Heavenly Star

Long Huang-er raised her nose, unwilling to show weakness, and softly snorted. She concentrated all her attention to catch a fish. The fish were moving around this area, and Long Huang-er quickly found her target. She was just about to rush over with all her effort, but her foot slipped and she fell into the water.

Ye Wuchen laughed heartily. Long Huang-er sprung out from the water in a very embarrassed way. With the greater part of her clothes dripping wet, she might as well not raise her skirt anymore. She tried to wipe off the water droplets from her face and disagreeably, she said, “Hmph! I was not being careful, I will not lose to you.”

“I have already caught two of them.” With that Ye Wuchen showed her his left and right hands, each holding a carp. He dumped the fish behind him and sat himself on a rock beside the creek, beaming at Princess Fei Huang, who was still in the middle of the stream. He was completely unafraid that the two fish he had just caught would run away.

Long Huang-er had eventually found a new target. She walked quietly on tiptoes, then her hands suddenly swiped forward. With a loud bang, the water splattered everywhere while the fish had already escaped and was nowhere to be found. Long Huang-er pouted and stamped her feet, yet she did not give up and continued on to find her new target.

The sky was cloudless and the wind blew gently. Ye Wuchen lifted his head to look at the sky, then mumbled softly, “Is it going to rain?”

“I got it, I got it… Ah!”

After cheering for a moment, as Long Huang-er had captured her prey, the small slippery fish had easily escaped from her hands, falling back into the water and quickly swimming away.

“ Waa… I am so pitiful. Always unable to catch it. You didn’t help me either.” Long Huang-er finally admitted her defeat, her heart was full of sadness.

“Under your feet, there’s a very big fish.” Ye Wuchen told her indifferently.

“Ah?” Long Huang-er quickly looked at her feet. Indeed she found a big fish, its length two times longer than her small feet. It motionlessly floating near her with its mouth is continuously spat out bubbles. Long Huang-er cautiously bent her waist, her hands slowly approached, then suddenly launching forward to tightly grab it in her hands.

“I got it, look!” She excitedly cried out. To prevent the fish from escaping again, she cleverly used all her strength to throw it to the grassland beside the creek. But because she had exerted too much energy, she slipped once again, falling down into the water. She exerted all her effort to climb out, laughing like a hundred flowers in full blossom, completely disregarding the pain in her body.

Ai… It is really tiring to amuse a child. Having need to use spiritual powers, Ye Wuchen secretly laughed. He stood up, carrying all three of the fish in his hands, he swung them around twice and he said, “Come, let’s have our lunch.”

…………………………

This area was a hill beside the official road… It could be considered as a huge mound full of green grass. Beside the bonfire where wood fragments were piled up, Long Huang-er held a roasted fish skewed on a tree branch. She devoured it ravenously, for she never knew that fish from a creek could be so delicious after only setting it on fire. It was many times more delicious than the exotic food that she had already been tired of eating.

“Is it delicious?” Ye Wuchen skewered another fish on a clean tree branch, then set it on the fire.

“Yes, its really delicious.” Walking for so long and having fun for almost the whole day, her stomach had been rumbling with hunger. In addition to her mood, which had never been this free from worries, her appetite was naturally this good.

“You are really awesome. Even the food you roasted is so delicious… From now on, can you roast food for me to eat everyday?” Long Huang-er tore the fish meat while she asked with her blinking eyes.

Ye Wuchen said while jokingly, “Xiao Huang-er, I am considered as your future husband. Things like preparing meals should be done by you.”

Long Huang-er blushed. Bit by bit she chewed the fish meat, then she said in a low voice, “But I don’t know how.”

“It can be learned.” Looking at the fish in her hands being stripped clean, if she were to continue, she might chow down the entire branch. He placed another roasted fish beside her arms. “Come, eat now. Before Xiao Huang-er learns to cook, I will humble myself and prepare meals for you everyday.”

Long Huang-er took it, then naughtily stuck out a tongue. Her mind was thinking that she would never learn so as to be able to taste the food he prepared everyday.

Very quickly, the second and third fish was consumed by Long Huang-er. She threw out the fish bones, patted her small belly satisfyingly, before she realized that her future husband had not yet eaten. Suddenly she felt ashamed. “This… It seems like you haven’t eaten yet.”

Ye Wuchen used his sleeves to gently wipe the corner of her mouth, then he said laughing, “You have already taken my share into your stomach, so I am not hungry now.”

His actions, smiling expression, and voice were so gentle, Long Huang-er suddenly felt her nose become sore and something began to form around the corners of her eyes. From childhood up to this moment, he was the first person who had been willing to play with her and the first person to gently wipe her mouth. These were the things that were full of warmth that she could only dream of before.

Rumble.

Cool wind rose, the originally clear and bright sky suddenly filled with dark clouds while sounds of thunder slowly approached. Ye Wuchen pulled Long Huang-er up, “Huang-er, it’s going to rain, let’s go to the small temple to hide.”

Standing in an elevated and spacious place during thunder was equivalent to risking death. The two of them ran to an obviously abandoned temple nearby. By the time they pushed the shabby wooden door open, raindrops and the wind had forcefully landed, they quickly became swift, accompanied by the sound of thunder which grew louder and louder along with the sound of rain.

“Hold me.” Long Huang-er spreads out her arms towards him with something flickering in her eyes.

Ye Wuchen did not hesitate to hugs her. Drawing her towards his bosom, he used his hands to gently comfort her.

“Every time the thunder rumbled before, I will be very scared. Even if I summoned so many maids inside I will still be very scared. At night I am so scared that I cannot sleep. But, when I am with you, I certainly do not feel afraid, not even a little” Long Huang-er used a hand to draw circles on his chest, while she spoke in a low voice.

“I never wanted to return to the Imperial Palace. In there, I feel like I’m alone. Aside from father and oldest brother, they don’t treat me nicely, sometimes they even bully me… But I bully them back. And father is so busy, he can’t find time to visit me, while big brother was not around all these years. In a year, he will only visit me once…”

The eldest brother that she had mentioned was naturally Long Zhengyang.

“Tomorrow… will you still bring me out to play?” she asked softly.

“Of course I will. These few days, as long as you are willing, I will bring you out to play.” Ye Wuchen said in a gentle voice.

“En… why are you being so kind to me?”

“Because you are my future wife, didn’t you just say so?” Ye Wuchen said, tapped her nose.

“En…”

Heavy rain poured and thunder burst. Long Huang-er, leaning on his shoulder, dozed off to sleep smooth and steadily. Even the loud rumbling sounds of thunder in unbroken succession were not able to wake her up. Ye Wuchen hugged her while sitting down on the ground, watching her sleeping soundly. His eyes twinkling indefinitely, not knowing what she was dreaming about.

Even if Princess Fei Huang were to become an empress in the future, even if she could sleep peacefully in his arms in the future, she would never forget this day and the subtle changes in her mood. Ye Wuchen only had one day, but it was enough to exchange three years worth of her tears. Long Huang-er would not have any regrets, she never would.

In the meantime, at Meng Yan Lou.

Heavy rain poured down, but it did not stop the footsteps of Shui, leader of the seven. For one day and one night, her footsteps had almost been nonstop. Returning to the Southern Empire Clan, then from there, she came back. When she reappeared in front of Shui Mengchan her entire body was drenched in water.

Shui Mengchan opened the note given to her by Shui. There was a short message on it.

This person should not be killed, and is not the enemy. Establish a relationship with him by any means necessary.

Shui Mengchan’s eyes slightly contracted upon seeing the words. This was the first time her father used these words, proving the importance of Ye Wuchen.

“Did you tell my father the exact words Ye Wuchen had told us?” Shui Mengchan put the note away as she asked.

“Yes, the exact words.” Lei answered.

“Did he say anything else?”

“The clan leader looked at the painting for a very long time, then he had written this note and handed it over to me. He even said… The matter of the Southern Empire Sword is very serious. Princess may personally set out, if needed.” Shui answered. Even though she was experienced, she could not comprehend the intended meaning of this statement.

“I got it, you may take your leave now. Feng, Hua, Xue, and Moon already died in the hands of Tao BaiBai. You go ahead and pay respects to them.” Shui Mengchan sat down slowly, her face was neither happy nor sad, just as dull as water.

…………………………

At three in the afternoon, the rain has stopped. Ye Wuchen led Long Huang-er back to the Imperial Palace. He was already prepared to accompany Long Huang-er during his last few days here at Tian Long City. Long Huang-er talking in her sleep against his bosom caused him to have some hesitation. He did not know whether his decisions were actually right or wrong.

The next day, when he and Long Huang-er arrived at the beginner’s painting class in Tian Long Imperial Institute, he discovered that there are more people in this class than the previous day. The originally spacious art studio, was now crowded and completely packed. There were many young ladies added to this class. Hua Buhao had been standing on the platform looking bewildered and waiting anxiously while looking outside. When Ye Wuchen came in, he was so excited that he almost cried out loud as he threw himself at Ye Wuchen.

One by one the fervent gazes focused on Ye Wuchen’s body, causing him to have the feeling of being burned. Of course, some of the gazes made him feel uncomfortable. His arrival made the originally noisy class suddenly breaks out louder. Ye Wuchen let Long Huang-er take her seat and as he stepped up on the platform with his face emotionless, then with knitted eyebrows, “I am very fortunate to be your class’ temporary teacher, with the permission of Master Hua. Since all of you are here then presumably, you are here to learn painting. If it is not, you may now go outside. Please maintain silence, or else, as the teacher I will throw you out.”

No one had expected that he would say these excessively harsh words with a smiling face. Those who only came because of Ye Wuchen were caught unprepared, momentarily making this noisy class quiet. But after the silence, a voice full of disdain echoed, “Indeed you are very liberal with your words. I would like to see how you can throw me out.”

Speaking these words was man sitting while leaning against the wall. His age was about the same as Ye Wuchen’s. When Ye Wuchen entered the room, he had already felt the man’s bad intentions and even the hateful gaze, which was why he had spoken the provoking words.

Translated by: Fatty_Uncle

Edited by: seriouspotato and patrick_father_of_dragons