Online Game: Evil Dragon Against The Heaven - 283

『Come on… little Guo Guo, eat up quickly, okay? You have to eat all of it. That way, you can grow up fast.』

『She’s so tiny… will she really be able to talk when she grows up?』

『Of course she will. Aww… look, she only ate a little bit.』

『Even though this immortal herb makes her grow the fastest, it tastes just like ordinary grass. It’d be strange if she liked eating it.』

『Then… what should we feed her? Oh, I heard there’s something called ‘lollipop’ in the human world. Kids love it. If we could find that, maybe she’d love it and eat a lot more?』

『… Look at you, always spoiling her. Don’t tell me you’ve really started treating her like your daughter?』

『She is our daughter. We’re raising her together, nurturing her together—of course she’s our daughter.』

『……』

『Haaah…』

Ye Tian Xie let out a long yawn before opening his eyes. After staring at the ceiling for a while, his awareness gradually returned. Then, the first thing he saw was Su Fei Fei sitting beside his bed.

“Tian Xie, still tired? Want to sleep a little more?” Su Fei Fei asked with concern.

Ye Tian Xie lifted his arm slightly, but it dropped back down weakly. With a wry smile, he said, “Still a little tired. I’ll lie down for a bit more. Where are Chenxin and Xue’er?”

“Xue’er’s condition is even better than yesterday. She’s come to check on you several times these past two days. I’ve already set up a new room for them, right next to mine. The two sisters are staying there now. Xue’er just had lunch and fell asleep again. Chenxin is keeping her company” Su Fei Fei explained.

“Oh… huh? These past two days?” Ye Tian Xie jolted upright. “Fei Fei, how long have I been asleep?”

“Two days… Tian Xie, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?” Su Fei Fei asked worriedly. She still didn’t know how Ye Tian Xie got the wounds on his arm. Only after realizing he was simply exhausted and not seriously injured did she finally breathe a little easier.

“Two days…I actually slept that long?” Ye Tian Xie patted his own head. Something didn’t feel right… With the blood loss he experienced that day, even a normal person shouldn’t be so weak as to need two full days of sleep. So why, with his body, did he end up like this?

“Yeah… you really scared me this time.” Su Fei Fei pressed a hand to her chest, then leaned forward seriously. “Tian Xie, there’s something I want to ask you… Can Chenxin and Chenxue stay at our place for now? I know everything about them… they’re really pitiful. I used to think I was the most unfortunate person, but compared to what they’ve gone through, I now realize… Let them stay here for now. When they find a better place or a place they belong, then… is that okay?”

Letting Chenxin and Chenxue stay was something Ye Tian Xie had already decided. The two sisters desperately needed a stable and safe place. Whether out of gratitude or pity, he had long resolved to keep them with him. His only concern had been whether Su Fei Fei would agree. After all, what girl would want other beautiful girls living in her house? But clearly, he had worried too much. Su Fei Fei’s compassion outweighed her jealousy, and her bond with Chenxin had grown since they met. She herself had taken the initiative to suggest they stay.

“Yeah, of course they can” Ye Tian Xie replied immediately, without hesitation.

“Hmph!” Su Fei Fei gave a little snort, jealousy peeking through her tone. “Chenxin is so pretty, and Xue’er is so cute. You big pervert, I bet you’ve had impure thoughts about them already… But! You belong to me now! If you dare try anything with them, I’ll… I’ll…” She puffed up her cheeks, struggling for a threat, before finally managing a hilariously weak one: “I won’t cook for you anymore!”

『Not cooking for me』—yeah, that threat really was terrifying… It even scared Guo Guo into jumping out and shouting, “Ah! No, no! I want to eat the food Fei Fei-sister makes! I want to eat the food Fei Fei-sister makes!”

Ye Tian Xie pressed Guo Guo back under the blanket with one hand and said weakly, “Got it, my great Miss Su… I’m really not hungry right now. You don’t need to make me anything… Let me sleep a bit more. Wake me up when it’s time for lunch.”

“Alright then,” Su Fei Fei agreed, then opened the door and walked out.

Closing his eyes, Ye Tian Xie tapped his finger on the gaming device and entered the world of Destiny.

As soon as Ye Tian Xie logged in, his communicator blared with Zuo Po Jun’s loud voice: “Second Brother! You’re finally online! Where are you right now?”

“At home. What about you guys?” Ye Tian Xie asked.

“We’re leveling up with Fourth Bro in the north part of Tianri City. Not only is no one stealing mobs here… well, it’s a great place to train your willpower. Second Bro, wanna come? Or should we come find you?” Zuo Po Jun said while wiping sweat off his forehead. The temperature here was definitely a good test of one’s endurance… a little too good.

“No need. Alright then, I’m heading out for a bit.”

After hanging up the communicator, Ye Tian Xie stepped out of the house and headed straight for the commercial district of Tianchen City. While in-game, the body remains in a light sleep state—enough to fully recover strength without affecting physical or mental energy.

Come to think of it, this was Ye Tian Xie’s first time visiting the appraisal shop in Tianchen City. And sure enough—another old man. (Why is it always an old man?)

“Hello, Appraisal Master,” Ye Tian Xie stepped forward and greeted him politely.

“App—app—appraise your damn sister! Master, my ass! I ain’t surnamed 『Appraisal』 or named 『Master』! And hell no, I’m not some『Master』! Get it!?” The moment Ye Tian Xie opened his mouth, the old man exploded, beard flying as he bellowed. Ye Tian Xie stood there stunned for five full seconds, then asked with a helpless expression, “Then, Master… what should I call you?”

“I don’t change my name while walking or sitting—Yuan Ya is my great name… And what the hell do you mean 『Master』!? Do I look that old to you!?” The old man, Yuan Ya, fired off another round of curses.

Ye Tian Xie was now fully convinced—this old man had mental issues. And not minor ones, either.

Yuan Ya… could he be related to Yuan Que from Novice Village 60001?

“Nah, you look like you’re only a few years older than me… How could you be old… Master Yuan Ya…”

“Who told you to call me『Master』, you punk!!”

“Then what should I call you?” Ye Tian Xie asked, totally speechless.

Yuan Ya rolled his eyes and said smugly, “Haven’t you heard what’s trendy nowadays? Call me Brother Ya.”

“…Brother Ya.”

This old guy not only had a similar name, but even his crazy behavior followed the same pattern as that Yuan Que from Novice Village 60001. If anyone said they weren’t related, Ye Tian Xie wouldn’t believe it even if he was beaten.

Looking again at the old man calling himself Yuan Ya, that wrinkled face really did look more and more like Yuan Que’s.

Could they be brothers?

“Mhm, you’ve got some sense after all. Now tell me, what do you need from Brother Ya?” Yuan Ya nodded with satisfaction, his face still as stiff as a stone… Even that expression was identical to Yuan Que’s.

Ye Tian Xie didn’t bother wasting more words. He took out the Seven-Star Gourd and placed it before Yuan Ya. “Apprai—uh, Brother Ya, can you help me appraise this gourd?”

“Tch! What do you mean can I appraise it? Across the Lost Continent, above the heavens and below the earth, from ancient times to now—there’s nothing Brother Ya can’t appraise. Hand it over.” After bragging a bit, Yuan Ya grabbed the Seven-Star Gourd and started to casually inspect it. But just after turning it a couple of times, his body jolted, and he shot up from his chair like a spring.

Most shops in Tianchen City were always packed, their doors nearly trampled down. But his appraisal shop? Always empty. Yuan Ya was so bored he spent his days playing with his fingers. The reason was simple: most players at this stage couldn’t get their hands on high-level equipment or items worth appraising. And even if they could, half the time they’d go to player appraisers—it was cheaper and easier. So when Ye Tian Xie handed something over, Yuan Ya didn’t think much of it at all.

But after handling it for just a few seconds, the shock nearly made him break into a cold sweat.

“The Seven-Star Gourd… kid, where did you get this!?” Yuan Ya was so worked up that even his snow-white beard stood on end. After so many years of silence, he finally encountered something exciting enough to get him fired up.

“I picked it up by chance. Brother Ya, is there something special about it?” Ye Tian Xie asked. So it really was the Seven-Star Gourd mentioned by the Tianri City Lord.

“Mhm..Brother knew it had to be a fluke. With your level of skill, tsk tsk, getting this thing would be pure nonsense.” He toyed with the gourd for a while, and once he confirmed it really was the Seven-Star Gourd, he started explaining. “This thing is no joke. Legend says this Seven-Star Gourd grew on a mysterious 『Wishing Tree』… Don’t ask me why a tree would grow gourds. How would Brother know? That Wishing Tree isn’t normal to begin with. No one would be surprised if it grew some weird shit… Also, the story goes that after this gourd ripened and fell to the ground, it was picked up by a sheep named『Red Taiyang』… Don’t ask Bro what kind of sheep that is either. That Wishing Tree never produced anything normal.”

Ye Tian Xie patiently listened… this old guy couldn’t say one sentence without rambling through eight.

“…And it’s also said that only one of these gourds will ever grow from the Wishing Tree. Who knows where that story came from. Since it has seven stars on it, people started calling it the Seven-Star Gourd. There are tons of legends about it… One says that whoever obtains it will be blessed with great fortune. Another says it contains infinite space and can store unlimited things… But the only thing that’s confirmed: the inside of this gourd is a magical ‘Time-Freezing Space.’ No matter what you put inside, it won’t change at all while inside that space… Even if you threw a living three-year-old in there, a million years later, he’d still be a living three-year-old.”

Ye Tian Xie: “…”