53 A Family of Three
—Wow, the system finally decided to show up and fix the plot. Did the sky fall or something?
[Ding! The system heard that. Please refrain from speaking ill of this system behind its back.]
—You’re the one who shouldn’t be eavesdropping on my thoughts… Besides, I’m just stating the truth. You’re the most useless system I’ve ever seen. All you do is issue missions.
[This system’s full name is ‘Protagonist Acting System.’ It is the incarnation of destiny, one of the greatest existences of all time. The host can consult the user manual for detailed information.]
“…”
—You’re telling me now that there’s a user manual?!
[Host is a genius~]
Yan Zhen ignored the system and focused on the mission, relieved after reading the requirements.
All three were part of the original script and not difficult. The second one, “Bathe Long Ying,” was a bit troublesome, as he had no experience taking care of children. Moreover, Long Ying, like him, had a fire attribute and disliked water, becoming restless whenever she touched it.
She preferred magma baths.
Later, when Yan Zhen entered the volcanic secret realm to search for ores, Long Ying would dive into the magma and find a large fire crystal vein, saving him a lot of effort.
For now, he had to feed this little ancestor.
“Are you still hungry? If you are, I’ll take you to the dining hall. You can eat as much as you want.”
Long Ying quickly shook her head.
She remembered eating a massive amount of food at the dining hall in her previous life, making Yan Zhen max out his Tier 2 academy card. He was mortified, not expecting her to still be so hungry after three bottles of pills, solidifying her image as a “glutton” in his mind.
She couldn’t eat like that this time. It wasn’t ladylike. Yan Zhen preferred elegant women, whether it was Sister Cai Lian, Sister Xunyi, Holy Master Yun Xiu, or even the demonic woman from the Demon Realm.
However, Long Ying’s stomach betrayed her again with a loud growl.
“Grumble~”
/(//o/ω/o//)/
“You said you weren’t hungry. Let’s go, I’ll take you to the dining hall.”
“…Okay.”
The little Dragon Girl hopped off the chair, took Yan Zhen’s hand, and went to the dining hall with him.
Just as they went downstairs, Yan Zhen sensed something and looked up, seeing Zi Xunyi flying over from the cliffside building.
Not a spiritual avatar, but her physical body.
Zi Xunyi landed gracefully before Yan Zhen and Long Ying, her lavender hair and purple dress swirling around her like a goddess.
“Zi Ji? Why did you come out?”
“I sensed a unique aura…” Zi Xunyi glanced at Yan Zhen, then looked down at the little girl holding his hand. “Is this her?”
“You could sense her from so far away? Impressive.” Yan Zhen complimented her, then continued, “Yes, Senior Sister Yu Die found her in the Great Forest outside the academy. She was originally an egg and hatched after absorbing the power of the Great Crimson Skyfire.”
“Is she… a dragon?”
“According to her, yes. From the Dragon God Clan of the Eighth Continent.”
Zi Xunyi frowned slightly, then leaned down and asked gently, “Little girl, what’s your name?”
The little Dragon Girl giggled. “I’m Long Ying. ‘Long’ like dragon, ‘Ying’ like cherry blossom. Hello, Sister Xunyi.”
“Hello, Little Long Ying. I, eh—how do you know my name?”
“I not only know your name, but I also know you’re from the Celestial God Clan.”
“Did Yan Zhen tell you?”
Yan Zhen quickly denied it. “No, I didn’t.”
Long Ying puffed out her chest proudly. “No one told me. I already knew, because I am the one and only Dragon-Phoenix Divine Beast!”
“Have we met before?”
The territories of the Celestial God Clan and the Dragon God Clan were far apart, each with its own independent space. Their relationship was neutral, with little interaction. And they were both still young, so logically, they shouldn’t have met.
“We’ve met, but not before.” Seeing Zi Xunyi’s confused expression, Long Ying felt a sense of accomplishment, finally getting to be the enigmatic one. “Well, don’t worry about the details. Zhenzhen and I are going to the dining hall. Sister Xunyi, would you like to join us?”
Zi Xunyi hesitated, then looked at Yan Zhen, who smiled gently.
“Let’s go together.”
“Okay.”
Zi Xunyi naturally didn’t walk beside Yan Zhen but beside Long Ying, looking at her curiously.
She didn’t realize that the three of them, two adults and one child, walking together, looked like a family of three.
They attracted a lot of attention along the way.
Zi Xunyi’s beauty and elegance were unparalleled in the Inner Academy. Although she had only appeared a few times in the past two years, she left a lasting impression on everyone who saw her, some even falling in love at first sight.
And Long Ying, despite wearing Yan Zhen’s oversized shirt, which looked rather comical on her, was still an adorable pink-haired doll, her bright, emerald eyes incredibly captivating.
As for Yan Zhen, he was also a handsome young man, and with his performance in the special examination and his recent conflicts with the White Fang, many students recognized him.
So, the question was, why was the legendary “Purple-Clad Goddess” walking with the “number one freshman”? And with an adorable pink-haired loli between them!
Although they didn’t want to think too much about it, the scene inevitably led to speculation.
So, a group of students discreetly followed them, wanting to see what was going on.
The three of them naturally noticed but ignored them.
Arriving at the dining hall, Yan Zhen requested a private room and ordered every dish on the menu.
The chefs were efficient, and the table was quickly filled with food.
The meat was from Mystic Beasts, and the vegetables were Mystic Vegetables, but their grades weren’t high, ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 3.
“Eat. Order more if it’s not enough.”
Long Ying gulped. “Wouldn’t this be too expensive?”
—Why is this little Dragon Girl so sensible now?
Yan Zhen felt awkward.
“Just eat. Don’t worry about the money. I have two academy cards, a Tier 2 and a Tier 4. More than enough.”
“Then I’ll eat. Don’t be angry if I eat too much, okay?”
“Eat as much as you want. I won’t be angry.”
Hearing this, Long Ying finally started eating heartily, though much more elegantly than in her previous life, even nibbling on the chicken leg delicately.
“You eat too, Zi Ji.”
“Mm-hmm.”
At Yan Zhen’s urging, Zi Xunyi also picked up her chopsticks and ate a few bites.
Outside the private room, the students who had followed them were restless. One of them even bribed a waiter with pills to take his place, serving the food. Then, he saw the heartwarming scene inside:
The pink-haired loli eating with gusto, Yan Zhen wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, and Zi Xunyi watching them with a smile.
—This… this is a perfect picture of a family of three!
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