Chapter 80

“But what if I’m older than him?” Su Heng was a bit troubled and couldn’t help but bite her fingertip. “This is just great.”

Her distress brought delight to Tan Ye, and his chest trembled with laughter. “Indeed, what should we do about this?”

He didn’t have many expectations for his biological father whom he hadn’t seen in many years. He didn’t know what their reunion would be like, but Su Heng’s words brought him quite a bit of amusement. Her distress was like that of a young wife about to meet her in-laws.

“Do you have any ideas?” Su Heng had never encountered this kind of situation before – tricking someone’s perfectly-aged son into her belly without batting an eye, only to turn around and find that the father might be younger than her. Calling him ‘father’, not to mention whether the other party would shudder in disgust, just thinking about it made her feel uncomfortable all over.

Tan Ye also appeared to be quite troubled. After a good while, he sighed. “It seems there’s no other way. Since we’ve already come this far, no matter what, we’ll have to ask him to officiate our wedding. The next day, drinking the tea to address him properly, I’m afraid calling him ‘father’ will be unavoidable.”

Su Heng listened until her eyes went dark. “It still has to be like this?”

Tan Ye fumbled in his clothes and grasped her wrist, his thumb caressing it. “Besides this, what other way is there?”

The moonlight fell from both sides of the corridor onto the two of them, also falling into his eyes, illuminating the laughter in them especially clearly.

“Since we’ve already reached this point, it can’t be helped.”

Su Heng opened her mouth, but for a good while couldn’t say anything. Tan Ye had already been coaxed and tricked by her until nothing was left, and with the timing not right, she couldn’t even find a proper excuse to act shamelessly.

“You call him first, I’ll follow.” Su Heng bargained with him a little. She wasn’t willing to be taken advantage of in this kind of thing, although there wasn’t really anything to take advantage of.

Tan Ye nodded. “Of course. I’ll be in front, you follow behind me. No matter what, I’ll shield you first.”

Tan Ye had made up his mind about this kind of thing. No matter who the other person was or what their attitude was like, they couldn’t make him change his mind.

“Then it’s settled.” She held out her pinky. “Like this, let’s make a pinky promise.”

Tan Ye wanted to laugh, but seeing her serious face, a long-lost childishness arose from his heart. With laughter shining in his eyes, he made an agreeing sound and copied her, hooking his pinky with hers. That wasn’t enough, so their thumbs also pressed together. Now it was done.

The mellow moonlight fell directly without any obstruction, landing on them. There were only the two of them here, so they could do as they pleased. There was no one at all to mind them, and no worries about being seen by anyone.

Illuminated brightly by the moonlight, Su Heng raised her head to look at Tan Ye. Tan Ye gazed at her with a smile at the corner of his mouth. The moonlight cascaded coolly onto them, lighting up even the depths of his eyes. A pair of very clean and clear eyes, with a sincere hopefulness showing on his face, as if receiving the bright moon of a thousand autumns.

“You look really handsome like this.”

Su Heng was very true to herself in this regard. What she felt was what it was; if she thought it looked good, then it looked good.

Tan Ye’s smile immediately grew wider. He bent down to kiss her eyes. “You too.”

She was like a camellia flower in full bloom, with red petals and golden stamens, pure and moving amidst the gleaming water, emitting fragrance.

Tan Ye kissed her eyes. Her eyelashes were long and curled, naturally thick, and combined with that pair of rippling eyes, stirring his heart.

His lips landed lightly on them, and she laughed.

Her laughter was like silver bells, ringing in bursts.

“What is it?” Tan Ye asked softly.

“It tickles.” She was still laughing.

As soon as she finished speaking, with both hands on his shoulders, she imitated him and kissed his eyes. Tan Ye had a pair of good-looking eyebrows and eyes. When sharp, they were enough to shock others, but when soft, they were the best and most affectionate lover in the world.

Tan Ye closed his eyes and accepted it with a smile.

Su Heng laughed even more merrily with a chuckle. She covered her lips. “It’s ticklish.”

It turned out that whether you were the one kissing or the one being kissed, it was very ticklish.

Her foot hooked his again. Tan Ye took in a breath of cool air.

A young man, in the prime of his life, was not only prone to anger and getting upset, but also couldn’t stand being teased.

Su Heng felt the change in sensation under her foot. Looking down, the silver light was brilliant. A dragon tail meandered and extended from where his legs originally were, directly reaching the bottom of the corridor.

She let out a “wow”, and was immediately pressed down by Tan Ye.

“What are you doing?” Tan Ye’s eyes were misty, and it was unclear what exactly was in them.

“You… still can?” Su Heng chose her words carefully. She felt that familiar thing springing out from under the scales, and immediately looked around.

By this point, what was there to not understand? When his desire was aroused, half of his true form would emerge.

“What kind of habit is this of yours?” She hugged his shoulders, enduring while asking him very puzzledly, “From what you said, your father wasn’t like this before either.”

Tan Ye’s momentum paused. He didn’t know when he had revealed this aspect of things to her, but seeing her speaking so clearly, “I didn’t say that.”

“You said your mother didn’t know your father was a dragon before giving birth to you. It’s strange, your father didn’t have this, so why are you like this?”

She twisted around. Just then, a section of tail fell beside her. Without hesitation, she reached out and pinched the tail.

“This is probably all because of you.” Tan Ye couldn’t help letting out a muffled groan from his throat.

She was stunned for a moment, then grinned mischievously. Dragging over the section of tail beside her hand, she pinched and poked at the tail right in front of him.

He himself didn’t know why he liked his true form so much, but once the thought arose, it was completely out of his control.

The dragon tail fiercely thrust forward, and her words and laughter came to an abrupt halt.

She gasped for cold air. The tail she had been playing with gleefully just now wrapped around her.

The originally slightly warm water gradually heated up. Immersed in it, she felt the heat surging up layer by layer. Her entire body was scalded badly. She stroked the dragon tail under her hand a couple times, raised her head to look at the swaying figure in front of her. That figure also took a few sharp breaths, and simply pressed down, tightly embracing her from head to toe.

When the moon reached the treetops, she woke up. Opening one eye, she saw Tan Ye leaning beside her, a smile on his lips. It seemed he was having good dreams too.

She rolled her eyes around and found that the mud had returned at some point and was sleeping soundly against their feet.

Those monsters fighting earlier, the child didn’t see it, right?

Su Heng’s mind was in a mess, and this suddenly popped out.

They shouldn’t have seen it. Otherwise, even at that time, she would have noticed.

When she woke up again, she was no longer on the floor, but on a soft bed. Tan Ye brought her favorite breakfast. “You’re up?”

Su Heng had already been taken care of properly, even her clothes had been put on. She answered while coming down.

“You went out?” Seeing that what was prepared were all things she liked to eat, she casually asked.

Tan Ye made an agreeing sound. He hesitated for a moment. “Chaoyun Sect has now labeled me a traitor.”

When he said this, there was no emotion in Tan Ye’s words, just a straightforward statement of fact.

This was also within expectations. He wasn’t surprised at all. After all, with things having blown up so much that he smashed through the great formation above Chaoyun Sect, even if they wanted to cover it up, they couldn’t.

“Then what do you plan to do?” Su Heng asked.

Tan Ye looked at her, showing a hint of a smile. “What do you think I should do?”

She freed both hands to tear the fried dough sticks. The fried dough sticks had just been bought back, taken out of the oil not long ago. They were still hot to the touch. “What can you do? I reckon you don’t take them seriously now. Besides Xuan Jing Daojun who can still make you take notice, the rest can live thanks to your good graces. They can do whatever they want. Anyway, it’s just talk. They can’t really do anything to you.”

“I wanted to say… it’s just hard on you.”

Su Heng’s hands that were tearing the fried dough sticks paused. She looked up at Tan Ye, at a loss for words. “Did you watch some ridiculous plays outside?”

At this moment, she had no intention at all of appreciating his romanticism. Tan Ye couldn’t help but laugh. “I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s go for a walk by the sea in a bit.”

“That’s more like it.” She tore open the fried dough stick and soaked it in the mung bean porridge to soften it before eating.

“They can’t do anything to you, much less to me. Pursuits and the like, those are things they do for show. We don’t need to scare ourselves with those things.”

She spoke with gusto, and Tan Ye also nodded with a smile.

After finishing the meal, he led her to the seaside. The coastline of the Bohai Sea was actually quite long. Last time, they had only been to a small section of it. When Tan Ye arrived at the seashore, there weren’t many people around. Su Heng, holding Ni Ba, saw small black dots on the shore. At first, there were only a few scattered dots, but soon those few scattered black dots gradually increased. The sea breeze carried over a song.

Su Heng grabbed Tan Ye and directly went towards where those black dots were. Sure enough, just like when they encountered them on the Bohai Sea surface last time, it was a group of merpeople who had rarely surfaced. The true appearance of merpeople was somewhat different from the legends. Although half-human and half-fish, the human part was completely different from ordinary people. Their entire bodies were blue, with fin-like things behind their ears, and webs between their fingers. It was really difficult to mistake them for something else.

“Merpeople again.” Su Heng sighed with emotion.

The merpeople intermittently let out songs, with tunes but no lyrics. They formed a circle, enclosing Su Heng and Tan Ye in the air above.

Su Heng looked at Tan Ye, “Could it be because of you?”

She looked at the vast sea on the left and right, “This wouldn’t happen to be your biological father’s dojo, would it?”

Su Heng had this doubt in her heart for a long time. She had previously talked with the fishermen living by the sea. The fishermen made a living on the sea and hadn’t seen anything too strange besides storms. But after Tan Ye arrived at the Bohai Sea, anomalies frequently appeared.

“I…” Tan Ye was about to say he didn’t know, but seeing her eyes, “Perhaps.”

Su Heng looked around and spread her arms, “Such a big place. Didn’t expect you to be quite well-off.”

The corners of Tan Ye’s lips curled into a smile, “I don’t know about that either. The sky is high and the sea is wide. Seeing you, I’ve never paid attention to anything else.”

Su Heng grabbed Tan Ye and looked down, shouting to the merpeople on the sea surface below, “Is he one of your people here?”

The moment her words fell, Tan Ye immediately followed, “I am your man.”

Meeting Su Heng’s eyes, he said with a harmless face, “It was you who said in front of so many people that I am your man. What? You forgot after such a short time?”

When this man was serious, he was the most upright man under the heavens. When he wasn’t serious, his sweet words were also completely unexpected to her.

The merpeople below didn’t respond to her. It was unknown if they couldn’t understand her words. They circled around the two, not seeming to confront enemies, without any hostility at all, as if deliberately coming to welcome them.

“Looks like this place really is your father’s dojo.”

Tan Ye shook his head, “He never said, and I don’t know either. Even in my dreams last night, I didn’t hear him mention it.”

Su Heng was getting interested, “What did your father say last night?”

“Still the same as before.”

He heard that voice calling him over and over again, just a bit more impatient than usual this time. Tan Ye changed his usual unresponsive approach and replied that he would go find him.

Then the calling stopped.

After hearing that, Su Heng clicked her tongue a couple times, “Not seeing each other for so many years, why not talk more with you?”

Tan Ye didn’t mind. After many years apart, he had long lost any expectations for his parents.

“It doesn’t matter. Let him do as he wishes. It’s all the same.”

Tan Ye looked at those merpeople, “Shall we go to Liaodong later? We have a goddaughter there. Next time, we’ll add a biological daughter and go play with her together.”

His words made Su Heng shudder a little and touch her belly.

She had never seen plants or grass gaining spiritual consciousness and being able to have children, but she couldn’t help it if dragons could create life with anything.

She felt around a bit and found there was still nothing before feeling relieved.

“Is that so? Then it’s better to find your father first, get the wedding done, and take it one step at a time. No need to rush.”

Su Heng’s words seemed to make Tan Ye sigh. He lowered his head and lightly touched his forehead to hers, “Yes, no need to rush.”

“But I don’t want to wait even a moment.”

People who had suffered, after tasting sweetness, were even more reluctant to let go compared to those who had everything go their way since childhood. Letting go was already impossible. He had to take full control, only then could he feel at ease.

“I know.” Su Heng’s eyes were on the merpeople below. The merpeople looked strange and bizarre, but their singing was exceptional. “I haven’t seen you spare any effort either.”

She glanced meaningfully. Tan Ye lightly smiled and grasped her wrist.

“Do you like it or not?”

He asked very casually and naturally, without any youthful shyness. Doing this kind of thing often, one’s thick skin also came along with it.

“If you don’t like it, tell me where it’s not good, and I’ll improve next time.”

These words coming out of his mouth, even Su Heng who was used to being shameless had some trouble taking it.

Tan Ye carefully observed her current complexion, his fingers caressing her wrist, lingering with charm, “Come.”

Su Heng’s gaze drifted elsewhere, “What are you talking about?”

Tan Ye didn’t explain, just looked at her and smiled. Sometimes being direct wasn’t as heart-stirring as being half-concealed like this.

Su Heng looked at him, pulled a straight face and didn’t care so much anymore, “It’s alright for now. Keep working hard.”

Anyway, she wasn’t really a pure young lady. There was no need to put on airs and be shy. Even if she felt embarrassed, it was only for a moment. Turning her head and pulling a face, it would all be gone.

“Work hard?”

Su Heng felt Tan Ye’s gaze inadvertently slide across her belly, and then the smile on his face became even more sincere than before, “Okay.”

She felt she had somehow inexplicably gotten herself tangled up.

Tan Ye’s expression turned somewhat serious. He held her hands and looked at her affectionately, “If Aheng is not satisfied, it must be that I’m not doing well enough. I will do it until you are satisfied.”

Work hard on what?

Su Heng wanted to ask, but looking at him, these words circled in her mouth a few times and couldn’t be said. She felt that if she said it, he might be able to immediately work hard and show her.

“Looks like they want to welcome you into the sea? Want to go take a look?” Su Heng changed the subject and pointed below.

The merpeople below still hadn’t dispersed, hovering below.

“No need.” Tan Ye smiled. He waved his hand downward. He didn’t say a word to those merpeople. Speaking of which, it was strange. He didn’t speak, but those merpeople understood what he meant and swam away scattered.

However, as soon as the merpeople left, there was another change on the water surface. A figure furtively emerged from the water, peering at Tan Ye from afar. Tan Ye had grown up being gossiped about since childhood. No matter what kind of gaze he faced, he could calmly accept it. But Su Heng wasn’t like that. Her senses were keen. She immediately noticed she was being spied on. She raised her hand and red light spread from her fingertips. With a scream of pain, the person originally spying on her was instantly pulled out of the water and fell in front of her.

That person didn’t sink into the water with a plop after falling onto the water surface, but instead knelt on the water surface in an eerie manner, as if on land. Seeing Su Heng in a fluster, and then seeing Tan Ye.

“Spare my life!” That person shouted louder than a pig being slaughtered, “Immortal, spare my life!”

“You were watching here for quite a while, was it a good show?” Su Heng asked with a grin, pulling up with her hand, and the person bound by the red threads let out a howl.

“I just, just heard that the lord had appeared again, so… I came out to take a look. I didn’t mean to offend the immortal.” That person’s original form was a water snake, its vital points captured by her, not daring to move.

“Lord?” Su Heng looked at Tan Ye. She pointed at Tan Ye, “Are you talking about him?”

That water snake, or more precisely, sea snake, kept nodding.

Su Heng put her hands on her hips, looking curious, “How did you sense it?”

The sea snake said this was natural, “We are all aquatic beings, so naturally we can sense it. This lowly one sensed the aura of a true dragon, so couldn’t help coming up to take a peek. This lowly one didn’t intentionally offend the immortal.”

The creatures in the Bohai Sea were really one more eloquent than the other, and extremely good at reading the situation, knowing that Su Heng was the one who decided its life and death, so it hurriedly explained to her.

“Have you seen your lord?”

The sea snake quickly said no, “But this lowly one can still sense the aura of a true dragon. Aquatic beings encountering a dragon wouldn’t dare not obey. This lowly one hasn’t sensed it in many years.”

Seeing the sea snake’s sincere words, Su Heng raised her hand and let it go.

She watched the sea snake express thanks and dive into the water. She glanced at Tan Ye. Tan Ye’s expression was indifferent, without any indication, and without any intention to ask.

“Why didn’t you ask him about your father just now?”

“There’s nothing to ask. But there will be a place to settle him later.”

Su Heng almost choked on her own spit when she heard that. She saw that Tan Ye’s expression didn’t seem like he was joking at all.

“Then should I still call him father or not?”

“Can’t recognize the father-in-law?”

Tan Ye couldn’t help laughing, “This is still necessary.”

He held her hand, “No matter what, this must be recognized.”

“It’s better for me not to see him too often. After our child is born, we can have some interactions with him.”

He had already envisioned an incredibly bright future for the two of them.

A peaceful and happy life, with one or two children raised at their knees. Thinking of everything he was about to have, Tan Ye felt a heartfelt happiness.

It would be best to find his biological father soon and formally get married.