CH 46

Ever since Feng Ye’s identity was exposed, at Bai Xianzhi’s request, he rarely dined at the Three Thousand Food House in person. Usually, he would order food on the Tongtong machine, and the house servants would bring the food back for him. On rest days, it was even less likely for him to show up, so they hadn’t seen each other for quite some time. Yesterday, he suddenly received an invitation, which surprised Feng Ye. Early this morning, after finishing his grooming and changing into proper clothes, he picked up a gift and set out for the Three Thousand Food House.

This gathering came about very suddenly, and not only Feng Ye felt that way, but even the host, Bai Xianzhi, had the same feeling.

To understand the situation, we need to go back a few days. Bai Xianzhi found a detailed introduction about Zhuo Long that was sent by the Time-Space Orphanage a few months ago while cleaning the space on the Tongtong machine. He realized that Zhuo Long’s birthday was coming up in just a few days according to the timeline in the Three Thousand World.

So, this somewhat hurried gathering was born.

….

Recently, whenever it was a rest day, Zhuo Long would disappear without a trace. And on Zhuo Long’s birthday, which happened to be a rest day, Bai Xianzhi asked him to come to the shop before half past eleven in the morning, using the excuse of overtime, and Zhuo Long readily agreed.

On that morning, Bai Xianzhi and Tu linlin were preparing the food together. Thinking about the customs in China, Bai Xianzhi set the alarm for half past seven, went to the supermarket, and bought the ingredients needed to make the cake.

Tu linlin was in charge of preparing the dishes that would be stir-fried later, while Bai Xianzhi was fully focused on making the cake. The two little ones were following him, kneading small pieces of dough. Bai Xianzhi told them that they could use the dough later to make dumplings, and the two little ones kneaded with great seriousness. They stood on small stools, rolling up their sleeves to reveal their plump arms that had gained a bit of flesh over the past month.

“Xiao Long, you’re doing it wrong. Look, it should be like this!” Xiao Long stopped and admired Xiao Lu’s movements for a while, saying, “Wow, Xiao Lu is so talented!”

Xiao Lu pursed his lips and smiled, showing two round dimples on his fair cheeks.

Xiao Long couldn’t resist poking them, and Xiao Lu glared at him, “Xiao Long, you’ve made my face dirty!”

Xiao Long chuckled, “Sorry, Xiao Lu. Why do you have dimples, and I don’t?”

Xiao Lu thought for a moment, and his slightly raised green eyelashes trembled, “Hmm, maybe because you’re a boy, and boys don’t have dimples.”

Xiao Long didn’t understand, so he scratched his cheek. Instantly, several white lines appeared on his face, but he was unaware, “Why don’t boys have dimples?”

Xiao Lu burst into laughter, pointing at him and saying, “Little kitty! Little kitty!”

Bai Xianzhi turned to look at the two little ones, and they immediately covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. Bai Xianzhi couldn’t help but laugh too, “Hahaha!”

Tu linlin looked over and saw the actions of the two little ones, and he also burst into laughter.

The two little ones looked at the perplexed adults with confusion, put down their hands, and looked at each other—

“Xiao Long, your face!”

“Xiao Lu, your face!”

That’s right, the two little ones had become real little kittens with their faces covered in flour.

When Feng Ye walked in, he saw this scene: two adults laughing heartily, two little children with flour all over their faces, as if they had been eating the white wall plaster from the Three Thousand Food House.

After noticing him, all four of them immediately composed themselves. Bai Xianzhi smiled and said, “Mr. Feng, you’re here.”

Feng Ye nodded, looking around, “Where’s Zhuo Long? Didn’t you say it’s his birthday today?”

Bai Xianzhi laughed, “We plan to give him a surprise, so we asked him to come a bit later.”

Feng Ye nodded.

Bai Xianzhi suggested, “How about you have a seat and wait for a while, Mr. Feng?”

Feng Ye nodded in agreement.

So Bai Xianzhi led him to another room. The kitchen table had been taken over by the two little ones, and flour was scattered everywhere.

Bai Xianzhi placed a cup of tea next to Feng Ye and said, “Mr. Feng, have some tea first. We’ll be ready to eat around half past eleven.”

Feng Ye didn’t say anything, and he handed over a box, “This is a gift.”

Bai Xianzhi waved his hand, “Today is Zhuo Long’s birthday, so you should give it to him in person later. We’ll also give our gifts together.”

Although Feng Ye was puzzled by the birthday celebration, he still nodded in agreement.

Returning to the kitchen, Bai Xianzhi continued with his busyness.

On the side of the Black Dragon Clan, Sha Li, the mother of Ye Yan, tiptoed into a small cave and saw a tiny little dragon on a stone bed. She smiled and softly called out, “Good boy, Grandma is here. What are you doing?”

The black little dragon on the bed turned around in frustration and asked, “Grandma, why can other little dragons access the Tongtong machine, but I can’t?” The little dragon remained in its original form, a round and chubby little creature with scales emitting a deep luster. Sha Li looked at him and narrowed her eyes with a smile, “Darling, everything on the Tongtong machine is fake. Dragon clans don’t expose their identities by going on there.”

The black little dragon widened its eyes, looking at the Tongtong machine and then at his grandma, “It’s not fake! He has horns!”

Sha Li didn’t pay attention to the Tongtong machine and smiled kindly, “It’s fake. Many races among the Orcs have horns, but they are not dragon clans. Darling, you have to learn to distinguish. The horns of our dragon clan are the hardest and most beautiful in the world. Other races’ horns can’t compare to even one percent of ours.”

The little black dragon asked, “But what if there really is a little dragon appearing on the Tongtong machine—”

Sha Li interrupted him, “Then we’ll bring him back. If it’s a Fire Dragon, the Fire Dragon Clan will go; if it’s a Silver Dragon, the Silver Dragon Clan will go. If it’s a Black Dragon, then the Black Dragon Clan will bring him back. Our dragon clan doesn’t allow its members to live outside. All dragon clans must return to the Dragon Realm!”

The black little dragon responded with an “oh.” Sha Li smiled, “Don’t worry, the dragon clans will never wander outside. There can’t be other dragon clans out there.” She then asked, “Today is your big brother’s birthday banquet. Do you want to go out?”

The little black dragon shook its head. He didn’t want to go because his big brother liked to bully him and would bring many others to bully him together. Moreover, his big brother was the first among them to transform into human form at the age of seven. Grandma said his big brother was the earliest to transform among the little dragons she had seen, and he would surely become the most powerful little dragon in the future. But the little black dragon, Ye Lin, was not convinced. He was five years old now, and he was determined to transform into human form before he reached seven and surpass his big brother.

However, Ye Lin still had no sense of how to transform into human form, so for now, he was still being bullied by his big brother, and even grandma wouldn’t stand up for him because his big brother had already transformed into human form. Hmph!

The little black dragon declined the invitation to go out, and Sha Li understood the reason. She knew why the dragon clan held its position as the second strongest race below the gods—they were a race that respected strength, and the law of the jungle ensured that their martial prowess remained high. Therefore, from a young age, competition among the dragons had begun. Only the strongest among the same batch of little dragons would become the future clan leader.

In the competition between little dragons, as long as there was no danger to their lives, adult dragons were not allowed to interfere. So even though Sha Li knew that Ye Lin was being bullied, she couldn’t intervene. On the contrary, she encouraged him to compete more.

However, looking at the innocent little black dragon, Sha Li sighed. Maybe it was better not to go out today. She said, “It’s fine if you don’t go out. Just stay in the cave and behave. Grandma will come to play with you after she’s done with everything.”

The little black dragon nods his paw, understanding her words. After Grandma leaves, he stands up and walks to the mirror while holding the ‘Tongtong Machine.’ He looks at his reflection in the mirror and then at the little child holding a trumpet in the ‘Tongtong Machine.’ He tilts his head, feeling puzzled: They look the same, completely identical, even the color and luster of their little horns are exactly the same!

After contemplating for a while, the black dragon, Ye Lin, brightens his eyes. He doesn’t understand the strictness of the dragon race regarding bloodlines and guarding their kin, but he comes up with a reasonable explanation: The little black dragon in the ‘Tongtong Machine’ must be himself!

And Ye Lin has also found an opportunity to achieve great feats for himself. If he can bring the little black dragon back, he will surely receive great recognition! Moreover, the little black dragon in the ‘Tongtong Machine’ has already transformed into human form and looks very small, definitely smaller than his big brother. If this little dragon comes back, his big brother won’t be the most powerful dragon anymore! He won’t be bullied by his big brother anymore!

One has to admit that children, even dragon cubs, have a very simple way of thinking. They are straightforward and don’t beat around the bush. The little dragon has already become quite popular on the ‘Tongtong Network’ for some time. Could it be that no one from the black dragon tribe has seen him? That’s impossible, but no one would associate the little dragon with the black dragon tribe because that would be impossible!

Due to the trust in their own dragon race, no dragon would believe that there is a dragon cub wandering outside. Moreover, the child in the ‘Tongtong Machine’ is in human form and what does that mean? To achieve human form before the age of six, even the current leader of the black dragon tribe only achieved it at the age of eight. Now, the most talented and highly regarded dragon, Ye Lan, also achieved it at the age of seven. Thus, this five-year-old child in the ‘Tongtong Machine’ may have horns, but any dragon capable of normal thinking wouldn’t believe he is one of their own.

Only little rascals like Ye Lin have such simple logic and common sense. His own ideas are the simplest, so he believes his ideas are the truth. Unfortunately, this time, he accidentally guessed correctly.

Sometimes imagination is rich, but reality is stark. Ye Lin wished he could appear in front of the little dragon in the ‘Tongtong Machine’ and bring him back to the black dragon tribe. However, he couldn’t even get out of his own home’s door. This was truly a sad situation, but Ye Lin wouldn’t give up.

Over at the Three Thousand Food House, Bai Xianzhi used the oven he bought a few months ago to bake the cake. After spreading the cream and writing on it, he immediately started cooking the dishes. By eleven o’clock, all the dishes were ready. The two little ones had some cream on their hands and were happily licking it. Bai Xianzhi patted their heads, placed all the dishes on the table, covered them with a big lid, and waited for Zhuo Long’s arrival.

Zhuo Long arrived at fifteen minutes past eleven. He really thought there was something going on at the shop that required overtime, but as soon as he entered the shop, several people rushed towards him.

“Happy Birthday!”

“Happy Birthday, Zhuo Long!”

“Zhuo Long, happy birthday, big brother!”

It had been a long time since Zhuo Long had celebrated his birthday, and it was a memory too distant for him. He didn’t expect to have such good luck to encounter such a group of people after becoming an adult.

….

The grand birthday party of the Black Dragon Clan is in full swing. After the little birthday star appears, he leads a group of young dragons and human-form mixed children towards the backyard.

Ye Lin is sitting on a stone bed, examining a map. Although he can’t understand it, he is earnestly planning his route to the spatial crack. First, he needs to reach the edge of the Dragon Realm, then find the entrance to the spatial crack, and finally enter it to locate the only restaurant, “Three Thousand Food House,” where he can find the little dragon!

“Ye Lin, Ye Lin!”

Hastily hiding the ‘Tongtong Machine’ behind him, Ye Lin looks with fear towards the giant stone at the door; it’s the voice of his big brother, Ye Lan.

Not getting a response, the person outside continues shouting, “Ye Lin, I know you’re in there. Grandma told me! It’s my birthday today, won’t you come out and celebrate for me?”

Celebrate my foot! Ye Lin remembers being beaten up by Ye Lan on his last birthday, even losing a scale. It hurt for a long time. Today is Ye Lan’s birthday, and he’s sure to be even fiercer! He definitely doesn’t want to go out!

Ye Lin decides not to make a sound or go out, but he underestimates Ye Lan’s position in the clan. As the most talented among the young dragons, besides the places forbidden by the tribe leader, all other places have a green light for Ye Lan.

So, Ye Lin hears Ye Lan telling passing servants, “Move this stone for me. I’m worried something has happened to Ye Lin, the lone dragon inside.”

Ye Lin quickly jumps off the bed and shouts frantically at the stone, “No! No! Don’t move my stone!”

However, the stone is still moved, and a strong light shines in, accompanied by the suddenly clear voice of Ye Lan, “Ye Lin, I’m coming in.”

—–

Author’s Note: Ye Lin: Waaah, so scary!!! Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or watered me from 2020080214:54:34 to 2020080314:37:54~ Thanks to the angels who watered me: “40 bottles of Haagendazs in the freezer”; “20 bottles of Lilith”; “10 bottles of Little Xiao and Cira”; “5 bottles of Xinyu”; “2 bottles of Qingqingzijin”; “1 bottle of Xiaosong and Fhaoxingji.”

Thank you all for your support. I will continue to work hard!

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”