Chapter 32
The dragons of ancient times were born in forests and caves, places with limited or almost no light. Therefore, they evolved vision that can see clearly even in the thickest darkness, and they are also accustomed to living in dark spaces.
But as a human being, or at least a former human being, Xiao Lijue still felt a little scared when he saw the big dark house.
He was originally held by Finks, but after arriving at the elders' residence, he had to negotiate with the guards in person to hand the cub over to Qian Xing.
The little system was as light as a marshmallow, softly leaning in the adult's arms. Its little hands subconsciously grasped the ties on Qian Xing's cloak, and its big eyes looked around: "Brother, it's so dark here..."
After the guard confirmed the invitation, he let the group through.
From the main gate to the main house, one has to pass through a long corridor without any modern lighting. On both sides of the wall are candlesticks with dragon relief carvings, and whale oil is burning silently. It is so ancient that it does not seem like something that would appear in the high-tech Scale City.
Even though an adult was holding him, Li Jue still felt scared on this dark road.
The flow of time in infinite space is different from that in the real world. For children, the days of the Shen family happened not long ago.
It was a sunny afternoon when he was taken home by the school bus from the nursery class. The house was bright without turning on the lights. The nursery teacher didn't pay special attention to this when she left. Anyway, the child's father got off work early and would be back soon.
Little Li Jue was holding a doll, sitting on the sofa specially bought for children by his father, talking to himself with the toy.
He got used to his father not being at home and learned how to pass the time.
Dad said that he would come back when the sky turns from blue to orange.
Li Jue is well-behaved and obedient. He keeps himself company and plays with himself.
However, he waited for a very long time that day. The sky changed from blue to orange, then to a deep purple that was so thick that it could not be dissolved, and finally turned into complete black, but his father did not come back.
When the child woke up, the house was quiet and dark, and no one was there.
Nothing.
Li Jue was a little scared, but he still held the doll and mustered up the courage to comfort the doll, saying "Don't be afraid," "I will protect you," and then he kept repeating "Don't be afraid, baby," and "Be brave, baby" to cheer himself up.
The light switches at home are too high, and the little kid can't reach them even if he brings a small stool and stands on it.
There was originally a floor lamp that Li Jue could reach, but it happened to be broken, so the darkness in the house could not be dispelled, and only the faint starlight hung in the cold and dreary night sky outside the window.
It was the longest, most desperate night the little cub had ever spent.
But that wasn't the only one.
The neighbors all know the Shen family father and son. They are an unusual combination of a single father and his children. The father is young and handsome, and the children are soft and cute. They speak gently to everyone and are quite popular.
When neighbors see the little guy, they usually give him some snacks and play with him; occasionally, when Chen Yan works overtime or has something urgent, someone will take the initiative to take Li Jue to take care of him.
Chen Yan's daily working hours are about the same as those of the neighbors who take their children to school. They often walk to the subway station together and chat about random things on the way.
But for two or three days, the neighbors next door didn't see Chen Yan go out.
Although I haven't delved into it, I can more or less guess at Chen Yan's situation. She's never contacted her family, likely due to her youthful impulsiveness and severing ties with her family. The child was an impulsive accident. Of course, the cause and effect could also be reversed.
Since I have never heard Chen Yan mention any job transfer, and it doesn't seem like he suddenly took the child back to his hometown, and I also met the daycare teacher sending Li Jue back that day - could it be that Chen Yan hasn't been back for the past few days and the child is left home alone?
This is not just two or three hours, it’s two or three days!
The neighbor thought something was wrong and called the police.
When the police broke in, the young child had already fainted on the ground due to hunger and was extremely weak.
If it had been discovered any later, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Fortunately, Chen Yan is kind to others and has a good relationship with his neighbors, so a kind neighbor noticed that something was wrong with their family.
I'm afraid even he himself would not have expected that his kindness would one day save his child's life.
Even here, it’s still not the end.
The police could not find Chen Yan, whose life or death was unknown. Through investigation, they contacted Shen's family. The person who came to pick up Li Jue was Shen Jiangxing, who later cruelly abandoned the child in the blizzard.
Li Jue's life was not easy after returning to the Shen family. The adults took out their disgust for Shen Yan for "losing the face of the family" on the innocent children. Even the most basic food and clothing could not be guaranteed, and the randomly placed storage room became a continuation of the cub's dark nightmare.
Fortunately, he has Ayaka.
At that time, the boy who was still Lingxi opened the door of the utility room with a night light in his hand when the cub was most frightened and helpless. He was like a beacon in a lost and desperate situation, and appeared in front of Li Jue.
With the support and protection of his father's love and Ling Xi's care, the child did not suffer too serious psychological trauma.
It’s just that it’s too dark, and I don’t dare or want to stay alone.
At first, Li Jue looked around timidly, but later he simply buried his head in Qian Xing's neck, and his little hands holding his clothes held tighter, and his young body trembled.
The Sea Monster King was not a soft-hearted person. He said to himself that if he comforted the child next, it was only to improve the goodwill between him and the small system.
He patted Li Jue's back gently, comforting him silently.
"Brother..." The cub's voice was muffled as he buried himself in his arms. "Here, why don't you turn on the light?"
Not only Li Jue was confused, Qian Xing also didn't understand.
It's not like we haven't evolved to the point where we can invent lighting tools, so what's the point of regressing to our ancestors?
"Dragons are just weird," the Siren King agreed, adding, "My place is still more beautiful. It's lit day and night. And they're all colorful."
There are many luminous shells, pearls, corals and fish on the seabed. Their leader does not like darkness, so these natural light sources are placed everywhere in the underwater palace.
Even in the endless night, there is eternal light.
Although the alien races had complaints about the darkness, the dragons adapted to it very well and were moving faster and faster.
The eyesight of sirens who have lived on the seabed all year round is much worse than that of dragons. Qian Xing had to rely on his other senses to avoid stepping on the person in front of him; but he actually wanted to kick Finks hard.
Xiao Lijue, who was pretending to be an ostrich, suddenly raised his head: "Xixi, where is Xixi?"
He used to be a human being and was afraid of the dark; so would the little brother who is still a human being now also be afraid of the dark?
The adults walked quietly, and the baby's baby voice was particularly clear.
"Here I am." Ling Xi's voice came from behind, "What happened to Jue Jue?"
Li Jue requested: "Xixi, can you come over here?"
The adults slowed down their pace to match the children's pace. Ling Xi, who was originally at the end of the group, apologized softly and walked through the people in front of her to come in front of Li Jue.
The child leaned out from Qian Xing's arms and stretched out his hand: "Xixi, hold me."
Ling Xi thought he was scared: "Juejue, don't be afraid, we will be out soon."
"Baby isn't afraid!" Li Jue explained in a baby voice, "This way, Xixi won't be afraid either."
Ling Xi blinked and realized that Zizi was comforting her.
He held Li Jue's small hand and shook it: "Thank you. But it will be difficult to walk like this, do you want to get down?"
Li Jue was a little embarrassed.
Of course he wanted to walk hand in hand with Xixi, but if he left the arms of an adult...
Before the cub could make a decision, he heard Ling Xi's small exclamation.
Lin Wang picked up Ling Xi. She was about the same height as Qian Xing, so the difference in altitude between the two little ones in his arms was negligible, and they could continue holding hands.
Ling Xi was startled.
He is different from Li Jue. He is not a little darling in everyone's palm. He is very clear about his status after boarding the starship. It is not his turn to have close contact with his superiors.
"Commander Lin, this is inappropriate. Please let me down!"
Lin Wang smiled and said, "What does it matter? You're lighter than the pretty girl figurine that Will hugs to sleep by his bedside every day."
Wilbenlong is very reserved and thinks he has hidden these little hobbies very well, but he doesn't know that his companions already know them clearly.
Even in the darkness, everyone could imagine his flushed face, stammering with nervousness: "You, you, you, what are you talking about? I didn't..."
The corridor, which originally seemed a bit depressing, came to an end amid the two people's banter and the laughter of others.
After passing through completely, the fragrance of the whale oil candles gradually dissipated, and there was finally some light ahead.
They came from far away, like broken stars, shining brightly in the dimness.
However, as the Golden Dragon family (and their families) approached, all the lights began to turn slowly—
That was not a "lamp" at all, but a real dragon's eye that was as bright as fire!
Hundreds of dragon eyes stared at this group of visitors who seemed to be of the same clan but were not of the same kind, at those strangers who were not dragons, and at the precious descendant of the golden dragon that everyone was curious about and everyone wanted.
Their gazes were definitely not friendly, but they were not malicious either. They were more like a pure scrutiny and examination, but with the primitive and greedy animal nature unique to top predators, which made them seem a little scary.
Not to mention the two little kids, even the Sea Monster King and his two maids who were visiting for the first time were shocked by the scene before them.
Qian Xing is the master of his own sub-world, so naturally he doesn't want others to look at him like a prey.
He agreed to pretend to be Finks' partner for the sake of the small system, but this trade-off was not enough for him to endure it here for free.
Just before he was about to walk away, someone grabbed his sleeve.
Qian Xing turned around unhappily and met the pair of red-gold dragon eyes that were not intentionally lit; Finks seemed to be using this method to reduce the unnecessary sense of oppression in front of him.
"Wait a moment." The usually arrogant tyrant's words were almost a plea. "It will be over soon, I promise. Okay?"
Elder Qiao came here to visit today to see whether he and Qian Xing were a suitable match.
If we start arguing before even entering the door, wouldn’t we have lost at the first step?
Qian Xing really didn't like him talking to her in such a coaxing tone, and she didn't like being restrained in her movements even more - her own strength mainly came from her control over the water and the help it provided in return. She couldn't compete with the dragon in pure physical brute force.
A damp chill condensed from the Siren King's fingertips. His water blades were capable of resisting the toughness of dragon scales.
Just then, a warm little hand grabbed his fingers.
The little cub, sandwiched between two adults with an awkward atmosphere, had a droopy face and pleaded in a low voice, saying, "Don't quarrel, brother, don't quarrel, okay?"
He lives in a single-parent family and has never seen his "parents" quarreling. He learned how to be a little mediator completely on his own - Zaizai doesn't like to see everyone unhappy.
Li Jue not only grabbed Qian Xing's hand, but also grabbed Finks with his other hand, shook it vigorously, and said to the two stunned adults: "The teacher said that quarreling does not make you a good child. Brothers don't quarrel with each other."
The serious expression and tone of voice on a three-year-old child are so adorable.
Finks was the first to give in. He pinched the cub's hand, and even his tone softened. "Okay, I was wrong. I shouldn't have quarreled. I apologize. Can you forgive me, baby?"
Qian Xing was stunned. He didn't know that such a quick surrender could happen to the Golden Tyrant.
Li felt the assurance from one of them, and her eyes curved with joy, then she looked at the other one expectantly.
Not only the cub, but even Finks looked at him.
Qian Xing suddenly realized that he couldn't stand this kind of gaze. He pursed his lips and pinched Zizi's little finger: "...Hmm."
There may be many answers to what a word actually represents.
But little Li Jue nodded with satisfaction, lifted the adult's hands and folded them together, muttering: "Brother and brother are both good babies!"
Lin Wang next to him couldn't help laughing out loud.
Elder Qiao, who was observing the group's every move from a distance, naturally saw the reconciliation that had just taken place.
Finks, the descendant of the golden dragon, the son of Serenity, known as the tyrant, was an arrogant and rebellious man in the past. As the leader of the tribe, Elder Qiao knew it all too well.
The stubborn man who would rather be killed than bow his head, now actually lowers himself to coax his partner and children.
Love can change a person, or a dragon.
This is the eternal truth.
This kid might actually be able to raise a cub on his own.
*
After the first threshold of showing off, the lights in the room soon came on, and the dragons, whose eyes were as big as copper bells, calmed down and stood silently behind their respective family leaders.
Finks looked around and took in the identity information of all the dragons present.
In name it was Elder Qiao's "family dinner", but in reality it was a small gathering of the elders of the Presbyterian Church; since the elders were present, the family would always send some prominent figures to escort them.
In the end, the scale and characters were almost the same as what I saw in the Elders' Council when I just returned to Lincheng that day. The faces were so familiar that it seemed like a replay.
The Finks family of three were invited to the main seat at the same table with the elders, and the people they brought were arranged at other tables.
The relatively harmonious atmosphere became strangely stagnant when they saw Ling Xi behind Lin Wang.
The dragon clan has clear class divisions, and even the seating arrangement at banquet tables is very particular.
The banquet hall they were in was cylindrical, with the elders and the Finks family as the center and the stairs spreading outward.
The higher you sit, the further away you are from the center of power.
The Finks family and the elders at the center looked up and saw Ayaki being stopped when she was about to climb the second step.
The elder from the Purple Dragon Family hesitated and said, "This is..."
Finks hadn't taken his seat yet, but was standing beside Qian Xing. The two of them were holding Li Jue's hands, one on each side. "They are the servants of the family."
"A human." Elder Zilong repeated with a hint of doubt, "Human."
Ling Xi's aura was obviously different from that of a dragon. There was no need for Elder Qiao to personally identify him, or even get close to him, for all the dragons could see that he was different.
"That child... is human."
"Human."
“Humanity…”
The dragons whispered.
The giant dragons who have lived in Scale City for a long time are not familiar with humans. In their eyes, small and weak humans are nothing more than prey.
Only some dragons who have been to the human gathering week know that it is this fragile race that they look down upon that can develop a technological level that is comparable to that of dragons, and even surpasses that of dragons at one point.
Humans are not only prey, but also their equal opponents.
Different dragons showed different fears towards this human cub.
Slowly spreading outward and upward from the center of the elders' table, the dragon pupils that had been retracted earlier lit up again.
Whenever they oppress or threaten others, their pupils light up like burning flames, which is a kind of intimidation.
The surrounding buildings are like tall towers, with a sky full of light looking down, trying to suppress all heretics who do not belong to our race and have different hearts.
Their voices clung to the child like a spell.
Both the dragon pupils and the whispers were unbearable.
Ling Xi subconsciously wanted to step back and stumbled, but fortunately a small hand held his.
He looked back and saw that Li Jue, who was originally on the first floor, had come up behind him at some point. His face was determined: "I will protect Xixi!"
Whether it is the corridor, the banquet hall, the Shen family, or the darkness anywhere, they will face it together.
Ling Xi calmed herself down and nodded.
At this moment, someone's hand was placed on his shoulder.
The boy looked up and saw that it was Finks.
The adult didn't look at him, but moved his lips and said, "Don't be afraid."
The seemingly relaxed and casual family dinner actually hides many challenges.
This will be a meal of great care.
However, Finks is also the most protective of the dragons. Even though he may not be as attentive and considerate to Ayaxi as he is to Li Jue, the child is still a member of his starship and a member of his tribe whom he protects.
He would not let anyone, for any reason, take his children away from him.
With her cub by her side and her boss backing her up, Ling Xi was completely relieved.
He is not just a spectator of the world, he also has a family.
Finks patted Lingxi's shoulder and said to the elders, "This is my little one's playmate."
Elder Zilong continued to question, "Why would you bring a human to a family dinner? Son of Cerny, do you understand what kind of occasion this is?"
His men immediately echoed:
"Get him out!"
"How can you enter here if it's a safety hazard?"
"That's right."
Finks remained calm: "Xiao Ling is a good child; and Xiao Li is very clingy to him. Baby, isn't that right?"
He used three names in one sentence, which confused the dragons watching.
Fortunately, the little cub reacted quickly and immediately stepped forward to hold Ling Xi's arm, pouting and pleading pitifully: "Xixi, please don't leave."
Li Jue showed amazing acting skills at this moment, his eyes were slightly red and he was about to cry. Everyone could see how sad he would be if the other boy left.
The hard-hearted dragons looked at the trembling cub, who didn't even know how to retract his little dragon horns, and were unconsciously moved by his sad little expression.
Ling Xi actually knew that he was acting, but she still couldn't help but touch the curls at the end of his hair: "Okay, I won't leave you."
Li Jue responded by throwing herself into his arms.
The three-year-old cub is still much smaller than the five-year-old. Ling Xi hugged him like a big teddy bear, patting his back and murmuring comforting words.
Two young friends who don't want to be separated.
This scene really made Long sigh.
On the stairs, they whispered again:
"actually……"
"It doesn't matter if it's a human."
"It's so small anyway."
"Can't we beat him?"
"Security check also..."
"It's okay to stay."
"That's right."
Elder Purple Dragon still disagreed. He was good friends with the leader of the Black Dragons, Hubbard, and he also disliked the unruly Finks.
Finks glanced at him and said nothing.
But his eyes made his intention clear: he was still here to give Elder Qiao face, and they'd better not talk too much nonsense. He wouldn't listen to them anyway.
Zilong's face turned purple.
He had a lot of things to say to accuse this brat who was out of the control of Lincheng, and any one of them could be used to accuse Finks of a series of crimes.
Unfortunately, someone spoke before him.
Xiao Lijue raised his head from Ling Xi's arms and looked accurately at Elder Qiao, who was sitting in the main seat and remained silent. He looked at her eagerly and rubbed his belly in coordination with her movements: "Grandma, the baby is hungry..."
Last time in the Elders' Council, when he took the initiative to call Elder Qiao "Grandma", many people did not hear clearly.
Now the surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard. The soft and sticky call was particularly clear, making the dragons open their eyes wide.
What did he shout?
"Mother-in-law?"
Is this kid...acting cute with Elder Qiao?
That was Elder Qiao, who didn't even go to see his own son and grandson when they were born!
How could you be shaken by a child's casual remark that he was hungry?
Elder Zilong said unhappily, "Son of Seini, is this how you educate your own children? Elder Qiao should be..."
Finks was getting a little impatient. He really didn't like being addressed like that—who the hell was that guy, to even mention his mother's name?
But these old guys always call him that, as if they can suppress him with the help of their mother's name.
He did not directly refute it.
Because the silent, skinny old man stood up.
She raised her hand and gently pressed it down, showing her majesty, and the whole audience suddenly fell silent.
"In that case." The old white dragon looked at the people over there with his misty eyes, "Let the human child stay."
Elder Zilong was dissatisfied when he saw that she had compromised so quickly: "But——"
The old man didn't even look at him, just said "Don't delay the banquet", and sat down leisurely.
Zilong gritted his teeth in anger, but finally agreed with a humble look, "Yes."
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