This power that had injured the little bird was insidious and concealed. Even Shen Ming’s divine power couldn’t completely eliminate it—or perhaps even Shen Ming had been deceived. Yet the YCG had no records of such power whatsoever. This was a very dangerous unstable factor.
Based on Ye Yang’s description, Yu Bei believed that what Ye Yang had seen was most likely a red fox—a fox demon.
And it must have been a powerful fox demon, at least at the level of a demon realm city lord.
The YCG had detailed records of flora and fauna. Yu Bei could say with certainty that there were no wild foxes in Dongzhou City, nor any fox farms. Even pet foxes numbered only a handful, and all of them were snow-white.
Fox demons, on the other hand, were numerous. But only the Tushan clan had red foxes, and he hadn’t heard of anyone from the Tushan clan possessing such abilities. Moreover, Dongzhou was primarily the Bai clan’s territory…
“Dongzhou might be heading toward troubled times too.”
·
There was no telling exactly when the little crow’s injury would heal, but it certainly wouldn’t be anytime soon. Ye Yang had no choice but to bring the little crow home on his head and tacitly allow it to stay.
“I can’t just keep calling you ‘little crow.’ How about I give you a name?”
The little crow hopped down from Ye Yang’s head and landed on the table across from him, tilting its head.
Ye Yang smiled. “Are you excited too?”
He rubbed the little crow’s head and thought for a long while. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh. “I’ve got it! How about ‘Little Crow’?”
The little crow: “…”
Ye Yang didn’t want to admit that he had seen disdain in a little crow’s eyes. He turned away in an obvious attempt to cover it up, pretending to be very busy as he opened his laptop, muttering under his breath, “Little Crow it is! Hmph, it’s a great name. Anyone can tell you’re a little crow…”
Little Crow made itself right at home. From the very first day at Ye Yang’s place, it acted as if it owned the place.
Not only did it immediately figure out where Ye Yang kept all his snacks, but it also banged on the doors and windows insistently at mealtimes until Ye Yang served its food.
Little Crow loved taking baths. It was unclear whether it liked the round, transparent little dish or the hydroponic mint growing inside it, but regardless, the moment Ye Yang wasn’t paying attention, it took it upon itself to turn the dish into a bathtub.
The moment Ye Yang’s attention wandered, he’d find Little Crow soaking in it again, lying on its back motionless with only its head sticking out, several mint leaves draped over its body like a blanket, looking perfectly serene.
Ye Yang: “…”
After this happened several times, all the mint leaves had been plucked off. Ye Yang had to buy a few more pots of mint and also get Little Crow a separate bird-sized bathtub.
What was done was done. After buying the bathtub, Ye Yang went on to buy professional bird dry food, snacks, toys, and many other things.
But there was one thing Ye Yang absolutely refused to buy: a birdcage.
Buying a cage would be admitting he was keeping a pet bird!
…
Li Chanyi came to visit Ye Yang before the Lunar New Year. From the moment he entered the residential complex, he couldn’t stop exclaiming in amazement. He said “wow” at everything he saw.
“Your complex has great landscaping, good security, such wide spacing between buildings, and a fantastic location. The rent isn’t cheap, right?”
“Oh wait, this apartment was assigned to you. Ugh, I’m a little jealous!”
“Wow, you have two elevators for two units.”
“Wow, a smart lock!”
Then he walked inside, saw Little Crow, and was genuinely shocked:
“Whoa, you keep a bird? And you never mentioned it? That’s a crow, isn’t it?”
“No, I don’t keep it. Little Crow just lives nearby and accidentally flew in.” Ye Yang denied it loudly.
Li Chanyi narrowed his eyes. He pointed to the windowsill behind the sofa and asked, “Then what’s that?”
Through the window, an obviously man-made birdhouse could be seen on the outside windowsill. A small opening had been cut into the window, fitted with a little lock that a clever bird could figure out. Clearly, it was prepared for Little Crow.
Ye Yang had a logical response: “The birdhouse is outside, not inside my home. That’s none of my business.” Little Crow didn’t live in the apartment. No matter who came, this protected animal had nothing to do with Ye Yang.
Li Chanyi watched as Little Crow, intimately familiar with the layout, pecked open a cabinet door, pulled out some sunflower seeds, and started crunching away. He was speechless. “…Isn’t that exactly keeping a pet? Little Crow is its name?” You’d even named it, so why keep up the denial?
“I absolutely am not keeping it! I would never break the law!” Ye Yang raised his hand and opened the window. Little Crow immediately got the message, flapped its wings, and flew straight out—without even glancing at its birdhouse—disappearing from sight.
Li Chanyi: “…” He was even more speechless. Even if he was keeping it, what was the big deal? It wasn’t like he was going to report Ye Yang. Was that really necessary? And that little bird—it just left like that… Was it even coming back for dinner?
Unable to understand Ye Yang’s thought process, he finally just said, “You’ve got a pretty strong sense of legal awareness.”
·
Li Chanyi hadn’t come empty-handed. He brought Ye Yang some homemade cured meat, cured chicken, pickled vegetables, and a bowl of braised pork.
The braised pork was still warm when he took it out.
As soon as the lid was lifted, the rich aroma of meat filled the entire house. Ye Yang’s eyes lit up. “You made this? What made you think to bring it for me?”
“No way, my dad made it. When he heard you were an orphan and that you love to eat, he insisted I bring it…” Li Chanyi scratched his head. “Ah, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to spill your private business. It just slipped out…”
“It’s fine, it’s not really private. It’s just the truth. Besides, everyone at the orphanage and in the community has been really good to me.” Ye Yang spoke sincerely. He was just telling the truth—as a demon born of heaven and earth, why would he care about such things? But Li Chanyi, upon hearing this, only felt more sympathetic.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly sat up straight. “Why don’t you come to my place for the New Year?”
Ye Yang was taken aback. “Huh?”
The more Li Chanyi thought about it, the better the idea seemed. “You’re alone anyway. Coming to my place—it’d be so lively and fun. My dad’s cooking is amazing!” His father had already mentioned inviting the new friend over for the New Year, but Li Chanyi’s mother had said that would be too presumptuous.
Li Chanyi had already started daydreaming. “You can sleep in my room. We can stay up all night playing games. We can even set off fireworks. Have you ever set off fireworks before?”
Ye Yang honestly shook his head. Li Chanyi, who knew what else he imagined, looked at Ye Yang with such tenderness it nearly materialized. “Then you absolutely have to come. I’m going to show you a really good time for a few days.”
Ye Yang thought it over. Aside from Shen Ming, he had no other attachments. New Year’s Eve was approaching, and Shen Ming wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon. It seemed like he could go…
…
Two days later, Ye Yang carried a backpack with two changes of clothes and some toiletries, along with a few boxes of New Year’s goods, and followed Li Chanyi by subway and then shared bike to his home.
Li Chanyi’s home was a villa on the outskirts of the city, nestled among woods and fields, far from the main road with few passersby. It had something of a hidden paradise feel to it.
Though secluded, the villa was anything but quiet. For the New Year, the villa had been decked out in festive decorations, all brilliant gold and red, visible from afar.
Inside the villa gates lay another field. Some unmelted snow still lingered at the base of the walls. The field was planted with all kinds of medicinal herbs, some rare ones protected individually. Despite the heavy snow and severe cold that year, they were still growing well—a testament to the grower’s skill.
Suddenly, the house door opened. A handsome man who looked not much older than Li Chanyi stepped out, still wearing an apron and sleeve covers.
When he saw Ye Yang, a big smile immediately broke out on his face. He threw an arm around Ye Yang’s shoulder. “Ah, so this is Ye Ye! You shouldn’t have brought things, really. Oh my, let me look at you—such a handsome, adorable kid, and you look healthy too. So much better than our Chanyi.”
Ye Yang now knew where Li Chanyi got his outgoing, talkative personality from.
“Dad! Why do you have to put me down like that?” Li Chanyi protested. “Mom! Don’t you love me anymore?”
No sooner had he spoken than a woman of indeterminate age—stunningly beautiful and sharp-featured—walked out. She gave Ye Yang a nod and an elegant smile. “Hello. Thank you for looking after our Chanyi at school.”
Ye Yang was a little flustered. “Not at all, not at all. Li Chanyi is the one who looks after me.”
“Haha~ Don’t be nervous, Ye Ye. You’re family.” Li Chanyi said. “This is my dad, this is my mom. Just call them what I call them.”
Ye Yang opened his mouth, but before he could make a sound, a big slap landed on Li Chanyi’s rear. His father laughed and said, “What are you saying? You’re embarrassing Ye Ye. Ye Ye, don’t mind him. Just call us Uncle and Auntie. We both have the last name Li.”
“Uncle, Auntie, thank you for inviting me.”
Once inside, the dishes were already laid out. An elderly couple sat at the table—Li Chanyi’s grandparents.
Ye Yang greeted them. “Grandpa, Grandma, hello.”
The two elders were very warm and kind. They pulled Ye Yang over, asked about his life and studies, and then handed him a big red envelope.
Ye Yang tried to decline, but he couldn’t fend off five people all by himself, so he reluctantly accepted.
Li Chanyi’s father was incredibly talkative—Li Chanyi himself couldn’t get a word in edgewise. In the span of one meal, Ye Yang learned many embarrassing stories about Li Chanyi, as well as things about his family.
For example, when Li Chanyi was still in his mother’s womb, an accident left him congenitally deficient. He was born premature with a heart condition and nearly died as an infant. The entire family worked together to save him, and since he was the youngest, he became the most beloved child in the family.
For example, Li Chanyi’s father was also an orphan, but he had been adopted by the Li family when he was very young. He joked that he was a “child bridegroom.”
Because of this, Li Chanyi’s grandparents on his father’s side were also his maternal grandparents.
For another example, Li Chanyi’s family was a long-established lineage of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. His mother was a renowned young TCM doctor, and her family’s unique medical knowledge was widely famous. Li Chanyi had been learning medical knowledge from his mother since childhood and was already fully capable of practicing medicine on his own before he even reached adulthood.
Ye Yang nodded thoughtfully. No wonder. No wonder Li Chanyi could detect Shen Ming’s physical abnormalities with just a look—one of the four TCM diagnostic methods. It seemed to be a unique technique of the Li family.
He couldn’t help but feel regret. “You really should have studied medicine.”
Li Chanyi didn’t mind at all. “I don’t want to. No one but my mom can teach me anyway.”
Ye Yang was curious. “You don’t want to be a doctor at all? You’re so talented.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. Actually, I quite like healing people. But I also really love the ocean.”
Ye Yang felt even more regretful. “But if you don’t major in medicine as an undergraduate, you can’t become a doctor later, right?”
Ye Yang’s father used the serving chopsticks to put two more pieces of meat on Ye Yang’s plate. “Ah, what does that matter? The world won’t miss one more doctor or one less. The kid wants to study marine biology—it’s not like he wants to break the law. As parents, of course we support him.”
Li Chanyi’s grandfather also smiled and said, “If he really wants to become a doctor, there are always ways.”
Ye Yang silently marveled. He really is deeply cherished.
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