DADH Chapter 39

In the moment when Jing Nian made his choice, the capture of the target went smoothly because the person offered no resistance.

Gordon could only widen his eyes in terror, watching as a rope automatically bound his hands together.

[You have captured the thief who stole Auntie Wang’s clothes. Please go to Auntie Wang’s house to complete the mission and collect your reward.]

Afterward, Jing Nian, who had just realized what happened: “…”

Not far away, Huo Yi saw everything, the surprised reactions of the young dragon and the thief. He couldn’t help but clench his fist to cover his laughter.

But his soft laughter still reached the ears of Jing Nian and Gordon.

Jing Nian followed the sound and only then noticed the inconspicuous display above the black-clothed person’s head: LV42.

Jing Nian was momentarily stunned. Although he had observed that the opponent’s level was quite high from the visuals, LV42 was still somewhat unexpected.

Did the three unreliable informants exaggerate too much? They even claimed there were no players above level 30 in the whole server! Clearly, there was a player here who was over level 40!

However, in games where most players were in their teens or twenties, those who could lead by such a margin were often experts. Jing Nian’s eyes brightened as he immediately thought about getting to know this player.

So, he cleared his throat and discussed with the black-clothed person, “It seems like this thief you were chasing is the one I caught. How about we split the reward evenly?”

It was only at this moment that Gordon, who had been captured, unbelievably gasped and looked at Jing Nian. He was met with a warning look from Jing Nian and had to lower his head in resignation.

Huo Yi once again saw the interaction between the young dragon and the thief and guessed the young dragon’s intentions. It seemed it wanted to get closer to him.

This aligned perfectly with Huo Yi’s intentions, so he didn’t refuse.

“Sure,” he said and then turned to walk in the direction of Auntie Wang’s house. He turned back and saw the bound thief. With a considerate tone, he asked Jing Nian if he needed any help.

Jing Nian glanced at the pitiful Gordon, shook his head repeatedly, and quickly took hold of the other end of the rope that bound Gordon’s hands.

Huo Yi raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Instead, he stood in place, waiting for Jing Nian to lead Gordon over.

At this moment, the young dragon in the Dragon Soul Space couldn’t contain its curiosity any longer. It playfully rolled around and requested to come out for a moment. It wanted to meet this black-clothed person in person.

Feeling the unfounded closeness of the young dragon towards a stranger once again, Jing Nian was somewhat surprised, but he didn’t connect this masked player with the NPC Uncle Pipilu he had encountered earlier.

After all, who would expect that the game he had crossed into would have two special outsiders?

Furthermore, Jing Nian could only exist by attaching himself to the small dragon in the holographic world, while the dragon not only had its native “ID card” but also had created a player “ID card” for itself.

As long as there were no principled issues, Jing Nian had no particular principles when it came to the young dragon. So, he immediately discussed it, agreeing to follow this black-clothed person and regain control of his body once they reached their destination.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to complete the mission.

The impatient young dragon agreed without hesitation and took control of the body eagerly.

The moment it took control, the young dragon bounced in place to adjust to the body. Then, it widened its adorable, shiny eyes, fixating on the black-clothed person beside it.

Noticing the young dragon gradually slowing down and beginning to observe him with a distracted look, Huo Yi slightly slowed down his pace. He could see that he was about to be left behind.

In a panic, the young dragon suddenly turned with its little feet, accidentally stepping on the cloak with a “plop” and tumbling to the ground.

Normally, the young dragon in the Dragon Soul Space would immediately act cute and ask for comfort when it fell down. However, this time, it instinctively extended its two little paws toward the black-clothed person in front of it.

Turning around at the sound of the fall, Huo Yi saw a pair of teary eyes and small dragon claws covered by black gloves that couldn’t conceal their “non-human” features.

The little dragon, lying on the ground and teary-eyed, wanted a hug.

Huo Yi: “…” How could he not remember that just a few seconds ago, a particular young dragon had firmly declined his proposal to be carried and claimed not to be a child anymore, insisting on walking by itself?

What’s going on now?

Despite his words, Huo Yi walked over, and as soon as he bent down, the little dragon crawled into his arms without any hesitation. It even consciously adjusted to a comfortable position and hugged his neck.

It was much clingier than the last time, when it was clearly just seeking comfort in a moment of fear, without any intimacy. It had treated him as a shield.

This time, every action of the little dragon exuded affection and stickiness, as if…

Huo Yi furrowed his brow, struggling to come up with a rather unfamiliar analogy: it was like a son hugging his father.

He gently tugged at the little dragon’s back to loosen its grip a bit, but to his surprise, it clung even tighter. Its small head nuzzled against his neck. Despite his expectations, the warm, milky scent unavoidably filled Huo Yi’s senses.

Huo Yi suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. He rarely got this close to “people,” let alone this kind of closeness.

Moreover, even his precious little dragon had never behaved like this. Now, being approached by another young dragon as if he were its father, he could already imagine the look of jealousy on his own dragon’s face when it found out he was hugging another dragon and getting too close.

But the familiar sensation on his wrist made him pause.

The tail had curled up again.

Forget it.

Huo Yi’s gaze shifted, and he abandoned his plan to lift the young dragon off him.

Moreover, thinking back to the giant dragons he had seen outside the Dragon Abyss, he was curious about this little dragon, whose tail shape was identical to his own young dragon’s. He even harbored a bit of suspicion.

After all, the tails of those giant dragons were pointed, while this young dragon and his own dragon had tails that pointed the other way.

If it weren’t for the fact that he had checked this young dragon’s dragon soul the first time they met, he might have thought that this crybaby was his own dragon egg hatching.

Most importantly, based on his calculations of the hatching time of his dragon egg, it shouldn’t have hatched yet, assuming it was still under that entrance at the bottom of the abyss, an entrance even his consciousness couldn’t penetrate.

So, he still had to make a trip to the Dragon Clan. Storming the Dragon Clan wasn’t a feasible option for now. Cozying up to this young dragon was the best shortcut to entering the Dragon Abyss.

Inside the Dragon Soul Space, Jing Nian was stunned by the young dragon’s actions.

When did this young dragon become so close to someone?

Even he had been initially rejected by the young dragon. It took several days of getting to know each other before he gained the young dragon’s affection.

Now, there was someone who, upon their first meeting, had won the young dragon’s affection and even climbed into its arms, hugging and cuddling!

Did the experienced old father Jing Nian suddenly feel a bit sour? Yes!

He hadn’t received such treatment, not even from the young dragon!

Sensing Jing Nian’s emotions, the young dragon, who was cuddling and nuzzling against Huo Yi, froze for a moment.

Quickly, in the Dragon Soul Space, the young dragon crawled into Jing Nian’s arms in the same manner, cuddling and nuzzling.

Jing Nian enjoyed the young dragon’s affectionate behavior, and his heart softened. However, he maintained a serious expression on his face as he asked sincerely, “Ao Ao, do you like me more or this uncle?”

With one arm around Jing Nian’s neck and the other around the “unnamed but instinctively very liked human’s” neck, the young dragon, who was double-cuddling, hesitated.

Clearly, Jing Nian’s casual question had left it stumped, and it couldn’t provide an answer.

Jing Nian, who had initially intended to tease, was taken aback by this result. Did this mean that this man had already equaled him in the young dragon’s heart?!

So, for the first time in the Dragon Soul Space, the opposite of the usual situation occurred—

The young dragon was now chasing after Jing Nian for attention.

And it wasn’t working out well.

Until they reached Auntie Wang’s house, Jing Nian paid no attention to the young dragon, who was begging for attention with puppy dog eyes.

‘Hmph! You little scamp dragon!’

Before regaining control of his body, Jing Nian pinched the young dragon’s nose and scolded him with hands on his hips, “A little one can only have one daddy, you understand!”

Yes, due to shared consciousness, Jing Nian was forced to know emotions that the young dragon itself wasn’t fully aware of. Its closeness to this man in black was a form of admiration!

In short, it was treating this man like a daddy!

Wasn’t this too much? Wasn’t it annoying?

Even his designation was still “little brother”!

Jing Nian had always considered himself the young dragon’s dad. The young dragon actually knew this too, thanks to shared consciousness. However, in its mind, Jing Nian wanting to be its dad and it regarding Jing Nian as a little brother didn’t conflict because it had no concept of these relationships.

So, when Jing Nian said a little dragon could only have one dad, the young dragon instantly understood. Jing Nian wanted it to choose between the man in black and Jing Nian!

Immediately, the young dragon faced one of the toughest dilemmas in its dragon life.

Even after Jing Nian switched back to controlling his body and completed the mission, the young dragon was still torn, unable to make a decision.

One couldn’t deny that this damned competitive spirit was something humans would never conquer.

In Auntie Wang’s arms, who was happily hugging Gordon and distributing the reward, Jing Nian angrily split the reward into two portions in front of the man in black. After giving the other person their share, he stormed off towards the riverbank.

In his blazing fury, Jing Nian completely failed to notice Gordon frantically pleading for help from Auntie Wang’s clutches.

Not to mention Huo Yi, who had just been called “dad” by the little dragon almost affectionately a moment ago but was now giving him the cold shoulder.

Huo Yi’s gaze softened as he recalled the “hostility” in the young dragon’s eyes when it turned around and looked at him before it changed its attitude. He hesitated for a moment and then decided to follow Jing Nian.

On the surface, Jing Nian was storming off in a fit of rage.

However, in the Dragon Soul Space…

The young dragon kept clinging to Jing Nian, but he heartlessly pushed it away. It came back, and he pushed it away again…

After repeating this several times, Jing Nian’s heart softened when he saw the young dragon deliberately trying to act pitiful and cute to win him over with those adorable little eyes.

No!

Jing Nian turned his head, closed his eyes, and once again pushed the young dragon away from his embrace. He refused to look at those cute eyes. Today, he had to solidify his position as the young dragon’s dad!

The young dragon, who had been pushed away once more, stood a step away from Jing Nian, looking pitiful. Its little eyes darted around as it circled in a direction Jing Nian wasn’t facing. Then, it quietly said:

“Ba Ba?”

Although it knew Jing Nian wanted to be its dad, it had initially wanted Jing Nian to be its little brother. So, it had never called him “Ba Ba.”

Sure enough, when Jing Nian saw the young dragon’s hopeful expression and pitiful look, his stern demeanor softened, and a smile tugged at his lips.

“Ahem,” Jing Nian cleared his throat, covering up his smile. Unable to resist the cute and soft gaze of the young dragon, he gently rubbed its little head and was immediately embraced by the little one.

Jing Nian’s eyes softened further as he held the young dragon close, solidifying his position as the caring father figure.

“So, from now on, you’ll only have one daddy, okay? I don’t mind if you get close to the man in black, but can you call him ‘Uncle’?” Jing Nian said.

The young dragon tilted its head, looking at Jing Nian with innocent eyes, clearly not understanding a word he said.

Jing Nian: “…” Seriously?

The young dragon had learned some tricks now. It clearly understood but pretended not to, attempting to be sly and maintain relationships with two “dads.”

Jing Nian sighed deeply, feeling both relaxed and exasperated…

Still, he couldn’t help but be a little angry!

The more Jing Nian thought about it, the angrier he became. He pressed his forehead against the young dragon’s forehead, forcing the little one, who had a wandering and guilty gaze, to meet his eyes.

“Listen, you’ve been out of the shell for 28 days, not 3 days, so you can’t keep acting like a wishy-washy little scamp dragon. Have you ever seen anyone with two dads?” Jing Nian admonished.

This time, the young dragon’s eyes displayed genuine confusion.

What’s going on?

Seeing that the stubborn little scamp dragon was finally showing signs of wavering, Jing Nian quickly had a bright idea and thought of a perfect example.

He continued, “Do you remember the little flying squirrel outside Mini Street?”

Seeing that the young dragon didn’t have a clear memory, Jing Nian added, “It’s the one that can fly with its tail…”

Instantly, the young dragon, whose little face puffed up with happiness at the thought of flying with its tail, recalled.

To avoid making the young dragon upset, Jing Nian quickly got to the point, “Do you remember the fight between the two dads of the little squirrel?”

Being purebred dragon blood, the young dragon was quite sensitive to fights. It recalled the incident, but it was puzzled because one of them was clearly an uncle.

The young dragon tilted its head in confusion.

With a hint of regret for tainting the innocence of a child, Jing Nian continued, “Actually, that uncle was the other dad of the little squirrel. It was because the squirrel’s dad found out that the squirrel had another dad that he fought with the one who was supposed to be an uncle…”

In short, the squirrel’s dad realized that his son wasn’t biologically his but was instead sired by his good friend, so he beat up the friend.

At the time, Jing Nian was also shocked when he learned about this “drama.”

Unbelievably, he was now using this “drama” to explain things.

After Jing Nian’s explanation, the young dragon recalled the bloody fight, which ended with one of the dads in terrible shape.

Suddenly, the young dragon immediately thought of Jing Nian and the man in black, and the image that came to mind was Jing Nian being beaten to a pulp.

Because deep down, it understood that the man in black was very formidable.

Suddenly, the young dragon’s eyes welled up with tears, and it hugged Jing Nian and started crying.

Originally, Jing Nian just wanted to tease the young dragon a bit, to make it acknowledge that it had only one dad.

But when he saw the young dragon getting emotional from his story, Jing Nian regretted it instantly. He hurriedly embraced the young dragon and said, “Alright, alright, I was wrong. You can call me whatever you want…”

As Jing Nian spoke, he gently patted the young dragon’s back, about to comfort it. However, he was taken aback when he heard a voice by his ear.

“Mommy!”

Jing Nian froze, unable to believe what he had just heard.

The next moment, the young dragon softly nuzzled his neck, wiped away its tears, and seemed to have consoled itself. It raised its head, with bright and shining eyes, and looked at Jing Nian with a seeking-praise expression. It then clearly called out again.

“Mommy!”

It was quite clever, wasn’t it?

Both of the squirrel’s dads were very nice to the squirrel’s mommy~

It called the formidable man in black “Daddy” and Jing Nian “Mommy,” so the man in black wouldn’t hurt Jing Nian and would treat him nicely~

Perfect!

The young dragon gave itself a mental pat on the back, then happily hugged Jing Nian’s neck and called out, “Mommy.”

Jing Nian rolled his eyes.

 

Author’s note:

Young Dragon: Hehe, I’m so clever!

---

Translator’s corner:

Ao Tian: You don’t want me to have two dads, so, I’ll call you mommy! *giggles*