The peaceful, free days slipped away quietly before one could even speak of them.
Before they knew it, two weeks had passed.
During this time, the life shared by Bai Li and Long Jiu as mother and daughter was warm and harmonious, every moment soaked in the gentle tranquility of peaceful years.
On this morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, the dawn light filtered through the window lattice, casting dappled, swaying shadows on the floor.
Long Jiu looked at the brightening sky outside, a hint of realization flashing through her eyes.
‘It’s time.’
“Mother! Good morning~”
A crisp, childish voice accompanied by light footsteps arrived as Bai Li came running into the room.
After two weeks of immersion, she had completely adapted to her identity as a Dragon princess.
Pampered by Long Jiu, she had become lively and charming, entirely losing her former timid appearance.
“Good morning, my little baby~”
Seeing her come to offer greetings without being called, Long Jiu felt a surge of warmth in her heart.
“Mhm~ Mother, here comes the morning kiss and nuzzle~~”
Unlike before, when Long Jiu always took the initiative, Bai Li was now learning to express affection.
She stood on her tiptoes, tilting up her exquisitely carved little face and leaning toward Long Jiu for a nuzzle, looking both naive and adorable.
Long Jiu smiled and leaned down, gently pulling her into her arms.
Their foreheads met, and she rubbed her nose against the girl’s soft cheek, leaving a tender sensation.
Bai Li obediently closed her eyes, her small hands tightly clutching Long Jiu’s collar.
She nuzzled her neck with ignorant sincerity, her heart filled with total reliance and sweetness.
A moment later, Long Jiu released her, tapping her cheek with a fingertip.
Her eyes were tender and smiling, her tone lingering and doting.
“My little baby is so proactive today~”
Bai Li’s face was flushed, her eyes sparkling with joy as she looked up at Long Jiu.
“Mother’s nuzzles are warm. I like them~”
“Do you want more? My good baby~”
Long Jiu raised her hand to rub the top of her head.
Her movements were extremely gentle, devoid of any unnecessary posturing.
“I do! I want more of Mother’s nuzzles~”
Bai Li’s eyes shone.
Without hesitation, she lunged into her arms, rubbing her small head against her shoulder like a clingy little animal.
The female Secret Guards standing nearby watched this heartwarming scene, their cheeks flushing slightly.
After sharing a look, they quietly retreated outside the door to stand guard, not wanting to disturb this rare moment of warmth.
“Mother’s nuzzles feel so good… I love Mother so much…”
Bai Li leaned into Long Jiu’s embrace, her cheeks crimson.
Her soft little hands circled her neck, her eyes clear as she murmured with complete dependence.
“Hmph~”
Long Jiu looked at the little one whose eyes were curved into crescents from being pampered and could not help but let out a triumphant hum before changing the subject.
“Baby Bai Li~ Mother has a wonderful story I want to tell you.”
“Yay, yay!”
Bai Li’s eyes lit up instantly.
Her small hands tightly gripped Long Jiu’s sleeve, shaking it gently with anticipation.
“It’s been so long since I heard Mother tell a story. Tell it quickly, Mother — please tell it~”
The sleepiness vanished from her eyes as she tugged at Long Jiu’s sleeve.
“Good baby, come. Come to Mother’s bed to listen; it will be more comfortable~”
Long Jiu patted the soft, large bed beside her, her tone carrying a gentle coaxing.
“Mhm!”
Bai Li immediately climbed onto the bed using both hands and feet, curling up next to Long Jiu and staring at her expectantly.
“Mother, hurry and tell it, hurry~”
“Alright, alright. Listen carefully~”
Long Jiu cleared her throat and said softly.
“This story is very simple. Once, there was a human Magic Tutor named Lü Erlu who resolutely set out on a journey with The Brave to subjugate the Demon King.”
“Pfft, haha! Lü Erlu? That name is so funny! It sounds like a total daughter-slave, a daughter-maniac through and through~”
Bai Li covered her small mouth and laughed uncontrollably, her eyes curving.
“Haha, you even guessed that~”
Long Jiu flicked the tip of her small nose, her smile tender.
“On the journey to defeat the Demon King, he really did adopt two Demon Race babies~”
“Eh? For real? A human adopting the Demon Race? That’s unheard of!”
Bai Li’s eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
“Indeed~”
Long Jiu followed her words, pausing slightly before continuing.
“At that time, this King — ahem, the Demon Dragon King discovered this and thought this human was both strange and interesting.”
“After all, adopting the natural enemies of one’s own race is simply preposterous! Think about it, baby. A Vampire relies on human blood to live, and a Succubus survives on human Vital Essence. Even if there are animal substitutes, their value is far inferior to humans.”
“The natural food chain is right there.
Monsters and humans should be irreconcilable arch-enemies, yet Lü Erlu insisted on doing the opposite.
He went and adopted from the Demon Race — and they were monsters of the Imperial Family bloodline, too~”
“What? Even of the Imperial Family bloodline! That human’s courage is too great; he is simply too audacious!”
Startled, Bai Li straightened her small body, her voice rising.
“Yes. To figure out what this human was thinking, the Demon Dragon King devised a plan. He intentionally showed a weakness to lose to The Brave. Then, taking advantage of Lü Erlu’s compassion for infants, he disguised his own reborn body as a baby who had supposedly died prematurely and entrusted it to him, taking the opportunity to investigate.”
“Wow! Then that human is both silly and amazing! To make the great Demon Dragon King willing to entrust his reborn body… even if it were an honor before death, it would be unique~”
Bai Li clicked her tongue in wonder, her small face full of admiration.
“Before death? Baby is mistaken~”
Long Jiu gently stroked her head, warmth flowing through her eyes.
“He didn’t pass away at all. Instead, he lived a happy and fulfilled life~”
“Huh? Did the Demon Dragon King’s reborn body not take action immediately after growing up? Didn’t he kidnap those two Imperial bloodline babies to revive the Demon Race?”
Confusion filled Bai Li’s face as she scratched her little head.
“This is where I must praise that human. He was truly, truly different and precious.”
Long Jiu’s fingertip lightly brushed Bai Li’s tender cheek.
Her tone was full of admiration, yet her eyes held an inseparable love.
“Hiding within that newborn shell, the Demon Dragon King watched Lü Erlu care for the three little fellows day and night. Only then did she understand what it meant to be sincere and wholehearted.”
Bai Li blinked her round eyes, listening with rapt attention.
“Three? Didn’t Mother say two just now?”
“Silly baby, that includes the Demon Dragon King’s reborn body~”
Long Jiu lowered her head and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“The little Vampire princess was afraid of light, so he racked his brains to make a light-blocking silk curtain. Every night, he would personally warm the purest beast blood. Fearing she would find the smell of blood too offensive, he even secretly cut his own hand to mix his blood in.”
“A Succubus must undergo the baptism of nightmares from a young age to control the Dreamscape when she grows up. So, he stayed by the bed all night long, humming human lullabies mixed with gentle, body-soothing auxiliary Magic. He didn’t feel the slightest bit of heartache for the Mana he consumed while coaxing the little Succubus having nightmares to sleep.”
“As for the Demon Dragon King’s small body, he was even more protective. Knowing the Dragon Race feared the cold, he wrapped the little fellow up like a warm ball in winter. Even when his own hands and feet were icy cold from the chill, he would still be beaming with smiles.”
“Worrying that the Dragon would be a picky eater, he searched through a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers for a tender Demon Pig King and roasted it into a fragrant whole pig. He was patient beyond belief.”
Bai Li’s eyes grew moist as she listened.
“Lü Erlu is too kind… he is even more gentle than the princes in stories!”
“Indeed~ He didn’t despise them for being monsters; he only thought of letting the three babies grow up safely. He never feared the mockery of others for raising monster brats. He took the babies to live in seclusion in a large house, being self-sufficient. The life was poor, but they lived in harmony. The sound of laughter never stopped.”
“As the Demon Dragon King watched, those little ambitions of reviving the Demon Race were gradually smoothed away by the warmth of daily life. She had originally planned to return in triumph once the body matured and take the two little princesses away to cause trouble. But Lü Erlu’s day-after-day tenderness was like the spring sun melting ice. For the first time, she understood the taste of home and what it meant to care for someone.”
Bai Li’s small brow furrowed, her hands tightening on Long Jiu’s sleeve.
“Then… then the Demon Dragon King didn’t hurt Lü Erlu later?”
Long Jiu lowered her head, her nose nuzzling the girl’s small face.
“Silly baby, how could she?”
She gently nipped Bai Li’s little earlobe, her voice carrying a bit of coaxing softness.
“The Demon Dragon King had long been unwilling to part with him~ She watched Lü Erlu climb mountains to hunt, getting covered in scars just to earn snack money for the babies.”
“She watched him travel across vast distances to find beast blood for the little Vampire princess until his hair turned a bit whiter from the strain. She watched him holding the three throwing-a-tantrum little fellows, coaxing them clumsily while a smile of greater satisfaction than anyone else’s hung on his face… Her heart had already completely belonged to this human long ago~”
She suddenly cupped Bai Li’s face, her gaze serious and tender as she said word by word, “Later, the Demon Dragon King really did treat herself as his daughter, the two little princesses as her own sisters, and Lü Erlu as the only father of her life.”
Bai Li blinked, only half-understanding.
She leaned her small head against Long Jiu’s chest, listening to the steady and powerful heartbeat.
Her heart felt warm.
“Mother, this story is so sad it makes me want to cry… Lü Erlu is really too great~”
Long Jiu held her tightly, her chin resting on the top of her head.
A glint of tears flashed in her eyes.
Her voice was light as a sigh, yet full of happiness.
“Yes, he is very great… great enough to make a cold-blooded Demon Dragon King willing to give up everything just to stay by his side, be his daughter, and protect this hard-won home~”