CH 45

He Had No Choice

Angel: My parents arrived a little early so I have not had a chance to edit this chapter, but I still wanted to post it anyway, so here it is. I will come back and edit it either tomorrow or Sunday when I have time.

Half a month had passed.

Xuan Long was watched by Hu Le day after day, taking his medicine and replacing the bandage on time. He looked much better, and the wounds on his arm and chest had scabbed over and no longer bled from time to time.

Hu Le was very pleased with this, and seeing Xuan Long, whose face was originally thin, being nourished by himself, he was happy as hell. It had felt good to be taken care of by his brother, but he had never thought that it would be a pleasure to take care of others as well.

Although Xuan Long still seldom spoke, he was satisfied that there was still a long future ahead of him and he would be able to cheer him up.

On this day, after lunch, Hu Le changed Xuan Long's dressing as usual. One dragon and one fox sat on the edge of the bed and Hu Le carefully untied the bandages on Xuan Long's arm.

The arm didn't look as horrible as before, but it was still very frightening. The scab that had formed was a deep red, and was rigidly covering the soft, bloody flesh of the entire arm. Hu Le felt his breath strain at the sight.

"It hurts, doesn't it..."

Xuan Long shook his head.

A small, flat, white, round porcelain vial appeared in Hu Le's hand, and he opened the lid, put a pile of light green ointment on his fingertips, and rubbed it on Xuan Long's wound, his eyes cold and he cursed under his breath, "Damn the human race... Next time I meet that dog emperor, I will beat him to the ground and make him unable to recognize his parents."

Hu Le had to scold Yan Yuan several times every time he administered medicine to Xuan Long, who was used to it and knew that he was just talking about it and did not take it to heart. But every time he mentioned him, he was still in a trance.

Hu Le finished applying the medicine for Xuan Long and put the cap on the bottle: "I went to the outskirts of the city today. There is a quiet and elegant house there, it's very nice. If you like it, I will buy it and add some furniture in a few days, then we will move in, okay?"

Seeing Xuan Long's lack of response, Hu Le looked up at him and the whole fox wilted.

"What's wrong?... Don't you want to."

"I don't like Earth." Xuan Long spoke in a low voice.

He had loved this mortal world along with Yan Yuan, but now it still seemed strange and out of place to him.

Hu Le asked softly, "Then where do you want to go?"

Xuan Long pursed his lips, "In a few days, I will return to the thousand-year-old pond."

"... And what about me?” Hu Le asked blearily.

Xuan Long was silent for a moment: "You go."

"Go? Where am I going?” Hu Le scuffled to his feet, "My brother is no longer in the world, and I will be a lonely fox if I leave. Are you that cruel? I've gone to all this trouble to look after you for so long, and all I get is you kicking me out?"

"Do you know what you call this behaviour...” Hu Le's demonic, cold fox eyes hardened and widened as he was so angry that he couldn't say anything straight. "Called, called ungrateful, crossing the river and tearing down the bridge!"

"The thousand-year-old pool is cold and secluded and dark, not a good place to be." Xuan Long explained, "You won't like it."

"Who says I won't like it?” Hu Le said sharply, "What does it matter if it's darker? I like places that are dark! Besides I have night pearls, even if it's dark, if I put out a few night pearls, it will be as bright as day, what's so scary about that? As for the ghostly cold, I didn't grow this fur for nothing, I didn't even feel the cold when I lived in the frozen mountain, let alone your thousand-year-old pool, I was born to not be afraid of the cold."

"But..." Xuan Long hesitated.

After all, underwater was not a suitable place for the fox race to live.

Hu Le sat down on the edge of the bed, clutched Xuan Long's sleeve, and whispered, "But I just want to be with you.” 

“Why?" Xuan Long looked at him, suspicion appearing in his icy green eyes.

Hu Le stammered, "Because... I'm too lonely in this world alone, and I don't particularly hate you, so I want to keep your company."

Xuan Long lowered his eyes and murmured, "I'm so boring, you don't feel bored?"

Hu Le quickly said, "Those who are bored with you have shit in their eyes and cannot see the difference between good and bad! I know a good dragon when I see one, I know that you are different from other creatures, you are the best dragon in the world, because you listen to me like my brother did."

Xuan Long felt amused and couldn't help but ask lightly, "If I am willing to listen to you, then I am a good dragon?"

"That's natural!” Hu Le's icy blue eyes reflected Xuan Long's handsome face.

As he watched, his ears grew red and he looked away uncomfortably.

This stupid dragon was really pretty.

Xuan Long did not notice Hu Le's strange appearance, and after a moment, he said, "If you don't mind, you can come back with me in a few days."

"Really?” Hu Le turned his head over to him and asked with suppressed surprise.

"Yes." Xuan Long nodded.

Hu Le's tail was disobeying him again and he wanted to wag it, but he was a famous fox and he could not lose his image in front of his beloved because of something so trivial, and besides, wagging his tail was an old dog's act, so he pretended to be calm and said, "In that case, it's happily been decided."

In truth, one side of his mouth was going to grin to his ear.

“En." Xuan Long responded.

"You can't go back on that.” Hu Le said uneasily.

“En."

He had already said it, so he would not go back on it.

The thousand-year-old pond was spacious enough to accommodate a hundred more Hu Le's, and he had saved him several times and now had nowhere else to go, so he should take him in.

Besides, it was good for him to have a living creature for company.

Hu Le was like his brother.

In fact, Xuan Long's real brother was not close to him, perhaps because of his mother's influence, and not only his clan, but all his siblings disliked him.

When he was young, they used to gather and bully him, calling him a monster.

Therefore, Hu Le's presence was special to Xuanlong.

Three days later, Hu Le packed his bag, bought a lot of human food and put it away in his spirit sea, and went back to the thousand-year-old pond with Xuan Long with a relaxed mind.

It had been a long time since he had returned, but everything in the simple cave at the bottom of the pond was still the same as before. The stone bed was covered with the quilt that Yan Yuan had slept on, the stone table had the dishes and food boxes that Yan Yuan had used, and there was even a piece of Yan Yuan's worn-out clothing still here.

Xuan Long walked in front, slightly lost in thought as he looked at the familiar scene. Hu Le crossed over to him and interrupted his thoughts, "Wow, so you really didn't lie to me, this place of yours is too shabby."

"......"

Hu Le raised his hand and with a wave, the barren stone cave was instantly transformed into an elegant garden, with a coffee table and screen, a wardrobe and a wooden bed, everything was there, and there was even a turquoise jade tea set on the coffee table. Hu Le went over and sat down, picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of water, drinking it all in one gulp. Then a few treasured night pearls appeared in his hand and were flicked into the air, making the room as lit as the day.

"How's that, nice, isn't it?"

This was the same courtyard that Hu Le had seen before on earth, and it was now reproduced in its entirety, with decorations a little more elaborate than the inn.

Xuan Long's expression did not change as he stood there, not knowing what to think.

Hu Le stood up and went over to him, asking carefully, "Are you unhappy? I just thought that since you are pregnant now, you should be more comfortable. If you are not happy, I will just change back..."

"No." Xuan Long shook his head.

He was just not used to it.

The place where he had lived for ten thousand years had suddenly become a completely unfamiliar environment, and the scent of Yan Yuan's life had been erased along with it...

However, this is good.

It was time to start a new life.

In the past, it was just a dream, and when you wake up, it's time to end it.

......

Luanfeng Hall.

The windows and doors were closed and the thick curtains and tents did not let in any breeze. Ning Zhiyu was lying unconscious on the bed. The dragon scales were exhausted and the medicine was cut off. In just a few days, he became like this; his face was pale and his breathing was as weak as a dying person.

"Your Majesty, if we continue to delay like this, I am afraid that the dragon scales will not work." The advice of the imperial physician sounded lowly in the hall.

Yan Yuan closed his scarlet eyes and waved his hand wearily, "I will think of a solution, you go away..."

Zong Hua was ordered to retreat. He packed up the medicine chest and walked a few steps, hesitantly turning back to look at Yan Yuan who was sitting on the side of the bed looking at Ning Zhiyu in a daze.

"Even if the dragon scales are good, they can only delay it, if it is delayed, even with the inner elixir or dragon heart, I am afraid that the best healing effect will not be achieved. Your Majesty..."

"I am aware of this, you may go." Yan Yuan interrupted him with a wave of his hand, powerless to turn back.

For half a month, the longing for Xuan Long's soul and bones had already made Yan Yuan's life very difficult... It was not so much that it caused him pain, but that the longing followed him like a shadow, haunting him like a ghost or a sprite. If he was slightly distracted, Xuan Long would appear before his eyes, which had seriously affected his life.

In addition, Ning Zhiyu's condition had deteriorated dramatically over the past few days, and he was struggling more and more in his heart. When he closed his eyes, he had that miserable dream of his former lover dying in his arms.

He knew he should go and get Xuan Long back, he should continue to coax that dragon into pulling out its scales to cure Ning Zhiyu, into handing over its inner elixir, but Yan Yuan could not bear it.

He more or less knew that he was truly moved by the dragon, but he did not know how much of his true heart he had. He only knew that he could not bear it, and every time he thought back to that day when Xuan Long pulled out his scales in front of him, he felt his heart ache.

His scales, his heart, his inner elixir could have saved Ning Zhiyu's life. But the price paid was so tragic, he had to shed so much blood...

If Yan Yuan had a choice.

He would not do that. He knew he should let the dragon go, the sea is vast and there will always be a place for him, the palace was not the right place for a dragon to be.

However, he had no choice.

Ning Zhiyu was dying.

His lover was dying.

Even if Yan Yuan had a little bit of love for Xuan Long, that little bit of love was still no match for Yan Yuan's obsession with Ning Zhiyu in his past life and present life.

He could not betray his lover, so... he had to be sorry for that dragon.

In the afternoon of that day, Yan Yuan set out on the road back to the thousand-year-old pond, followed by a few cultivators who were fairly capable. Although they could not catch Xuan Long, they could at least find out if there was any demon breath in that pond.

The final result was pleasing: Xuan Long did not go elsewhere, but returned to the ancient pond where the two had lived.

Yan Yuan retreated from the plain-clothed guards and monks behind him, put his hands in a circle at his lips, and roared with all his might into the quiet surface of the pool.

“A'Po..."

“A'Po..."

"You're in there aren't you-"

"I know you're in there, come out-"

At that moment, Xuan Long was sleeping, as he had done since he got pregnant, and he slept for a long time every day. When he heard that familiar voice, he opened his eyes in a daze.