"Oh..."
"What are you all doing over there?" the President asked again.
"We went to the snow mountain," Lily Bai replied.
"What did you go to the snow mountain for?"
"To look for snow lotus seeds," Lily Bai started making things up. "Our Bai Corporation runs a cosmetics company, so we wanted to find snow lotus to plant and use in our products."
The President couldn't tell if he believed her or not, and just asked, "Did you find any?"
Lily Bai answered, "Nope! It was a wasted trip."
"Better not go over there too much these days!"
"Okay." Lily Bai could hear a hint of concern in his tone, but wondered if she was just imagining it. "Your Majesty, did you know Evan Lan since he was little?"
"Yes! I watched him be born and grow up."
Lily Bai's heart stirred, and she blurted out, "So, have you ever met his father?"
She still wanted to track down Evan Lan's direct relatives and investigate the missing Legacy Stone.
The President was silent for a moment, then replied, "I have."
Her eyes lit up. "Do you know where his father is now?"
But the President didn’t answer.
Lily Bai realized her question might sound a bit odd, so she explained, "I have something really important to discuss with him. But as the President, you’re so busy, maybe you wouldn’t notice these things..."
"What do you need him for?" the President asked.
Lily Bai thought for a moment and said, "It’s something really important for both me and Evan Lan. Your Majesty, if you know anything about him, could you please tell me?"
"Has Little Ev ever told you who his father is?"
Lily Bai replied, "Nope, never mentioned it."
The President gave a faint, almost bitter smile. "If you really want to know, you'd better ask him yourself."
He'd warned him not to disturb his father's life.
Otherwise, he'd disappear forever and never come back.
So, he didn't dare say anything...
"He won't tell me, that's why I'm asking you," Lily Bai said.
The President shook his head. "You keep fetching water, I have to go."
With that, he turned and left.
Lily Bai quickly stood up to see him off. "Your Majesty, be careful going down the mountain!"
The President nodded, took his bucket of water, and walked away.
Suddenly, Lily Bai felt a hint of mystery in the air.
Who exactly was Evan Lan's father?
Why did everyone seem so secretive about it?
Once she'd filled her bucket, Lily Bai stood up and spotted the writing Ms. Crowe had mentioned.
On the big boulder, at a lower spot, were four large characters: Subdue Monsters, Vanquish Demons.
The letters were carved deep into the stone, not very neat. It looked like they'd been scratched out with a child's finger.
Subdue monsters, vanquish demons... Was that his childhood dream?
Too bad he was born in the wrong era.
These days, there are no monsters, no demons.
Suddenly, she reached out and, with her finger, stubbornly scratched four characters onto the stone: Grow Up First.
When she finished, she chuckled to herself and carried the water away.
Back home, Lily Bai saw Evan Lan still sunning himself outside.
She called out to Ms. Crowe, "Ms. Crowe, I'm back with the water! Should I give him a drink?"
Ms. Crowe replied, "Yes, while it's fresh, give him a little extra."
"Okay." Lily Bai poured the water into the watering can and started watering Evan Lan.
"I climbed all the way to the top of the mountain to get this water for you. Does it taste good?" Lily Bai teased as she poured.
After Evan Lan drank the water, he looked even greener and more vibrant, mysterious and full of life.
Lily Bai flicked the water off his leaves and joked, "I saw the characters you carved when you were a kid. They’re ugly."
Just as she finished speaking, her finger suddenly stung as if pricked by a needle.