Mu Wanwan softly read the words aloud, relying half on recognition and half on guesswork. A smile blossomed upon her lips, curving her eyes into crescents.
The lamp was lit inside the study, filling it with warm light. Mr. Dragon could only see what looked like brilliant golden stars shining in her eyes.
That smile struck him directly in the heart.
His wife did not smile very often. There was little reason for her to, after all. Life was not particularly easy for her.
Aside from occasionally smiling while playing with the wicked chirper, she rarely did so. Mr. Dragon could only remain awake for short periods, usually at night, so he had hardly ever seen her smile.
The moment she smiled, all the shame and embarrassment inside Mr. Dragon were like fur being stroked in the correct direction.
Everything instantly smoothed down, becoming perfectly docile.
Mr. Dragon’s dark eyes brightened slightly, sparkling with fragmented joy.
He quietly sensed the dry feeling of his tail. For some unknown reason, he secretly raised it a little and swayed it twice from side to side.
It would have been wonderful if the tip of his tail were still there, Mr. Dragon thought.
The end of his tail had once been fluffy too.
She would definitely have liked it.
Unfortunately…
He lowered his eyelids slightly.
Now, there was only an ugly, badly mutilated stump where flesh had only recently begun growing back.
…
Mu Wanwan smiled for a while before carefully rolling up the parchment. She planned to take it back to the bedroom and store it safely.
She thought Mr. Dragon was far too amusing.
He must have written this a very long time ago, right?
His handwriting was already ugly enough, but the contents were so funny that she could hardly stop herself from laughing.
Although it was merely a short sentence, she felt as though she could picture what Mr. Dragon had looked like when he wrote it.
Mu Wanwan did not linger for too long. She collected some paper and writing materials, then left the study.
The weather was gradually becoming colder.
After completing her work, Mu Wanwan took a bath and carried the spirit-chicken chicks’ cage into the kitchen.
It was getting increasingly cold outside. Since the chicks were growing slowly, leaving them outdoors would make them susceptible to illness.
Mengmeng continued living inside the bedroom, enjoying almost the same treatment as Mr. Dragon. ∩_∩
By the time Mu Wanwan finished cultivating a large number of spiritual plants, it was already late at night.
She added a little oil to the lamp, took out the paper and brush she had brought from the study, and began recording what she had learned from her failed pill-refining attempts.
At first, Mengmeng tried hard to keep her company. It pressed its warm, fluffy body against her arm to keep her warm.
However, it gradually became sleepier and sleepier, its little head repeatedly drooping.
Mu Wanwan could no longer bear to watch.
After finishing another note, she turned to call Mengmeng, only to discover that it had already fallen asleep on her arm.
Its increasingly plump body was fluffy and warm.
It was so adorable that Mu Wanwan’s heart nearly melted.
She carefully supported Mengmeng in her hands, placed the fluffy chirper inside its nest, and covered it with a small blanket.
After naturally completing all this, Mu Wanwan prepared to sleep as well.
She stretched lazily with her back towards Mr. Dragon. After stretching, she removed her clothes, leaving herself dressed only in a thin sleeping garment.
It was not until she was about to extinguish the lamp that she suddenly felt something was wrong.
Oh no.
She had forgotten that Mr. Dragon awakened during the night!
Had she behaved too freely while stretching just now?
She had even undressed with the lamp still lit…
Mu Wanwan’s cheeks grew hot. She felt unbearably embarrassed, and even her movements slowed considerably.
She already knew how he felt about her.
And since she was not a saint, how could she possibly remain completely unaffected?
She still wanted to maintain the cold, aloof image of a little fairy within Mr. Dragon’s heart.
Mu Wanwan slowly climbed onto the bed, lifted the quilt, and quickly buried herself beneath it.
Clutching its corners with both hands, she considered for a moment before cautiously poking her head out and glancing in his direction.
It was already late, and the room was very dark.
However, her night vision had improved considerably. He was no longer merely a vague silhouette as he had been before.
His long hair spread across the pillow. Black-and-red curse markings covered his face, yet she could still distinguish the lines of his profile.
His broken horn looked fierce and mutilated.
Seen this way, he was genuinely somewhat frightening.
Mu Wanwan did not feel afraid, though.
She had already spent a very long time looking at this face.
“Mr. Dragon… good night,” Mu Wanwan whispered.
After speaking, she closed her eyes and prepared to sleep.
She had gradually begun to understand a certain dragon’s habits.
Although he remained unfamiliar to her in many ways, he was no longer the cruel and indifferent figure described by outsiders.
His cautious behaviour over the past several nights and his childish handwriting had even made her feel secure.
Mu Wanwan actually believed that he would not hurt her.
Even if she slept beside an awakened Mr. Dragon, nothing bad would happen.
She knew that she should not think this way.
It was far too careless!
Yet she could not help feeling that Little Mr. Dragon, who had been so kind as a child, could not possibly have become the tyrant described by others.
The original novel had not even described many concrete details regarding Mr. Dragon. It had merely labelled him as cruel and bloodthirsty.
If everyone had misunderstood him, then Mr. Dragon was truly a very pitiful dragon.
She was already his wife in name, and he had never wronged her.
If even she remained guarded against him, would he feel hurt?
Mu Wanwan had no idea what sort of nonsense she was thinking.
Refining pills during the day had consumed far too much of her mental energy.
This time, she genuinely fell asleep.
As usual, Mr. Dragon awakened.
The fragments of his core were nearly connected. In slightly more than half a month, he would recover approximately half his strength.
Mr. Dragon quietly sat upright.
His slender, well-defined hand gently brushed aside the long hair covering her forehead. He slowly smoothed the crease between her brows, which had formed from her repeated failures.
His slightly hot body temperature made Mu Wanwan shrink back uncomfortably.
His spiritual sense swept over the notes his wife had left on the table, and the corners of his lips lifted.
Refining pills was not merely a matter of melting every ingredient and combining them.
Although he was not especially skilled at alchemy, he still understood a few basic steps.
Every plant contained both an essence and portions filled with impurities.
During refinement, the obviously disruptive sections needed to be removed. Then, when combining the ingredients, the alchemist had to carefully sense and eliminate the subtle impurities inside the different spiritual plants.
In that case…
Mr. Dragon became somewhat troubled.
How could he tell his wife what he knew?
The dragon thought for a long time before suddenly coming up with an idea.
Therefore, when Mu Wanwan awakened early the following morning, she discovered the corpses of several spiritual plants arranged across her table!
She instantly became so heartbroken that she woke completely.
The Spirit-Recovery Fruit, Bell-Lantern Grass, and Purifying Flower had all suffered casualties.
But why was there also the corpse of an unopened Snow Condensation plant?!
She was on the verge of tears.
Staring blankly at the several spiritual plants that had been neatly arranged upon the table and torn into multiple sections, her hands began trembling—
These were worth at least three or four low-grade spirit stones! QAQ
Mu Wanwan no longer had the attention to spare for thoughts such as, *What if Mr. Dragon is awake and sees me in dishevelled clothing? How embarrassing.*
She hurriedly climbed out of bed without even stopping to dress.
Immediately, she channelled her wood-element spiritual energy into the plants, hoping there might still be some way to save them.
However…
It was too late.
The Snow Condensation flower bud had already withered, and the Purifying Flower’s petals had turned yellow.
Mu Wanwan withered along with them.
Four low-grade spirit stones!
That would have been enough to buy half a jin of second-rank spiritual-cow bones to make soup!
She patted her cheeks and dressed herself.
She did not even dare look at the remains upon the table.
Only after completing her essential morning duties—cleaning everyone and feeding them—did she feel as though she had recovered slightly.
She finally had the state of mind to examine the plants that had been separated into several sections.
The technique had been precise. Although the broken edges were uneven, they seemed to have been deliberately torn into irregular shapes.
Even Mengmeng’s nest contained several carefully placed leaves.
There were pieces from every type of plant, as though whoever had done it was afraid of overlooking one.
When Mu Wanwan had first awakened, she had genuinely assumed that Mengmeng was responsible.
However, now that she examined them carefully, they did not appear to have been bitten apart by Mengmeng.
Mengmeng had also recovered its energy.
It shook off the leaves tangled around its body, hopped beside Mu Wanwan, and blinked its lethally adorable eyes before launching a sonic attack.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp~”
It tilted its tiny head as though saying—
*How could you suspect Mengmeng when Mengmeng is this adorable? The chirper definitely didn’t do it!*
Mu Wanwan silently withdrew her suspicious gaze.
She felt truly ashamed of herself.
Mengmeng was indeed extremely well behaved and had never secretly destroyed any spiritual plants.
She had once worried about this problem, but Mengmeng was particularly obedient.
At most, it would tug at a seedling’s leaves a couple of times for entertainment. It generally never damaged the plants.
If Mengmeng had not done it, then…
Her gaze shifted towards the face of a certain dragon who was lying obediently and doing an extremely convincing job of pretending to be unconscious.
Mu Wanwan smiled.
If it was not the chirper, then it had to be the dragon.
It certainly could not have been the spirit-chicken chicks!
But why had Mr. Dragon dismantled the spiritual plants and arranged them on the table like this?
Was it a demonstration of power?
No, no. Impossible.
Had he become bored and wanted to play with grass?
Mm…
Did Mr. Dragon possess that sort of hobby?
Mu Wanwan remembered Little Mr. Dragon silently carving wood inside his “home” in the dark alley, and her heart ached.
He had not enjoyed playing with such things.
Most of the time, he had merely sat in a daze while hoping that the dragon egg would hatch.
The sorrow in her heart washed away the anger caused by the loss of the spiritual plants.
Mu Wanwan glanced at the notes spread across the table, then looked at the plants divided into many sections.
She began thinking as hard as she could—
Mr. Dragon must have had a reason for doing this.
Was he trying to remind her of something?
But what?
While she thought, Mengmeng also thought.
Mengmeng was a clever little chirper.
When it awakened and discovered grass inside its fragrant nest, it had immediately become frightened.
Then it saw the disordered plants on the table and instantly understood.
It was the dragon.
It had to be the wicked dragon!
He was trying to make the chirper take the blame again.
Hmph!
However, the dragon would never have expected that not only had Mengmeng avoided taking the blame, but it had also gained many additional snacks!
“Chirp!”
Mengmeng patted Mu Wanwan’s arm, pointed one tiny wing towards the plants on the table, and chirped twice to express its desire to eat them.
Mu Wanwan was too troubled to notice Mengmeng.
By the time she returned to her senses, Mengmeng was already chewing on the Snow Condensation flower bud.
Mu Wanwan: “…”
“Chirp~”
Delicious!
Mengmeng released a satisfied chirp.
After completely devouring the Snow Condensation flower bud, it thought briefly before running over to peck open the Spirit-Recovery Fruit and eat its flesh.
Mu Wanwan: “…”
She was nearly unable to resist beating both the chirper and the dragon.
“Mengmeng!”
Hearing her voice, the fluffy chirper innocently turned its plump little body around and stared at her several times.
Mu Wanwan completely lost her temper.
“Fine. You can eat all of it.”
She sat on a stool and watched Mengmeng finish the flesh of the Spirit-Recovery Fruit while leaving behind its peel and pit.
Then it ate the centre of the Purifying Flower.
Afterwards, it held its apparently full little belly, rolled onto its back upon the table, and released several satisfied burps.
Mu Wanwan was speechless.
She picked up the deliberately separated stem of the Snow Condensation plant and held it beside Mengmeng’s mouth.
Mengmeng took one bite, then refused to eat any more.
Mu Wanwan was so exasperated that she nearly laughed.
She picked up a Snow Condensation leaf and offered it to the mighty chirper.
This time, the fluffy chirper disdainfully turned its head away and refused even to look at the leaf.
Mu Wanwan almost began questioning life on the leaf’s behalf.
They had all grown from the same plant.
Why was the treatment of the leaves so different from that of the flower?
Annoyed, she scratched Mengmeng’s little belly until it chirped repeatedly and rolled about in distress.
Watching Mengmeng’s miserable struggle, inspiration suddenly struck her—
Could it be that not every part of a spiritual plant was suitable for refining pills?
Her heart stirred.
She stared closely at the spiritual plants on the table.
The Snow Condensation plant had been divided into three sections: the flower, the stem and roots, and the leaves.
Judging from Mengmeng’s reaction, the Snow Condensation flower was probably the best portion.
The stem and roots contained impurities, while the leaves were completely useless.
That was it.
Impurities!
Mu Wanwan suddenly understood.
Mr. Dragon had dismantled the plants to tell her that not every part of a plant could be used in pill refinement.
The moment she realised this, Mu Wanwan picked up her brush and recorded it.
She first wrote down the useful portion of the Snow Condensation plant, then marked the stem and roots as requiring further experimentation.
Next, she examined the Spirit-Recovery Fruit.
She offered each of the sections Mr. Dragon had separated to Mengmeng in turn before finally writing—
Spirit-Recovery Fruit: The flesh can be used. The stems and leaves appear to contain impurities. The peel and pit cannot be used.
Bell-Lantern Grass: The lower portion of the stem and roots cannot be used.
Purifying Flower: The flower’s centre can be used. The stems, roots, and leaves contain impurities. The petals cannot be used.
By the time Mu Wanwan finished recording everything, Mengmeng had become a useless chirper.
It covered its eyes with its tiny wings and pretended to be dead.
After finishing, Mu Wanwan could hardly wait to experiment.
Seeing Mengmeng’s appearance, she could not stop herself from laughing twice before stroking its head.
She was in an excellent mood.
Her cheeks became slightly warm.
Mr. Dragon must have wanted to remind her that she needed to pay attention to these matters while refining pills, right?
How had he known what was troubling her?
Had he seen the notes she had written when he awakened during the night?
Did that mean he had always been paying attention to her affairs?
When she thought about it that way, Mr. Dragon truly treated her very well.
Although he was hiding some things from her, he still made her feel faintly safe and warm.
An indescribable feeling arose within her heart.
It was like tasting a tiny wisp of candyfloss—a small strand resembling a drifting cloud that melted the instant it entered her mouth.
Although there was only a little, it was sweet and weightless.
Mu Wanwan’s cheeks reddened slightly.
After thinking for a moment, she picked up her brush again.
Beside the three notes, she slowly wrote a line of elegant characters in handwriting slightly smaller than before—
“Mr. Dragon, you truly are a good dragon.”
**Author’s Note:**
Mu Wanwan: “You’re a good dragon.”
Mr. Dragon: “???”
The Good Dragon Card.
The sadness feels so painfully real. QAQ
Leave a Reply