Chapter 51

“I like you.” Along with this confession, the secret he had hidden for so many years was also spoken aloud, making Tan Ye’s heart beat even faster.

He laid bare his most disgraceful past before her, and also voiced the affection he had been concealing.

He didn’t want to keep probing like this anymore. As long as he didn’t truly confess one day, she would never truly consider him, and would drag Mei Shuangshuang into this as well.

Tan Ye didn’t know why she thought he would fall in love with Mei Shuangshuang. From beginning to end, he had never shown Mei Shuangshuang any special favor. The recent two times were simply out of gratitude for the kindness Mei Luo had shown him in the past.

Because that past kindness was too great and he had no way to repay it, naturally he protected Mei Shuangshuang to repay Mei Luo. But beyond that, he never showed Mei Shuangshuang any affection. He really couldn’t understand why she would think he had such feelings for Mei Shuangshuang.

He couldn’t figure it out and couldn’t accept it, so it was better to state it directly.

“……”

Su Heng stood before him, falling into a strange silence.

In the days she had been by his side, she thought she had seen through his character and thoughts quite well, but in the end, the fool turned out to be herself??

Su Heng lowered her head to look at her hands. Her hands were fair and delicate. She poked her palm with her fingertips, feeling the softness there. She touched her hair – the dark tresses were lush as clouds. Her face was flawless as jade. With her looks, it wasn’t strange for people to like her. At the banquet, Zhu Lang’s eyes kept glancing at her face. Other men also seized every chance to talk with her. Even if she only replied with a sentence or two at most, they would get so excited they practically danced with joy.

But those were all ordinary men in the mortal world. Even if they cultivated immortality and had some attainment, their hearts were still in the mundane world. The sight of a beauty made them unable to walk straight.

Others could be like that, but Tan Ye shouldn’t be the same. She wasn’t some pure, innocent type. Her temperament was unruly and she was too lazy to even pretend otherwise. A man who had been through terrible experiences and was entangled in schemes and deceptions – didn’t those storybooks always say such men loved girls like Mei Shuangshuang the most? The more naive and pure, even stupidly so, the better?

And the more foolishly pure the girl, the more such men loved her.

In terms of appearance, she might have a slight relation to purity, but she didn’t take that route at all. She was fierce and had never acted pure and never would. She was completely not the type a man like Tan Ye should like, right?

“You…recognized the wrong person, right?” Su Heng finally emerged from the silence after a long while. Her expression as she looked at Tan Ye could only be described as ‘hard to put into words.’

“Could it be that you drank too much and ended up mistaking who I am?” She randomly gestured with her hand. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

She had anticipated all sorts of situations, but the only one she didn’t expect was for things to develop this way.

Tan Ye bit his lip. “I told you so much, even revealing my most disgraceful past to you, and you think I would mistake you for someone else?”

Of course not. If a dragon got so drunk on a few cups of wine that he couldn’t even recognize people anymore, then he truly wasn’t fit to be a dragon.

Su Heng made a thoughtful sound. “I also think that no matter how much you drink, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

A hint of a smile that wasn’t quite a smile appeared on her face. “But I remember you said before that you wouldn’t have any feelings for me, right?”

Tan Ye had long prepared for this. “At the time, I said that the one who falls for you is probably no ordinary mortal, and as it happens, I am not ordinary.”

He raised his head. She had listened to his past without showing a shred of pity, much less any disdain. She treated him as she would anyone else, which made him overjoyed.

Tan Ye did not need the pity of others. To him, pity was the most unnecessary and cheapest thing. He only wanted her to see him as an ordinary person, that’s all.

And she had satisfied this wish of his.

Su Heng laughed out loud. She knew Tan Ye was clever, but she didn’t expect him to so easily turn those decisive words of rejection from before into words of affection now.

“But I don’t like you.” She thoughtfully rubbed her chin. “That’s right, I don’t like you.”

She said it without a trace of hesitation. The smile on Tan Ye’s face froze and the light in his eyes dimmed the instant she spoke.

He forced the corner of his mouth up. “That’s alright.”

“I’ve never liked anyone,” Su Heng said, still as calm as before. There was no apologetic air of rejection in her expression. “For so many years, I’ve always been alone. Although I’ve been to many places, it was always just a cursory glance. I never stayed in one place for long. The longest was only a dozen or so years. So I don’t have much emotional attachment to anything.”

“I really don’t know what it’s like to like someone.”

Her words were extremely sincere. She didn’t take the romances of mortals to heart. When Tan Ye directly told her he liked her, she did feel a bit happy. After all, his identity was unique, whether as the current White Dragon or his background as someone from the deity race. Both of those had extremely high standards.

Him liking her was an acknowledgment of her charm.

“Actually, I’m quite curious. How do people fall in love with each other? Is it based on looks? But you don’t seem the type. If you could like me just based on appearance, then you wouldn’t have treated me so coldly in the beginning.”

A faint glow returned to Tan Ye’s darkened eyes at her words.

Over the ages, she simply had never experienced romantic feelings before, so she also didn’t know how to like someone.

Tan Ye shook his head. “I don’t know.”

How can liking someone be clearly explained? She wasn’t perfect – far from perfect. She had a heap of flaws. If judged according to the virtues required of women, she wouldn’t match a single one.

But he had fallen for her all the same. He liked having her by his side. No matter when or where, as long as he turned his head, he liked being able to see her there.

“Then do you have someone you like?” Tan Ye asked.

She shook her head.

You must be joking. Why would she go looking for trouble for no reason?

A warm smile appeared on Tan Ye’s face again. “That’s good then.”

He wanted her to love him. Even if she had no such intentions towards him right now, it was fine. He could wait, he could slowly grind down her resistance. Their lifespans were extremely long. There was more than enough time.

He could accept her not loving him now. But he could not accept her liking someone else. Fortunately, she didn’t.

Su Heng understood his meaning perfectly well. She bent down, gently caressing his cheek with her hand. Her style was very much like a hound. Even if she didn’t love them in her heart, as long as their appearance was pleasing enough, she’d make a move.

“Then you’ll have to fix that hang-up of yours. Just wanting the heart but not the body won’t work on me. Even if I like you, I need to get my hands on your body first before anything else.”

After saying this, she felt that she indeed had the manner of a man. The heart was not of much use and was very unreliable. The heart might be with you today but who knows, it could be with some cat or dog tomorrow. It was too insubstantial. But getting the body meant truly obtaining the most real, tangible benefit. Even if in the end the heart was no longer there, you could still pound your chest and say with great spirit that it didn’t matter, she had passed through your hands before.

A rosy flush appeared on Tan Ye’s cold cheeks. His eyes darted about, at a bit of a loss.

“You really haven’t done anything before?” Su Heng found it a bit unbelievable as she pressed closer. “Not even self-pleasure?”

Tan Ye’s snow-white face instantly turned completely red. “Never.”

“Well that’s troublesome…”

Su Heng drew out her words.

He was a bit flustered. “I can change.”

The shadows left from his childhood had accumulated over the long years to become a sickness of the heart, transmitted to his body. Wanting to change that, how could it be easy?

She leaned in close to him. Tan Ye’s thick, long lashes lowered in unease. He lifted his eyes to look at her, meeting her laughing gaze.

“Oh? But I heard it’s quite hard to change. You’re a dragon and you’ve reached this age. Dragons are lustful to begin with, and men are especially impatient with lust at this age. I’ve never seen you show real interest in women. You’re more boring than the monks in temples with how proper you are.”

She deliberately exaggerated. Tan Ye was a true gentleman – he averted his eyes and ears from anything improper. She intentionally described his gentlemanly conduct as bland and tasteless like a monk.

The budding romantic gazed at her, lightly biting his lip, looking for all the world like he had been greatly wronged. She laughed heartily. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms encircle her from both sides, completely embracing her.

“What are you trying to do?” She lifted her eyes and smiled coquettishly, about to tease him a bit. But unexpectedly, he lowered his head.

He had been drinking. His body carried the moist fragrance of wine. His arms wrapped around her from both sides.

Tan Ye completely returned to her everything she had taught him a few days prior. All of his intimate experiences here were with her. He broke through her defenses, trembling as he made his resolve clear to her.

That time was truly an unforgettable experience engraved in his bones. He remembered every single detail in his heart. It would be difficult to forget for his entire life. At the start, he was still a bit restrained, afraid she would be displeased. Everything he did carried a cautious tentativeness, not daring to truly let go. But gradually, after finding that she had no intention of pushing him away, he completely lost himself in her warmth.

He held onto her like a drowning man grasping at a final straw. His other hand pressed fingertips into her soft dark hair, the coolness of the strands penetrating his skin and reaching his heart.

Her breathing was disrupted by him, the path of retreat completely cut off. Their breaths intertwined, light and heavy, sometimes like a gentle spring breeze, other times fiercely entangled.

He had no experience in this, only that one time she had taught him. He stretched that pitifully small bit of experience to the limit, mixing in the mercurial nature of youth, following no pattern at all, only twisting and turning to completely entwine himself with her.

Su Heng was held so tightly by his force that her entire body was closely intertwined with his. Scorching breaths entirely sprayed upon each other’s cheeks.

Tan Ye’s advance was fierce. Relying on sheer daring, he turned everything upside down. In the entanglement, the hand pressing on the back of her head fell to her neck. His fingers gently kneaded the nape of her neck but held fast, not allowing her the slightest chance to escape.

Breaths and body heat interwove in the ardent entanglement, penetrating through clothing to reach directly to flesh.

Tan Ye left a soft touch on her lips, signaling the end of this kiss.

Tan Ye held her hand, lowering his head until his forehead lightly touched hers. “I can change.”

Su Heng blinked lightly. Before she could speak, Tan Ye embraced her again. The sensation of completely embracing another was truly marvelous. Two entirely different beings, tightly pressed together, feeling each other’s differences and undulations.

Intimate yet mysterious, stirring up another layer of warmth deep in the heart, suffusing the entire body.

But for him, once that yearning arose, it inexplicably turned into nausea. He completely buried his head into the crook of her neck. There, it was infinitely warm. Resting there, he could feel a melting heat. He nestled his head there as if the warmth in her neck could dispel all the cold he had endured over the years.

“Help me, alright?”

He held her tightly, cautiously making his request.

How to help?

Her hands moved before her mind, falling to his lower back. The body of the young white dragon was a bit thin beneath the loose robes, appearing slightly frail, but only by touching could one tangibly feel the profundity hidden underneath.

When Su Heng previously thought Tan Ye had feelings for Mei Shuangshuang, she was merciless in her actions. Wanting to kiss, she would kiss, all under the guise of teaching. She didn’t care that he was completely inexperienced in this. She was interested in his face and in him as a person. Especially when she considered that he was from the deity race, she instantly became so excited her whole body trembled.

Favoring someone else? No matter. As long as she got the first taste, that was fine. What happened with him afterwards, at least he would be someone she had used before. Letting another woman have her leftovers, no matter who that woman was, they would lose out compared to her.

But now that Tan Ye had clearly expressed his feelings, she found it a bit hard to make a move.

She turned her head, touching his earlobe. The thousand-year seductress was especially skilled in this. She turned and softly, gently touched his earlobe, immediately causing the youth’s breath to turn ragged.

“Like this?” She asked.

Tan Ye did not immediately respond. The more he was like this, the more she pressed her advantage. Lips like camellia petals curled up, then revealed fangs and bit down with a bit of force. He tightly bit his lip. His cheek pressed against the side of her face, then rubbed against the coolness of her hair.

His breaths were light and heavy with no rhythm, all falling behind her ear.

“Is it?” She asked softly. She was met with the sound of his breathing. She smiled meaninglessly, then inflicted pain on him again.

This time she used a bit of force, causing a slight pain.

Tan Ye’s breath abruptly grew heavy. Even so, his voice was still very pleasant.

“Yes,” he admitted. The teachings he had received over the years and his childhood experiences made him ashamed to speak of it, but she had no patience for his reticence.

With his head nestled beside her hair, he confessed.

Su Heng made an acknowledging sound and lightly patted his back twice. “Alright then. You have to listen to me.”

This was what he wanted. He closed his eyes and made an affirming noise.

“That Dragon Tail Lake…” Su Heng dragged out her words. “Do you still want to keep it?”

From Tan Ye’s words, she understood that Zhu Lang was able to sever his dragon tail back then not because of his own prowess, but because at the time, someone acted as a scapegoat to restrain him, allowing Zhu Lang to succeed.

Considering his age at the time, Tan Ye was just a young dragon. That group had no shame, even naming the place after his dragon tail.

“Forget it,” he understood her intention. He buried himself even deeper into her dark tresses. “I don’t want to remember those people or events anymore.”

Su Heng only smiled in response.

Two days later, Su Heng had someone take her to Dragon Tail Lake. In Lang Feng, it was also called Fallen Dragon Lake. No matter how you heard it, it was all mocking and ridiculing the opponent.

A beauty was welcomed anywhere. With a casual mention, someone immediately offered to lead the way, solicitously reminding her to watch her step and not trip along the way.

Su Heng was long used to such attentiveness. When in a good mood, she would say a sentence or two as a reward. When in a bad mood, not saying anything at all was already giving them face. Today, her mood was bad, so she didn’t say a word the whole way.

Arriving at Dragon Tail Lake, she lifted her head and could still detect a hint of dragon blood in the air.

Everything on a dragon was a treasure. The same went for anything connected to a dragon. The dragon saliva incense that mortals coveted – as long as a bit stuck, as long as the clothing it touched was not damaged, the fragrance could linger for twenty to thirty years without fading.

Dragon blood was the same.

She looked around. The vegetation beside the lake water was lush and verdant, growing extremely luxuriantly. Of course, nourished by dragon blood, how could it not grow well?

Su Heng’s fingers clenched.

A wooden walkway circled the Dragon Tail Lake, suspended over the water’s surface. All sorts of fish and shrimp inhabited the lake. Standing above, one could look down and see the aquatic creatures darting about.

She wondered if these little things had grown up eating dragon flesh. She could sense that these aquatic beings were completely different from those elsewhere.

Vibrations came from the wooden planks underfoot. She looked over and saw Madam Man and a few servant girls approaching.

Madam Man had not expected to see her here. She knitted her brows, looking very displeased, but even so, she did not turn and leave. She walked over, head held high, chest out, exuding the manner of the principal wife.

Seeing this, Su Heng sighed to herself, wondering how the immortal officials in charge of reincarnation could be so indiscriminate, choosing someone like this.

Madam Man clearly still remembered Zhu Lang’s attentiveness towards Su Heng at the banquet that day. She walked over, chin slightly raised. “Why is the immortal lady here?”

Su Heng looked Madam Man up and down. She had heard that because of Zhu Lang’s lechery, Madam Man had made a fuss who knew how many times, even living separately from her husband. But Zhu Lang paid it no mind, letting her make all the noise she wanted while he continued to do as he pleased. In the end, besides Madam Man getting angry enough to half die, Zhu Lang’s days were still exceedingly satisfying.

“I came to see the scenery. I previously heard the city lord say at the banquet that the view here wasn’t bad. Plus, a dragon tail fell here, so I came to take a look.”

Su Heng’s tone sounded a bit casual, but she was carefully observing Madam Man’s reaction.

She intentionally brought up the dragon tail, wanting to see Madam Man’s attitude towards that child.

Madam Man’s beautiful brows furrowed. Anger gradually emerged from beneath that lovely facade.

“The immortal lady is a guest in Lang Feng and should know the rules of being a guest. There are some people you should not get involved with.”

Madam Man’s words carried a confrontational air.

Su Heng laughed in spite of herself. She had come to probe Madam Man’s attitude towards Tan Ye, but Madam Man thought she wanted to get tangled up with Zhu Lang?

Su Heng raised her eyes to look at her. Madam Man maintained a youthfully beautiful appearance, but that was only the exterior. Those eyes were filled with resentment and the gloom of being betrayed and neglected.

No matter how good-looking the facade, paired with those eyes, it still lost out.

“Besides these words, does Madam have nothing else to say to me?” Su Heng asked again.

Madam Man knitted her brows. “I don’t know the immortal lady’s true age, but I know there is a saying in this world: don’t touch what belongs to others.”

Su Heng suddenly felt it tedious. “That old dog of yours has probably been touched by countless women already. The line probably circles Lang Feng three or four times.”

She hit where it hurt, mercilessly going for the vitals.

“Even if he kneels at my feet begging me to look at him, I can’t be bothered. I find his body odor too filthy.”

Saying this, she seemed to recall something. A trace of distaste appeared on her face as her fingers brushed past her nose.

“When men get old, they easily start to stink. Madam can keep him like a treasure. Don’t assume everyone else covets an old man. I like clean and pure young men. The taste of youth is clean and sweet. Has Madam had a taste?”

Su Heng’s vulgar words caused Madam Man’s face to turn completely red.

“Also, Madam doesn’t need to work so hard to maintain a youthful appearance anymore, because he grew tired of that face long ago. Even if you maintain your initial looks, in his eyes, it’s no different from looking at a wooden block. Hasn’t Madam noticed that the City Lord doesn’t maintain his own youthful appearance? It’s because he feels there’s no need.”

“Even if Madam maintains it perfectly, it’s futile.”

She looked Madam Man up and down a few times. “Right, if Madam finds me rude, you can directly tell the City Lord everything I said. Only, whether the City Lord will believe it and what he will do, no one knows.”

“In all these years, has anyone ever truly cared about you in their heart?”

Leaving those words behind, she turned and left. As she departed, she opened her palm, scattering bits and pieces of grass seeds from her hand.

Tan Ye’s birth mother had never once thought of this child from start to finish. Judging from how she guarded her meal ticket, she probably didn’t have the child’s father in her heart either. Since that was the case, might as well take action.

In the depths of night, besides the patrolling soldiers, everyone else in Lang Feng City had sunk into dreams.

Even the patrolling disciples, planning to make a few more rounds before finding a place to sleep, were startled awake by the earth-shattering rumble that exploded from the rear mountains.

Those originally in deep slumber were all jolted awake by this enormous sound.

The location of Dragon Tail Lake in the rear mountains turned the area upside down, energy waves surging. No one could approach until daybreak when the energy waves receded, allowing people to draw near.

The original lake had completely vanished, filled in by the collapsed mountain.

Outside, it was a chaotic mess. As a guest, at a time like this, it was best to stay in one’s own room unless the host came over.

Su Heng reached out and took a few pieces of cut honeydew melon from the nearby fruit plate, taking a bite. She contentedly closed her eyes. The fruits of the Western Regions were truly blessed by heaven. Biting into it felt like swallowing a mouthful of sugar.

“Was it you who did it?”

She was blissfully eating melon when she suddenly heard Tan Ye’s voice.

Su Heng opened her eyes and saw Tan Ye standing not far away.

“Yeah, it was an eyesore, so I casually cleared it out.”

Half a dragon tail – she had never benefited from it, so why let others reap the rewards?

As soon as she finished speaking, her entire person fell into Tan Ye’s embrace.

Tan Ye held her tightly, his strength astonishingly great. His head heavily pressed against her shoulder, touching her cheek.

Su Heng felt water flowing past the nape of her neck into her collar.

Tan Ye used all the strength in his body to hold her.

He knew that he could no longer be apart from her.