Chapter 68 The Dragon Fish Importance

"Look."

Little Ancestor grabbed Xue Yao’s wrist and pulled her toward the pond. The playful expression he had been wearing disappeared completely. He stood quietly at the water’s edge for a moment before pointing at the golden fish swimming beneath the lotus leaves.

"Do you see them?"

Xue Yao nodded, still not understanding why he suddenly looked so serious.

"They’re Dragon Golden Fish." He said.

"I know." Xue Yao replied with a frown.

"No..." He slowly shook his head. "You don’t."

His gaze remained on the pond, and when he spoke again, his voice was much quieter than before. "Those aren’t just spirit beasts. They’re the last gift my parents ever left behind."

Xue Yao froze.

Little Ancestor watched the fish swimming lazily through the clear water, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke.

"My father and mother discovered the first pair many years ago." A faint smile appeared on his face, but it didn’t last long. "Back then, they were still young. Brother wasn’t even the Alpha yet... and I wasn’t born."

He lowered his eyes. "They spent years searching for them. Dragon Golden Fish are almost impossible to find, and even if someone finds them, they can’t simply catch them. My parents nearly died bringing that pair back."

His fingers slowly tightened at his sides. "Not long after they returned I was born..." He stopped. When he spoke again, his voice had become noticeably softer, the arrogant tone in voice completely vanished. "They never came home from their next expedition."

Silence settled between them. The evening breeze rippled across the pond, sending small waves through the water. Several golden fish swam lazily beneath the surface, completely unaware they had become the center of the conversation.

Little Ancestor watched them quietly. "Those two fish were the last thing they ever brought back for us."

His eyes followed one of the smaller fish as it disappeared beneath a lotus leaf. "Brother refused to let anyone move them somewhere safer. He said this courtyard was where Father released them with his own hands, so this was where they would stay."

He smiled faintly. "Every generation they produced... every little fish that hatched...They weren’t just descendants. They were our parents’ last gift."

Xue Yao’s fingers slowly curled at her sides. She looked back at the pond. Then she remembered the six fish she had proudly lined up on the table.

The way she had divided them into portions. The way she had smiled while saying they tasted only a little better than ordinary fish.

A knot slowly formed in her chest. She had thought they were just expensive fish. She had never imagined...

"They’re... family." The words slipped out before she realized she had spoken.

Little Ancestor nodded quietly. "In a way. We grew up watching them." He paused before continuing. "When I was little, Brother used to bring me here whenever I missed Father and Mother."

His eyes softened with the memory. "He never talked much. He’d just stand beside the pond with me until I stopped crying." A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I used to think the fish recognized us."

He laughed softly through his nose. "They probably didn’t as their cultivation level was not high. But every time I came here...I felt like Mother and Father hadn’t completely left us."

Xue Yao lowered her head. A wave of guilt quietly washed over her. She had spent the whole day thinking Lie Lang had overreacted. ’Bai Xue Yao! You have outdone yourself again! This time in the worst way possible!!!’

Thinking everyone in the White Moon Wolf Clan was crazy for making such a fuss over a few fish.

Now... She wasn’t so sure anymore.

She thought about how casually she had caught them. How proudly she had cooked them. How she had offered one to Lie Lang as though she were doing him a favor.

Then... She remembered his eyes. Those were not just anger, there was grief beneath it.

’...I was wrong.’

For the first time since everything happened, she truly understood why he had almost killed her. She closed her eyes for a moment before quietly saying, "...I’m sorry."

Little Ancestor looked at her.

"I really didn’t know." Her voice had become much softer. "If I had known they were the last thing your parents left behind..." She slowly shook her head. "I would’ve rather starved."

She thought about the way Lie Lang had looked at the half-eaten fish on her plate. At the time, she thought he was angry because she ate his expensive fish.

Now she realized... He hadn’t been looking at the fish. He had been looking at something he could never get back.

The thought settled heavily in her chest. "...I really was awful," she murmured, almost to herself.

Little Ancestor glanced at her.

"I honestly thought they were just rare spirit beasts." She shook her head sadly. "I was even wondering why everyone looked so heartbroken over a few fish."

She lowered her head. "If someone had explained it to me from the beginning..." She shook her head slowly. "No... that’s not fair either."

She let out another sigh. "I should’ve asked before I started catching things that didn’t belong to me."

The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became. Remembering it now made her wish she could disappear into the ground. "...No wonder he looked at me like that and hates me now."

After a moment, he quietly said, "Brother isn’t very good at explaining things."

Xue Yao gave him a helpless look. "I’ve noticed."

"He probably assumed no one would ever be crazy enough to cook them."

"...That’s fair." Xue Yao muttered under her breath.

Little Ancestor nodded seriously. "You’re the first."

Xue Yao covered her face with one hand. "...Please stop."

"I wasn’t trying to make you feel worse." Little Ancestor said with a frown.

"You succeeded... I just feel so stupid." Xue Yao let out another deep sigh, already thinking of ways to make up to the siblings... especially Lie Lang.

After a while, Little Ancestor suddenly cleared his throat and straightened his robes as though he had just remembered something important.

"Hmph." He folded his arms behind his back and lifted his chin, trying his best to look dignified.

"I’m only helping you because I need a personal cook."

Xue Yao slowly looked at him.

He continued speaking with complete seriousness. "So don’t misunderstand. I definitely don’t feel sorry for you."

She stared at him for several seconds before the corners of her lips slowly lifted. "...You’re terrible at pretending."

His eyes widened. "I-I am not pretending!"

"You are." Xue Yao teased.

"I’m not!" Little Ancestor refuted.

"You climbed over the wall just to make sure I wouldn’t starve."

Little Ancestor’s ears immediately turned bright red. "Th-That’s because..." He pointed at her, clearly flustered. "Because if you starve, who’s going to cook for me?"

Xue Yao raised an eyebrow. "So that’s your reason?"

"Of course!" He nodded so hard that his white hair bounced.

"I’ve finally found someone who cooks better than the palace chefs. It would be a huge loss if you starved to death."

She couldn’t help smiling. "Is that all?"

"...And..." He hesitated. His confident expression faltered for just a moment before he quickly looked away. "...Brother already punished you."

His voice became noticeably quieter. "So... that’s enough."