so I thought of buying some bayberries for you.”
His voice was low, as if he had also felt wronged.
Shen Tanqi sneakily glanced at him, quickly turned his head before Bai Long noticed, cleared his throat, and sternly asked, “And then?”
Bai Long let out a soft sigh and continued, “I encountered Shen Zhiguo from the 36th branch of the Shen family.”
Shen family?
Shen Tanqi was a bit confused. He vaguely remembered that the Shen family was influential in some summer territory, but since he came through, he had never had the chance to witness it.
“And then what?”
Afraid of angering Shen Tanqi, Bai Long had no choice but to explain in detail everything that happened today.
After hearing the whole story, Shen Tanqi finally understood. So, it turns out Bai Long had been bothered by the Shen family.
He turned around, gritted his teeth, met Bai Long’s slightly aggrieved eyes, and couldn’t bring himself to start a fight or hit him. In the end, he couldn’t resist and grabbed Bai Long’s ear.
The force was minimal, and Bai Long instinctively grasped his hand, then quickly let go.
“They angered you, so you come back and anger me?” Shen Tanqi squinted, saying, “Did I do it? Even if I might have done something like that in the past, at least I haven’t done it now. How can you blame me for something I didn’t do?”
The original owner might have done such things, but Shen Tanqi had never done it. Taking the blame for something he didn’t do was really infuriating.
Bai Long obediently knelt in front of him, letting him pull at his ear, and softly said, “Don’t be angry; it’s my fault.”
Shen Tanqi glared at him. “What should you do if you know you’re at fault?”
Bai Long looked somewhat bewildered, shaking his head.
This silly dragon seemed to have little ability to interact with people. Even at a time like this, he could only foolishly take the scolding.
Shen Tanqi took a deep breath and said, “Apologize.”
Bai Long lowered his head and sincerely apologized, “I’m sorry.”
“What should you do in the future?”
“In the future, I absolutely shouldn’t make you angry.”
“Who told you to say that?”
“Um… in the future, I should clarify things promptly and not misunderstand them on my own.”
That was more like it. Shen Tanqi rubbed his forehead, lay down on the soft bed, and waved his hand, “Go and get the bayberries for me.”
Bai Long went to fetch them. As he sat at the bedside and fed Shen Tanqi the third bayberry, he suddenly froze.
Huh? How did he end up serving Shen Tanqi?
Well, now that he was already doing it, let it be…
“Oh, by the way, you said the thing I gave you is the bronze coins they use, right?” Shen Tanqi took out the string of coins, examined them repeatedly, and handed them to Bai Long. “Take a look. Are they exactly the same as Shen Zhiguo’s?”
Bai Long took the coins, and it was apparent that Shen Tanqi’s set of bronze coins were much more exquisite than Shen Zhiguo’s. A golden phoenix pattern was elegantly engraved around the edges of the coins.
After careful examination, Bai Long confirmed, “Yours is more beautiful.”
Shen Tanqi: …
It seemed like he had thrown too much attitude just now, and it scared the silly dragon quite a bit, making his mind sluggish.
Suppressing a smile, Shen Tanqi pointed at the coins and said, “This indicates that my position in the Shen family is higher than his.”
After a pause, fearing Bai Long might misunderstand and start overthinking, he quickly added, “I’m not trying to boast to you.”
Bai Long nodded.
“Later, take my bronze coins and go to Shuoxia City again,” Shen Tanqi paused, then placed the coins into Bai Long’s hand and said in a calm tone, “Anyone who bullies you is equivalent to bullying me. Deal with them properly and don’t show mercy.”
As Shen Tanqi finished speaking, for some reason, perhaps something he said struck a chord, Bai Long’s expression slightly froze. He shook his head slowly, “If I do this, won’t I be doing the same thing as Shen Zhiguo?”
Bullying others goes against the actions of a true hero.
“Hiss—” Shen Tanqi didn’t like hearing such words. He turned around, poked Bai Long’s head, and said, “You kid, are you considering yourself the male lead? Only protagonists care about whether their actions are righteous or not. We ordinary people, as long as our intentions are good, achieving our goals is doing a good thing, got it?”
Upon hearing this, Bai Long looked up at Shen Tanqi, his eyelashes trembling slightly. He slowly tightened his grip on the string of bronze coins and murmured softly, “No one has ever told me these things before.”
As long as the intentions are good, achieving the goal is considered doing a good deed.
Had Shen Tanqi been following this principle all along in order to survive?
So, perhaps, Shen Tanqi wasn’t really that bad before. He might have employed unconventional means to achieve his goals.
Refusing him entry to the tea ceremony was because of his outstanding talent. He feared I might become arrogant, so he taught me humility.
Punishing him with the ‘Chen Scriptures’ was because of his lack of thoroughness in his actions. He was afraid I might cause trouble, so he wanted me to learn to be cautious.
In this way, it could also explain why Shen Tanqi, when alone with him, was gentle and kind, contrasting greatly with his demeanor during their time in the sect.
Regardless, Bai Long was more inclined to believe this explanation.
Shen Tanqi lay on the bed, blissfully enjoying the bayberries, unaware that someone had thoroughly cleansed his image in his mind.
Bai Long got up, strapped on his sword, picked up Shen Tanqi’s outer garment from the floor, brushed off the dust, and placed it back in its original position. He solemnly said in a low voice, “Senior brother, I’m heading out.”
Shen Tanqi was happily eating, swinging his legs casually. When he saw Bai Long about to leave, he casually said, “You’re going to Shuoxia? Be careful on the way.”
After a pause, he felt something was not quite right and asked, “Hey, wait a minute, what did you just call me?”
Bai Long’s footsteps slightly paused. He turned around, chuckled softly, “Nothing.”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
