Life Going Wild With Plug-ins

Chapter 51

Chapter 51 - Without my small loyal dog, I’m like a salted fish without dreams.

I continued having the light, peaceful days I had before. Every day, I helped Qiqi cook garlic shoots and leeks, and then I simply idled my time away. Qiqi couldn’t stand it any longer and ordered us to build a frame to grow some grapes.

Since Ye Tan wasn’t around, the Teacher was also not willing to come. So I, still with my ugly writing, taught Ye Lan to write his name.

It didn’t matter before, but now that Ye Tan wasn’t here, I felt like the days were dully fading away.

Qiqi frustratedly stared at the three of us, who were like salted fish lying flat on rattan chairs in the courtyard, and angrily said: “Grown men without aspirations, what a scandal.”

At that time, Ye Lan was dozing off leaning against Ye Xiao, Ye Xiao was gnawing on sweet potatoes like a hamster, his clothes full of crumbs, and I had just received a letter from Yang Qingzhou——Ever since he went on his northern expedition, he kept sending me letters every ten days or so, detailing the recent developments in the war.

The letter said that Zhongli Court’s Jinguan had fallen, and that their blood-stained, withered peonies looked even more vivid than they did during their flowering season; Zonglian’s Renzong Temple was also razed, Zhongli Court burned down all their ancient scriptures and buried the prisoners of war alive; Zonglian and Henglian formed an alliance and cooperated in besieging Changluo Hall, surrounding it for half a month and finally burning it down to ashes..... I read this while lazily drinking red date and barley soup under the warm winter sun, and I felt a little bit like I lacked a sense of reality.

I closed the letter and folded it back in place, sighing: “Being able to waste time is a very fortunate thing.”

I looked at the few people in the quiet, cold, courtyard, and asked: “Ye Xiao, of the people who were following us, how many are left now?”

Ye Xiao counted as he kept gnawing on the sweet potatoes, and answered: “Boss, right now I can only sense three.”

Recently, the number of people following us had plummeted rapidly, I assumed that the battlefield situation was really intense, so they had their hands full managing that.

The Second Young Master’s large momentum had already passed, and in the end I didn’t have a chance to enter the scene. I’ll wait until he is really defeated, then bing Ye Tan to ridicule him to get the last word, and that should more or less count as the end of it.

While I waited here.....

I stroked the hilt of the twice broken and put together, shoddy-looking Small Dull Sword, and remembered what Ye Tan had once told me: Wait until you have a woman that you like, then you’ll be happier doing ordinary things with her than with other people. So much time has passed, and I have considered it, but I feel like no one is as good as Ye Tan.

I asked: “Ye Xiao. If you had to choose one person to spend your life with, how would you choose?”

Ye Xiao held the sweet potato: “Qiqi’s not bad.”

I: “???”

Ye Xiao explained: “Qiqi’s cooking is delicious, I’d follow her to have meat to eat. Boss, think about Qiqi’s sweet and sour pork chops, you definitely can’t eat this kind of thing outside.”

.....That sounded reasonable, I believed it.

“In other words, even if there was no one else by your side, you would be willing to spend your life with only Qiqi, just the two of you?

Ye Xiao choked, not without hesitation: “That won’t do. What would Ye Lan do without me?”

Saying that, he glanced at Ye Lan out of habit. Ye Lan’s name had been mentioned just now, and he had opened his eyes and was looking back at him. Ye Xiao had a lot of sweet potato crumbs stuck to the corner of his mouth, Ye Lan stared blankly for a while, then clumsily reached out with his hand to wipe them off for him, putting the crumbs into his own mouth and eating them.

“Hey, that’s the peel don’t eat that, spit it out.” Ye Xiao swatted his cheek.

Hearing this, Ye Lan spat it onto his palm, and Ye Xiao took the sweet potato he was holding and stuffed it into Ye Lan’s mouth: “Try this one.”

Ye Lan took a bite, eating even the peel.

“.....It scares me that you can be this dumb. Forget it, forget it, spit it out and I’ll peel it for you.” Ye Xiao, somewhat exasperated, grabbed his lower jaw and pulled his mouth open, taking out the sweet potato with the peel still on, then broke apart small chunks of peeled sweet potato and stuffed them into his mouth.

For some reason, watching these two put me in a good mood, so I asked again: “If you had to pick between Qiqi and Ye Lan, then? Who would you pick?”

Ye Xiao was somewhat embarrassed, and he muttered: “This isn’t a conflict, Boss, why do you insist on giving me such difficult questions.....”

“It’s sweet.” Ye Lan ate, and inexplicably added a sentence, “I pick Gui Mao.” When he finished, he corrected himself again, “No, I pick Ye Xiao.”

“Who, who asked you to interrupt?” Ye Xiao’s face suddenly turned red, “Do you understand what you’re saying!”

Ye Lan propped half of his body up on the recliner, and bowed his head to look at Ye Xiao, saying: “I like Ye Xiao, I want to be together..... I don’t want anyone else, I just want you.”

Ye Xiao stammered: “You, you simply don’t understand the meaning of these words, just don’t talk nonsense!”

Hearing this, Ye Lan lowered his head and agreed: “Oh.... is that so. Then, I will think about it again.”

I couldn’t help but butt in: “How do you know he doesn’t understand?”

Ye Xiao spat: “He got my name wrong, and even dared to boast about liking me, I believe he’s had bad influences.”

Ye Lan protected him by helping him explain: “Gui.... Ye Xiao is smarter than me, if he says I don’t understand, then I definitely don’t understand.”

......scary.

This fellowship between the weak-minded.

I can’t help but gasp in amazement.

I flicked a chestnut on top of Ye Xiao’s head: “Aren’t you holding this against him and bullying him because he’s stupid?”

Ye Xiao felt wronged: “When did I?!”

I lamented: “Look how sad you made him. Are you still not going to console him?”

Ye Lan had already straightened up in his seat, tilting his head up at the sky, presumably speculating on where he went wrong just now. Even standing at a distance I could feel he was just like a disappointed dog with drooping ears and tail.

Ye Xiao reluctantly went and half knelt in front of him, and saying with great pain: “Ye Lan, I was bad, I’ll share a lot of sweet potatoes with you.....”

Ye Lan bowed his head to look at him for a while, then held his chin and went to kiss him. He licked the sweet potato crumbs from the corner of his mouth, then pried his mouth open and invaded the inside. Finally, he got up, licking his lips in satisfaction: “You are sweeter.”

Ye Xiao was stunned for a long time, when he was finally able to react he pushed him away and wiped his mouth, flying into a rage: “Boss is still watching what the hell are you doing!!”

Ye Lan was helplessly at a loss, and I modestly asked: “Is there something wrong? Ye Lan is so happy, that was very good. You two can continue.”

I finished speaking and looked at them with bright eyes.

“.....Boss, is there something wrong with you!! When you and boss Ye Tan.... I never peep at you!!” Ye Xiao jumped and shouted, looking like he wanted to cry but couldn’t, but when Ye Lan heard this he looked at him with gleaming eyes and happily said: “Boss said we can continue..... oh, how do we continue?”

I didn’t understand his reason: “What are you bringing Ye Tan up for? He’s not here.....” I suddenly felt a sense of loss, and sighed, “You don’t know how much I envy the two of you. You should take advantage when people are by your side and properly cherish them.”

Ye Lan stood up and went to pull him, but Ye Xiao withdrew in alarm: “Don’t mess around!! You.... cough, you go to the room first and wait for me, I’ll be there in a while.”

Ye Xiao quietly followed the clueless Ye Lan with his eyes as he went into the room and closed the door, then turned around and solemnly looked at me. He straightened out his clothes and respectfully knelt down, touching his forehead against the ground: “Master.”

I was very overwhelmed at receiving such favour: “.....why are you suddenly being so serious, that’s very unlike you.”

Ye Xiao unflinchingly said: “This subordinate wishes to ask that you give Ye Lan to me.”

I didn’t understand and tried guessing, does Ye Xiao want Ye Lan to be his shadow guard? Is that what he meant?

“Originally, as shadow guards, we absolutely should not have love affairs, but after following you for a time, and getting a general idea about your character, we inevitably began to have this extravagant hope....” Ye Xiao was still kneeling, motionless, with his forehead pressed against the ground, “During our time at the Nightrunner, I never thought the two of us would be able to survive, and be chosen at the same time by an open-minded master. I haven’t dared try my luck with unreasonable requests so far, but if there really is even a one in ten thousand chance that it would be possible..... I want to fight for it no matter what. We will never interfere with your matters because of this, and everything Master orders will be a priority.”

Ye Xiao lifted his head, and said word by word: “I like Ye Lan, I ask Master to allow it.”

I: “Oh.”

Ye Xiao: “.....Does this mean you allow it?”

I was at a loss: “Why do you need my permission for this kind of thing..... You just do whatever you wish, what does it have to do with me.”

Ye Xiao was stunned for a while, then suddenly threw himself at me and hugged my leg as he began to bawl: “Boss, how can you be so good wuh wuh wuh waah wuuh!!”

I looked at Ye Xiao’s snotty face with disdain and pushed it away from my leg: “I’m not that good..... Truthfully, I consider myself a pretty ordinary person.... Don’t cry, is there something wrong with you......”

Ye Xiao, who had been peeled away from me, squatted on the rattan chair, he wiped his face and said: “Hey, I don’t understand how the two of us were able to get so lucky. But boss Ye Tan’s luck is also especially good. Qiqi’s luck is also very good. Everything....”

Ye Xiao suddenly lowered his voice, and seriously said: “Everything is all because we were able to meet you.”

I was rather embarrassed by his praise: “It, it’s not that good either.”

Ye Xiao shook his head: “With the boss’ bad reputation, and his wuggong having been abolished, the most he would have been able to survive would be maybe three or five years, sooner or later he would have been disgraced to death; Ye Lan wouldn’t have been able to respond to a master’s orders, and he certainly would have made mistakes, he originally didn’t even qualify to be a shadow guard, so no matter which master’s hands he was placed into, he wouldn’t have lived past three days; Not to even mention a little girl like Qiqi who has no one to rely on..... As a shadow guard, the best thing for me would be to namelessly hide in the shadows, expecting to be punished for mistakes but not rewarded for accomplishments, waiting to throw away my life day after day.”

His tone changed, and he cheerfully said: “However, Boss, ever since I followed you, every day that passes has been more interesting than the past ten years combined.”

In hindsight, I discovered that if the variable of ‘me’ was removed, the fate of everyone in the Jianghu would have been very serious.

I actually hadn’t realised that I had found myself in such a gloomy environment all along.

Ye Xiao took a deep breath and said: “Then, then I will go back first and speak with Ye Lan.”

After that, he repeatedly urged me not to go into the room, and not to use my inner power to eavesdrop. I obediently agreed, and only then did Ye Xiao go into the room by himself.

The two of them muttered noisily about something, the last thing I was able to hear was Ye Xiao saying: “Forget it, I’ll teach you.” Then nobody else made a sound.

At the courtyard, I gradually rocked myself to sleep in the rattan chair. I was dreaming when, suddenly, I was awoken by a scream. I realised it was Ye Xiao’s voice stammering out a sharp and pitiable sound, seeming as though he was enduring some sort of torture.

I leapt up towards the door and, before pushing it open, I hastily asked: “What’s wrong?! Did something happen?”

I could hear Ye Xiao’s sobs from inside: “Boss don’t come in!! Don’t look at me!! You absolutely can’t let the others.... uh....”

I stood at the doorway and sensed inside, I could really only detect the breath of the two of them, and there weren’t any strangers, so I felt relieved: “Do you need help?”

“If, if you could go far away.... that would be a great help to me.....” Ye Xiao’s voice trembled as he finished speaking, but he couldn’t go back to stifling the pain any longer, so he began to cry hoarsely.

I was somewhat stupefied, but thought that if Ye Lan was in the room, he also wouldn’t let anyone bully him. Qiqi, A-Heng and A-Shu had also been startled by the scream, and had scuttled towards the courtyard to find out what happened. I had been assigned a heavy responsibility, and would naturally live up to his trust, so I took Qiqi, A-Heng and A-Shu, who didn’t know the truth about what was happening, for a stroll around the lake.

When we returned that night, I saw Ye Lan washing something in the courtyard for the first time. It was only after I went in that I was able to discover that the basin was filled with bloody water.

I was alarmed, and hurriedly asked if something had happened.

Ye Lan remorsefully said: “Blame me, I wasn’t careful and injured him.....”

I nodded in understanding, people who train martial arts often suffer injuries while practising. When Ye Lan made a move, his body’s reaction speed was much faster than that of his brain, so he definitely wasn’t able to stop in time and accidentally injured Ye Xiao in a fight.

I consoled him by saying: “Ye Xiao’s skin is tough and his insides are strong, so he can take a beating. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

Having heard this, Ye Lan said: “Really?”

I continued saying: “You don’t need to be too concerned about it, next time do what you want to do, there’s no need to show special mercy.”

Ye Lan nodded repeatedly: “I understand, thank you, Boss.”

I sent Doctor Lu to pay a visit to Ye Xiao, but Ye Xiao shouted at him to leave. Doctor Lu awkwardly handed some mysterious medicine to Ye Lan, and then fled with a cough.

Hey, this tsundere, during the day he was saying he didn’t know who to pick between Qiqi and Ye Lan, but now he wouldn’t see anyone except Ye Lan.

I, who could see through everything, stroked my chin and clicked my tongue at him.

Since then, I didn’t know what Ye Xiao and Ye Lan were doing, but I would always hear Ye Xiao crying out with miserable wails in the middle of the night, and afterwards he wouldn’t get out of bed for a few days in a row.

However, recently Ye Lan had been radiant with happiness, and his reaction speed had also improved a lot, so it probably wasn’t a bad thing, and I was very gratified.

As for Ye Xiao, I wasn’t worried. Yes, he was probably just being sleepy and lazy, which seemed very much like something he would do.

One day, Ye Xiao was laying out under the sun in the courtyard, paralysed as usual, holding his waist and complaining to Ye Lan: “Fuck you, I tell you to be gentle every time, it’s bullshit that you can’t remember.”

Ye Lan retorted in a low voice: “It was Boss who told me I should do what I wanted.”

Ye Xiao was frightened as he looked at me: “Boss, what kind of foul nonsense have you been teaching him?!”

I innocently said: “Since you are exchanging blows, how will you improve if you aren’t serious? You should give it your all when you practise martial arts.”

Ye Xiao wanted to say something, but hesitated.

He was sullen for a long time, then finally couldn’t swallow down his words and angrily turned his head to curse: “You can remember what Boss says! But you can’t remember what I say?! Fuck!”

Ye Lan: “I tried my best to learn it by heart.”

Ye Xiao: “Then say it, what did I say yesterday!”

Ye Lan seriously pondered for a moment: “Oh, yesterday you said..... it hurts, go back a little, it’s pressing on my hair, fuck slow down, it’s too deep for me get out, also.....”

Ye Xiao: “Fuck you shut the fuck up!!!”

“Oh, right, you also said ‘shut the fuck up’,” Ye Lan pursed his lips, and guiltily said, “I only remember these, there were too many, I wasn’t able to memorise the others. The words Boss told me were very few, so I remember them all.”

Ye Xiao pinched Ye Lan’s mouth into a circle: “Enough, don’t speak again, ancestor1 .”