In the lobby of a small inn, there were several tables. The lighting was dim, and a group of beastmen gathered together, causing an incredible ruckus. When they got excited, they would bang on the tables, almost cracking them.
“Boss, bring more drinks,” the werewolf slurred.
“Coming right up,” Fang Qing replied. He tidied up the front desk and went down to the wine cellar to fetch a new bottle.
As he entered the rowdy group of beastmen, the werewolf grabbed him by the collar. With his fangs exposed, he spoke menacingly, “Why did it take you so long? Do you even want to keep this place open?”
Compared to the burly beastman, Fang Qing was quite slender, and he was almost lifted off the ground by the werewolf. He apologized with a smile, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll be quicker next time, sir.”
The werewolf glared at him fiercely and then let him go.
Fang Qing took a few steps back to steady himself. He could still smell the werewolf’s alcohol-laden breath. He turned and returned to the front desk, frowning.
Running a shop in Kassand without the backing of any powerful force often led to encounters like this.
After a few minutes, the inn’s door was pushed open again.
A man walked in, accompanied by a young man with bright eyes. He walked straight to the front desk and smiled, “Fang Qing, long time no see.”
“You finally came,” Fang Qing laughed. “It’s been so many years since we last met. You still look the same.”
He exchanged fist bumps with Shen Zhaomu and then noticed the young man behind him. “Who’s this?”
“He’s not from the Association,” Shen Zhaomu said.
Fang Qing was puzzled. “Then why is he here?”
Shen Zhaomu cleared his throat. “He just wanted to come along.”
Fang Qing didn’t suspect anything and smiled at Long Shiyu. “Well, staying here with me is a great choice. I assure you, you won’t lose a single penny here. It’s absolutely safe.”
The werewolf at the other table seemed to hear the commotion and turned around, angrily asking, “Are you deaf? Didn’t I tell you not to make any noise and disturb us while we’re drinking?” He then turned to Shen Zhaomu and raised his chin. “Show some respect and get the hell upstairs and stay there.”
The other beastmen around burst into sharp laughter.
Shen Zhaomu remained composed and asked Fang Qing, “They drank?”
“They did,” Fang Qing replied as he granted them access to their rooms using the terminal. “The rooms are on the third floor, right next to each other.”
Long Shiyu followed Shen Zhaomu up to the third floor. Although the inn was small, it was clean and tidy. The navy carpets in the corridor seemed extremely soft.
Long Shiyu said, “Aren’t you going to do something about them? Won’t they cause trouble for your friend?”
“It’s fine,” Shen Zhaomu said as he opened their room. “He can handle it.”
Fang Qing had given them two rooms. Shen Zhaomu stood before the door and told Long Shiyu, “When I’m not around, don’t wander around. Stay put in the room.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The Upper City of Kassand was situated amidst the clouds, and the weather was chilly. At night, one would even see the clouds and fog brushing past as one walked the streets. After taking a shower, Long Shiyu wrapped himself in the blanket and turned on the heater.
Feeling drowsy again, he yawned, hugged his tail, and went to sleep.
Fang Qing wrapped up with calculating the inn’s accounts.
The commotion caused by the beastmen had noticeably quieted down. The werewolf was still somewhat tipsy. “Your… Your drinks are pretty strong…”
As he finished speaking, he slumped to the floor.
The people around realized something was wrong, but it was too late. They were all weak and began to fall asleep one after another.
Beastmen had a keen sense of smell and could detect most drugs. Those that they couldn’t detect often had less noticeable effects and posed less of a threat.
This was something beastmen took pride in.
They had never expected that the sleeping potion in the wine would go completely unnoticed by them. If news of this spread, it would surely attract a lot of interest.
Seeing the last beastman fall, Fang Qing stopped the small alarm clock on the table. The time was frozen at 34:19.
“Half an hour,” he murmured to himself. “I timed it pretty well this time.”
He opened a small notebook on the table and carefully recorded the dosage of the potion and how much time it needed to take effect. The notebook was already filled with numerous entries.
The inn’s staff appeared, their actions synchronized, as they were accustomed to such scenes. One of them asked, “Boss, what should we do with these people?”
Another female employee complained softly, “They were so noisy while drinking. Just like that previous group of scum. Boss, you’re too kind. If you had enslaved them or sold their organs, we could have made a fortune.”
“Don’t be so ruthless,” Fang Qing just smiled. “The werewolf is a wanted criminal, and I just happen to need money for materials. I’ll use him to exchange for the bounty reward from the Alliance later. As for the others… they’re young, so just toss them by the road and let them wake up on their own. At least they’ve contributed to my experiments.”
The rowdy bunch seemed to be newcomers in Kassand who thought they could take advantage of anyone who looked easy to bully — a major taboo in Kassand, where you never knew who you were dealing with.
Fang Qing had been operating his inn for so many years; if he didn’t have the strength to back it up, he would’ve been sent packing a long time ago.
The employees began dragging the beastmen away, while Fang Qing continued to flip through his little notebook. Suddenly, he heard someone comment, “Looks like you never ceased your experiments.”
Without raising his head, Fang Qing smiled and replied, “I’ve told you, I don’t think I’ll ever stop in this lifetime. So, what brought you downstairs? Something wrong with the room?”
Shen Zhaomu leaned against the wall behind him, raising an eyebrow. “Not at all. I just came to drink with you.”
“Few dare to drink my liquor,” Fang Qing closed his notebook and, to no one’s surprise, retrieved a bottle of Moonlight Reserve. “You’re a brave one.”
They each poured a glass of wine and sat facing each other at the table in the hall.
Shen Zhaomu said, “I came this time for matters concerning the church.”
“They’ve shown themselves again? Lilith really is relentless,” Fang Qing took a sip of his wine. “But if this matter goes through, you’ll definitely secure the chief position. In my opinion, those capable of competing with you for the position of chief hunter are all benefiting from their age.”
Shen Zhaomu laughed lightly. “You’ve always held me in high regard. Let’s not talk about that for now. I wanted to ask you… which of the major industries here are interconnected?”
“Many of them are; it depends on the situation you’re asking about,” Fang Qing topped up their glasses. “Just considering large casinos alone, there are four or five.”
“Give me the list of names and include all the places where they might be selling syringes and needles — you probably buy those often, right?” Shen Zhaomu requested. “There’s an underground arena in the capital, and there’s a person there known as the ‘Boss.’ Many of the boxers there are mutants, and the source of their injected exotic creature blood is very likely Kassand.”
“To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the source is here,” Fang Qing laughed heartily. “Do you know why the crime rate here is 77%? It’s because 20% of the people here are working for the federal government, and they aren’t counted in those numbers.”
He took another sip of his wine. “I’ll give you the list later. Same old rules — don’t mention me to anyone in the association.”
Fang Qing had been a member of the Hunter Association himself, initially as a medical hunter. Later, he published several research papers within five years, three of which were highly acclaimed by the Alliance’s scientific community, earning him widespread recognition.
With such outstanding achievements, he quickly became the leader of the research division. Lu Shanhuai’s older brother, Lu Shanyao, had been one of his students.
Leader Fang was well-known for two things.
First, during the annual assessments, most of his students would fail, earning him the nickname “Devil Leader.” Second, he had a great interest in toxicology. When he first joined the Association, he would serve night shifts for patients. He would spread information sheets on toxicology and handwritten notes out on his table and shoot the patients profoundly affectionate smiles once in a while while muttering things under his breath.
It was so terrifying that several hunters left the hospital overnight. One even escaped through the window, breaking his leg again right after his cast was removed.
However, on his 35th birthday, Fang Qing suddenly left and moved to Kassand to open the inn.
The inn’s front door was open, allowing the cold wind to enter. One could see the white clouds and mist on the street outside.
Shen Zhaomu asked, “When do you plan to go back?”
“Why would I go back?” Fang Qing scoffed. “I don’t want to see the faces of those scoundrels. I just want to be with my poisons forever. But…” He changed the subject. “By phrasing it like this, are you hinting that you want me to come out of retirement and help you compete for the chief position? Sigh, I’m already an old man, but since you’ve begged me so sincerely, I’ll reluctantly consider it for a few days and then let you know…”
“Hold on,” Shen Zhaomu interrupted. “When did I ever give you a hint?”
Fang Qing patted his shoulder with a meaningful look. “Oh, don’t be shy, little Shen. Your senior understands.”
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
“And that person by your side is your boyfriend, right?”
“He really is not…”
“You’ve never brought anyone out with you before,” Fang Qing continued with a suggestive tone. “Don’t be shy, little Shen. Your senior understands.”
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
Fang Qing, with a look that said “I know everything,” added, “And there’s something else you might be interested in. There’s a faction here called the ‘Undertakers.’ Many years ago, they were founded, and initially, most of their members were fanatical worshipers of the Throne of the Exotic Beasts.”
“I’ve heard of them.”
“But you don’t know this,” Fang Qing smiled. “Saying they worship the throne isn’t entirely accurate. The true target of their worship is actually the Dragon King.”
Shen Zhaomu raised his eyebrows. “The old Dragon King?”
“No. The one… you’re destined to face,” Fang Qing said. “Although he’s been missing from the throne for a long time, if he’s still alive, the ‘Undertakers’ might have clues.”
In that moment, Shen Zhaomu’s eyes turned as sharp as a lion’s; a predator ready to pounce.
The Dragon King, Akasarmo, was a wicked dragon who had been in possession of the throne for over a century. His whereabouts were still unknown to date.
His name was pronounced in the language of dragons, which humans found difficult to enunciate. Information about him had been scarce until the day he killed the old Dragon King to seize the throne.
On the day of his coronation, all the world’s bells tolled, and colossal deities cleaved the sea to stand vigil. The star spirits lit torches to pave the way.
Shen Zhaomu quickly regained his composure and nodded.
“Got it.” He got up.
“I’m going to sleep now.”
In the room next door, Long Shiyu sneezed hard.
It didn’t seem that cold here, though…
After pondering for a moment, Long Shiyu arranged his tail into a tighter coil.
He heard the sound of the door locking next door. The sound was very faint, but Long Shiyu still heard it.
Shen Zhaomu had returned.
Long Shiyu remembered the dragon’s ancestral advice: the nights are long, and princesses are delicate. As a wicked dragon, you should express your consideration in a timely manner.
Even Long Shiyu was sneezing. Shen Zhaomu probably wasn’t doing any better.
So Long Shiyu, clutching his pillow and blanket, sneaked out quietly and knocked on Shen Zhaomu’s door.
Author’s Note:
So, these three are actually Leader Fang with a heart of gold, weak and helpless Long Shiyu, and delicate Shen Zhaomu. What a kind and hospitable group! (?)
One cutesy sob a day: 0/1
Ok, so I’ve been wondering this for a while but is Shen Zahomu the reincarnation of Long Shiyu’s “princess”? This chapter mentions that Long Shiyu has been on the throne for over a hundred years but the story summary mentions Long Shiyu met his princess before he was the Dragon Lord. But that the same time Shen Zhaomu is also in the running to become the youngest chief. So unless humans in this universe live for thousands of years then the timelines don’t match up.
+1
Aww no cutesy sob today… But since we got 4 from last chapter, I’ll let it go 😌
❤
What a dream team
The great and wicked dragon king is now delivering himself to your door with a pillow and blanky, intending to cuddle 🤣
The evil dragon king got scared of thunder and wants to sleep with you! 1/1
I sneezed so I must be cold. If I am cold, you are cold. We will cuddle.