Unable to sleep anyway, Shen Zhaomu went to the balcony and lit a cigarette.
From here, one could see the faint lights of Kassand, and further away was the pitch-black wasteland with specks of stars in the sky. On a normal day standing here, one would probably hear the people of Kassand warmly greeting each other’s ancestors, accompanied by gunshots expressing their enthusiasm and love.
But now, as it neared five in the morning, the drunks on the streets had worn out their madness, and the robbers who had just finished their work were tired. Shen Zhaomu saw a few of them happily walking with their hands in their pockets, crumpled banknotes sticking out, humming a tune as they passed through the dark alley, surely marking the end of another hard day’s work.
Another ten minutes passed, and all other sounds ceased.
Shen Zhaomu took out another cigarette.
In this interstellar age, cigarettes were made of other plants; they didn’t harm the body and had a calming effect. He was actually consciously trying to reduce his smoking, after all, one can’t always rely on this method to alleviate their emotions, but sometimes when he was truly agitated, he couldn’t help but light one up.
Shen Zhaomu lit the cigarette, and the flame of the lighter illuminated half of his handsome face.
The cigarette lit up, a little ash dispersed in the cold wind, and the tip glowed a reddish-orange hue.
He hadn’t yet figured out how to face this particular issue.
He believed he didn’t hold much prejudice against exotic creatures. In his early years when he first joined the association, he indeed shared the association’s typical ideology, wanting to coldly and firmly exterminate all these different species. But the more he hunted, the more he realized that the lower-ranking exotic creatures weren’t much different from the fierce creatures they were familiar with. Once their habits were understood, they could coexist peacefully. The higher-ranking creatures had even more vivid and intricate emotions, resembling humans even more. Sometimes after interacting with them, Shen Zhaomu couldn’t even distinguish between them and himself.
Different beliefs? Different values?
Apart from the excessively brutal ones, don’t humans also have such differences among themselves?
So everyone in the association knew that Shen Zhaomu especially liked taking on difficult and dangerous missions.
They all thought he was disdainful of low-end commissions. In reality, Shen Zhaomu only wanted to act against exotic creatures that posed a clear threat.
But why was Long Shiyu a dragon?
He couldn’t possibly act against Long Shiyu. But if he kept the young man by his side…
Shen Zhaomu felt a bit downcast. If Long Shiyu were any other exotic creature, he wouldn’t have been so conflicted.
The stories told by the elders were still fresh in his ears, and the concepts instilled in him since childhood were deeply rooted: in 2144, the Red Flame Dragon attacked the Starport, countless full-loaded warships sank, the ground was littered with red-hot metal due to high temperatures, the air was distorted, and the seabed was lined with silent ships and warriors. In 2200, the Shrieking Dragon suddenly attacked the Ferdinand district, a large number of vampire bats were born from its terrifying aura, and when they flapped their wings, they obscured the moon; the entire district was filled with desiccated corpses. In 2255…
Every time a powerful dragon appeared in history, it was a terrible tragedy. He was intimately familiar with these numerous tragedies. Even the weakest dragon would go berserk from the instincts engraved in its blood.
The island’s sea breeze was cold. Every year when he offered flowers to the tombstones of his dragon-slaying ancestors, he would think about how they had sacrificed their lives for civilization.
So, why did he have to be a dragon of all creatures?
Halfway through his cigarette, and the feeling of unease hadn’t faded. Shen Zhaomu felt a bit cold, and every breath he took was visible in the night air.
There was a slight noise behind him.
Turning around, he saw a little head sneakily peeking out.
It was Long Shiyu, wrapped in a blanket, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He’d just gotten off the sofa, barefoot. His pajama pants had rolled up due to his sleeping position, revealing fair and good-looking feet with rounded nails, yet they were unmistakably male.
Shen Zhaomu said, “Why are you awake? You should wear slippers.”
Long Shiyu replied, “You took my slippers.”
Looking down, Shen Zhaomu indeed saw a pair of yellow duck slippers on his feet. No wonder they felt a bit off.
Clearing his throat, Shen Zhaomu said, “I’ll give them back to you now.”
Long Shiyu stepped onto the balcony, “I’m not cold.”
The balcony floor had just been cleaned, and it felt icy cold to the touch, but Long Shiyu didn’t seem to feel it.
“Did I wake you up?”
“No.” Long Shiyu coiled his blanket on the balcony railing and hugged it, “Are you in a bad mood today?”
“Just some things on my mind,” Shen Zhaomu replied simply.
“Oh,” Long Shiyu said.
The rules of the evil dragons dictated that he had to share the worries of his princess. So, he asked again, “What’s bothering you?”
Shen Zhaomu sighed, rubbed Long Shiyu’s head affectionately, and chuckled, “It’s nothing. It’s cold outside; go back to sleep.”
Just as he was about to guide the young man back inside, Long Shiyu pulled him to a stop.
“Wait a bit,” Long Shiyu said. “There’s something interesting to see tonight. That’s why I woke up.”
Shen Zhaomu stood still, looking at the chaotic streets of lower Kassand, “What’s there to see?”
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.
“Pa’ii jqqfjg rbbc,” Obcu Vtlse rjlv klat j aklcxif lc tlr fsfr. Lf gfrafv tlr mtlc bc atf kjgw yijcxfa, ibbxlcu lcab atf vlrajcmf.
Mbiibklcu tlr ujhf, Vtfc Itjbwe rjk… Ygmj mjggslcu akb yjur bo vlrmbecafv nfufajyifr?
Ygmj kjr kjixlcu atgbeut j cjggbk jiifs cfjg atf lcc. Yqqbrlaf tlw kjr j gbyyfg ktb tjv yffc kbgxlcu jii cluta, kjnlcu j xclof jcv rjslcu rbwfatlcu.
The next moment, he was knocked out with a single punch by Orca, who then happily walked away with his discounted vegetables, disappearing from view.
Shen Zhaomu remarked, “…What an interesting sight.”
“What?” Long Shiyu glared at him. “I wouldn’t make you watch something like that.” This attempt at expressing anger was clearly ineffective, resulting in Long Shiyu’s head being vigorously ruffled.
Orca who disappeared in the distance sneezed, “Damn, who’s cursing me?”
Shen Zhaomu laughed, “Then what do you want me to see?”
Long Shiyu pointed to the distance, “Look at the sky.”
Shen Zhaomu looked up, and above the wilderness, stars twinkled and shone.
They had a peculiar glow, eternal and undying. To children, they represented dreams; to poets, they signified romance; and to warriors, they stood for a fated battle.
Soon, he understood what Long Shiyu wanted him to witness.
The night was silent.
Until a light emerged from the very edge of the sky, trailing a dim yellow tail.
Suddenly, everything came to life. It was a burning meteor, a messenger from the deep cosmos.
The meteor’s massive size endowed it with a splendid radiance. As it burst forth, it resembled a bright dragon weaving through the sea of stars—bold and wild, sharp and unstoppable. Its cloudy trail split the night sky in two, distinctly marking the separation.
The shooting star that evening was extraordinarily large. Shen Zhaomu had never seen such a brilliant and colorful light. The hues shifted—autumn yellow, clear blue, steel blue, crystal red, tan, ash gray, lavender purple, and most enchantingly, a silver glow. It shone brightly, reminiscent of a sharp blade being gently nudged from its sheath…
It seemed to amalgamate all the beautiful colors of the world, much like the dazzling shine on silver scales.
The meteor’s afterglow lingered for a while before descending to the horizon.
The moment it vanished in the east, that part of the night was illuminated by a hint of light.
Faint and inconspicuous, yet it outlined the edge of a cloud—
Almost miraculously, the first light of the day appeared so subtly.
The sky, illuminated by the meteor, began to softly burn with white flames.
Shen Zhaomu’s eyes widened slightly.
For an instant, he was reminded of a similar night when he guarded a lighthouse on an island.
The waves crashed, the night was vast, and a glorious meteor streaked across the sky, plunging into the distant sea. Fiery meteors were rare. Young Shen Zhaomu was elated, but no one was around to share the experience.
Now, Long Shiyu, with his tail wrapped around Shen Zhaomu’s wrist, smiled, “See? I told you there was something nice to see.”
The orange glow eventually faded.
After a prolonged silence, Shen Zhaomu said, “It’s truly beautiful. I’ve never seen such a unique shooting star… I like it a lot.”
Delighted, Long Shiyu tightened his tail around Shen Zhaomu’s wrist, “So you liked it! Next time it happens, I’ll let you know.”
“How did you know there would be a meteor?”
“I’ve told you,” Long Shiyu replied, “I come from the stars.”
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
He chuckled silently, snuffed out his cigarette, and gently tousled the young man’s soft black hair. “Alright, next time it happens, make sure you tell me. We’ll watch it together.”
At that moment, he made a decision.
So what if he hailed from a dragon-slaying clan? So what if Long Shiyu was a dragon? Conventions were meant to be overturned. The true nature of the world lay in what one had personally witnessed. The Hunter Association and this alliance had unfair prejudices against exotic creatures, treating them like invasive monsters. This was why he wanted to become the chief hunter.
Not to kill, but to cause change.
Sticking to old ways wasn’t the path to survival. Even the throne of the exotic creature king might not be as they imagined.
There were still many mysteries in this starry sky. Maybe his efforts could show more people a whole new world.
“But,” Long Shiyu hesitated, “The next time such beautiful colors appear could be hundreds of years from now. Will you still be with me?”
Human lifespans weren’t that long.
Yet, Long Shiyu looked at him with anticipation, waiting for his answer.
So Shen Zhaomu smiled and promised, “Yes, I’ll be with you.”
Long Shiyu’s joy was palpable. He let Shen Zhaomu push him back into the house, tucking him into bed.
As Shen Zhaomu was about to leave, Long Shiyu, peeking out from his blanket with just his eyes visible, asked, “When will you be back?”
“I’ll be back early today.”
“You still owe me a bedtime story.”
“I’ll tell you when I return.”
Content, Long Shiyu pulled the covers over his head, falling asleep almost instantly.
Shen Zhaomu quietly closed the door, changed his clothes, and left.
He went to the vicinity of the collapsed upper city ruins. The chief, Qiu Ruowen, was genuinely busy. She hadn’t stayed in Kassand for long.
However, Song Qianqian wanted to meet him, and this time she brought Li Jianchun.
When Shen Zhaomu arrived at a coffee shop near the ruins, he immediately spotted the energetically waving Song Qianqian and the woman in a beige midi skirt beside her.
Rarely seen outdoors, Fang Qing had also joined them. He was scribbling formulae on the table and muttering threats about poisoning someone, causing the nearby Kassand citizens to glance at him frequently.
Li Jianchun and Song Qianqian met each other on a mission, and later became best buddies.
Li Jianchun had previously infiltrated a Bill Hoya auction in a red gown and completed a suppression. She was somewhat renowned in the association not just for her strength but her distinctive character.
Song Qianqian said, “I’ve just been to the ruins. They didn’t leave any clues for us.”
“We can’t even find Veyrpan’s body,” Shen Zhaomu remarked, ordering a black coffee.
“The exotic creatures aren’t the only problem,” Song Qianqian mumbled, “If we had followed the trail, we might have found clues about the ‘boss’ in the northern city.”
Fang Qing remarked, “That guy definitely wanted to destroy some evidence, hence he woke up that giant black mantis… Speaking of which, how’s the matter with the passport?”
Shen Zhaomu replied, “Lu Shanhuai and his team are still looking into it. After all, the alert for exotic creatures was just lifted, so it’ll take some time. However, our target once took an unusually long vacation on the planet Bei’en, lasting about two years. There are also records of his frequent comings and goings.”
“So, what do we do now?” Song Qianqian questioned, “It seems like our leads have temporarily run dry… Do we head to Bei’en? Seems like the only thing left for us to do.” She lowered her voice slightly, “And there’s that old woman Bai Yiyi causing trouble here. Who knows what she and the Audit department are trying to hide.”
Shen Zhaomu explained, “Let’s review the timeline. We followed the trail of the church from the capital to Kassand, then tried to use the auction of the mermaid to pinpoint the church members. Based on the testimony of the smuggler ‘Orca’, we came to Flower Street and identified a suspect linked to the church.” He paused, “Then the Audit department appeared, seizing all relevant data. After that, Veyrpan was awakened, the upper city is now in chaos, parts of the city were even destroyed.”
“The only good news at the moment,” he continued, “is that, thanks to our previous research on the Sky Settlement, Veyrpan’s notes have been partially deciphered. It states that he couldn’t find his settlement. For centuries, he wandered the skies with a circus until he landed in Kassand 130 years ago and was severely wounded by the association, leading him to hibernate underground.”
“The last piece of information he had about the settlement was that they were heading to Bei’en.”
“These two pieces of information may not be related, but they are interesting when put together.”
Song Qianqian groaned in frustration, “Ugh, this is driving me crazy. Let’s get moving. Let’s head to Bei’en.”
Sighing heavily, Fang Qing gulped down his cappuccino, “Damn, I knew I shouldn’t have re-associated with the association. Why do I always run into such troubles?”
Song Qianqian teased him, “You can always go back to running your shabby inn. Weren’t you the one saying you’d rather die than get involved? You’re looking real enthusiastic now, huh?”
Looking a bit embarrassed, Fang Qing muttered, “Even if I’m middle-aged, I sometimes crave excitement. Maybe by going out and stirring things up, I can get new test subjects and inspiration.”
“Please.” Song Qianqian rolled her eyes as she downed her juice. “I think you’re just restless. But,” she grinned, “so am I.”
Li Jianchun suddenly spoke up, “…Oh, right, I noticed that the ruins didn’t have any clues too.”
Everyone: “…”
Song Qianqian held her forehead, “It’s alright, let’s continue. Her delayed response is starting again.”
Li Jianchun, with her long reaction time, often circled back to previous topics even after a conversation had moved on, making her one of the many oddities in the association.
“So,” Song Qianqian turned to Shen Zhaomu, “Brother Shen, hurry up and assemble a squad. Since we’re all free now, let’s head to Bei’en together. Even though I don’t understand your reluctance, with all these events and even our leads disappearing, it’s maddening! Maddening, I say!”
Normally, Shen Zhaomu would brush it off, but a memory of a dazzling meteor from the previous night flashed across his mind. Maybe they could change something.
“Alright,” he said unexpectedly, “but just this once…”
His conditions were drowned out by Song Qianqian’s cheers, as she excitedly texted Lu Shanhuai and Yang Zhiming, celebrating the fact that the usually stubborn Shen Zhaomu had finally come around.
Shen Zhaomu sighed as he stood up, “I’ll head back to the inn to form a team and then prepare for our trip to Bei’en.”
With a gleeful expression, Song Qianqian waved to Fang Qing, who couldn’t help but smile. Outside, the sun was shining brightly. The four of them exited the cafe, briefly discussing their departure date – as Lu Shanhuai and Yang Zhiming needed some time at the headquarters, they finally decided to leave the day after tomorrow.
Song Qianqian and Li Jianchun stayed at different inns. As they said their goodbyes, Song Qianqian energetically waved at Shen Zhaomu and Fang Qing.
As the two turned around the street corner, Song Qianqian took hold of Li Jianchun’s hand. “Where should we go for dinner tonight? I’m a bit hungry now.”
Li Jianchun remained silent for a moment.
Song Qianqian, already accustomed to her friend’s delays in response, spoke on her own. “I’ve heard that there are some famous restaurants in Kassand, like that barbecue place over there, and that buffet where several fights have broken out… I wonder which one you’d prefer? I think the barbecue is great; let’s try it!”
Li Jianchun suddenly replied with a hint of amusement, “Wow, Brother Shen Zhaomu, you finally agreed.”
Song Qianqian: “…”
…
Shen Zhaomu returned to the hotel.
Long Shiyu was seated on the sofa, engrossed in a film. It appeared to be a not-so-funny comedy. He nodded off periodically, on the verge of falling asleep.
Shen Zhaomu took a seat beside him and considerately turned off the screen.
Long Shiyu abruptly opened his eyes, “I was still watching.”
“You weren’t,” Shen Zhaomu remarked. “You were clearly falling asleep.”
“I was genuinely watching.”
Shen Zhaomu sighed and turned the screen back on, then opened two drinks and asked, “Which one would you like?”
“Coke.”
Long Shiyu, holding the cold Coke, happily sipped as he continued discussing the film’s plot with Shen Zhaomu. His tail wagged back and forth on the floor.
The movie was pretty dull. Shen Zhaomu’s attention soon shifted entirely to that tail.
The long silvery tail looked very… thick. It must feel wonderful to the touch. Right now, it was resting beside the sofa, right under his feet.
This was the perfect opportunity.
After observing for a bit, Shen Zhaomu couldn’t resist and gently stepped on it with his socked feet.
It was slightly hard, the scales were cold, but the sturdy sensation was incredibly fascinating and addictive.
Long Shiyu didn’t react, continuing his animated discussion of the film. But he pulled his tail from under Shen Zhaomu’s foot and instead placed it over his foot.
Shen Zhaomu placed his foot on top again.
Long Shiyu pulled it back, then placed it on top again. He seemed adamant about having his tail on top.
Shen Zhaomu placed his foot on top yet again.
Long Shiyu pulled it back, then placed it on top yet again. He started glaring at Shen Zhaomu.
Shen Zhaomu placed his foot on top yet again.
Long Shiyu pulled it back, then placed it on top yet again.
This back-and-forth continued until Long Shiyu, no longer paying attention to the movie, exclaimed in irritation, “Why won’t you let my tail stay on top?”
Shen Zhaomu, taken aback, responded, “You… you’re huffing fire! Please don’t sneeze; this isn’t my place…”
“Isn’t this all your fault?!” More flames spewed out from Long Shiyu’s breath. Shooting a glare at Shen Zhaomu, he hopped off the couch and darted away.
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
He had no clue why, but Long Shiyu seemed genuinely upset this time.
The author has something to say:
One cutesy sob a day: 0/1
Today’s chapter is about a dragon who got so furious he nearly spat fire(?)
Also, there’s no need to worry about the princess’s lifespan~
So cute thank you for the translation! ❤
Haha so he does have a temper 😄. A cute one,of course!
Awwww he madd
Based from other novels regarding the tail…. ohohoho ୧( ˵ ° ~ ° ˵ )୨
Tysm for the update!! 💜
Ehhhh, what do you mean other novels!!? (•ﾟдﾟ•)