“Cub?”
The filthy little beggar tilted his head, seemingly confused by who Ruan Wei was calling. His brow, hidden beneath layers of dust, furrowed slightly. For a moment, he seemed to ponder something, then licked his dry, purple-cracked lips and whispered, “I am not a cub.”
There was a flicker of loss in his eyes, though it was indistinct. If Ruan Wei had not been so close, he might not have noticed that fleeting emotion.
Right. He was not the cub.
Ruan Wei froze for a moment as his rational analysis slowly clawed its way back. The cub could not speak; when upset, it would only butt its head against him. This child not only spoke but used complete sentences. How could he possibly be the cub?
Before he could dwell on this thought, the sound of chaotic, hurried footsteps echoed from not far away, as if someone was in hot pursuit. Ruan Wei raised his head, sensitive to the disturbance, but no sooner had he lifted his eyelids than a rock the size of a fist struck him squarely in the forehead like a meteor.
“Ugh.”
His forehead was not Ruan Wei’s most vulnerable spot, but it was not strong enough to withstand a heavy stone thrown with such force. The world went black for a moment. It took him a long while to clutch his injury and stagger to his feet.
“Hahaha.”
The culprits were several boys dressed in gray hemp, looking like servant boys. They held several stones they had gathered, and seeing they had hit Ruan Wei, they looked at each other with triumphant smiles. They immediately resumed throwing stones at Ruan Wei and the child, laughing all the while.
As the young palace master of the Dragon Clan, Ruan Wei was always surrounded by adoration wherever he went. Seeing this, he was enraged. He formed a hand seal, intending to use magic to punish the boys, but he quickly realized that in this illusion, all spells were ineffective. He could only bring Shu Yang out of this dreamscape by purging the resentment within it, which would then drive the Sui possessing Shu Yang’s body away.
But where was the Sui?
While Ruan Wei stood stunned by his inability to use magic, the child—unable to fend off the larger boys—had been struck by a stone and knocked to the ground. His forehead was split open, blood streaming down. He could not scramble up instantly like an adult; he was swarmed by the boys and trampled underfoot. As he was cursed at, his body was covered in bruises.
Even from a distance, Ruan Wei could see the child’s hands, mangled and bloody. In such freezing weather, with no winter clothes, the child already had chilblains; his skin was already broken, and after being stepped on, his hands were shredded. Blood mixed with snow in a way that stung the eyes.
Yet, throughout the ordeal, the child did not utter a sound. He did not even beg for mercy; he simply stared, his pupils wide and dark, shimmering with a faint, vicious blue light, like a stubborn wolf pup.
At the sight of that gaze, Ruan Wei was struck motionless.
For some reason, that single look instantly reminded him of Shu Yang. He remembered the first time he had met Shu Yang at the Dragon Trials. At the time, Shu Yang had only been at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he already possessed the presence of a Golden Core cultivator. His sword was cold and merciless.
There was no mercy in his eyes, no restraint. There was only the craving for victory and an arrogance that sought to trample everyone beneath his feet. While everyone else was busy trying to attain enlightenment or clear their hearts, Shu Yang had found his path long ago, cutting through all benevolence and pity with a single stroke. He knew that only the strong could afford to show pity; the weak were only meant to be pitied.
Shu Yang did not want to be weak. While everyone said he was too ambitious and lacked the temperament of a true immortal, only Ruan Wei believed he would succeed. If there was one person in this world whose heart was truly cleared of all distractions, it would be Shu Yang, because he cared for nothing but victory.
That simple gaze had haunted Ruan Wei for years. And now, he saw it again.
This child… could he be Shu Yang in this illusion?
With that thought, Ruan Wei stopped stalling. He stepped forward, grabbed one of the boys by his collar, and threw him away without hesitation. Though he could not use magic, he was a dragon; his natural strength made tossing a boy no different from tossing a stone. Soon, all the bullies were dispatched.
Shu Yang: “…”
After driving them away, Ruan Wei walked back, helped the child up, and asked, “Are you alright?”
Shu Yang was in too much pain to speak. His leg had been broken; he could not walk. If he were left here alone, he would certainly freeze to death. Ruan Wei crouched down and scooped him up. He was thin enough that carrying a small child was effortless. Having no home in this illusion, Ruan Wei carried Shu Yang to a ruined temple.
Shu Yang’s wounds were becoming infected. Ruan Wei tore a piece from his own hem, washed it in the river, returned to the temple, and after warming the cloth with his palms, gently wiped the blood from Shu Yang’s hands. As the infection set in, Shu Yang’s forehead began to burn with a fever.
In his delirium, Shu Yang looked up and saw Ruan Wei licking his hand. He was terrified, nearly summoning the strength to pull his arm away despite his weakness: “What are you doing?”
“Don’t move.” Ruan Wei gripped his wrist, warning him: “Your wound is rotting. It must be cleaned.”
“Then why are you licking me?”
Even at less than ten years old, Shu Yang was not entirely ignorant of the world. Goosebumps broke out across his skin, and his eyes burned with rage: “Let go of me!”
“My dragon saliva is top-tier medicine for wounds. What do you know?” Ruan Wei rolled his eyes: “If it were anyone else, I would not even bother licking them.”
Shu Yang: “…”
Well, then I truly thank you!
Shu Yang did not want to be licked, but as a small child, he was no match for Ruan Wei’s forceful disinfection. He could only endure the humiliation, pulling his hand away the moment Ruan Wei stopped, remaining motionless. He wanted to get away from Ruan Wei, but his injured leg left him no choice but to let Ruan Wei carry him to the fire.
Ruan Wei poked at the logs in the bonfire, glancing at the humiliated and long-suffering Shu Yang. “Is it really that bad?” he asked bluntly. “You look like you want to vomit. Did you eat something bad?”
Shu Yang looked at him silently and said, “Of course it is disgusting.” He added, “If someone licked you, would you not be disgusted?”
“I guess not.” Ruan Wei was a dragon; his upbringing was different from Shu Yang’s. “When I saw my friends injured, we used to lick each other’s wounds.” It saved time searching for medicine and healed external wounds perfectly—what was wrong with that?
Shu Yang, not knowing Ruan Wei was a dragon, widened his eyes in shock at the answer. He was a beggar, but he had never been exposed to such extreme behavior. His face turned beet red, and after a long while, he choked out: “You are disgusting!”
Ruan Wei: “…”
He had been insulted, and he wrinkled his nose, looking rather unhappy. He did not say anything for a long while, just poked at the fire with a stick and muttered, “Disgusting or not, you were licked by me.” His voice grew quieter: “If it were not for me, you would have died countless times by now.”
“What?” Shu Yang had not heard him clearly.
“Nothing.” Ruan Wei said: “In any case, you are just him in this illusion. The real him is out there somewhere.”
“Who is he?” Ruan Wei’s ambiguous words piqued Shu Yang’s interest. He intuitively felt that “he” was connected to himself: “Do I know him?”
“You could say we are very close.”
“So who is he? What is his relationship to you? And what is his relationship to me?” Shu Yang, in agonizing pain, used the conversation to distract himself: “Every time you mention him, your expression looks so different.”
“Does it?” Ruan Wei was shocked. He touched his face blankly: “Really?” He had thought he was an Ice Dragon—and a stone-faced one at that.
“Yes, really.” Shu Yang nodded. He pointed to his own eyes and carefully chose his words: “Whenever you mention him, your eyes brighten up, and it looks like you are constantly smiling.”
Shu Yang continued: “But a moment later, you look like you hate him, even clenching your back molars.”
Ruan Wei had not expected the young Shu Yang to be so observant. He was too embarrassed to speak, comforting himself that at least this was not the adult version of Shu Yang, so he had not completely lost face: “I think it is not that obvious.”
“It is very obvious.” Shu Yang pressed: “So what exactly is your relationship with him?”
Ruan Wei fell silent for a moment. After a long while, he gave a bitter laugh. His brow furrowed—an expression that was not unattractive, but lacked the vibrancy of his smile. His hand gripping the stick tightened, his knuckles turning white, as if he were struggling to endure something.
Seeing this, Shu Yang did not press further, patiently waiting for Ruan Wei to speak of his own volition.
The fire crackled. The soft popping sounds startled insects into crawling away. Though the place was dilapidated, it was quiet, creating a private space undisturbed by the world, a rare moment of respite for both of them. Perhaps it was the child-like appearance of Shu Yang that made Ruan Wei drop his guard, or perhaps he had simply kept it in for too long. Under Shu Yang’s gentle prodding, Ruan Wei’s clenched jaw slowly relaxed. After a long time, he lowered his head, staring at the leaping flames, and slowly spat out six words: “I was the one who loved him first.”
“Oh.” Shu Yang had a realization: “So you are a simp.”
“How can liking someone be called being a simp?” Ruan Wei was mortified. He stammered and argued: “At most, at most…”
He struggled for a long time. Under Shu Yang’s scornful gaze, his voice dropped lower and lower. Finally, he barely managed to squeeze out: “At most… a dragon-simp.”
Even if he really were a simp, he absolutely refused to go from being a dragon to being a dog! That was a matter of his dignity as a dragon!
Shu Yang: “…”
He took a deep breath, looked at Ruan Wei, and said blankly: “Is that the point?”