The Inverted Dragon's Scale

“Little Star is me.” The girl with the top knot bun on the left said.

“The portrait I bought looks a bit like you.”

“That really happened?” Li Muyang exclaimed. He had been in Tiandu for so many days, but no one had told him that his portrait had been selling so well in the capital. “What did they paint me like?”

“Only a pair of eyes can be seen.”

“Black?”

“Yes. So dark that only a pair of eyes could be seen.” Song Chenxi looked at Li Muyang, wondering which bad person would deliberately defame others to make a profit. Gongzi Muyang was as tall as bamboo, handsome and talented. He was one of the most graceful Gongzis in the entire Tiandu. She also thought it was ridiculous when she saw the portrait. How could someone be this black? Now that she saw him in person, her speculation at that time was right. “Gongzi Muyang is very handsome.”

Li Muyang’s pale face slightly reddened, once again he deeply bowed his head: “Miss Song is over complimenting me. But you didn’t really waste your money on the portrait, I indeed was really dark when I was young. So dark that——only my pair of eyes could be seen.”

“Is that right?” Song Chenxi’s eyes widened, evidently unwilling to believe it. “Why did you become so white now?”

“I’ll tell Miss Song a story.” Li Muyang said.

“Great. I really like to hear stories.” The topknot bun girl on the left applauded.

“I like stories too. Is it the story of the young dragon slayer?” The topknot bun girl on the right exclaimed.

“Little Star, Little moon, don’t interrupt.” Song Chenxi seemed to really spoil the two little servant girls and couldn’t bear to scold them. “Quiet. Listen to Gongzi Muyang’s story.”

“It’s the story of an ugly duckling.” Li Muyang smiled. “Once upon a time, there was an ugly duckling, and he was ugly, very ugly. All the ducklings hated him and did not want to play with him. The ugly duckling was very upset, and said to his mother, ‘Mother, Mother, everyone say I am ugly and don’t want to play with me’. Mother duck hugged the ugly duckling and said in a comforting voice, ‘silly child, one day, you will become the most beautiful duckling, you will become the most dazzling existence among the ducks’. The ugly duckling cheered up a little having listened to his Mother’s words. ‘I must work hard, I want to become the most beautiful duck. So, the ugly duckling left home, experienced the wind and frost, and suffered a tough life————”

“In the end the ugly duckling became beautiful, right?” Song Chenxi asked with a look of anticipation.

“The ugly duckling was eaten,” said Li Muyang. “A hunter discovered him by a small river, so he shot an arrow at him. The hunter took the ugly duckling back, plucked his feathers, cleaned him, and cooked him with mountain bamboo shoots. It is said that the taste was very good.”

“————”

The three girls in the carriage stared at Li Muyang with their eyes wide open and their mouths gaping.

“The ugly duckling——-was eaten?” Little Star asked. Li Muyang was finally able to tell the difference between the two little girls. There was a small birthmark on Little Star’s forehead, while Little Moon’s eyes were a little narrower and looked a little more mature.

“How could he have been eaten? The hunter———ate the protagonist of the story?”

“That’s right.” Li Muyang nodded. “If you see an ugly duckling on the side of the road, will you take it back and eat it?”

The two girls vigorously shook their heads, implying that they would never eat the ugly duckling.

With a smile on his face, Li Muyang said, “But hunters will. For hunters, rabbits are meat, and ducks are also meat. Is it not a normal thing to change taste from time to time?”

“You——told me a story——” Song Chenxi’s chest heaved up and down as she gasped for breath, “the story——is it not——not to comfort me?”

“Yes,” Li Muyang nodded earnestly, “Do you understand?”

“Understand what?” “

“Why was the ugly duckling eaten by a hunter?”

“Because——he left his family?”

“Because he has ambitions that don’t match up to his strength.” Li Muyang stated. “If he did not want to become the most beautiful duckling, did not want to become the most dazzling existence of ducks, then he will certainly be living with his parents and families, living happily and peacefully, and will never encounter hunters and be eaten by them.”

“Are you trying to say——”

“Yes.” Li Muyang nodded. “You are already the princess of the Song family, the most dazzling existence of the capital city. Therefore, you only need to do your best in painting. There is no need to deliberately pursue being ranked and entering the realms. That’s what people who have nothing wants to do, why do you force yourself like that?”

“Will I be eaten by hunters?”

“No, you’re going to be eaten by yourself.” Li Muyang said with a smile.

“Hey, what do you mean?” Little star stared furiously at Li Muyang, and grunted, “Why do you say that about our Miss?”

“Apologise. Apologise immediately to our Miss.”

“Little Star, Little Moon——” Song Chenxi scolded, and her bright starry eyes swept to Li Muyang, softly uttering, “I understand. I’ll take note of it.”

“I’m glad you understand. Then the ugly duckling did not die in vain.” Li Muyang drew back the corners of his mouth in a grin.

Little Star and Little Moon exchanged a glance, looking confused.

But the young Miss did not let them speak again, and they dared not to question Li Muyang again.

“Chenxi has a request, I don’t know if it is appropriate.” Song Chenxi looked at Li Muyang, blushing shyly.

“Miss Song, just let me know.” Li Muyang urged. He couldn’t bear to refuse the girl’s request. If it were not too much.

“I’d like to ask Gongzi Muyang to give me a painting.” Song Chenxi mumbled, then felt that it was too shameful to force someone to paint for her she hurriedly explained, “I will certainly repay you with a generous gift.”

“I really don’t mind if there’s a gift or not. I agree to Miss Song’s request. When I have created a good enough painting, I will certainly bring it to your residence.”

“No, I want———” Song Chenxi lowered her voice, he red face growing redder, and her voice murmured, “I want Gongzi Muayng to draw a picture of me——”

Li Muyang suddenly realised, earnestly nodded: “I will do my best to show Miss graceful bearing.”

“As long as you do it with all your heart.” Song Chenxi, sitting upright in the carriage inside, lifted her large sleeves and deeply bowed to Li Muyang. “Thank you for your trouble.”

After bidding goodbye to Song Chenxi, Li Muyang returned to his carriage.

Thinking of Song Chenxi’s request, it was somewhat ironic.

The powerful and prestigious families had many artists to create portraits of the elders, so as to leave a memory for future generations.

Given Song Chenxi’s status and the degree of her being dearly loved by the Song family, she could have found any artist she wants. She could even hire the Palace painters of West Wind Palace.

Why would she want to find Li Muayng to paint her?

“Because I’m better than everyone else.” Li Muyang solemnly nodded, thinking that the ancient saying really was right: It was always good to have more skills. The more things a person knows, the easier it is for them to live.

It was originally just an interest, but there would unexpectedly be such a harvest from it.

Later on he must check on the black dragon’s memory. In his long life, he really had learnt a lot of magical skills and cultivation techniques. Li Muyang thought that he should learn more since it may become useful at some point.

“In time, who will the title of the most beautiful man be given to but me?” Li Muyang thought.

The heavens had pity on him. The trash youngster of Jiangnan city in the past, the charcoal pig, had become a handsome and graceful young man known across the divine continent———Did they know how hard Li Muyang had worked for this?

“Uncle Luo, let’s go home.” Li Muyang said aloud, “Grandfather Lu and others are waiting at home. They must be worried if we’re not back.”

Luo Xu flicked his whip and drove the carriage forward again. He knew that Li Muyang’s worry was very reasonable. Given how the Lu family treated the youngster, they must be anxiously waiting for him to come back from meeting the renowned eye of the Starry Sky, Song Gudu,?

Inside the ox carriage, Little Star and Little moon looked pitifully at their young Miss.

“Miss, that Li Muayng is a bad person, Miss don’t talk to him in the future.”

“Yes, the duckling is so cute, how would it be eaten by hunters? He’s a bad guy.”

Song Chenxi smiled, reached out to pinch the two little girl’s pretty faces. “He has kind intentions.”

“Kind intention? What kind of kind intention? The story he told was not good at all, and he said that he would eat the duckling, and said that Miss would be eaten by herself———”

“That’s because you’re both silly girls.” Song Chenxi clasped the heater, her body softly leaned against the thick blanket in the carriage. Only then did the temperature of her body rise a little, and did not feel the cold outside. “He’s right, I’ll be eaten myself. Everyone should do what they can, why bring trouble to oneself?”

“I do like painting, but my body——is too weak. If I were to work as hard as I did in the past, I——most likely that even Grandfather may not be able to save me again. Last time Grandfather had repeatedly warned me to not paint any more. It was only after I begged him again and again that he allowed me to draw a little every day———If I had too strong of an ambition, hope to get myself through the door of painting and enter the realms, then what I needed to invest was not something that my body could bear.”