Chapter 88: Cousin (2)

Blue sky and white clouds, a clear day—or rather, a patch of clear sky... At this moment, Ye Lang was lying back, gazing into the heavens, lost in thought.

"Why won’t you agree? What’s wrong with coming to stay at my house for a year or two? I promise my sister will spoil you!" His cousin tugged at Ye Lang’s ear, refusing to let the subject drop.

"I know you care about me, but your home is too far. Isn’t it in the imperial capital of the Vermilion Bird Empire? That’s thousands of miles away. I’m too lazy to go that far," Ye Lang replied absentmindedly. He simply didn’t want to go to the Vermilion Bird Empire—he couldn’t be bothered.

"Fine! I dote on you for nothing, then! I won’t be nice to you anymore!" His cousin pouted as she spoke, though this threat had been uttered many times before.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You’ve already been here for quite some time this visit. You should think about heading back soon," Ye Lang answered, picking his ear nonchalantly.

As usual, his cousin’s visits were never long. She only came every few years, and each time, she never stayed more than a month. It seemed her status didn’t allow her to linger here.

What was her status, anyway? Ye Lang had no idea. He didn't even know what his mother’s family did, only that they were a prestigious clan in the Vermilion Bird Empire.

His mother never spoke of it, and only Ye Chengtian had offered a few vague hints.

In any case, it was clear his mother’s family was not ordinary—one look at his mother and this cousin, and you’d suspect as much.

But it wasn’t just Ye Lang’s indifference that left him ignorant. Even if he asked, he wouldn’t learn much. Long Anqi’s identity was a mystery to the entire Ye family; they only knew the broad outlines.

If even the Ye family was so uninformed, who else could expect to know? In truth, in the entire Soaring Sky Empire, there were only a handful who understood, fewer than the fingers of one hand. Fortunately, among them were the most powerful individuals in the empire, so the matter could be glossed over. Who were these people of power? Obviously, the emperor himself!

"Yes, it’s been a long time. I’ll set out for home tomorrow, little fool. Is there really no way to fix my problem?" His cousin’s voice was soft, tinged with sorrow.

Every visit, she knew the day of parting would come, and every time, she grew sad. Still, she couldn’t help coming, if only to see her silly little cousin.

"No," Ye Lang shook his head. "Your problem isn’t so hard, actually. Though I can’t change your constitution, I can address the visible issue."

His cousin looked at him, puzzled.

"Simply put, I can remove your scar and treat the skin so the mark on your forehead disappears," Ye Lang explained again.

"Really? What do you need? How long will it take? Will it hurt?" she asked excitedly.

"I already have the materials. As for time, it’ll be done today, so you can leave happier tomorrow. Will it hurt? That I don’t know—heh," Ye Lang grinned mischievously, clearly preparing some payback.

Smack! His cousin landed a hand on his head, her irritation plain.

"Why’d you hit me again?" Ye Lang asked, dumbfounded.

"What do you think? If you had a solution all along, and it could be done in a single day, why did you wait until now to tell me? You made me beg you every day! Did you enjoy that?" she huffed.

So that was her grievance, not the retribution Ye Lang had planned. Yet, in truth, it was indeed frustrating.

"Well, no," he said, "I was preparing everything for you. I wanted to surprise you. And besides, if your scar is gone, you’ll leave right away, and it’ll be a long time before we see each other again."

There was affection in his words; perhaps he cherished this cousin, especially because she’d received that scar saving him. Maybe, too, he was reluctant to erase the scar, as it preserved the memory of their simple but extraordinary bond.

His cousin fell silent for a long while before finally speaking.

"Little fool, how could I bear to leave so soon? But our situation... Oh, forget it. You wouldn’t understand, and if you weren’t the Ye family’s young master, and I wasn’t who I am... things wouldn’t be so complicated."

Her tone was gentle, but beneath it lay a tangle of relationships, hinting that his parents’ union must have gone through many hardships.

Ye Lang was completely lost.

"Let’s not talk about that. I was wrong to blame you earlier. Does your head hurt?" She gently stroked the spot where she’d struck him, her regret evident.

"It doesn’t hurt. I’m used to it. You all like knocking me on the head so much, I think I’ll develop an iron skull without any special training," Ye Lang replied, shaking his head.

His cousin said nothing more, only gazed quietly at her little cousin.

"Silly boy," she murmured, suddenly hugging him tight. "You really are a little fool."

Ye Lang was bewildered. What was with her now? Why did she seem so moved all of a sudden?

He didn’t pursue it. He simply found being embraced like this rather comforting.

After a long, indeterminate time, they finally parted.

"Cousin, shall I do it for you now? Then we can go play together, and you won’t need to wear a veil anymore," Ye Lang offered.

"Let’s play first—do it tonight. It doesn’t matter; I still have to wear a veil here anyway," his cousin replied with a gentle smile.

"Why? Is your face not fit to be seen?" Ye Lang asked, genuinely confused.

"Sometimes I really want to sew your mouth shut!" she scolded, though not without affection. "It’s not exactly that, but you’re not entirely wrong. Here, I really can’t let others see me."

Ye Lang was still bewildered, but then it occurred to him: his cousin only ever removed her veil around him and a few others, never in front of outsiders.

At first, he’d assumed she wore it to hide her scar. But thinking it over, that didn’t quite add up—she could have covered the scar with makeup and still revealed her striking beauty. Why go to such lengths?

Before he could puzzle it out further, his cousin dragged him off to play, and, true to his nature, he quickly forgot the question. Unless someone explained things to him, he wouldn’t dwell on them—he’d simply forget.

"Little fool, it seems you’ve attracted quite a following here. I didn’t expect you to be so popular," his cousin panted, having pulled him along for who knows how far.

She hadn’t foreseen the commotion that would result from their outing.

The moment they’d stepped outside, a group of people lying in wait sprang up and surrounded them.

His cousin had immediately drawn her sword, ready to cut them down, thinking they were under attack.

Only later did she realize these people weren’t here for her, but for her cousin—they’d been waiting to ask him for more alchemical items from his ring.

These, of course, were the royal alchemists whom Ye Lanyu had driven away! The leaders had already left; only their assistants were left to lay in ambush.

Ye Lang frowned and said, "Go back and tell your superiors: a person should know when to be content. I’ve already given you what I ought; the rest is up to you. If you understand the key, you won’t need to pester me any longer!"

"Third Young Master..."

"Guards, stop these people and don’t let them bother me again," Ye Lang ordered the Ye family’s retainers, who then blocked the stubborn alchemists until Ye Lang and his cousin had moved on.

Yet, scarcely had they escaped the alchemists’ pestering when an even greater nuisance greeted them—the entire city, from commoners to nobles, swarming around them!

"Thirteenth Young Master is here, everyone! Come quick!"

"It really is the Thirteenth Young Master!"

"Hurry, don’t let him get away! He still owes us a meal!"

"Yes, Thirteenth Young Master, don’t leave! You haven’t told us your story yet!"

Thus Ye Lang found himself surrounded. With a smug, almost arrogant expression, he declared, "No stories today—you all just want to know about my alchemy. Honestly, it’s just my talent and a little effort!"

Effort? Well, perhaps that part was credible. Ye Lang had indeed put work into alchemy. But had he really exerted himself?

It seemed he spent more time running around and squandering money—buying things, running experiments, wasting resources. It was only because of this ‘wastefulness’ that he’d had more opportunities to experiment, leading to his current achievements.

So, his success could be summed up as three parts talent, one part effort, and the rest owed entirely to his extravagant ways!

Who would have thought that squandering could be a path to power? This was a first! Perhaps not without precedent, but certainly unique in its scale—a legend that only the Ye family’s Thirteenth Young Master could create.