Chapter 264

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Chapter 264: Straight Cut Fries, hiding behind me.

Once upon a time, there was a mountain. Inside the mountain, there was a temple. In the temple, there were three monks. They wanted to get water to drink… but none of them wanted to go down the mountain to fetch it. One can carry water, two can lift water, but what should three people do?

"It’s simple," they decided to install a water pipeline. And so, the water problem was solved, and the three monks lived a carefree and happy life.

There was once a man from Qi. He would look up at the sky every day, worrying that it would collapse. Everyone laughed at him and said he was being delusional, not caring about tea or food and not doing anything properly.

But in fact, the place where the man from Qi lived was the small and insignificant state of Qi. In the eyes of Sima Qian, it was not worth mentioning. Qi was afraid of being annexed by a larger country, so they moved to Xintai in the state of Lu, Shandong. According to "Records of the Grand Historian," in the seventh year of Duke Zhuang of Lu, there were meteor showers in the northwest of Lu. "Zuo Zhuan" also records that in the fourth month of summer, on the night of Xinchou, the stars did not appear, and the falling stars were like rain.

The reason the man from Qi worried about the sky was because he was hit by a meteor shower. It is said… that it happened more than once. So, the man from Qi had a reason to worry about the sky. It’s good to look up at the sky once in a while; maybe something will fall down.

"Oh, it seems to be under the sea here. Well, then there’s nothing to worry about."

Bai Wei was telling stories to the little dragon children who refused to go to sleep. The little dragon children were lying on the bed, refusing to sleep.

He was the only one willing to take care of the children. The little dragons were too naughty, at an age where even dogs would be afraid and cats would hide.

Only when Bai Wei was telling stories would they listen quietly. After Bai Wei finished telling two stories, they begged for a third one, and he had to continue.

"Let me tell you the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf.’ Once upon a time, there was a shepherd boy. To get out of work, he played a prank by yelling that a wolf was coming. The people nearby immediately came to drive away the wolf pack, but there was no wolf. After being fooled, the adults became very angry, and the shepherd boy laughed heartily."

"The second time, the shepherd boy continued to shout that a wolf was coming. The adults came again, but they still didn’t see the wolf, which made them even angrier."

One little dragon maiden asked, "And what about the third time?"

"Silly girl, there was no third time," Bai Wei chuckled. "As it turned out, the boy’s parents brought him back home, hung him up, and gave him a severe beating. They made him go hungry for two days, completely curing the misbehavior of this brat. After that, he grew up."

"This story tells us a simple truth – misbehaving children should not be spoiled. They should be disciplined!"

"But… but we are dragons…" the little dragon children weakly said.

Bai Wei looked serious and said, "Whether you’re a bear or a dragon, at this hour, anyone who doesn’t sleep is a misbehaving child! Even the coral in the Dragon Palace is turned off."

Finally, the little dragon children were coaxed to sleep.

Bai Wei walked out of the room, stretched, and took a walk in the inner courtyard. He ran into Xue Hanlei, who was having a midnight snack.

"Are you still eating?"

"Nonsense…" Xue Hanlei rolled her eyes.

"But look at your figure."

"Even if my figure is cheap, I still won’t let you have it. Didn’t we agree not to mix personal and business?" Xue Hanlei rolled her eyes again.

"If you keep rolling your eyes, you might as well go marry into the Ri family." Bai Wei sat down. "Get me some fries too."

"I can’t believe you have the patience to deal with those idiots." Xue Hanlei bit into the fries. "I can’t stand them, they give me a headache just looking at them."

"That’s because you lack motherly instincts." Bai Wei shook his head. "It’s obvious you’ve never had children."

"You have motherly instincts because you’ve had children." Xue Hanlei sarcastically mocked Bai Wei’s old-fashioned mentality.

"I haven’t had children, but I have raised a lot of them." Bai Wei bit into his fries, involuntarily thinking of his past students. Although they were used as pawns in the layout, their emotions and time commitment were genuine.

Over time, some of them may have become rebellious, but a father’s love never spoiled.

"Forget it, at most call yourself my sister." Xue Hanlei rested her cheek on her hand.

"What about Yun Wuxin and your sister?"

"They’re asleep. They have a regular schedule, different from us."

"Then why aren’t you sleeping?"

"Just can’t fall asleep. I came back to the East Sea to see the familiar scenery and reminisce a bit about the past." Xue Hanlei ate her fries, her face filled with laziness and idleness.

"I believe you." Bai Wei also bit into his fries. "I’m also feeling a bit nostalgic."

"Huh?"

"At such a late hour, only one wife is keeping me company." Bai Wei said. "I feel deprived."

"Heh." Xue Hanlei didn’t comment much, perhaps she was a bit tired. "You, don’t know how to appreciate. At least back in the day, I was the unparalleled beauty, the Dragon Princess of the Ming Country. Although it’s been over a century, I’m not old and faded yet."

"I don’t want to hear you boasting." Bai Wei straightened his posture. "I’m not interested in your past."

"You better not be interested. It’s all troublesome matters, the affairs of the dragons have nothing to do with you." Xue Hanlei hmphed. "It’s good enough to just eat and drink and not worry about anything."

"You sure are salty, even saltier than these fries."

"I don’t appreciate you saying that. Are you implying that I, the owner of this shop, am just an easy meal ticket for you?"

"Don’t you want to become a true dragon?" Bai Wei asked. "Every dragon wants to become a true dragon, just like your cousin Ao Hanli."

"What happened to her?"

"She carries a heavy burden, being the true dragon heir… tsk tsk tsk."

"I may want to, but I can’t do it right now." Xue Hanlei shrugged. "Hanli might have a chance, but I don’t."

"Why not?"

"I thought you weren’t interested?" Xue Hanlei asked, resting her cheek on her hand.

"I just can’t find any other topic to talk about." Bai Wei said, "Every living being has their own pursuit. Yun Wuxin is a celestial being, pursuing the path of immortality. Her studies in the mortal world are also part of her worldly experiences, but her mindset is not as good as her sister’s; my sister is determined to revive Mugen Shinmyō-ryū, and she continues to practice swordsmanship relentlessly in preparation for the upcoming sword tournament next year; as for Bai Ze, who stays with you in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom, she knows that even if the country falls and the family collapses, she will still go back without hesitation."

"There is also a newly adopted little girl who has been suffering from illness for many years, but she always remains optimistic and cheerful, never mentioning her pain. Every day she lives is a fight against fate. There is also someone who has decided to spend the rest of their life atoning for their sins, opening a Japanese sweets shop, and I often go there; and there is also a girl who is destined to inherit her family, constantly bearing the pressure from her ancestors and never daring to slack off."

Bai Wei picked up a french fry and pointed at Xue Hanlei, "Take a look at yourself… living in a more affluent and free environment, would you lose the desire to strive? It is only those who exist in difficulties that can burn themselves more passionately, release their radiance, like a life that still roars and burns even at sunset, rebuking the hardships of life."

Xue Hanlei was taken aback, it took her a long time to digest the lengthy speech, and then pointed at herself, "Are you lecturing me?"

Bai Wei nodded, "You can understand it that way."

Xue Hanlei burst into laughter, dropping half of her fries, "Oh my, you, you… you!"

She laughed so hard that tears came out, "Do you really think I have no goals in life? Actually, I have."

She said seriously, "I just want to live happily every day. Is that not enough? Must I pursue something like becoming a dragon to have a fulfilling life?"

Bai Wei shook his head, "Of course not, but… for dragons, if you become a true dragon, no matter what you pursue, no one can stop you."

Xue Hanlei closed her eyes, "Yes, true dragons are free. They can go anywhere in the world, without any restraints."

Bai Wei said, "Unlike you."

Xue Hanlei retorted, "Do you have to make everything so profound?"

"Is it not good to be profound?"

"Not good, you’re too close, stay away from me." Xue Hanlei kicked Bai Wei ‘s ankle, "Yun Wuxin wouldn’t get this close to me either."

"Just like you wouldn’t get close to her, she’s a celestial being, sticking to her would only feel cold."

"But you’re warm, like a furnace." Xue Hanlei sneered, "Anyone who gets close to you will burn."

"It’s not that I burn them, it’s that they want to burn and that’s why they get close to me," Bai Wei licked the salt grains off his fingers, "You should know that."

"It’s just a playful banter, just some trivial matters on Yingzhou, but I am a dragon."

"You aren’t." Bai Wei said, "There is only one type of dragon in the world, the true dragon."

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Xue Hanlei said angrily, "Finish your fries and get lost. You’re making my liver ache."

"If you were truly angry, you wouldn’t have listened to me talk so much." Bai Wei stood up and stretched lazily, "Besides, I rarely talk to people about these things."

"Why?" Xue Hanlei raised an eyebrow, "Is it because you pity me?"

"It’s because we’re going to be partners tomorrow. Can you handle it with your current state of mind?"

"Of course, I can…" Xue Hanlei’s first instinct was to argue back, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She changed her response, "I… don’t know."

Bai Wei turned his back to Xue Hanlei, wiped the grease off his fingers, and calmly asked, "What kind of people, or should I say dragons, are coming tomorrow?"

Xue Hanlei answered without thinking, "North Sea, Black Dragon."

Bai Wei nodded, "So you married a ‘Black Dragon,’ you have a taste for that, huh?"

Nonsense, pure nonsense! I haven’t even been touched once. I can’t stand that ugly and boring Black Dragon who always despises me!

Xue Hanlei was about to retort when she heard Bai Wei continue speaking.

"Scared?"

"Who’s scared!"

"Good." Bai Wei turned his head slightly, "Remember this attitude, but if you’re feeling sad, act the same as before."

"Huh?" Xue Hanlei knowingly asked, "What do you mean by ‘before’?"

"Just remember to hide behind me." Bai Wei said before walking away.

Xue Hanlei watched the young man’s figure in the black suit, and her inner unease and dissatisfaction lessened slightly.

"Tsk, I actually forgot to pretend to be tough…"

She took a bite of her fries, "They’re really salty."