Chapter 61: Salted Fish Like Me

What’s with all these cryptic weirdos? First, that white dragon back in the Dragon’s Grave, keeping all the ancient dragon clan secrets to itself, refusing to spill a single word. And now, the original True Ancestor pulls the same stunt. She clearly had something crucial to say at the end, but nope, she cuts off mid-sentence, leaving me hanging. The worst part? She didn’t even finish!

Is this supposed to push me into some grand quest to find answers, like I’m in an RPG game? That’s such a classic role-playing game trope, straight out of a pixelated cutscene. Don’t get me wrong, I love RPGs. The storylines, the grinding, the epic loot—it’s all great. But that’s in a game! You think I want to live out some RPG plot in the real world, chasing answers across the globe? Get real. If I can’t figure out the answer, I’ll just stop thinking about it. Problem solved. Besides, the True Ancestor’s body is basically invincible, right? Why stress?

Filo leaned into her “Salted Fish King” vibe, radiating pure, unfiltered laziness, like she was the walking embodiment of every slacker stereotype in this world. (Quick note to readers: don’t copy Filo’s attitude unless you’re also rocking her “invincible” cheat code!) After the True Ancestor’s bombshell, Filo’s chill dreamscape mood was pretty much ruined. Using her Salted Fish King powers, she took control of her dream and bailed back to reality.

In the real world, Filo slowly opened her eyes, blinking groggily a few times. She sat up from her sprawled-out position, crossed her arms, and stretched with a big, dramatic yawn. “How long was I out?” she mumbled, still half-asleep.

“Boss, you’ve been snoozing for 21 hours and 13 minutes,” Lin piped up, popping out of Filo’s body with a sudden whoosh. The abrupt reappearance startled Filo, making her freeze for a second.

“Lin, seriously, where were you back in the Dragon’s Grave? You didn’t make a peep! The cutie beast keeping a low profile is one thing, but you could’ve at least shown up to remind us you exist,” Filo grumbled, tossing in a playful jab.

Lin turned her head, pouting awkwardly. Truth was, she wanted to pop out and join the fun, but she’d passed out cold. Yup, straight-up fainted. Remember when the white dragon tried to flex its Overlord aura to intimidate Chiyan and Bingpo? Filo stepped in, tanking the full brunt of that aura before countering with her own. Lin’s physical form was safe in Filo’s internal space, immune to physical attacks, but that mental aura blast? Total knockout. Lin got zapped unconscious and stayed out cold through the whole adventure, only waking up after Chiyan and Bingpo cleared the gauntlet.

Talk about embarrassing. Lin wasn’t about to admit that to Filo, though. She’d die of shame if Filo teased her, even if she was pretty sure her big boss wouldn’t. Just to be safe, Lin covered her cheeks with both hands, hiding her ghostly blush despite being a spirit. No way was she letting Filo see her like this.

Filo blinked, not really caring much, and stood up on Bingpo’s back, turning to look ahead where Bingpo and Chiyan were flying. “Where are we now?” she asked.

“Master, you’re awake!” Bingpo replied, all business. “We’re still in the human world. Crossing worlds takes a while, and the human world’s pretty huge. Probably need five or six more days by human world time.”

“That’s a trek,” Filo muttered, squinting into the distance. From their perch above the clouds, everything ahead was a sea of white fluff. The surroundings were white, the view below was… wait, not quite. A massive patch of dark clouds had gathered below, swirling like a storm ready to unleash a downpour.

Sure enough, a sharp bolt of lightning cracked through the clouds. But up above, where Filo and her crew soared, neither lightning nor rain could touch them. They just kept gliding forward, unbothered.

“Master! Master! Since you’re up and want to enjoy the view, sit on my head! Way comfier than my back, I promise!” Bingpo blurted out, sounding like an overeager fanboy.

There wasn’t much of a view—just endless clouds—but Bingpo’s enthusiasm was at least something to pass the time. Filo launched herself from Bingpo’s back to his head in a single leap. The dragon’s massive size meant even his head had plenty of room. The rushing wind battered her, but it couldn’t faze Filo. She sat cross-legged on Bingpo’s head, hands resting on her knees, staring ahead.

You’d think she was taking in the scenery, right? Nope. She was just zoning out.

Sure, she was done sleeping, but passing time? Easy. Every student masters the art of spacing out, and Filo was the undisputed champ. Back in school, there was this one time when the schedule got so messed up—thanks to a swapped class and a sports day—that the whole afternoon was just gym class. One gym period? Too short. Two? Perfect. Three? Exhausting. Four? Total meltdown.

When the teacher announced free time, Filo found the perfect spot: a shady patch facing the basketball court, ideal for sitting and dodging the sun. She parked there and zoned out for all four periods. People thought she was watching the game. Nope, spacing out. Thought she was pondering some deep, unsolvable mystery? Nope, spacing out. Thought she was sulking over a breakup? Still spacing out.

Real zoning out isn’t just blanking out—it’s sustainable. You need light, easy thoughts that don’t fry your brain. (If I had to think about novel plots for four periods, I’d keel over, brain-dead _(´ཀ`」 ∠)__.) Filo had it down to an art.

While Filo zoned out, Bingpo and Chiyan were chatting about how to introduce her to their folks back in the dragon world. “Just introduce her, done deal. What’s the big fuss?” Chiyan said.

“Dumbass,” Bingpo shot back. “Master’s on the same level as the Dragon King. Mom and Dad are terrified of the Dragon King, so they’ll be just as scared of her. If you just blurt it out, they’ll faint on the spot!”

“Then what’s your plan?” Chiyan asked, stumped.

“Gotta ease them into it,” Bingpo said, brimming with confidence. “No shock-and-awe. We’ll introduce her slowly, give them time to adjust. Leave it to me—I’ll make sure they don’t pass out and end up totally charmed by Master!”

Bingpo’s heart raced. Was this what humans called “meeting the parents”? Oh man, she couldn’t wait to get back to the dragon world and show off her master!