Chapter 37: Little Dragon Pup

The candle flames in the golden lamps flickered and swayed, sending shadows dancing across the walls.

Around a distant corner, a bizarre shadow was projected onto the golden wall. Its form was peculiar, hovering in midair as it swayed gently in time with the candlelight.

Ye Jingqiu deliberately slowed her breathing. With every careful step forward, she drew on nearly every trick in her arsenal. The techniques the Captain had taught her were proving invaluable, always ready to save the day in a pinch.

The hallway was deathly silent, save for the shadow’s low panting. Ye Jingqiu’s right hand gripped the hilt of her knife tightly as she pressed her body flat against the golden wall. She turned, raised her blade, and drew a deep breath, poised to strike—

The figure suddenly leaped out, streaking through the air faster than lightning could strike.

Ye Jingqiu’s nerves were strung taut as harp strings. In an instant, her right wrist flicked forward, sending the blade slicing toward the shadow’s vital point. The snowy-white edge hurtled straight for its mark!

“Woof!”

A bright, excited bark rang out, clear and joyful. Ye Jingqiu’s eyes went blank as she took in the scene before her.

A little red dragon about half a meter long hovered in midair. Its deep blue slit pupils brimmed with delight. It paid no mind to the sharp knife edge pressing against its jaw and barked twice more, as if extending the warmest welcome to this unexpected visitor.

Ye Jingqiu: “?”

What the—? What kind of new Exotic Beast breed was this? A dragon-dog hybrid or a dog-dragon?

Silence blanketed the corridor; even the candle shadows had stilled. Ye Jingqiu cautiously tilted her head for a better look at the strange creature.

The little dragon’s head was about the size of a human fist, its nascent horns resembling little bumps from a collision. Its body was covered in tough Dragon Scales, and its tail wagged furiously in the air like a dog’s. Overall, it looked like a shrunken-down version of the dream world’s Candle Dragon.

Ye Jingqiu glanced down at the five claws dangling from its front paws. Holy cow—this was a five-clawed golden dragon.

Not getting the reaction it wanted, the little dragon tilted its head and barked twice more. The motion pressed its neck right against the knife edge. Ye Jingqiu jolted in alarm and hastily pulled the Quick Knife back a bit.

With the uncomfortable pressure gone from under its jaw, the little dragon perked up visibly. Its tail coiled affectionately around Ye Jingqiu’s left wrist, rubbing against her like a happy pup.

Sensing no hostility from it, Ye Jingqiu thought for a moment, then sheathed her knife. She tentatively reached out with her free right hand and stroked its back, her touch light and gentle.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Great. This thing really was a dog.

Ye Jingqiu wanted to cry but had no tears left. Could this woofing little dragon really be the world-shattering S-rank Exotic Beast Candle Dragon from her dreams? Had some accident reverted it to its juvenile state?

Yet staring at this blinking, tail-wagging “dragon pup,” she couldn’t connect it to the Candle Dragon no matter how hard she tried.

It felt so abrupt—like someone solemnly pointing at your family dog and declaring, “Do you have any idea this thing will destroy the world when it grows up?”

Ye Jingqiu had no idea how to deal with the little dragon. The Base’s standing policy on such creatures was to kill first, ask questions never.

Setting that aside for now, it was still an Exotic Beast. Based on her past experience, didn’t that mean she should have some Word Manifestation ability right about now?

First things first—could she get out of here?

Ye Jingqiu shook her Wrist Ring. As long as her Rampage Value hit double digits, she could at least use an Instinct like Southern Ladle to get her bearings.

Aether, sprawled on the Wrist Ring, stretched lazily. The Rampage Value display loaded slowly, the progress bar nearly complete. Ye Jingqiu stared at the screen, holding her breath for this “lifesaver.”

“Current Rampage Value: 0.”

Aether drawled out the number in its lazy tone. Ye Jingqiu froze, a cold sweat instantly soaking her back.

Her Instinct… was gone.

Temporary or permanent? If it was the latter… how would she ever chase down her lost memories?

She stood rooted to the spot for a long while, until the eager little dragon wrapped around her arm. Its warm, smooth touch finally snapped her out of it.

Whatever. At least running into the little dragon was a turn of events.

Ye Jingqiu exhaled heavily, steadying her nerves. Only then did she notice the little dragon sweeping its tail against her affectionately while nudging its head toward the depths of the passage, as if trying to lead her somewhere.

This seemed to be some side corridor in the palace. Past the corner, it branched into a maze of paths. Ye Jingqiu hesitated, then took two tentative steps in the direction it indicated. Sure enough, the little dragon bobbed its head excitedly, thrilled that she understood.

Ye Jingqiu smiled faintly, a strange softness welling up in her heart. She patted the little Candle Dragon’s wrinkly head and pressed on.

After navigating the labyrinthine Passageway, her eyes suddenly widened. A grand, expansive golden world unfolded before her. Twelve massive pillars upheld a vaulted ceiling of solid gold, every inch forged from pure, seamless metal without a single weld or join.

The Golden Hall stood empty, save for a square indentation in the center floor, as if some beast-sized furniture had once occupied it.

Flanking the hall were several stone statues three or four meters tall. As Ye Jingqiu walked, she examined them—they depicted Exotic Beasts, each clad in flowing robes and wearing serene smiles.

The sculptor’s craft was exquisite. The foremost statue had a wolf’s head—a He Ju Beast, most likely. The others varied wildly, resembling the animals of the Chinese zodiac.

Ye Jingqiu’s expression turned indescribable. No way, right? Had the Candle Dragon and its vassals actually worn clothes to court back in the day? This dragon barking to open the assembly, and the He Ju minister lunging forward: “Your Majesty, I request a tender human for lunch today—make it two. Sound good?”

“You’re not planning to make me dinner, are you?” Ye Jingqiu tapped the little dragon on the nose perched on her shoulder, half-joking. “I perform, but I don’t sell my body, Your Majesty.”

The little dragon overreacted, leaping from her shoulder and darting behind the He Ju statue.

Curious, Ye Jingqiu followed. She watched as it wriggled like a noodle through a pile of clutter behind the statue, pushing out an object:

A Nintendo Switch.

A Legend of Zelda cartridge was still slotted into the console.

Ye Jingqiu hissed in surprise and glanced at the pile of junk: an old Xiaobawang console from last century, game cartridges, Nine Linked Rings, a White Glazed Backgammon Board alongside Agarwood Chess pieces, all mixed in with shattered bronze artifacts. At first glance, it looked just like the trash bin of some Time Management Bureau, stuffed with odds and ends from the twentieth century all the way back to antiquity.

In those long, boring years, it must have passed the time with this stuff.

The little dragon bobbed its head playfully and pushed the console toward Ye Jingqiu with its hooked little claw. Its vertical pupils gleamed like stars, its expression brimming with eager anticipation.

Want to play with me?

Ye Jingqiu froze for a moment. Tentatively, she pressed the power button on the console. The screen lit up instantly, and a Traditional Chinese notification popped up—the battery was still at 97%.

It was a bit hard to wrap her head around. Ye Jingqiu simply sat down cross-legged and looked around the chamber, wondering what in the world this was all about. She had been ready to draw her blade and face off against an exotic beast in a fight to the death, only to end up in this signal-dead underground palace tomb, playing the latest games on a console with a dragon?

Well, might as well play. If the console was here, it meant this place wasn’t completely sealed off—there had to be some kind of connection to the outside world. Maybe this little dragon could even lead her out.

Accepting her situation, Ye Jingqiu dove right into the game with practiced ease. The little Candle Dragon perched on her shoulder, its eyes glued to the screen. When she defeated a boss, it excitedly threw its head back and barked a few times—woof woof!—as if cheering her on.

Hey, this little dragon’s barks were pretty cute.

Ye Jingqiu freed up her right hand to stroke the little dragon’s head. Warm breath brushed over its scales, and the little dragon blinked its sparkling vertical pupils, shaking its head gently to nuzzle back against the human’s hand.

Wait a second…

Ye Jingqiu suddenly noticed something. She stopped breathing for a moment, then slowly reached out to part the little dragon’s scales.

The little dragon obediently lowered its head, revealing its pair of short dragon horns.

One half broken, one half intact—exactly like the massive dragon from her dream.

Before Ye Jingqiu could even react, ghostly footsteps echoed softly through the vast hall! An Azure Flame materialized out of thin air, shooting forward like a fine swift sword straight into the little Candle Dragon’s broken horn!

The searing heat burned mercilessly. The little dragon let out a agonized wail and plummeted straight from Ye Jingqiu’s shoulder. It smashed the console aside, its body writhing in pain across the floor as it emitted heartbreaking cries.

The tumbling blue-and-red console broke its controller, and the words “Game Over” flashed in blood-red letters like fresh paint, as if little hellish imps were grinning mockingly in welcome to one human and one dragon.

That had to hurt. Ye Jingqiu could even smell the acrid scent of roasting flesh and blood.

This intruder meant business. She rolled to her feet in a flash, only to see a ghostly figure lurking silently in the shadows. Pale white robes fluttered alongside the lamplight, and a flickering handful of Azure Flame danced in its grasp, eerie as any chi or mei spirit.

It was human!

Ye Jingqiu drew her blade in defense, but before she could steady herself, the little dragon had already charged ahead! Its expression twisted in fury, as if it could not tolerate anyone offending the Dragon God’s dignity.

An enraged roar shook the heavens and earth. Blazing Dragon Breath erupted from its maw like writhing silver serpents, a crimson glow so intense it stung the eyes, flooding the entire chamber in an instant. Ye Jingqiu squinted and vaguely made out the exotic beast’s fully bared fangs.

Sharp, vicious, lethal—no craftsman could forge a weapon so perilous, so intimidating.

The dragon’s pouncing stance was out for blood, its deep-buried cruel bestial nature finally awakened. Ye Jingqiu instinctively took a step back, realizing more clearly than ever that this was an exotic beast—one that would snap off a person’s head, gulp down blood, and chew flesh.

Even if, just half a minute ago, this exotic beast had been cozied up on her shoulder, playing games with her.

The figure in white countered swiftly. Facing flames hot enough to incinerate all creation, she dodged lightly to the right and flicked out a bluish Azure Lamp flame, instantly shattering the ferocious Dragon Breath.

The little dragon wailed as its attack missed and crashed back to the ground, its four claws flailing weakly in midair, as if that strike had drained every last ounce of its strength.

“The azure lamp’s blue paste rests, falling light dances like moths.”

A soft, low sigh drifted through the air. Ye Jingqiu whipped her head around. She couldn’t make out the words, but the voice’s timbre felt achingly familiar.

She watched as the ghostly shadow stepped forward from behind the statue, and in disbelief, she recognized the figure before her.

“Little… Teacher Xiao Xu?”