Nie Chongyang offered Ye Tiancheng sincere apologies.
"It's our fault for not arriving in time and being unable to rescue them," he said. "We have failed your trust. We are sorry."
Ye Tiancheng came to his senses upon hearing Nie Chongyang's words. Despite being battered, his body felt like it was on the verge of collapse, yet he maintained a sliver of rationality. He said to Nie Chongyang, "You cannot be blamed for this. I am not unreasonable. This is a personal grievance between me and Fatty. You have already done a great deal."
After speaking, he waved his hand and looked towards Long Miaomiao. If Hou Mingzhu and the others were safe, Ye Tiancheng could have focused on healing. But with Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng's fate unknown, how could Ye Tiancheng possibly remain at ease? He had to go.
Ye Tiancheng then took his leave of Long Miaomiao. "Thank you for your care during this time. Your kindness is beyond words. In the future, I, Ye Tiancheng, will repay you with utmost dedication. However, my wife and daughter are currently in danger, their lives uncertain. I have no peace of mind to continue my recovery."
"Therefore, I must take my leave."
Long Miaomiao had been somewhat stunned upon hearing about Ye Tiancheng's situation. When Ye Tiancheng spoke to her, she reacted a beat slower, only then realizing what he was saying.
She asked Ye Tiancheng, "You are leaving?"
Ye Tiancheng nodded, his expression resolute. "My wife and daughter are in peril. How can I rest easy? I must go. I will return, no matter what, to repay your kindness, but I must leave now."
Long Miaomiao lowered her head, lost in thought. After a long while, Ye Tiancheng heard her say, "If that is the case, then take me with you. I had originally intended to leave this place, as I have not ventured out for many years. When I saved you, I thought that saving your life would be enough to ask you to take me out to see the world. It should not be too much to ask."
"The debt of saving my life is not a great matter to me. Therefore, all I require is for you to take me out for a journey, and that will suffice. Moreover, since I know that your wife and daughter are in danger, perhaps I can be of some assistance if you bring me along. What do you think?"
Ye Tiancheng was taken aback by Long Miaomiao's words. He paused, but seeing her expression, he knew she was being exceptionally serious and not speaking lightly. "You have already saved my life. How can I ask you to trouble yourself for my wife and daughter?"
"Although I know that with your abilities, you might indeed be of great help to me, I cannot possibly ask for more when I have not yet repaid your immense kindness."
It was impossible for Ye Tiancheng to be completely unmoved. After all, having a dragon by his side could offer immeasurable assistance, which Ye Tiancheng could well imagine. However, Ye Tiancheng was also acutely aware of the unexpected dangers of the outside world. He could not, for his own sake, not only burden Long Miaomiao with his affairs but also drag her into peril.
Ye Tiancheng explained the risks to Long Miaomiao. "You may not know, but you have been here for perhaps a thousand years. You might have a good impression of humans and believe that most people are worth saving. However, the truth is that human greed is boundless. If some people were to discover that a dragon was walking the earth, they would undoubtedly covet you, wishing to skin you alive and devour you."
"If it were any other time, and you wished to go out for a stroll, I would have no reason to refuse, out of gratitude. I would certainly protect you and ensure you had a pleasant time. But now, with my wife and daughter in trouble, if we go out, I fear I will not have the energy to pay attention to your safety."
"It is not that I am unwilling to do such a simple thing, but I truly cannot manage it at the moment, nor can I, for my own selfish reasons, put you in a dangerous situation."
These words were not Ye Tiancheng exaggerating. Sometimes, human greed was truly astonishing. Without witnessing it firsthand, one could not imagine what humans were capable of doing for their desires. Ye Tiancheng, as a human, understood these matters very well.
Long Miaomiao would undoubtedly be in grave danger if she ventured into the outside world. This was because, at least openly, dragons did not roam the outside world. If they did, there would not be legends of dragons appearing in the world for so many years. This indicated that even if dragons truly existed in this world, they would not voluntarily reveal themselves to humans. Thus, only legends remained, and few had truly seen a dragon. This was not surprising. As Ye Tiancheng had said earlier, human greed could lead people to commit heinous acts for their desires. Furthermore, the legendary dragon race was said to be a treasure trove. Long Miaomiao was a kind dragon, harboring great goodwill towards humans. Otherwise, she would not have saved him. However, such a Long Miaomiao in the outside world would be like the flesh of a Tang Monk in the eyes of many.
Ye Tiancheng worried that if Long Miaomiao's identity were exposed in the outside world, she might meet with misfortune. Ye Tiancheng could not rest easy and could only try to persuade Long Miaomiao not to act impulsively. If it were any other time, and Long Miaomiao wanted to go out, Ye Tiancheng would definitely do his best to protect her. But now, with the need to save Hong Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng, how could Ye Tiancheng possibly attend to Long Miaomiao? Therefore, if he were to take Long Miaomiao out of here under such circumstances, and something happened to her, Ye Tiancheng would never be able to accept it. If his actions harmed his savior, Ye Tiancheng would absolutely not be able to bear it. Thus, even though Ye Tiancheng had been tempted by the potential assistance of a dragon, he had not immediately agreed to Long Miaomiao's request. This was because Ye Tiancheng was not such a selfish person.
However, after listening to Ye Tiancheng's explanation, Long Miaomiao became even more determined to leave. Ye Tiancheng and Long Miaomiao argued, but neither could convince the other. In the end, Ye Tiancheng compromised. After all, Long Miaomiao was still a dragon, with a special identity and immense power. It would not be easy for ordinary people to harm her. If Long Miaomiao stayed by Ye Tiancheng's side, he could barely protect her. Moreover, Long Miaomiao's will was firm, and Ye Tiancheng could not dissuade her, so he could only accept it. Long Miaomiao was acting out of good intentions, and if he continued to refuse, it would seem ungrateful.
Finally, because Ye Tiancheng and Long Miaomiao had reached an understanding, and knowing that Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng were in trouble, they dared not delay any longer. Ye Tiancheng immediately began to plan his departure, while Long Miaomiao also prepared her belongings, ready to follow Ye Tiancheng and leave the Crystal Dragon Palace where she had lived for thousands of years. Long Miaomiao truly desired to go out. Otherwise, when she saved Ye Tiancheng, she would not have so strongly wished for him to take her to see the outside world and have some fun once he recovered. However, at this moment, Long Miaomiao's thoughts were not solely focused on this. A sense of curiosity and an unknown feeling had also arisen. Long Miaomiao was genuinely eager to see what Ye Tiancheng's wife and daughter looked like and what kind of people they were. Long Miaomiao did not know why she felt this way, but she did. She had always possessed immense power and acted as she pleased, without any restraints. When she wanted to do something, she had to do it, without considering self-control; she acted on her thoughts. Therefore, Long Miaomiao's attitude was so resolute, unwilling to yield even half an inch to Ye Tiancheng. She did not know why she wanted to meet Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng, but once she did, she would know what she wanted. Because of her identity and power, Long Miaomiao had always been able to obtain whatever she desired. When she understood what she wanted, she would naturally strive to achieve it with all her might. What she wanted, she had to obtain at all costs.