Looking Back, I Was Once a Little White Dragon
“……”
Hua Jieyou fell silent.
It was true that, after wandering the world for so many years, he naturally understood that all things had their yin and yang, and that people could be good or evil. Not everyone was like the people of Yao and Wei in the old days.
But someone like Shu Fu, who had lost her life because of a complete stranger by the roadside and had harbored no resentment afterward—this was the first time he had ever encountered such a person.
One thing was one thing, and another was another. He would not forgive the two cities of Yao and Wei because of this. Yet the heart that had been steeped in filth for a thousand years seemed, without his realizing it, to have floated ever so slightly upward.
He still could not see the sun, but he could faintly feel its warmth.
Shu Fu ladled out chicken soup for him in measured doses, careful not to overdo it. Seeing Hua Jieyou sitting there deep in thought, she tactfully changed the subject.
“By the way, I’ll be finished here soon. What about your side, sir? If you’re not done yet, why don’t you let me take a look too?”
Hua Jieyou looked puzzled. “What? You don’t know about his past? Aren’t you dao companions?”
“……”
That innocent remark left Shu Fu momentarily speechless. She scratched awkwardly at her temple.
“Do we look like it? As things stand, he’s still my master…”
“Don’t you?”
Hua Jieyou countered, “Aside from dao companions, the only people who understand each other as well as you two do are my brother and me. We’re twins, after all.”
“Cough, cough.”
It was rare for Shu Fu to feel embarrassed. She cleared her throat and decided not to argue with a child over this topic, even if that child had technically been a ghost for at least a thousand years.
“In any case, you can place a restriction on me so I won’t be able to interfere with the contents of the illusion. I’ll only watch. I absolutely won’t get in the way.”
“……”
Perhaps because of that pot of warm chicken soup, Hua Jieyou’s cold, rigid attitude had softened somewhat. He lowered his head and thought for a long while before slowly saying, “Very well. This illusion is entirely under my control. There’s no harm in letting you see it.”
“Oh, right… Since I’m just as curious as you are about what sort of person he really is, I traced his memories back a little farther.”
…
The scene before Shu Fu shifted again. When she opened her eyes, she was nearly startled by what she saw around her.
She was standing in a vast and magnificent hall. Its furnishings were not especially ornate, but possessed a refined and elegant air.
The floor tiles and walls were made of a stone resembling white jade, polished to a mirrorlike sheen. They were spotless and bright enough to reflect a person’s image. Several round pillars, like divine needles holding up the sea, supported an astonishingly high ceiling. Coiled white dragons were carved into their surfaces.
Like an ancient imperial court, the far end of the hall held a flight of bluestone steps. At the top sat an imposing, intricately carved throne, seemingly carved from a single block of black jade. Even from a distance, it radiated an intimidating presence.
Unfortunately, the young man slumped in that chair with one hand propping up his forehead and all the energy drained out of him completely ruined the atmosphere.
He had a face as radiant as the moon, handsome eyes, and elegant brows—a truly fine-looking young man. Yet he bore little resemblance to the Jiang Xuesheng in Shu Fu’s memory.
Clearly, to avoid attracting attention, he had undergone a little cosmetic work on this incarnation.
…and it had turned out rather well.
At this point, Jiang Xuesheng did not yet have a name. He was known only by the crude title Lord Yinglong, which was more or less equivalent to “You Look Quite a Lot Like Your Ancestor.” He was also a completely natural beauty who had never gone under the knife.
The beautiful young man had no concern whatsoever for his personal image. His upper body was sprawled bonelessly in the chair, one hand squashing his handsome face out of shape while the other rested casually on the armrest, his index finger tapping it over and over. His two long legs, apparently unwilling to be lonely, crossed and uncrossed as he tried to figure out the most comfortable way to sit with one leg over the other.
Though alone, the young man did not seem to mind the solitude in the slightest. In fact, he was thoroughly enjoying himself. First, he crossed his legs and circulated his spiritual energy through several cycles. Then he wielded ice with his left hand and fire with his right, entertaining himself with a one-man battle of opposing elements. After that, he tapped out a tune on the armrest with his fingers. The melody sounded suspiciously like “The Most Dazzling Ethnic Style.” Finally, he conjured a mirror of water, admired his reflection, lifted a lock of glossy black hair, and began braiding it.
As he braided, he muttered, “I truly don’t understand why human women have so many different hairstyles, while men are limited to tying up their hair and wearing crowns. How boring. Among the demon tribes, it’s usually the males who have the more striking appearances.”
Shu Fu: “……”
This dragon was clearly anything but respectable.
Come to think of it, could Liu Ruyi’s fondness for dressing as a woman have something to do with you? Weren’t you the one who said, “I don’t need to brush my fur”?
Just then, a clear cry rang out from beyond the hall, evidently announcing someone’s arrival.
The young man immediately dropped his hair, casually unraveled the half-finished braid, and roughly smoothed it down. He straightened his back, sat upright, and asked in a deep voice, “What is it?”
“The clan leader of the Yaozhu tribe, Zhong Dingtian, requests an audience.”
“……”
Faced with the sudden appearance of a new character, Shu Fu was so shaken by that overbearing name that she nearly staggered on the spot.
No wonder he had named his son Zhong Bukui. Compared to him, the old man was clearly the more impressive one. It was already a blessing that his son had not been named Zhong Lidi.
“Please come in, Teacher.”
Lord Yinglong held this venerable old clan leader in considerable respect. He composed his expression and said, “There’s no need to be so formal between us.”
“Yes.”
Zhong Dingtian replied in a booming voice and strode into the hall.
He wore military armor, with tiger-like eyes and a bristling beard. His black armor and dark purple cloak gave him a deep and imposing air.
Only…
For some reason, his hair and beard were exactly the same dark purple as his cloak.
Shu Fu: “……”
Help! This outfit is unbearably emo!
Could the legendary Five Phoenixes actually be the Emo Clan?!
“Teacher…”
Lord Yinglong was likewise assaulted by the sight. He shook his head helplessly and sighed. “Every time I see you, I want to say this: when you took human form, you really didn’t need to reflect the color of your feathers so faithfully. Several members of the tribe have told me that when they see you from behind, they think you’re an eggplant.”
“Body and hair are gifts from one’s parents. Besides, purple is the symbol of the Yaozhu tribe and must not be casually abandoned.”
The emo general Zhong Dingtian spoke solemnly. “In my opinion, as the son of a white dragon and a vermilion phoenix, when the Dragon Lord takes human form, his hair ought to be streaked red and white. That would properly display his heritage.”
“I’ll pass.”
Lord Yinglong’s mouth twitched stiffly. “Red and white stripes sound as if my head had been split open, with blood and brains running all over it. That would be rather disturbing.”
Zhong Dingtian kept a stern face. “Dragon Lord, mind your words.”
“I was just saying. Don’t take it seriously. So, what pressing matter—” Lord Yinglong paused. “I mean, what important matter has brought you here today? What do you need me to decide?”
Zhong Dingtian said, “Dragon Lord, perhaps I’m getting old and my hearing is failing, but I thought I heard you say ‘pressing mess.’”
Lord Yinglong laughed. “Ha ha, you must have misheard. Ha ha ha.”
Zhong Dingtian neither agreed nor disagreed. He had clearly grown accustomed to the young sovereign’s temperament, and went straight into an account of the various affairs, large and small, that had recently arisen in the Yaozhu territory.
The first few matters were all legitimate affairs, such as reports of demonic beasts running rampant in one region, and powerful aristocratic clans abusing their influence to bully the weak in another. Lord Yinglong responded to each one clearly, arranged measures properly, and carried himself with the poise of a wise, capable sovereign.
However, after several rounds of discussions, the topics gradually started to turn utterly bizarre.
"The current clan leader of the Qiongzhi Jade Hares has fifty-six children, and he is now deeply troubled because he cannot decide which one to pass his position to. He humbly requests the Dragon Lord to make the decision for him."
"..."
Lord Yinglong froze abruptly, his expression as if he had just been smacked straight in the face. "Wait a minute, how am I supposed to know that? He's the one who sired all those kids, not me. I don't even have any children myself, heck, I don't even know where the mother of my hypothetical children is right now."
Zhong Dingtian said, "The Jade Hare clan leader says he can send all fifty-six of his children over to serve by the Dragon Lord's side, so that the Dragon Lord can pick the right heir from among them. The oldest one is ninety-eight years old, and the youngest is only three..."
Lord Yinglong: "..."
A whole string of curses surged to the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed every single one of them back when he met Zhong Dingtian's solemn, unyielding gaze. Thousands of exasperated words were compressed into a single sentence:
"If he wants to stage a coup and kill his sovereign, he can just say so directly. I won't hold it against him."
Zhong Dingtian was not about to let the matter drop. "The Jade Hare clan leader has been torn over this for a whole year, and he insists that the Dragon Lord must give him a solution. If the Dragon Lord cannot decide today, he will bring all the children over tomorrow."
"Fuc-"
Lord Yinglong bit down hard to choke back the curse, his temples throbbing violently. He took several deep breaths in a row before he put on a numb, utterly defeated expression. "Fine, fine. I'll give him a solution."
"From my perspective, the only reason the clan leader can't make up his mind now is that he hasn't been pushed to a dead end yet."
"Go tell him on my behalf that this sovereign has a preference for male companions, and I don't discriminate between genders. I'm planning to take fifty-five of his children into my harem. That way, he can keep exactly one of them by his side."
Lord Yinglong's eyes were hollow, his face screaming "I'm only eighteen, I'm so tired, my entire first half of life has been drowned in tears". "If I'm willing to make this sacrifice, there's no problem that can't be solved."
"That way, the clan leader will definitely be able to pick the most suitable heir. What do you think of this plan, teacher?"
"Excellent, this plan is brilliant. Then let's move on to the next matter."
Zhong Dingtian did not find this answer absurd in the slightest, and smoothly continued, "The Third Princess of the East China Sea Mermen has fallen head over heels for a human youth she rescued from the sea. But the young man mistakenly believes that another woman was the one who saved his life, and he is completely convinced of this, so he has rejected the Third Princess's confessions. The princess is at her wits' end, and begs the Dragon Lord to help her fulfill her wish."
Lord Yinglong: "Holy f*cking shit!"
He could not hold back his frustration any longer, and smacked his thigh in outrage. "Why does this have to come to me too? I'm not even a hundred years old yet, which makes me practically a toddler among the demon clans. Technically, I should be calling the Third Princess 'aunt' — how on earth would I know anything about this stuff?"
"Dragon Lord, I thought I just heard a word that could never possibly come out of your mouth, something that sounded like 'grass'."
Zhong Dingtian completely ignored his breakdown, and said with a straight face, "Are you suggesting that the Third Princess should find a mind-altering spiritual herb to make the young man change his heart?"
"Change my ass-"
Lord Yinglong raised a hand to cover his mouth, turned his head away and pretended to cough. "Wait, no, hold on. Are you telling me that the Third Princess and that young man were total strangers who had never met before, and he just fell for her the second she pulled him out of the sea?"
Zhong Dingtian: "That is correct."
Lord Yinglong: "Well then, the main reason must be that the young man is extremely good-looking. And when you save someone at the brink of life and death in the middle of the sea, that kind of extreme situation makes the whole thing feel like a fated, destined encounter."
Zhong Dingtian: "That makes perfect sense."
Lord Yinglong: "Then just hire a hundred more handsome, upstanding young men, and throw one of them into the East China Sea every single day. Once she's rescued dozens of them and gets completely desensitized to the whole scenario, she'll stop thinking that the first guy is some one-of-a-kind special soulmate."
Zhong Dingtian: "Brilliant idea. I will arrange for this immediately."
Lord Yinglong: "Make sure you hire men who are great swimmers, the kind who can swim all the way from the shore to the mermen's underwater palace in one breath. If she doesn't take a fancy to one of them and decides not to rescue him, we'll be in huge trouble."
Zhong Dingtian: "The Dragon Lord is so kind and merciful."
Lord Yinglong: "You're absolutely right, I think so too."
He paused for a moment, a weary, world-worn tug of a smile twitching across his delicate face.
"...Though, it sure feels like none of you have been all that merciful to me, huh?"
...
Hua Jieyou: "............"
Shu Fu: "............"
Just as it had never changed across her past and present lives, Jiang Xuesheng's habit of looking after the Jade Hares and the Mermen had always been consistent, no exceptions.
But all of a sudden, a thought popped into her head...
— Is all this shameless, unhinged behavior of his entirely their fault, for pushing him this far???
