I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

"..."

"Don't keep such a stiff face. Today is the prince's birthday. Even if you're not happy, you should at least pretend to be happy for our sake."

"Put your sword away. It's not a good idea to take it out at a time like this."

Miaobi whispered to a silent immortal standing to the side.

"Tsk."

Displeased, the immortal sheathed his sword and coldly replied, looking at the magic brush:

"You know how troublesome it will be for him to regain the throne after this child is born."

Upon hearing this, Miaobi gently shook the fine brush in her hand and sighed.

"I am well aware of the advantages and disadvantages involved."

"But no one, including you, me, or them, can interfere with what Ah Xi is thinking."

"That's why I disagree with him pursuing immortality."

"If I don't live forever, am I destined to waste my life in this wretched spot like this old dragon, suffering from all sorts of illnesses, waiting to decay and turn into a skeleton in a tomb a hundred years from now?"

A third immortal joined the conversation.

"..."

His words silenced the others.

"Seeking immortality is certainly a good thing... but mortals, no matter how hard they go, can at most extend their lifespan by a hundred years."

"And even if Ah Xi succeeds, he'll become just like us..."

The first immortal looked at his brothers and sisters and questioned them:

Does anyone know if he can adapt to our concept of time?

"A hundred years... in just a hundred years, this old dragon will die before him. Another hundred years, his brothers, his brothers' descendants... many people he knows, his closest relatives, his blood relatives will all leave him. In the blink of an eye, looking around, he will be all alone."

"Can he withstand that emotional shock?"

"This is none of our business!"

An elder brother interrupted the immortal in a harsh voice.

“Since Ah Xi has chosen this path, he must continue down it.”

"us……"

"If you don't care, I will."

"Don't act impulsively! This isn't a matter of your will! The stakes involved are..."

"I don't care who it concerns!"

“I’m not like Eleven, who’s afraid of this and that. What use is this sword to me?”

"Tsk... Why can't you listen to me..."

"uh-huh……"

The noise around her was lively, but Miaobi remained silent; she was just an ordinary recorder.

However, this might be the only immortal dragon in the Great Yan Dynasty, and it would be a great pity for her not to record it.

"Stop arguing, stop arguing, Your Majesty... Ah Xi is back!"

The short, twelve-year-old boy burst in, bringing news that shocked everyone.

"What! You mean Ah Xi brought that guy with him?"

"That guy..."

"Hey, you must know all this, right?"

His brothers and sisters stared at him, but he, as the elder brother, was not afraid at all.

"Ah, of course. Ah Xi trusts me, so I can't just spread this matter around."

"Damn it! You know everything but say nothing! Take this!"

"Indeed, you know everything, yet you still make us worry for nothing. What an unreliable older brother."

"Huh? What's wrong? What do you know and what are you worried about?"

The newly arrived Twelve looked at his elder brother, who was being attacked by the group, with a puzzled expression.

"Stop making a racket."

The elder brother lightly waved his sleeve to block the pen that was thrown at him, and looked at Twelve.

"Let's go see Ah Xi."

"Ah! Great! I wonder if Your Majesty... Ah Xi has been eating well outside, and if he misses home-cooked meals! Has he lost weight or gained weight now..."

Since he didn't understand what had happened, Twelve didn't dwell on it any longer and turned around to lead his brothers and sisters to greet their long-lost friends.

"..."

Sensing something was amiss nearby, Kal'tsit silently pulled down the hood of her cloak.

"Next is... Ha, ignore them, a bunch of old rascals."

Bai Zhou also discovered those unreliable immortals. He didn't care at all, took Kal'tsit's hand, and led her towards the palace he hadn't returned to in a long time.

Despite the presence of imperial guards patrolling the area, they acted as if they didn't see the two of them.

Well, even if they saw them, they wouldn't dare say anything.

"..."

"Sigh, how much longer?"

Having dealt with his official duties early, he used this rare free time to wait, but the agonizing wait, which felt like an eternity, filled Chilong with both pain and anticipation.

"His Majesty……"

Just as Old Fengti was about to comfort Chilong, he caught a glimpse of that figure out of the corner of his eye.

"Your Majesty! Look over there!"

"What's up……"

Upon hearing the sound, Chi Long looked over and saw the figure slowly approaching. He suddenly stopped, and his slightly hunched back immediately straightened up.

"Second uncle!"

“Ah... Ah Xi…”

"Second Uncle... ah, I should call you Your Majesty."

Looking at the aged red dragon, Bai Zhou suppressed his sorrow and called out to him with a smile.

"Okay, good boy... good boy... don't use that formal address."

Chi Long's voice trembled as he raised his arms toward his approaching nephew.

"I'm back, Second Uncle."

The familiar embrace and the familiar faces filled Bai Zhou with a mix of emotions.

"...It's good that you're back...it's good that you're back!"

Return to the Fifty-One Banquet

The birth of the prince was a cause for celebration throughout the country.

"Kal'tsit, have you seen that child?"

Bai Zhou approached Kal'tsit with two apples and asked her a question.

"I've seen you from afar, Your Highness."

Kal'tsit took the apple and held it in her hand, her gaze shifting from the distant Golden Palace to Bai Zhou.

His face was full of joy at that moment.

"The little guy cries very loudly; he'll definitely grow up to be a great man."

After chuckling twice, Bai Zhou seemed to remember something else.

"Are all newborn babies such wrinkled little bundles? And those corners, tiny little dots, round, without even a point."

Bai Zhou pinched his face and touched his horns.

His skin was smooth and delicate, and his horns were sharp and pointed, quite different from the little guy's appearance.

Was he like that when he was born?

When you were born... did you also grow up from a child?

My husband when I was a child... Ah, I really want to see him!

"The baby is wrinkled because he/she has been soaking in amniotic fluid for ten months. In another week or two, when the skin regains its elasticity, the baby will become cute, Your Highness."

Taking a bite of her apple, Kal'tsit responded softly to Daylight's question.

"Oh, right."

"The royal chefs have already begun preparing the banquet, Kal'tsit, let's go together later."

During the day, he leaned against the railing, gazing at the lynx's delicate features, his mind echoing the words his second uncle had spoken to him.

"Ah Xi...it's been almost a year, why haven't you brought back a baby yet?"

"..."

"Is this His Highness's family banquet?"

If it were a family dinner, Kal'tsit planned to refuse.

When family members haven't seen each other for a long time, they must have a lot to say. If she is there, the nature of this meal will change, and it will also displease the red dragon.

No, that's not it.

Bai Zhou shook his head and gently shook the apple by the stem.