As the evening approached and the sun descended in the west, the crimson sunset painted the towering pavilions and buildings of the Shen family mansion in a rosy hue.
Outside the Shen family’s side chamber, Goldfish stood nervously in front of Taro Ball’s door, holding a bunch of small yellow flowers he had just picked from the flower garden.
These were carefully selected by him, the prettiest flowers in the entire garden. He wondered if his younger brother would like them.
With his head lowered, Goldfish repeatedly encouraged himself silently. Even if his brother was still angry and didn’t want to talk to him later, he would still give him the flowers.
He absolutely did not want his brother to dislike him.
With these thoughts in mind, he summoned some courage and gently knocked on the door, asking softly, “Taro Ball, are you there?”
From inside the room came the sound of someone tidying up, followed by Taro Ball’s slightly flustered voice, “What’s up?”
Upon hearing Taro Ball’s voice, Goldfish felt like crying. His brother had always been so good to him, yet he had quarreled with him because of his own fault. He was truly terrible.
Sniffling, Goldfish wiped away the tears in his eyes and said, “Could you please open the door? I want to talk to you.”
There was a brief silence inside the room. Just as Goldfish was feeling anxious, the door slowly opened.
Taro Ball stood at the door, his gaze falling on the slightly wilted flowers in Goldfish’s hand, unable to help but laugh, “What’s up with you?”
Hearing his laughter, Goldfish burst into tears and rushed over to hug him, choking back sobs, “I’m sorry, Erdan. I shouldn’t have been mad at you during the day. I know you’ve always been the best to me.”
Taken aback by his sudden embrace, Taro Ball awkwardly patted his shoulder, smiling helplessly, “Okay, brother, I’m not angry.”
He had indeed been a little angry at first, but ever since Daddy explained to him why his brother was upset, he hadn’t been angry anymore.
On the contrary, Taro Ball felt a twinge of self-blame. He realized he had been too strict with his brother lately, always treating him like a kid who needed protection ever since they left Hidden Dragon Valley. Yet, his brother had silently tolerated him a lot, something he hadn’t noticed, always making his brother feel useless.
It was his fault.
Taro Ball gently embraced Goldfish, comforting him like Shen Tanqi would, softly stroking Goldfish’s head and whispered, “Brother, I have something for you too.”
Hearing this, Goldfish wiped away his tears, looking at him in surprise, “Really?”
He hadn’t expected his brother to forgive him so easily, let alone prepare a gift for him. He was deeply moved.
Touched, tears and snot began to flow again.
Taro Ball was amused by his expression and took out a handkerchief he had just embroidered from his pocket, handing it to Goldfish.
It was a handkerchief embroidered with a small goldfish, a sad-faced egg in the lower right corner, and two lines of small characters beside it: “I’m the fool who made Brother angry.”
Goldfish couldn’t read, but he could recognize the drawing. He carefully touched the lifelike little fish with his fingers and asked, “Is this me?”
“Yeah.” Taro Ball nodded, then pointed to the little egg crying in the lower right corner, saying, “This one is me.”
Upon hearing this, Goldfish couldn’t stop caressing the little egg with his small hand. It was so cute, he wanted to keep it with him forever. He cherished it dearly, “I love it, I really do, thank you, Taro Ball.”
Seeing someone enjoy what he gave was the happiest thing. Taro Ball’s eyes curved with joy as he secretly hid his fingers that were pricked by needles.
He thought, daddy’s idea was indeed good. His brother really liked the gift he made with his own hands, and he was genuinely happy about it.
Seeing Goldfish looking at the handkerchief, tears welling up again in his eyes, Taro Ball quickly said, “Once you receive a gift, brother, you’re not allowed to cry anymore, okay?”
Goldfish nodded earnestly and then held his brother’s hand, saying, “I won’t cry anymore, little brother, don’t worry. From now on, I’ll make sure to protect you as your big brother and teach you things you don’t know!”
Taro Ball:…
What’s this supposed to mean? Who taught Brother this?
In his mind, Taro Ball suddenly pictured Yu Ce’s face. His mouth twitched slightly, and he rubbed his forehead, chuckling, “Brother, you didn’t even call me when you went out to play in the water today. How about we play together tonight? Consider it compensation for not playing with you during the day.”
Remembering how much fun he had playing in the small river at the Shen family’s place today, Goldfish immediately nodded and said, “But the small river at home is too small. I couldn’t even swim during the day.”
After transforming back to his original form, that small river almost couldn’t contain him anymore. If his brother joined him, the water in the small river would probably be squeezed out.
Taro Ball thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s go play outside tonight.” Now that he was in the Nascent Soul stage, he could protect his brother, and they could play however they wanted.
“Great!” Goldfish cheered excitedly. Then, after a moment, he remembered something else.
“Oh right, little brother, what does the writing on the handkerchief say?”
“It says… Brother is a fool.”
“Waaah, you’re calling me a fool again! I’m gonna be mad!”
“If you’re mad, then I’m mad too.”
“Fine, I’m not mad anymore.”
“Hahaha, then I’m not mad either.”
Under the setting sun, the shadows of the two little ones walking side by side stretched long, so long that it seemed like they could walk through life together, so long that it seemed like they could see their old age in one glance.
As night fell, the spring nights always came so early.
In the narrow, dim alleyways of Shuoxia City, Xie Chi dragged his heavy body along. His clothes were almost dry now, but he had exerted some effort to avoid the patrols from the Shen family.
Since his body was injured by Yu Ce and part of his cultivation was sealed, Xie Chi felt almost worthless, just like trash. Fortunately, over the years, he had recuperated and practiced demonic cultivation tirelessly at the Shen family, barely maintaining himself at the Nascent Soul stage.
If only he could obtain Shen Tanqi’s body…
Xie Chi narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.
With Shen Tanqi’s body, not only would he become the heir of the Shen family, wielding the power of the entire Shuoxia City, but he could also infiltrate the Rongyun Sect seamlessly. After years of nurturing with his dragon ball, that body was already the most suitable host for his possession. Trying to find another suitable host would be troublesome.
But at this critical moment, that reckless Shen Tanqi got pregnant, and worse, it was Yu Ce’s child.
Why did he have to carry his brother’s child?!
If he were to possess Shen Tanqi’s body now, and there was no medicine for the dragon race to abort the fetus, did that mean he would have to give birth to Yu Ce’s child??
He’d rather bash his head against a wall than deal with that disgusting thought.
He could only bide his time. According to the plan, Shen Tanqi should soon participate in the sect’s grand competition. By then, after winning and gaining the trust of the sect, the child would have been born, and he could possess Shen Tanqi’s body without delay.
Shen Tanqi… should be able to win the first prize, right?
With so many years of cultivating with his dragon ball, there must have been some progress. Winning should be a piece of cake.
But when he remembered the appearance of Shen Tanqi he saw today, so carefree and unrefined, Xie Chi suddenly felt uncertain. He smashed his fist against the wall beside him in frustration.
As debris fell from the wall, Xie Chi withdrew his hand, his eyes suddenly freezing as he looked at the ‘person’ who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Though it should be a person, it was nothing like one.
The person had a small head and a long neck, as if it had shrunk, and was covered in large and small terrifying red spots, making Xie Chi feel nauseous.
Xie Chi looked coldly at the ugly creature in front of him and said without hesitation, “If you don’t want to die, then get lost.”
The creature suddenly grinned with its blood-red mouth, its voice as hoarse as a broken bellows, and asked, “Please, can you help me out?”
Hearing this, Xie Chi became even more impatient. With his own mess to deal with, where would he find the kindness to help others? A cruel demonic aura condensed in his palm as he smirked, “Sure, I’ll help you — onto the road!”
The demonic aura struck out fiercely, creating a huge hole in the creature’s body. Yet, it seemed to feel no pain at all, still wearing a chilling smile and saying, “You promised to help me, but you must keep your word.”
Xie Chi stared at it in shock. Clearly, it had been hit by his demonic aura, yet it acted as if nothing had happened. Could it be that the humans outside had reached such a level of cultivation during his years at the Shen family?
Impossible.
Xie Chi still believed in his own abilities. He narrowed his eyes, an excited smile playing on his lips as he murmured, “Of course, I always keep my promises. When I say I’ll send you on your way, I’ll definitely send you on your way.”
With that, he unleashed an even more powerful demonic aura from his palm, rushing towards the ghostly creature.
Meanwhile, in front of the Shen family’s gate.
Goldfish and Taro Ball walked hand in hand, each carrying a small basket containing clothes, singing songs and telling stories as they walked towards the direction of the largest river in the city.
“Once upon a time, there was a little white rabbit. She wore a little red hood and went to her grandmother’s house to deliver some snacks. When she opened the door, she found Snow White and the three little pigs inside. Snow White said, ‘My dear little rabbit, I’ve missed you so much,’ and then Snow White turned the three little pigs into braised pork, steamed pork, and shredded pork to treat the little rabbit…”
Goldfish pursed his lips, puzzled and asked, “Why did the bunny want to eat the pigs?”
Taro Ball was stumped by his question, scratching his little face and saying, “I don’t know either. It’s a bedtime story Daddy told me. If it scares you, then I won’t tell it.”
Upon hearing this, Goldfish nodded, “Yeah, let’s not tell it. I’m starting to drool.”
Come on, both pigs and bunnies are delicious.
Taro Ball:…
He thought telling this story at night would scare his brother, but he didn’t expect it to just make him hungry.
Looking up, the entire Shuoxia City was shrouded in darkness. Perhaps due to the recent killings by the Chen Guis’ in the city, every household had closed its doors at this time, with lights off. It was nowhere near as bustling and bright as it was the first time they came.
But with him here, he would definitely protect his brother.
Goldfish was already eager to swim naked in the river. Dragons loved water and were naturally drawn to it. Moreover, their bodies were naturally cold, so being in water helped regulate their temperature. So, for them, the small river in spring was as comfortable as taking a bath.
The two little ones walked along the street, chatting and laughing. They were talking about the funny jokes Shen Tanqi had told them when suddenly, a man covered in blood appeared in front of them in the dark alley.
Both Goldfish and Taro Ball were startled, watching as the man raised his eyes, a malicious and cold light flashing in him as he stared at them, a sneer escaping his nostrils.
“Kids, wandering outside at night? You might just end up being eaten by Uncle.”
That damned persistent ghost nearly inflicted serious injuries on him. Fortunately, at a critical moment, he transformed into his true form and managed to sever the creature’s body in half. Only then did the creature finally fall to the ground, unable to rise again.
The fact that he was forced to use his true form… What kind of creatures are wandering around Shuoxia City at night? Wait, doesn’t Yu Ce care either?
The man in question was none other than Xie Chi, who had just come out from a fierce battle in the alley.
Seeing him glaring viciously at himself and his brother, Taro Ball furrowed his brow, drew his sword, and stood in front of Goldfish, saying, “What do you want? I advise you not to treat us like ordinary children.”
As Taro Ball spoke, Xie Chi sneered coldly, but the more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed, and he laughed even more recklessly. “Interesting, just with you…”
Taro Ball narrowed his eyes, and his aura suddenly surged to the Nascent Soul stage, his sword qi sharp as a blade, rushing towards Xie Chi.
For a moment, Xie Chi’s smile froze on his face, and the rest of his words were choked back in his throat.
Did he see it wrong?
This kid, Nascent Soul stage?
After being locked up in the Shen family for several years, were all the random kids he encountered on the roadside at the Nascent Soul stage???
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)
