50. Memories Of Caoyang 2
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After the garden encounter, Weiyan privately felt Bailong was being too nice...
It didn't make sense that the same Black Dragon she had seen wreak such havoc, was trying to keep her alive, and even help her working conditions.
But then, she recalled something Immortal Pei said:
"He is extremely tricky and lies effortlessly!"
Weiyan shook her head.
'Yin Xiaolong certainly has an ulterior motive.' She concluded, though she wasn't sure what it could be.
Either way, her life had become much easier.
She woke at dawn, washed herself, and then ate a small bowl of rice gruel in the kitchens.
After that, she made her way to the herb garden, which was by far larger than she initially thought, so she spent all morning watering less than a fraction of the garden!
A central gong sounded at noon and evening, signifying the times for lunch and dinner.
But the servants eyed Weiyan coldly during meals, and bits of their auras seeped out, making her unable to eat more than a few bites.
"Just eat here." Bailong said one afternoon, after the gong sounded.
He waved a hand over his work table, and a platter of prime roast pheasant appeared, with a bowl of rice and a few side dishes.
"I summoned them from the dinning hall, so it's the same thing everyone else is having."
"I'm not hungry." Weiyan denied, just before her stomach let out a timely and embarrasing growl.
Bailong smirked and she hastily swivelled to hide her face.
"It'll go bad if you don't eat it." He warned simply, and then vanished, leaving her alone.
Weiyan's pride lost the battle and she rushed to the meal and ate without thinking twice!
It was only after she finished a sizeable portion that she realized,
'He helped me again!'
But after that, Weiyan ate her meals in the garden.
Every day, she came to water the herbs and watched Bailong work from afar.
Two different souls spent the days in the magnificent herb garden... none bothering the other.
But soon Weiyan's glares turned to curious stares, as she watched Bailong flit here and there, personally tending the garden, or grinding seeds, or pounding herbs, or mixing some potion or the other.
It was especially a wonder watching him refine pills, as he manned all three furnaces at once, creating different colours of flames and formations for each one!
Still, no matter how invested he was with work, he halted once the meal gong sounded. He would summon the meal and then vanish, leaving Weiyan to eat alone.
But one day, Weiyan called out, "Wait!", just before he disappeared.
A mildly surprised Bailong turned to look at weiyan, who approached without saying anything.
She suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist. "If I spoke from a distance, you may still choose to vanish, so I'll hold onto you first.
"I'm merely a servant here, so you shouldn't need to leave because of me. Your presence won't stop me from eating." She said, not meeting his eyes.
Bailong looked at her hand. "Hmph. Who says I can't disappear, if you hold me like this?" He vanished and appeared a short distance away, leaving Weiyan clutching empty air.
"Er..." She turned a bit red.
"Ahahahahaha!" Bailong laughed at her expression. "Sit and eat! I'll work from over here!"
The sound of his laughter made Weiyan freeze and she stared at him in wonder.
His laughter sounded pure, like a running spring, but deeper, and it wove itself around her...
She caught herself staring at his dimples which had impossibly deepened, and she sucked in a breath, reminding herself to move and go and eat.
She picked her chopsticks. Then dropped them again.
"Don't you need to eat as well?" She asked. "We can also eat together."
Bailong raised an eyebrow. "Are you worried that I'm skipping my meals?"
"I've never seen you eat anything."
"What if I eat when you're not looking?"
"You've been here almost every day, and you only vanish at mealtimes."
"What if I eat elsewhere at mealtimes?" Bailong grinned at her. "Or what if I eat mortals whole?! Won't you be on the menu then?!"
Weiyan's eyes doubled in size, and a sliver of fear passed through her, as she remembered his dragon form at the Lava Sea.
"Ahahahahaha!" Bailong laughed at her expression again, and she flushed brilliantly.
"Eat if you like!" She picked her chopsticks and stabbed into her dish of stewed lamb cutlets.
Surprisingly, Bailong joined her, making another set of dishes appear.
Surprisingly, Weiyan felt somewhat pleased.
And even more alarming was the realization that she didn't really fear him at all.
Instead, her mind was dwelling on the fact that Bailong in his transformed state, was by far larger than the black dragon in the vision Immortal Pei had shown her.
'Did he grow so big in eighteen years?'
"Were you used to eating with your family back home?" Bailong's question snapped her back to the present.
"No." She replied without thinking, then flushed slightly.
Lord Xu always wanted her to eat with the family, but each time she did so, her mother, Haoyan, and Linhua would acted displeased with her presence.
So Weiyan began making excuses to eat alone, and after Tong arrived, she had the perfect excuse.
Her father insisted Weiyan ate with the family some times, but Weiyan had grown accustomed to eating in her room with Tong.
"I eat my meals with a friend."
"Hmmm, I see. Complicated family matters..." Bailong simply said, not pushing her for more details. "I'm used to eating alone, but I don't mind eating with you as well." He finished.
They grew a bit closer after that, and Weiyan even began asking questions about the herbs in the garden.
"Ah! This one can make an Immortal sleep for months on end!
"This one will fortify immortal bones.
"This, this, this, and that over there can aid in cultivation!
"Those three when properly mixed, can cure almost anything!
"We use a few of these to increase fertility in our livestock!
"That... is just an ordinary spice!"
It went on and on!
When Bailong was showing off his herbs, he resembled any normal youth with a passion, and more than a few times, Weiyan found herself simply staring at him.
The sheer joy and wonder on his face made this almighty immortal resemble an excited child, and she couldn't help wondering how it was possible that someone like him had wreaked so much havoc, pain and misery.
It simply wasn't possible!
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Time passed, though Weiyan wasn't sure how long.
Sky Realm's weather was always perfect and beautiful, with clear blue skies during the day, and starry skies at night.
The days were long and pleasant, and Weiyan spent them in the garden with Bailong, who eventually took her off her plant-watering duties.
"Just be my assistant and hand me the things I need." He snapped a finger and it began to drizzle. "I never needed any help watering!"
Weiyan nearly shed tears for the girl who had struggled to water so many plants...!
Sometimes, the work was hectic, as Bailong experimented making a particularly difficult potion, and neither he nor the potion yielded till he succeeded.
Or sometimes he spent hours on end improving on a pill's refinement, which led to him making the same pill over and over again, which in turn led to Weiyan dashing back and forth to gather herbs and spices.
But then sometimes, the days were mild... These were the days when Bailong made something easy, sending it to whichever of the servants needed it.
Sometimes the days were still, and the two merely sat in silence, looking at passing clouds, a pot of tea between them.
But Lady Xia did not like how close Weiyan was getting...
She was the Snake Princess, and had served Bailong for thirty thousand years, yet he had drawn a hidden line she had never been able to cross!
So she sought Weiyan out one day...
"I'll advise you..." Lady Xia began, sashaying seductively around Weiyan, her voice, more a hiss than regular.
"Know your place. 'Summer insects know nothing of the winter', and mortals know nothing of the intricacies behind immortals.
"So don't take yourself too seriously! Brother Bailong has lived for thousands of years. He has seen everything mortals and immortals have to offer, whereas ...."
She trailed a finger from Weiyan's shoulder, to her back, to her other shoulder, and then to her chin, ending up in front of Weiyan. The look in her eyes was pure distaste.
"You're an ignorant mortal girl who came to kill him for something as insignificant as wealth and fame! Hmph!"
Lady Xia swivelled and walked away after that, but her words jarred Weiyan out of her peaceful state, reminding her why she had come here in the first place.
'K- kill Yin Bailong...?' She fell to her knees. She didn't even know from what point she had thought of him as 'Yin Bailong', not 'Yin Xiaolong', or 'the Black Dragon'.
It wasn't just that... After the time spent here, it was harder and harder for her to believe he was the fierce and evil black dragon.
Yin Bailong knew the names of all the servants by name, and their loyalty to him wasn't borne of fear, but genuine love, respect, and admiration.
And it wasn't just the servants in the Palace...
There were small settlements outside the palace, with parents, children, and grandparents, all immortals settled on Caoyang, with Yin Bailong as their ruler.
If anything happened to even the least of them, Yin Bailong personally refined the pills or potions necessary, and sent it to them for free.
All these left Weiyan questioning what was white and what was black...
The evil black dragon was better behaved and warmer than some of the so-called 'good' mortals she had grown with.
Was it all his tricks? An elaborate play to deceive her?
But why? He could kill her with a wave of his hand.
Immortal Pei had shown her a black dragon on a rampage, but was that really Yin Bailong?
How was she to kill him if she wasn't sure...?
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