Chapter 32: Bai Li’s Troubles (part 2)

“This story is so moving…”

Bai Li murmured, entranced.

A faint shimmer of tears gathered in his eyes.

“Isn’t it, my little darling?”

Longjiu gently stroked his head, her movements slow and full of doting affection.

“Huh? That’s it? Is there no sequel?”

Bai Li’s eyes widened.

He grabbed her sleeve and shook it vigorously, feeling an itch of curiosity he couldn’t scratch.

“Actually, there is.”

A faint, sly smile played on Longjiu’s lips, her tone tinged with a bit of mischief.

“But before I continue, Mother has a question for you—”

“Ask quickly, Mother! Don’t keep me in suspense! I’ll definitely answer well, I just want to hear what happens next!”

Bai Li stamped his feet in frustration, nodding his head like a chick pecking at grain, his eyes filled with eager anticipation.

“Bai Li, suppose you found out that you were once a human, and that you had joined a Hero to suppress the Dragon King. What would you think?”

Longjiu’s smile vanished, replaced by a solemn gaze.

Every word fell clearly into his ears.

Bai Li tilted his head and thought for a few seconds.

Suddenly, he clenched his fists and declared righteously, “Then I would immediately betray the humans and devote myself entirely to the Dragon Race!”

“Oh? Tell me why.”

Longjiu raised an eyebrow, waiting for his explanation.

“Those humans are all overconfident ants!”

Bai Li puffed out his cheeks, fuming.

“Our Dragon Race lives in peace and rarely provokes others. Yet they have the nerve to covet treasures under the banner of a crusade! They’re shameless! For Mother’s sake, I’ll definitely stand with the Dragon Race!”

Warmth surged in Longjiu’s eyes as she said softly, “My good baby, remember those words. You’re not allowed to go back on them. I’ll continue the story now.”

“Mm-hmm! I love Mother the most! Hurry, tell me, tell me!”

Overjoyed, Bai Li immediately lunged into her arms and rubbed against her, acting incredibly clingy.

But Longjiu didn’t start the story.

Instead, she leaned in close, wanting him to experience the essence firsthand.

She pressed her forehead against Bai Li’s and covered the back of his neck with her palm.

As warm Dragon Qi was slowly infused into him, his sealed memories instantly flooded back.

At first, Bai Li was dazed, and his heart filled with doubt.

‘Mother promised to tell a story, so why is she suddenly cuddling?’

Before he could finish the thought, fragments of buried memories rushed in one after another.

He saw the details of taking care of three Monster Girl daughters back when he was Lü Erlu.

He had spent his efforts finding blood for the Vampire to drink, stayed up all night guarding the Succubus during her mana cycle, and provided meticulous care for the little dragon hatchling.

Even worse, he saw his own behavior after his memory loss—prancing around every day chasing Longjiu while calling her Mother, and stubbornly pestering her for morning kisses.

He had done all sorts of childish, clingy, and foolish things!

“Damn it! That despicable human was me?!”

Bai Li’s pupils shook with shock. He froze in place, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

His face flushed between white and red before finally turning a deep crimson all the way to his ears.

Even his neck felt incredibly hot.

Recalling how he had cutely called his own daughter “Mother” every day and shamelessly begged for kisses, every single childish act from the past made him wish he could disappear.

Overwhelmed with shame, he scrambled to wrap himself in the bedding, rolling into a tight cocoon like a rice dumpling and shrinking into the corner of the bed.

His dignity was completely gone!

“Father, how does it feel to have experienced being a baby?”

Longjiu looked at the round “rice dumpling” on the bed.

The smile in her eyes deepened, but she only quirked her lips slightly.

Her tone remained calm and gentle, exuding the steady aura of a Dragon King.

“Ugh, you damn Mother… I mean—bah! You rebellious daughter! You’ve gone too far! How dare you!”

A muffled protest came from inside the sheet, a mix of shame and anger.

The voice, wrapped tightly in fabric, sounded soft, furious, and pitiful all at once.

“Argh! What did I do to deserve this? I can’t believe I adopted such a little liar!”

Bai Li rolled around frantically inside the sheet, making the mattress sway.

“What kind of daughter tricks her own father into giving lip-to-lip morning and evening kisses?! And holding me in your arms every day… It’s all just dark history now! This is so embarrassing!”

Longjiu raised a hand to cover her lips, suppressing the laughter in her throat.

Her voice was calm and gentle, tinged with a bit of teasing.

“Is Father getting forgetful? You were the one who approached me, saying Mother’s kisses were the sweetest and that you couldn’t miss a single one—”

“You still dare to mention it!”

The cocoon inside the sheets jerked violently, its voice rising an octave in shame and fury.

“Rebellious daughter! Quickly undo this state and change me back! Explain everything clearly from start to finish! No hiding anything!”

“Father, I’m afraid there is no going back.”

“What, what, what?! You’re not joking, are you, Longjiu? Please tell me this is just you being stubborn. I can change back, right?!”

“I’m sorry, Father. Your body is already mixed with the Royal Blood of the Demon Race. There really is no going back. Moreover… both of my sisters had a hand in this.”

“What? Those two little girls were in on it too?!”

“Yes, Father.”

“So the reason I wanted to drink your blood before was because of Bai Li?”

“Precisely.”

“Then your saliva tasting sweet… was that Ziya’s doing?”

“Even more so, Father.”

“……………….Wait, both of those girls have Royal Bloodlines too?”

Longjiu gave a slight nod.

Bai Li completely shut down.

“…………”

A long sigh full of despair drifted through the air.

The frantic commotion from before stopped abruptly.

All the breakdown and fury vanished instantly.

He stiffly re-wrapped himself in the sheets, forming an airtight cocoon.

He huddled in the corner of the bed, motionless, like a little ball abandoned by the entire world.

His loneliness made one’s heart tighten.

“?”

Longjiu was waiting for him to keep throwing a tantrum.

This sudden silence left her puzzled, and she quickly leaned over to check.

“Ugh…”

A sob as thin as a mosquito’s buzz drifted from under the sheet.

At first, it was suppressed, as if he were afraid of being heard, but in the blink of an eye, it turned into heart-wrenching wails.

Each sob tugged at one’s heartstrings.

“Waaaaah… What a tragedy… This is such a tragedy…”

Longjiu suddenly panicked.

Her steady, mature aura vanished as she hurriedly reached out to peel back the sheet.

The sight before her made her heart wrench.

Bai Li had buried his face deep into the bedsheets, his shoulders twitching violently.

Hot tears rolled down like a bursting dam, soaking a large patch of the mattress in an instant.

He bit down hard on the sheet to stifle his cries, letting out muffled sobs like a wounded animal.

His whole body shook like a dying leaf in the autumn wind, consumed by grief.

The tear stains on the sheet gradually spread outward.

The sense of despair and helplessness in his crying was truly painful to hear.

‘Oh no, I went too far.’

Longjiu’s heart skipped a beat.