"Open your mouth!"
I held up the spoon filled with medicine.
Ao Chi arrogantly turned his face away: "I won't eat!"
"Alright." I put down the bowl and took a glass of vanilla milkshake from the table, "How about this?"
If it weren't for the bandages all over his body, this man, who looked more like a mummy, would have definitely jumped out of bed. He has the craziest obsession with my homemade secret recipe vanilla milkshake.
"I want it!" His eyes gleamed with a wolf-like green light.
"Then open your mouth!" I put down the milkshake and picked up the bowl of food, "Take the medicine first, then you can have the dessert. No discussion, no negotiation."
He glared at me resentfully, reluctantly opening his mouth.
A glass of vanilla milkshake was enough to make this willful and unruly evil dragon obedient — the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, this saying is true!
There was a long-lost sweet aroma wafting inside Unceasing again. The large pot of eight-treasures glutinous rice porridge[1] simmering in the kitchen was bubbling and rolling. Now there were no more "Fatty" and "Skinny" for me to boss around. So since we returned to Unceasing, I cook all the food myself.
To be honest, I'm not used to being without those two helpers.
"Come on, give me the milkshake, hurry!" Ao Chi obediently finished his medicine and urged me impatiently.
"You're in good spirits today." I scooped up a spoonful of milkshake but didn't rush to feed him, "That means you can answer my questions now."
"I've said everything that needs to be said. What else do you want to know, woman?" Ao Chi's eyes remained fixed on my hand, "Feed me quickly!"
"First question, why did you leave without a word twenty years ago?" I lifted the scoop in my hand and deliberately waved it in front of him, just not giving it to him, "You can have a spoonful after answering."
"You vicious woman!" He was like a monkey with ADHD, wriggling on the bed angrily, "Even the Keeper of the Axis of Time has a shelf life and needs to be replaced. I'm the old man's legitimate grandson. He entrusted someone to find me and hoped to pass on this heavy responsibility to me. Moreover, he personally told me that Ao Shuo has returned, with a completely different identity and power. This guy had already declared that he'd returned and vowed to obtain the Dragon Heart Key. The old man said he consulted the clan's high priest through divination, and Ao Shuo's return would be a disaster for the entire East China Sea and even the whole world. The divination results showed that only I can deal with it. The priest also said something like 'twenty years in seclusion, wrath turns into beauty. But when the dark clouds burn, a friend arrives with the blazing sun.' I didn't understand what it meant, but in short, I was asked to take over the duty as the new Keeper, hide from the world for twenty years, and never cross paths with Ao Shuo. Only then can the disaster be reversed. Although I find that long-winded old man annoying, I know what that crow's mouth of a high priest says usually comes true. Besides, I've never really contributed to the East China Sea Dragon Clan even though I grew up there. So I thought, this time, let's make up for it all at once. I promised the old man, which meant I couldn't appear as Ao Chi for the next twenty years. So..."
"So you intentionally lost my green robe and said such outrageous things to me, knowing it would trigger my temper and I would definitely drive you away, which is perfect for you to justifiably disappear without raising my suspicion! What a great plan! Ao Chi, when did your acting skills become so good?" I took over the conversation, angrily taking the spoon back from under his nose and stuffing it into my own mouth, using exaggerated eating style to cover up the fact that I wanted to cry.
Just because of a dragon heart key and a madman's return, the two of us were separated for twenty years.
"You actually stole the patient's milkshake! A woman's heart is the cruelest! The cruelest..." He was furious, but when he saw my eyes suddenly turn red, he stared blankly, remained silent for a long time, then said, "Actually... I have been uneasy ever since I agreed to be the Keeper. I was afraid that I would never be able to return to your side as Ao Chi. If I really couldn't come back, I hoped you would hate me to death. I know you're always quick to forget people you despise."
I rudely shoved a spoonful of milkshake into his mouth, while on the other side, I remained silent with red eyes.
He smacked his lips in satisfaction, returning to his usual rogue demeanor, chuckling joyfully, "Oh, did I move you? I can't believe I moved you to tears! I also think I'm quite great!"
"Second question, why did you later become a fat and thin duo to lie low by my side? And even pretended to be so damned vulgar so seamlessly?" I cast a sidelong glance at him and asked again.
"That's two questions, so exchange two spoons of milkshake." He licked his lips and answered, "For the first nineteen years, I pretty much stayed in the barrier of the Axis of Time. I was bored to death. But I came to see you every year, sometimes as a mosquito, sometimes as a bunch of sunflowers, oh, I even turned into a mouse once. However, I know your sense of smell is keen, so I never dared to stay too long for fear that you would find out. Frankly speaking, during this time, you've been doing well, perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. I can finally say that my teachings weren't in vain."
"Wait a minute!" My eyes widened and I suddenly interrupted him, "Have you ever turned into a bottle of shower gel or something? Tell me!"
"Tch! Even if it's a demoness with a hundred times better figure than yours, I'm not interested in watching." He rolled his eyes.
"Then why the hell did you come back? You might as well go die in that Axis of Time of yours, and leave me in peace!" I wanted to splash the milkshake on his ugly mug so badly!
"Because I missed you."
He suddenly blurted out this sentence, such a bland and cheesy line, something that neither of us could ever say before, not even if beaten to death.
I stared stupidly, my face turning red.
"Even though you hardly have any strong points," he added at the right moment, "I still like you quarreling with me, like seeing you stomp your feet in anger because of me, and I like that you're bold and brave. You look cold-blooded and emotionless, but in reality, you're as soft-hearted as cotton candy. In short, if you're not by my side, my life will be a lot less fun. Anyway, there was only one year left until the end of the twenty years, so I split my spirit into two and hid it in two earthworm monsters, transforming into Fatty and Skinny. In this way, not only could I annoy you all day long, but I could also lead a completely different and relaxed life in another identity. How amusing! You know that earthworm monsters are also called earth dragons. They are born beneath the earth, absorbing countless essences of the earth throughout their lives. Their demon aura is so strong that they can be called the best of all demons. Their demon aura was enough to completely conceal the scents of my two halves, preventing anyone from finding out. As long as I don't reveal my identity, I'm not breaking any promises. If Mu hadn't made a genuine move to kill you, I could have continued being the fat and thin duo, living carefreely." He spoke with a face full of nostalgia, then shouted, "Hey, milkshake!"
"Eat, eat, I'll stuff you to death!" I scooped two large spoonfuls and shoved it into his mouth, "You ba*tard, you clearly saw everything. When Mu stole my body and took away my real body, you went so far as to pretend not to know anything? You looked on as I coped with poverty over at Musheng, making money through tarot readings to eke out a living, while you continued to live carefreely. When I only had half a life left, that's when you finally decided to show up?"
"Don't wrongly accuse me. The amulet I left you saved you twice! Do you know what the golden dragon inside it is? It represents a hundred years of my cultivation! It's just for your emergency use! There's also the puppet Zhang Daxia. If I hadn't paid him to be ordered around by you, you wouldn't even earn enough money to buy instant noodles!" Ao Chi discontentedly explained, then sighed, "But I admit, I had the intention to avoid. If I could, I would never want to confront Ao Shuo. I can never forget the scene of him dying under my blade that year. As long as I refuse to appear, we won't clash again." He gave a rare bitter smile, "But I quickly realized that this mindset is really damning. There are some people you can't avoid no matter what. If you don't dare to face it now, you'll have to face it eventually. He used you as bait and trapped you in a desperate situation just to force me to show up. If something had really happened to you, I would probably feel guilty for my shameful avoidance for the rest of my life. Thankfully, you're lucky!"
What he really thinks is exactly as I guessed.
I just don't know whose heart it is, as soft as cotton candy! Hmph!
"I don't have any further questions."
I realized that the answers I wanted to know didn't actually need to be answered by him at all. Because I understand his thoughts.
Just… When did this phenomenon start?!
"Ahhh!" He exaggeratedly opened his mouth wide, eyes glancing at the remaining milkshake.
What a child.
To my surprise, from this overage child, my thoughts went to the stubborn, unruly, and full of himself East China Sea evil dragon, who declared that he would take me out even if he died carrying me as he soared and clawed through the sky.
How can this weirdo with a split personality combine all the impossible-to-coexist things in the world into one so perfectly?
I smiled helplessly and gently fed him his favorite food, spoonful by spoonful.
It has been more than a month since that life-and-death ordeal. Ao Chi is alive, I am alive, and those guys are all alive. Although we all got injured, Ao Chi was the most seriously injured, and he'll have to be a mummy for at least another half month. During this time, my Unceasing has become a temporary ward, and I'm doing multiple jobs at once. I'm a nurse, a cook learning how to prepare various desserts and dishes, and a caretaker who looks after him in a fluster every day. The busier I am, the happier he is. The truth is that as long as it is something I make with my own hands, no matter what it is or how it tastes, he enjoys it.
[1] Medicinal cuisine made from ingredients like rice, barley, dates, etc. that's easy to digest.
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