Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“What’s wrong? The urge to pee disappeared? Or do you want a change of clothes first?” Xu Lan ignorantly asked. The terrifying evil presence escaped his attention.
“Start…start with the clothes.” Beads of sweat then formed on his forehead, only this time it was not because of a bad dream, but an ire-filled dragon-boy who stood outside the door!
“Okay.” Xu Lan became increasingly certain that Li Xiu was lying. The urge to pee surely would not have disappeared just like that! Xu Lan took him by the arm and started walking toward the toilet.
Bang! A dent was pounded into the ward door following a loud slam. With another clanging sound, the door was sacrificed in order to make way.
Xu Lan quickly brought Li Xiu back to the bed and went to see what was going on. His brain immediately started thinking, ‘What if it’s the bunch of crazy killers from the criminal gang? Would I stand a chance against them?’
The winter sunlight shone warmly on the entrance, which shimmered with a silver radiance. A boy of age twelve or thirteen walked in, though he could neither be considered a boy or a human. His face was the only part of him that retained some human characteristics.
His body was covered in silver-white scales and he looked just like an armor-clad soldier: mighty and formidable. Behind him was a long tail that moved wilfully in an attention-seeking manner.
“Papa!” came a voice filled with sadness and anger.
It was Bai Wu. Fortunately, Xu Lan had seen the boy in such a state before, for if he had not, he would not have been able to recognize the boy.
“You…you. Come in quick!” He quickly pulled the boy into the ward and lifted up the door to cover the entrance. He was unsure if anyone saw what happened, but one thing was certain – people would be coming to the ward very soon with all that ruckus.
Bai Wu just stood in the middle of the ward and looked at Xu Lan deal with the door. Li Xiu was calmly looking at the boy, with an eerie smile creeping over his face again.
“You…you…you…” Xu Lan struggled to continue his sentence beyond saying the word ‘you’. All he could do was exchange glances with the dragon-boy.
Immediately after glancing at Xu Lan, Bai Wu composed himself and promptly walked over to Li Xiu.
“Well, it seems that my words were not too effective.” Bai Wu lifted Li Xiu’s chin and made a gurgling sound. The man who was struggling with pain became sickly green.
“Bai Wu! What the hell are you doing?” Seeing Bai Wu’s split-second movement, Xu Lan instantly rushed over to stop him.
With a fist that had yet to be covered in scales, Bai Wu punched Li Xiu in the stomach, causing the man to spit out a mouthful of fresh blood. The pain was unbearable and Li Xiu’s smug look disappeared. His bloodshot eyes stared back at Bai Wu.
If Bai Wu did not hold on to Li Xiu’s chin, the man would have crumbled to the ground like a pile of dried shrimp.
“BAI WU! Let go of him!” Xu Lan shouted when he saw Bai Wu becoming even more violent.
It was a side of Bai Wu that Xu Lan had never seen before: the boy had reddened eyes, pulsating veins, and temples that throbbed continuously.
Having beaten Li Xiu to an expressionless pulp, Bai Wu let go.
Xu Lan rushed to Li Xiu’s side and asked, “Are you alright? The doctor will be here soon.”
He pressed on the call bell while carrying Li Xiu up to the bed. Turning back to Bai Wu, he ordered, “Go and find somewhere to hide. I’ll search for a doctor.”
“You won’t find one.” Bai Wu said calmly. He was thoroughly pleased upon seeing Li Xiu suffer. That feeling, however, changed to sorrow as soon as he saw Xu Lan’s expression.
“Why not?! I’ve been wondering why no one came even though I’ve pressed the bell so many times. What did you do?! Are you just going to stand there and watch him die?”
Xu Lan regarded Bai Wu’s actions as being wholly unreasonable. Not only did he undergo another transformation, but he also attacked another human, of all things! He seemed unperturbed by the possibility that he would be locked up in a laboratory, where his days would be spent having a number of tubes attached to him while scientists experimented on him.
“…when I transform, time gets distorted.” As if meeting Xu Lan for the first time, Bai Wu carefully looked at the man from head to toe, and finally, let out a chuckle.
“I don’t care! Just transform back! I need to find a doctor now!” came the man’s angry reply.
“I can’t do anything about it for the time being. It’s not my full form.” Bai Wu shrugged his shoulders and said nonchalantly.
“Bullsh*t! That means last time –” He suddenly paused when he realized that previously, it seemed that Bai Wu was not able to revert voluntarily.
Taking the overcoat from the hanger, Xu Lan draped it over Bai Wu. He also took down some window curtains to wrap around the boy’s body.
“You go home. I’ll go back soon.” One by one, Xu started buttoning the overcoat while issuing a stern warning.
“No, Papa, I can’t go back. If I leave you, we won’t be able to see each other again.” Bai Wu calmly stated the fact.
Xu Lan stopped midway buttoning the clothes and began trembling. Bai Wu was forcing him to make a decision!
If the man persisted in searching for a doctor and thus allowed Bai Wu to leave, then he would never get to see Bai Wu again. On the other hand, there is an unconscious Li Xiu who fainted after taking a fist from Bai Wu. It was not a situation that Xu Lan could feel at ease about.
Hu Cheng even asked Teacher Wang to take care of Li Xiu. How then, would Xu Lan be able to explain everything?
“Isn’t there any other way? Aren’t you able to control the disappearance of the scales?” Xu Lan found it hard to ask that.
“I can only control certain parts.” Some crackling sounds were heard as the dragon-boy lifted his scale-covered hand and formed a fist with it.
“Papa, save me. I know it’s not an easy decision.”
With a smile, the boy used his other scale-less hand to hug Xu Lan and draw the man closer to him. Tears began falling, and every drop landed straight on Xu Lan’s chest.
“Thank you, Papa.”
Bai Wu lifted his head up to kiss Xu Lan but realized he was bigger than before. Xu Lan was also unable to carry him, and as his ruby eyes began to dull, he held Xu Lan’s hand and kissed it.
“When I leave the room, Papa can go and call the doctor. But Papa cannot chase after me, because Papa will be transported somewhere else,” Bai Wu instructed with emotional chokes in between.
As he let go of Xu Lan’s hand, his vibrant pair of ruby eyes dulled exponentially. His last look contained evocations of an inseparable love and his reluctance to part ways, yet his adorable qualities still remained.
‘If he goes out, will I really never be able to see him again?’ That question continuously barraged Xu Lan’s thoughts.
Bai Wu opened the door and the sunlight streamed in. It shimmered all over his body, and the silver-white rays once again illuminated the entire ward.
With one foot out the door, he painfully looked back at Xu Lan and mouthed a few silent words. After that, he began walking toward the direction of the sunlight.
Xu Lan knew exactly what Bai Wu was saying. Those lips uttered, ‘Papa, goodbye.’
