Chapter 20: Bai Yuan’s Misunderstanding

“Mo Xiao, what are you doing?”

Standing by the deep pool, Bai Yuan watched as the tiny girl extended her slender dragon tail into the water, gently swaying it.

“I’m fishing. Isn’t that obvious at a glance?”

Mo Xiao folded her arms and closed her eyes, quietly sensing the movement beneath the surface.

Collecting Jade Pool Mud wasn’t easy. Within this pool lurked a kind of ferocious deep-water giant crocodile.

Moreover, the mud lay at the very bottom, making it extremely difficult to gather. Fortunately, there was a species of Jade Pool Fish here, their bodies coated in thick layers of that mud. Catching one meant obtaining the material.

Mo Xiao couldn’t be bothered to dive in and catch fish herself—fishing from the shore was far more convenient.

“Ah? Your dragon tail is used for this kind of thing?”

Bai Yuan stared in shock at the tail tip fully submerged in the water. This was her first time seeing a young dragon use its tail to fish.

It completely shattered her image of dragon girls. Mo Xiao didn’t act like a dragon at all.

“So, does my useless master want to go down and catch them herself? I’m doing this to help you collect materials, you know. Do you think I want to?”

Her lowered tail stirred up splashes in annoyance, scaring away nearby fish.

“N-no, that’s fine. Thanks for your hard work, Mo Xiao, haha…”

Bai Yuan glanced at the bottomless pool and instinctively stepped back a few paces. She was completely hopeless in water—couldn’t swim at all.

And those Jade Pool Fish were extremely hard to catch anyway. She’d be useless even if she went in.

“Hmph~ Just a verbal thank-you? Nothing more… practical?”

Mo Xiao let out a soft snort, her tail swaying lightly in the water.

Earlier, she had casually dug up some worms nearby and tossed them in. Combined with the scent her tail emitted, it should be enough to lure fish.

“So what do you want, Mo Xiao? You’re just a book spirit—you don’t really need anything, right?”

Bai Yuan looked puzzled. Book spirits weren’t like humans with all kinds of desires—they acted according to their settings.

If it were a greed-type setting, maybe money would matter—but Mo Xiao clearly wasn’t that.

Wait… could it be…

Bai Yuan’s eyes widened. She hurriedly hugged herself and backed away. This little brat seemed to have a lustful setting too.

She couldn’t possibly want her flat body, right? That… that couldn’t be…

“Y-you’re not asking me to help you find a man, are you?”

Bai Yuan tested cautiously in a small voice. If it was that, she really couldn’t help.

“Ew~ What nonsense are you thinking, idiot master?! As if I’d want a man! If I were to look for anyone, it’d be a dragon, okay?!”

Mo Xiao’s face flushed bright red, a chill running down her spine.

She’d rather die than go after men. Even if she had a lustful setting, it was directed at women—she had zero interest in men.

“Th-then… do you want me? No! No! That’s not allowed!”

Bai Yuan shook her head frantically, her face burning crimson.

“Oh? So master has that kind of interest? Well… it’s not entirely impossible, hehe~”

Seeing Bai Yuan’s intense reaction, Mo Xiao quickly realized she had misunderstood—and of course, she wasn’t going to let such a golden opportunity slip by.

“I don’t! It’s just that your settings say so!”

Bai Yuan turned her head away, muttering in embarrassment. She admitted she liked cute girls—but Mo Xiao was such a tiny brat she had no interest at all.

She preferred big, busty older sisters… just thinking about it made her want to cry.

“Hmph~ Master sure knows a lot. I didn’t even say anything, yet you’re already thinking along those lines. Seems like your interests aren’t so small either?”

A sly glint flashed in Mo Xiao’s eyes. Back when she cleaned the room, she had found some… questionable books.

This barely-grown girl had secretly bought adult novels—and all of them featured busty older women in risqué scenarios. It had shocked her.

Naturally, Mo Xiao, filled with “maternal concern,” confiscated them in the name of health, leaving Bai Yuan too embarrassed to face her for days.

“Ugh, stop it! I didn’t say anything. Talk or don’t, I don’t care!”

Bai Yuan turned away, refusing to continue such an embarrassing topic.

Silence fell by the pool, broken only by the occasional ripple of water. Mo Xiao focused on fishing, no longer teasing her master.

After a long while with no sound, Bai Yuan secretly glanced back.

Mo Xiao stood firm as a mountain on the shore, eyes closed, her twin ponytails swaying gently in the breeze.

“…She really is cute when she’s quiet. Cute, but with a hint of coolness too. Too bad her personality is so awful.”

Bai Yuan found herself staring, murmuring softly with a trace of regret.

If Mo Xiao weren’t so ill-tempered, even her petite size wouldn’t matter—she’d definitely like her.

But the moment that cherry-like mouth opened, all that came out were infuriating words.

“Wait… what’s that?”

Bai Yuan suddenly noticed a dark brown shape appearing behind Mo Xiao. A massive silhouette flashed through her mind.

Her expression turned urgent as she shouted:

“Watch out! There’s a crocodile behind you!”

Splash!

Her warning overlapped with the explosive sound of water. Mo Xiao opened her golden eyes, a flash of light streaking through her pupils.

Her submerged dragon tail whipped forward at lightning speed, striking the lunging giant crocodile. With a loud bang, a massive wave surged up and crashed down near her boots.

Bai Yuan stood frozen, mouth agape.

Did she just see Mo Xiao fling a five-meter-long crocodile away with her tail?

“Tch. Bad luck. Didn’t catch any Jade Pool Fish—instead I hooked this big thing.”

Mo Xiao muttered irritably. That stupid crocodile had scared away all the fish near her tail, ruining her mood.

“Forget it. Let’s think of another way.”

Pouting, she walked back to Bai Yuan. Her dragon tail dissolved into black mist behind her.

“S-so strong… Mo Xiao, your tail is insanely powerful…”

Bai Yuan suddenly felt a chill remembering she had once touched that tail. If Mo Xiao had tightened it even slightly, she might’ve been snapped in two.

“Of course. Even a young dragon is still a dragon, okay? You’re the one who wrote this race setting—you should know it better.”

Though secretly pleased, Mo Xiao lifted her chin proudly and lectured her master.

“I know, okay? But it’s my first time seeing it so directly…”

Bai Yuan muttered back, unconvinced.

The sheer contrast in size made it even more shocking. That crocodile could’ve swallowed Mo Xiao whole—yet she had sent it flying with a single strike.

The visual impact was overwhelming.

And… she had to admit—Mo Xiao looked really cool just now.

“Hmph~ That was nothing. I’ll show master something even more impressive next~”

Mo Xiao tried to sound indifferent, but the pride in her voice was obvious.

“Hm? Looks like I’ll have to show you later. Useless master, get behind me and don’t move~”

Suddenly, her small ears twitched. From the surrounding forest came the faint sound of fabric brushing against leaves—several people were closing in.

And they clearly weren’t friendly.

“What’s going on?”

Bai Yuan couldn’t hear as sharply, but seeing Mo Xiao’s serious expression, she didn’t hesitate and quickly hid behind her.