4.53

At this time if you hadn't plastered your face to the windows or had your nose poking through the slightly open door, you had either fainted or was incapable of movement. No matter how scared to death people were they also couldn't help but want to stare.

Dragon!

This was a true to god ferocious dragon!

Shocked! So shocking! Ahhhhh!

Even the customers who had frequented Pan Shuchun's clothing store or the Fairy Garden Inn where Jin Bao was often present, were not unaffected and nearly had a heart attack staring in the sky.

It couldn't be helped. Jin Bao was not only immature he was severely malnourished and had never had the opportunity to absorb his fill, constantly trying to reach the bare minimum needed. Even though right now his size was considered shocking to people, and his growth was indeed fast and impressive, from a gecko size to a particularly large and fat anaconda's, he was very intimidating at first glance. 

But now… looking at the dragon hovering in the air, with sharp claws that could easily pick up three tigers in one hand, a mouth that could probably take off half an aristocrat's home with a single bite, and a body that was as long as a small river….

Fuck! Did they see a fake dragon before?

Jia Hyson who was suddenly suspected of being a fake dragon: ???

Well, Jin Bao was really more like a plushie compared to this massive behemoth. A really tiny plushie. The ones that are small, look good to hug, soft and ridiculously overpriced because it was definitely made in Japan where all the good plushies live but you don't. Unless you do live there. Then a certain Author God would like to request a plushie donation, please.

…Please.

Anyway, it was clear the dragon was not here for holiday. As he hovers in the air his tail swished violently, his head moving back and forth as if trying very hard to locate something. The impatience was palpable and the creature lifted his head upwards and roared fiercely. 

Seeing that the dragon might go berserk soon if he didn't do anything, Jia Hyson does his best to call out in response to attract the other's attention. 

However where the large dragon's roar was ferocity and full of primal power, Jia Hyson's was more like the sound a cat on a vibrating seat mewling into a megaphone. 

Jia Hyson: …

The large dragon's ears suddenly raised and his eyes brightened hopefully. However the sound was soft, milky and unexpectedly so coquettish, not like a dragon should be unless they were a newborn, so the dragon wasn't sure if his ears had heard it correctly.

Tentatively he made another roar. It was not as impressive or arrogant, but it still had the effect of thunder cracking.

"ROOOOOOOOOAAAR!"

Jia Hyson hesitated before opening his little mouth again. 

"MREEEEEERP!"

Jia Hyson: …..

It's really a bit embarrassing now that he had a comparison to reference ah. 

However this pathetic mewling cry still had the intended effect. The large dragon immediately zeroed in onto his position. Don't underestimate the creature because of the large size but the golden dragon's reaction was incredibly quick. 

Even though he himself was a dragon, Jia Hyson couldn't help but step back when the other suddenly appeared right in front of him, deeply intimidated and awed. He had grown used to being a little dragon, but so far other than himself and a few interesting spiritual herbs and intelligent animals, there was really not much in the realm of fantasy. He really couldn't have mentally prepared himself against this face to face meeting with a proper mythical creature like this ah. 

Things like saying x was as tall as a building or the eye was as big as a grown man… these things could not simply be so easily imagined even if the description was incredibly good or the pictures were drawn realistically. There was just something about them that makes one's brain short circuit and not truly comprehend just how big it is. 

Jia Hyson has gone scuba diving before. While he never had enough luck to see a whale, he had seen manta rays. Those animals, he had known they were large and their width could reach 4-5 meters. He had seen videos and photos beforehand due to his excitement. However only by seeing them majestically glide through the water personally could he truly understand the size difference, to comprehend how elegant and smoothly they swam. 

This was the same but at the same time so very different. After all, the simple majesty of a manta could not be compared with a dragon at all. 

Mantas around the world: *offended manta noises*

The dragon stared at him ferociously, but there was a touch of confusion in his eyes. 

Hovering closer, the creature gave a deep sniff at Jia Hyson before the astonishment deepened. Hesitating the dragon made a much softer growl.

"Baby?" 

Jia Hyson blinks dumbly. Oof, when the dragon wasn't ear shatteringly loud his voice was… really nice ah. Deep, warm, gravelly, and clearly mature it was very in line to his tastes. Subconsciously he replied, "…D-daddy?"

Bebe: 눈_눈 

However that seemed to be the right answer. Almost immediately the big dragon's eyes welled up with tears. "It's really you! My son! My baby!" He howls, snatching up the tiny dragon with his claws, flying up into the air excitedly as he gently but enthusiastically peppered Jia Hyson with numerous kisses.

Of course dragons didn't really have lips so the large dragon was essentially poking him with his snout, the whiskers ticking Jia Hyson and making him squirm and 'mrp' cutely. 

Father dragon was both delighted and distressed. His baby was so small! His son's body could probably barely wrap around his wrist if he tried ah. Clearly the little thing must have been so hungry. He couldn't even imagine what the other must have gone through, how strong he must've been to survive thus far in such a spiritually deprived land. 

Ah! Ah! Ah! Just trying to think about what harsh trials and abuse the child has gone through just to get by, hurts his already aching heart!

If Bebe or Tang Muxin could hear the dragon's thoughts they would've puked blood. No, no, no your stinky son has been living the best life possible that he could afford down here. If the little dragon's last few months were considered abuse then nobody on earth could claim they were treated well ah!

Jia Hyson also really didn't know what to do about this either. After all he wasn't familiar with the body's birth father. In the end he just shot a [Cutie Beam] and rolled around curiously while blinking his eyes, looking baffled and confused.

Father dragon: !!! Σ(,,°△°,,  ) So! So cute!!!

Overwhelmed by the meng being sold, and already very emotional seeing the son he had presumed lost and dead after months of fruitless searching, Father dragon burst into incoherent tears. Jia Hyson could only understand parts of what the dragon was sobbing out, about how much he missed him, and how he couldn't believe this was real, and a lot of 'thank the heavens'.

Jia Hyson: … QwQ

Oh no, now he can feel himself tearing up. 

He didn't forget the tragic side mission that made him cry before, the one to grow up well and to let his dragon father and mother see him happy with another partner before he grows old and dies. Those stories about old people living in regret and dying alone always hit him very hard.

However even if he planned to do so in the future he could not bear to leave his favourite big cock, Da Gong, while he was still here and whole. Dragons had long lifespans, roosters did not. Jia Hyson knew the facts, and he was mentally prepared 

after a period of mourning, Jia Hyson was fairly assured that he could find a partner that would satisfy the conditions. For now his big rooster was the most important.

Thinking that, Jia Hyson uses his tail to not so lightly hit at the sobbing dragon to gain his attention and turns on his own waterworks.

"Father… My mate…" Jia Hyson forces his eyes to be watery, only half-faking his anxiety, as he raises his claws up toward Father dragon and lowers his ears. It was a perfect image of pathetic and cute. "My mate was captured wu... Please help me father…"

Father dragon's thoughts in response could essentially be compiled into three stages.

Father dragon: Fuck! So cute! How can he be so adorable??

Father dragon: Fuck! Who dares make my son cry? Laozi will personally eat them! How dare they- they- they… eh? Eh?

Father dragon: …Fuck.

Still, no matter the reservations Father dragon had, nor how complicated and messy his thoughts were, he could not deny his sad son who he had only just reunited with. Before he knew it he had already picked the little thing up with his claws and risen up into the sky. 

With his natural golden dragon bloodline, his luck and intuition was incredibly high. However he was a little distracted currently, and wasn't really paying attention.

"Sooo… whose the mate?" Father dragon coughs as he looks around, he felt like it will be difficult for his son to really have a proper mate with these short-lived animals, but he was old and wise. He was not unaware that there were many instances of dragons falling for humans despite their many flaws and short lives. 

Besides he hasn't been around for arguably any of his little boy's life, he shouldn't really have a say at who his son is fond of and who is fond of his incredibly underage son who is not even two years old….

No. Never mind. He talked himself back into it. He deserves to know and beat which ever sick bastard seduced his baby!

Sick bastard who seduced a minor Da Gong: Cluck?

Chef Wen who had lost the strength in his legs when Father dragon descended from heaven slowly pulled up his knees and hugged them. The information he had in this world was mainly around his part in the plot which was quite small, not to mention unfinished, given the author god never fully penned in his role in the story. He did not know various matters like how Jin Bao the dragon shouldn't really exist in this world, just as he was also clueless about heaven and the realm of dragons.

However he understood that when a baby feels wronged they will cry and their parents or caretakers will be summoned thusly. Da Gong was clearly important to the dragon. He, Chef Wen, kidnapped Da Gong. The dragon became incredibly upset, maybe even inconsolable. This triggered the event of summoning dragons which shouldn't have happened at this point of the plot where Chef Wen was still alive and not executed after naturally being found out about the poisoning incident. 

Therefore, in conclusion, and to summarise, Chef Wen was so dead.

Like super very dead, dead. 

Chef Wen screams into his knees. Da Gong impatiently walks around him in a circle.

"Are you done yet?" Da Gong tsks impatiently, "I told you I'll make sure you'll live, why are you like this?" Da Gong didn't understand. Was it because his counterpart was just too stupid or maybe it was because he was a human. 

Chef Wen stops screaming to stare blankly at the giant black cock he was entrusting his life to. He then looks at the massive still visible dragon in the sky that will probably be ordered to kill him on sight, and the palace who probably had an order for his head. 

Chef Wen: …

Aiyah at the very least he's sure no one else will die as excitingly as this anytime soon.

…

As Father dragon flies around the area, he couldn't help but frown. The concentration of spiritual energy in this world was worse then expected. 

It's true that they needed the presence of the dragons to maintain a high energy density in the environment but it shouldn't have declined to this extent either. While they require spiritual energy their bodies also produce and excrete jade full of spiritual energy that slowly diffuses outward and nourishes the surrounding environment like magic fertilizer. 

As crude as the simile is, it was similar to how the ocean is filled with the piss and shit of all the creatures living in there. Their excretion provides nutrition and matter that helps contribute to the ecosystem. Without it, it is hard to tell what lives or dies but it is easy to determine that a lot of biodiversity would be lost in the process. 

However even then, the process would still take a decent amount of time before the big effects of this sort of decline in response to an eventual loss of this factor, would show itself. Even after millions of years theoretically there should still be traces of dinosaur crap in one form or the other. 

The spiritual energy in their excrement was so concentrated it had solidified into jade. And while the number of dragons wasn't as high as some species the size it of their elders were terrifyingly large. Father dragon who was a good example of this. 

At the very least wherever he claimed to be his bathroom, any nearby villages would be blessed with prosperity, good harvests, fortune and health for at least five hundred years. If it was a regular area to do his business then obviously there were more benefits that were even more long lasting. It was one of the main reasons humans back then welcomed these giant beasts despite them being so powerfully fierce, temperamental and with gigantic appetites. 

Father dragon had lived a long time and when he was very young he had also lived on earth and had a grasp of what humans were like. Not to mention he had some inherited memories and had seen many things in his time. After some pondering he more or less understood why the decline in spiritual energy was so bad here. 

Humans were clever and greedy little things. Sometimes it was better to just accept and enjoy what you have. Most animals will be happy and go with the flow with little thoughts in mind other than gratitude or at the very least the mindset to enjoy it while it lasts. But humans were born much more complicated and annoying. Once they grew complacent they grew critical and unsatisfied with their current situation.

If you could give us prosperity why are there beggars? This town is supposed to be blessed why am I so unlucky? How come the harvest wasn't so good this season? Why didn't you make it rain today it was so hot, my crops wilted! My family died, I will not rest until I find revenge, if you have any pity please bless me! 

This sort of self righteous moral kidnapping where the humans believed the dragons, who were more powerful and magical than them, must be their protectors, must be obligated to speak out for the poor and weak, who should pity them, love them, care for them- all the while shamelessly exploiting their abilities and consuming literally any part of a dragon they could find… it was enough to arouse most dragons' disgust and disdain at such a hypocritical species. Father dragon who was a little dragon at the time also felt this deeply. 

Many humans were also very short sighted in their greed. After a chasing away the dragons the only things left was a few things like dropped scales, clipped claws, and some blood. These were rare and easily consumed or were in the hands of people not so easily crossed, so that meant there was really only dragon jade left. 

The dragon jade was so beneficial that when out in a lake for a few years the water could gain healing properties and may even be able to help one regain youth and beauty. If near farmlands the chances of a successful and bountiful harvest from the fields would be of the same success as chances of a hot day in summer, if one put the effort in the bountiful harvest would be practically guaranteed. 

Therefore, theft and desecration of the dragon jade was a natural, if disappointing outcome. 

Chipping the jade, stealing small pieces or directly taking it away and carving ornate items and jewelry… the process itself would release a decent amount of spiritual energy into the air and the amount of energy being released as a whole is much faster. It was the typical theories of diffusion and surface area to volume ratio. 

Think of it as leaving jelly outside on the soil. Eventually the liquid in the jelly will dissipate under the hot sun and some of the condensation will be soaked up by the dry earth below, hydrating it. The bigger the jelly is the longer it will last and the soil will be better hydrated. However cutting it in half will make it conversely smaller and more vulnerable. Even if you moved the other half of the jelly somewhere else to try 'spread the benefits,' the larger surface area means more moisture is sucked out into the air, the amount of water reaching the earth will become significantly less and the length of time the jelly will still be jelly is also shortened greatly. Overall the effect will be less then half, and the loss in comparison was too stupid to comprehend.

And yet humans do not consider these consequences that were very simple to the long lived dragons. Maybe it is just they haven't evolved their thinking to that point yet or maybe their selfishness outweighs all logic, or maybe they vaguely knew but simply didn't care, leaving the mess for later generations to deal with. As a dragon, Father dragon does not know.

However it is clear that the exploitation of dragon jade has been thoroughly done and the end result of this was clear to Father dragon who felt more than a little suffocated by the lack of energy here. It was a bit wasteful to maintain his current appearance which he used to give the most domineering first impression.

Seeing that he had already made such a dramatic entrance, and wanting to hold his newfound baby more intimately, he forces his body to shrink in size until he only became as wide as the wingspan of a Golden Eagle and long as a Gray Whale*. Even though such a size was still massive for humans, it was indeed only a fraction of the previous size Father dragon originally was. 

*roughly 2m wide and 12m long. 

Jia Hyson was a little shocked at how easily the golden dragon altered his appearance. It was more seamless than any CGI technique in Hollywood. Even the most casual move of the dragon before him felt so magical and full of novelty he really couldn't look away. 

Seeing how surprised the baby was, Father dragon puffed his chest out proudly. "Don't worry little one," He assures with a hearty laugh, his mood lighter than it's been for a while, "Us dragons are pretty good at shapeshifting, while we all aren't as good as the mist dragons, us gold dragons are lucky in all aspects and can be said to be fairly good ourselves kekeke."

Jia Hyson's eyes lit up. Human form! It seems there were some benefits of summoning the dragons too early. Of course those benefits were entirely for his own personal sake ah. Though he supposes the fan-service of himself in human form might just compensate the readers a little bit ehehe. 

Jia Hyson: 'I hope I become a smoking hot warrior, or an elegant mature handsome scholarly looking gentleman. Or maybe just a flirtatious and sexy young man hehehe.'

Bebe: 'Wouldn't you be a 1000 year old forever shota though? You know, given your wish.'

Jia Hyson: '..…' FaceofDespair.jpeg

Sensing his newly found son's lowering mood, Father dragon coughs awkwardly. He doesn't really understand why the child was excited one moment and sad the next but he should try consider his baby's mood and change the subject. 

"Anyway, what else does your mate look like?" So far his son had been deliberately vague about it. He had described his mate as fierce, domineering, can defeat a small group of bandits alone, larger in size than most of his species, and piercingly silver eyes. 

Father dragon felt like this human woman must be quite a barbaric warrior from this description alone. Aiyah it seems humans have become more progressive in gender roles at least then. That was something.

Jia Hyson touches his snout, invigorated successfully by the change of topic. Doing his best to hide a cheeky smile. Of course he was being vague on purpose. The punchline of the joke for readers will be much better if Father dragon's reaction to Da Gong is unprepared after all. 

Thinking quickly he says, "My mate is very handsome and mature, he* is very powerful and arrogant but treats me so gently it is hard to tell when you first see him."

*In chinese he/she is both the same word (ta). So it's hard to tell what gender your referring someone as unless you are more clear. That's why it's a really great way to cause misunderstandings in danmei stories hehe.

However unfortunately Jia Hyson did not realise dragon sexuality is different and the next thing that Father dragon bluntly asks after some hesitation is, "Just confirming, your mate is male or female?"

Dragons don't care about sexuality much. Even though homosexuality wasn't the majority it wasn't so uncommon to be rejected. They also accepted cross-species romances as well. The main reason is that in a world with vast amounts of spiritual energy, where the fantastical becomes the mundane, the natural way to give birth is no longer the only way. Therefore the acceptance towards homosexuality was much easier to the dragons who all really wanted to make babies.

Unfortunately no matter what way dragons choose, the birthrate is still consistently low. So there really was no need to be focused on the specifics, dragons would only look down on another dragon if they didn't have a high enough libido to compensate for the low fertility.

As the dragon saying goes- if the chances fo getting pregnant is only 1% then they should try a hundred times, and then a hundred times more! 

…From the saying alone you really could tell how bad the pregnancy rate is ah. 

Jia Hyson: …tsk.

Hiding his faint dismay, he lowers his eyes and reassures himself the big reveal will still be surprising no matter what. 

"My mate is a boy, father." He obediently answers like a good little baby dragon.

Father dragon: Hehe. Very good. :)

Dragons may not really mind your gender of mate. But that doesn't mean Father dragon couldn't still use it as an excuse to scare the hell out of whatever pervert took interest in a baby dragon ah.

Besides, his baby was clearly so small and cute. There was no way this mystery mate will bottom for his baby. Therefore, that would make his son the shou. Which means he's totally within his right to be super overprotective despite having technically no emotional parental claims currently…. probably.

Feeling reassured that he can still exert his right at being Father dragon, he urges his son to talk more about this mate of his while he flies around in circles. He more or less already pinpointed the person with his lucky instincts but his keen intuition told him that there was no danger so he could afford to dawdle a bit longer. It was better to find any flaws to gain more of a moral high ground when he confronts this kidnapped mate. 

Jia Hyson felt a bit awkward but he quickly got into it, enthusiastically bragging about Da Gong with a deep sense of smug superiority. Because he's surrounded by people who already know Da Gong and had seen firsthand how good he was, Jia Hyson didn't get to enjoy a certain pleasure that comes specifically with getting into a relationship. Which was promoting the good points about your significant other to someone until they wished to cut their own ears off and bleed to death. 

Unfortunately this someone was his recently reunited father who was feeling especially protective over his long lost son.  Every praise Jia Hyson said became fuel for fire in Father dragon's eyes.

Helped his baby dry off? More like wanted to watch his baby get out of the bath!

Knows all his baby's favourite foods? Peh, what a stalker!

Feeds his baby mouth to mouth? That's just plain inappropriate!

Is he jealous? Is he eating vinegar? 

Hahahahaha of course he is!!! 

Fuck! This father didn't get to spend any quality time with his little boy and now he finally reunites with him and finds his son has a daddy instead! 

Aghhhh!!!

Thinking about it, Father dragon angrily decides he must see this pervert right now! 

…

Da Gong finally coaxed Chef Wen out of his ball of despair where he was regretting many life choices when the giant golden dragon pulled off the roof of the building where they were in to stare murderously at them.

Da Gong: …

Chef Wen: …

"That old human is your mate?!" Father dragon exclaims after peering inside. That old man was not particularly good looking and his karma and fortune were also quite dirty. This was a bad guy! A real pervert!!!!

Just because Chef Wen and Da Gong were awakened system shards, they weren't given any real OP skills. Da Gong was a bit better off since he learned a little from his little worm but Jia Hyson never really chose to speak in the pure ancient language of dragons since there had been no point, and it was better to learn more common animal languages. Therefore neither of them understood anything except that the dragon sounded quite disgruntled. 

And a disgruntled dragon was probably never a good one ah.

Something moved on the large dragon's free claw, and that's when they spot the presence of Jin Bao. 

The little dragon popped his head out and waves his tail lazily, looking unfazed and unworried at his position. "No, no father, my mate is the other one."

Father dragon squinted, "The other one? I don't see any other…" His intuition tells him something was wrong and his eyes naturally rested on the rather plump black rooster next to the old human.

Father dragon: …

Father dragon: …

Father dragon: ???

…

Afterwards, Father dragon calmed down and brought Da Gong, Chef Wen, and his son to the palace where the emperor and the rest of the people present all preceded to have something akin to an aneurysm or mental breakdown. 

Because Da Gong had promised Chef Wen his safety for now, it was actually not difficult for him to follow through. All he had to do was eat soft rice* and ask his little worm for help.

*eat soft rice = rely on your more powerful partner, usually for resources/money/status

Jia Hyson, who had more or less guessed the relationship, merely nuzzled against the soft chest feathers of the bird and agreed without question. Since they came back from the palace, he had been extra sticky with the rooster, and Da Gong had puffed up in delight at how sweet his little worm was being.

Father dragon who had shrunk even further to accommodate the interior of the palace better, sulked moodily as he watched his son act so affectionate to this big fat cock. However the more he looked at Da Gong, the more he felt there was something strange about him. 

His intuition was the best there was, and it was telling him there was something more to this fowl bird. 

Anyway, once Jia Hyson agreed to Da Gong's request, how could the emperor deny it? Especially when Father dragon was there blindly supporting his son as well.

Chef Wen knelt down and confessed all his sins as well as the Seventh Prince's hand in all of it, shocking everyone. The seventh prince was sly and none of his brothers even had an idea of his deep thoughts. Many of them looked uncomfortable and pale at the revelation, even the arrogant crown prince was subdued and silent afterwards.

Everyone knew that after this confession, the peaceful status quo in the palace that has been maintained will change.

Suddenly the ninth prince spoke up.

"By the way, did anyone notice eighth brother has been here the whole time?"

Other princes: ???!!!

Eighth Prince Yan Huizhong: …Heh.

…

The seventh prince who had been riding back and just reached the outer edge of the capital with various dragon themed goods trembled and laughed bitterly as one of his spies met him there and passed him an update of the big events that had happened today.

"Hah.." The seventh prince looks up at the gloomy sky still filled with ominous dark clouds and pitted with eerie holes from the lighting. "Over… it's all fucking over…"

The seventh prince wanted to cry but no tears fell from his cheeks. After all it wasn't particularly tragic, just very, very unfortunate. The seventh prince didn't regret his choices just his bad luck. 

It felt like his entire scheming had just been one huge unnecessary joke now.

Unsatisfied and unreconciled by this thought, the seventh prince's eyes glittered a little maniacally. Chef Wen will definitely sell him out. Even though Emperor father was a relatively kind father given the circumstances no emperor would allow a white eyed wolf son like himself to live after his actions. Being exiled is too light a punishment for him, especially when they inevitably find out his little religion was actually a very illegal private army.

It was death or lifetime imprisonment waiting for him now.

Turning his head to his loyal spy, he smiles serenely. There was no emotion in his face, just a detached calmness in the faint curve of his mouth. However even though his appearance with such a smile made him look more mature and handsome to the eye, the spy couldn't stop the cold sweat pouring from his back.

"Summon my army," The seventh prince commands, "We either die fighting or we die like dogs." 

If his whole scheme was just a joke… then he felt like he deserved to have a few last laughs at the end.