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

After a satisfying meal, I am accompanied by my beloved.

"Remember to take your medicine."

Even though she was slightly tipsy, Xi didn't forget to remind Bai Zhou to take his medicine.

"Okay. Please wait a moment, I'll go prepare some water for you. You can go to sleep after you've washed up."

"Um……"

The feeling of being slightly tipsy was very comfortable, and Xi didn't want to wake up too quickly.

In a daze, Xi let Bai Zhou wash her feet, wipe her face, and brush her teeth.

After taking her medicine and washing up, Bai Zhou looked at Xi, who had been washing up before he left, and quickly ran over to straighten her body.

"Sir, you need to cover yourself with the blanket."

Looking at Bai Zhou, who wanted to sleep on the floor, Xi kicked off the blanket she had just put on and grabbed his little tail.

"Come here and rest."

"Ugh?"

"Didn't you hear me! Come here! Rest!"

Bai Zhou was pulled onto the tatami mat and covered with the quilt, pressed tightly against Xi.

"Um... sir, the shoes..."

Getting drunk is a good excuse; things you wouldn't have dared to do before, you'll have the courage to do when you're drunk.

Xi didn't know how to explain what she had just done when she woke up the next day.

She didn't want to explain.

She was the most accomplished painter in Yan Kingdom, and even the dragon had certain privileges, so it was natural for her to be a little willful.

"Sleep...sleep...tomorrow...we should reach the town by then..."

Holding the baby dragon tightly in his arms, the capricious painter closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"...Good night, sir."

Returning to Chapter Fifty-Three: What night is this, to see such a good man?

Yongning is located in the central part of Dayan, not far from Wuyue in the southeast. Therefore, in just one day, the Ayao people pulled their carts through Yongning, which was shrouded in rain, and officially stepped into the Wuyue water town full of warm sunshine.

Since the celestial calamity, the three regions of Yongning, Guangde, and Antai have all been shrouded in dark clouds. Now that the sun has finally come out, and the rivers that had dried up due to the fire disaster have flowed again, Xi, who was already tired of traveling by carriage, was overjoyed and immediately picked up his pen to change the carriage into a boat.

The two of them boarded the small boat and headed straight for Kuaiji City along the waterways of Wu and Yue. According to the map, they would pass through Gouwu Prefecture along the way, where Xi would retrieve the five doses of medicine for Bai Zhou.

A gentle breeze and perfect sunshine.

Xi sat at the bow of the boat, enjoying the scenery that was different from Yongning, while Baizhou sat beside her, slowly reading a book called "Wu Yue Jian Lu" that he had found in a painting.

The Wu and Yue regions are blessed with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and are known for their talented people. There are countless interesting things there, but the most famous of them is probably the custom of "cutting hair and tattooing."

Tattoos...

As he read the book's description of the Wu and Yue regions, Bai Zhou's gaze involuntarily fell upon Xi.

The gentleman also has tattoos...

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Noticing Bai Zhou's gaze drifting over, Xi turned her head to look at him, then lowered her head in the direction of his gaze.

Are you looking at her hands?

What's in your hand?

Hmm... is this the tattoo?

"Sir, will getting a tattoo hurt a lot?"

"Tattoos..."

Xi thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"I'm not sure either, but it probably won't hurt."

But then, as if she had thought of something, her gaze toward Bai Zhou sharpened.

"You want a tattoo?"

Tattoos only look okay; they don't actually serve any purpose. A kid's clean body shouldn't have such filth left behind.

"Oh no, sir, I didn't want a tattoo."

Bai Zhou hurriedly explained:

"I just read in a book that tattooing involves using a needle with ink to pierce the skin, and it looks very painful. You also have tattoos, sir, and I wanted to ask you if it hurts."

"I'm worried that this tattoo might be harmful to you..."

"..."

Xi turned her head to look at the river, her blue tail slightly raised, the tip of which swirling gently.

She dipped her hand into the river, the cool water suppressing her shyness. Xi turned to explain to Bai Zhou, but being tongue-tied, she stammered for a while before finally managing to say, "This is something I was born with. It's different from those ordinary tattoos... You've seen those guys' tattoos, right? Mine is similar to theirs."

"Hmm, I don't quite understand. But as long as it doesn't harm you, sir, that's fine."

He spoke in a state of half-understanding and half-confusion during the day, then lowered his head again to look at the introduction of Wu and Yue in the book.

"..."

Xi looked up at the sky and felt that the scenery was just right.

Since the weather is so fine and we're on a boat, it would be a waste not to go fishing at such a good time.

Thinking about it, Xi picked up her brush and drew a fishing rod, then cast the hook into the river without baiting it.

"Gah?"

"Gah!"

They stared blankly at the radishes and greens in the river, wondering about their owner's actions.

Mr. Xi fishes, and those who are willing will take the bait.

Perhaps it was because sincerity moved him that, before long, Xi had caught a silver carp with his fishing rod.

"Gah!"

The radish and greens, who had been staring at the fishhook, were bewildered. They glanced at the hook without any bait, then at the fish struggling in Xi's hand, and bit each other in confusion.

"Ah Xi, let's eat this fish at noon."

Xi naturally called out Bai Zhou's childhood nickname.

If asked why, Xi can only say that it's a matter of "practice makes perfect".

"The fish that the gentleman caught! Great!"

He clapped and cheered during the day; he really loved eating fish.

But as he was smiling, his face suddenly froze.

He's still taking his medicine...

"Sir... I haven't finished my medicine yet..."

Xi also thought of this.

"Oh well, it's lucky."

If you only eat the fish you catch yourself, you lose the joy of sharing the catch.

After throwing the scale into the river, Xi lost interest in fishing, so she put down her fishing rod, picked up her paintbrush, and prepared to paint the scenery of Wu and Yue.

■

"It's cool at night, so don't stray too far from the charcoal brazier."

Xi swallowed the black-feathered egg and vegetable soup in her mouth and gave Bai Zhou some instructions.

"Yes. Sir, you shouldn't paint too late either."

After washing up, Bai Zhou wrapped herself in a blanket and leaned against the radish, ready to go to sleep.

"Gah."

"Gah."

Even the radishes and cabbages peeked over to ask him for bedtime advice.

"Okay, okay, the same goes for radishes and green vegetables. You can't stay up too late."

After gently stroking the heads of the little ones, Bai Zhou pulled the blanket up and drifted off to sleep.

"...She's already asleep."

After slowly finishing her dinner and washing up, Xi sat at the small table with a small lamp, gazing at the sleeping Bai Zhou.

"I've been sleeping a bit too much these past few days...tsk, I forgot to write this."

But considering that he's still lively during the day, I guess... it's okay if he sleeps a little longer.

Put away the precautions and turn off the small light in the evening.

"Gah... Ugh..."

"Shhh."

Feeling the change in weight on his body, the half-dazed Radish raised his head to see what was happening, but Xi pressed him back down as soon as he did.

Gently pulling the young dragon into her arms, her fingertips brushed against its cool, dark scales, feeling the tightness from its tail. The gentle breeze wafted from the young dragon's body, and Xi hugged it tightly, feeling content.

She somewhat likes to fall asleep this way.

###

As dawn breaks, standing at the bow of the boat, one can see the Gouwu City built along the river in the distance.

Xi's little boat slowly drifted into the harbor. The creatures returned to the painting, and the boat, after Xi and Bai Zhou landed, turned into a pool of ink and merged into the river.