Chapter Ninety-Three: Traveling, Part One

For now, let us leave that aside. Don’t be greedy and try to have what is in the pot while still eating from the bowl. You have not even gotten rid of this scar, and you are already thinking about skin whitening and the like,” said Ye Lang very bluntly.

“That…” his cousin said with a somewhat embarrassed giggle. “Then… you can take care of this first…”

“All right. Lie still and don’t move. This will take quite a while, and if you feel tired, I can always put you to sleep,” Ye Lang said.

“No. You are not tired, so how could I be tired?” She shook her head and said shyly.

“Then lie down properly and let’s begin…”

And so, Ye Lang carefully polished his cousin’s skin while she lay there with her eyes closed, motionless. As for Ye Lan Yu, she did not go to sleep either; she stayed nearby and watched.

Time passed little by little, and the scar on his cousin’s forehead grew fainter and fainter.

“All right, I’m sleepy. I’m going to sleep…” After finishing, Ye Lang simply lay down at the side and fell asleep, not even wanting to say another word.

Ye Lan Yu and his cousin were silent for a moment. Then they exchanged a smile and made a decision.

“Why are you so late today?” the girl in his dream asked softly. Her tone seemed to carry a trace of reproach, but also a hint of delight.

“I spent some time polishing my cousin’s skin. From now on, she can do whatever hairstyle she likes.”

“Oh…”

“Strange. Why do I feel so heavy, as if something is pressing on me?” Ye Lang said in the dream, mentioning his own sensation.

“You don’t have anything on you,” the girl said after glancing at him.

“Maybe I was mistaken…” Ye Lang cast the feeling aside and continued chatting.

The next morning, when Ye Lang woke up, he discovered that what he had felt last night had not been an illusion at all. It was real. He really was very heavy.

Why would that be?

If two women were sleeping on top of you, then you would surely feel the same way.

“Sister, Cousin, what are you doing? You know you are heavy, and yet you still insist on pressing down on me while I sleep.” Ye Lang woke the two of them very directly, showing no consideration at all. He did not even think of gently letting them sleep a little longer.

“Get lost, you are the heavy one!” Ye Lan Yu immediately retorted, then said wistfully, “It has been so long since I slept with you. You heartless little thing. You grow up and no longer want your sister.”

“Nonsense. When I grow up, I’m going to take a wife. What would I need a sister like you for?” Ye Lang said very honestly, and very rudely.

Bang.

In response, Ye Lan Yu’s little fist landed on him. Her eyes blazing with fury, she said through gritted teeth, “Go on then, don’t want me and see what happens. If you do, then you can forget about getting a wife in the future!”

“If I don’t get married, then I don’t get married. Am I afraid of you?” Ye Lang shot back immediately, though he felt that something about this seemed off.

If he did not marry a wife, did that not mean he was choosing this sister instead? That would not be resistance; that would be agreement.

“You little fool. Be good and get up. Your sister couldn’t bear to leave you alone anyway. I’ll find you a good wife in the future, but you absolutely may not stop wanting your sister!”

“Oh, got it…”

At that moment, someone finally voiced an objection. It was the neglected cousin.

“Hey, hey, aren’t you two going a little too far? I’m leaving today, and yet you have not thought of me at all!”

“Who says so? You are still pressing on me right now. How could I not think of you?” Ye Lang asked.

“That…”

“Get up, both of you. Hurry and get ready, or else you won’t be leaving today either,” Ye Lang said. “It is always like this. You delay one day after another…”

Ye Lang’s cousin had also tried several times before, saying she would leave today, only to be made to stay until tomorrow, then the day after, and once even for as long as ten days.

“You little brat, daring to pry open your aunt’s old wound!” His cousin copied Ye Lan Yu and punched at Ye Lang, even calling herself his aunt in jest.

“Let’s go.”

Ye Lang dodged, then in a flash slipped outside and vanished before the eyes of the two girls.

At noon, many people gathered at the entrance of the Ye family residence, including Ye Shuitian and his wife, as well as Ye Lang and his sister, all there to see his cousin off.

“Auntie, Uncle, Xiao Yu, I’m leaving! Xiao Lang, remember to come find me in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. You promised me.” Before leaving, his cousin especially reminded Ye Lang.

Because Ye Lang had said earlier that he would wander about for a bit and might go to the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, she immediately insisted that he come find her, conveniently ignoring the might part.

“Got it. You’re so noisy. Hurry and go!” Ye Lang waved her away as though chasing off a fly, his face naturally full of annoyance.

“You little brat, fine. Just remember.” His cousin shook her head helplessly, then turned to board the carriage. Yet just as she was about to climb in, she suddenly stopped.

Turning back to Ye Lang, she said, “Xiao Lang, I hear your singing is quite good. Could you sing one song for your sister, as a farewell?”

Ye Lang looked at his cousin. After a dazed moment, under the expectant gazes of the others, he uttered two words:

“Out of the question.”

Swaying, his cousin nearly tumbled out of the carriage, and the others nearly collapsed as well. This brat was truly outrageous. She only asked him to sing a song, and he refused like that.

“Hmph! Just you remember this!!” His cousin clenched her teeth, threw out a harsh parting threat, and climbed into the carriage.

“Mm, I will.” Ye Lang nodded in reply.

“Go to hell!”

A furious roar came from within the carriage, followed by something being hurled out and flying straight toward Ye Lang, as if it were the embodiment of his cousin’s anger.

“What is this?” Ye Lang caught the object lightly and looked at it. It seemed to be a jade pendant. As a seasoned prodigal, he could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

In theory, it should not have been thrown out carelessly like that.

What was more, the pendant was engraved with his name, which made it even more certain that it was not meant to be hurled at him in anger.

“This is my keepsake. Only you can use it. When you come to the Vermilion Bird Kingdom in the future, use this to find me. Remember that!” His cousin poked her head out and answered the question.

“Cousin…”

“What?”

“Can I sell this?”

“Go die!!”

“Heh, I’m joking. I’ll give you something too. Hold it carefully!” Ye Lang tossed her a small bottle in return.

“What is this?” she asked after catching it, somewhat suspiciously.

“This is a beauty elixir. Take one pill every day, and don’t take too many.” Ye Lang replied. As for what it did, there was no need for further explanation.

“You little brat, your sister did not dote on you for nothing,” his cousin said with a smile. But soon her smile vanished, because Ye Lang added another line.

“You’re getting old, so you need to maintain yourself with things like this, or else no one will marry you.”

“Get lost!!”

Thus, Ye Lang saw his cousin off. But before he could even celebrate, he was hauled away by his father and the others for a talking-to. Of course, it was not about his intimacy with his cousin; even his cousin would not have minded that, so how could they use it to rebuke their precious son?

“Son, are you really not going to participate in the trials?” Ye Shuitian asked.

He was still speaking of Ye Lang’s matter of entering the tournament, because Ye Lang had firmly refused the trials, and this left the two of them very worried.

Every parent hopes their child will become outstanding. In the past, Ye Lang’s situation had made them feel that it would be enough if he could simply be an ordinary person. But recently, the talent Ye Lang had displayed made them feel that the matter of hoping their son would become a dragon needed to be raised and set in motion.

And this tournament was a very good opportunity. They felt Ye Lang should take part.

“I’m not participating. I’ve told you many times. Don’t ask again, and don’t say it again. I’m not changing my mind.” Ye Lang refused, then casually added, “Oh right, maybe next year I’ll go watch the tournament. Starting next year, I’m going out to play!”

“If you are going to play, then why not go along and take part while you are at it? After all, you only need to go through the motions. With your skills, winning some results would not be very difficult,” Ye Shuitian said.

Ye Lang shook his head and said, “I only said maybe. Maybe by then I’ll be somewhere else and won’t have the time, so it would not be in passing. And even if it were in passing, I still would not want to go!”

“Where could you possibly be going? Wait—are you saying you are not going to play in one place, but rather run all over the world?” Ye Shuitian reacted at once and asked.

“Yes. I’m planning that after I finish my coming-of-age ceremony this year, I’ll go travel around. I’ve already planned it for a long time,” Ye Lang said with a nod.

“No!” The three of them immediately objected, their opposition strong and resolute.

“Don’t treat me like a child. I’ve already passed my coming-of-age ceremony; I’m an adult now. A man’s ambition lies in all directions. It is necessary for me to go out and travel,” Ye Lang said quietly.

“If it were anyone else, we would be at ease. But you? How can you expect us to be at ease? You always do foolish things!” Ye Shuitian said very directly.

“That was all in the past. When have I ever done foolish things now?” Ye Lang immediately replied.

“Not at all? Don’t forget who nearly blew up the Seventh Princess’s sleeping chamber before, or who ran up beside the dragon knights and stroked those fierce flying dragons until he almost got eaten. And who was it that…”

“Stop, stop. Those were all accidents. Besides, did I not come out unharmed?” Ye Lang still did not yield, remaining as stubborn as ever.

“That is because your other mother dotes on you…” Ye Shuitian was somewhat speechless, and the other mother he mentioned was the Goddess of Luck. Nowadays, the imperial family and the others all explained Ye Lang and the Goddess of Luck’s relationship in this way: mother and son. Otherwise, why would she favor him so much?