CH 26

Important and Unimportant

Ning Zhiyu's illness could not be delayed for even half a day, and when Yan Yuan thought of him vomiting up so much blood when he coughed, his whole heart twisted in pain.

The next morning, Xuan Long went behind the mica screen and used a dagger to pluck out thirty dragon scales from the right side of his chest. The blood dripped down as if it were leaking, soaking through his clothes in no time.

Yan Yuan was waiting anxiously outside. Xuan Long reluctantly straightened his lapels, stepped out from behind the screen, and handed him the dragon scales that had been cleaned with a spell.

"Take them."

A whole thirty pieces, the size of the palm of his hand, glowed with an inky black lustre, any more than that would be too much for one hand to hold.

Yan Yuan looked down but didn't take them. Although he couldn't see anything on the outer appearance of the Xuan Long, he smelled a strong smell of blood. Before, he didn't understand why the cold fragrance on Xuan Long's body was sometimes thick and sometimes thin, but later he learned – if Xuan Long was sweating, or bleeding, the smell would become stronger.

Because that cold fragrance was inherently the smell in his bones and blood.

"A'Po, are you all right?..." Yan Yuan stared at Xuan Long's pale face and whispered.

"It's nothing." Xuan Long shook his head and moved the dragon scales closer to him.

Yan Yuan lifted his hand and took them, but his heart suddenly felt a little sour. When he had asked for them, he clearly didn't feel anything, but when he really got them, it was as if ants were gnawing at his heart, a subtle hidden pain.

But that hidden pain was nothing compared to the immense pain that Ning Zhiyu had to endure.

"Thank you, A'Po... If you hadn't been here, I really wouldn't have known what to do."

Xuan Long lowered his eyes uncomfortably, "Don't say thank you."

Between them, if they said thank you, it would seem too formal.

"Okay." With the dragon scales, Yan Yuan was in a more relaxed mood, so he didn't hesitate to smile at Xuan Long. He stepped forward and clasped the back of his waist, lifted the hair from his forehead and kissed him on his forehead. "Then I will come looking for you later."

"Mmm." Xuan Long's eyelashes fluttered lightly, casting a faint shadow between the sharp contours of his eyes. Yan Yuan looked at him for a moment, pinching his whitening earlobe and leaning down to kiss him on the lips before turning to leave.

As soon as Yan Yuan left, Xuan Long could not hold on any longer and staggered towards the bedside, sitting down on the bed and lying down.

The loss of blood made him feel cold and dizzy, and the pain in his abdomen was not stopping. It seemed that the elder's words were true, and that after becoming pregnant, his body was becoming less and less capable than before. 

A cultivator must go through forty-nine tribulations before he can achieve ascension. He has lived for ten thousand years and has gone through forty-eight tribulations of various sizes, among which are the Nine Heavenly Thunderbolts, the Ten Thousand Swords Through the Spirit, and the lying Sands Purgatory... He has been subjected to all kinds of natural and man-made tribulations, but this time it seems to be extraordinarily difficult, the tribulation has not yet arrived and he is already so useless.

The pills given to him by the old man appeared in his palm, and he swallowed two of them, then curled up on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

……

When Yan Yuan arrived at Luanfeng Hall, Ning Zhiyu was getting up, and the palace maid was waiting at his bedside to freshen him up. When he saw Yan Yuan coming, his eyes lit up and he smiled elegantly, "A'Yuan"

Ning Zhiyu was dressed in a white blouse, his black hair half tied up and hanging down in front of his body. The white colour suited him very well, loosely placed on his body, making him look like a sick beauty.

Yan Yuan retreated from the palace maids and walked to the bedside to sit down. He took Ning Zhiyu's hand on the Qingluan brocade quilt and kissed the back of his thin hand: "Did my A'Yu sleep well last night?"

"Very well." Ning Zhiyu nodded with a smile. Although his face was pale, his eyes were bright, and when he looked at Yan Yuan, his eyes were filled with stars. He was warm and gentle in nature, and his words were spoken softly. "It would be better if I had A'Yuan at my side."

Yan Yuan knew that Ning Zhiyu was displeased with him for not accompanying him, but he was used to holding back his anger and did not make a fuss even if he wanted to. Yan Yuan was particularly distressed by this and raised his hand to pinch Ning Zhiyu's snow-like face, explaining somewhat sheepishly: "Last night, I was busy reviewing documents. When I left, I saw you asleep, so I did not tell you. I'm not leaving tonight, I want to stay with my A'Yu."

“En." Ning Zhiyu grabbed Yan Yuan's big hand and pressed it to his face, smiling at him.

Yan Yuan's heart moved slightly as he cupped Ning Zhiyu's face and leaned down to kiss him compassionately on his eyelids.

The man in front of him was different from Xuan Long; this was his greatest treasure and he had to be careful when he touched him, gentle and tender, for fear of hurting him even a little.

After a few moments of tenderness, they parted, and Ning Zhiyu, clearly reluctant to leave, asked, "Isn't A'Yuan going to the court?"

"I am going." There was mystery hidden behind Yan Yuan's smile. "I have something important to deliver to you."

Ning Zhiyu: "What is it?"

"Chen Yan." Yan Yuan called out loudly towards the outside of the hall.

It wasn't long before the old eunuch meandered in, carrying a beautiful little jade dumpling in his arms.

When Chen Yan came closer, Ning Zhiyu was surprised when he saw what the thing was: "This is..."

"Ice Mountain Snow Fox." Yan Yuan smiled and took the little jade dumpling from Chen Yan's arms and gently placed it in Ning Zhiyu's arms. "The one I gave you last year got lost, but this year another one was brought in from the West as a tribute. It is even more beautiful than the previous one, I thought A'Yu would like it, so I hurriedly brought it to give to you. Look, this snow fox's pupils are ice blue."

The corners of Ning Zhiyu's eyes and eyebrows were tinged with joy, and even his face seemed to be rosy. Picking up the young fox and examining it carefully in front of his eyes, he finally took it lovingly into his arms, raised his head, and said in a gentle voice, "Thank you, A'Yuan, I am very happy."

When Yan Yuan saw that he was happy, he was happy too, and together with Ning Zhiyu, he stroked the white fluffy body of the little ball: "If I am not here, this little fox will keep you company so it will not be so boring. I'm worried that if you're sick for a long time and can't go out, you'll be in a bad mood for a long time."

Yan Yuan originally had no intention of taking the fox, but on second thought, if he didn't take it, Xuan Long might be unhappy, so he took it. As for who he gave it to, that was his own business.

It's just like the tributes from various countries, after they are sent to him, he can reward whoever he likes.

Ning Zhiyu was still smiling, but his eyes suddenly turned red, startling Yan Yuan, who nervously raised his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes: "What's wrong?..."

Ning Zhiyu shook his head and looked at Yan Yuan with fascination, smiling with red eyes, "In this world, A'Yuan treats me the best. You think of me and remember me in every way. I was so unlucky in the past, perhaps because I had to save up my good fortune to meet you."

Yan Yuan breathed a sigh of relief at his words and dried Ning Zhiyu's moist eyes with his fingers, saying helplessly, "Fool, if I don't treat you well, who will?"

"You are my heart, my treasure, the queen who will accompany me for the rest of my life. Naturally I will treat you well. I will not only treat you well, I will give you the best of everything in the world. As long as you want it, even if it's the stars and the moon in the sky, I will try my best to pick them and give them to you."

He said these words without the slightest bit of pretence, and his eyes were full of seriousness and tenderness. He really treated Ning Zhiyu very well, otherwise he wouldn't have ventured into the dragon pool without caring about his own safety.

"I don't want that, I just want A'Yuan by my side." Ning Zhiyu leaned over and embraced Yan Yuan's waist, resting his face on his shoulder, a happy smile in his eyes.

It was at this moment that a faint, cold fragrance suddenly leapt into his nose, causing Ning Zhiyu to freeze.

Yan Yuan never used any fragrances... he was allergic to pollen.