Here’s the translated text, with paragraphs corrected for flow and natural English:
175 Storytelling
It was deep in the night, when people are asleep, with a bright moon and a clear breeze.
As Jiang Huai walked out of Bai Li’s room, he coincidentally met Bai Jin, who was about to knock. Their faces met at that instant, and Jiang Huai’s gaze darted away, a nameless guilt stirring in his heart.
He thought he had reached his limit in resisting shame, but if someone were to touch his cheeks now, they would likely be burning hot.
“I want to chat with Bai Li. Is Bai Li asleep yet?” Bai Jin’s voice was gentle.
“She just closed her eyes. She should be getting ready to sleep,” Jiang Huai replied cautiously. Before he left the room, Bai Li had already curled herself up entirely in the quilt, her snow-white, slender body tightly wrapped in the bedding. Yet, a faint milky scent still seemed to emanate from her.
“Mm, then I’ll chat with her another day.” Bai Jin nodded slightly and turned away, no longer heading towards Bai Li’s room. Jiang Huai carefully closed Bai Li’s room door and was about to return to his own room. However, when he inadvertently glanced at Bai Jin, he noticed a look of wanting to speak but hesitating in her eyes. So, he walked to the other side of the ship’s deck. “I’m going to get some fresh air. Aunt Bai, would you like to join me?”
Bai Jin gently nodded, then moved her slender legs, walking beside Jiang Huai.
Jiang Huai’s heart pounded, a hint of unease showing through his expression. The woman beside him was Bai Li’s birth mother and a Ninth Realm Immortal Venerable. Earlier in the room, had he bullied Bai Li?
The two soon reached the side of the deck. The evening breeze blew, and Jiang Huai turned his head, his gaze inadvertently falling upon Bai Jin. The moonlight shone upon her profile, a momentary brilliance that made Jiang Huai’s breath seem to pause.
She must also possess the Dragon Clan bloodline, especially with those twin coral dragon horns on her forehead, which were particularly conspicuous and weren’t concealed at all. It seemed that every Dragon Clan avatar possessed this inexplicable sacred aura, inspiring awe and making people instinctively dare not approach.
Bai Jin wore a black dress in the style of the Western Regions. Silver chains at the cut-out on her side waist clung to her skin, and the hip-hugging skirt below was interlaced. Her long legs beneath the skirt were porcelain smooth and snow-white. A silver chain was tied around her ankle, and her snow-white, tender feet stepped onto the deck, bare of shoes and socks.
“Is there anything Aunt Bai wants to know?” Jiang Huai asked cautiously.
He was sure there was a hint of wanting to speak but hesitating in Bai Jin’s eyes earlier. It seemed she had something she wanted to say to him, so it was better for him to ask first. However, Jiang Huai himself felt he was somewhat bracing himself for it.
“Not really.”
Surprisingly, Bai Jin replied this way. She gently rested her palms on the ship’s railing, gazed at the river of stars in the distant night sky, and spoke softly, “I think Bai Li seems to like you quite a bit. What do you think?”
“We’ve been through life and death together in many secret realms, so our relationship is naturally close.”
“You seem to be a bit worried about me taking her back to the Western Regions, don’t you?” Bai Jin asked softly.
“How did Aunt Bai see that?”
“After all, I am a stranger who suddenly appeared to both her and you. I left the Snake Clan when Bai Li was six years old. Perhaps her memory of me has become very vague. The Monster Clan isn’t as focused on etiquette as your Human Clan, but she is my biological daughter. I came to find her this time simply to take her back and bestow upon her the opportunity of the Demon Emperor Inheritance… As for how she chooses to walk her path afterward, I will not interfere. If she wants to come find you in the Eastern Region after that, I will send her over.”
“Aunt Bai is truly open-minded,” Jiang Huai couldn’t help but praise.
“I just don’t want her to repeat my life. From my childhood, I bore the mission of revitalizing the Snake Clan. Even though I worked hard and gained significant influence within the Snake Clan, the burden on my shoulders still made me feel suffocated at times. Back then, I always thought… if I had a daughter, I would hope she could freely choose anything she wanted to do.”
Bai Jin’s voice was very gentle, and as she said these words, the corner of her mouth curved slightly.
“It’s wonderful that Bai Li has a mother like you,” Jiang Huai muttered softly. At this moment, Bai Jin’s eyes turned, looking at him. The corner of her mouth still held a faint curve, but for some reason, Jiang Huai felt her eyes had become subtly deeper.
“Thank you for taking care of Bai Li for me all these years. If you need any help in the future, please feel free to ask me, don’t be shy.”
“Aunt Bai is too kind.”
“I just don’t like owing favors, and it’s also a way to make up for the affection I owe Bai Li.” Bai Jin said these words softly and stopped speaking. Jiang Huai didn’t know what else to say, so they continued to enjoy the evening breeze together. The wind seemed to make Jiang Huai’s head increasingly dizzy. He had already drunk quite a bit. After a while, he bid farewell to Bai Jin first. Bai Jin nodded gently and also walked towards her own room.
………………………………
Jiang Huai pushed open the door, his head groggy. Just as he was about to lift the quilt and fall into sleep, a resentful female voice suddenly sounded, “Your courage is growing bolder.”
This playful yet resentful voice was, of course, incredibly familiar. Jiang Huai froze. He looked up and realized that Luo Yueguan was curled up in the quilt, clutching the blanket, feigning sleep. Jiang Huai looked all around, only then realizing he had entered the wrong room; his room was next door. He scratched his head, “Wrong room…”
With that, he intended to turn and leave, but Luo Yueguan’s voice came from behind, “Since you’re in the wrong room, why don’t you stay and chat with me for a while?”
“No more chatting, no more chatting. I’m so sleepy,” Jiang Huai quickened his pace. Luo Yueguan fell silent behind him. As Jiang Huai reached the doorway, he inadvertently glanced back and saw that Luo Yueguan had already sat up in bed, clutching her quilt, her eyes staring directly at him, her gaze full of unspoken words.
A strange sense of guilt surfaced in Jiang Huai’s heart. He looked helplessly at Luo Yueguan, “What do you want to talk about?”
“Never mind. You can go.” Luo Yueguan turned her face away.
This was clearly because of the helplessness that had appeared on Jiang Huai’s face just now. Luo Yueguan had always been skilled at reading people. However, Jiang Huai didn’t leave. Instead, he casually closed the door and walked back to the bedside, sitting down decisively. He gazed at Luo Yueguan’s snow-white cheek. there was only a dim yellow lamp by the bed, so it was no wonder he hadn’t noticed when he entered the wrong room earlier.
“Auntie Luo is so awkward, like a little girl who likes to act spoiled and sulk, making people guess her thoughts,” Jiang Huai looked at her eyes helplessly. It was strange; when he stared at her, she would turn her face away, but when he didn’t look at her, her eyes would stare directly at him.
“Then guess what I’m thinking now?” Luo Yueguan’s voice held a hint of deliberate coldness.
“If I could guess that, I would truly become a deity. Sometimes, thoughts can be spoken aloud instead of forcing others to guess. Guessing back and forth can easily lead to misunderstandings. Humans invented language to communicate and share their thoughts and feelings.”
“What about thoughts that cannot be spoken aloud?” Luo Yueguan finally turned her head, tilting her face up slightly. The dim lamp illuminated her snow-white face, and the emotions in her eyes were hidden in the ink-like darkness.
In that instant, Jiang Xiaohu felt cold sweat break out on his forehead.
Thoughts that cannot be spoken aloud?
At this moment, it was time to play dumb again. He could only reply, “Since they can’t be spoken aloud, then don’t speak them. Maybe after a while, you won’t want to say them anymore.”
Luo Yueguan stared at him like that for a few seconds before slowly lowering her head. “That’s true.”
Her tone seemed thoughtful, and Jiang Huai breathed a slight sigh of relief. Luo Yueguan then reached out and gently tugged his arm. “Auntie Luo had a nightmare again just now and can’t sleep. What do you think I should do?”
“At times like this, I usually advise you not to think about anything.”
“Some things can’t just be stopped from being thought about, can they?”
“Alright, then shall I tell you a bedtime story?”
“Bedtime stories for children might not be effective for me.”
Jiang Huai pulled away from Luo Yueguan’s hand holding his arm. His own hand, almost subconsciously, rose to cup her chin, tilting her face up, and he said somewhat irritably, “Are you going to listen or not?”
Such a fierce tone!
A sense of inexplicable grievance suddenly welled up in Luo Yueguan’s heart. In front of her, he was always aggressive and heedless, while in front of his Master, he was as meek and fawning as a lapdog. If Chu Xianning told him to go west, he’d go west; if she told him to go east, he’d go east. If Chu Xianning even asked him to kneel down and carry her for a distance, he would probably do so willingly.
But in front of her, he was so fierce and annoying. He was deliberately trying to make her dislike him.
“If the story isn’t good… I won’t buy it.” Luo Yueguan’s face was tilted upwards, maintaining her last shred of pride.
“Okay.” Jiang Huai’s hand that was holding her chin turned into him pinching her cheek. But in an instant, he suddenly realized… could it be that many times, he had inadvertently sent some signals to Luo Yueguan, which caused her feelings towards him to subtly change?
It seemed he had to frankly admit this, and the reason… was simply because he had a mischievous hand. Seeing Luo Yueguan act spoiled and petulant, he really wanted to discipline her or tease her a little. Pinching her chin just now was an unconscious action, and surprisingly, he wasn’t afraid of Luo Yueguan at all… It was strange. When did his impression of Luo Yueguan change like this?
Clearly, not even half a year ago, he had only felt respect for Auntie Luo.
The bedtime story Jiang Huai was about to tell was actually quite simple. He had written many discarded drafts of ancient romantic tragedies. He wasn’t skilled at storytelling at first, but after telling so many stories to Luo Qingyu, his tone fluctuated, and his stories were clear and concise, all because of familiarity.
Luo Yueguan gradually became engrossed in the story. When it was finished, her eyes were covered with a light mist. Jiang Huai’s voice came to an abrupt halt. After a moment of silence, Luo Yueguan gently tapped his shoulder with her hand. “Is that all?”
“Yes, it’s finished. They both died for love, so where would there be a sequel?”
Luo Yueguan looked at him with a lingering gaze. “I’m not satisfied.”
“Then I’ll tell another one.”
Jiang Huai still had several ancient romantic tragedy short stories that he had written himself, and he was regretting not having anyone to share them with.
