Wonderful Painting of the Mountains and Seas 29
Little Houqing saw him and unexpectedly turned to run. His short legs moved quite quickly and he soon hid in the sea of roses.
The roses here weren’t as kind as the small roses on Earth. They were probably on the edge of transforming and were very large. They easily hid Houqing’s small body among them.
The little jasmine wasn’t happy. “How is this rose still hiding? He saw Lord Flower God but didn’t come out to greet him!”
The daisy buried her. “It isn’t as if you’re politer.”
The jasmine pinched her waist. “The first time I saw Lord Flower God, I couldn’t endure the sound of his voice and knelt down!”
Little girl, you were scared!
Xie Xi couldn’t take care of these two flowers because he had to catch Houqing. Houqing was still so small that it seemed the memories in this god’s wisdom were long.
Such large roses and such a small child, Xie Xi had to look closely in order to find him. The bickering daisy and jasmine realized their lord was looking for the small child and hurriedly ordered, “Roses, scatter!”
Xie Xi wondered if yelling at them was useful? Then the roses spread out like a receding tide. Oh, he forgot that these flowers weren’t normal. Shouting really worked!
The roses spread out and Little Houqing could no longer hide. He looked around in a dazed manner, the absence of cover making him nervous.
Xie Xi felt a strange heartache at the sight and spoke softly, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.”
Little Houqing looked over, his big eyes full of uneasiness. Xie Xi slowly approached him like he was approaching a solitary little beast.
“What’s your name?” Xie Xi asked in a friendly manner.
Who knew that the moment Xie Xi asked the question, Little Houqing would run back into the depths of the roses.
Xie Xi, “...”
Didn’t Jiang Xie say that every piece of hair liked Xie Xi? Was this called liking? Sure enough, X’s words couldn’t be believed!
Poor Little Houqing ran and hid among the roses. Xie Xi followed and caught up with the little guy. Soon after, Little Houqing fell into Xie Xi’s arms. His eyes were wide and his white face was like a piece of tender tofu.
Xie Xi smiled and tried to make his voice gentle and affable. “Why are you running?”
Little Houqing stared at him for a while before finally saying, “Good fragrance.”
Xie Xi, “???”
Little Houqing’s face flushed and he whispered, “You smell good.”
Xie Xi couldn’t smell himself. The flowers were born with a variety of aromas and it was innate so he couldn’t smell it.
It was a bit strange that a child was saying he had good smell but Xie Xi didn’t want him to run away. “If I smell good, why hide?”
Little Houqing’s logic was fascinating. “You smell too good and I can’t get close.”
“Why?”
This seemed to poke Little Houqing’s heart and he struggled to run again. Xie Xi held him tightly and coaxed him. “Okay, I won’t ask. Don’t run around anymore.”
His voice was too gentle and Little Houqing’s strength waned as he allowed Xie Xi to hold him. Xie Xi stared into his eyes and found that Little Houqing was torn between running and not wanting to run...
“Eh?” Little Houqing’s face was pinched and he looked up at Xie Xi in a confused manner.
Xie Xi couldn’t help it. Ahhhh, how could he be so cute? Such a lovely little fellow, how did he grow up to be the old person with a glib tongue?
Time flies and people change, Xie Xi deeply appreciated the meaning of this sentence.
“So soft.” Xie Xi’s eyes curved as he smiled and pinched the soft face.
Little Houqing reacted by lowering his head and thinking about something. Then he raised his head slightly, as if saying, ‘You can keep pinching me.’
Xie Xi, “!” His blood was half empty!
Such a small person and still so cute. It was really a foul!
Flower god, don’t become dizzy because of a small child!
“How about coming back to the flower world with me? I will take care of you in the future.” Xie Xi didn’t have to ask about Houqing’s family.
Unexpectedly, Little Houqing lowered his eyes sadly. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
Little Houqing’s lips trembled as he whispered, “Anyone near me will be cursed.”
Xie Xi was stunned. In Atlantis, the sixth prince was excluded by everyone because of his different coloured eyes. He lived alone in his palace and didn’t experience the love of his father.
Was it the same for Little Houqing? Was Jiang Xie excluded and ignored because of these eyes?
Jiang Xie’s original world should be similar to Xie Xi. In such a society, the different coloured eyes were indeed bizarre and unknown. In Jiang Xie’s childhood, he had likely been excluded or even subjected to endless bullying.
Xie Xi’s heart jerked as he thought of this.
“Do you know who I am?” He asked Houqing.
Houqing shook his head.
“I am the flower god,” Xie Xi told him. “A god can’t be cursed.”
He finished speaking and brightness flashed in Little Houqing’s clear eyes. “A god... won’t be cursed?”
“Of course, not only will I not be cursed, you can stay with me and anyone who is close to you won’t be cursed anymore.” Xie Xi tricked the little child.
Little Houqing was stunned by the bluff and his big eyes were full of trust. “You aren’t lying to me?”
Xie Xi’s heart was soft. “No.”
Then LIttle Houqing’s lips curved, revealing a cautious and unskilled smile. It seemed to be the first time he was smiling and he was cautious, like a newly blooming seedling first seeing the sun.
Xie Xi hugged him. “Rest assured, I’ll take care of you in the future.”
The memories of the souls would return to Jiang Xie once he took them back. Changing Houqing’s childhood was also changing Jiang Xie’s past.
Just like in Dream Come True, Jiang Xie changed Xie Xi’s life, letting him finish university, experience a real him and live a full life with no regrets.
This time Xie Xi would give Jiang Xie a warm past. It was true that this wasn’t Jiang Xie’s real childhood but as Jiang Xie said, there was no limit between reality and falsehood. They were real and what they experienced was real.
Xie Xi took Little Houqing back to the flower world. The jasmine and daisy were curious along the way, twittering like birds instead of flowers.
“Lord Flower God, is he a rose flower?”
“It’s weird. Why is he so small if he can transform?”
“Is there a two coloured rose?”
“I have seen both red and blue but I have never seen one that is red and blue.”
Once they talked about his eyes, Little Houqing visibly shrunk back and his eyelashes trembled.
Xie Xi asked, “Doesn’t he look good?” He was asking the jasmine and daisy.
The two flowers immediately replied, “Good-looking! I have never seen such a beautiful little rose!” They mistook Houqing as a rose.
It seemed he had never been praised before. Little Houqing was somewhat happy and didn’t know how to deal with it.
Xie Xi explained, “He isn’t a rose flower.”
The jasmine asked curiously, “He isn’t a rose? Then what flower is he?” Their cultivation was low and they couldn’t see his prototype.
Xie Xi could see it clearly. Houqing wasn’t a monster or a beast. He was...
Xie Xi told them, “He is a human.”
“A human?” The daisy had never heard of it. “What type of flower is a human?”
The jasmine also said, “I’ve never heard of a human.”
The dairy retorted, “Of course you haven’t heard of it. Only knowledgeable people like Lord Flower God will remember all flower types!”
Xie Xi couldn’t remember! However, a human wasn’t a flower and he patiently explained. Unfortunately, the two flowers had little knowledge and directly asked Little Houqing, “Little human, are you a little human?” (They use Xiao = little/small. However, the combination of characters can also mean person of low social status, nasty person, vile person).
Little human.. this was a bad word in human society, flowers! Unfortunately, there was no way to explain this. Xie Xi had to say, “He is called Houqing.”
The jasmine and daisy were confused again. “Isn’t he a human?”
Xie Xi could only follow their brain circuits. “There are many types of humans, just like flowers have the jasmine and daisies.”
The two of them understood. “It turns out to be like this.” After realizing it, they didn’t forget to praise Xie Xi. “Lord Flower God truly knows a lot.”
Xie Xi listened to the flowers blowing hot air and his face heated up.
Little Houqing looked up at Xie Xi. “H-Houqing?”
“Yes, can I call you that?”
Little Houqing smiled and nodded hard. “Yes.” Everything this person said was nice and it was particularly comfortable to hear.
Xie Xi also smiled. “After this, you will be called Houqing.”
Little Houqing nodded like a chick pecking at rice. Xie Xi touched his soft little head and took him back to the flower world.
Raising a child wasn’t an easy task but Xie Xi wasn’t too worried. After all, there were many flowers in the flower world. How could he not handle a child?
Who would’ve expected something big to happen after he got a good night’s sleep?!
The matter started from him sleeping. After returning to the flower world, Little Houqing seemed very tired. He had already fallen asleep in Xie Xi’s arms.
Xie Xi put him on the bed and was also a bit tired so he accompanied Little Houqing to sleep. By the time he woke up, Little Houqing was gone.
Xie Xi didn’t feel too anxious. He just thought that the little guy had gone out to play. He slowly got out of bed and was cleaning up a bit when he heard noise outside.
“Why is he becoming less and less energetic?”
“I gave him several bottles of jade dew. Why does he seem to be wilting even more?”
“Burying him in the dirt doesn’t work. Is he sick?’
After hearing the final sentence, Xie Xi hurriedly pushed open the door and saw a thin and pitiful Little Houqing.
The daisy was anxious. “Would you like to chance soil? I have fertile soil that I have treasured for 10 years...”
Xie Xi quickly stepped forward and picked up Little Houqing. “What happened?”
The flowers were relieved to see him and the magnolia came forward. “Little Houqing has no spirit since three days ago. His physical condition is worsening every day.”
Three days ago? Xie Xi was shocked and wondered, “How long have I been sleeping?”
The magnolia replied, “Your sleep was very short this time. You only slept for seven days.”
Xie Xi, “!!” This was short?
He had been sleeping for seven days. No wonder why Houqing had this miserable appearance.
A child who didn’t eat for seven days and only drank water was simply starving to death!
He had overestimated the flowers. They took jade dew all year round and sunbathed in the soil. They didn’t know what humans should eat.
Still, Xie Xi hadn’t expected to sleep for seven days!
He hurriedly said, “He is hungry. Is there rice in the flower world?” Going hungry for so long, he should drink porridge first!
“Rice?” The flowers glanced at each other. “There are only flowers in the flower world.”
Xie Xi asked again, “Are there any animals here?” Drinking animal milk was also good.
The flowers looked even more blank. “What is an animal?”
Xie Xi was stunned... the flowers of the later generations didn’t eat but there were countless creatures in the Holy Mountain and Demon Sea. It was impossible for them to not know what small animals were.
Xie Xi told them. “You take care of him. Don’t give him anything else apart from jade dew. I will come back soon.” He could only go out to see for himself.
Unexpectedly, Little Houqing grabbed his clothes, small face full of uneasiness.
Xie Xi was so distressed he felt like he was burned by a soldering iron. “I’m sorry, I have been sleeping too long. I’m going to find you food.”
Little Houqing was hungry but he still refused to let go. He clutched Xie Xi like a drowning person catching driftwood.
The magnolia spoke up. “Your Excellency, you can’t leave him in this bad state. If you need to find something then tell us and we’ll find it!”
Xie Xi also didn’t want to go out with such a weak Houqing. He could only rely on the flowers. He explained carefully but unfortunately, the flowers had never seen rabbits, sheep or cows.
“Where is the Holy Mountain? Where is the Demon Sea?” The flowers had no idea at all.
Xie Xi thought of a method. “Find me a pen and I’ll draw an example for you.”
The flowers were very good this time and quickly brought him a pen.
Xie Xi had walked through the Holy Mountain and Demon Sea and remembered the route and terrain. He carefully painted it because he feared his painting skills were too bad and the flowers wouldn’t understand.
Miraculously, Xie Xi’s pen was brilliant. The image he thought in his mind was actually drawn out, like a 3D projection.
The flowers were amazed and Xie Xi himself was shocked. He continued to draw what he thought of in his mind.
The flowers saw the white rabbit, the goats, the cows and fresh milk and even various grains and utensils...
“Lord Flower God is so powerful!”
Xie Xi also felt that this was too good.
With these ‘photos’, the flwoers left the flower world to find food for Houqing.
Not long after they came back, Xie Xi saw a pot of rice porridge. He was shocked but didn’t care too much. He just quickly fed it to Houqing.
Little Houqing was really hungry and ate it in a straightforward manner. Xie Xi was afraid he would eat too much in one go. He supported Houqing’s body and estimated the weight before quickly saying, “Okay, eat more later.”
Little Houqing’s obedience really distressed people. Xie Xi saw the child stop immediately. He obviously wanted to eat more but didn’t touch it.
Xie Xi explained, “It isn’t that I don’t want you to eat. I’m afraid that you can’t bear eating so much. Wait until later to eat again?”
Little Houqing nodded and still clutched Xie Xi’s clothes.
Xie Xi didn’t dare to sleep. He took care of Houqing for three days and only felt relieved after seeing that Houqing’s body was stable.
He gave the flowers a ‘parenting’ class, afraid that no one would take care of Houqing after he fell asleep.
The flowers understood a lot and the jasmine felt a bit curious. “I never knew there was such a big place outside the flower world!”
The daisy added, “Yes, there are many strange animals on the Holy Mountain.”
They spoke about what they saw and Little Houqing listened very seriously, apparently curious.
Xie Xi asked him, “Would you like to go and have a look?”
Little Houqing held his clothes.
Xie Xi smiled at him. “I’ll accompany you.”
Little Houqing glanced at him. “No... trouble?”
“No.” Xie Xi wanted to take him out to get some air, as well as let him see the outside world and know he wasn’t an outsider.
“Let’s go.” Xie Xi told the flowers. “We’ll go see the Holy Mountain.”
Xie Xi left the flower world and saw the present Holy Mountain, which gave him a strange feeling. Perhaps it was because the time was too early? Why wasn’t it developed yet?
The jasmine yelled, “Wow, a big white rabbit!”
Little Houqing quickly looked over and Xie Xi also took a look.
Houqing blinked. “White rabbit?”
Xie Xi, “......”
How was this a rabbit? It was clearly a hurt tiger!
The jasmine wanted to catch the white rabbit and Xie Xi didn’t stop her. He just listened to a fierce roar in a childlike voice.
The jasmine was startled and started intently. “Wow, there is also a small white rabbit.”
Xie Xi saw a little white tiger the size of a cat.
The jasmine wanted to hug the ‘white rabbit.’ The white tiger might be small but he was fierce. He stood in front of a seriously injured white tiger, small claws sticking out and his posture vigilant. He also exposed little white teeth.
Fierce was fierce, cute was also cute!