Chapter 83: Naming?

The little fellow was so angry that his face turned pale. He bared his teeth, fixing Chang Yu with a ferociously childish glare, his voice full of babyish fury:

“This is the first time I’ve ever met someone as shameless as you.”

“What kind of grudge do we have? Why do you keep trying to take advantage of me, you turtle spawn?”

He yanked the small gourd from atop his head, clutching it tightly in his palm, and declared with venom:

“Looks like if I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll never know why the flowers are so red!”

“Oh, you think you’re tough!” Chang Yu, provoked by the little one, got riled up too.

Rolling up his sleeves and flexing his arms, he brandished his fist, as big as a casserole, at the little guy: “Come on, who’s afraid of who?”

“I’ve been sick of looking at you for ages! You made me suffer so much, went through so many hardships, and you won’t even call me Dad!”

“You have no idea how painful it was giving birth to you. Daring to act cocky in front of your father—I think you’re just asking for a beating!”

With that, Chang Yu lunged, pinning the little fellow down in an instant, and reached out to smack his backside.

“Smack!”

A solid slap landed, leaving the little one stunned. His cheeks flushed red.

“You dare hit me? I won’t let this go today!”

Furious and humiliated, the little fellow flailed his short legs, desperately trying to escape Chang Yu’s grip—but failed.

After all, he was just a child. How could he possibly contend with an adult like Chang Yu?

In his desperation, the little one raised the gourd in his hand, aiming its mouth at Chang Yu, muttering something under his breath.

A surge of red light poured from the gourd’s opening, and fierce flames erupted as if from a geyser, shooting straight for Chang Yu’s face.

“Damn!”

At the critical moment, Chang Yu shouted and jerked his head aside, narrowly dodging the burst of fire from the gourd.

The red flame roared past his ear, shooting upward over a meter high, nearly reaching the ceiling.

Fortunately, the flames vanished as quickly as they appeared; otherwise, with that kind of heat, the house might have caught fire.

“That was close, so close! Nearly got my face ruined.”

He touched the singed hair at his temple, catching a whiff of burnt odor. Remembering the searing heat as the flame swept by his ear, Chang Yu felt lingering fear.

He wasn’t handsome to begin with; if his face got burned, he’d be beyond saving.

“Hmph! Now you know how formidable I am, don’t you?”

Seizing the moment while Chang Yu was distracted, the little fellow wriggled free from his grasp, standing triumphantly at the head of the bed, his face full of swagger.

Truth be told, Chang Yu wasn’t fond of stooping to a child’s level or bullying him just for the sake of it.

He needed to make the little one understand that Chang Yu was the true authority in this household.

If he didn’t want the boy to oppose him at every turn, it was best to subdue him once and for all, saving trouble in the future.

But what he hadn’t expected was that this little fellow was far from easy to deal with.

Judging from what had just happened, if Chang Yu really fought him, he might not come out on top.

Still, surrendering so quickly in front of the little guy? Chang Yu couldn’t bring himself to do that.

As the stalemate grew between the two, Katerina, who had been watching the drama from the sidelines, finally spoke up:

“I have a suggestion…”

“Rather than staying at an impasse, why don’t we all calm down and talk things over?”

“What’s there to talk about with him?” Chang Yu grumbled, but still sat in a chair, quietly waiting for the little fellow to speak.

“I was born in a place called the Poria Valley, rich in spiritual energy and bathed in sunlight,” the little fellow rested his chin in his hands, sitting at the edge of the bed, his short legs swinging, his face full of reminiscence.

“I had already been nurtured for a thousand years, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, sun and moon, and developed a spark of spiritual consciousness.”

“If things had continued like that, in a few hundred years I would have naturally taken human form, becoming free and unfettered.”

“But unexpectedly, a few years ago, a white-bearded old man dug me up and sealed me in a gourd.”

“He said thousand-year-old poria was rare and precious, perfect for medicine and alchemy, so he locked me up in a small dark room.”

“That room was actually a thatched hut, equipped with a magical formation designed to suppress spiritual herbs like me.”

“At the time, I hadn’t yet taken human form; I wasn’t as powerful as I am now. I tried to escape, but failed because of the formation.”

“The formation in that hut was so strong that unless someone took me out, I could never leave.”

“For countless days and nights, I cursed that white-bearded old man who locked me away.”

“If that old bastard hadn’t dug me out of the earth, I’d still be enjoying life in the valley!”

“How could I be confined in a dark, miserable little hut, suffering for years crammed in a tiny gourd?”

“I’m telling you, I’d better not run into him again—if I do, I’ll risk my little life to beat him to death!”

At this point, the little fellow’s expression turned indignant.

He gripped the bed sheet with both hands, his small body trembling, chest heaving violently.

Clearly, he was genuinely angry.

“White-bearded old man? Is he… could it be Master Hao Er?” Chang Yu listened to the boy’s bitter complaint, laughing dryly, feeling awkward.

If he remembered correctly, Master Hao Er was the only white-bearded old man in the Poria Valley.

So the little guy’s current predicament was all Hao Er’s fault?

As Hao Er’s chief disciple—and only disciple—Chang Yu could only laugh awkwardly, unable to comfort the boy.

After all, it was his master who had caused all this.

Wait!

Suddenly, a flash of white light struck Chang Yu’s mind.

He stared blankly at the aggrieved little fellow, waves of shock rising in his heart.

“You just said you were sealed in a gourd before?”

Chang Yu hastily seized upon the key words and asked.

“Yes, so what’s so strange about that?” the boy replied matter-of-factly.

“Locked in a gourd, kept in a thatched hut…” Chang Yu’s thoughts raced; he stiffly turned his head to look at the two large gourds sitting quietly on the bedside table.

The clues all connected in an instant. He suddenly felt he had uncovered the truth.

Could it be…?

“You guessed right.” The little fellow extended a tiny hand, pointing at the large gourd on the bedside table.

“I was inside that gourd until recently, when you brought me here.”

“Then, while you were asleep, I slipped out through the loosened mouth of the gourd and crawled into your belly.”

A thunderclap exploded in Chang Yu’s heart, leaving him reeling as if struck by lightning, inside and out.

“So that’s it, that’s it…” Chang Yu murmured dazedly, startling Katerina beside him.

“Hey! Chang Yu, are you alright?” Katerina waved her hand in front of his eyes, concerned.

Chang Yu, as if possessed, ignored her gestures, muttering:

“I knew it—even with my exceptional talent, there has to be a limit!”

“Bringing back things like hairpins and spirit stones from dreams is one thing, but even bringing back a child is just too unscientific.”

“Chang Yu, are you sure you’re alright?” Alarmed by his state, Katerina gave him a shove.

Snapping out of his trance, Chang Yu saw Katerina’s worried face.

“Oh, I’m fine.” He still looked dazed.

“Just a bit startled—thought I’d have to get pregnant every now and then!”

At that, Chang Yu glanced at the little fellow, swallowing nervously:

“Looks like the miraculous medicine Master spoke of was you after all—perfect for treating infertility!”

“This medicine really is miraculous. If even a man like me can have a child after taking it, imagine what it could do for Wang’s wife.”

“What a shame, what a shame… such a precious remedy, and I ended up eating it myself.”

“Brother Wang, I really let you down this time. I did my best, honestly!”

“Wait, wait a minute!” The little fellow’s expression flickered from confusion to shock, then anger, pain, despair, and finally calm. “Did you just say—treats infertility?”

“Uh…” Chang Yu nodded miserably.

“Pah!” The little fellow exploded, “Can you stop insulting me?”

“I’m a poria, what’s with the infertility treatment? Don’t you know anything?”

“Huh?” Chang Yu was speechless.

Truth be told, he’d never had much education and really didn’t know the properties of poria.

“Let me explain!” Katerina interjected coolly.

“Poria, commonly known as cloud poria or pine poria, is a fungus parasitic on pine roots, shaped like a sweet potato.”

“It has diuretic, anti-swelling, spleen-strengthening, anti-diarrheal, heart-tonic, and calming effects—but none for infertility.”

In her area of expertise, Katerina was confident and commanding, a veteran of health science for over a decade.

“So that means…” Hearing this, Chang Yu’s eyes immediately lit up as he looked at the bedside table.

If the little fellow had no effect on infertility,

Then he must have picked up the wrong one.

The real miraculous medicine for infertility must still be safely housed in the other large gourd.

Thinking of Wang finally having hope for a life full of children and grandchildren, tears streamed down Chang Yu’s cheeks.

Brother Wang, you really are saved this time!

“Now that everything’s clear,” Katerina chose her words carefully, “shouldn’t we discuss a plan?”

“What plan?” Chang Yu asked.

“For instance, giving our little friend here a name?” Katerina said solemnly.

“Hmm… come to think of it, I don’t actually have a name yet,” the little fellow pondered, stroking his chin.

“That’s true—what name would suit?” Chang Yu thought hard for a while.

“I’m terrible at naming. Maybe Lucky, Prosper, or Dogson?”

“No way!” The little fellow jumped up. “If you dare give me any of those names, I’ll finish you!”

“How about… Yangyang?” Katerina, ignoring the arguing duo, gazed at the rising sun outside the window, struck by inspiration.

Just like the sun rising in the sky—bright and cheerful, she thought.