By the time the human and dragon finally finished kissing, Mu Wanwan took the opportunity to explain that the pendant and hairpin had been gifts from Uncle Zong and Jiu Qing respectively. Then she asked whether his curse had improved significantly.
Still dazed from the kissing, Mr. Dragon rested his forehead against hers and quietly told her that he had encountered the leader of the Special Lifeform Alliance on the road, who had helped him.
Mu Wanwan searched through the pitifully scarce plot details from the original novel and eventually remembered such a character.
She asked curiously, “What does the leader of the Special Lifeform Alliance look like?”
Mr. Dragon’s eyelashes trembled. Under Mu Wanwan’s expectant gaze, a glow slowly appeared at his fingertips and condensed into a humanoid figure.
Its entire body was green and semi-transparent. It had eyes like pools of emerald seawater, two curved antennae on its forehead, no hair, and wore a long green robe.
It looked extraordinary. It was not ugly—in fact, it possessed a strange sort of beauty.
Mu Wanwan had never seen a life-form like it before. Its greenness was remarkably unusual.
Still, since this creature had helped Mr. Dragon, it was probably a very good being.
She curved her lips into a smile and moved the hand that Mr. Dragon had been holding all this time. She had originally intended to call him “My Lord,” but suddenly remembered that she still did not know this dragon’s name.
Curious, she asked, “Mr. Dragon, what is your real name?”
The moment she finished speaking, she felt his entire body stiffen. His grip around her hand also tightened.
Mu Wanwan saw specks of golden light flare within his eyes in the darkness before quickly fading again.
“My name is… Mr. Dragon.”
Mu Wanwan: “…”
Did she really look that easy to fool?
Perhaps noticing her expression, the dragon flushed and, for once, uttered something resembling sweet talk.
“I like it.”
“I like hearing you call me Mr. Dragon.”
He liked her calling him Mr. Dragon?
Mu Wanwan became a little embarrassed, and her body temperature began rising again.
The human and dragon remained glued together for a while before innocently going back to sleep for a little longer. Only then did Mr. Dragon finally dispel the darkness.
Earlier, Mu Wanwan had undone his belt while examining his injuries. They had also done a few embarrassing things beneath the covers, so when the darkness disappeared and her vision became clear again, her face burned as she watched the dragon beside her sit up.
He looked rather dishevelled.
His long hair was slightly messy, and the two furry ears on top of his head were half bald.
His face remained expressionless, but much of the curse pattern had faded, allowing Mu Wanwan to see his features more clearly.
He looked like an enlarged version of little Mr. Dragon. His lips were pursed, but a pink flush stretched from the corners of his eyes all the way down his neck. His eyelashes were long and curled, his nose was straight, and his lips were moist and red.
His dark brocade robe was in disarray, and his belt hung loosely around his waist. The newly purchased undergarment beneath it was stained with dried blood. The fabric had fallen slightly open at the chest, revealing the faint contours of muscle beneath it. His shoulders were broad, and his body was lean yet powerful.
Half sitting upright, he stared openly at her with his dark eyes. Light streamed through the window, making his face appear as flawless as carved jade—strikingly handsome, with a faintly wicked allure.
Mu Wanwan suddenly did not quite dare to look at him.
He had not even fully recovered yet, but he was already this handsome.
What would he look like after making a complete recovery?
He would undoubtedly be breathtakingly handsome.
What she did not know was that, in the dragon’s eyes, she looked equally enticing.
Her long black hair spilled across the pillow. Her moist almond-shaped eyes were framed by curled eyelashes, and her clear gaze resembled a pristine spring. Her face was fair, while her lips had been kissed into a soft shade of red. She clutched the edge of the quilt with both hands, looking as quiet and vivid as a living painting.
A gentle breeze drifted in through the window. The red-faced Mr. Dragon finally realised that his clothes were still in disorder. He instinctively pulled his brocade robe closed, stood up with a faint blush, and walked towards the wardrobe to retrieve another set of clothes.
“I’ll wait for you outside.”
No matter how one looked at it, his retreating figure seemed rather like he was fleeing in embarrassment.
Mu Wanwan, however, let out a genuine sigh of relief.
Her own clothes were not properly fastened either.
The door closed, leaving her alone inside the room.
Mu Wanwan stared at the familiar ceiling, yet everything felt like a dream.
The sensation of his lips seemed to linger on hers. She raised a hand to cover her burning face.
They really had.
They really had kissed.
He had stopped being awkward and had stopped pretending that he did not like her.
Her heart belatedly began pounding. As she recalled the almost tangible intimacy between them earlier, Mu Wanwan came to a clear realisation for the first time.
She was in love.
In fact, she was already married.
To a dragon.
An awkward, hopelessly twisted dragon.
By the time the human and dragon had both properly dressed and begun going about their day, the courtyard suddenly seemed remarkably small.
When Mu Wanwan wanted to wash up in the side hall, she found Mr. Dragon sitting in his wheelchair by the entrance, holding a spirit stone.
When Mu Wanwan wanted to take advantage of the pleasant afternoon weather and air out the quilts, she found a certain dragon pretending to cultivate by the doorway.
When Mu Wanwan wanted to visit the kitchen and see whether Mengmeng had fed its “baby” spirit chicks over the past few days, she found a cold-faced, jealous dragon sitting in a chair and blocking her path.
Mu Wanwan was holding a newly cultivated first-rank spirit fruit, intending to give the spirit chicks an extra snack. She walked over to him, caught between laughter and exasperation, and blinked.
“Mr. Dragon, you’re blocking my way.”
He raised his eyes to look at her. Beneath the gentle sunlight, his dark pupils resembled glazed glass reflecting halos of light. He tilted his head slightly, as though waiting for her to continue.
Mu Wanwan remembered the scars crisscrossing his chest and how, when overcome with emotion, he had accidentally admitted that it hurt badly whenever he did not use spiritual energy.
She simply stuffed the spirit fruit into his hand, then firmly placed both hands on the handles at the back of the chair Uncle Tie had made.
“Come with me, all right?”
After speaking, she patiently waited several seconds before hearing his answer.
“All right.”
Mu Wanwan felt a little helpless.
She now understood this dragon’s personality.
Being awkward was his natural state, but as long as she took the initiative to approach him, he could never bring himself to refuse her.
He did not know how to interact with her, nor did he understand what he ought to say.
But Mu Wanwan no longer minded.
Warmth filled her heart.
He had even given her the blood from his heart. What further proof could she possibly need?
When they reached the kitchen, Mengmeng was in the middle of a “performance.”
Mengmeng had now grown into an enormous, plump little bird and was considerably larger than before. Its feathers had become even thicker and more luxuriant, forming a stark contrast with Mr. Dragon’s half-bald furry ears.
At that moment, Mengmeng was demonstrating its newly learned special skill to several equally fluffy chicks.
The chubby bird opened its pale yellow beak and vigorously flapped its tiny wings twice. After straining for a long time, it finally spat out a tiny ball of pale white flame.
Mu Wanwan: “…”
Unable to restrain herself, she asked the dragon beside her, “Mr. Dragon, what kind of mountain sparrow is Mengmeng?”
Why could it breathe fire?
Mr. Dragon stared mournfully at the bird’s luxuriant feathers.
Under Mu Wanwan’s gaze, he silently withdrew the ears on top of his head. His voice was icy and carried a distinctly gritted-teeth quality.
“A White Phoenix.”
Mu Wanwan: “…”
She must have misheard him.
This silly, adorable, chubby little bird that loved acting spoiled and rubbing against people was actually the legendary White Phoenix?
Watching the enormous bird in front of her perform what seemed like a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree Thomas flare while breathing fire, Mu Wanwan felt her mind short-circuit.
Something was definitely wrong here.
“Chirp~!”
Perhaps feeling that the revelation of its White Phoenix identity had not shocked Mu Wanwan enough, Mengmeng—whose spiritual intelligence was gradually awakening—let out an innocent, foolish chirp.
Mu Wanwan: “…”
No.
She refused to accept it.
“Its spiritual intelligence has only just awakened,” Mr. Dragon added slowly after thinking for a moment. “It is still very young.”
Mu Wanwan found this rather strange.
When she had first picked Mengmeng up, it had looked no different from an ordinary mountain sparrow. Back then, Mengmeng had lain stiffly inside the basket and had almost suffered the tragic fate of having its feathers plucked.
It had been so weak and fragile. How could it possibly be a White Phoenix?
Furthermore, Hongye had said that Mengmeng had offended Ao Xue. That meant Mengmeng had been hatched inside the forbidden grounds.
“Why would a White Phoenix chick grow up among mountain sparrows in the forbidden grounds?”
Mu Wanwan lifted the large, plump bird, which had already grown bigger than her entire hand.
After asking, she noticed that something seemed slightly off about Mr. Dragon.
He glanced guiltily at Mengmeng, looking faintly embarrassed.
“Several decades ago, when I had just become the ruler, I visited the demon clan.”
Mu Wanwan: “??”
She suddenly had a very bad feeling.
“At the time, I heard that if someone obtained a phoenix chick’s first crest feather, they could…”
Mr. Dragon’s voice gradually faded into silence.
Mu Wanwan was left desperately curious.
It was rare for this dragon to speak so many words at once. What exactly could someone do with a phoenix chick’s first feather?
Holding Mengmeng in both hands, she walked in front of him, crouched down, and looked up into his eyes.
“My Lord, what can someone do with Mengmeng’s first little crest feather?”
She raised her head towards him. The enormous bird in her arms cooperatively opened its round eyes and stared at him as well, as though asking:
“What does the big, evil dragon want to do with my feather?”
Mr. Dragon found it difficult to answer.
He pursed his lips and maintained an icy expression.
“You can eat it.”
Mu Wanwan: “??”
Mr. Dragon turned his head away and covered his faintly flushed handsome face with one large hand, continuing to fabricate his lie.
“It tastes very good.”
Mu Wanwan was momentarily speechless.
She gave the seemingly calm Mr. Dragon a complicated look. Then, remembering something, she stuffed Mengmeng into his hands.
“Help me watch Mengmeng for a moment.”
The crest feather that Mengmeng had lost after being struck by Mr. Dragon’s scale had later been found by the wall.
Although Mu Wanwan still had not recovered from the shock of discovering that Mengmeng was a White Phoenix chick, she suddenly remembered that feather.
Judging from the awkward dragon’s expression, perhaps it was extremely useful.
She told him to remain there and watch Mengmeng while he waited for her.
Although the dragon appeared very unwilling, he nevertheless obediently remained where he was.
He held Mengmeng by its thick plumage and felt as though he were sitting beneath a lemon tree.
Whenever he raised his head, he could see an entire tree laden with plump little birds, each one covered in thick, fluffy feathers.
Mr. Dragon stared absent-mindedly at the newly grown crest feather on Mengmeng’s head, as though returning to an afternoon from many years ago.
He had only just become the ruler.
No dragon had been willing to approach him.
Of course, he had not cared.
But on that particular day, he had felt somewhat lonely.
He spread out his divine senses and overheard several single dragons speaking.
“Did you hear? That little white dragoness we had our eyes on was successfully pursued by someone from the Golden Dragon Clan,” one Azure Dragon said.
“Damn it. I wasted so many spirit stones and treasures on her,” another Azure Dragon guard complained unwillingly.
“I know something about it,” said the only White Dragon among them. “My wife knows that little white dragoness. Apparently, she received a phoenix’s first crest feather. Once you obtain something like that, you’re guaranteed to encounter your true love.”
“If you give the feather to that person afterwards, the two of you will be bound together for life.”
The White Dragon had fabricated the story without the slightest hesitation, forcibly transforming a phoenix chick’s first crest feather into a symbol of love.
At the time, Mr. Dragon had lost interest after hearing that and withdrawn his divine senses.
However, he had inadvertently remembered the story.
Apparently, as long as someone possessed a phoenix chick’s first crest feather, they would meet a person who sincerely loved them.
And once they met the person they truly loved, giving them the feather would allow them to obtain happiness.
He had remembered it all those years.
Many years later, negotiations with the demon clan had broken down, so he had taken away one of their phoenix eggs and thrown it into the forbidden grounds behind the mountain.
It had remained unhatched for decades.
Mr. Dragon stared at Mengmeng, seemingly attempting to peer through its foolish exterior and determine whether it truly possessed the power to bring good fortune.
After all, not long after it hatched, he really had met her.
Thus, when Mu Wanwan returned holding a little feather, she was greeted by an exceedingly strange scene.
Mengmeng was being held in the dragon’s hand with tears pooling in its eyes, all the feathers on its body nearly standing on end.
Mr. Dragon was staring seriously at its plump body, a faint smile playing across his lips, as though he were examining something delicious.
At that moment, Mu Wanwan actually believed his claim that Mengmeng was “very tasty.”
She hurriedly ran over.
“Mr. Dragon, you can’t eat Mengmeng!”
Mr. Dragon: “…”
He silently placed the nearly unconscious bird beside his feet and watched as his little wife stopped in front of him.
“The feather.”
She opened her palm towards him. Resting in the centre was a soft yet resilient juvenile feather.
A stream of warmth abruptly flowed through his heart.
Mr. Dragon tightly pursed his lips as she smiled at him, her eyes shining brightly with joy.
His fingertips trembled slightly.
Mr. Dragon raised his hand and, through the feather, tightly clasped Mu Wanwan’s hand.
“?”
Mu Wanwan did not understand what was happening. She saw him staring at her earnestly, the corners of his lips rising slightly with an emotion she could not comprehend.
“I’ve received it,” he said softly, golden light flickering in his eyes. “I like it very much.”
Mu Wanwan: “Oh.”
She still could not understand what this dragon was thinking.
Did Mengmeng’s little crest feather truly taste that good?
She was confused, but it no longer seemed particularly important. Her face merely felt warm as she said, somewhat shyly:
“Then hurry up and eat it.”
Mr. Dragon: “…”
…
While the human and dragon slowly learned how to get along with each other, Jiu Qing was sitting upright inside a residence in the outskirts of the city.
Two maidservants stood behind her.
Had Mu Wanwan been present, she would immediately have recognised them as the two maids who had confronted Bai Shuiyao inside the restaurant.
“How does it look?” Jiu Qing asked while staring at herself in the bronze mirror, her voice trembling slightly.
“Little Princess, nearly all the curse marks have disappeared,” the older maid said cheerfully.
They were both Nine-Tailed Foxes who had grown up beside Jiu Qing.
The older one was called Xiao Yue, while the younger one was Xiao Xing. Their relationship with Jiu Qing was far closer than that of ordinary servants. They had also voluntarily accompanied Jiu Qing when she married into the dragon territory.
Therefore, even though Jiu Qing had already married and become a dragon’s wife, they still preferred to call her Little Princess.
Light flashed through Jiu Qing’s peach-blossom eyes.
“There are still a few marks remaining.”
The first time Mu Wanwan had treated her, she had given her several Spirit-Recovery Pills and one Snow Condensation Pill. Later, she had given her a small number of higher-grade Snow Condensation Pills.
Although there had not been many, their effectiveness was nearly comparable to Jinjiang Grass.
After taking them for half a month, the curse inside Jiu Qing’s body had gradually weakened.
Now—
Her fair fingers brushed across her smooth cheek. Jiu Qing curved her red lips into a smile.
She had finally become somewhat beautiful again.
“Little Princess, I think we should simply return to the demon clan,” Xiao Yue said with a frown.
She was about to continue when Xiao Xing, standing beside her, glared at her.
Xiao Yue looked resentful but ultimately closed her mouth.
Jiu Qing raised an eyebrow, knowing what she wanted to say.
“Where is your master?”
Xiao Yue pouted unhappily.
“He has spent the entire past fortnight in that slut’s courtyard.”
“Oh.”
The corners of Jiu Qing’s lips lowered slightly, and deeply concealed hatred flashed through her eyes.
She really had loved Ao Xue once.
She had loved him so deeply and humbly that she had been willing to give him everything she possessed.
But how had he repaid her?
For the past half month, she had almost constantly used cultivation as an excuse to remain secluded. Whenever she left, she used the hidden passage.
She wanted to recover her appearance as soon as possible.
At the same time, a small part of her had continued to hope.
She had even thought that if Ao Xue changed his ways, she would forgive him.
But throughout the entire half month, he had not visited her once.
No matter how deeply she had once loved him, her heart was now almost completely dead.
The demon clan placed great importance upon physical appearance. The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan had always prided itself upon its beauty, and unattractive foxes were looked down upon within the clan.
Ao Xue had also constantly instilled one belief in her:
“A woman without a beautiful face does not deserve to be loved.”
Therefore, she had always believed that everything was her fault.
Had her face not been ruined—had she not become ugly—Ao Xue would never have fallen in love with someone else.
Dragons were greedy by nature. It was normal for them to refuse to surrender their precious heart’s blood. Everyone was like that, and it did not mean that they did not love their partners.
But then she had met Mu Wanwan and the supposedly terrifying, disabled ruler.
One did not despise her husband’s disfigured appearance.
The other was willing to surrender his most precious heart’s blood.
Only then had Jiu Qing vaguely realised that she had lived all these years like a complete joke.
Appearance was not truly important.
Not every dragon was the way she had believed them to be.
Previously, she had focused solely on removing her curse and reclaiming Ao Xue’s heart.
Now, she only found him incomparably filthy.
She had no desire for such a disgusting man.
Recently, however, news had arrived from her clan. The dragon clan, demon clan, and witch clan appeared to be preparing for some major movement.
Although her husband was scum, he held a relatively high position within the Azure Dragon Clan.
She had only met Mu Wanwan a handful of times and did not have much of a relationship with the dragon ruler, who seemed only to know how to crush his enemies with overwhelming strength.
Even so, she wanted to help them.
Perhaps it was because when she had last seen Mu Wanwan looking so lost and devastated, she had felt as though she were looking at her former self.
Jiu Qing had never received a response from Ao Xue.
Mu Wanwan had.
Mu Wanwan was living the life that Jiu Qing had once longed for.
Pressing a finger against her vivid red lips, Jiu Qing rose to her feet, her crimson robes sweeping around her.
Her seductive eyes curved as she turned towards the two young women who had remained beside her even as the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan gradually declined.
“These years have been hard on you.”
“Madam, what are you saying?”
Xiao Yue and Xiao Xing were overwhelmed by the unexpected words. Looking at their peerlessly beautiful little princess, their hearts even began beating faster.
A few scattered curse marks remained on Jiu Qing’s face, but the slightly immature charm she had possessed in her youth had now deepened and matured, resembling rich, intoxicating wine.
“Come. We’re going to Bai Shuiyao’s courtyard,” Jiu Qing said with a cold smile.
A short while later, she arrived outside Bai Shuiyao’s courtyard with Xiao Yue and Xiao Xing.
Even from far away, they could hear flirtatious laughter coming from inside.
Despite everything, Jiu Qing still felt a stab of pain in her heart.
Furious, Xiao Yue kicked the door open.
Jiu Qing immediately saw the two people tangled together on the ground.
Ao Xue was pressing Bai Shuiyao beneath him, his eyes filled with desire. Hearing the noise, he instantly raised his head, his expression showing his displeasure at having his enjoyment interrupted.
However, the moment he saw the person standing at the entrance, long-absent amazement flashed through his eyes, followed by an ecstatic joy that resembled profound love.
Using Bai Shuiyao for support, he rose to his feet.
“Ah~!”
Bai Shuiyao was pressed painfully at the waist and let out a soft, seductive moan. Tears filled her eyes.
“Husband, you’re hurting me.”
However, Bai Shuiyao did not receive the increasingly gentle consolation that Ao Xue had shown her over the past several days.
Instead, she heard him ask in astonishment:
“Jiu’er, why have you come out of seclusion?”
Bai Shuiyao immediately sensed that something was wrong.
She hurriedly climbed up from the ground and bowed towards Jiu Qing, who stood beside the courtyard entrance.
“First Madam.”
She gave Jiu Qing an innocent smile.
“I am a new concubine recently taken in by Lord Ao Xue. I hope Elder Sister will take good care of me in the future.”
Jiu Qing stared at her swollen lips, the rough kiss marks covering her neck, and those falsely innocent eyes.
She found the woman utterly nauseating.
“A concubine?”
Jiu Qing narrowed her eyes and raised her hand.
A sharp beam of purple light flashed.
Bai Shuiyao felt sudden pain across her face.
She instinctively reached up to touch it. When the pain intensified, she pulled her hand away and saw that it was covered in blood.
“Ah!”
Bai Shuiyao staggered backwards two steps and began to cry.
“Jiu’er, what are you doing?!”
Ao Xue became angry and immediately pulled Bai Shuiyao into his arms.
“Husband.”
Jiu Qing’s eyes were filled with deep love and wounded sorrow as she looked at him.
“She is only a concubine.”
The technique she had used was infused with demonic energy. It would not seriously harm Bai Shuiyao.
It would merely ruin the face that had captivated Ao Xue so completely.
Ao Xue was still angry, but after seeing how much of Jiu Qing’s beauty had been restored, he no longer reprimanded her quite so harshly.
Jiu Qing appeared to break into a smile through her tears, leaving Ao Xue momentarily dazed.
Her heart, however, was filled entirely with hatred.
The demonic energy within her attack would not kill Bai Shuiyao.
It would merely cause her to grow uglier and uglier.
Once Jiu Qing had extracted enough information about the dragon clan’s plans from Ao Xue, it would be time for both of them to die.
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