Zhulong knew he was greedy. He wanted to get everything, to own everything, especially the things he liked.
"You don't really think he likes you, do you?" The man who spoke had clearly lost his eyes, yet Zhulong could still detect a hint of sarcasm and sneer on his face. "He likes you because he sees you as a human. How could he still like you if you told him you were a Zhulong?"
"Shut up." Wu Ruhuo squeezed out two words from his mouth, his expression distorted and frightening. "Ao Run, what qualifications do you have to talk to me like this? You're just a useless loser..."
Ao Run smiled upon hearing this, a beautiful curve forming at the corner of his mouth. The previous sarcasm disappeared, replaced by a contempt that drove Wu Ruhuo even more insane. He said, "You told me to shut up because you already knew the answer? Also... how could so many humans be willing to accept a monster like you? They only accepted you because of your deception."
Wu Ruhuo roared furiously and charged at Ao Run. While Ao Run was no match for Wu Ruhuo at this point, dodging his attacks was a piece of cake. Red flames danced between the two men, like a giant dragon taking shape.
"You're angry." Ao Run maintained that smile that Wu Ruhuo found most disgusting. "Did I say something right?"
Wu Ruhuo no longer spoke to Ao Run. His moves were deadly and he completely ignored him. He hated Ao Run to death.
Looking at Wu Ruhuo in this state, Ao Run was very happy. He suffered some injuries, but they were not serious. The two fought more and more fiercely, and soon attracted people from Zhu Rong's side. Zhu Long wanted to keep Ao Run, but he still escaped.
Helpless, Zhulong had no choice but to leave.
Ao Run did not actively attack Zhulong, so Zhulong did not suffer any serious wounds. He returned home and waited quietly.
With the arrival of winter, it gets dark especially early. Around dusk, snow began to fall again. Before returning home, Wu Xiaohang went to the supermarket and bought a lot of fruit and meat, planning to make a delicious meal for the children the following weekend. Wu Ruhuo was still growing, so he couldn't afford to eat poorly all the time. He wrapped himself in his thin winter clothes and quietly began to think: Chinese New Year was coming up soon, and he wanted to save some money to buy Wu Ruhuo a more expensive down jacket...
Wu Xiaohang walked to his door carrying large and small bags of things. As he wished, he saw the lights on in the house, and his heart warmed slightly. Then he went upstairs, took out the key and opened the door.
Wu Ruhuo sat in the room with his back to him.
Wu Xiaohang called out, "Like fire."
Wu Ruhuo didn't move.
"Ruhuo? What's wrong with you?" Wu Xiaohang noticed something strange about Wu Ruhuo. His first reaction was that Wu Ruhuo was bullied by his family again. An indescribable anger rose in his heart. Of course, the target of his anger was not Wu Ruhuo, but his family. He only felt endless pity for the thin child in front of him.
"Your family is here again?" Wu Xiaohang put his things down and walked behind Wu Ruhuo. He spoke carefully, trying to choose gentle words. "Do they know where we live? If you are unhappy, let's find a time to move, to a place where they can't find us..."
Wu Ruhuo didn't move or speak, like a frozen statue.
Wu Xiaohang became even more worried. He said, "Ruhuo..." As soon as he said that, the young man in front of him suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist tightly.
Wu Xiaohang was shocked. Wu Ruhuo grabbed him with such great strength that he even felt a pain in his wrist. He quickly and gently hugged Wu Ruhuo with his other hand, hoping to make him feel better. "It's okay, it's okay. I will protect you and won't let them hurt you again." He still remembers the horrible wounds on Wu Ruhuo's body. He doesn't know what kind of parent would do such an excessive thing to such a cute child.
"Protect me?" Wu Ruhuo's tone was a little strange. "You want to protect me?"
Wu Xiaohang nodded heavily, his voice full of determination.
"You're just a fragile human. How can you protect me?" Wu Ruhuo said. "Besides...will you accept me no matter what I am like?"
"Yes." Wu Xiaohang said in an affirmative tone.
"Even if I'm not human?" Wu Ruhuo said.
Wu Xiaohang was a little confused when he heard this. He didn't quite understand what Wu Ruhuo meant by "not being human", but he still responded reflexively and said yes, no matter what you are, he will accept it.
"Really?" Wu Ruhuo confirmed again.
"Really." Wu Xiaohang said.
Wu Ruhuo slowly turned his head. When Wu Xiaohang saw Wu Ruhuo's face, his eyes widened instantly, revealing a look of horror. Wu Ruhuo's face had completely changed. His pupils were red, and there were even dancing flames in them. There were many scales growing on his cheeks, and there were black horns on his forehead. He looked extremely terrifying.
"Ah!!!" Wu Xiaohang screamed in fear and turned around to escape, but Wu Ruhuo grabbed his arm tightly, making him unable to move at all.
"Liar." Wu Ruhuo's voice was low, no longer as clear and childish as a child. He saw Wu Xiaohang's retreat and said viciously, "You damn liar."
"Help, help—" Wu Xiaohang cried out uncontrollably. For the first time, he felt the breath of death. The strong murderous intent emanating from Wu Ruhuo told him that he really wanted to kill him. His intense desire to survive made Wu Xiaohang constantly try to break free from Wu Ruhuo's grasp, but his strength was no match for Wu Ruhuo's. Wu Ruhuo's slender hands transformed into unbreakable chains, tightly holding Wu Xiaohang, leaving him nowhere to escape.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't be afraid of me?" Wu Ruhuo was extremely angry. He had never thought that Ao Run's words would come true. Wu Xiaohang simply couldn't accept that he was not human. "Why did you lie to me?!"
Wu Xiaohang was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground. He couldn't speak and just stared blankly at the person in front of him, almost fainting from fear.
Wu Ruhuo loosened his grip, and Wu Xiaohang didn't move. The two looked at each other for a moment, and Wu Xiaohang began to sob softly. His next words plunged Wu Ruhuo's heart into ice water. He said, "Monster... monster... give Ruhuo back to me quickly, give him back to me."
Monster? He called himself a monster? Wu Ruhuo's expression froze for a moment.
Wu Xiaohang cried so hard that he grabbed Wu Ruhuo's clothes and shouted, "Give Ruhuo back to me, give it back to me——"
Ruhuo? Who is Ruhuo? His name isn't Ruhuo. Red flames began to swirl around Zhulong, and he suddenly realized that Wu Ruhuo wasn't his name, and the person Wu Xiaohang wanted to protect wasn't him. His name was Ao Chi, sent by Zhulong to the human world to destroy everything...
"Ah!!" Wu Xiaohang was burned by the flames on Ao Chi's body. He was forced to let go, and a large red blister appeared on the palm of his hand. But he was still crying, calling Wu Ruhuo's name.
"How pitiful." Ao Zhi looked at him with pity. The last bit of black in his eyes was replaced by red. He lifted Wu Xiaohang's face and looked at him, watching his tears rolling down his cheeks. Under the high temperature, they turned into mist and disappeared into the air, as if they had never existed. "Since you are so pitiful, let me help you end all this pain."
"Like fire...like fire..." Wu Xiaohang was crying so hard that he almost fainted.
Ao Zhi stopped talking. He reached out and stroked Wu Xiaohang's head, just like how Wu Xiaohang had stroked him at the beginning. He lowered his head slightly and placed a soothing kiss on Wu Xiaohang's forehead. "Don't worry, it won't hurt. I will help you end this soon."
The flames began to spread. Wu Xiaohang looked up blankly and saw a bloody mouth full of sharp teeth.
When Zhurong and the others arrived, Zhulong had already left.
The residential building that should have been destroyed in the flames showed no signs of damage. On the contrary, the scene was well preserved. It seemed that Zhulong, who should have been heartless, still had some attachment to this place.
Zhu Rong's face looked very ugly. He found a few drops of blood at the scene, indicating that Zhulong had eaten people here before.
Zhulong did eat humans, but given their picky and tyrannical nature, they would usually only eat the most tender parts of a person. Previously, the humans killed by Zhulong had their most tender internal organs picked out, while the torso and head were left untouched.
But the person in front of him was eaten whole by Zhulong. The implication of this made Zhurong have a very bad premonition.
White Moon Fox's words confirmed Zhu Rong's suspicion: "He ate his own keepers."
Zhu Rong cursed.
White Moon Fox sniffed the air and said, "They haven't gone far yet, chase them!"
Zhu Rong sighed, "As expected, beasts are beasts." Higher-level creatures can control their desires, but Zhulong can't. As soon as they're provoked, they'll stuff their beloved possessions into their stomachs. Whether they can get them out or not is not their concern. Previously, Zhulong and Ao Run had fought, and no one knew what Ao Run had done, but Zhulong had returned and devoured his own caretaker.
Zhulong is very picky about its keepers. Usually, once they eat the first one, it is difficult for them to find a second one.
This is both a good thing and a bad thing for them. The good thing is that Zhulong will be more likely to reveal his tracks without a feeder, and the bad thing is that after eating the feeder, Zhulong's ability will become stronger, and a new victim will appear.
Bai Yuehu rushed out of the door, followed closely by Zhu Rong, chasing in the direction where Zhulong disappeared.
…
Yin Xun dragged the completely frozen Lu Qingjiu back into the house with great difficulty. At this moment, Lu Qingjiu was as hard as an ice sculpture. Yin Xun was afraid that if he accidentally bumped into Lu Qingjiu, some part of his body would be broken.
“Wuwuwu… Wuwuwu…” Crying helplessly, Yin Xun finally put Lu Qingjiu on the bed, and then added charcoal fire to the charcoal basin and under the kang in the room, trying to warm Lu Qingjiu's body.
"You'll be fine, you'll be fine." After piling all the clothes and quilts on Lu Qingjiu, Yin Xun walked around the room in panic. He wanted to call Bai Yuehu again, but there was still no signal.
Yin Xun had no choice but to try his own method again. He began to boil water, wanting to give Lu Qingjiu a bath with the hot water.
Lu Qingjiu was a little tired from all the tossing and turning, and he slowly wanted to close his eyes. Yin Xun was shocked when he saw this scene.
"Don't sleep, don't sleep!!" Having seen too many people die from the cold, Yin Xun quickly shouted loudly, trying to wake Lu Qingjiu up. "Lu Qingjiu, don't sleep, don't sleep! You're doomed if you sleep!"
Lu Qingjiu could hear Yin Xun's voice, but he couldn't express it. In fact, he was not as bad as Yin Xun imagined. The feeling of coldness only existed when it first entered his body. After that, he didn't feel cold. Apart from his body becoming stiff, he didn't feel anything else.
"Don't sleep, don't sleep." Yin Xun was so anxious that he raised his hand and slapped Lu Qingjiu twice. Lu Qingjiu woke up instantly. He stared at Yin Xun with wide eyes, wondering if this guy did it on purpose.
Yin Xun was happy to see that the slap worked and said, "Friend, I really didn't mean it, but there's nothing I can do. If he falls asleep, he'll die. We must hold on until Bai Yuehu comes back."
If Lu Qingjiu could speak at this moment, he would definitely start cursing.
Yin Xun noticed the anger in Lu Qingjiu's eyes, but he laughed foolishly and said, "Jiu'er, I'm smart, don't worry, I won't let you fall asleep." Then he pinched Lu Qingjiu's arm hard.
Lu Qingjiu's eyes hurt so much he nearly fainted from anger. The scariest thing was that Yin Xun seemed addicted to pinching him, constantly hitting him regardless of whether he was asleep or not, even claiming it was to prevent Lu Qingjiu from falling asleep. He got so excited that he even studied the pattern, saying, "Don't worry, I'll pinch a little dick out of you right away."
Lu Qingjiu: "..." Yin Xun, just wait for me.
On this day, Lu Qingjiu had never been so eager for Bai Yuehu to come back...
The sky brightened and then darkened again. Yin Xun kept paying attention to his mobile phone until the snow stopped in the middle of the night. Suddenly, his phone had two bars of signal. He quickly took it out and called Bai Yuehu.
The phone rang more than ten times. Just when Yin Xun thought Bai Yuehu wouldn't answer, Bai Yuehu's voice suddenly came from the other end. He probably saw Yin Xun's number and knew that something must have happened at home. His voice was a little heavy: "What's wrong with Qingjiu?"
"Come back soon!! Jiu'er was frozen to death by his bastard grandfather." Yin Xun was afraid that his cell phone would have no signal again, so he quickly told Bai Yuehu the most important thing.
After listening to this, Bai Yuehu said that she would be back soon and asked Yin Xun not to be nervous and not to leave the yard. Yin Xun quickly agreed.
Another long wait followed. The originally short time was now infinitely stretched. Yin Xun looked at Lu Qingjiu who was lying on the bed with her eyes open, and felt that he had never waited so long. It was not until he heard the sound of footsteps on the snow outside the house that Yin Xun finally let out a breath that had been stuck in his chest.
"Bai Yuehu, Bai Yuehu, you're finally back!" Yin Xun saw Bai Yuehu entering the courtyard through the window and quickly opened the door for him, saying, "I was so worried."
There was snow on Bai Yuehu's head and body, but he didn't care. He patted it off and turned to ask, "Where's the sake?"
"He's in bed!" Yin Xun said, "He's not doing well!"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuehu hurried to the bedside and saw Lu Qingjiu, who was still stiff. He reached out and touched Lu Qingjiu's face, and his already serious expression became even more solemn. He said, "Is his face always so red?"
Yin Xun glanced at Lu Qingjiu's face, and after a moment of silence, he whispered, "No, it seemed to be white just now."
White Moon Fox: "Then why did it turn red?"
Yin Xun: "I fought to keep Lu Qingjiu awake."
White Moon Fox: "..."
Lu Qingjiu glared at him hatefully. Although his body could not move, his eyes were still murderous.
Bai Yuehu looked helpless, stretched out his hands and held Lu Qingjiu in his arms. After quickly checking Lu Qingjiu's physical condition, he asked Yin Xun to bring a cup of hot water.
Yin Xun hurriedly went to get some hot water and handed it to Bai Yuehu.
Bai Yuehu supported Lu Qingjiu's body and fed the hot water into his mouth. Lu Qingjiu swallowed with difficulty. After the hot water entered his body, it slid down his throat into his stomach. His whole body soon became warm. He let out a comfortable sigh and realized that he could speak.
"Jiu'er?" Bai Yuehu called out when she heard his voice.
Lu Qingjiu drank another glass and felt completely alive again. Although his body was still a little stiff, at least he could speak. At the same time, he also felt a burning pain on his thawed face. He couldn't help but say angrily, "Fuck, Yin Xun, you're too cruel. You hit me in the face specifically."
Yin Xun retorted, "It's not that I didn't do it. I clearly hit your arm. If you don't believe me, just look."
Lu Qingjiu looked down and found that his arm was also covered with a large red area, and the red marks together really formed the shape of a chicken. Yin Xun made him laugh on the spot.
Bai Yuehu also understood what happened and advised Lu Qingjiu not to be too angry.
"What's my current situation?" Lu Qingjiu told Bai Yuehu about his meeting with Ao Run.
Bai Yuehu frowned after hearing this and said, "Why on earth would he do this?"
Lu Qingjiu: "I'm dying?"
Bai Yuehu shook his head: "An ordinary person would definitely die, but you have a quarter of dragon blood. Although it will take some time to recover, it won't be life-threatening."
Lu Qingjiu felt relieved. When he met Ao Run, he felt that his grandfather had no ill will towards him, but he couldn't understand why he did this and froze himself. Was there any special reason?
Then, Bai Yuehu told Lu Qingjiu what had happened to Zhulong. Ao Run seemed to have had a fight with Zhulong, and somehow provoked him, causing him to explode and devour his own handlers. Zhurong was still chasing Zhulong, and it was unknown what was happening...
Lu Qingjiu always felt that things were linked together, as if something big was about to happen. Before Ao Run left, he said that there was no time left. He still didn't understand what no time meant.
"I want to take you away from town." Bai Yuehu suddenly spoke.
"Leave? Why leave?" Lu Qingjiu was bewildered.
"Although you've recovered now, the cold energy in your body will still be constantly stimulated. If the surrounding temperature is too low, it will also affect your body." Bai Yuehu said, "Leave Shuifu Village first. I will take you to a warmer place and help you get through the winter."
Lu Qingjiu said: “Then where are you going to take me?”
Bai Yuehu thought for a moment and asked, "Do you want to stay in the human world or go to the non-human world?"
Lu Qingjiu confessed: “I don’t want to go anywhere.”
White Moon Fox: "No."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Honestly, can I not go? I always have a bad feeling."
Bai Yuehu silently rejected Lu Qingjiu.
Lu Qingjiu observed Bai Yuehu's expression, but had a bad guess in his mind. He always felt that it was strange that Ao Run suddenly attacked him. He had no intention of taking his life. There must be other intentions. In addition, Ao Run had always wanted to leave Shuifu Village by himself. Could it be that he froze himself so that Bai Yuehu could send him away personally?
Lu Qingjiu thought about this and looked up at Bai Yuehu: "If you send me away, won't that be in line with Ao Run's wishes?"
Bai Yuehu was silent for a long time before she said, "So what if it suits his wishes?"
This confirmed Lu Qingjiu's guess. As expected, Ao Run deliberately froze him not to kill him, but to make Lu Qingjiu leave here. However, Lu Qingjiu couldn't understand why Ao Run was so obsessed with letting him leave.
"Ao Run said something was going to happen." Lu Qingjiu asked tentatively, "Do you know what it is?"
Bai Yuehu shook his head.
Lu Qingjiu asked suspiciously: "You really don't know?"
Bai Yuehu sighed. He reached out and touched Lu Qingjiu's cheek, feeling that it was no longer as warm as before and had become icy cold. "I really don't know, Qingjiu, you must be obedient. I can't lose you."
Lu Qingjiu said, "I know..." He inexplicably felt a strong sadness from Bai Yuehu. The source of this sadness was unknown, but it was so strong.
Bai Yuehu reached out and hugged Lu Qingjiu, kissing his eyelashes.
Lu Qingjiu was about to say something, but Bai Yuehu seemed to sense something and his expression changed drastically. He said, "Not good!"
Lu Qingjiu hurriedly asked what happened.
Bai Yuehu said, "Something happened...over at Zhurong."
Lu Qingjiu then remembered that Bai Yuehu was chasing Zhulong with Zhurong. Now that Bai Yuehu had rushed back for some reason, Zhurong had to deal with Zhulong alone.
"Go quickly." Lu Qingjiu said hurriedly, "I don't have anything to do here. Wait until you have resolved Zhu Rong's issue and then take me away from here."
Bai Yuehu had a complicated expression, but didn't say anything.
Lu Qingjiu knew what he was worried about, and quickly promised Bai Yuehu that after handling this matter, he would leave Shuifu Village and go to a warmer place...
"You should go quickly. Something has happened to Zhu Rong. What if things get complicated if we delay for too long?" Lu Qingjiu persuaded. "I've warmed up now. I'm really fine. Go quickly."
Under Lu Qingjiu's constant urging, Bai Yuehu finally relented and told Lu Qingjiu not to run around and that he would come back and take him away as soon as he had taken care of the matter.
Lu Qingjiu nodded obediently and watched Bai Yuehu leave again.
"Are you really okay?" Yin Xun looked at Lu Qingjiu worriedly.
"It's okay." Lu Qingjiu exhaled a puff of white mist and rubbed his hands, "Zhu Rong...can't be in trouble."
The author has something to say: Bai Yuehu: I love you, make a heart shape with your hand.
Yin Xun: I love you, pinch my dick.
Lu Qingjiu: ???
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
