Chapter 221 · Extra Chapter Six
1
As far back as she can remember, A-Mian has lived on Qingyu Mountain. Unlike the fox spirits of Qingyu Mountain, although she also has fox blood, she can hardly maintain her fox appearance.
Of all the fox spirits on the mountain, she was the only one who looked like an anomaly.
In the world of demons, only the law of the jungle prevails. Her weakness and uniqueness almost destined her to be ostracized and bullied, and she has indeed witnessed many unprovoked acts of malice.
But during that long period of growing up, she was actually rarely injured, because it was always Achan, her twin sister, who got hurt.
But there is only one Achan, while there are many fox cubs. Every time a conflict breaks out, regardless of who wins or loses, Achan is always the one who gets hurt more.
Since they couldn't beat Achan, they would whisper nonsense in her ear.
They say she and Achan are clearly sisters, yet she's so ugly. They say she's useless, while Achan inherited all of her father's talents; she only drags Achan down all day.
Those fools probably thought that these words would eventually cause a rift in their sisterhood.
They simply didn't understand. Ah Mian never felt that Ah Chan, who was prettier, more talented, and more capable than her, was worth being jealous of. Such a wonderful older sister belonged to her; others didn't have her, and it was they who should be jealous.
Her relationship with Achan was always very good; their only argument was with her parents, whom they had never met.
A-Mian didn't understand why A-Chan always held onto hope for them, even though they had clearly been abandoned. Their parents would never return to Qingyu Mountain to take them away, yet A-Chan still wanted to find them.
After the argument, she took a nap. When she woke up, there was a dead pheasant on her pillow.
So she roasted the pheasant, called Ah Chan over, and they each ate half, and then they made up.
She thought that she and Achan would be together forever, and that one day they would leave Qingyu Mountain together and go to the outside world.
Even if Achan still wanted to go find her father and mother, she was willing to go with her.
But the accident happened too suddenly.
That day, Achan was lured away, and they pushed her into the cold pool of Qingyu Mountain.
The water in the cold pool was extremely cold, and because she was frail, Achan never brought her here to play.
It wasn't until the moment she fell into the water that A-Mian realized A-Chan was right. The water was too cold; her body was gradually submerged, and her limbs were frozen almost instantly. She couldn't even struggle.
She gradually sank to the bottom of the water, and all she could see in her blurred vision were the ferocious smiling faces of those fox cubs.
She was afraid of death, afraid that A-Chan wouldn't be able to find her and would be very worried, and also afraid that if A-Chan found her, she would be heartbroken.
Is there anyone who can save her?
It's unclear how long it will be before consciousness returns.
It was a night when a heavy rain was falling. The area around the cold pool was silent, and raindrops splashed into the water, creating tiny sprays. She felt as if she had no body anymore; she couldn't move, nor did she feel cold, yet she could still see the scenery on the water's surface.
Suddenly, a crack appeared in the air, and a slender hand reached out, easily tearing the crack open. Then, a person walked out.
That person had a pair of very beautiful eyes, their pupils like flowing gold, rich and dazzling.
He carried a scent that Ah Mian liked, a refreshing, watery aroma. Her body, which had been unable to move, suddenly became mobile. Ah Mian floated in the water, drifting towards him.
He stood on the shore for a while, then walked into the cold pool.
Ah Mian wanted to remind him that the water was cold, but he was already completely submerged.
He didn't freeze and drown like her; instead, he turned into a dragon, a silver-white dragon.
That was the first time Ah Mian had ever seen a living dragon. It probably wasn't its original size, but it was still very imposing and more beautiful than any dragon she had ever imagined.
Although she always thought that Ah Chan, with her eight tails and fluffy fur, was the cutest, she also really liked this dragon and wanted to raise it.
His silvery-white scales emitted a white halo that could almost illuminate the dark pool.
He leisurely lingered in the icy pool, as if surveying his territory.
Finally, he noticed her gaze, slowly approached her, and then held her firmly in his palm.
2
Dragons have an extremely long lifespan; the stronger they are, the longer they live. Humans have gone through dozens of generations, while the first generation of dragon ancestors might still be sleeping in their caves.
Nightfall is just such a dragon.
He is still very young, yet he has a lifespan that seems to have no end.
The longer a race lives, the more indifferent it tends to be; this may be due to its nature or experience.
Over the course of thousands of years, like his fellow races, he coldly watched the rise and fall of the human race and the fighting and killing of the demon race. He spent most of his time sleeping and a small portion of his time being worshipped by the dragon race like a mascot.
Until one day, a fox dug through his sleeping burrow, supposedly to steal ambergris flowers to give to his owner.
Unfortunately, he was disappointed because Ye Chen didn't drool while sleeping.
They fought, and both were severely injured. They were both buried underwater by the collapsing cave.
Then a human came along and snatched them both up in a net.
What's most infuriating is that the human came to steal the ambergris.
Ye Chen didn't understand. Was he the only dragon left in the dragon clan? Why were they specifically targeting him to cause trouble?
Then he and the fox teamed up and beat that person up again.
There's a saying among humans: "No friendship without a fight." He was thus forcibly treated as a friend by the human and the fox, and he suspected that they were only friends with him because they were after his saliva.
His human friend always liked to say that life is unpredictable, but Ye Chen scoffed at this. To him, the vicissitudes of life as seen by humans were just ordinary.
But sometimes humans are indeed very wise.
The fox, who should have had a long lifespan like him, died; truly, life is unpredictable.
Xi Jing liked to annoy him when he was alive, and he didn't forget to dig a pit for him even before he died.
He hesitated for a moment between throwing away Xi Jing's daughter or not, but in the end he took her away, just because she cried too horribly.
That little fox spirit was nothing like Xijing; she was clingy, prone to crying, and always had unrealistic dreams, like raising dragons.
It's raining overhead again. Oh well, I'll let her raise it.
3
Even after a long, long time, Ye Chen still couldn't shake his habit of loving to sleep.
This time he was woken up by a clicking or crackling sound.
He turned his head and looked back, and saw a white ball of fluff chiseling at his scales.
He stared at the ball of dough for a while before asking, "What are you doing?"
The little dumpling turned its head, its two loose little tufts of hair swaying, and grinned to reveal two tiny white teeth: "Uncle, you're awake. I'll snuggle up here and carve some flowers for you."
After saying that, the little dumpling threw away the dagger it had somehow acquired and climbed onto him.
"Uncle, where's my sister?"
"The little sister is still inside the egg."
If you look closely, you'll see a strange blue egg that Ye Chen is holding in his arms. The eggshell is soft, and water vapor is condensing around it, rising and falling as if it's breathing.
The little dumpling crawled to the egg and skillfully reached out to touch it: "Sister, you sleep well, Uncle and I are going to play lift-up."
Ye Chen really wanted to say that he hadn't agreed to play games with him, but the little dumpling had already climbed onto his tail without any room for doubt, looking at him expectantly.
Ye Chen found it hard to refuse the little face that resembled Xi Jing's, so he had no choice but to toss the little dumpling up with his tail and catch it.
Halfway through playing with them, the dry cave suddenly became damp, and the little dumpling cheered and pounced on them: "Little sister is waking up."
A crack appeared in the blue egg, and a small blue dragon, about the thickness of a finger, emerged from it, its voice soft and gentle: "Daddy, I want to play the lift-up game too."
"You can't, you're too young." Ye Chen's voice softened as he gently refused his daughter.
"Waaaaaah..."
The water in the cave was rising at a visible rate.
"Lift me up high! Lift me up high!"
One cried their heart out, while the other laughed without a care in the world.
Ye Chen sighed heavily. How could the mighty Dragon King have fallen to the point of spending his days looking after children? He must have been set up by Xi Jing.
4
Shen Huixue saw Zhang Jinghuai again ten years later.
That year, the Great Xia Dynasty went to war with the alien races, which affected the passing Wu Clan caravan. They were implicated and arrested as aliens.
The high priest sent people to meet them, and since only Hui Xue had been to Xiling before, she and Lie Xing led the team.
After so long, setting foot on the land of Xiling again, it seems that not much has changed.
However, the common people no longer mention the former Xiling Prince's Mansion and the Shen family; instead, they talk about the General's Mansion, which is also their destination.
Because of Achan's connection, the Great Xia and the Wu tribes have had some interactions over the years, so they came to take people away, not to abduct them.
Lie Xing took the high priest's seal and entered the general's mansion, but Shen Huixue did not follow.
She sat in a teahouse not far from the general's mansion, and could see the vermilion gate as soon as she turned her head.
She knew that was Zhang Jinghuai's home, and over the years, she would still think of him occasionally. But she and Zhang Jinghuai were probably not suited to be old friends who had been separated for a long time, so there was no need for them to meet again.
The gate not far away opened, and a boy who looked about six or seven years old walked out surrounded by people. She took a closer look and realized that the boy looked a lot like Zhang Jinghuai.
The matter was handled smoothly. He said that the general was very gentle and agreed to release them after confirming their identities.
During the visit, I also asked them a lot about the village, saying that I would like to visit the Wu tribe in the future if I have the opportunity.
Although Liexing felt that the general was just being polite, he still had a good impression of him.
"Sister Huixue, you used to live in Xiling, do you know that general?" Liehang asked Shen Huixue.
Shen Huixue's wandering attention was brought back by him, and she smiled: "I've heard of him, but I'm not familiar with him."
Lie Xing nodded, somewhat regretfully saying, "That general asked us to stay in Xiling for a few more days, but unfortunately this year's festival is about to begin, and we'll have to go back after we pick him up."
"I prefer the wilderness to this place."
"Of course."
The next day, the general's mansion released the people. Lie Xing and his companions bought some local specialties and daily necessities in Xiling and planned to leave early on the third day.
The day the team set off was a beautiful day; the light mist dissipated as soon as it was illuminated by the sun.
After leaving the city gate, Huixue looked back and saw a person standing on the city tower.
With just a fleeting glance, she recognized the other person's face; it was Zhang Jinghuai.
She didn't know if Zhang Jinghuai had seen her, but it didn't really matter anymore.
Hui Xue turned around and followed the group into the distance.
5
When Zhang Jinghuai was thirty-five years old, the Duke of Liguo fell seriously ill, and he returned to the capital.
Lying on his sickbed, the Duke of Li looked at his outstanding eldest son and was not worried about the future of the Duke's mansion at all. There was only one thing that he could not let go of.
He gripped Zhang Jinghuai's hand tightly and asked him, "Over the years, you've been engaged three times, but each time the engagement was broken off by the woman for various reasons. Did you do that?"
Zhang Jinghuai was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Father, those were just accidents. I guess I'm not destined to be with my husband."
Looking at his impeccable son, the Duke of Li closed his eyes. Seven years ago, his eldest son had subdued and reorganized the Xiling Army. Not long after, his first fiancée, who had waited for him for three years, broke off their engagement with the Duke's family.
Then, three years after three, each of the fiancées he had arranged for his eldest son broke off the engagement for various reasons.
The eldest son is now His Majesty's commander of Xiling, a high-ranking official in the court, and His Majesty's confidant. His son has replaced him and taken control of the power within the Duke of Li's mansion.
"If you don't get married, what will happen to the heir of our Duke's mansion?"
"Father, rest assured, your son has already selected several children from the main branch. They are all quite talented and are capable of continuing the family line of the Duke's mansion."
"And what about you?" Duke Liguo persisted.
“I will raise them to adulthood, select the most talented and virtuous among them, and pass on the Li Guogong Mansion.” Zhang Jinghuai said to the Li Guogong. “Father, rest assured, the Li Guogong Mansion will not decline.”
After a long silence, the Duke of Liguo finally asked, "Is it really not her who's the only one for you?"
He thought back then that it was just a mere half-demon, and if it could stop his son's path...
The eldest son, the heir whom the Duke's mansion had painstakingly nurtured, never disappointed him.
Jing Huai did not disappoint him, but the ending was not as he expected. How could this be?
Zhang Jinghuai did not evade the question, and said in a very calm tone: "You are overthinking it. It is said that the older you get, the more stubborn you become, and my son is probably like that. I don't want to settle for someone I haven't found the right woman."
The year she left, he accepted his future fate.
Once, he was assassinated in the army and almost died. In his dazed state, he seemed to see her, and a feeling of resentment welled up in his heart.
These thoughts tore at him repeatedly, and before he knew it, so many years had passed.
He did not marry and have children as his father had hoped, but he continued to follow the predetermined path.
Not long after the father and son finished their conversation, the Duke of Li passed away.
Zhang Jinghuai inherited the title of Duke of Liguo and then returned to Xiling with his adopted son who had been adopted into his family.
For the next twenty years, Duke Zhang Jinghuai of Liguo guarded Xiling until a foreign invasion in which he was seriously injured.
His eldest son was appointed to the post in a time of crisis and stabilized the situation. Not long after, Zhang Jinghuai died in office.
The emperor, moved by the loyalty of the Duke of Li, granted him permission to be buried in the imperial mausoleum. Unfortunately, the imperial decree came too late; the Duke of Li's heir had already cremated his remains as instructed by the Duke, leaving only an urn of ashes.
When the heir of the Duke of Li sent the ashes back to the capital, someone went out of the city gate alone.
Standing at the city gate, the man gazed at the road in the distance.
He had seen her off here twice, more than thirty years since the last time he saw her.
I wonder if I'll be able to see her again at the end of this road? I couldn't even say a word to her last time, but this time, I hope I can say "long time no see" to her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
