Shen Tanqi couldn’t imagine how Yu Ce developed such a temperament under his father’s care.
But looking at Yu Ce’s indifferent and cold demeanor, others probably wouldn’t imagine that his child could be as lively and cute as Goldfish, innocent and obedient.
Could this be a case of inherited traits skipping a generation?
The pain in Shen Tanqi’s heart eased slightly. He held the man’s hand, stood up from the snowy ground, and sat quietly on a nearby rock. He murmured softly, “Yu Ce is doing well, don’t worry.”
But Shen Tanqi wasn’t sure whether to tell the man about his relationship with Yu Ce. Just now, from the man’s words, it seemed he hoped Yu Ce could have a normal life, marry and have children, rather than be with a man.
Upon hearing him, the man nodded and said, “This child has had a hard life. Since he was young, his mother and I have been separated, and she has never liked him.”
Shen Tanqi’s expression froze slightly, and he asked quietly, “Separated? Why did you separate?”
“Sigh,” the man sat down beside him, chin in hand, speaking gloomily, “Her family thought I was worthless.”
“Oh?” Shen Tanqi was surprised.
The man blushed slightly and whispered, “I have a mild temperament, lacking the boldness compared to those men of the dragon race.”
That was a reason Shen Tanqi hadn’t considered.
“Yu Ce probably hasn’t mentioned the dragon race to you,” the man sighed heavily, brushing the snowflakes off his knee gently, and continued softly, “The dragon race is bloodthirsty and ruthless. His mother is no exception. Every pure-blooded member of the dragon race is as cold-hearted and ruthless as her.”
“When she first noticed my mermaid bloodline, she pursued me,” the man reminisced about those days with a hint of grievance. “I still remember that night when we first met. She blindfolded me, claiming she just wanted to see a mermaid’s tail, but then…”
Shen Tanqi interrupted, “Alright, let’s skip that part.”
“Anyway, his mother and I had a night of passion like that, and she became pregnant with Ce’er. Later, she started despising my hesitant and weak character. We had a big fight, and she left me stranded in the Western Sea,” the man sighed deeply, feeling nostalgic. “I heard that after returning to the Hidden Dragon Valley, she regretted being pregnant, as it delayed her cultivation for ascension. She took over a dozen abortion pills in an attempt to abort Ce’er. She even resorted to poisoning herself.”
Abort… Yu Ce?
Shen Tanqi’s heart skipped a beat. He remembered when he was pregnant with Goldfish and Taro Ball, in his anxiety he mentioned aborting the two unborn children. Yu Ce said, “You can’t abort it. The dragon race is a daemon. It won’t be killed by ordinary medicine.”
It turned out that Yu Ce’s mother once took abortion pills to kill him.
“I was terrified when I heard this news. I immediately went to Hidden Dragon Valley. I did her laundry and cooking, helped her practice cultivation,” the man continued, his expression softening. “During that time, she finally let down her guard and started accepting me. However… if that dragon race man hadn’t appeared, maybe everything would have turned out better.”
Shen Tanqi listened with keen interest to the gossip about their dragon race, then asked eagerly, “And then?”
The man pursed his lips, not too pleased. “You’re so curious?”
Shen Tanqi nodded.
“You… really don’t hold back,” the man chuckled helplessly.
Gathering his thoughts, he unraveled the dusty memories from deep within and said softly, “The dragon race values power and authority highly. I only realized this after coming to the Hidden Dragon Valley. The reason why Ce’er’s mother was so cold and heartless is all because they are constantly influenced by the elders of the Hidden Dragon Valley who preach about dominating the Three Realms.”
“She was originally kind-hearted, but the dragon clan nurtured her into someone ruthless and cruel,” the man lowered his eyes, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. “I don’t blame her. If anyone’s to blame, it’s those dragon clan elders who tore us apart. With the dragon race’s sparse population, they insisted she marry a pure-blooded daemonic dragon from within the clan.”
Listening up to this point, Shen Tanqi had nearly pieced it all together. Following the pattern, Yu Ce’s mother and father were separated like this, with her being forced to marry Xie Chi’s father, leading to what followed with Xie Chi.
Damn, he thought that the Hidden Dragon Valley was a good place to bring up Goldfish and Taro Ball. He did not expect that, ultimately, it would be such a brutal place that consumes people without mercy.
No wonder Yu Ce said that many in the dragon race were nothing like him.
The difference was stark. Yu Ce had grown up healthy, both physically and mentally, only because he escaped that wretched place when he was ten years old!
“You’ve heard enough now; it’s time for you to leave.” The man stood up with a soft laugh, taking his mermaid pearl from the gravestone, saying quietly, “Staying too long in the world of the mermaid pearl might make you lose yourself here, unable to leave.”
Shen Tanqi nodded, feeling a sense of melancholy as his gaze fell on the cold gravestone. He murmured, “I’ll find a way to visit you both often in the future.”
Yu Ce’s father, and… his mother.
The man looked at him with some surprise and said, “How could that be possible?”
Just as Shen Tanqi was about to say something, the man urgently pushed him out, saying, “You mustn’t come back. Being immersed in these past memories will only make you stagnant in life. I can’t let that happen to you.”
Shen Tanqi hesitated for a moment, pushed away by him, and suddenly a thick fog appeared in front of him. Shen Tanqi quickly grabbed his wrist, “Wait, I have something to say.”
The man impatiently said, “Stop talking. Once you’re out, live well. Don’t dwell on the past. Remember, your life was saved by your mother at great cost!”
“I…,” Shen Tanqi naturally understood these truths.
He just hadn’t seen enough yet. After finally returning to his own world and finding his biological parents, he hadn’t even had a chance to properly see his mother’s smiling face.
“Don’t dwell on it anymore. After you leave, take good care of Ce’er for me,” the man pushed him gently, a faint smile on his face. “Live happily, Ah Qi.”
Shen Tanqi blinked incredulously. “How do you know about us…”
“That jade pendant is glowing —it means Ce’er is out there searching for you,” the man pointed to his chest, smiling as he explained, “The dragon race lord’s jade pendant is only given to their most beloved.”
So that’s how it was. Shen Tanqi held the softly glowing jade pendant to his chest. It was indeed the token of affection Yu Ce had given him.
Wait, Yu Ce was looking for him?
Xie Chi and Jing Wei were still outside. Could they have already started fighting?
Shen Tanqi realized, but before he could react, the thick fog engulfed him completely. He could only see the man waving goodbye with a smile.
He struggled to shout, “Three!”
The man’s smile froze slightly, shouting back, “What three? What are you—”
“Yu Ce and I,” Shen Tanqi choked on the mist, “have three children—”
The man: ?
Before Shen Tanqi could say more, a low chuckle suddenly sounded in his ears.
“Ah Qi, I know.”
Shen Tanqi suddenly opened his eyes wide and met Yu Ce’s gaze as he leaned casually against the edge of the bed, chin in hand.
“What kind of dream did you have?” Yu Ce wiped the sweat from Shen Tanqi’s forehead gently, asking softly, “Why did you shout that we have three children in your dream?”
What’s going on? Why is it Yu Ce here and not Xie Chi or Jing Wei?
Shen Tanqi immediately sat up, looking around. He saw Sandan and their two children sleeping on a small bed not far away. He had actually returned, back to Yu Ce and their children.
For a moment, Shen Tanqi even wondered if he had entered a deeper layer of the dream space. He pinched his own face, frowning in pain, but Yu Ce quickly grabbed his wrist.
“Why are you pinching yourself?” Yu Ce rubbed the red marks on Shen Tanqi’s face with concern, asking worriedly, “Have I been making you too tired recently?”
Shen Tanqi shook his head, feeling like he had just awakened from an old, yellowed dream. Everything around him felt so unreal.
He reached out and twisted Yu Ce’s ear.
Yu Ce: “…Ouch ”
Hearing Yu Ce’s aggrieved voice, Shen Tanqi let out a deep sigh and rubbed his ear a bit. “It seems it’s not a dream.”
He had been brought back, and it seemed Yu Ce was unaware of it. Xie Chi and Jing Wei must have secretly brought him back.
But what did Xie Chi really want him to do?
Could Xie Chi think that after he saw his mother killed by Yu Ce’s father in the mermaid pearl, he would hate Yu Ce?
Shen Tanqi pursed his lips, suddenly feeling that with Xie Chi’s mindset, it was indeed possible.
In Xie Chi’s eyes, when a human’s parents die, regardless of the reason, it must be avenged.
Such a narrow and rigid view. Xie Chi seemed to have had his brain damaged by the Shen family’s water dungeon, completely oblivious to human emotions.
Of course, maybe all dragon race members understand humans this way.
While the daemon and human races appear peaceful on the surface, behind the scenes, neither side truly accepts the other or wishes to understand them.
Shen Tanqi rubbed his forehead. He had just been about to talk to Yu Ce about what he had seen in the deep sea mermaid pearl when Yu Ce suddenly leaned in, hugged his neck, and kissed him. “Guess who I met tonight when I went out?”
Shen Tanqi’s words caught in his throat. He remembered Yu Ce had indeed mentioned going out for a while and might not return until late at night.
He chuckled softly and played along, “Who did you meet?”
“I had planned to casually search for some clues about past events,” Yu Ce couldn’t resist kissing him again, like an affectionate puppy, leaving Shen Tanqi’s neck damp and momentarily pulling him out of the melancholy he had brought back from the mermaid pearl. “I met your elder brother. We had a good chat, and he really is a good person, just as you said.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Tanqi chuckled, feeling ticklish from the kisses on his neck. He gently pushed Yu Ce away and said, “Huo Yening, huh? It’s rare for you two to have such a pleasant chat. How did Huo Yening end up coming here? I thought he would find a lonely place to leave by himself…”
“It’s not Huo Yening.” Yu Ce stared at him intently, his eyes bright and slightly excited. He repeated firmly, “Ah Qi, it’s not Huo Yening.”
Shen Tanqi froze instantly. “What do you mean?”
Before he could respond, the door was suddenly pushed open. ‘Huo Yening’ rubbed his messy ink-black hair and asked in confusion, “Yu Ce, I just looked around but couldn’t find the bathroom…”
Their eyes met, and the room fell silent in an instant.
‘Huo Yening’ chuckled lightly, leaning against the door frame. “Oh, Sleeping Beauty, awake now?”
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)
