CH 38

Chapter 38: Miniature Yu Zhao 

Yun Zhao's sleepiness instantly vanished, and he quickly waved his hands, saying, "I'd rather not..."

"Are you kidding?" Ao Yu furrowed his brows and led him to the bathroom, placing him on the small table in front of the water mirror.

Ao Yu lifted his fingertips and gently tapped on the young man's back, prompting him to walk to the water mirror himself.

Ao Yu said in a calm tone, "Are you planning to sleep like this?"

Reluctantly, Yun Zhao looked up and immediately frowned with dissatisfaction.

In the water mirror, the young man still had a rosy complexion, resembling an exquisite doll. However, his moon-white robe was covered in various cat hairs of different lengths. His black hair seemed to be wet with oil soup, clumping together.

"You messy creature," Ao Yu chuckled.

Yun Zhao twisted his fingers, looking quite awkward as he said, "Then I'll wash by myself."

"Are you sure?"

Yun Zhao nodded repeatedly, like he was pounding garlic. "Mhmm!"

"Suit yourself."

Ao Yu raised an eyebrow, then gently lifted him up and placed him inside a wooden box that contained a small rubber duck. He then put the box into the hot spring, pouring water inside.

Blushing, Yun Zhao took off his clothes and sat comfortably on the edge of the wooden box. From the corner of his eye, he secretly glanced at Ao Yu and saw that he was busy searching for bath oil in the cubicle, not paying attention to him. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The warm spring water enveloped Yun Zhao, and he felt all the pores on his body relaxing.

He played in the water inside the wooden box, swaying back and forth as if sitting in a small boat.

He caught sight of the homeless little rubber duck and couldn't resist the urge to bring it closer. Leaning against the edge of the box, he tried to retrieve the duck, but unexpectedly lost his balance. The entire wooden box flipped over.

"Crash!"

Ao Yu heard the commotion and quickly ran to the edge of the hot spring. He saw the overturned box on the water's surface and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Rolling up his sleeves, he reached his hand into the water and rescued the startled young man.

*Cough cough...* Yun Zhao coughed up some water and gasped for breath in Ao Yu's palm, feeling that it would be embarrassing to say that he nearly drowned in the bathtub.

Ao Yu initially intended to reprimand him but couldn't help but be taken aback when he glanced at the young man. The hot spring had turned the miniature young man's face rosy, and he was breathing out small puffs of white mist.

His black hair hung loosely on his fair back, seemingly influenced by the steam, and a faint blush covered his entire body.

As Ao Yu's gaze landed on a few particular areas, he immediately averted his eyes, his mind filled with a question.

Why is even that part rosy?!

Yun Zhao regained his senses and felt the almost imperceptible gaze upon him. He couldn't help but tremble with embarrassment, kneeling in Ao Yu's palm and muttered, "Put me back quickly."

"You certainly know how to boss people around," Ao Yu chuckled twice, flipped the wooden box back over, refilled it with water, and placed Yun Zhao inside again. He also considerately put the little rubber duck back in.

Watching Yun Zhao sneakily hide behind the duck, Ao Yu muttered, "What a peculiar little one," then turned his back and sat by the edge of the pool.

Yun Zhao felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He looked down and slapped the water angrily, causing a splash.

After observing Yun Zhao soaking for a while, Ao Yu took out a small bottle, dripped a few drops of liquid into it, and used his fingers to stir it inside the wooden box. Instantly, numerous milky-white bubbles appeared.

Curiously poking at them, Yun Zhao happily started washing his hair and asked, "Where did you get this stuff?"

Ao Yu watched as Yun Zhao turned into an old man with a white beard amidst the mass of bubbles. He couldn't help but gently burst a few bubbles with a soft chuckle before whispering, "I used it when I was a child."

"When you were a child?" Yun Zhao stopped in shock.

"Mhmm." Ao Yu held up two fingers and lightly circled them on Yun Zhao's hair.

He explained, "When I got tired of staying in the Dragon Palace as a child, I would come and stay at Yuming Mountain. The Flower Deity and Bai Ze would occasionally come to play around as well. They were the ones who gave me these bathing products."

"I see..." Yun Zhao imagined a half-grown little dragon rolling around in the hot spring, enjoying a bubble bath. The scene was quite adorable.

Amused by his own imagination, Yun Zhao covered his mouth and chuckled. Suddenly, he remembered something and hesitantly asked, "When you say 'childhood,' how many years ago are we talking about?"

Ao Yu pondered for a moment and replied uncertainly, "About a thousand years ago, I guess?"

Upon hearing Ao Yu's words, Yun Zhao was petrified inside the wooden box. Did that mean these bathing products were also thousands of years old?

Ao Yu immediately saw through Yun Zhao's thoughts and laughed, saying, "I didn't say this bottle is from a thousand years ago. This one was recently sent by the Flower Deity."

"When?" Yun Zhao asked curiously.

Before Ao Yu could answer, he lifted Yun Zhao out and replaced the water, then placed the young man back inside to rinse off the foam.

Seeing Yun Zhao still looking at him with confusion, Ao Yu casually swirled his fingers on the water's surface and said, "Before you arrived."

At that time, Ao Yu had returned to Yuming Mountain with a heart full of despair. The immortal mountain where he used to play with his friends as a young man had become lifeless, much like his own loss of spiritual power.

Several old friends wanted to visit, but Ao Yu kept them at the gate, while the Flower Deity and Bai Ze stood at the mountain entrance for a long time, only able to send various gifts to the mountain through the Bluebird.

He thought that he and this mountain would decay together over the long years, but he never expected to experience a rebirth. Ao Yu placed the cleaned young man into a clean, soft cloth and turned to retrieve the newly made little robe.

The robe was merely an outer garment that resembled a bathrobe. Yun Zhao obediently took it and put it on, feeling somewhat awkward. The sleeves were too long, but the lower half was empty, making Yun Zhao unconsciously furrow his brows.

With a tinge of complaint in his voice, he asked, "Ao Yu, where are the pants?"

Ao Yu's hand paused, and he stubbornly replied, "I don't know how to make them."

He tidied Yun Zhao's hair, cradled the young man in his arms, and couldn't help poking his cheek, saying, "Don't be too picky. Just wear what's available. You wouldn't want me to strip the clothes off Luo Xue’s doll for you, would you?"

Yun Zhao covered his face, not letting Ao Yu poke him randomly, and pretended to be dead in his palm.

Now he was really feeling chilly...

Returning to the small bamboo basket, Yun Zhao quickly tucked himself under the covers, bowed his head, and earnestly fastened and adjusted the robe. He then covered himself with a small blanket, looking serious like a little old-fashioned man.

Ao Yu found it amusing and couldn't help but use his finger to lift one corner of the blanket.

"What are you doing?!" The cold breeze blowing into the covers made Yun Zhao's goosebumps rise, and he looked annoyed as he glared at the mischievous Ao Yu.

Ao Yu propped up his face, showing little remorse as he casually said, "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Yun Zhao was so infuriated that he pounced and grabbed the mischievous finger, opening his mouth and biting it.

Ao Yu didn't expect to provoke him to such an extent and hastily retracted his finger, looking at the teeth marks on it and chuckling, "Your dental work is quite neat."

Yun Zhao: "..." Ao Yu was being a wicked little dragon tonight!

With the sky growing darker, Ao Yu stopped teasing Yun Zhao and extinguished the candles, softly saying, "Go to sleep."

Yun Zhao couldn't stay awake any longer; his eyelids were becoming heavy. He bid Ao Yu goodnight and immediately fell into a deep slumber.

In the darkness, the beast pupils of the White Dragon slightly opened, casting a faint golden light. Even without the candlelight, it didn't hinder his vision. He gazed at the sleeping young man in the bamboo basket. A flash of white light appeared as two delicate dragon claws gently clung to the edge of the basket.

The silver-white dragon cub climbed into the basket, carefully positioning the young man at the center and burying its head in his neck. It quietly inhaled the faint smile after his bath before contentedly closing its eyes.

...

When Yun Zhao woke up, Ao Yu was nowhere to be seen. He must have taken Sun Yang to the bamboo forest again.

Stretching lazily and sitting up, Yun Zhao had a feeling and turned his head, only to find Luo Xue, who had transformed into a child, sitting by the bedside.

Luo Xue blinked twice and excitedly held up the handkerchief in his hand, saying, "Good morning, big brother! I'll help you wash your face!"

Yun Zhao swallowed a mouthful of saliva. To avoid dampening the kitten's enthusiasm, he walked over righteously but reminded, "Be gentle, okay?"

"Mhmm!" Luo Xue pinched the corner of the handkerchief and approached, but he was also cautious not to apply too much force, smearing water all over Yun Zhao's face. Yun Zhao had to hold the corner of the handkerchief himself and wipe randomly.

After washing up, Luo Xue took out a corn kernel and said, "This is your breakfast, big brother!"

Then Luo Xue placed his favorite little rabbit doll beside him, saying, "Today, let Luo Xue and the little rabbit keep you company while you eat!"

"Thank... thank you." Yun Zhao accepted the offerings and held the corn, taking small bites. Under the watchful gaze of Luo Xue's bright, shining eyes, he felt as if he were playing house.

When Ao Yu returned, he saw a small, snow-white kitten in the bamboo basket.

Walking over, he saw Yun Zhao lying on the kitten's soft belly, rubbing against it in pure delight, completely lost in happiness.

Luo Xue was clearly very happy too. He lifted Yun Zhao with his front paws, rubbing his face against him and preparing to lick his face.

Fortunately, Ao Yu was quick to react and covered the kitten's mouth before it could happen, saying in a soft voice, "If you lick him, you might scrape off a layer of his skin."

Luo Xue immediately drooped his ears, regretting his lack of self-control, and whispered, "I'm sorry..."

Yun Zhao was startled by the spines on the cat's tongue and patted his chest to calm down. He then tiptoed and made an effort to touch the lowered head of the little white cat, generously forgiving him.

Among all the divine beasts, Luo Xue had the smallest size. When Ao Yu was not around, it was Luo Xue who took care of things in the room. With the mini version of Yun Zhao, Luo Xue didn't even bother holding his beloved little rabbit doll anymore. He would often stick to Yun Zhao and sometimes accidentally push him off balance.

Fortunately, they managed to get through the day without any major incidents.

In the evening, Ao Yu entered the room and saw Yun Zhao crawling out of the bamboo basket, tumbling and rolling around in the soft bedding on the bed.

"You're so carefree. What if I had just laid down?" Ao Yu reached out and held onto Yun Zhao's robe, pushing him to roll a couple of times in the center of the bed.

His fingertip accidentally brushed against the young man's soft abdomen, causing Yun Zhao to laugh uncontrollably while covering his stomach. "Haha... Don't touch my ticklish spot!"

Ao Yu withdrew his hand. It was windy tonight, so he got up and went to the inner room to cut a thicker piece of fabric for Yun Zhao's blanket.

The young man had delicate skin, and even a slightly textured fabric wouldn't do. Ao Yu spent some time selecting the material with scissors in hand. Suddenly, he heard a cry of surprise coming from the bed.

Ao Yu quickly walked over, lifted the curtain, and stood frozen in place.

Sitting in the center of the bed was the young man with flowing black hair, his eyes still showing a trace of lingering fear, staring blankly at the shattered remains of a small robe.

He was so absorbed in the sight that he didn't realize he was completely naked. Snow reflected on red plum blossoms, black hair hanging loosely, resembling a bewitching being in the mountains, causing him to be momentarily dazed.

When his gaze met Ao Yu's, Yun Zhao finally snapped out of it and haphazardly pulled the blanket over himself, feeling embarrassed. "I've changed back now..."