“You’ve been poisoned.”
Shen Tanqi turned around in shock, colliding with Bai Long’s1‘Bai Long’ means ‘white dragon’ in Chinese. golden eyes that seemed to hold a watery glow. Bai Long’s gaze was intense, and he gently let go of him.
The cave fell into a deathly silence once again. Shen Tanqi knelt on the ground, his gaze lost and desolate.
Fang Wenxun was really cruel. Not content with just letting him fall off the cliff, he also had to plant a poison on him for peace of mind.
Despair flooded over him like a tidal wave. No friends, no system, just endless darkness, a white dragon, and Shen Tanqi himself.
White dragon?
A small spark of hope ignited in Shen Tanqi’s eyes, ignited by the blue spiritual fire from the white dragon.
He turned to Bai Long, and before he could speak, Bai Long had already guessed what he was going to say.
Bai Long: “…You adapt quickly. But I can’t help you right now. I’m struggling to survive myself.”
Shen Tanqi immediately moved closer, earnestly staring at Bai Long. “In most novels, the cave-dwelling divine dragons are like a golden finger for the protagonist. Bro, look at my innate talent. My senior brother said that apart from the guy surnamed Yu, I’m the most powerful. Can you give me that ‘golden finger’?”
The already chilly cave seemed colder after Shen Tanqi’s words.
“Surnamed Yu?”
Bai Long’s eyes scrutinized Shen Tanqi’s face, as if he wanted to see any trace of deception in his eyes.
Shen Tanqi blinked, attempting to bewitch with his beauty.
Bai Long: …
He helplessly spoke, “I hid in the cave because I’ve been weak these days, and I have no way to save you unless…” He paused, as if recalling some taboo, then fell silent.
But that ‘unless’ gave Shen Tanqi a glimpse of hope.
“You have a way to save me, right? What is it? Do you need meat? Blood? Or spiritual power—I have them all!”
“It’s irrelevant to what I told you. I can’t help.”
“As long as you are willing to save me, I’ll do anything. My life is very important. There are people waiting for me outside. My junior brother, he’s just a teenager, so young and handsome, with good innate talent. If I don’t make it out alive to gather spirit herbs for him, he’ll surely die.” Shen Tanqi gently placed his hand on Bai Long’s tail, his eyes fixed on the white dragon, pleading.
“Brother Bai Long, please, help me.”
After saying this, Shen Tanqi couldn’t help but cough a couple of times, overwhelmed by his own tea-flavored breath.
Bai Long slowly opened his eyes. The touch on his tail had already made his whole body so hot that he couldn’t even hear what Shen Tanqi had said.
He obviously told him not to move, not to touch it.
Why didn’t he listen?
“Are you sure, anything?”
Bai Long’s breathing became heavier, his voice somewhat helpless. The cold mist around it dissipated, replaced by warmth and restlessness. Its scales shimmered like a melting ice sculpture.
Shen Tanqi, captivated by his words, replied eagerly, “I’m sure!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the spiritual fire in the cave suddenly extinguished.
Shen Tanqi was confused and called out in the darkness, “Bai Long?”
In the next moment, he was pulled into a scorching embrace by a hand. Shen Tanqi cried out in surprise, feeling as if his clothes were being soldered by a hot iron. His panicked breath mingled with the cold breath behind him. He reached out in haste, touching cool skin.
Not scales, not a dragon.
He’s human!
As Shen Tanqi realized that the figure before him was the human form of Bai Long, he knew there was no turning back. The clothes slipped away, and he heard a slightly cool low panting in his ear—
“The dragon clan’s mating period is long; please endure it.”
“W-what?”
…
The icy cave walls couldn’t quench the burning sensation in Shen Tanqi’s chest. He clenched his teeth to avoid crying out in embarrassment. “Is it almost over?”
A deep voice responded, “Not yet.”
His ankle was caught and pulled back.
…
Unsure of how long it had been, Shen Tanqi has become numb, the passage of time blurring. He couldn’t see the light of day; there was only the darkness and each other. It felt like he was in a long dream.
It wasn’t necessarily frightening, but the experiences of these few days had completely overturned his world view.
As a ‘salty fish,’ the thing he was best at, and perhaps the only thing he could do, was to go with the flow and adapt to everything.
Shen Tanqi, now dressed, huddled in a corner. A soft blue spiritual fire flickered, revealing a man in white clothing with a mask over his face.
No need to guess, this person must be Bai Long.
The spiritual fire burned in his palm, illuminating the side of his face covered by a mask.
Shen Tanqi cautiously stole a glance and found that Bai Long had a decent figure, which slightly balanced his feelings.
He was also a man. It wasn’t that he couldn’t accept it, but Shen Tanqi had long believed he was the one on top. The huge gap made it momentarily hard for him to accept.
“Shen Tanqi.”
Bai Long suddenly spoke, startling Shen Tanqi.
“The Gu poison has been removed, but you cannot leave this place for now.” Bai Long took out some food from a storage ring on his finger; it seemed to be dry rations he carried with him. He didn’t keep any for himself, giving it all to Shen Tanqi.
These were the dry rations handed to him by the common people when he was eliminating demons. He had been fasting for many years and had no need for these, but it was difficult to refuse the goodwill.
Bai Long hesitated for a moment, forgetting if Shen Tanqi had abstained from eating, but the rations were already offered.
Shen Tanqi naturally reached out to take the bag of dry rations and found several of his favorite snacks inside.
After enduring so much hardship, being cold and hungry, deceived off a cliff, poisoned, and then in a hard rocky cave, upon seeing these snacks, Shen Tanqi unexpectedly couldn’t help but shed some emotional tears.
He cried silently while eating.
Seeing him quietly shedding tears, Bai Long fell silent for a moment, softly asking, “Can’t you eat it?”
Well, someone like Shen Tanqi, a young master from a prestigious family probably wasn’t accustomed to this.
Shen Tanqi sniffed, his eyes still red, “No, it’s just too delicious. I’m not usually like this.” The accumulated grievances finally burst out.
It turned out he was just too hungry.
Bai Long looked at Shen Tanqi with some complexity and continued, “Earlier what I said, did you hear it?”
“No,” Shen Tanqi said while munching on a small date cake, speaking honestly.
Bai Long looked down at him, his tone slightly softer, “I said the Gu poison in your body has been removed.”
The dragon clan ruled over all beasts, and even the poisonous insects bowed down to them.
“And then?” Shen Tanqi picked out a piece of biscuit, eating while attentively watching him.
Bai Long’s breath slightly faltered, slowly saying, “But you cannot leave this place for now.”
Shen Tanqi immediately stopped eating, staring at him in surprise, looking like a frightened little hamster, “Why?”
Seeing his expression, Bai Long, for a moment, found it hard to speak. He averted his eyes and softly said, “You’re carrying my child.”
For an instant, a thunderbolt struck Shen Tanqi’s head directly. He even felt as if his skull had been pierced.
What kind of international joke is this, brother?
He is a man.
He doesn’t have a uterus.
How could he possibly be pregnant??
“It’s also my fault, inexperienced in human affairs, I was momentarily forgetful,” Bai Long sounded somewhat regretful. “According to the natural order, the dragon clan can only have offspring among their kind, but your physique is special…”
“Stop talking,” Shen Tanqi abruptly interrupted, his face serious.
Men giving birth to children, in the broad scheme of things, he simply didn’t believe it. Right now, he needed to find a way to leave and get spiritual herbs for his junior brother.
By the faint light of the spiritual fire, Shen Tanqi supported himself against the rock face to stand up. He wanted to find the cave’s entrance but was caught by Bai Long, who held his wrist and brought him back.
He said somewhat helplessly, “Can’t you feel it yourself?”
A wave of irritation inexplicably surged within Shen Tanqi. He pushed Bai Long’s hand away, asking, “Feel what?”
Soon, a cool hand gently held his hand and placed it on Shen Tanqi’s own abdomen.
Bai Long’s warm breath brushed against his neck. Reflexively, Shen Tanqi’s whole body softened a bit, “Now, there’s my child here, so you temporarily can’t leave me.”
His eyelashes trembled slightly, and Shen Tanqi almost couldn’t stand, feeling the gradually rising temperature of his body. It was as if he was repeatedly roasted over a fire, uncomfortably hot.
Seeing him so slow to catch on, Bai Long reached out and pulled Shen Tanqi into his arms, gently rubbing his bright red ear tips, softly coaxing, “I reminded you, endure it once more.”
…
The Dragon clan’s mating season occurs once a year after reaching adulthood. Once the dragon seed is planted, it triggers a long period of dependency. During this period, daily care and close proximity are required until the dragon’s seed is born.
Gritting his teeth, Shen Tanqi pressed against Bai Long’s shoulder, quietly begging, “Enough, really, enough.”
Bai Long reached out, his fingertips flushed, gently covering Shen Tanqi’s eyes. “Don’t look at me; if you do, I won’t be able to control myself.”
Shen Tanqi: ?
“Then you…stop!” Shen Tanqi bit down lightly on his fingertip, leaving a faint mark.
The pressure of his bite was just right, making Bai Long’s heart itch even more.
His Adam’s apple rolled lightly, and he reached out to pull Shen Tanqi back into his embrace. “Endure a little longer.”
After a long while, the pleas for mercy inside the cave gradually ceased, finally falling silent.
“Shen Tanqi…”
It was late at night, and Bai Long called out softly.
But Shen Tanqi had long fallen into an exhausted sleep, nestled in the Bai Long’s embrace, like a sleepy cat.
Watching the sleeping Shen Tanqi murmuring softly in his dreams, Bai Long seemed lost in thought.
Though he couldn’t be sure if the current Shen Tanqi was pretending to be insane and foolish before him to save his life or if he genuinely had a brain ailment due to the severe illness, he couldn’t easily trust him.
For the past twenty years, he had never thought this day would come.
Shen Tanqi and him?
It was simply absurd.
He still remembered that Winter Solstice twenty years ago when he first ascended the mountain to pay his respects to the master. The young Shen Tanqi stood on the high green steps, with a delicate appearance and a disdainful look in his eyes.
“A mere monster, how can you enter the inner sect, pay respect to my master, and call me senior brother?”
He remained composed, accepted the tea cup, and said nothing as he performed a formal bow to the young man.
Halfway through the bow, the teacup was suddenly knocked out of his hand by a slap. Tea leaves scattered all over the floor, the steaming heat nearly obscured the handsome face of the young man before him.
The young man looked at him, maliciously curling the corners of his mouth, uttering a few words with a deliberate pause.
“Tea from a beast, I won’t drink it.”
His eyes were so cold, and his words so decisive.
“If you dare call me senior brother even half a word, I will, right in front of the sect master and the elders, break your legs, tear your dragon tendons, and you must remember this clearly: I am Shen Tanqi, of the Shen family, Tan from purple sandalwood, and Qi from lacquer.”
At that time, he had silently listened, only replacing the tea three times, and as he looked at Shen Tanqi’s departing figure, he bowed again and again.
“Even if he’s not good, he is still my senior brother, who I bowed to three times when I joined the sect.”
“I saved him, it’s only right.”
Was he saying it for others to hear, or for himself?
Thinking back to Shen Tanqi’s condescending and mocking smile back then, he knew very well that if Shen Tanqi hadn’t ended up at the bottom of the cliff with no way out, in dire straits, seeking him out—even if they had engaged in a marital relationship, even if they were together by fate—Shen Tanqi wouldn’t want this child in his belly.
Bai Long closed his eyes, returning to his original form and lying by Shen Tanqi’s abdomen, quietly listening to the sound of his child – it wouldn’t be long before another little heartbeat joined in.
But if Shen Tanqi didn’t want it.
Then he would take the child away.
Yes.
He would raise this child by himself.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
