wake

When Qian Jin woke up, it was already five days later.

The moment consciousness returned, there was no excruciating pain as expected, only a languid weakness after sleeping for too long.

She slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was a hazy, shimmering expanse.

The curtains were made of extremely soft silk, shimmering like water, and the air was filled with a refreshing and pleasant scent, similar to sandalwood from the deep sea. She lay on an enormous bed, the soft cushions of unknown material, cool to the touch yet exceptionally comfortable.

Where is this...?

The memory finally settled on the terrifying black dragon's crimson eyes and the tearing pain. She instinctively touched her chest; it was flat and warm, without any scars.

She's saved? Who saved her? Where's Ao Ming?

As she tried to sit up, a soft female voice came from outside the bed curtains: "Miss, you're awake?"

Two maids, dressed in light blue palace attire, with their hair tied up in high buns and small jade horns on their foreheads, gracefully lifted the curtain, their faces bearing respectful and gentle smiles.

"How are you feeling, young lady? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

"I..." Qian Jin's voice was a little hoarse, "Where is this? Where is Ao Ming?"

“This is the Dragon Palace of the East Sea. His Highness the Third Prince is in the outer room. I will go and invite him right away.” A maid replied softly, while another helped her sit up and handed her a cup of honey nectar that was at the perfect temperature and had a faint glow.

The Dragon Palace of the East Sea?! Qian Jin held the cup, her mind still a little dazed. She actually came to the Dragon Palace? In this... unconscious way?

…

When Ao Ming carried Qian Jin all the way back to the East Sea Dragon Palace, the Dragon King and Queen were completely dumbfounded.

They were having tea when they heard a commotion outside. Then their third son, who was usually very particular about his appearance and even a bit of a germaphobe, rushed in, holding a pale, unconscious girl tightly in his arms.

The Dragon King's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air, and the Dragon Queen's newly picked-up pastry fell back onto the plate with a "plop".

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes conveying: Son! I told you to bring that little girl you care about back to see, not to just carry her back! And this girl doesn't seem very friendly... at all?

But as it turned out, the Dragon King had lived a long life and seen a lot! He only paused for a moment before immediately understanding what was going on. His expression turned serious, and he put down his teacup and stood up: "What happened?"

Ao Ming quickly recounted, in a concise manner, his encounter with the ancient demon dragon, Qian Jin's serious injury, and his continued unconsciousness despite being treated by the old man Qi Huang.

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King, without a word, immediately and swiftly made arrangements: dispatching the most attentive maids to serve him personally, ensuring the Dragon Palace's medical team was on standby, and sending Qian Jin to the East Sea's hot springs for recuperation. He also personally contacted the Old Man of the Qihuang Temple using the Water Mirror Communication Technique to report his safety, express his deepest gratitude, and immediately ordered the Turtle Prime Minister to select several jars of the Dragon Palace's finest wine, aged for ten thousand years, and send them over. Of course, he also reported the momentous event of the demon dragon breaking through the seal and reappearing in the world to his superiors in the form of a secret letter.

Therefore, when Qian Jin woke up, the Dragon King and his wife received the news immediately and rushed over to visit him.

When they saw that Qian Jin's face was still a little pale, but her eyes were bright and she could talk and laugh. She was just still weak and needed to rest for a while longer, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

The Dragon Queen gently held Qian Jin's hand, repeatedly instructing her, "Good child, it's good that you're awake. Don't rush to get up. Just stay here and rest peacefully. If you need anything, just tell them." Her gaze was loving, looking at Qian Jin as if she were her own junior.

The Dragon King nodded: "Yes, you were frightened this time. Ao Ming acted carelessly, putting you in danger. I have already reprimanded him. Rest assured, the East Sea will definitely protect you."

The couple offered a few more words of concern before getting up and leaving, allowing her to rest quietly.

…

When only Qian Jin and Ao Ming, who had rushed over after receiving the news, remained in the room, the atmosphere became somewhat quiet.

Ao Ming stood by the bed, looking at Qian Jin who was leaning against the soft pillows. Suddenly, he lifted his clothes and knelt down on the glass floor in front of the bed with a "thump".

Qian Jin was startled by his sudden gift and almost jumped out of bed: "W-what are you doing? Get up! I'm fine, really! That demonic dragon was so powerful, it wasn't your fault..."

She thought Ao Ming was blaming himself for hurting her.

But then Ao Ming lowered his head, his voice muffled, filled with deep regret and guilt: "It's not that... Qian Jin, I'm sorry... While you were unconscious, I... I spent all your possessions..."

Time seemed to have frozen for ten thousand years.

The relief and understanding on Qian Jin's face froze instantly, then shattered inch by inch.

"What?!"

She gasped, her voice trembling, and jumped up from the bed with a swift movement that belied her injury. "Did you run into robbers?! Who dared to rob us?! Where's my fire poker?!" Her eyes flashed as she scanned the surroundings, as if she were about to confront the robbers.

Ao Ming was startled by her reaction and quickly looked up, his azure eyes shimmering with tears, on the verge of crying: "Not a robber! It's...it's the consultation fee! Senior Qi Huang Sou's consultation fee!"

He stammered out the whole story. Qian Jin's anger deflated like a punctured balloon.

She stood there blankly for a while, then slowly and dejectedly sat back on the bed and covered her face with her hands.

"...Fortunately, we met the old doctor," her voice came muffled from between her fingers, with a resigned weariness, "and the medicines he used, though I didn't recognize them, seemed incredibly precious... In terms of value, they were probably worth far, far, far more than our meager possessions. He truly treated us very well."

She understands the道理 (principles/reasons), but her heart still aches so much!

She let out a wail and fell back into the soft pillow, staring blankly at the shimmering silk canopy above her head: "Sigh... being sick is really the most expensive thing... a bottomless pit... I could spend any amount of money... I might... really not be destined for wealth..." Her voice was filled with despair for the future.

Ao Ming remained kneeling there, not daring to get up, like a large dog that had done something wrong.

Qian Jin glanced at him, knowing he was also having a hard time, so she helped Ao Ming find a way out: "Ao Ming... I'm thirsty."

Ao Ming immediately got up, quickly poured her a fresh cup of honey dew, carefully brought it to her lips, and observed her expression closely.

Qian Jin took a few sips from his hand, her brows still furrowed, not out of anger, but out of a sense of dejection at the shattering of her dreams and the hopelessness of her future.

Seeing her like this, Ao Ming felt even worse than when he had been scolded. He hesitated for a moment, then said softly but firmly, "Qian Jin, don't be sad. I... I have money, Donghai has a lot of money! My private treasury is all yours! Spend it however you want! What's mine is yours!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin looked up at him and sighed, "But I want to earn my own money..." That was a completely different feeling.

She paused, her tone becoming even more dejected, yet tinged with a hint of pragmatic compromise: "Of course... given that I'm currently penniless and, judging from my physical condition, still somewhat disabled... I'm afraid I'll have to rely on you for food, water, and lodging for the time being..."

Ao Ming's eyes lit up instantly, and he almost eagerly replied, "Okay! No problem! Eat as much as you want! Stay as long as you want!" His joy was almost overflowing.

…

When Qian Jin was able to get out of bed and walk around a little, out of politeness, she thought she should go and pay her respects to the Dragon King and his wife every day.

It turned out that there was no airs at all here.

The Dragon King and his wife seem to be the kind of people who are... very easy to get along with.

That day, she went to the garden for some fresh air with Ao Ming and encountered the Dragon King and his wife playing chess in the pavilion.

The Dragon King held a chess piece, deep in thought, looking dignified and thoughtful. The Dragon Queen, meanwhile, leisurely ate spiritual fruit. Upon seeing Qian Jin, she immediately smiled and beckoned her to come and sit down.

After chatting for a while, Ao Ming looked around and asked curiously, "Father, Mother, where are my eldest and second brothers?"

The Dragon King placed a piece on the board without raising his head, his tone as calm as ever: "Oh, your eldest brother went to inspect the defenses of the West Sea, and your second brother went to Yingzhou to check the accounts. The annual accounts of several sea cities there need to be reviewed."

The Dragon Queen immediately put down the spiritual fruit and naturally replied, her tone full of satisfaction: "Ah, look, at this crucial moment, these two sons are truly capable, able to share your father's burdens and solve your problems..."

The Dragon King immediately coughed, interrupting her, and with an expression that said, "Madam, you are still too young," he said earnestly in a low voice, "Madam! That's a mistake! You mustn't make such comparisons! Haven't you heard the saying in the mortal world? 'It's not that we're afraid of rich kids squandering their wealth, it's that we're afraid of rich kids trying to prove themselves!' If you keep praising your eldest and second sons like this, it will only provoke Ao Ming into wanting to do something 'big' to prove himself. With his tendency to cause trouble... our East Sea's wealth accumulated over ten thousand years probably can't withstand many of his attempts to prove himself!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager suddenly realized her mistake, immediately covering her mouth, her eyes full of smiles, and nodded repeatedly: "Your Highness is very thoughtful! I misspoke, I misspoke!"

Ao Ming: "………………"

His temples were throbbing with anger. Looking at his parents, who were working together to "slander" him while simultaneously fearing that he would actually "strive to improve himself," he was speechless with emotion.

"Father! Mother! Can you... wait until I'm not around before saying these things..." He practically spat out these words through clenched teeth.

Qian Jin stood to the side, biting her lip hard, her head down, her shoulders trembling slightly as she struggled to suppress her laughter.

Just then, a slow, rhythmic sound came from afar: "da...da...da..."

Everyone turned around and saw the Turtle Prime Minister slowly but steadily moving towards them.

He walked to the outside of the pavilion, stopped, slowly raised his hands, cupped them in a respectful gesture, and then spoke in an extremely calm tone, as if the speech had been sped up:

"Your Highness...you are...half an hour late for your scheduled meeting with the Dragon King of the South Sea to discuss important matters..."

Dragon King: "!!!"

He slapped his forehead suddenly: "Oh dear! I was so engrossed in playing chess that I forgot about that!" He quickly stood up and said to the Empress, "Madam, why don't you keep Qian Jin company? I'll go take a look!"

Having said that, he flashed and vanished in a streak of light. The Turtle Prime Minister remained standing there, slowly lowering his hand, then slowly turning around, preparing to leave at the same speed: "Then... this old minister... will... take his leave..."

Qian Jin's eyes were already sparkling! She had been curious about what the legendary shrimp soldiers, crab generals, and turtle prime minister looked like, and today she finally saw them in person! This turtle prime minister... truly lived up to his reputation!

Just as Prime Minister Turtle slowly disappeared behind the crystal pillars, a patrol of guards happened to pass by.

The two leaders, one sporting a majestic shrimp head and wielding a long spear, and the other carrying two enormous crab claws and clad in heavy armor, followed by soldiers mostly dressed as various aquatic creatures, all spirited and marching in perfect unison.

"Greetings, Dragon Queen! Greetings, Third Prince!" The shrimp soldiers and crab generals' voices were loud and powerful.

The Dragon Queen smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

Qian Jin watched intently, especially at the way the crab general waved its large pincers in salute, which was both majestic and strangely... cute?

Judging from her expression, Ao Ming knew that this woman was curious and found it interesting, so he couldn't help but chuckle: "The East Sea is vast, with countless aquatic creatures, naturally with different forms. You'll get used to it."

He looked at Qian Jin's eyes, which had regained their luster and were no longer as dull as before, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that everyone is alright.