Chapter 10
"Koji~"
"What...?"
"It's Jia-er~"
"Yes... what's wrong..."
...
Yinglong was in the Dragon Palace, patiently teaching the little cub to speak.
"Yes—Jia'er."
"Za-er..."
The little dragon drooled and repeated the words after its mother.
Why can't the little guy straighten his tongue? Yinglong was puzzled and asked, "Let's try again."
“Come on, say it again, it’s Jia-er~” she drawled out the words.
“Za-er!” Young Dragon repeated, then chuckled, looking very happy, as if he thought he had said it very well.
“It’s ‘Jia’,” Yinglong said, trying to pronounce the word clearly.
"What..."
"I'm impressed," Yinglong laughed at the little guy. She lifted him up and swung him around, and the little guy got excited and started waving his arms and legs, his chubby arms and legs dangling in mid-air.
"Giggle giggle."
The laughter was crisp, melodious, and cheerful, with a strong infectious quality. Anyone who heard it would feel better and would unconsciously laugh along.
"Oh dear, take your time," Yinglong said with a laugh.
The little guy is now trying hard to transform into human form, but his cultivation is too shallow. He can only maintain human form for one or two hours a day at most. Most of the time, he is still in dragon form, and at most he sleeps with a human head and dragon form on his head.
Today's lesson is over. The little guy has been learning with his mother for so long, but he thought he was just playing. Now that he's exhausted, he yawned and fell asleep in Yinglong's arms.
Yinglong gently placed him on the seashell bed. She watched over him, calculating in her mind that his father would be rushing over in about half an hour.
As expected, not long after the cub was put down, Ao Guang arrived like a gust of wind.
"Asleep. You're late." Yinglong showed him the little thing on the bed.
As usual, his cheeks were puffed out and drool was flowing everywhere.
Ao Guang didn't care whether the baby was sleeping or awake; to him, the baby was someone he desperately wanted to see.
Even if it's just a short separation, he already misses it terribly.
Slowly squatting beside the seashell bed, Ao Guang wiped away the little guy's drool, but it kept drooling no matter how much he wiped. Ying Long couldn't help but pinch the little thing's cheek and asked curiously:
"How much more saliva is left to drool?"
"I want to grow even bigger~" Ao Guang said with sparkling eyes.
This old father loved everything his child showed.
It's just so rare and wonderful.
Seeing the idiot staring at her with his big, bright eyes, Yinglong had a sudden inspiration and gave him a task:
"Your child cannot yet say his own name; the task of teaching him to speak is entrusted to you."
She waved her hand, expecting the clumsy dragon to shine and surprise her.
Ao Guang nodded in agreement, promising to live up to his wife's expectations and teach their son well. However, several months later:
Come on, repeat after me: Jia'er~ Jia'er~
"Za'er...za'er..."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Benlong lowered his head in shame. He was the kind of person who only obeyed his child and had no idea what "strict teaching" meant.
"Idiot." Yinglong sighed and shook his head upon hearing this.
Now that he was being called an idiot, he had no way to refute it.
"Fool!"
A crisp sound rang out, and the two of them widened their eyes at the same time. Hmm?
Was that sound coming from the little guy in front of me?
"Idiot!" Yinglong repeated, holding up the baby dragon.
"Idiot!" The little guy spoke clearly and distinctly.
Oh dear, Yinglong is about to laugh himself silly. How could this be? He hasn't learned any words after all this time, but he can clearly pronounce the words he overheard cursing his own father.
And this stupid dragon, after working so hard for months, this is the result.
Hahahahahaha.
"Giggle giggle giggle giggle."
The Little Dragon King hadn't quite reacted yet, still bewildered by the child's "scolding." But when he turned around and saw his wife and children laughing so happily, he simply scratched his head and decided to accept the "idiot" for the time being.
If you call him a fool, he's a happy fool.
And then their child is a little fool, they're all the same.
The little rascal can't talk very well yet, but that's okay. We'll teach him slowly. We have enough patience to wait for this little seedling to grow.
The waiting process is fraught with uncertainty. Yinglong and Aoguang's educational philosophies seem to be aligned, but when it comes to actual implementation, well, there are some differences.
Ao Guang was a conscientious old father. He would keep an eye on his child's cultivation every day. If his child didn't want to cultivate, he would just let him be... and give him a break occasionally.
Yinglong was stricter than him, or rather, he had more methods.
The little guy, Ao Jia, has visibly grown a bit bigger. He can now swim freely around the palace every day, and occasionally he can even leave the palace to play with the shrimp soldiers and crab generals guarding the gate.
But he could only play at the entrance for a short while. The Dragon Palace was heavily guarded, and the little guy had almost never left the palace in his entire life. Therefore, although he had been the focus of everyone's attention in the East Sea since birth, few people outside the Dragon Palace actually knew his situation. Most of the information about him came from the guards who were watching over him. Based on those fragmented pieces of information, everyone passed it on from one person to another. Over time, although the little guy had never stepped out of the palace, everyone in the East Sea gradually learned about the personality of their crown prince.
They are incredibly lively, always laughing and joking. Whenever they are awake, they are always giggling. Once they stop giggling, they try every possible way to sneak out and play.
So approachable and guileless… and not even solid! This adorable little thing has now become a major challenge in his cultivation. He can't maintain his human form for very long; often, while playing, he'll suddenly transform into his dragon form. When he realizes this, he tries to change back, but no matter how hard he struggles, he finds he can't…
This process is repeated until the young dragon is exhausted. He becomes extremely sleepy, and whenever he feels sleepy, he rubs his eyes, yawns, and falls asleep anytime, anywhere.
Whenever this happened, the guards at the gate would skillfully carry the young prince back to the palace, then quietly withdraw and stand guard outside the palace with bated breath, ensuring the safety of the entire palace and preventing even a tiny shrimp from getting in.
Therefore, considering all the above, this is a very naughty and carefree little fellow. Yinglong cannot be as soft-hearted towards him as she is towards Ao Guang; she has plenty of ways to deal with him.
Since Jia'er can now understand most people's speech, communicating with him is not particularly difficult.
Every time he struggled to transform into human form, only managing to form a human head, Yinglong would encourage him from the side:
"Come on, once you transform into human form, you can go out to sea with your mother!"
"Huh? Going out to sea for fun?" Jia'er's eyes widened, her face full of anticipation.
He had lived in the East Sea Dragon Palace since birth and had never been outside. He had no idea what the outside world was or what the concept of the outside world was. He only felt that the whole world was the East Sea Dragon Palace, but he was very excited whenever he could go out to play.
So whenever his mother said those words, he would put all his effort into transforming into a human.
No matter how difficult the cultivation process is, he will not give up!
Seeing the child on the bed, his face flushed red from practicing so hard, Yinglong clenched his fist and cheered him on.
Xiao Long swayed back and forth, looking anxiously on the verge of seeking help, but no one came to his aid.
Whenever this happened, Ao Guang would sit quietly to the side, folding clothes one by one, knowing that they would need these clothes sooner or later.
Armor, jacket, shorts, cape... each piece of clothing was neatly folded and arranged separately for her and her child.
He's much busier these days; even though it's not him who goes out, he's busier than everyone else.
After folding a basket of clothes, he put them aside and took out his sewing kit to prepare to make new clothes.
His wife and children seemed to be seeing initial results from their practice. After a while, a chubby little boy appeared.
"Giggle, giggle." The little thing, now human, laughed so happily.
"Great job!" Yinglong praised his son, now it was just a matter of how long this could last.
After praising.
Whoosh!
She tossed the baby to her father, who was sewing clothes nearby, and then lay down to rest for a while. Watching the baby cultivate was really tiring.
Ao Guang was making clothes when he saw the commotion beside him. He quickly caught the child that flew towards him.
"Giggle, giggle." The little guy giggles no matter who he sees, always with a happy look on his face.
Unfortunately, before all the teeth had grown in, all that was showing was a small white spot.
Ao Guang felt a surge of tenderness in his heart as he looked at the child, and he stood up and lifted him high.
"Good boy, Jia'er."
Cultivation is a very arduous thing, and it's admirable that he can persevere at such a young age.
Ao Guang sighed, his mind preoccupied with his child's cultivation. Before he knew it, the mischievous boy was trying to slip out of his palm.
The little guy was straining with all his might, trying to swim upwards, his legs kicking downwards, attempting to escape his father's grasp and sneak out to play.
Ao Guang grabbed his ankle at just the right moment, pulled him down, and then pulled him back into his arms.
The little guy is now only wearing a small bib, with his hands, feet and legs all exposed. If you grab any part of his body, it feels smooth and slippery to the touch.
"How naughty!" Ao Guang lowered his head and grabbed the little guy tightly.
His thoughts began to wander again, and after an unknown amount of time, something suddenly bound his dragon horns.
He was taken aback and turned his head.
Yinglong, lying on the soft couch, was using her tail to encircle the little dragon king's horns. When she saw him looking over, she stared at him with a leisurely air.
Ao Guang carried the child to her side, placed the child in her arms, and then sat down and began to sew the new clothes meticulously again.
Yinglong hugged Jia'er and nuzzled him.
These days he seems to be busy, so busy that he can't stop, as if he has no time to think about anything else, only taking care of things for them everywhere, but in fact, she sensed his unspeakable thoughts when they parted.
“Little Dragon King…” Yinglong called to him.
"Um?"
Ao Guang responded, moved the sewing box away from him, and then folded the half-finished new clothes.
"Little Dragon King, is there something you want to say to us?" Yinglong nuzzled him again.
This old-fashioned little dragon keeps everything bottled up inside, pretending nothing's wrong, but he's clearly got something on his mind.
What's wrong? It's nothing more than not being able to bear parting with them.
With their departure imminent, he didn't want to trouble them, so he could only do his best to fulfill his duties and take care of everything for them.
"Little Dragon King, speak."
Feeling the dragon horns on his head being tightened, Ao Guang turned his head and stared at her with gentle eyes.
He didn't know what was wrong with him; he was a little too reluctant to let them go. He knew they would come back, but he just couldn't shake off these feelings.
Isn't he being a little too clingy?
Thinking about this, he started to feel a little embarrassed again, and just kept his head down and started busying himself haphazardly.
Yinglong watched as the silly dragon's cheeks flushed slightly, and then he continued folding the clothes in his hands.
"Are you reluctant to leave us?" she asked directly.
Ao Guang was bound and turned around. He looked at her, then at their child, whose round eyes were staring at him without blinking.
Not knowing how to answer, I could only nod slightly.
For so long, he's kept this little thing bottled up inside, saying nothing and just keeping it all to himself. It's really...
Yinglong cupped his face and said:
"What's there to be reluctant about? We'll just go and come right back."
"The crickets will be back soon~"
The little guy repeated that he now loves to imitate people's speech, especially his mother and father.
The child's voice was sincere and adorable, though indistinct, and both Yinglong and Aoguang were amused when they heard it.
"Giggle, giggle." The little guy laughed when he saw his parents laughing.
That's right, it's not like they're not coming back, but they'll be separated for so many days. There's no guarantee they won't run into trouble while they're out there. He can't help but worry about them.
I'm afraid that after we part, my longing will overwhelm me like a tidal wave.
"Come on, give me a smile." Yinglong teased him. This silly dragon was really good at pretending. He had been acting like nothing was wrong all this time, just working hard to prepare for them. If she hadn't noticed the slightest clue, she would have almost fooled him.
Ao Guang laughed as she cupped his face. His usually stern brows relaxed. No matter what happened, as long as Ying Long coaxed him like this, he had no strength to resist and simply succumbed to her charm.
"That's right, that's more like it. If I really don't come back one day, then you can cry then."
"No way!" the Little Dragon King declared firmly. "Even a fake one won't do!"
You are not allowed to say it!
"Okay, okay, no, no."
"No, no!"
The little guy repeated it again.
...
With the mother and son working together, they finally managed to appease the stubborn little dragon king of the East Sea.
In fact, Ao Guang's worries were premature. Not to mention that the little guy's cultivation is still unstable, just looking at the fact that his teeth haven't grown in yet, it's clear that they won't be able to leave for the time being.
We'll have to stay in the East China Sea for at least a while longer.
And that was indeed the case; by the time they finally decided to leave, countless years had passed.
Over the years, the family of three each fulfilled their roles, accompanying each other without disturbing one another. The mother was responsible for cheering them on, the little one for working hard, and in the background, the father was responsible for making clothes.
When Koji was finally able to reliably transform into human form.
"That's great."
Yinglong lay on the soft couch and sighed.
How many years has it been? How many years has it been? How many years has it been since she last went out? Because of a moment of confusion, she was bewitched by the beauty of that stupid dragon from the East Sea, and until now, she has not taken a single step out of the East Sea. But now, she finally has the opportunity to go out and see the world again.
Just thinking about the dazzling world outside:
"That's wonderful!" Yinglong couldn't help but exclaim again.
The older one was like this, and so was the younger one. Jia'er knew that he would finally—finally—be going out with his mother soon, and he was so excited he felt like he could fly to the sky!
He muttered to himself every day in the Dragon Palace, preparing for himself. What's absurd is that he even knew to pack his own luggage.
He casually pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket, intending to stuff his "luggage" into it.
That cloth bag was made especially for him by Ao Guang using the leftover fabric; it was a small cloth bag exclusively for him.
Jia'er opened her cloth bag and pondered carefully what she should bring.
The colorful coral reefs were his toys, and he kept them inside.
The starfish by the door is his little friend; he brings one along.
There's also a seaweed jump rope; you need to bring one.
...
The little creature even managed to take one of the luminous pearls from the Dragon Palace, intending to wear it.
Yinglong saw her son packing his luggage, and then she saw what kind of luggage he was packing... Her eyes went black!
"Can I take this out...? What...? You're not allowed to bring anything..."
Why bring all this along? It's just a burden. The little thing has never traveled far and doesn't know that as a dragon, he can simply float away when he wants to go out.
"Really?" Jia'er was reluctant to part with it.
"You're not allowed to bring anything." Yinglong waved his hand dismissively. Who was she? Did she think she could leave the house without anything she wanted?
In the past, she could leave whenever she wanted, but now she needs to prepare, and that preparation time is all for this little one.
He was the largest piece of luggage she had ever taken on a trip.
This is her first child, and she is determined to take the child out to see the world!
Alright, this is the moment.
"Xiaolong, stand still, it's time to check your equipment."
Upon hearing this, Jia'er stood up straight, placed his hands neatly on both sides, and looked up at his mother.
From top to bottom—
Her hair was too soft to tie up, but she had sharp hearing and eyesight.
All teeth are intact!
All four limbs are intact!
The tail is complete!
Everything is ready, let's go!
Without hesitation, she packed her things and took Xiaolong's hand, ready to leave.
Jia'er followed his mother, and the two of them swam lightly and quickly in front, while his father followed behind.
No one in the East Sea knew about their trip, so Ao Guang didn't bring any guards; he came to see them off alone.
Upon reaching the border of the East China Sea, Yinglong stopped and looked back. He was surprised to see that this silly dragon had actually escorted them all the way to the border of the East China Sea.
Once you reach this point, simply keep floating upwards to leave the East China Sea and reach land.
"I'm leaving, Little Dragon King." These past few days she had been immersed in the joy of finally leaving, but now that she was here, she realized that she was actually a little reluctant to leave.
She had previously mocked him...
"Mm." Ao Guang held their hands without saying a word.
Yinglong had warned him not to show any reluctance when they parted, or he would beat him up, and he did as he was told.
This silly dragon is unusually obedient.
She looked like she was enduring a lot of hardship.
She couldn't help but go up and hug him and kiss his cheek. Even with the little guy right next to her, she didn't shy away from doing these things to him.
The red lines around his eyes were exquisite, and in this scene, they appeared even redder. Yinglong looked at him and gently kissed him.
"You promised to wait for us in the East China Sea, we'll be right back."
"I'll be right back~"
"Go ahead." Ao Guang didn't want to delay them, so he was the first to let go.
Yinglong then let go of her lingering attachment, turned around, and floated upwards with her child. Jia'er followed beside her, her hand being pulled along, his legs kicking excitedly under his clothes.
Ao Guang watched their figures—they swam further and further away.
As they approached the sea level, Yinglong glanced back and saw a figure still standing on the city wall, like a lonely lighthouse guarding her and her child.
She suppressed her emotions and, in the end, led her child toward a brighter future.
The lonely figure below seemed to be forever left in the depths of the sea.
Ao Guang stood there for a long time, so long that the two figures were long gone, but he did not leave.
The seawater rippled, lifting his hair and making it float gently; everything was so quiet.
He stood there, waiting for her.
I hope my wife will return soon.
He prayed.
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