*Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—*
The last mouthful of soup hit the bottom.
Fearing that Lu Erlu would start lecturing her again, Long Jiu quickly raised her tail in a gesture of surrender.
“Father, I’ll think about it seriously. I’m really a bit tired today, so I’m going back to my room to rest now.”
“Mhm, goodnight.”
Lu Erlu’s voice was soft as he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Long Jiu’s forehead.
Long Jiu froze instantly, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.
“Little Jiu, Zi Ya and Bai Ning aren’t as mature as you. They might not listen to me, but you must…”
*Smack.*
Before the lecture could finish, Long Jiu suddenly kissed Lu Erlu’s cheek.
Immediately after, she reached out both arms and pulled him into a crushing embrace.
“What… what’s wrong, Long Jiu? You’re holding me too tight. Father can’t… can’t breathe…”
Caught off guard by his adopted daughter’s sudden display of affection, Lu Erlu was completely stunned.
He tried to pat her back with flustered hands, but he was pinned so tightly he couldn’t move.
He couldn’t see that as Long Jiu held him, her beautiful slit pupils were quietly bleeding into a terrifying bright yellow.
Within them swirled a predatory aggression that even she hadn’t noticed.
‘Good… right now…’
Faint mumbles were muffled against Lu Erlu’s shoulder.
“Long Jiu… I, I really can’t breathe…”
Lu Erlu’s voice, carrying a hint of a sob, finally snapped Long Jiu out of her daze.
She immediately retracted those dangerous dragon pupils and let go as if she had been shocked by electricity.
Long Jiu stared blankly at her hands, her eyes filled with disbelief.
*Whew—hah…*
After being squeezed by the dragon girl’s superhuman strength for so long, even a former Magic Caster like Lu Erlu had to lean against the table to recover.
If he were an ordinary human, he probably would have passed out.
“Fa—Father! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
Long Jiu bowed hurriedly in apology.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Lu Erlu finally caught his breath. He rubbed her head and teased her with a smile.
“It’s only natural for a daughter to hug her father. It’s just that our Long Jiu has grown up, and dragon strength is so great that you simply lost control for a moment.”
“If you want a hug next time, just tell Father in advance. I definitely won’t refuse you.”
“Maybe the pressure has been too much lately? When Father used to be busy with work, I always wanted to find something to hug too…”
“You go on and rest. Father will clean up the dishes. By the way, what do you want to eat tomorrow morning? I’ll make it for you.”
Those gentle words struck Long Jiu’s heart like little hammers.
The more she listened, the heavier the guilt in her heart became.
‘Ugh, Father, please stop! The more you say, the more I feel like I’ve gone too far!’
Long Jiu stole a glance at Lu Erlu, who was still smiling warmly.
Her slit pupils flashed with a hint of yellow light again, but she forced it down.
“Tomorrow morning… I want to eat roasted whole sheep! Then, Father, I’m going back to my room!”
Long Jiu knew she was in the wrong, but she was too embarrassed to stay any longer.
Seeing Lu Erlu nod, she turned and stomped up the stairs.
However, she had one more thing to do before returning to her room.
Long Jiu had originally intended to knock on Zi Ya’s door, but as she reached the corner of the hallway, she heard the sound of chattering coming from Sister Bai Ning’s room next door.
She changed direction and knocked on Bai Ning’s door instead.
*Knock, knock—knock—knock—knock—*
A series of rapid knocks rang out.
“Who is it?! Pops? I already told you I’m not getting married… Oh, it’s Sister Long Jiu.”
Bai Ning poked her head out.
Looking up at Long Jiu, who was one head taller than her, her tone immediately softened.
“Mhm. Sister Bai Ning, I have something I want to talk to you about. It’s about Father.”
“Oh, sure, come in. Zi Ya is here too.”
“Alright.”
Long Jiu stepped into the room and blinked.
The room was exactly the same as always; the curtains were drawn tight, letting in not a single ray of sunlight.
Several blood-red decorations hung on the walls, and a few round bat plushies were scattered across the bed.
Zi Ya was curled up in the middle of the bed. Seeing Long Jiu enter, she immediately waved with a smile.
“Sister Long Jiu, you’re here! Is it because of Father’s sudden urge to marry us off?”
As soon as Zi Ya spoke, she guessed Long Jiu’s reason for coming.
“Mhm, yes.”
Long Jiu nodded, her brows furrowing slightly.
“At the dinner table just now, Father suddenly brought it up. I just feel like… something isn’t right.”
“Right, right! That’s what I said!”
Zi Ya jumped up from the bed, gesturing excitedly.
“Father was able to raise the three of us, even though we’re monster girls of different races. How could he suddenly become so feudal and pressure us to get married?”
“So Sister Bai Ning and I think that Father must have some secret trouble and is saying this on purpose!”
“Mhm, I think so too.”
Long Jiu’s frown deepened.
“But… what could possibly happen that would make Father, who loves us so much, willing to entrust us to others?”
She leaned against the wall, thinking seriously.
“Don’t rack your brain too hard, Sister Jiu. It’s definitely because of the Hero dying!”
Bai Ning suddenly said.
“My intelligence agents all came to report it today.”
Zi Ya froze.
“Huh? Sister Bai Ning, the Hero is dead? Why didn’t I hear anything about it?”
Zi Ya’s eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
“It only happened recently, so your information is probably too outdated.”
Bai Ning curled her lip, her face certain.
“I received the news early this morning. The Lord Hero was assassinated in the woods outside the city!”
“!!!”
This time, it was Long Jiu’s turn to freeze.
“But…”
Zi Ya’s voice trembled slightly.
“According to the stories Father told us, isn’t the Hero almost invincible? How could he be assassinated? I’ve been living in fear, worried that the Hero would come knocking on our door one day…”
“I also find it very strange,” Zi Ya said, resting her chin in her hand with a puzzled expression.
“Who would have the audacity to assassinate the Lord Hero, who is blessed by destiny…”
The room fell silent, leaving only the sound of the three girls’ breathing.
“Um… Sister Bai Ning,” Zi Ya asked curiously.
“I still don’t quite understand. What does the Hero being assassinated have to do with Father rushing us to get married?”
“You don’t know that?”
Bai Ning rolled her eyes, her expression saying ‘how could you be so stupid.’
“Wasn’t Father a member of the Hero’s party? My guess is that the humans saw the Hero was dead and forcibly appointed Father as the new Hero!”
“What?!”
Zi Ya’s voice suddenly rose.
“Father is a Hero? Then—then does that mean we might have to fight Father in the future?”
“It sounds ridiculous, but that’s likely the truth.”
Bai Ning threw up her hands, her tone helpless.
“The humans actually want Father to lead an army to attack us monsters. It’s laughable!”
“This… this is too dramatic…”
Zi Ya was dumbfounded.
Silence fell over the room once again.
“By the way, Sister Long Jiu, why did you suddenly stop talking?”
Bai Ning was the first to break the silence, poking Long Jiu’s arm.
“Yeah, yeah, Sister Long Jiu, come and discuss it with us!”
Zi Ya also leaned in, looking at her expectantly.
Long Jiu took a deep breath and looked at the two in front of her, her lips moving slightly.
“Um… well, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“What is it?”
The two smaller girls asked in unison, tilting their heads and looking up at the older girl curiously.
Long Jiu’s throat tightened.
“The Hero… I’m the one who took him out.”
“!!!!!!!!!!”
The next second, two deafening screams erupted in the room, nearly blowing the roof off.
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