After two rounds of terrifying free falls, the cat was left dizzy and refused to interact with the dragon, turning away in a huff. She curled up tightly, puffing her fur in irritation.
From a distance, in the black dragon’s claws, she looked like a small, fluffy dandelion.
Hmph! the cat had her pride, too. She was the kind that was super hard to please when upset!
No matter how much the dragon tried to soothe her, she wouldn’t respond. In the end, he had to find a place to land and, sitting cross-legged on a large rock, held the sulking the cat in his lap.
Quite a down-to-earth approach, really.
Almer began searching online on his device in frustration.
#HowToCheerUpAnUpsetKid#
Soon, he found similar posts online.
[“Isn’t it simple? If they’re already angry, you might as well tease them a bit more. Anyway, they’ll find a way to get back at you later, like deliberately interrupting you when you’re trying to get cozy with the wife. Honestly, it’s more annoying for me than them!”]
[“Comfort? Whose kid is so spoiled they need comfort? Mine throws a fit and tears up the house on their own (smiles).”]
[“Uh, how about buying them toys or snacks?”]
[“Best not to upset the little ones at home; that rascal tore off my scales once. It hurt like crazy!”]
[“Darn it, whenever my little one gets angry, he runs away from home. My wife and I have to visit the local police station a few times every month—you know what I mean? The officers are practically our Bruce now (world-weary.jpg).”]
[“Just give him a pile of sand or a wheel to spin. He’ll tire himself out and cool down eventually.”]
Almer: …………
Damn! None of this advice seemed useful. Well, maybe that bit about buying snacks or toys might work.
He looked down at the cat, who had her back to him and was staring intently ahead.
Following her gaze, Almer noticed they were by a lake.
The water was clear, revealing the stones—and some fish—below the surface.
It seemed like Shushu really liked fish.
She had given him an idea.
Almer gently placed the little one on the rock. “Do you want to watch me catch a fish?”
The furry little ears of the cat perked up, and she finally looked at him.
“Wait here. I’ll catch one for you.”
Then, the mighty dragon jumped into the lake, causing a huge splash that nearly drenched her.
Shushu looked up in a daze, momentarily forgetting to run away.
Fortunately, just in time, a golden barrier appeared before her, saving the ragdoll cat from becoming a soaking wet mess.
Standing in the lake, the dragon swished his tail. “It’s my psychic shield. It’ll keep you dry.”
Ruan Shu’s eyes widened, round and curious, with her little kitten voice sounding both flustered and annoyed.
“Meow meow meow!”
‘This mess is all your fault!’
Feeling slightly guilty, Almer lowered his head and began to catch fish.
The fish in the lake, calm at first, looked rather ordinary. But suddenly, Ruan Shu spotted one darting up behind Almer, its mouth wide open, flashing sharp teeth as it tried to chomp down on his tail.
Holding a particularly lively fish in his claws, its jaws snapping loudly as if trying to bite the air itself, the black dragon turned to glance at the fish now latched onto his tail. With a flick, he sent it flying not far from the cat.
Startled, Ruan Shu jumped, her little paws scrambling as she dashed up a tree, fur puffed up, watching the fish below with wary eyes.
Her instincts were clear: that fish could eat a cat!
So fierce!
Seeing her reaction, Almer explained, “I aimed it carefully—it wouldn’t have bitten you.”
Ruan Shu eyed the fish flopping about on the ground with suspicion in her clear eyes.
She decided to stay in the tree. Those fish were truly terrifying! They were freshwater fish, yet their teeth looked sharper than her own.
Almer tossed several fish from the lake onto the shore, his dragon body curling up the tree as he urged her to climb onto his head.
Ruan Shu glanced at his dark, scaled body. ‘Almer, are you a Western dragon?’
Almer: “???”
“What Western dragon? I’m a black dragon.”
Dragons were simply distinguished by their color in his mind.
‘Western dragons are the kind with big bellies and wings,’ Ruan Shu added.
The black dragon looked down, inspecting his own belly before swishing his tail. “My belly isn’t big.”
His dragon form was sleek, with flawless scales and beautiful wings—the handsomest of all the dragons, really.
In fact, every dragon was incredibly vain. Even older dragons firmly believed they were the most magnificent and awe-inspiring of their kind.
With Ruan Shu now perched on his head, Almer transformed back into his human form, pointing at the fish still wriggling on the ground.
“How would you like to eat them?”
Then he added, “But some parts of these fish are poisonous, so they need to be properly prepared before eating.”
The fluffy kitten let out a soft meow, and Almer could understand her “meow meow meow.”
‘Do you know how to prepare them?’
Almer: “I don’t.”
Ruan Shu: “……”
Then why did you even ask?
In front of others, he always seemed reliable—this esteemed Emperor—yet with her, he turned into a completely different person… or rather, a completely different dragon.
Even someone as mild-tempered as Ruan Shu often found herself exasperated by Almer, occasionally driven to swat him with her paws.
In the end, they released most of the fish back into the water, keeping only two.
Ruan Shu patted his head, signaling that it was time to go back.
Almer took off, glancing around at his surroundings. “With this short distance, I shouldn’t get lost, right?”
He sounded unsure, and Ruan Shu, perched on his head, couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding.
“You still haven’t told me why you can’t turn back into your human form. Is your little mascot body really okay? Should we just go to the hospital now and have it checked?”
Ruan Shu: “Meow meow meow…”
‘If you fly to the hospital looking like this, won’t they catch you? I’m fine; I just used up too much Jingshen last time. I’ll be back to normal in a couple of days.’
Almer: “Do you really think I’m that clueless? Does using Jingshen normally leave you stuck like this?”
Ruan Shu tapped his forehead scales with her paw. ‘You’re going the wrong way!’
Almer looked ahead. “Wrong? That can’t be; I was following my instincts.”
“Meow meow meow!”
‘A lost dragon’s instincts are bound to be wrong. Listen to me.’
Following her directions, Almer changed course, correcting himself no less than five times along the way until they finally made it home.
Ruan Shu slid off his back as though riding a slide, landing on the ground with a little shake to fluff her fur.
“Back, are you? I’ve got the seeds you wanted.”
Ruan He, eyeing the dragon with clear displeasure, seemed to wonder where Almer had taken his precious granddaughter this time.
Almer shifted to his human form, greeting Ruan He with a cheerful smile, as if oblivious to the displeasure.
“Shushu, do you want to plant them? Can I have a look?”
Ruan He was about to say it wasn’t convenient, but his granddaughter, whose loyalties seemed to lean outward just a bit, nodded in agreement.
Ruan He: “………”
This was all His Majesty’s fault!