Chapter 72
Arriving on the island was a red dragon strikingly similar to Dragon Chi, whether in its original form or human guise. If it weren’t for seeing Dragon Chi nearby, Shen Qi would have mistaken this giant dragon descending from the sky as Dragon Chi himself.
The colossal dragon flapped its wings, shrinking as it neared the small island. It descended like a streak of light, landing directly in front of the cave. The red glow dissipated, revealing an elegantly dressed young man with crimson hair and eyes, bearing a striking resemblance to Dragon Chi. Clearly, there was a connection between the two.
The young man glanced at both of them, gracefully bowing to Shen Qi. His eyes held admiration, and his tone flowed like a poetic lament: “Greetings, beautiful prince. You are even more captivating than I imagined. Your eyes, like black pearls, are enchanting. Your skin, as delicate as jade and as fair as snow. You…”
“Shut up!” Dragon Chi cut him off before he could finish, stepping forward to shield Shen Qi. His eyes blazed with anger. “Who allowed you to set foot in my territory?!”
The young man sighed. “My dear brother, after three hundred years, your temper remains as volatile as when you were a child. It’s not good. You’ll frighten the prince with such behavior. Humans generally avoid dealing with ill-tempered individuals, and dragons are no different.” He turned to Shen Qi, winking mischievously. “Beautiful prince, my brother lacks charm. Perhaps you should consider someone else?”
“Lie!” Dragon Chi roared, transforming into a dragon and lunging at the young man.
Before Shen Qi could say a word, he watched the two dragons engage in a fierce aerial battle, creating waves and turmoil in the sky.
Half an hour later, in the cave’s living room:
“Ah…” Dragon Chi winced as Shen Qi gently applied medicine to the bruise near his eye. “It hurts…”
Shen Qi remained expressionless, pressing down firmly. “You know it hurts, so why fight?”
“He provoked me!” Dragon Chi pointed to Dragon Lie, who was tending to his own bruises nearby. His expression was indignant. “And he bullied you!”
Dragon Lie, less elegantly, rubbed his cheek in front of the mirror. “My dear brother, I was merely speaking the truth. That’s not provocation. As for bullying the prince, that’s even more unreasonable. Everyone loves fresh flowers, and I was merely expressing admiration for his beauty. Oh, I forgot—you, my dull-witted dragon brother, wouldn’t understand.”
“You!” Dragon Chi seethed. He and Dragon Lie had never gotten along since childhood. Dragon Lie had been banished from the nest, and Dragon Chi had rejoiced — only to be banished himself the next day. If Dragon Lie hadn’t spoken to their father, Dragon Chi wouldn’t have left so early!
“Stay still!” Shen Qi held Dragon Chi’s head. “Be careful with the wound.”
His gaze was sharp, instantly recognizing that Dragon Lie had no ill intentions. In fact, he seemed genuinely concerned for his foolish brother, coming to investigate the situation.
“Apologies,” Shen Qi said on behalf of Dragon Chi. “He didn’t mean it.”
Dragon Lie raised an eyebrow, smiling. “I accept the apology, beautiful one.” He sighed dramatically. “I only care about Chi. When I heard news of him, I dropped everything and rushed here. It’s not my first visit; I’ve been here twice before, but you both were absent. I left my aura behind, but unfortunately, my dear brother was lost in the depths of the sea, unaware. Or perhaps…” He glanced at Dragon Chi, looking heartbroken. “I didn’t expect my dear brother to be so unwelcoming. Oh, I wonder what I did wrong…”
Shen Qi suspected Dragon Lie had spent time in a human theater. His exaggerated expressions and melodramatic tone resembled an opera.
Dragon Chi stumbled over his words, unable to retort. He felt utterly wronged. As Shen Qi pressed down on him, the suppressed anger surged again, and he longed to pounce and fight.
“I didn’t welcome you, but it was you who spoke out of turn. Ah Qi belongs to me, and you shouldn’t offend him.” He paused and added, “Compliments won’t work either!”
He held Shen Qi’s waist, looking vigilant, ready to pounce if the other dared to say anything else.
Dragon Lie raised an eyebrow, assuming a truce-like posture. “Alright, alright. I won’t say anything. But can I at least talk about you?”
Without hesitation, he got straight to the point. “I heard your illness has improved, and you can stand now?”
Dragon Chi’s pride swelled. He lifted his chin. “Yes, I’m better. I can stand, and I’ve even mated with Ah Qi. Hah—”
Shen Qi rolled his eyes, silently repeating three times not to get angry. Different species, different customs—he needed to adapt and get used to it. Just be straightforward; it was okay, he could endure.
Dragon Lie raised an eyebrow, smiling. “But I heard from Xiao Xue that you went to see her and failed again.”
“I—hah—” Dragon Chi glanced at Shen Qi’s expressionless face and cautiously continued, “I was just too happy at the time. I wanted to prove I wasn’t useless to Xiao Xue. I didn’t intend to mate with her, really. I only wanted to mate with you.” Seeing Shen Qi’s unchanged expression, he added, “I like only you.”
Shen Qi’s face softened slightly. “Hmm.”
Dragon Chi breathed a sigh of relief, tentatively picking up the egg rolling on his face. “I’ll handle this myself; you rest a bit…” He felt that pressing the egg further might worsen the injuries on his face.
Observing their interaction, Dragon Lie rubbed his chin, mischief in his eyes. “So, your illness only works on the prince, which explains why you keep him close.” Realizing he might have misspoken, he quickly added, “Look at me; it was you who saved the prince.”
He seemed to know Shen Qi well, including the Empire of St. Carlos. “I’ve heard about it. The Church uses your name for sacrifices, demanding the prince’s country to offer a beautiful youth to you every decade. These youths are then kept on a small island. The prince was framed by his stepmother. If you hadn’t saved him, he might have…”
He stopped short, aware that Shen Qi was present, but the implication was clear.
Dragon Chi already knew about this; Shen Qi had mentioned it. However, he hadn’t understood why the bishop would imprison the youths on an island. Now he did. The matter resurfaced, and he grew agitated. “How dare they bully you! I’ll bring them back!”
“No need,” Dragon Lie said. “Many of those imprisoned on the island have escaped. Someone leaked the information. The bishop has been reassigned; the Church won’t let him live. But since you took the prince away, humans don’t think the sacrifices are wrong. They assume you’re simply not interested in the previous youths. In ten years, you’ll probably have another prince.”
Dragon Chi frowned. “I only want Ah Qi, not anyone else!” He glanced at Shen Qi. “Ah Qi is Ah Qi, not a prince.”
Shen Qi looked surprised, momentarily not understanding what Dragon Chi meant.
Worried, Dragon Chi continued, “Ah Qi, do you want to go back and continue being a prince?”
Dragon Chi knew what a prince was; they had servants, never needing to lift a finger, and everyone treated them with respect. But here, Shen Qi cooked and did laundry himself. He thought about it — what if Shen Qi didn’t want to stay here and wanted to return?
Shen Qi could tell what he was thinking just by looking at him. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “What if I want to go back?”
Dragon Chi’s expression confirmed his suspicions, and then, after a rare moment of seriousness, he nodded. “Then I’ll go back with you.”
Shen Qi: …
Clearly, he shouldn’t have expected too much from the second fool.
However, Dragon Chi became more and more enthusiastic about the idea. He exclaimed, “I’ll accompany you to your country. Anyone who bullies you, I’ll take care of them. Although your stepmother sent you to me, she’s not a good person. I’ll expose her lies and let you become king, how about that?”
That way, he’d have servants to attend to him, right? Even though he disliked crowded places, he could endure it for Shen Qi.
Dragon Lie laughed, “But being a king means you have to marry a queen and produce offspring. Never mind that you’re a dragon, you’re male. Can you give birth?”
Dragon Chi was taken aback and immediately shook his head. “No, no, I can’t be king.” He looked at Shen Qi, hesitated, and stammered, “Ah Qi, don’t go back, okay? Find a human to serve you… and I’ll give you half of my gold coins to spend. Don’t become a king, okay?”
Shen Qi chuckled. When he saw Dragon Chi’s anxious expression, he finally said, “I won’t go back for now. My father, the king, doesn’t like me. He won’t pass the throne to me. However,” he paused, “I’ll have to go back eventually to clarify things. Otherwise, ten years later, they might send another prince to you.”
“Okay, okay.” Relieved that Shen Qi wasn’t leaving, Dragon Chi nodded repeatedly.
After Dragon Lie finished applying the medicine, he looked around and praised, “Did Prince Shen design all of this? It’s amazing. Prince Shen truly lives up to his title.”
Shen Qi had a rough idea of what he was up to. He smiled and cooperated, “You don’t need to call me prince. Like Chi, just call me Ah Qi.”
Before Dragon Chi could object, Dragon Lie beat him to it. “Alright, Ah Qi, you’re beautiful and kind-hearted. You don’t need to use formal language with me either. Just call me ‘big brother’ like Chi does.”
Shen Qi playfully called him “big brother,” and this time, Dragon Chi didn’t object. He just watched Dragon Lie warily and directly chased him away, “Alright, everything’s been explained. You should leave!”
Dragon Lie shook his head. “Sigh, your temper hasn’t improved much despite three hundred years of seawater erosion. Are you sure you want me to go? We rarely meet, and I have so much to tell you. You haven’t lived in the human world, so there’s a lot you don’t understand. Fortunately, I’ve been walking among humans since I came of age. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!”
He laughed in a carefree manner. “Considering you’re my younger brother, I’ll teach you everything about humans for free. Don’t you want to get closer to Ah Qi? Let me tell you, human thoughts are different from ours dragons’…”
Dragon Chi hesitated, pondered for a moment, and then sought Shen Qi’s opinion. Shen Qi shrugged, indicating he didn’t mind. In the end, they agreed to let Dragon Lie stay.
But soon, Shen Qi regretted it.
After enjoying a meal cooked by Shen Qi, Dragon Lie conjured a bouquet of roses from thin air and presented it to Shen Qi. In an exaggerated tone, he sighed, “Oh, talented Prince Shen, you surprise me once again. I regret it. How can my foolish and clumsy little brother deserve someone like you? Come with me, and I’ll give you everything…”
Shen Qi’s mouth twitched.
“Lie!” Dragon Chi was furious and pounced on him, starting a fight.
The two dragons, who had forgotten their past wounds, transformed back into their dragon forms and fought in mid-air. Shen Qi finished cleaning up the dishes, carried a plate of sliced fruit, and sat on the terrace, watching the live dragon brawl.
Hmm, two dragons fighting—it wasn’t something you saw every day.
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