Mu Wanwan stared at Mr. Dragon’s outstretched hand and his slightly averted face. The corners of her lips continued rising, her eyes grew hot, and her heart pounded violently.
Not long ago, she had still been worrying that Ao Qin might discover them if they remained inside this tiny courtyard.
She had also been afraid that Mr. Dragon might suddenly disappear again.
Yet in the very next moment, this troublesome dragon who had caused her endless worry ever since she transmigrated had given her the response she needed most.
He was probably extremely nervous.
His gaze flickered, and Mu Wanwan could hear that his breathing was slightly faster than usual.
Was he afraid that she would reject him?
Mu Wanwan found it a little amusing. She reached out and gently placed her hand in his palm.
“I’m willing.”
Her quiet voice sounded clearly beside him.
*I’m willing.*
His hand tightened around hers, and Mr. Dragon could not help smiling.
It was nothing like his previous restrained or faint smiles.
This was a complete and genuine smile. His brows relaxed, and joy spread from the depths of his eyes.
A faint blush covered Mu Wanwan’s face as she looked into his phoenix eyes. Specks of golden light shimmered within them, like countless galaxies filled with stars.
Her palm felt hot.
She watched his lips curve upwards, revealing a faint dimple beside his cheek.
Her eyelashes trembled in disbelief.
Mu Wanwan widened her almond-shaped eyes slightly and looked several times before confirming that she had not imagined it.
There was a shallow, barely noticeable dimple on Mr. Dragon’s left cheek.
The moment he smiled, it completely ruined his ordinarily wickedly handsome, domineering, and expressionless appearance.
Instead, he resembled an adorable little dragon cub begging for sweets.
However, his smile quickly disappeared, and he returned to the familiar appearance of an overbearing ruler.
His large hand, though, refused to release hers.
He held her tightly.
Seemingly still uncertain, he looked at her expectantly and asked in a hoarse voice, “It will be very dangerous.”
Mu Wanwan shook her head with an amused smile.
Who had allowed her to fall so deeply in love with this dragon?
Leaving him was not a choice she was willing to make.
As long as they were together, what difference did it make where they went?
This courtyard appeared peaceful, but they were constantly under surveillance. She had always been afraid here.
Before Mr. Dragon awakened, she had worried that Ao Qin would come looking for trouble.
After Mr. Dragon awakened, she had worried that he might follow the unfinished original novel and somehow fall in love with Bai Shuiyao.
She knew the current story had already become completely different from the original, but perhaps it was precisely because she cared so much that she constantly worried about gaining and losing him.
Mu Wanwan smiled at him and spoke softly but with absolute determination.
“I’m not afraid.”
With him beside her, even if the road ahead was covered in thorns, she would fear nothing.
They decided to leave the following morning.
During their final day in the courtyard, Mu Wanwan became extremely busy.
She needed to prepare enough medicinal pills for Aunt Yun and Jiu Qing.
Although Mr. Dragon had said that he could travel back and forth whenever she needed something, Mu Wanwan did not want him to take such a great risk.
There were not many belongings in the courtyard.
Other than her and Mr. Dragon, the only living creatures remaining were the three spirit chicks in the kitchen.
Her feelings towards those three chicks were somewhat complicated. Mengmeng also liked them very much, so she was reluctant to eat them.
While she was struggling over what to do, Mr. Dragon, who had recently become much more straightforward, said, “We can raise them.”
Under Mu Wanwan’s gaze, Mr. Dragon grew slightly embarrassed.
“The mustard-seed space can accommodate some living creatures.”
Mu Wanwan glanced at the bracelet around her wrist.
“Can we live inside it too?”
Mr. Dragon shook his head.
“Only creatures of relatively low rank can remain inside.”
Mu Wanwan was slightly disappointed.
She had thought the mustard-seed space might be like one of those portable living spaces.
Mr. Dragon pursed his lips.
He had once possessed an extremely defensive flying palace that people could live inside.
Therefore, when Mu Wanwan turned her head, she saw a pitiful little dragon sinking into self-reproach.
Looking at the fragile, sensitive Mr. Dragon, Mu Wanwan simply reached out and held his hand.
She considered her words and gathered her courage for a long time before finally saying the form of address she had always wanted to use.
“H-Husband.”
“What you’ve already given me is wonderful.”
After forcing herself to finish speaking, Mu Wanwan finally crossed the barrier inside her heart.
She remained shy for a moment before realising that from the instant she called him “husband,” the dragon in front of her had gone completely silent.
She was about to raise her head and look at him when he suddenly pulled her into his embrace.
With her face buried against his chest, Mu Wanwan immediately stopped moving.
“M-Mr. Dragon, your injuries…”
“They are no obstacle.”
A certain dragon tightly wrapped his arms around her waist, as though he wanted to hide the precious treasure bestowed upon him by the world forever.
Mr. Dragon’s embrace was so tight that Mu Wanwan felt slightly uncomfortable.
She could not help wondering why this dragon’s body was so hard.
Yet she did not dislike the embrace.
She released his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Does it hurt?”
Mr. Dragon instantly stiffened.
The embrace was soft, yet it felt as though she had embraced his entire world.
His face became covered in red.
In a slightly tearful and rather embarrassing voice, a certain dragon answered, “It doesn’t hurt.”
The moment Mu Wanwan heard his voice, she could imagine his current expression.
Feeling both sweet and helpless, she peacefully closed her eyes and waited until he was willing to release her.
Early the following morning, Mr. Dragon grabbed the exceedingly unwilling little feather ball and forcibly stuffed it into the mustard-seed space.
Mu Wanwan watched the recently moulting Mengmeng struggle and leave a handful of black feathers in Mr. Dragon’s hand.
She asked uncertainly, “Can a White Phoenix remain inside the space?”
Mr. Dragon nodded, indicating that it could.
Mengmeng was still a chick. Remaining inside for a short while would not cause any problems.
Mu Wanwan adjusted the basket on her back, then hesitantly looked at the tall and imposing dragon standing beside her.
“Mr. Dragon, you…”
“I’m very powerful.”
Mr. Dragon shyly scratched his cheek, seemingly embarrassed about praising himself.
“They won’t be able to see me.”
Mu Wanwan: “…”
All right, then.
She walked forward several steps and saw Hongye waiting ahead.
Mu Wanwan was still somewhat nervous.
Hongye turned towards her.
“Madam, are you going to the dwarf market again today?”
Mu Wanwan nodded and climbed onto the ox cart.
She then watched as Mr. Dragon awkwardly stretched out his long legs and climbed aboard as well.
The ox cart had originally contained more than enough space for her and her basket. However, once a tall and broad dragon squeezed inside, it immediately became considerably more crowded.
Their legs pressed against each other.
Even through their clothes, they could feel the warmth of each other’s bodies.
It was warm, intimate, and enticing.
Mu Wanwan embarrassedly turned her gaze away.
This dragon was too wicked.
He was deliberately squeezing himself against her.
Mr. Dragon was equally stiff, his cheeks faintly red.
He had not done it deliberately.
He merely wanted to control Hongye.
He needed to cast an illusion over her and create a few deceptive concealment spells, delaying the discovery of their disappearance for as long as possible.
As for wanting more opportunities to be physically close to his wife—
The dragon had never thought anything of the sort.
The ox cart travelled at its usual speed, yet Mu Wanwan felt as though it was moving far more slowly than before.
She looked at Hongye sitting at the front of the cart.
For some reason, the ox cart, which usually rocked gently, seemed to be swaying particularly violently today.
Perhaps it was because he was beside her. Even the slightest movement caused their bodies to draw closer together.
The ox cart crossed the barrier and entered a section of road where several sharp bends twisted closely together, making it extremely difficult to turn.
In the past, Mu Wanwan would have grabbed the side of the cart without caring about her appearance.
This time, however, she felt too embarrassed to do so.
As the cart swayed, she suddenly felt a large hand settle on her shoulder and support her body.
Her cheeks grew slightly warm.
The strong wind lifted her long hair.
Mu Wanwan glanced at Mr. Dragon beside her and felt even greater anticipation towards their future life.
With him beside her, the things she had previously been forced to do alone no longer seemed quite so tedious or lonely.
Her ears turned slightly red.
Mr. Dragon narrowed his long eyes and released a transparent beam of light from his right hand.
It formed a barrier around the two of them, blocking the cold wind outside and leaving behind only the increasingly intimate atmosphere between them.
While he had been absent, she had been forced to endure the cold wind for a long time and had been caught in the rain on several occasions.
Now that he was awake, he would never allow her to suffer such hardships again.
However—
Mr. Dragon frowned slightly.
He needed to recover more quickly.
Faster still.
In addition to helping him, the leader of the Special Lifeform Alliance had brought him an unpleasant piece of news.
Ao Qin had already obtained one of his broken horns.
Once Ao Qin successfully reached an agreement with the witch clan, Mr. Dragon and Mu Wanwan would very likely face a joint extermination campaign.
His broken horn ached faintly.
A storm gathered inside Mr. Dragon’s heart, while a faint killing intent remained deeply concealed within his eyes.
He only needed another half month.
With another half month, he was ninety percent certain he could overcome the trial of the forbidden grounds.
Just half a month more.
While the two of them passed through the territorial barrier, Ao Qin was negotiating with the witch clan’s crown prince inside the demon territory.
“Wu Yao, don’t you think your conditions are far too harsh?” Ao Qin asked, staring at the candidate for leadership of the witch clan seated before him.
The man’s face was covered in witchcraft markings, while scales flickered faintly across Ao Qin’s own face.
“It is only a single horn.”
Wu Yao released two sinister laughs.
The blood puppet standing behind him followed by producing a harsh, unpleasant cackle.
Wu Yao stared at Ao Qin’s face.
“Hehehe. The terms you offered may be enough to tempt the demon clan, which is already approaching decline, but our witch clan does not lack the few treasures you possess.”
Wu Yao’s eyes bulged, revealing an astonishing amount of white.
“What is it? Did obtaining a broken horn from the demon clan make you so impatient?”
Ao Qin’s expression became ugly.
He sneered.
“I was unaware that the relationship between the demon and witch clans had become so close.”
“You even know that I’ve already obtained one of that useless dragon’s broken horns.”
Spiritual energy circulated around Ao Qin’s body, resisting the omnipresent witch poison in the air.
“Hey, hey, you dragons truly have no sense of humour.”
As Wu Yao finished speaking, a cloud of green mist abruptly appeared beside him and merged into his body.
In the next instant, his skin swelled.
Blood-red parasitic insects burst from his entire body. His flesh expanded and split apart before slowly knitting itself back together.
The sight thoroughly disgusted Ao Qin.
“Oh, I’ve just received an interesting piece of information.”
Wu Yao narrowed his eyes.
“That useless ruler you expected to remain completely immobile while awaiting slaughter seems to have recovered considerably.”
Ao Qin’s pupils contracted sharply.
He instinctively denied it.
“Impossible.”
It was not as though he had never checked the courtyard where that mongrel ruler lived.
Every time he looked, the dragon appeared no better than before, lying paralysed on the bed.
The tool Ao Qin had brought into the courtyard for the sake of appearances possessed a small amount of conscience.
Although she looked after that disabled, useless dragon, she did no more than wash him and feed him a little.
She had never done anything capable of improving his injuries.
During this period, Ao Qin had been busy consolidating control over the forces beneath him and negotiating with the demon and witch clans.
Regarding the already crippled ruler, he had only personally examined the courtyard through his divine senses on numerous occasions.
Every time, he had seen them living miserably.
The subordinates he had assigned to monitor them had reported the same thing.
The soul lamp within the forbidden grounds had not shown any change either.
“I thought you would at least be somewhat more capable than your previous ruler—that incredibly stupid dragon who fought seven opponents at once for the sake of a single demonic creature.”
Wu Yao stared at him with an expression of astonishment.
Ao Qin’s face immediately twisted.
He seemed to see that dragon’s indifferent and arrogant gaze once more.
How could that dragon possibly have recovered?
How could he be allowed to recover?
It had been less than two months.
Less than two months!
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