novelraw Chapter 244
Chapter 244
Chapter 244: Young Dragon
Night fell.
Everything was immersed in this deep tranquility, the moonlight like fine silk penetrating the dense canopy, dappling the ground.
The towering branches and leaves swayed in the wind, rustling like countless wind chimes ringing softly in the ears.
The night in the Osiris Forest was exceptionally cold.
Xia Li threw two pieces of damp firewood into the bonfire, clapped his hands, and sat down on a clean boulder.
The damp firewood crackled and popped in the flames, sparks flying in all directions, reflecting in Xia Li’s dark eyes.
Nighttime was the most active period for magical beasts.
Danger lurked in the unseen dark corners of the forest.
For a battle-hardened Brave Hero, this was the time to be extra vigilant. “You rest, I’ll keep watch.”
Lucia sat behind Xia Li, their backs against each other.
She propped her hands on the warm stone, her gentle eyes gazing at the bonfire and then at the man beside her.
Without even thinking, Lucia could already guess Xia Li’s thoughts.
For the safety of the young dragon, Xia Li would definitely stay up all night.
But after returning to Azure Continent, Xia Li was still the human Xia Li, while Lucia was no longer the slender and delicate girl.
Back on Earth, due to the lack of magic power, Lucia was constantly in a weakened state, so she often received Xia Li’s care. She had to rely on him for all matters, big and small, in daily life.
But now it was different.
Now Lucia could be said to be back at her peak.
A roar, shaking the heavens and earth.
A shake, causing the ground to tremble!
With such a strong body, let alone staying awake for two days, as long as she didn’t slack off, she could go without sleep for three months.
Therefore, she should be the one keeping watch tonight.
Although it didn’t matter if she didn’t keep watch, the aura of a giant dragon was enough to deter the surrounding beasts…
But in order to let Xia Li rest assured, it was better to coax him verbally first.
Xia Li withdrew his gaze from the flames and turned his head slightly to look over.
Under the moonlight, the girl had delicate features, a straight nose without losing its softness, and cheeks that were naturally rosy without any makeup.
When she looked at Xia Li, her light brown eyes were filled with affection, as if gazing at her own treasure, her gaze almost tangible.
Their eyes met for only two seconds before Lucia looked away first.
“What?”
She turned her head back, feeling inexplicably nervous.
“Beautiful, I love looking at you.” Xia Li said with a smile.
“…”
Suddenly being complimented, Lucia seemed at a loss.
She felt like she had been teased by the bad Brave Hero.
Xia Li hadn’t done anything, yet she was reminded of scenes from TV dramas where the domineering CEO would lift the little wife’s chin and say ‘Woman, look at me’ with a certain evil smile.
No, no…
Lucia quickly shook her head.
She had watched too many cheesy TV dramas!
“Let’s sleep together.”
Xia Li drew the Demon Repelling Sword from behind him and then thrust it forcefully into the ground.
The magic ripples emanating from the artifact could scare away those demons with intelligence, while the aura of a giant dragon would make those beasts that lived solely on instinct fear.
The combination of Brave Hero and giant dragon was truly complementary in the wild.
Lucia glanced at him and didn’t say much.
In the blink of an eye, a majestic giant dragon appeared behind Xia Li.
The adult dragon shifted her body, finding a comfortable angle to lie down.
Opposite the bonfire, in front of the adult dragon, the young dragon had long since curled up and fallen into a deep sleep.
Sometimes Lucia had to admire her own carefree nerves…
She could actually sleep so soundly in the wild?
And in front of a stranger?
It was a miracle that she had survived to adulthood in Azure Continent with all her limbs intact!
The surroundings quickly quieted down.
The big dragon curled up in a big circle, the little dragon curled up in a small circle, the two dragons sleeping together with Xia Li as the center.
Adult Lucia hooked her thick dragon tail, possessively wrapping it around her belly and in front of Xia Li, as if trying to encircle him within her territory.
The young dragon, on the other hand, lay sleeping carefree. Her slightly weak dragon wings drooped on either side of her body, rolled up like a blanket around her dragon head, her four paws tucked under her belly, curling herself up into a ball.
Although there was a big difference in length between the big dragon and the little dragon, it was not difficult to see that their sleeping postures were exactly the same.
Xia Li leaned back, hugging the sword sheath, resting against the big dragon’s warm neck.
Lucia was right.
Dragon scales, when extremely relaxed, were quite soft.
Scales were more insulating than feathers, and sleeping on them felt like soaking in a 42-degree hot spring, very warm and comfortable.
The warm orange firelight shone on the two dragons and one human, the flames crackling.
The soft sound of the little dragon’s sleep escaped from her nostrils.
The big dragon was quite disgusted with ‘herself’.
She covered her ears with her claws, pulled the human in front of her closer, nudged him with her big nose, her every move showing her strong possessiveness.
Xia Li sighed, his large hand gently stroking the huge dragon scales beside him, his movements slow and gentle.
After a long time, the big dragon’s deep sleeping breaths gradually came.
The breathing rhythm of the big and small dragons was perfectly synchronized.
Xia Li slowly opened his eyes a slit, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
This Osiris Forest, where he had been lost countless times, actually gave him the warmth that only home could provide.
This feeling of peace of mind, only Lucia could give him.
If only he could take the young Lucia home with him this time…
Xia Li thought greedily.
But obviously, that was impossible.
The young Lucia would leave this place and spend her long but peaceful childhood.
Until she reached adulthood, they would meet again.
A dreamless night.
◈◈◈
The next day.
As the strange birds circled in the forest, emitting shrill and mournful cries.
The silver young dragon suddenly opened her eyes.
She had slept well last night!
As consciousness returned, ‘Lucia’ quickly recalled what had happened yesterday.
Because she had eaten too much, her body needed a lot of energy to digest the food, so she had fallen asleep as soon as she lay down.
Completely forgetting that there was a dangerous human beside her!
However…
It was strange.
She didn’t sense anything to be wary of from this mysterious man in black.
This was very rare in the entire history of human and dragon interactions.
Hmm… Was it because he was blind?
Oh right, he couldn’t see now!
The young dragon suddenly remembered that the man in black in front of her was blind from poisoning yesterday.
The reason he was so open and non-aggressive towards her was because he couldn’t see and didn’t know she was a dragon!
If he woke up today and regained his sight…
Thinking of this, the young dragon’s not yet fully developed dragon wings subconsciously flapped twice.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t beat this human.
It was just that she didn’t want to fight.
Besides…
The sword this human had stuck in the ground looked a bit scary.
The young dragon blinked her eyes and began to think.
Unlike adult Lucia’s eyes, which held a hint of charm and gentleness, this young dragon’s eyes were as pure as a college student just entering society.
Those golden-red dragon pupils were clear and bright.
She looked very easy to deceive.
After a moment of thought.
The young dragon came up with a brilliant plan using her clever little brain.
She stood up on her front limbs, sniffed the air, then lowered her belly to the ground, moving her limbs and began to crawl stealthily.
“Hmm… This is highly poisonous, you’ll die if you eat it.”
“This one causes diarrhea, no, no…”
“This one causes taste disorders, if he eats it, the lamb he roasts later won’t taste good, that’s not good.”
◈◈◈
“This one, this one seems to be an aphrodisiac…”
“Ugh, let him eat this one, it’ll make him see dancing little people, it’s also a kind of poisonous mushroom that interferes with vision.”
The young dragon was picking mushrooms in the forest wetlands.
With her extraordinary intelligence and inherited memories, she could accurately （fake） distinguish the types of plants.
“… Hopeless.”
The big dragon opened her vertical pupils, looking at the busy figure of the young dragon in the distance, and could only sigh.
Was this what she was like as a child…
Xia Li, don’t look!
At this moment, the young dragon picked a broad leaf from somewhere, wrapped it up, and put the freshly picked mushrooms inside.
One hand holding the leaf, the other hand picking mushrooms.
Her front limbs were off the ground, supported only by her hind limbs and small tail, looking like a bipedal dragon.
In Lucia’s eyes… This posture was as silly as it could be.
“Humph, after you eat this poisonous mushroom feast, you’ll be blind for ten days and a half…”
“Then you’ll get lost in the depths of the Osiris Forest again and roast me more lamb!”
“Hee hee hee, I’ve picked up a human chef~”
The young dragon ‘he tui’-ed, relighting the extinguished bonfire with a puff of fire.
She threw the mushrooms into the fire and began roasting them, her tail wagging.
The young dragon seemed to be in a good mood, muttering to herself.
In front of her, where she couldn’t see, the adult Lucia slapped her forehead, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Help.
Don’t say it out loud!
Can’t you see this human lying on the ground pretending to be asleep?!
For a moment, Lucia didn’t know if it was her childhood self who was too naive, or if Xia Li’s acting was too good.
The corners of his mouth were already curled up into a smirk, yet she didn’t react at all and continued to indulge in her own fantasy.
“Huh.”
At this moment, Xia Li, who was pretending to be dead on the ground, finally couldn’t hold back anymore.
He let out a soft sigh and sat up, supporting himself.
That young dragon wagging her tail and roasting mushrooms…
It was really funny.
“Wait!”
A leaf as big as a roof fell from the sky, landing on Xia Li’s face, blocking his vision.
“Has your vision recovered?”
The young dragon asked, pretending to be aloof.
Her voice was still very young, but she deliberately lowered it, sounding like a child trying to act like an adult. For those who knew her, it was instantly recognizable.
“No, my eyes are still blurry.” Xia Li rubbed his eyes and answered sincerely.
“Phew, that’s good.”
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing, this is an antidote mushroom, you’ll be fine after eating it.”
The young dragon said, holding out a large mushroom with a diameter wider than Xia Li’s palm.
It probably wasn’t cooked through.
But half-cooked mushrooms were the most poisonous, perfect for this human.
“Oh, thank you.”
Xia Li, as if he couldn’t see clearly, waved his hand a few times before grabbing the fresh poisonous mushroom.
As soon as he got it, he stuffed it into his mouth.
This scared the adult Lucia.
“Don’t eat it!”
Lucia wrapped her dragon tail around and blocked Xia Li’s mouth with the tip of her tail.
“My girlfriend roasted it for me, why shouldn’t I eat it?” Xia Li retorted.
Lucia felt both angry and amused, her large silver dragon tail slapping the ground forcefully.
“It’s really poisonous, you can’t eat it!”
“I’m still alive and well, which means I’m fine.”
After Xia Li finished speaking, he took a bite, and the expression on his face froze.
Who taught her to roast things with dragon flame??
This was too awful!
The part that came into contact with the dragon flame was completely carbonized, while the other side, which didn’t come into contact with the dragon flame, was still raw.
Half-cooked… didn’t mean half raw and half burnt.
Xia Li couldn’t swallow it and secretly hid the mushroom behind him while the young dragon wasn’t paying attention.
Seeing this, the adult Lucia slapped the poisonous mushroom, crushing it into the ground.
“Have you finished eating?”
The young dragon, who was wagging her tail and preparing new ingredients, turned around and was stunned to see Xia Li’s empty hands.
“Yes.” Xia Li nodded.
“How did it taste?”
“Not good…” Xia Li answered instinctively.
After speaking, he added.
“But it doesn’t matter, you’ll definitely be a good cook in the future.”
“…”
The young dragon’s expression faltered slightly.
She really didn’t have much confidence in her cooking skills… Humans were certainly not used to the way dragons cooked food.
However, there was no malice in what he said.
So she would accept it.
Anyway, she didn’t have many hobbies, gluttony was one of her few pleasures.
It seemed like a good idea to become a chef dragon in the future.
“I don’t have any plans for my future.”
The young dragon shook her head, still feeling that it was too far-fetched to use human thinking to define a dragon.
“That’s true, after all, you’re still young, you don’t need to think about so many things.”
Xia Li smiled and then looked up at the young dragon in front of him.
“What if, you fall in love with a human in the future?”
“Human…”
The young dragon frowned slightly, her tone hesitant.
She felt like something was wrong…
Would humans keep saying the word ‘human’?
Unfortunately, Lucia’s thinking ability was limited at this stage, she didn’t think much about it, the doubt just flashed through her mind and she thought of something else.
“What is ‘love’?”
“It’s how you feel about gold coins.”
Xia Li used the same explanation he had given to the adult Lucia.
“Gold coins…”
The young dragon thought for a moment and then immediately dismissed the possibility.
“Impossible, I’m a pureblood… I’m a human with noble blood, I wouldn’t have such thoughts about anyone casually!”
After speaking, she continued to think.
She felt like she shouldn’t be so absolute.
Especially when facing this mysterious man in a black cloak, she always had a subtle feeling.
Maybe…
Although humans and dragons were very different, the world was vast, and anything was possible.
“If I really have that feeling…”
“Then I will trust my choice.”
“Then I will trust my choice.”
Two voices, spoken in unison, reached Xia Li’s ears.
One on the left, one on the right.
Like surround sound in a movie theater, each voice struck a chord in Xia Li’s heart.
Xia Li looked up slightly at the adult dragon behind him and smiled.