NOVEL NEXT Chapter 223: This Is Your Reward
“Princess Yao Ye, it’s getting late; we should set off now.”
Mu Chen reminded the Crown Princess softly. Yao Ye glanced at the reddened horizon and then nodded, turning to bid farewell to Xiao Yan.
“Xiao Yan, I have to go. I will send your regards to Captain Xiao Li.”
“Thank you,” Xiao Yan responded with a smile, gently patting Qing Lin’s head. “Also, please tell Xiao Li and Xiao Ding both that I’ll take good care of Qing Lin.”
“No problem.”
Yao Ye agreed, then bent down with a smile to look at Qing Lin, the little girl with whom she had shared hardships in the past.
“Qing Lin, see you next time.”
“Yes, goodbye, Sister Yao Ye.”
Qing Lin politely waved goodbye. She wanted to ask Yao Ye to take her along to see Xiao Li, but she knew it would only cause trouble, so she restrained herself.
Yao Ye then mounted her horse again, waved lightly at Xiao Yan, and signaled her group to continue towards the city gates.
Xiao Yan watched Yao Ye’s gradually receding figure, feeling a pang of longing as he thought of his eldest sister, Xiao Li , far away in the Tager Desert. It hadn’t been long since their separation, yet he already missed her deeply. Who knows when he would see her again?
“Hey! Snap out of it! They’re already far away!”
“Huh?”
Nalan Yanran’s annoyed voice pulled Xiao Yan back to reality. He looked at her with some confusion, seeing her face clouded with a hint of anger.
“Who’s far away?”
“…”
Nalan Yanran froze at Xiao Yan’s question. Xiao Yixian lightly patted her shoulder.
“He was probably thinking about other things, not something related to Princess Yao Ye.”
Her words caused Nalan Yanran to feel a bit embarrassed. She was jealous for no reason. As she was about to reflect on her actions, Xiao Yixian’s whispered words reached her ears again.
“But still, be careful of Princess Yao Ye. She is quite fond of Xiao Yan. Even if she doesn’t have intentions now, who knows what might happen in the future.”
“I…”
Nalan Yanran felt a mix of emotions, a bit aggrieved. She thought, ‘I am Xiao Yan’s rightful fiancée, so why do so many people want to compete with me? Shouldn’t he be mine?’
This thought popped into her mind, but she quickly shook her head to dismiss it.
No, no! I mustn’t think like that! Xiao Yan belongs to no one, not even me, even if we are engaged. If I want to win Xiao Yan’s heart, I have to rely on my own efforts!
Nalan Yanran clenched her fists, her eyes burning with determination. After this period, I must intensify my training! I have to win the three-year agreement!
When I win the match, we will get married that night! The next year, we will have our first child! And the year after, our second!
Nalan Yanran giggled internally, imagining Xiao Xun’er’s face turning livid with envy. Let’s see you go against me then. I’ll be parading with our child in front of you every day. You might even have to help take care of them!
She pictured herself and Xiao Yan having to leave for some urgent matters, leaving Xiao Xun’er no choice but to babysit their children despite her reluctance. That face twisted with frustration while pretending to smile at the kids calling her “Auntie” would be priceless!
Just imagining this future felt incredibly satisfying!
Nalan Yanran had endured intense training on the mountain for the past half year, driven by her determination to win the three-year agreement. If this future could come true, all her suffering would be worthwhile!
Xiao Yixian noticed the somewhat malevolent glint in Nalan Yanran’s eyes and the sinister mumbling and couldn’t help but step back a bit.
Has she trained so hard her mind got twisted?
After indulging in her thoughts for a while, Nalan Yanran felt rejuvenated and called out to the group.
“Let’s go home!”
She hummed a cheerful tune, leading the way. Xiao Yan, Xiao Yixian, and Qing Lin followed her, puzzled by her sudden happiness.
They arrived at the Nalan residence and entered the reception room to find Nalan Jie and Zi Yun there, with the Little Lion King awake and happily munching on a large bowl of roasted meat.
“Oh~ you’re back,” Zi Yun said lazily, resting her face on her hand. “I was just about to send my son to find you after he finished eating.”
“Things went smoother than expected,” Xiao Yan replied with a smile. Nalan Yanran eagerly approached Nalan Jie.
“Grandpa! Xiao Yan passed the Tier 3 alchemist exam!”
“Tier 3?!”
Nalan Jie was taken aback. He knew Xiao Yan could refine medicine but hadn’t expected him to pass the Tier 3 exam directly. He was increasingly satisfied with Xiao Yan as a future grandson-in-law.
He valued Xiao Yan’s character most, but strength and alchemical skills were significant bonuses.
“Xiao Yan, it’s already late. Stay here tonight. I’ll have the servants prepare dinner and guest rooms.”
Nalan Jie said warmly, and Xiao Yan gratefully accepted.
“Thank you, Grandpa Nalan.”
They sat down to chat with Nalan Jie, while Nalan Yanran went to arrange dinner. She returned after a while, smiling.
“Grandpa, dinner is ready.”
“Good,” Nalan Jie nodded, looking at Xiao Yan. “Let’s see how our chef’s skills are.”
Nalan Yanran immediately protested.
“What chef’s skills? I cooked tonight.”
“Oh?”
Nalan Jie raised an eyebrow. He knew she could cook but rarely did so. This made him glance at Xiao Yan with a smile.
Clearly, his granddaughter was very fond of Xiao Yan.
“Haha~ let’s taste my granddaughter’s cooking then~”
He laughed heartily, leading everyone to the dining room, where they were seated. Xiao Yan was placed between Nalan Jie and Nalan Yanran, much to Xiao Yixian’s silent annoyance, though she couldn’t argue given the logic of the seating.
As for the Little Lion King? It was already full and lay sleeping on the floor of the dining room.
“Tsk! How does this thing work?”
Zi Yun awkwardly looked at the chopsticks in her hand, trying to mimic how others used them, but she just couldn’t get it right. Frustrated, she almost wanted to throw the chopsticks aside and use her hands instead.
“Zi Yun, let me teach you.”
Seeing Zi Yun struggling, Xiao Yixian patiently taught her how to use the chopsticks. This was part of helping her adapt to human society. After all, it wouldn’t do for Zi Yun to eat with her hands wherever she went. Considering her stunning appearance after transformation, eating with her hands would be too inelegant.
“Xiao Yan, does it taste good?”
During the meal, Nalan Yanran smiled and asked for Xiao Yan’s opinion. Xiao Yan swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded affirmatively.
“Yes, it’s very good.”
His praise was simple but sincere. Among all the food Xiao Yan had ever eaten, it was just slightly inferior to what Xiao Li cooked, and only by a little bit.
Nalan Jie noticed Nalan Yanran’s empty bowl and the chopsticks she had set aside, and raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Yanran, aren’t you eating anymore?”
“Hmm?”
Nalan Yanran didn’t react immediately, so Nalan Jie continued.
“Don’t you usually eat seven or eight bowls—”
“Grandpa, why don’t you try Yanran’s chicken drumstick?”
Before he could finish, Nalan Yanran quickly stood up, picked up a chicken drumstick with her chopsticks, and stuffed it into Nalan Jie’s mouth. She smiled warmly, her face showing a hint of dark energy.
Realizing what was happening, Nalan Jie silently chewed on the drumstick without saying another word, internally grumbling. What’s wrong with having a good appetite? I just don’t get young people nowadays.
After dinner, Nalan Yanran took Xiao Yan and the others to their respective guest rooms. Xiao Yan had his own room, Zi Yun shared a room with the Little Lion King, and Xiao Yixian had a separate room due to her unique constitution. As for Qing Lin, Xiao Yan didn’t want her to sleep alone and get lonely, so he asked Nalan Yanran to take care of her, which she gladly accepted, taking Qing Lin to her own room.
“Good night, Xiao Yan~”
After bidding good night to everyone, Xiao Yan lay on his bed, staring at the clean but unfamiliar ceiling. Only at this moment did the tension that had been building inside him finally start to ease, and he couldn’t help but reflect.
It has been half a year since I left home…
Father, Xun’er, Mei’er, Sister Xiao Yu, Cousin Xiao Ning, and the elders and peers of the Clan. How are they doing now?
As he relaxed, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, and he drifted off into a deep sleep within seconds.
Inside the ring, Yao Chen watched this scene with a helpless smile. She gently moved Xiao Yan’s head onto the pillow and covered him with a blanket.
Xiao Yan had truly been through a lot lately. Looking at Xiao Yan’s peaceful sleeping face, Yao Chen smiled and returned to the ring.
Rest well, Xiao Yan~
…
“Hey… wake up…”
“Kid… wake up…”
“Xiao Yan…”
Xiao Yan didn’t know how long he had slept, but he vaguely heard someone calling him, even feeling a hand pinching his face. He was too tired, though, and sleepily swatted away the hand, showing no signs of waking up. This displeased the person sitting on top of him.
Red hair, golden snake eyes, and a flawless body—it was none other than Queen Medusa.
“This kid really sleeps like the dead.”
Annoyed that Xiao Yan wouldn’t wake up, Medusa felt her mouth twitch in irritation. If it were anyone else, she would have slapped them awake long ago. But she couldn’t do that to Xiao Yan. On the day of her evolution, despite the excruciating pain, she clearly remembered everything that happened around her.
The image of Xiao Yan risking his life, charging into the Heavenly Flame to save her, was etched into her memory. The Tribe Leaders of the Snake-People Tribe were expected to sacrifice their lives for her, as their survival depended on her. But Xiao Yan had no obligation; he had no reason to risk his life for her, even for his sister Xiao Li.
Medusa knew that if Xiao Li had to choose between Xiao Yan and the Snake-People Tribe, she would undoubtedly choose Xiao Yan, even if it meant abandoning all her previous efforts. Xiao Yan knew this too, so his actions were purely for Medusa’s sake.
This realization stirred something in her heart.
Medusa had always known about the deceit, ugliness, desires, and greed of humans.
Though she wasn’t as extreme as Mo Ba Si, she still harbored a significant amount of hostility towards humans while protecting the Snake-People Tribe in the Tager Desert.
She had never imagined that her views on humans could change, but within just six months, two people had shattered her preconceived notions: Xiao Li and Xiao Yan.
Medusa had expected someone like Xiao Li to exist, but Xiao Yan was beyond her expectations. Most people would consider someone like Xiao Yan a fool.
After all, only a fool would do what Xiao Yan did.
“My brother isn’t very bright, which has always worried me. But it’s precisely because of this that more people are moved by his actions, something I can never achieve,” Xiao Li had once said this to Medusa. At that time, Medusa couldn’t understand, but now she did.
She knew that the Tribe Leaders of the Snake-People Tribe had entrusted the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python to Xiao Yan because they trusted him.
For a human to earn the trust of the seven Tribe Leaders of the Snake-People Tribe, even to the extent of entrusting their Queen to him, was previously unthinkable. Yet, Xiao Yan, this foolish human, had accomplished this. Only he could have done it.
Medusa leaned down, pressing her ample chest against Xiao Yan’s and playfully touching his sleeping face with her delicate fingers.
She couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.
“To think that this drooling, sleeping fool is the same person who charged into the Heavenly Flame that day.”
As she whispered, a rare fluttering sensation stirred in her heart—something she hadn’t felt in centuries, not since becoming the queen of the Snake-People Tribe. But this time, the fluttering was for Xiao Yan. A rare desire arose within her, a desire Medusa never repressed when it was within reach.
She gently lifted Xiao Yan’s chin and moved closer to his lips.
Just as she was about to kiss him, Xiao Yan woke up.
Feeling the weight on his body, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes and saw Medusa’s stunning face.
Xiao Yan’s mind went blank.
Huh? Who is this?
Still groggy from sleep and not recognizing the slightly younger-looking Medusa, Xiao Yan’s mind was left confused.
Medusa, seeing that Xiao Yan was awake, hesitated only for a moment before pressing her lips to his, kissing him deeply. Her golden snake eyes stared into Xiao Yan’s wide eyes, conveying a silent message.
This is your reward for your bravery. Accept it with gratitude.