Just as he had the day before, little Mr. Dragon quietly removed his cloak, combed his long hair, then dragged his tail over to gently stroke his two incomparably precious spirit-chicken eggs. Afterward, he carefully restrained himself to eating only a small portion of the steamed bun he had brought home yesterday.
It was the first time Mu Wanwan had seen Mr. Dragon eat while he was awake.
He looked very different from when he ate lying down. He held the modest-sized bun in both hands and chewed it in small, graceful bites. Such elegant manners seemed rather out of place inside this shabby little house.
Little Mr. Dragon ate less than half of the bun. Mu Wanwan stood behind him, watching the little dragon who did not even reach her chest lower his head slightly. Drops of water that he had failed to shake away still clung to his long eyelashes.
Her heart suddenly ached for him.
She wanted this dream to end quickly.
She did not want to see Mr. Dragon like this anymore.
After finishing his pitifully small meal with satisfaction, little Mr. Dragon completed his food intake for the day. Instead of resting as he had yesterday, he walked over to the table and pulled several wooden boards from a drawer.
Mu Wanwan had not noticed before that the table even had drawers.
He crouched halfway down, his hands transforming into sharp claws, and began… rubbing down the boards?
Mr. Dragon picked up a slightly damp plank. First, he snapped off and discarded the visibly waterlogged sections. Then, he slowly used his claws to carve the remaining good wood into shapes that could slot together.
Mu Wanwan watched for a long time before finally understanding what he was making.
Five wooden boards fitted together to form what looked like a tiny bed.
From the moment he returned until late at night, he continued working on those planks. By the time darkness fell and Mu Wanwan could barely see anything, she had already sat down on the bed. She was nearly asleep by the time Mr. Dragon finally stopped.
Perhaps because he was pleased with his work, little Mr. Dragon’s eyes sparkled faintly with golden light.
A smile unconsciously appeared on Mu Wanwan’s lips.
No matter how overbearing or tyrannical Mr. Dragon might become in the future, right now he was only a little dragon cub. It was perfectly normal for him to be childish, wasn’t it?
But before she could feel comforted for long, she heard his young, hoarse voice.
“Dabao’s bed is finished.”
Mu Wanwan: “…”
Mu Wanwan: “???”
So it was not a toy.
It was a bed for Dabao?!
She was rendered speechless. Then she heard little Mr. Dragon apologise solemnly.
“There aren’t any materials left. Daddy will make Xiaobao’s tomorrow.”
Mu Wanwan: “…”
Only after Mr. Dragon solemnly promised that he would not go back on his word did he drag his still-injured dragon tail over and lie stiffly on the bare wooden bed.
Mu Wanwan could see his expression.
He looked peaceful. Occasional sparks of anticipation flashed within his dark eyes, and his brows were relaxed. Whatever he was thinking about would sometimes bring a faint smile to his lips.
Yet there were still many wounds covering his body. She could tell from his pale complexion that he was in pain.
“Good night, Dabao, Xiaobao.”
Mr. Dragon murmured softly before slowly closing his eyes.
He was utterly exhausted and soon fell asleep. His breathing was slightly heavy and uneven. His tail swept across the bed twice, leaving behind a winding smear of blood.
Mu Wanwan looked at little Mr. Dragon’s still-childish face, her heart aching terribly.
Her little Mr. Dragon…
Was it because he had been too lonely?
Was it because there had been no one for him to speak to that he treated two spirit-chicken eggs this way?
Mu Wanwan slowly reached out, wanting to stroke his head. However, all she could touch was the damp chill surrounding his wet hair. She could not offer him even the slightest comfort.
She pressed her lips together and lay there with her eyes open, completely unable to sleep.
…
Mu Wanwan spent three incredibly realistic days inside the dream.
Therefore, when she opened her eyes on the fourth day and saw the dilapidated ceiling of little Mr. Dragon’s house, she was already remarkably calm.
She smoothly climbed out of bed, walked over to the table and greeted the two spirit-chicken eggs, which seemed to have genuinely grown a little larger.
“Good morning, Dabao, Xiaobao.”
Then, while a certain dragon fussily groomed himself, she propped her chin in her hands and followed behind him like a wandering ghost.
She was currently in some sort of spiritual form. Aside from being able to experience a few physical sensations, she did not become hungry.
“Little Mr. Dragon, are you going hunting in that place again today?”
She pretended he could hear her.
“Why don’t you forget about it? That white dragon is difficult to deal with. Didn’t he send you flying with one swipe of his claws yesterday? It’s lucky you ran away quickly.”
“You should go bully that big, stupid black dragon instead.”
Mu Wanwan earnestly offered her advice from the side.
Then she watched as Mr. Dragon finished arranging his cloak, stroked Dabao and Xiaobao again before leaving, and walked out.
Mu Wanwan pursed her lips but ultimately followed him.
For some reason, however, she had felt uneasy ever since waking up that morning.
This time, little Mr. Dragon neither entered the difficult white dragon’s territory nor provoked the foolish black dragon youth. Instead, he avoided passers-by the entire way and travelled somewhere very far away.
Although he had no shoes, he was not slow. A layer of scales covered the soles of his feet. He usually chose secluded paths and occasionally leapt across rooftops and walls.
Mu Wanwan had followed him for several days and had gradually grown accustomed to it. She passed through walls to take shortcuts while keeping up with him.
Fortunately, the weather had improved recently. Although the sky remained overcast, it was no longer raining. Many places were not quite as wet and slippery, and the grip of dragon claws was still quite impressive.
“Where are you going, Mr. Dragon?”
They had been travelling for a long time. Even Mu Wanwan was growing tired of floating. Yet the little dragon cub continued jumping energetically along the road, and she was almost running out of strength trying to catch up with him.
Their surroundings gradually changed.
Mu Wanwan guessed that they had already left Dark Alley District Seven and entered another area.
There were fewer buildings and people nearby. Orphaned dragons and children from other races were also rare, while the amount of vegetation steadily increased.
They travelled a little farther before Mr. Dragon finally stopped.
They had reached their destination—
A vast, desolate rubbish dump.
Unlike the rubbish inside Dark Alley District Seven, which mostly consisted of household waste, the items discarded here were generally large: broken tables, chairs and benches, scraps of cloth and shattered pieces of wood.
Mu Wanwan could roughly guess what he had come here to do.
Over the past few days, little Mr. Dragon had searched for pieces of wood while looking for food, but he had never found anything suitable. He was probably becoming anxious and wanted to take advantage of the brief spell of dry weather to find wood for Xiaobao’s bed.
Mu Wanwan did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Yet her body honestly began helping little Mr. Dragon look for pieces of wood, even though she could not truly assist him.
Because there was rarely any food here, orphaned children did not usually visit. Mr. Dragon’s search was therefore relatively easy.
He soon spotted the wooden boards on a broken bed, but several young beastmen were already gathered around it.
Mu Wanwan saw Mr. Dragon’s expression become vicious almost instantly.
Scales faintly appeared across his cheeks, and his hands transformed into sharp claws. His figure moved like a ghost. With a burst of power from his feet, he shot towards the unsuspecting beastman children and slammed their leader to the ground.
He pressed his claws against the boy’s throat and released a low growl. Golden light flashed within his phoenix-shaped eyes, and two sharp fangs protruded beside his lips.
“The bed. Mine.”
Mu Wanwan had already grown accustomed to the fierce expression he wore while fighting.
However, the young beastman beneath his claws trembled in terror. Beast markings appeared across his face.
“You—you can have it.”
Little Mr. Dragon did not hurt him. He merely withdrew his claws slowly.
“Get lost.”
The young beastman hurriedly scrambled to his feet. The other children seemed to awaken from a trance and began screaming.
“It’s the calamity-bringer! Run!”
“Dogu was touched by him! Dogu’s going to be cursed!”
“Waaah! You filthy mixed-blood dragon!”
Mu Wanwan listened as the children cursed Mr. Dragon while fleeing and nearly exploded with rage.
She truly wanted to beat every one of those brats.
What gave them the right to call him a calamity-bringer or a filthy mixed-blood dragon?
What did they mean when they said someone would be cursed merely because he touched them?
She had looked after Mr. Dragon for so many days. Why had she not been cursed?
Yet Mr. Dragon was probably already familiar with such insults.
Mu Wanwan had heard them many times over the past several days. Every time, Mr. Dragon allowed them to say whatever they wanted, his face calm and his eyes indifferent.
For a while, she had genuinely believed that he was not hurt by them.
Then, one night, she saw him cry.
That day, someone had called him a hybrid dragon without a father.
During the day, Mr. Dragon had ignored their words and merely stolen the food they had been fighting over.
But after returning “home” that night, he became unusually quiet. For once, he tolerated his own filthy condition and hugged his pillow tightly.
His two ears drooped so low that it was heartbreaking. Tears clung to his eyelashes. He did not sob or make a sound. He merely curled silently into a ball.
This time was the same.
He calmly listened to them insult him, then removed the intact boards from the broken bed.
He did not waste anything, taking apart every section that was still usable.
Perhaps because he had obtained the materials he needed, little Mr. Dragon’s mood improved somewhat, even though the sky was gradually darkening. He began making his way home.
Mu Wanwan felt a dull ache in her chest.
Almost an entire day had passed, and he had still eaten nothing.
Come to think of it, he had consumed only a small amount of steamed bun over the past two days.
Her eyes stung again.
Mu Wanwan could no longer remain angry. She followed the cheerful Mr. Dragon home, feeling depressed.
Unfortunately, the weather refused to cooperate.
Halfway back, rain began to fall once more. Tiny pieces of hail were mixed into it, striking her forehead painfully.
Mr. Dragon suddenly stopped running.
Mu Wanwan thought something had happened and hurried towards him worriedly. Then she saw the fastidious little dragon cub undo the fastening on his grey cloak.
He removed his precious cloak, the one that could barely conceal his ears, and carefully wrapped the wooden boards inside it.
Several pieces of hail struck his horns and split cleanly in two.
Mu Wanwan: “…”
She was utterly helpless against him.
She followed behind, looking at the increasingly gloomy sky. The unease inside her grew stronger.
She no longer had the presence of mind to observe the terrain. She could only follow him through the increasingly cold curtain of rain as they slowly drew closer to his home.
As they passed through several twisting alleys, Mu Wanwan’s heart suddenly jolted.
The two-headed snake that had frightened her before was now a corpse floating in the filthy water, emitting a terrible stench.
Her unease grew even more intense.
Mu Wanwan instinctively glanced at Mr. Dragon.
His wispy fringe was soaked by the rain and clung to his forehead in wet strands. His lips were pressed tightly together. He appeared expressionless, but his pace had clearly quickened.
Mu Wanwan no longer cared about the suffocating sensation of filthy water rising past her calves. She had already grown accustomed to it over the last few days.
She increased her speed and began running.
Yet even after running at the same speed Mr. Dragon normally used, she still could not catch up with him.
He was probably panicking.
His feet had completely transformed into claws. Every time he leapt, he left deep gouges in the walls.
Mu Wanwan could not keep up.
When she finally turned the corner, she was abruptly rooted to the spot.
The house that had been perfectly intact when they left that morning had nearly been reduced to rubble.
Stones had collapsed. Wooden boards had been torn apart. The thatch lay scattered across the filthy ground, covered in mud.
The wooden door had been ripped away and tossed crookedly to one side.
Draped across it were two bloody, severed tails.
They belonged to the two-tailed cat.
Mu Wanwan’s tears immediately fell.
The world before her blurred. She instinctively wanted to look at Mr. Dragon’s expression, but she could only see him lowering his head slightly, his dragon claws digging into his palms.
“Hah. I was wondering why that beast kept deliberately making itself so filthy lately.”
A grating voice rang out.
With reddened eyes, Mu Wanwan watched a large, heavily built dragon jump down from the wall.
“So this is where you live, you little calamity-bringer.”
A vicious smile crossed his face.
“Normally, I wouldn’t even bother with you. But for some reason, this beast kept coming here every few days. It even returned carrying your blood a while ago, which made Lili argue with me!”
The dragon held the tailless cat in one hand.
In the other, he held two familiar white eggs.
Mu Wanwan’s entire body went cold in an instant.
The cat was dead.
Its tails had been cut off and hung from Mr. Dragon’s door as a warning.
His Dabao and Xiaobao were also being held in that dragon’s hand.
All he needed to do was squeeze slightly…
“Give them back…”
Little Mr. Dragon’s palms were covered in blood.
The wooden boards he had worked so hard to bring home fell to the ground with a dull thud. He stared fixedly at the green dragon. His eyes turned golden, and his fangs emerged.
“Give them back.”
“Give them back!”
“Oh, I’ll give it back.”
The green dragon lifted the dead cat in disgust and hurled it forcefully into the distance.
He laughed mockingly as Mr. Dragon threw himself to the ground to catch it, as though he were enjoying the sight of his misery.
Mu Wanwan was so furious she felt as though she might explode. Pain throbbed through her chest.
She did not care whether she was in a spiritual form. She only wanted to charge forward and smash that green dragon’s head apart.
But she was destined to remain helpless.
Before she could even reach him, scales spread across the green dragon’s body. He opened his enormous mouth and, under Mr. Dragon’s nearly frozen gaze, swallowed Dabao and Xiaobao.
“Peh! Disgusting. They’d already gone bad.”
The green dragon spat twice.
When his gaze landed on Mr. Dragon’s expression, he smiled with interest.
“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be some terrible calamity-bringer? Why do you look like a little girl to me? You’re even crying.”
Then, as though he had suddenly remembered something, he burst into laughter.
“Don’t tell me you genuinely thought those two eggs they deliberately left on the road were dragon eggs. Hahahaha! That’s hilarious!”
Listening to his ridicule, Mu Wanwan felt as though her head were splitting apart and her heart were being torn open.
At that moment, her senses seemed to merge with Mr. Dragon’s.
She felt her body gradually growing larger.
The dragon opposite her looked increasingly astonished, and his figure seemed to become smaller and smaller.
Soon, Mr. Dragon had transformed into a dragon as well.
Furious dragon roars thundered beside her ears.
All she could see were blood-covered scales.
Mu Wanwan felt the world spin. Pain filled her entire body, and her vision gradually blurred.
By the time her mind became clear again, the battle was over.
The green dragon had been bitten to death. His eyes bulged like bronze bells as his body fell from the sky.
But the dragon roars had not ceased.
Mu Wanwan heard them coming from every direction—furious roars, excited roars from those coming to watch the spectacle.
Many dragons were rushing towards this once-tranquil little corner.
Her body hurt as though it were being torn apart.
Mu Wanwan felt that she was probably about to wake up.
She struggled to keep her eyes open. Through her blurred vision, she could only vaguely make out a dragon covered in wounds.
Mist shrouded its entire body, making its true form impossible to see.
It desperately fled into the distance.
It ran without looking back.
Large clumps of blood fell behind it like tears.
It was Mr. Dragon.
It was Mr. Dragon.
…
Mu Wanwan’s eyes abruptly flew open.
She gasped twice, then raised a hand to her sweat-covered forehead, unable to feel anything clearly.
Her face was covered in tears.
She looked at her own palms in a daze before slowly turning her head.
Mr. Dragon was sleeping peacefully beside her.
Mu Wanwan bit her lip.
Afraid that she was still dreaming, she tentatively reached out and touched his arm.
Warm.
Soft.
She could touch him.
He was real.
This was the real Mr. Dragon.
Mr. Dragon, who had warmth in his body.
Mu Wanwan’s emotions instantly became impossible to contain.
She desperately wanted to tell herself that she had merely experienced a dream and that everything inside it had been false.
But that dream had felt far too real.
So real that she was unwilling to believe it had only been a dream.
She would rather believe that little Mr. Dragon had truly existed, even though such a past would have been unbearably miserable for him.
She could still remember little Mr. Dragon’s expression when the two eggs were eaten.
That expression of despair and hatred towards his own helplessness…
He had probably genuinely believed those two eggs were dragon eggs.
“Mr. Dragon.”
Mu Wanwan no longer cared about maintaining an appropriate distance between them. She called his name indistinctly, her voice far gentler than usual, and slowly moved closer to him.
His body was very warm, warmer than little Mr. Dragon’s had been.
The heat travelled through his thin cotton inner robe and gradually spread into her palm.
Her heart ached so badly that she only wanted to do everything she had been unable to do inside the dream.
First, she reached out and stroked his head.
Then she wrapped her arms around one of his arms and rested her head against his shoulder.
And so, a certain dragon who had just eagerly awakened after successfully reconnecting a fragment of his primordial core promptly froze the moment his mind booted up.
“…”
Mr. Dragon went completely still.
He did not know what had happened, but he could feel her tightly embracing his arm as though she were extremely upset.
A soft, warm sensation travelled from her body, slowly spreading across his arm and shoulder. It was like a flame steadily burning its way upwards.
His face began to heat up.
Why had she suddenly hugged—hugged…
Hugged him?!
In Mu Wanwan’s eyes, she was merely offering the comfort she owed little Mr. Dragon. Strictly speaking, it could not even be considered a proper embrace.
But from Mr. Dragon’s perspective, he had awakened to find her hugging his arm and resting her head on his shoulder.
It was simply—
Simply far too much for a dragon to remain calm about.
Her hair was slightly long, and her cheek was very soft as it rested against his shoulder. Her long strands of hair brushed against him, making his skin itch.
“Stupid dragon.”
Mu Wanwan had still not recovered from the expression she had seen on little Mr. Dragon’s face.
She truly wanted to tell him that those had only been spirit-chicken eggs, not dragon eggs.
Moreover, judging from how Mr. Dragon had pretended not to care about what others thought while secretly crying like a child, Mu Wanwan was genuinely afraid that he might have believed everything happened because he was unlucky—because he was a calamity-bringer.
That the dragon eggs had been discovered because of him.
That the two-tailed cat had been killed because of him.
The thought made her heart ache even more. She felt furious and miserable at once.
She was angry that she had experienced such a dream while being unable to do anything.
What kind of dragon was this?
How could he be so foolish?
So foolish that it made her heart hurt.
Feeling aggrieved and upset, she called him a stupid dragon.
Mr. Dragon, however, shyly trembled his ears.
—
**Author’s Note:** Mr. Dragon, shyly: “When I woke up, not only was Madam hugging me, she even called me by an affectionate nickname. I’m truly far too happy.”
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