Chapter 47: The Dragon’s Secret and a Perilous Quest

“Yueli-jie, is Little Ahoge truly a dragon?”

After escaping from the Blood Elf’s grasp, the trio wandered about before finding refuge in what appeared to be a massive beast’s cave.

As expected, once they sought shelter within the cave, the defensive tree tower ceased its relentless assault.

Though Mao Yuxia had long since confirmed to herself that Ahoge Dragon was indeed a dragon, she still wished to hear it reaffirmed by Yao Yueli.

This was because the demonic tattoo on Ahoge Dragon’s belly bore an uncanny resemblance to the contract runes of the Succubus clan.

‘Her beloved Yueli-jie had become someone else’s wife…’

‘Wuwuwu, but I was here first!’

“Yes, I apologize for keeping it from you for so long.”

Yao Yueli nodded, realizing that Ahoge Dragon’s identity as a dragon would be increasingly difficult to conceal.

‘From now on, I must become even stronger to protect Ahoge Dragon!’

“Little Ahoge must be so happy,” Mao Yuxia murmured.

Mao Yuxia lowered her head, concealing the sorrow in her eyes.

As she stroked Ahoge Dragon’s small forehead, she finally understood why Yueli-jie had suddenly become so formidable.

‘Advancing her cultivation realm was as simple as drinking water.’

‘It was all because Ahoge Dragon was a dragon!’

‘If it were me, so frail and weak, not being a burden to Yao Yueli would already be a blessing.’

‘Thinking this way, Yao Yueli and Ahoge Dragon truly are a perfect match.’

‘Yet, this urge to weep, this feeling of having lost something most precious…’

‘My heart feels so complicated!’

“We’re almost out of danger now. Wake Little Ahoge up!”

“Look at how terrified she is; she must think she’s about to be eaten! Good, let it be a lesson for her, see if she dares to slack off every day after this.”

Despite her words, Yao Yueli’s gaze remained fixed on the towering, monstrous defensive tree tower outside.

The core of this defensive tree tower was exceptionally precious, certain to be the primary material for Ahoge Dragon’s next upgrade.

She was already pondering how to acquire it.

With Yue Guangyao, Xing Rou’er, and others present, snatching anything from their grasp would prove exceedingly difficult.

“Achoo! Hmph-hmph—”

Ahoge Dragon was roused, letting out an adorable sneeze.

“Wuwuwu… don’t… don’t eat me… I’m not a dragon… I’m just a lizard…”

Seemingly with a slight delay, Ahoge Dragon huddled her body into a terrified ball.

“Little Ahoge, it’s all right now. Look, Yueli-jie is right here.”

Mao Yuxia gently stroked Ahoge Dragon’s head, soothing her frantic heart.

“Big Sister… Big Sister! Big Sister! Hah—”

Ahoge Dragon froze for a moment, then, hearing that Yao Yueli had returned, she quickly scanned her surroundings.

Spotting Yao Yueli at the cave entrance, Ahoge Dragon practically burst into tears as she scurried towards her.

She clung tightly to Yao Yueli’s slender waist.

“Big Sister, I thought I’d never see you again! Wuwuwu… it was so scary, it… it wanted to eat me…”

“There, there, it’s all right now.”

Seeing Ahoge Dragon’s snotty, tear-streaked crying, Yao Yueli found the mess on herself rather uncomfortable.

With a gentle push, she detached the little stinky dragon.

“Big Sister, has that big tree not been defeated yet?”

Soon after, Ahoge Dragon quickly reverted to her usual self, peering outside just like Yao Yueli.

They observed the defensive tree tower continuously unleashing attacks, as if powered by an inexhaustible supply of magic.

With such formidable attacks, how could anyone possibly defeat it?

“Defeating it won’t be simple. Many, many magical beasts are still under its control.”

“That’s right! That’s right! I almost forgot! Aren’t we here to raid their lair while the magical beasts are still under control?”

“Let’s hurry and find treasures! And look, these scorched trees around us, aren’t they from where we started the fire?”

“That defensive tree tower appeared right from here, so maybe we can find its lair! For such a behemoth, its home must surely contain many precious things!”

Ahoge Dragon was utterly thrilled; this way, she could acquire numerous treasures for her own upgrades.

“What you say sounds simple, but it will be very dangerous. Just because we thought of it doesn’t mean others haven’t as well.”

“If what happened before were to repeat, and I couldn’t protect you, seeing you in danger would fill me with immense guilt.”

Before coming here, Yao Yueli had already set her foremost objective.

That was to absolutely ensure Ahoge Dragon’s safety.

Other matters were secondary; after all, tragedy had already struck once, and she had no intention of letting the same thing happen again.

“Wuwu, how boring that would be! I want to go play!”

With piles upon piles of treasures right before her eyes, how could Ahoge Dragon possibly give up?

She tugged at Yao Yueli’s skirt hem, tilting her head back to reveal a face full of pleading, swaying from side to side.

“Big Sister, let’s just go! Maybe we’ll find tons and tons of treasures! I might even find all the materials I need for upgrading once we get inside!”

“Please, let’s go~ Pretty please, let’s go~”

Watching Ahoge Dragon’s petulant pouting, Yao Yueli’s brows furrowed slightly. ‘This little rascal truly loves courting death!’

‘Courting death is a definite no-go!’

“Absolutely not! We need to pack up quickly. This cave before us seems quite decent; after exploring it, we’ll leave this place immediately!”

“It’s far too dangerous. If you two possessed three-star strength, it might be feasible, but two-star is simply too weak.”

Yao Yueli’s resolute refusal pierced their hearts.

“Uwumiao~ I’m sorry, Yueli-jie. I’m too weak, nya~”

Mao Yuxia, her heart stung, lowered her head in self-reproach.

“Well, isn’t that just because we don’t have upgrade materials yet! Let’s hurry to where the defensive tree tower appeared! Maybe we’ll find lots of useful treasures there!”

Ahoge Dragon showed not a hint of defeat; instead, she felt that her current weakness was entirely due to Yao Yueli not having found enough treasures for her upgrades!

“Don’t even think about tricking me! We are not going anywhere dangerous today!”

Yao Yueli was no fool; she saw right through Ahoge Dragon’s provocations.

Without further ado, she grabbed Ahoge Dragon’s horns like a steering wheel and forcibly dragged her deeper into the cave.

As she left, she even swung her sword, collapsing the cave entrance.

This way, no one else would be able to intrude.

“Don’t… don’t grab my horns… It’s making my head spin, swaying back and forth like this.”

Ahoge Dragon struggled. ‘Isn’t following her in just… following her in?’

‘Why does she keep holding onto my horns!’

“This way, it’s easier to control you! Stupid Ahoge, the more you squirm, the more your head will wobble! You’d best behave yourself.”

Holding Ahoge Dragon’s horns felt rather comfortable. Yao Yueli was reluctant to let go.

“Mngh… still so wobbly… Let me… let go of me…”

The foolish Ahoge actually believed her nonsense and stopped struggling, but it was utterly useless.

All that wobbling was entirely due to Yao Yueli twisting her wrist!