Ya Fei swatted Xiao Tian's wandering hand away and rose to her feet, beckoning to the Heavenly Thunder Dragon. "Transform again."
"She can already transform?" Xiao Tian had barely finished the question when he remembered—she was an Eighth-Tier Magical Beast. Of course she could.
The Heavenly Thunder Dragon's body blazed with light. When the radiance faded, a petite figure stood in its place, dressed in a silver dress. Her height was similar to Qing Lin's before her growth spurt. Though small in stature, her figure was oddly contradictory—a slender branch bearing surprisingly abundant fruit. Her features were delicate, her face touched with a hint of baby fat. Silver hair streaked with crimson cascaded down her back, and her blue pupils made her look like an exquisite doll. Most striking of all, a pair of silver dragon horns—neither too long nor too short—crowned her head.
A little Dragon Lady? Was this what she looked like fresh from the egg? Xiao Tian immediately asked the system what was going on.
"Host, the calculation for Magical Beasts differs from humans. She was conceived long ago, but she required an extended period of nurturing within the dragon egg. Only once the conditions were met could she emerge. Her current age is equivalent to sixteen in human terms."
*System, where exactly did you get this dragon egg?* After hearing the explanation, Xiao Tian suddenly felt the egg's origins might be less than straightforward.
The System replied, *When you need me, you call me Elder System. When you don't, you call me 'system brat.' Its origin is confidential, but all acquisition channels were legitimate. There is no cause for concern.*
Xiao Tian relaxed. The last thing he needed was for the egg to have been stolen from somewhere, and for her parents to come seeking bloody revenge.
"Hmph. You really do have peculiar tastes. No wonder you're always making us wear such strange outfits." Medusa recalled how Xiao Tian made them cosplay as rabbits and foxes, and sometimes even demanded she manifest her snake tail again.
Yun Yun and the others heard Medusa's words and collectively pouted. *You're the one who talks the toughest. But when Xiao Tian dangled those sugar-coated rewards, you were the very first to put the outfits on—and dragged the rest of us along with you.*
As expected of you, tsundere Medusa. Your arguments might be baseless, your demeanor not the strongest, but none of that stops you from being stubborn. You always love to stir up trouble, yet you're always the quickest to be eliminated—leaving the rest of them to suffer the consequences every single time. After a silent, shared glance, the women pounced on Medusa and tickled her without mercy.
Watching his wives playfully bicker, the little Dragon Lady's mind filled with question marks. Freshly emerged into the world, she found the scene utterly incomprehensible. Seeing Xiao Tian beckon to her, Xiao Huiying hurried to his side.
Xiao Tian studied his little pet—no, the little Dragon Lady—before him. He reached out to touch her small horns, curious if they were real. Xiao Huiying saw his hand approaching her dragon horns and instinctively wanted to dodge. But the person before her was her master. In the end, she didn't evade.
When Xiao Tian's fingers made contact with the delicate horns, there was no icy sensation as he had imagined. Instead, they felt warm, like fine jade.
"Mmm~"
Feeling the large hand squeeze her small dragon horns, Xiao Huiying let out a soft sound. Then her entire body went limp, as though every ounce of strength had drained away. Xiao Tian quickly caught her, letting her lean against him, then lifted her onto his lap.
"Your little dragon horns are indeed real," he said, a note of genuine curiosity in his voice as he observed her reaction.
"Ma~ster~" Xiao Huiying tilted her head slightly, her gaze shy. She whispered, "These little dragon horns are innate to me. And… and they are my most sensitive spot. No one else is allowed to touch them. But of course—if it's Master, you may touch them whenever you wish." As she finished speaking, she felt her face burning. In her clan, only a mate was permitted to touch them. But Xiao Tian was her master. She belonged to him entirely. Her dragon horns were the least of it.
Xiao Tian smiled at her words and withdrew his hand. His gaze softened with affection. "Can you retract these horns?" If they were a permanent weakness, it would be a fatal flaw in battle—one that would force him to constantly divert attention to protect her.
"I can retract them. It was the Mistresses who told me that Master… enjoys this sort of thing. That's why I revealed them." Xiao Huiying whispered against his chest, her voice so faint that had Xiao Tian not been a cultivator, he might not have caught it.
"That's good. When you're outside, make sure to keep them hidden. Otherwise, it could lead to danger, and injury would be hard to mend." He stroked her smooth, silver-red hair with a gentle smile. For now, he decided against touching her horns again. Any more and she'd melt him with sheer heat.
Xiao Huiying heard the deep concern beneath his words. Her heart swelled with joy, and she nodded vigorously.
The women, who had been caught up in their own squabble, watched Xiao Tian's actions and immediately gathered around to gossip.
"See? I told you Xiao Tian is a bad man."
"Exactly. Always full of strange ideas. Just look at how perverted he is right now."
"I agree. Even a pervert like me thinks he's perverted."
"Cai Li, you finally admit it!"
Xiao Tian heard every word. Dark lines traced across his forehead. "When you gossip about me—please do it a little further away. I'm not deaf."
The women converged on him, snorting in perfect unison. Then they plucked Xiao Huiying from his embrace and spoke as one.
"Pervert!" x6
They departed with the little dragon in tow. There were things they needed to teach her. Though she possessed a wealth of inherited knowledge, she was still, in many ways, a blank slate. Xiao Tian watched them go, their synchronicity growing ever sharper, and couldn't help but sigh. *Not only do dutiful children come from strict upbringing—a shared strict upbringing also fosters remarkable synergy.*
---
The next morning, early light.
Xiao Tian woke in Han Yue's bedchamber. When he opened his eyes, she was already there, lying diagonally across the bed, watching him. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. The two of them lingered there, exchanging the kind of sweet, cloying words only lovers could stomach.
"Yue'er, when we reach the Central Plains, we'll visit your family. I'll help you settle everything."
Han Yue understood the deeper meaning behind his words. Gratitude flooded her eyes. She had traveled thousands of miles to Jia Nan Academy precisely to grow strong enough to resolve her family's troubles. Though the Han Family was a major power in Tianbei City, the Hong Family stood as their equal—and the Hong Family had since allied with Wind and Thunder Pavilion.
"Junior Xiao Tian, you are far too good to me. I feel I could never repay you in this lifetime. In my next life, I still want to be by your side—even if it means being your ox or your horse."
"Then you won't have a next life to be my ox or horse. Because we'll live forever." He pinched her nose, laughing.
"Then I'll be your horse forever in this life." She smiled, pursed her lips, and let her gaze drift downward. "Junior Xiao Tian, I want to eat fried dough sticks. What do you want to eat?"
Xiao Tian winked at her. "Then I'll have two meat buns. Two are usually enough for me."
Han Yue looked at him teasingly and covered her mouth, laughing. "I think you can eat ten meat buns in one sitting. Two are nowhere near enough. You always eat at least four or more—sometimes even more than that. You only had two meat buns yesterday."
"But you're a big man. You need to eat more to fill your stomach."
Xiao Tian shifted into a more comfortable, semi-reclined position. "And what about you?"
Han Yue bit her lip, giggling. "I have a small appetite. One fried dough stick and a cup of soy milk are enough for me."
With that, she picked up a fried dough stick and began to eat. Xiao Tian reached for a meat bun as well.