Shen Tanqi was led to the newlywed’s chamber by his smiling sisters, while everyone else swarmed around Yu Ce, surrounding him completely.
“Drink up, drink up! It’s a joyous day today, Junior Brother. You have to drink with us. The Sect Leader himself has given permission—just for today, let’s drink to our heart’s content!”
“Sorry, Senior Brother, but marrying off a sibling feels like cutting off a piece of flesh. So today, we all have to drink a little together.”
Fang Wenxun and Xiao Qingyu each grabbed an arm of Yu Ce, leading him to the table.
Yu Ce looked at the array of pear blossom wine on the table, his face full of discomfort. “I… I really don’t know how to drink…”
Just as he was about to find an excuse to escape, a voice, half-teasing and half-serious, came from behind him. “Trying to avoid drinking, Yu Ce?”
Yu Ce stiffened, instantly giving up on resisting. He knew that Shen Tanwu wouldn’t let him off easily.
Sure enough, within a second, Shen Tanwu had Yu Ce pinned at the table, filling his cup one after another.
“Junior Brother, using spiritual energy to sober up won’t do today. We’re going by the rule of ‘no rest until we’re drunk’!”
With no way out and Fang Wenxun blocking his retreat, Yu Ce reluctantly took his cup and drank it all in one go.
Nearby, the little ones gathered around eagerly.
“Uncle Fang, is this good to drink? Can I have a little?” The little ones watched curiously as they made Yu Ce drink, their little faces full of longing.
Fang Wenxun chuckled and said, “This is wine. You’ll only be able to drink it when you’re older. As for whether it’s good or not, just look at how happy your father is when he drinks it.”
The little ones followed his gaze to where Shen Tanwu was tormenting Yu Ce, whose face was flushed, eyes dazed, as if he was barely holding on. Seeing their father’s obvious delight, the little ones relaxed and turned their attention away.
In the new inner quarters, Shen Tanqi sat anxiously, waiting for Yu Ce, fidgeting like a cat on a hot tin roof. His sisters had thoughtfully left him some food, which he nibbled on to stave off hunger. But with Yu Ce still not back, he couldn’t help but worry that Shen Tanwu had drunk him under the table. Yu Ce could hardly handle his liquor.
What if he got really drunk? What were they going to do tonight? They hadn’t even had their own wedding toast yet.
He wished he’d warned his brother in advance to go easy on Yu Ce, but with his brother’s temperament, he probably wouldn’t have listened anyway.
As Shen Tanqi lay on the bed, growing increasingly bored and almost falling asleep, a soft sound of footsteps finally reached his ears.
In an instant, Shen Tanqi was wide awake. He smoothed his face, checked his reflection in the mirror—still handsome as ever.
The door was gently knocked upon. Shen Tanqi’s heart fluttered as he hurried to the door, feeling a bit bashful. He lowered his head and slowly opened it.
In a moment, he was greeted by a faint scent of pear blossom wine, as Yu Ce rested his head on Shen Tanqi’s shoulder, silent and heavy.
Shen Tanqi was initially startled, but then he let out a low chuckle and gently cupped Yu Ce’s face in his hands. “What’s this? In dramas, people always come in looking all dashing after drinking, right? How much did you have?”
Yu Ce’s shoulder lightly trembled, and he lifted his hand, suddenly pulling Shen Tanqi into his embrace. His eyelashes drooped, eyes dark, and he murmured, “Go ask your brother.”
Shen Tanqi’s heart skipped a beat. With Yu Ce so close, just a bit more, and their foreheads would touch. The heat from Yu Ce was intense, and in his strong presence, Shen Tanqi instinctively looked away and whispered, “So, you’re not drinking the wine then?”
At his words, Yu Ce let out another breath, the pear blossom-scented wine almost making Shen Tanqi feel like he was getting a bit tipsy too. The wine smelled delicious and fragrant, surely top-notch.
“Drink.”
Shen Tanqi looked at Yu Ce in surprise. Before he knew it, he was being lifted onto the bed. Without hesitation, Yu Ce pressed him into the fragrant bedding, skillfully stripping him down to nothing but his undergarments.
With only his underclothes remaining, Shen Tanqi placed a hand on his bare chest and asked through gritted teeth, “Weren’t we talking about drinking?”
Was this really about drinking? Why did he strip the clothes?
Hearing this, Yu Ce seemed to smile slightly, leaving Shen Tanqi unsure if he was actually drunk or just pretending.
“Yes, we’re drinking.”
Yu Ce reached for a cup of wine from the small table beside them and handed it to Shen Tanqi. “Ah Qi, come on, have a drink.”
Drunk people probably act like this, Shen Tanqi thought with a mix of amusement and exasperation, accepting the cup. “Alright, if you can’t drink, just take a sip. We don’t have to stick to the rules.”
Yu Ce didn’t respond verbally but wrapped his arms around Shen Tanqi’s, his gaze heavy. “For the first cup, in this life, Yu Ce is willing to face life and death for Ah Qi. No matter if the heavens fall or the earth crumbles, I will protect you.”
Shen Tanqi watched in astonishment as Yu Ce drank the first cup, then refilled it from the wine jug.
“For the second cup, I vow to fulfill my responsibilities as a father to our three children. If they have faults, it is my failure as a parent.”
“For the third cup, I…”
Shen Tanqi quickly grabbed Yu Ce’s hand, whispering, “What’s the rush? I haven’t even had a drink yet.”
He understood. His silly dragon was the most responsible man in the world. This was just how Yu Ce expressed himself—always taking on all burdens, no matter the return or the obstacles, always unwavering in protecting those he cared about. Yu Ce was, without a doubt, the best father and husband.
With a smile, Shen Tanqi looked at him and, mimicking Yu Ce’s tone, said softly, “For the first cup, I toast to my husband, who has saved my life many times, putting aside past grievances and enduring my indecisiveness and lack of ambition.”
He took a sip and then poured another cup.
“For the second cup, I thank my husband for raising our Goldfish, Taro Ball, and little Mian Mian. Having such wonderful children is one of my greatest blessings in this life.”
He finished his drink and poured another cup.
“For the third cup…” Shen Tanqi’s eyes sparkled as he looked steadily at Yu Ce, “Let’s drink it together.”
Yu Ce had been waiting for some sweet words or declarations from Shen Tanqi, but was surprised when only this was said. He took a sip, prepared to embrace Shen Tanqi and drink together, but his face was suddenly cupped by Shen Tanqi.
Yu Ce froze for a moment, then looked up to find Shen Tanqi’s lips gently pressing against his.
As the wine flowed, his heart raced more fiercely, as if the drunkenness that had been suppressed all night was now bursting forth. Yu Ce’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he pressed Shen Tanqi into the bed.
“Ah Qi, finish what you were saying…” Yu Ce’s voice was urgent, calling him repeatedly with a hint of frustration, “Say you love me.”
He only wanted to hear those words. He had waited so long, just wanting to hear Ah Qi say it.
Shen Tanqi’s hand covered his face, hiding his flushed cheeks, his voice trembling. “Love… I’ve never loved anyone like this before.”
“Yu Ce, I love you.”
Yu Ce’s breath hitched, and in that moment, the wine spilled. Shen Tanqi, shocked, moved his hands away and looked up, whispering, “You…”
Yu Ce’s ears turned bright red, warmth spreading deep into his heart. His expression darkened as he heard Shen Tanqi’s laughter—soft but full of mockery.
“Seriously? You’re usually so tough, but at this crucial moment, this is…”
Before Shen Tanqi could finish, his words were abruptly cut off by Yu Ce’s intense kiss, leaving him unable to say anything more. The rest of the sentence was lost in fragments.
The warm spring night passed without sleep.
“After the Shen family’s grand wedding, countless daemons heard the news and began gradually moving into Shuoxia, testing the waters. With the opening of trade, the number of daemons naturally increased.”
“In Shuoxia City, the gates on the south, north, and west sides were wide open, and not a day passed without daemon carriages coming through.”
“This place is no longer a forbidden land for daemons—because everyone knows that in the city, there is Lord Shen, whose husband is a dragon, and they have three exceptionally beautiful children. They are the talk of the town. If you happen to see them strolling through Shuoxia City, don’t even think about trying to take one of them home.”
“Because not a single member of that family is easy to deal with.”
“In three years, Shuoxia City has prospered, and the daemons and humans live in harmony. When the time came, the city was handed back to the former city lord and the current master. As for Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce…”
“They probably went to some unremarkable town, living in a humble thatched house, enjoying life with a cat, a dog, and their three children. Of course, if anything happens in the cultivation world, it’s likely to become the story of those three children.”
The young man gazed thoughtfully at the paragraph he had written, lightly touching the ink on the paper, when suddenly the door swung open..
“What are you writing, Mian Mian?”
“Nothing much. I’ve been reading a lot of interesting stories lately and wanted to write about Daddy and Father.”
“Did you make your brother look handsome?”
“…No, I just wrote about what really happened. Do you still want to read it?”
“If you don’t make me look handsome, then I won’t read it. Let’s go play basketball. Daddy taught me how yesterday—it’s so much fun! I’ll teach you!”
“Alright, fine.”
The young man glanced at the written pages on the desk, sighed softly, knowing he wouldn’t have time to write anymore. After a moment’s pause, he suddenly thought, actually, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t write it. Every day they spend together is a new, colorful story.
With this thought, the young man’s lips curled into a slight smile. He set his pen down on the paper and walked out the door.
“Coming.”
With a soft creak, the door opened and then closed slowly. A beam of light filtered in through the window, and the world fell silent.
Outside the window, the sky shifted from light to dark, clear to cloudy. The wind and clouds changed, and the day turned to night, the cycle of the moon and sun continued. Events rose and fell, lights flickered and candles dimmed, the dust of the world rolled by, drifting like fleeting clouds and mist. Until the words on the desk were finished and the ink dried—
Their story ends here.
(The End)
And just like that, the story of our little wholesome family has come to a close. I’m really going to miss those adorable babies and the constantly bickering-yet-so-in-love couple—they were absolutely precious! This novel was like a warm hug: light, sweet, and sprinkled with just enough emotion to tug at your heartstrings. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
This journey has been such a blast, and honestly, this story is one I’ll remember for a long time. Translating it was pure joy, and it’s bittersweet to say goodbye.
Huge shoutout to 何所往 for giving us such a sweet and memorable story. And a big thank you to you guys for reading along, leaving comments, and supporting me—it’s been so much fun sharing this with you!
If you’re looking for something else to dive into, I’ve got a bunch of other completed and ongoing projects for you to check out. Trust me, there are some real hidden gems waiting for you in there! You can find them all right –HERE-!
Hope to see you in my future projects! Until then, take care and lots of love! Goodbye for 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)
