Chapter 8
Whenever Yinglong saw the Little Dragon King working diligently, he would unconsciously forget his age.
He was mature, composed, and efficient in his actions, and his methods were swift and decisive... In addition, he was usually stern, cold, and aloof. His cold face could freeze people to death, and when he occasionally frowned, his subjects dared not even breathe.
This makes him look like he has lived for a full ten thousand years, not at all like he has only lived for a thousand years.
But this "rigid" dragon is actually very gentle, meticulous and patient when it comes to hatching its offspring.
Yinglong was so frightened that he sometimes wondered if Xiaolong's usual demeanor in public was all an act.
It is highly likely that... he has taken on the heavy responsibility of the dragon clan at such a young age. If he does not establish his authority and establish a thunderous approach as soon as possible, how can he win the respect of the people of the four seas?
It turns out it was a dragon that was forced to grow up.
Yinglong felt a pang of pity for him. It was a pity that children forced to grow up always mature early and take on responsibilities and obligations at a young age, causing them to lose much of their innocence and joy. She shouldn't bully him anymore.
But when she returned to the palace and saw the little dragon king peacefully incubating his eggs on the bed, her flirtatious interest was rekindled.
The little dragon king showed great patience and enthusiasm for incubating the eggs.
For most of the day, he would sit cross-legged on his bed, circling around and around, placing his precious dragon egg in the center, carefully guarding it day and night.
Not only that, but during the incubation process, he kept gazing tenderly at the eggs in his arms, as if he could never get tired of looking at them.
Every day, seeing him lying so diligently on the bed, carefully and meticulously incubating his dragon eggs, Yinglong would think:
"Who taught this little dragon king to be so gentle, meticulous, and patient?"
He was practically born with the talent to incubate eggs. Each time, he would lie there for half a day without showing the slightest impatience. In fact, during the process, he would just gaze tenderly at the egg in his arms and do nothing else.
They possess an extraordinary level of patience and responsibility.
"Who did you learn all this from?" Yinglong asked curiously as he lay beside him.
Or rather, who taught him to be so "gentle and kind"?
Despite being only a thousand years old, his demeanor exudes a maturity and sense of responsibility beyond his years.
Even if one is forced to grow up, there's no need to grow up to be so "complete".
"What did you say?" The Little Dragon King looked up and asked with a blank expression.
"Hey, who taught you to incubate eggs like that?"
"Does this even need to be taught? Any parent would know how to do it."
Yinglong choked.
With a face that looks only a thousand years old and still so youthful, talking to her about being a parent...
That's so out of place, considering I'm still just a kid.
The dragon's horns haven't fully grown in yet...
"I'll teach you the correct way to incubate the eggs." With that, she opened her dragon mouth, looking as if she was about to breathe fire.
Ao Guang immediately slapped her lips shut.
"No!" Ao Guang was afraid she would breathe fire and roast the egg directly.
"Don't be nervous, why would I do that?" Her unique dragon breath can form an excellent protective layer for the cub—it can maintain the temperature and prevent external interference or damage.
"No...no, you can't." The Little Dragon King was too serious. He was determined to rely on himself and not ask for help from anyone. This determination made Yinglong feel sorry for him.
"Okay, okay, no."
He put in all his effort to hatch it himself.
Yinglong had no choice but to go with him.
Seeing his serene and contented demeanor, she suddenly spoke again:
"I heard that after incubating for forty-nine days, the baby dragon will naturally hatch."
"Really?" Ao Guang's eyes widened upon hearing this, overjoyed.
In just 49 days, he will have completed half of the incubation schedule.
"I was just kidding," Yinglong said, then grabbed his ear again.
"Hey, I clearly saw a lot of dragon eggs in the warm pavilion of the Dragon Palace. As the Dragon King, how could you not know when these dragon eggs will hatch?"
That place is a fixed breeding ground for dragons. Many dragons send their children there to hatch, and when the time comes, they come to pick up their newly hatched babies and take them home.
"They didn't incubate it themselves, so how would I know how long it takes for a dragon egg to hatch? This is my first time incubating an egg too..."
The little dragon king murmured, and his soft voice sounded adorable.
After saying that, he turned the eggshell in his arms and rotated the egg.
He's honest and simple.
"In that case, I'll let you off the hook for now." Yinglong's daily teasing plan was complete. She released his ear, nestled beside him, and spent this long time with him.
The two were like fish in the deep sea, counting down the days, hoping that one day the little dragon would hatch and give them a surprise. But day after day, year after year, they waited and waited, but the egg remained as still as a mountain, showing no sign of hatching.
It didn't even budge, let alone hatch.
"How could this be?" After staring at the bed all day, Yinglong poked the dragon egg and cried out loudly.
She was really discouraged. Did this little guy not want to come into the world at all?
There's absolutely no rush!
"Don't worry, let's incubate it for a few more days," Ao Guang gently comforted her.
Actually, he was also very anxious and worried. Why was his first child still not coming out?
Could it be that he hasn't been incubating it long enough?
But he was always patient. If one day didn't work, he would try another; if one year didn't work, he would try another. He always managed to wait until his first child was born.
There's plenty of time in the future, he thought to himself, and his eyes gradually softened.
Yinglong's fur was soothed by him that he calmed down for the time being.
At this moment, the dragon egg was held in their hands, receiving their tender gaze.
Ao Guang gently stroked the warm dragon egg with his fingertips, silently praying for the child in his heart.
Little Dragon sincerely thought, "I'd pay any price if my child could be born healthy and safe."
Thinking that the incubation time was insufficient, Ao Guang spent almost every day and night with his child afterward. Even when handling official business, he tried to do so in his palace, keeping the dragon egg by his side.
As time went on, he almost never left his palace. Occasionally, when he was tired or weary, he would transform into a dragon and coil around the dragon egg to rest with his child.
One afternoon, he was leisurely enjoying his nap, the dragon egg nestled peacefully inside his body. The Dragon Palace was serene and tranquil in the afternoon, with gentle sunlight streaming softly from overhead into the depths of the sea. Through the distance, dappled light and shadow could be seen cast by the flowing water... The ocean currents flowed gently and continuously, carrying the faint sounds of the sea creatures in the distance.
Ao Guang closed his eyes, seemingly half asleep. He should have been handling his official business at this moment, but because the time was so precious—the underwater world was just too beautiful, and time seemed to slow down here… He just let himself lie in the palace with the dragon egg, so idle that his bones felt like they were going to loosen up.
He slowly closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually became lighter. Just as he was about to fall asleep, something on his body suddenly moved.
Ao Guang suddenly woke up and looked around frantically, but found nothing.
He lay there, stunned, when suddenly, something in his body seemed to move. This time it was even more obvious. Ao Guang felt a "ding" in his mind, as if he had been struck by something.
His eyes suddenly widened as he looked back.
Is... is the dragon egg on my body moving?
He couldn't believe it, his eyes fixed on the egg.
Is it true? What if we move it again?
Ao Guang dared not breathe too heavily, for fear of missing the slightest sound.
After waiting for a long time, the egg finally moved slightly again.
Sure enough! It really was the egg ring around the body that was moving!
The little guy is so small that the movement he makes is barely noticeable; if you're not careful, you might think water is flowing over you.
Ao Guang's heart began to race. Was this not a hallucination? Was this moment about to arrive? Was his child about to be born?
But fearing that his joy would turn into disappointment like before, he dared not make any rash moves and simply waited quietly for his child's next move as time passed.
The little guy seemed to be testing the waters; it took a long time before he moved again.
This time you really saw it right! It really is moving!
Ao Guang excitedly turned his head to look for someone, but no matter how he looked, the palace was empty.
The little one in my arms started moving more and more frequently; it was definitely coming out!
Ao Guang gently placed the egg on the bed, then swiftly spun around the palace before leaving and rapidly traversing various parts of the Dragon Palace.
He was determined to find Yinglong as soon as possible. He had to find her because their child was about to be born, and he wanted to be with her to witness the birth of their child!
Wherever he passed on the seabed, he caused a huge current, leaving the surrounding people dizzy and confused, not understanding what was happening.
He darted back and forth across the seabed, and finally, in a secluded spot in the warm pavilion, he spotted a familiar figure. Without a second thought, Ao Guang plunged down and snatched the person away.
"Ah!" Yinglong was forcibly pulled from her cultivation state, and before she could adjust her state... she vaguely felt someone bite her neck, and then her vision began to blur.
She was diligently cultivating underwater when suddenly someone broke her state and took her away. What on earth happened?
What is that silly dragon doing now?!
Yinglong held back, waiting for the stupid dragon to stop before speaking.
But when they stopped again, it was in their bedchamber. She was still dizzy after being put down, and before she could even see anyone, her condition worsened:
"You stupid dragon, what are you doing...?"
Before she could finish speaking, she saw Ao Guang stare at her with wide eyes, looking completely naive and silly, his eyes brimming with laughter...
She realized what was happening immediately and looked toward the bed.
The egg on the bed was still sitting there peacefully.
It looks just like usual.
"Is it...is it about to be born?" she stammered.
Ao Guang nodded with bright eyes, then took her hand and knelt down by the bedside.
Thankfully, thankfully, there's still time. The little one isn't that fast or in such a hurry to come out.
"It...it's really coming out?" Yinglong couldn't believe it. She asked again, after all, the eggshell was completely undamaged and didn't look like it was about to hatch.
"Mmm!" Ao Guang's eyes were brighter than the stars in the sky.
As soon as he finished speaking, the egg on the bed indeed moved.
Absolutely true! Both of them saw it!
Yinglong opened his mouth wide in excitement.
The two looked at each other and saw the overflowing joy in each other's eyes.
The baby is about to hatch!
After waiting for so long, this moment has finally arrived!
They stood guard by the bedside, their eyes wide open, afraid of missing the slightest movement. Unconsciously, they even held their breath, afraid of disturbing the baby in the bed.
After holding my breath and concentrating for a long time, the egg on the bed only moved a few times. The baby seemed to be in no hurry, very slow. Not only was it slow to hatch, but it was also slow to break out of the shell. In short, the baby itself was not in a hurry.
A couple of hours passed leisurely, and the egg moved intermittently, startling Yinglong and Aoguang so much that they dared not look away for a second. They stared at the egg so intently that they almost wore a hole in it, scrutinizing every detail of its patterns, imprinting each one in their minds.
Yinglong knew his children's temperament well; they were probably very mischievous, and he wouldn't come out unless he teased them until they were exhausted. He didn't know who they inherited it from.
They waited patiently until the luminous pearl in the Dragon Palace began to twinkle, illuminating the entire palace as if it were daytime. Finally, the dragon eggs on the bed began to move more.
"It's coming out! It's coming out!" Yinglong grabbed Aoguang's arm and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Ao Guang, holding his wife, felt his heart pounding in his chest.
Time passed second by second, and finally, a crack began to appear on the intact eggshell!
The two seemed to stop breathing.
One, two... five, six gaps appeared, and the egg swayed from side to side, looking like the little guy inside was trying very hard.
Swaying back and forth, but unable to find an exit, the two people guarding the bedside were almost completely disoriented.
"The baby looks so tired." Seeing the baby inside struggling, Yinglong's heart softened completely. As a mother, she wanted to help it, but she knew she couldn't.
The egg shook more and more violently, and you could tell that the little guy inside couldn't wait any longer. Unfortunately, hatching was still too much of a struggle for him.
The two watched with trepidation, constantly praying for the little creature. If their minds had power, they would have already broken through the eggshell with their thoughts.
It's truly heartbreaking to watch.
Ao Guang waited helplessly. The child he had guarded for so long had finally come out. He had poured so much effort into it, and now it was finally over... This was the last moment! His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would die with the child inside!
They waited and waited, and the situation inside the eggshell seemed very tense. The whole egg was shaking, but the dragon's body did not emerge.
What if the baby gets exhausted?
"No, it won't happen." Ao Guang was clearly taken aback by those words, and a helpless look appeared on his face like that of a child.
Yinglong's hand was gripped tightly by him, and he just thought blankly, their baby, it can't be like this.
As the son of a dragon, he will not fail so easily.
Sure enough, the next second, the baby inside the eggshell seemed to have finally found a way in. A small opening was suddenly pushed open at the tip of the eggshell.
"Ah!" The two exclaimed in surprise at the same time, and a smile involuntarily appeared on their faces. At this moment, the tense atmosphere in the entire bedchamber reached its peak.
It seems that if you look down from above, you can see what's inside the eggshell.
Yinglong and Aoguang watched anxiously, and through the small opening, they saw a young dragon struggling to turn over, searching for direction.
"Here, here, try a little harder," Yinglong said, pointing to the exit. She wished she could peel the shell off the child herself.
With a breakthrough, things became much easier. The young dragon struggled and struggled, and the opening grew larger and larger, with more and more fragments appearing on the bed. They could almost see a third of the dragon's body protruding out.
It was a golden, very beautiful little dragon.
Ao Guang didn't dare to blink. He had lost the ability to think and was only focused on his struggling child, forgetting to breathe.
Despite the daunting scene, he gritted his teeth, worrying about his child, and sometimes even wished he could grab him himself.
A sliver of reason held sway over their minds, managing to calm them down and prevent them from making any rash moves.
Time passed second by second, and the sound of eggshells breaking kept echoing in my ears.
Finally, at the last moment, the baby dragon mustered all its strength, raised its head, and smashed the entire eggshell open, allowing its complete dragon body to emerge! It landed on the bed.
"ah!"
The two people beside the bed were so excited they were incoherent.
They were completely speechless.
They were so focused on their anxious eyes and frantic movements that they had no idea what they were actually doing.
Unconsciously waving its claws and busy until the end, looking at the little dragon on the bed who was still not used to the world outside the eggshell and was still unconsciously twisting and turning, the two suddenly calmed down and then looked at each other deeply.
The two finally had a real feeling:
Their first child has finally been born!
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