Shen Tanqi gritted his teeth as he looked at Yu Ce, clenching his fists.
Before long, a bump appeared on Yu Ce’s forehead. He held his head, muttering softly in grievance, “It hurts…”
Shen Tanqi dusted off his hands, glancing at him, “Serves you right.” Knowing he would get hit and still deliberately trying to scare him—he was asking for it.
He turned and took Mian Mian, who was wrapped in a small bundle, from Taro Ball’s claws, saying, “Stop wasting time. Lead the way quickly.”
Hearing this, Taro Ball moved closer, gently nudging Shen Tanqi’s arm with his dragon horn.
“Daddy, get on me. I’ll carry you, and my brother and father will guard you.”
Shen Tanqi paused, then smiled, “Alright.” Even though Yu Ce’s protective bubble was enough, it didn’t hurt to accept the little one’s kind offer.
As the little dragon dived, the vast lake instantly rippled with giant waves. In an instant, the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects ceased, leaving only the sound of bubbling water.
If anyone had witnessed this moment, they would surely be awestruck, likely weaving a tale to be told for a thousand years—a legend about two dragons illuminating the sky, with one carrying a handsome young man, while the other stayed close by, ready to defend against any impending danger.
Trailing behind them, an even larger dragon opened its eyes. Its golden pupils quietly watched the young man, creating a scene as ancient and mystical as a dream, like a painting.
The young man in the painting turned back, shivering in fright.
“Wow, when did you change back to your original form?”
Seeing Yu Ce in such a gigantic form caught Shen Tanqi off guard. The last time he saw Yu Ce’s original form was before he underwent his tribulation. Back then, he wasn’t like this; his entire body now exuded a chilling aura that seemed capable of freezing the entire lake solid.
As they delved deeper, Shen Tanqi finally saw the real Hidden Dragon Valley. It turned out to be a lost ancient city. At the center of the city stood a massive palace. The paint on the palace doors was peeling, and the red walls had faded into a ghostly hue. Besides the palace, there were various large and small mountain-like structures, their edges inscribed with obscure and cryptic runes. The whole city was enveloped in a thin, translucent membrane.
Passing through the membrane felt like entering another world. Here, there was air, land, trees, a sky, and even sounds. He took a deep breath, finding the air astonishingly fresh, even cleaner and more pleasant than on the shore.
Where was this air coming from? Shen Tanqi lowered his gaze, searching, and eventually discovered many strange green plants growing in Hidden Dragon Valley. They looked like a cross between flowers and trees.
Huge flowers grew from the ground, their blue petals so vast they could block out the sky. He had never seen such flowers before.
Confused, Shen Tanqi looked at Yu Ce, pointing to the greenish-blue flowers on the ground, and asked, “What are these flowers?”
Yu Ce followed his gesture and laughed softly, “This is the mother flower. Dandan, Erdan, and I were all raised by the mother flower.”
Hearing this, Shen Tanqi’s eyes widened in shock, “So this is… what you call ‘mother’??”
He couldn’t believe it. Their mother wasn’t a person but a cluster of green flowers.
Yu Ce shook his head gently and explained, “When we say ‘mother,’ we refer to the caretaker. Mother flowers are timid and close up when they sense unfamiliar presences. Only when the caretaker arrives does the mother flower bloom, allowing her to feed the flower nectar to the dragons.”
Goldfish, hearing their conversation, smiled and nudged closer. “Daddy, let me take you to see the flower that raised me and my brother!”
With that, Goldfish flew towards one of the brightest green mother flowers. The flower gently swayed its branches, catching Goldfish softly, just like a mother embracing her child.
Taro Ball, carrying Shen Tanqi, followed closely and landed beside the mother flower. “The mother flower contains the purest and most immaculate spiritual energy in the world. Dragons rely on this energy to grow and cultivate,” Yu Ce explained softly behind Shen Tanqi. “This one is called Min Tian.”
Shen Tanqi looked at Min Tian with amazement. It seemed to sense him, extending a branch towards him hesitantly. The green branch was gentle, lightly brushing against his hand.
Shen Tanqi was stunned for a moment. He reached out and lightly touched the branch with his fingertips. It was soft.
“Looks like Min Tian likes you,” Yu Ce said, glancing down at him with a surprised smile. “It rarely behaves so affectionately with strangers.”
As soon as Shen Tanqi touched it, Min Tian shyly retracted its branch, curling back into its flower form and wrapping Goldfish inside.
“Hey, why did it suddenly get dark?”
Feeling a wave of wonder, Shen Tanqi murmured, “I see, I really need to thank it.”
He wanted to express his gratitude for raising such wonderful children. He stepped closer, smiling as he bent down, “Thank you, Min Tian, for nurturing my two children.”
As he spoke, the flower trembled slightly, closing even tighter in shyness.
“Oh no, Dandan can’t breathe, wah wah!” came a muffled voice.
Shen Tanqi quickly stepped back, and Min Tian’s petals slowly loosened, revealing a small gap from which Goldfish poked his head out, his little face fragrant with the scent of flowers.
Once the little one crawled out, a cold voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Yu Ce, why did you bring a mortal here?”
Shen Tanqi turned towards the voice and saw a woman in a snow-white robe, her features noble and distant, her eyes coldly assessing him.
He was about to explain when Yu Ce spoke, “Qing Yun, this is the person I mentioned before… Dandan and Erdan’s father.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Qing Yun’s eyelashes fluttered, and her aura softened like melting spring snow. She looked at Shen Tanqi and said, “So, it’s you. You must be Shen Tanqi?”
Surprised by her sudden change in attitude, Shen Tanqi paused for a moment, then nodded, “Yes, that’s me.”
Qing Yun smiled apologetically and said, “Hidden Dragon Valley has strict rules against outsiders. I thought you were an intruder and misunderstood. I apologize.”
“No worries, no worries,” Shen Tanqi quickly waved his hand dismissively. “Strictly speaking, I am an outsider. After all, I’m not a dragon, so your misunderstanding is understandable.”
Hearing this, Qing Yun’s eyes widened slightly in realization. “You make a good point. Hidden Dragon Valley has always only allowed dragons. Yu Ce shouldn’t have brought you here. You should leave.”
Shen Tanqi: …?
Beside him, Yu Ce chuckled softly and whispered in Shen Tanqi’s ear, “Qing Yun is the caretaker for Goldfish and Taro Ball. She has never left Hidden Dragon Valley and doesn’t understand worldly ways. She can only grasp part of what you’re saying. Ah Qi, just be straightforward.”
Shen Tanqi paused, sweating a little. So that’s how it is. He’d been overly polite for nothing.
“Qing Yun, Ah Qi may be human, but he’s also my husband and the father of our children. He’s not an outsider,” Yu Ce explained calmly to Qing Yun.
Qing Yun frowned, struggling to understand, and after a moment, she seemed to give up. “But… well, you must be right.”
Her delicate eyebrows relaxed, and she picked up a bucket, glancing at Shen Tanqi. “Since you are Yu Ce’s husband, you are my friend’s husband. Please come to my home and rest.”
Shen Tanqi nodded and stepped forward, politely extending his hand. “Need any help?”
A young girl carrying a heavy bucket of flowers must find it quite tiring. Qing Yun blinked in surprise, then handed him the bucket, murmuring, “Thank you.”
Yu Ce had never helped her carry the bucket before. This was the first time she had encountered such a courteous human. No, it was the first time she had encountered a living human at all. Were all humans like Shen Tanqi?
Shen Tanqi, having trained, found carrying the bucket effortless. The two little ones, seeing Qing Yun, immediately turned back into their human forms.
“Mother, Dandan found lots of yummy treats outside and brought you some sweet osmanthus candy,” Goldfish said, pulling the candy out of his pocket and offering it to Qing Yun.
Qing Yun, intrigued, looked at the candy in Goldfish’s chubby little hand, picked one up, and put it in her mouth. Her elegant, cold eyes brightened slightly.
“It’s so sweet, completely different from the mother flower’s taste.”
The outside world must be wonderful, she thought to herself.
Seeing Qing Yun enjoy the candy, Goldfish happily spun around in circles, then returned to Shen Tanqi’s side, grabbing his hand. “Daddy bought it for me. He has lots of delicious food at home, and he can make hotpot. Mother, let’s go home and have hotpot, okay?”
Shen Tanqi suddenly remembered that last time they had hotpot, there were still some homemade hotpot base and vegetables left. He had stored them in his storage ring and almost forgot all about them.
He chuckled and patted the little one’s head, saying, “Alright, we’ll do whatever Goldfish wants.”
Hearing this, Qing Yun immediately interjected, “No, you’ve just returned to Hidden Dragon Valley. According to custom, I should be the one to welcome you properly…”
Next to her, Taro Ball pulled out a silk handkerchief and smiled, “Mother, look at my embroidery. Hasn’t my skill improved a lot?”
Qing Yun’s attention was instantly drawn to the delicate patterns on the handkerchief. She examined it closely, marveling, “Such beautiful flowers, so vividly embroidered. You’re much better than I am now.”
Taro Ball exchanged a knowing glance with Shen Tanqi and smiled, “See, Mother already forgot.”
Shen Tanqi couldn’t help but laugh softly. Now he understood why Goldfish seemed so easily coaxed—the caretakers in Hidden Dragon Valley were so simple-minded.
Laughing and chatting, the group returned home. Qing Yun picked some fresh vegetables and fruits from the garden and placed them on the table. Shen Tanqi personally prepared a delicious hotpot meal.
The family sat around the table, and Yu Ce brought out Mian Mian, softly calling, “Qing Yun.”
Qing Yun was so entranced by watching Shen Tanqi cook that she didn’t even look up when she responded, “What is it?”
She was amazed at how fragrant the broth was, making her mouth water. She couldn’t help but admire Shen Tanqi silently. In her eyes, he was incredibly versatile—how could there be a man who could cultivate, cook, be so considerate, and even bear children?
She wondered if she could have someone like him too.
Seeing Qing Yun captivated by the aroma of the hotpot, Yu Ce cleared his throat to get her attention and then presented Mian Mian, who was sleeping soundly in his arms, to her.
“This is our third child, and we’d appreciate it if you could gather spiritual nectar for him.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Qing Yun forgot about the hotpot altogether. Her eyelashes fluttered as she slowly stood up and took Mian Mian from Yu Ce with great care.
“Th-Third one?!”
It had been a long time since a new dragon had been born in Hidden Dragon Valley. The last time Yu Ce had brought Goldfish and Taro Ball back, the whole valley had celebrated for three months with great fanfare.
She was thrilled to see another dragon cub being brought back!
Excitedly, she looked at Yu Ce, “Alright, alright!”
Qing Yun carefully took the little dragon and examined it thoroughly, delighting in every detail. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful little dragon. It’s absolutely stunning…”
Shen Tanqi, tending to the hotpot, overheard her compliment Mian Mian and couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride. “Really? Goldfish and Taro Ball said the same thing.”
Qing Yun nodded, her heart filled with affection. “Yes, only a good father could have such wonderful children.”
Hearing this, Shen Tanqi was momentarily taken aback. Qing Yun then gently handed Mian Mian back to him with a soft smile, “From now on, let me handle the caretaking. As for feeding, you should do it yourself.”
With that, she grabbed the feeding bucket from the table and motioned for Shen Tanqi to use a spoon to feed Mian Mian.
The little dragon woke up, it’s eyes still closed, but instinctively opened his rosy little mouth, like a tiny puppy, gently sipping the floral nectar. In that moment, Shen Tanqi’s heart melted, and he couldn’t resist giving the little one’s cheek a tender kiss.
So adorable. Even a dragon cub that looks like a little bug is still so cute!
He vows to raise Mian Mian well and never miss out on his childhood!
“Sure, I’ll keep working hard!”
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)
