CH 118.2

Chapter 118 is only around 5.5k words in English, so I’m splitting it into 2.

After concluding a somewhat awkward video conference, Chu Rong, under the peculiar gazes of soldiers and officers, went to the top-secret archives room of the military department. He collected all the black hole teleportation devices and teleportation slabs before heading back home.

When he arrived, Chu Huai had not yet returned, likely delayed by something. Lunch had just been served, and as soon as he neared the dining room, he heard the flutter of wings. His cold, stern expression immediately softened. He stepped into the dining room and extended his arms to catch the golden dragon that had flown towards him.

“I thought you’d be busy all day,” Qiao Zhiya said, happily rubbing his face against Chu Rong’s, his eyes bright with joy.

Chu Rong stroked his body, kissed his forehead gently, and replied warmly, “Yuan Lie and the others are handling things at the military department, so it’s not too busy.”

After greeting Qiao Yi and Mi Lai, who were watching from the dining table, he sat down opposite them with Qiao Zhiya. He took out a cushion, placed it on the table, and set Qiao Zhiya on it.

Qiao Zhiya shifted slightly, looked down at the soft cushion beneath him, flapped his wings, and snuggled closer to Chu Rong’s hand.

Chu Rong gently patted his head, used his other hand to get the utensils, and then began cutting the meat. He forked a piece and fed it to Qiao Zhiya.

Qiao Zhiya wagged his tail, obediently ate the meat, and squinted his eyes contentedly.

Their actions were seamless and natural. Although Chu Rong maintained his usual stoic expression, his care was tender and meticulous. His gaze towards Qiao Zhiya was warm, a stark contrast to how he usually appeared in front of others.

Qiao Yi and Mi Lai watched his series of actions and felt complicated emotions, recalling those videos.

They knew Chu Rong wasn’t pretending because someone trying to impress wouldn’t immediately ignore the parents of the person they were trying to impress upon meeting them.

In fact, they found Chu Rong a bit overly indulgent towards Qiao Zhiya.

For example, in those videos, even though Qiao Zhiya was already an adult, Chu Rong often carried him around. If it were them, they would never treat their adult son like that.

Moreover, the always independent and sensible Qiao Zhiya seemed very accustomed to being carried by Chu Rong, indicating that this was a common occurrence for them. Just like now, Qiao Zhiya’s happiness with Chu Rong’s care showed he was used to it rather than feeling out of place.

Mi Lai puffed her cheeks, abandoning the idea of competing with Chu Rong for their son’s attention. Still, she felt a bit unwilling to concede, inexplicably feeling like she had lost a round. She ate a piece of meat vigorously, as if she was chewing on someone’s flesh.

Qiao Yi glanced at his son’s happily wagging tail, quietly withdrew his gaze, and handed a glass of juice to his wife, gently squeezing her hand.

The atmosphere at the dining table was quiet yet harmonious. Gu Yan’an observed Qiao Yi and Mi Lai’s reactions, her tense nerves relaxed. She glanced at Chu Rong, who was focused on caring for Qiao Zhiya, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

Genuine feelings can only be exchanged for genuine feelings. Deliberate flattery can sometimes have the opposite effect. In this regard, Xiao Rong understood this much better than Chu Huai and Chu Yan.

Chu Yan, who had been keeping a low profile, glanced at each of them in turn, silently eating his meal and trying to minimize his presence — he didn’t dare stand out anymore. His erge’s growing tendency to take out his frustrations made him nervous.

After lunch, everyone went to the yard to digest their food. Gu Yan’an, being heavily pregnant, found it inconvenient to move around, so she only moved a little before returning indoors to rest. Mi Lai, not wanting to watch the sweet daily interactions between her son and Chu Rong, soon dragged Qiao Yi back to the living room, claiming she wanted to learn the lingua franca from the old butler.

Chu Yan, sensing the tension, made a swift exit with a plausible excuse, leaving Chu Rong and Qiao Zhiya alone in the courtyard. Qiao Zhiya flapped his wings and settled comfortably in Chu Rong’s lap, gently pawing at his chest. “Does it still hurt?” he asked, looking up at Chu Rong.

Chu Rong shook his head and walked over to a rattan chair in the courtyard, sitting down and squeezing Qiao Zhiya’s little paw. Suddenly, he said, “I saw the mastermind’s face.”

Qiao Zhiya was stunned for a moment, then quickly sat up, asking, “Really? Did you get hurt? Did he—”

A surge of powerful, sharp spiritual power suddenly enveloped them. It grew stronger and stronger before silently dissipating, gently brushing against him before vanishing into the air.

Qiao Zhiya’s words halted abruptly. He stared at Chu Rong with wide eyes, stammering, “Y-you…”

“That time, my spiritual power was very unstable because I was about to upgrade. After your father rescued you, I successfully advanced to SSSS-level. Sorry for making you worry.” Chu Rong comforted him, recalling how Qiao Zhiya had thoughtfully refrained from asking questions and had discreetly taken care of him during that time. His eyes darkened, and he pressed his forehead against Qiao Zhiya’s, gazing into his emerald green eyes. He whispered, “Qiao, I’ll learn to trust you more… and rely on you more.”

Qiao Zhiya didn’t understand the meaning behind his gaze, but he instinctively felt shy and happy. His tail wrapped around Chu Rong’s wrist, and he puffed out his small chest, boldly promising, “I’ll take good care of you! I’ll also work hard to become stronger so you can rely on me for a lifetime! And… you’re great, no, you’re the best.”

His little paw reached out to touch Chu Rong’s face. Chu Rong froze for a moment before breaking into a genuine smile. He kissed Qiao Zhiya’s forehead again, feeling his love for him warming his entire being.

Embarrassed by the kiss, Qiao Zhiya fluttered his wings and burrowed into Chu Rong’s arms, nuzzling his neck.

“Damn kidnapper!”

Mi Lai, spying from the window, angrily scratched at the glass, completely forgetting about learning the lingua franca.

The old butler coughed lightly, turning his head to pretend he hadn’t seen anything.

Qiao Yi, helpless, raised a hand, and a vine suddenly appeared, gently wrapping around Mi Lai’s waist and pulling her back to him. He tapped her forehead and called softly, “Mi Lai.”

Receiving her husband’s gentle warning, Mi Lai huffed, picked up her tablet, and grumbled as she resumed her studies.

After about two hours, news came from Zhuang Yu that the Imperial High Advisor had woken up and could receive visitors. Upon hearing this, Chu Rong immediately took Qiao Zhiya and his parents to the infirmary.

Qiao Zhiya had wanted to visit the Imperial High Advisor and Jian ever since he learned they were on the flagship. Unfortunately, the Imperial High Advisor needed quiet for his treatment, and Qiao Zhiya had been preoccupied with his parents and Chu Rong, so he hadn’t had the chance.

Now, finally able to see his friend and the Imperial High Advisor who had helped him, he was excited and flew ahead eagerly.

The Imperial High Advisor, leaning against the bed, heard the soft sound of wings flapping and paused, realizing who it might be. His eyes showed a hint of excitement as he turned towards the door.

The pale-gold dragon flew in, and the Imperial High Advisor watched him for a few seconds before breaking into a loving smile. He extended his hand and said, “Is that you, Qiao? Come here and let me see you.”

Qiao Zhiya immediately flew over, landing in front of him and chirping softly, looking at him with concern.

After going through this ordeal, any lingering resentment Qiao Zhiya had towards the Imperial High Advisor had vanished, replaced by heartfelt gratitude. Influenced perhaps by his bloodline, he now felt an extraordinary sense of closeness to the Imperial High Advisor, as if he were a dear family elder.

There was no need for any magical probing – the Imperial High Advisor could understand Qiao Zhiya’s meaning just from his chirping. He gently patted the little horns on his head, examined his scales, claws, and teeth, and even measured the length of his tail. Satisfied, he said, “Very healthy. Although your size is a bit small, you’ll grow in time. I didn’t expect you to be a metal-element dragon, they’re quite rare.”

Metal-element?

Chu Rong and Qiao Yi, who had just entered the room, were taken aback, while Mi Lai, still unaware of the significance, curiously observed the still somewhat pale Imperial High Advisor.

Qiao Zhiya was equally puzzled. He tried releasing a bit of magic, which remained wood-element, and looked up at the Imperial High Advisor in confusion.

The Imperial High Advisor, amused by his adorable confusion, couldn’t resist poking his chubby belly. He explained, “I’m not sure what dragon types your homeland has, but in my homeland, there are dragons of various elements. Fire is the most common, followed by lightning. Other elements are equally distributed, but healing and metal elements are the rarest. You have both. You’ve only awakened your bloodline, not your full powers yet, so you can’t sense it.”

No wonder his magic felt a bit off after his transformation… Qiao Zhiya looked at his paws and then at the Imperial High Advisor, curiously asking, “What element are you?” He hadn’t seen the Imperial High Advisor in battle and didn’t know his powers.

“I…” The Imperial High Advisor’s smile faded slightly as he stroked Qiao Zhiya’s head again. “My power is quite special. It’s the rarest: divination and prophecy. It’s not very strong in combat.”

In his homeland, the Sea Country1I translated this quite literally. CN: 海国, his family had a special status due to their powers. They didn’t need to fight because the entire dragon clan would protect them. This was one reason he wanted to take Jian back home, where he could receive the best care and possibly awaken his bloodline.

‘Not very strong in combat… Could this be why the Imperial High Advisor, despite being a powerful dragon, was captured and harmed by the mastermind?’ Qiao Zhiya pondered this before being scooped up by large hands and settled into a familiar embrace.

He turned back, his tail instinctively swishing.

Chu Rong patted his head and, noticing the Imperial High Advisor looking over, stepped aside to reveal Qiao Yi and Mi Lai. “These are Qiao’s parents,” he introduced.

The Imperial High Advisor looked at Qiao Yi and Mi Lai, his gaze lingering on their unusually youthful and distinguished appearances before settling on Qiao Yi.

“Hello, I’m Qiao Zhiya’s father, Qiao Yi. Thank you for protecting my child.” Qiao Yi bowed formally, expressing sincere gratitude.

He spoke in Elvish, infused with magic. Although the Imperial High Advisor didn’t understand the language, he strangely grasped the meaning. Startled briefly, he quickly expressed that there was no need for thanks and explained that protecting young kin was something any adult dragon would do – he had simply done what was right.

Qiao Yi’s aura became even gentler upon hearing this. His gaze shifted from the Imperial High Advisor’s pale face to Jian sitting quietly beside him. With a motion of his hand, he produced a bottle of clear green liquid and offered it, saying warmly, “May the gods bless you.”

Seeing this, Mi Lai rummaged through her belongings and handed over a piece of dark brown wood, muttering a Dwarvish blessing.

These were clearly tokens of gratitude, but the Imperial High Advisor, feeling he hadn’t done much and had even been helped by Qiao Zhiya’s healing, felt embarrassed to accept them and politely declined.

“Uncle Feng, please take these. This is Wood Essence and Earth Essence, natural extracts refined by Elves and Dwarves using their magic. They are beneficial for both you and Jian,” Qiao Zhiya quickly explained. He then took out several potions made from the roots of a yellow leaf tree and flew over to place them in the Imperial High Advisor’s hands, nuzzling his palm.

The soft and delicate scales of the little dragon, combined with the heartwarming change in address, softened the Imperial High Advisor’s gaze. He glanced at his frail-looking son beside him and, no longer refusing, accepted the gifts from Qiao Zhiya’s family with a formal thank you.

Having introduced themselves, Chu Rong had chairs brought in for Qiao Zhiya’s parents, while he sat alone on one side, holding Qiao Zhiya in his arms, looking quite strategic.

Unfortunately, Qiao Zhiya was not appreciative. As soon as Chu Rong sat down, he flew over to Jian, leaving Chu Rong alone with an “empty chair.”

Jian, who hadn’t inherited the Imperial High Advisor’s abilities and couldn’t understand Qiao Zhiya’s chirping, was nevertheless delighted to see his friend. He curiously touched Qiao Zhiya’s wings and tail, eagerly engaging in a conversation that neither could understand.

On the other side, Qiao Yi finally expressed his purpose for coming, asking about Qiao Zhiya’s transformation and the mention of the metal attribute by the Imperial High Advisor.

Before coming, Qiao Yi had reviewed dragon clan records and knew that dragons could freely switch between human and dragon forms. He initially thought Qiao Zhiya remained in his dragon form because his powers were unstable after his transformation. However, nearly half a month had passed, and Qiao Zhiya’s mental and physical state was excellent, yet he was still in his dragon form, which was a bit concerning.

Although the dragon form was cute, if his son wanted to live with Chu Rong in human society, it would be better for him to switch back to human form as soon as possible.

The Imperial High Advisor glanced at Qiao Zhiya’s fully-formed dragon shape, touched his tail, and assessed his condition. Seeing Qiao Zhiya looking back at him, he smiled reassuringly and then turned to Qiao Yi, replying, “Generally, young dragons in their first transformation remain in their original form for a while due to unfamiliarity with their other shape and unstable powers. Qiao Zhiya’s case is special – his bloodline has awakened due to atavism, but his powers have not. To allow him to switch forms freely, he must first awaken his dragon powers.”

He spoke in the dragon language and infused it with some power as a test. Surprisingly, Qiao Yi and Mi Lai both understood him, and even Qiao Zhiya turned his head again, leaving only Chu Rong and Jian in the dark.

“How can we awaken his dragon powers? Would eating more meat help?” Mi Lai asked straightforwardly.

The Imperial High Advisor was momentarily taken aback by her simple question. He looked at her and, suppressing a smile, shook his head, “The awakening of dragon powers is usually guided by the parents or a senior dragon of the same attribute. But as far as I can sense, neither of you possesses metal attributes, so it’s up to Qiao Zhiya to figure it out on his own. I will teach him a set of dragon power cultivation techniques, hoping it will help. In fact, I recommend letting nature take its course. Rushing a young dragon’s growth is not advisable.”

Mi Lai immediately dropped the idea of hastening Qiao Zhiya’s return to human form, tugging on Qiao Yi’s sleeve, “Our baby is fine as he is now. Let’s keep it this way, okay?”