Chapter Thirty-Seven: First Rub Her Bald, Then Talk
“Papa... Papa... Papa...”
In the depths of his slumber, Jiang Lin heard a gentle, sweet call. He slowly opened his heavy eyelids. The first thing that met his gaze was an unfamiliar ceiling, and then—
“Papa... you’re awake... Papa...”
A plump little dragon girl, her eyes as brilliant and sparkling as gemstones, blinked at Jiang Lin, shimmering with dazzling colors.
“Mmph! Mmm... mm!”
Before Jiang Lin could react, the little dragon girl wrapped her entire body around his head, her small tail wagging back and forth, her soft cheeks joyfully rubbing against his hair. For a moment, Jiang Lin felt as if he were suffocating.
“Mmm...”
Jiang Lin, with a sudden burst of energy, reversed his hand and lifted the little dragon girl.
“Papa?”
Dangling by her collar, the little dragon girl sucked on her tiny fingers, blinking at Jiang Lin.
He looked up at this adorable creature. She had changed into a fresh set of little clothes, her long silvery-white hair styled into two buns on either side of her head. Her red floral dress looked festive, and her petite feet were wrapped in white socks.
With a soft thud, Jiang Lin set the little dragon girl on the edge of the bed and struggled to sit up. Seeing this, the little dragon girl stood up with another thud and walked to his side, her little arms outstretched, face flushed as she tried to help her father sit.
Though her strength was negligible, when Jiang Lin finally sat up with her help, the pure joy in the little dragon girl’s eyes was unmistakable.
“Papa... Papa...”
She threw herself onto his lap, gleefully calling out as she swam her arms and legs with delight.
This was simply... too cute...
Looking at the little dragon girl before him, Jiang Lin wiped his nose, feeling as if he might have a nosebleed.
“No! Jiang Lin, you must stay calm! She is an ancient dragon! A true dragon, not like those lesser serpents today. You and she have an irreconcilable feud—blood debts for slain parents!”
But...
Gazing at the adorable girl in front of him, Jiang Lin’s composure slipped; he began to rub her head like petting a cat, completely captivated.
Whatever—she can’t kill me now anyway. I’ll keep rubbing her head while I can.
...
“Master Jiang, you’re awake—may I come in?”
A quarter of an hour later, while Jiang Lin was still rubbing the little dragon girl’s head and she was thoroughly enjoying it, a mature, alluring voice came from outside the door.
At that moment, Jiang Lin remembered he was in an unfamiliar place.
“Please come in.”
He stopped his hand, lifting his palm from the little dragon girl’s head. Feeling the warm hand leave her head, the little dragon girl pouted unhappily, grasped Jiang Lin’s large hand, and placed it back on her head, finally smiling.
The door opened. A woman dressed in palace robes entered, carrying a tray of food, walking gracefully. As she stepped in, a warm breeze closed the door behind her.
She wore a peony-patterned palace dress, her figure graceful. If only she had a white cat in her arms, she would be the very image of a palace beauty. Her fair, slender hands suggested powerful magic—her cultivation was certainly higher than Jiang Lin’s.
Though her face was hidden behind a white veil, she seemed familiar... He felt he had seen her before, but couldn’t quite recall.
The little dragon girl raised her chin, noticing her father’s somewhat lecherous gaze. She abruptly stood up, spread her arms, and protected him behind her, fiercely declaring, “No one gets near my papa!”
“Master Jiang, are you feeling better?”
Setting the food on the table, the woman bowed.
“I’m fine. I wasn’t really hurt,” Jiang Lin replied, struggling to recall his memories but failing. “May I ask, miss, where am I?”
“The City Lord’s Mansion of Black Tortoise City,” the woman replied softly with a smile. “I am the City Lord. The reason you’re in my chambers is that the Secret Realm collapsed, and I found you. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself—I am Luo, and your master Yu Ni is my close friend.”
“Luo? My master’s best friend? Sister Luo!”
Relieved, Jiang Lin let go of his wariness and felt genuinely happy.
When he first arrived in this world, he was only seven or eight years old, and it was the dead of winter—he nearly froze to death. At that time, it was a Sister Luo and his master who passed by and saved him. But so much time had passed, and she wore a veil then as well, so he hadn’t recognized her.
“I finally remember.”
Luo Qinshang’s eyes curved into happy crescent moons as she walked over and helped Jiang Lin up from the bed.
“Come, let me take a good look at you.” Luo Qinshang happily examined the young man before her. “Not bad, not bad! You’ve grown sturdy—much sturdier than when I first saw you. How’s your time in the Sun and Moon Sect? If things aren’t going well, you can come to my Black Tortoise City.”
“Hehe.” Jiang Lin rubbed his nose. “Life on Twin Pearl Peak is simple, but it’s pretty good. The people of Sun and Moon Sect are straightforward and speak nicely—I like it there, so I won’t move.”
“You rascal... Can’t let go of that little Yu Ni, can you?” Luo Qinshang teased, tapping Jiang Lin’s forehead and pulling him to sit on the bed.
Beside them, the little dragon girl pouted, let out a soft grunt, and pushed her tiny horns between the two, wrapping her arms tightly around her papa.
“This little girl—is she the opportunity you gained in the secret realm?”
Luo Qinshang smiled, reaching out to stroke the dragon girl’s adorable head, but the little dragon girl blocked her with her not-yet-fully-grown horns, giving Luo Qinshang a fierce glare. Then she seized Jiang Lin’s hand and placed it back on her own head, happily rubbing against it with closed eyes.
“Well... it’s complicated...”
Looking at the little girl nestled in his arms, Jiang Lin’s feelings were mixed.
What kind of opportunity is this? What opportunity demands you be killed ten thousand times before you can ascend...
“Forget it, let’s not talk about her for now. Sister Luo, I need to return to the Sun and Moon Sect to report in, and check on my master—otherwise she’ll worry herself sick.”
With that, Jiang Lin lifted the little dragon girl onto his head and bowed respectfully.
“I’ll come back another day to thank Sister Luo for rescuing me a second time.”
“Wait, don’t rush off just yet.”
Luo Qinshang stood and gently helped Jiang Lin up, taking from her fragrant storage pouch a stack of freshly printed newspapers.
“I think you should get a sense of the current situation before you go.”
...
...
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