Chapter 25: The Pranksters and Tulan’s Revelation

“Where are they?”

“They have already descended from here, Your Royal Highness.”

Upon entering the room, Crown Prince Yue Guangyao found no trace of the individuals he sought.

A sense of unease settled over him.

“Tulan, did they say anything?”

Such individuals, capable of aiding Gudou Toutian in his breakthrough, absolutely had to be brought under his control.

Tulan’s fingers idly brushed against the zither strings.

She then raised her gaze, meeting Yue Guangyao’s eyes with a placid expression, and spoke softly:

“They remarked that the toad and the corpulent pig had arrived, making this place unsuitable for prolonged stay.”

“What!”

At these words, Qian Zhisen’s ample frame visibly quivered.

“Those two half-demons, are they… one a silver-haired lizard monster, and the other a blue-haired cat-girl…”

Yue Guangyao’s face darkened to an unprecedented degree.

‘Those two little brats, how could they be so brazen!’ he fumed internally.

“Indeed, Your Royal Highness,” Tulan responded with an unflappable calm.

“Pursue them, now! They cannot have gone far! Assemble every available person and encircle the entire vicinity for this Crown Prince!”

Yue Guangyao, consumed by a furious rage, vowed to apprehend the two individuals.

He, too, departed from the room, intent on witnessing the Ahoge Dragon’s capture with his own eyes.

Unperturbed by the surrounding clamor, Tulan continued to pluck her zither, weaving a tapestry of elegant and melodious music that soothed the hearts of all who listened.

“So, who exactly are you two?”

Tulan directed her question towards the two figures lounging on the sofa before her.

“Hahahaha… Thank you, Big Sister Tulan, for not giving us away… Hehehehe…”

Ahoge Dragon and Mao Yuxia had, in fact, never left the room.

Instead, they had simply turned invisible, crouching in a nearby corner, where they leisurely cracked melon seeds and watched Yue Guangyao being led on a wild goose chase like a bewildered monkey.

“Big Sister Tulan, we are students from Star Moon Academy.

I am Mao Yuxia, and her, you can just call her Ahoge.”

A blush crept across Mao Yuxia’s cheeks; ‘Now Big Sister Tulan knows my name!’

It felt akin to forging a new friendship.

“Hehehe, Big Sister, let’s continue what we were doing before, ehehehe…”

Ahoge Dragon paid little heed to such trivial matters, confident that Yue Guangyao and his contingent would not return, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Ahoge Dragon intended to savor the present moment to its fullest.

“Little Ahoge, stop playing, let’s quickly figure out a way to get Big Sister Yueli to pick us up and take us back to the academy, meow~”

Mao Yuxia watched as Ahoge Dragon clung to the bare leg of a fox-eared woman.

She promptly delivered a headbutt to Ahoge Dragon, then seized her tail and dragged her away.

“Stinky cat, let go of me! I want to play with Big Sister, I don’t want to go back with you! Let go of me!”

Ahoge Dragon, seething with frustration, clutched at the carpet, attempting to wriggle free from Mao Yuxia’s grasp.

“No! If you keep acting up, I’ll tell Big Sister Yueli about all the bad things you’ve done!”

“You wouldn’t dare! If you do, I’ll tell Big Sister that you constantly dwell on lewd thoughts, even desiring to place your tail in inappropriate places!”

‘So, it’s mutual destruction, is it?’ Ahoge Dragon, never one to cower, thought defiantly.

‘Come, let’s duel!’ [referring to their tails].

Hearing this, Mao Yuxia’s face turned crimson, and she quickly retorted:

“Nonsense, meow! I didn’t think about those things! Telling Big Sister Yueli won’t help either!”

“You were even contemplating stuffing your tail into Big Sister Tulan’s *place* just a while ago! Don’t imagine I don’t know; you wanted to caress her entire body and lick her delicate pink ears~~”

“No! No! Don’t talk nonsense!”

Mao Yuxia, incandescent with shame and rage, began to pummel Ahoge Dragon’s small head with a rapid flurry of her tiny fists, chanting, ‘Ora Ora Ora Ora!’

“You’re flustered now, aren’t you? Exposed by me, do you intend to silence me permanently?”

“Hahaha! Kitty is such a big–perv–”

Ahoge Dragon propped her chin, gazing down with a condescending air, as if observing a repulsive insect.

“I didn’t… Meow~~”

Mao Yuxia felt utterly aggrieved; she truly had never harbored such thoughts!

It was all Ahoge Dragon, that lewd dragon, who had enticed her mind towards such peculiar notions…

“It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault! You’re the pervert! You’re the pervert! Die, pervert, meow! Die, pervert, meow! Meow meow meow!”

Mao Yuxia, her head spinning with fury, threw herself onto Ahoge Dragon, assailing her with a barrage of tiny fists.

Ahoge Dragon, unwilling to be outdone and incensed by such blatant attacks and insults, retaliated fiercely.

Ahoge Dragon pounded Mao Yuxia with her fists, furthermore employing her tail in the fray.

‘Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora!’

‘Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda!’

The two became inextricably entangled, locked in an intense, relentless brawl.

“Yueli… Big Sister…”

Hearing Yao Yueli’s name escape the lips of the two brawlers, Tulan paused, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

‘How fares my Big Sister Yueli now?’ she mused.

As memories of their shared past resurfaced, her eyes brightened with a nostalgic warmth.

However, the raucous sounds of the two impish fighters quickly jolted her back to reality.

A prominent vein pulsed visibly on her forehead.

‘Blang~~~~~’

With a forceful pluck of a zither string, ripples of sonic energy surged outwards, striking Ahoge Dragon and Mao Yuxia.

The two were instantly sent flying, slamming against the wall behind them.

“Third Young Miss, Fourth Young Miss, are you alright!”

The sudden impact startled the surrounding women, who rushed forward anxiously to ascertain if the two ‘young ladies’ had sustained any injuries.

“My head feels so fuzzy~~”

Ahoge Dragon shook her head, feeling disoriented.

Having been inexplicably struck, a profound sense of discomfort settled within her.

“Sorry! Sorry! Lady Tulan, we won’t dare to do it again next time.”

Mao Yuxia hastily offered her apologies to Tulan, realizing their brawl had been utterly inappropriate for the setting.

“Who hit me!?”

Ahoge Dragon scanned her surroundings with heightened vigilance, producing a crescent-moon throwing knife from beneath her skirt.

“(ﾒ｀ﾛ´)/ ‘Who dared to strike me? Show yourself!’”

“Third Young Miss, it was Lady Tulan, it’s wrong for you to fight here.”

The fox-eared woman beside her cautioned softly.

“Hahaha… It was Big Sister Tulan, then it’s fine, I thought it was the toad’s people.”

Ahoge Dragon scratched her head, then sheepishly put away her crescent-moon throwing knife.

She then cast an exceedingly awkward glance at Tulan.

Tulan’s unwavering gaze made Ahoge Dragon profoundly uncomfortable.

“I… I won’t dare next time!”

Mistaking Tulan’s stare for a stern warning, Ahoge Dragon swiftly clutched her chest and vowed earnestly.

“What is your relationship with Yao Yueli?”

“She’s my wife!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ahoge Dragon blurted out the declaration.

‘Pang~’

“Hiss… Who hit me again, meow~~”

Ahoge Dragon’s head was struck once more.

Upon looking up, she discovered it was a red ribbon.

“Ahhh!”

The ribbon then swiftly coiled around Ahoge Dragon, binding her securely.

She found herself spread-eagled, presented before Tulan.

“Big Sister Tulan really knows how to play, hehehehe~~”

Ahoge Dragon wore a dazed expression, utterly delighted to be subjected to such ‘bondage play’ by the adorable young loli.

Her heart pounded with an indescribable mixture of excitement and thrill!

“You’re about to be punished, yet you have a happy expression, Little Ahoge, are you a pervert?”

Mao Yuxia cast a disdainful glance at Ahoge Dragon from the sidelines.

She then addressed Tulan:

“Big Sister Tulan, pay no mind to her ramblings.

She was merely found by Big Sister Yueli, and all she does is cause mischief, day in and day out.”

“You are Yueli’s associates.

Tell me, what is Yueli’s current situation?”

Tulan, confined within these walls, rarely received news from the outside.

“I… Holy crap!!!”

Ahoge Dragon’s eyes widened dramatically, utterly dumbfounded.

The petite loli Tulan before her began to slowly expand, her form elongating until she stood as a tall, elegant woman of one hundred and eighty centimeters.

Is this even reasonable?! (TL Note: The original uses the pun “河里” (hé lǐ, “in the river”), a homophone of “合理” (hé lǐ, “reasonable”), turning the question into an absurd joke.)

Is this even in the Milky Way?! (TL Note: Another escalating pun — “银河里” (yín hé lǐ, “in the Milky Way”), which again mimics the sound of “合理” (reasonable), pushing the absurdity even further.)

‘Return my little loli to me!’

‘She vanished before I even had a chance to hug her?’

“Cough cough! Little Lan, Yao Yueli is already returning to the Enchantress Pavilion, and she promised you can go out once.

Tonight, you can send these two little guests back.”

Abruptly, a husky voice, its gender indiscernible, resonated from above.

“Pavilion Master…”

An excited smile bloomed on Tulan’s face; she would finally lay eyes on that person again.