“This is another mutated plant from the same batch as the orchid, the kumquat. These plants have zero X-pollutants, and the kumquat’s function is to soothe unstable Jingshen.”
Hearing this, Almer’s fingers tightened around the teacup. With a crunch, the cup cracked.
The ragdoll cat’s ears twitched, and her clear, big eyes looked over.
Almer set the cup down and gave an apologetic smile to the old marshal.
“Apologies, but perhaps this cup wasn’t of great quality.”
Ruan He: ………
Damn it, isn’t this the time for you to blame your own strength instead?
Almer had no intention of blaming himself. He’d merely exerted a little pressure; it was just that the cup’s quality was poor.
“That kumquat tree…”
Ruan He interrupted directly, “The kumquat tree is in my house. I’ll give you a potted orchid instead—take it or leave it.”
Almer’s face immediately looked disappointed.
Ruan Shu: So, you really did want it after all.
The cat was practically rolling her eyes.
If Almer knew what the cat was thinking, he’d definitely say proudly that if a dragon takes a liking to something, they’d seize it by any means necessary, even by fighting for it.
The only reason he hadn’t resorted to force was that this was his little lucky charm’s home. Otherwise, he’d have come up with some excuse to challenge them to a fight or gamble for the kumquats.
Ruan He was well aware of the domineering nature of the dragon clan and hadn’t mentioned the pothos or the asparagus fern at all.
The kumquat tree was only revealed because his son had taken the medicine extracted from the kumquat to the military headquarters for testing, making it impossible to keep hidden. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told Almer about it either.
After a lengthy discussion, filled with verbal sparring, Almer managed to secure five small kumquats from the Ruan family.
As he played with the vibrant kumquats between his fingers, he didn’t forget to take advantage of the cat by holding her soft little paw.
“So, would you mind telling me where these mutated plants came from?”
Mutated plants that could suppress X-pollutants and, more importantly, soothe Jingshen were an irresistible temptation for the entire Star Beast Empire—no, for the whole universe.
Ruan He hesitated for a moment before directing his complicated gaze at the cat in Almer’s arms.
“Shushu grew them.”
Almer froze mid-paw-squeeze, lowering his head to look at the innocent-faced cat.
“My little lucky charm?”
Ruan He’s mouth twitched, wondering why His Majesty had chosen such a ridiculous nickname for his granddaughter.
“Yes, Shushu grew them.”
Ruan Shu, acting the part of a well-behaved cat, kept her ears perked up, silently listening to her grandfather and Almer talk.
“Shushu herself doesn’t know how she managed to grow these mutated plants. She was just planting them to pass the time when she first arrived at the Ruan household, as there was no one around to accompany her. Nobody knows why these plants mutated. They were so unlike typical mutated plants that we were suspicious and decided to investigate. And that investigation led to results none of us could have anticipated.”
Ruan He spoke half-truths, and Almer listened intently, though it was unclear if he believed any of it.
“So, it sounds like Marshal Ruan’s household has more than just one pot of these plants, then?”
Ruan He faltered, realizing that, despite his young appearance, this emperor was annoyingly sharp and perceptive.
Almer smiled. “Since Shushu grew them and you are her family, rest assured that, even if I want them, I won’t snatch them away. I’m not that unreasonable of a dragon.”
Ruan He looked at him expressionlessly, as if saying, ‘Just see if I believe that.’
“So, can you confirm if the other plants also have the power to soothe Jingshen?”
“No.”
Ruan He replied calmly, “Your Majesty, it’s time for you to leave with the orchid.”
Almer sounded slightly aggrieved, clutching the cat’s little paw. “Oh, so Marshal Ruan doesn’t welcome me. But I would be thrilled to have Shushu as a guest at my home. Now that I’m here, there’s no rush to leave.”
Ruan He: Get lost already!
But Almer shamelessly stayed, sending his head knight to take the orchid away.
“Give this to Director Hao.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
During all this, he kept holding the cat version of Ruan Shu.
Due to the recent accident in the academy trial, he had been incredibly busy and hadn’t had time to visit his little lucky charm. Now that he finally had a chance, he was determined to get his fill of cuddles.
Ruan He rolled his eyes at him. If he weren’t busy himself, he’d never have let his precious granddaughter be left in this dragon’s care!
Almer transformed into his dragon form, flying around with the fluffy little furball perched on his head.
“Little lucky charm, why don’t you change back to human form?”
Perched atop his head, Shushu replied with a tinge of frustration, ‘I can’t change back. Who knows when I’ll be able to again?’
“WHAT?!”
The black dragon, mid-flight, suddenly came to a sharp stop, causing the cat on his head to be flung off.
Ruan Shu: !!!
“Meow!!”
Free-falling was not a pleasant experience. Fortunately, the dragon caught the little cat with his claw before she hit the ground.
Lowering his head, the dragon gently nuzzled the petite cat with his nose, his voice filled with worry and urgency.
“What happened? Why can’t you change back? Have you been checked at a hospital? Are you feeling alright?”
A string of questions rained down, and the poor cat, whose spirit was still shaken from being thrown, couldn’t answer any of them.
So frustrating!
Ruan Shu swiped her paw at his dragon claw in annoyance. The dragon was fine, but she nearly broke her own claws in the process—QAQ.
“Meow meow meow!”
‘Why is your skin so thick? My claws are about to break!’
The cat’s voice was soft and whimpering, almost on the verge of tears from the pain.
The big dragon, clumsy as ever, hurriedly apologized, “That’s my fault! Let me blow on it; it won’t hurt anymore.”
However, he completely forgot his size. With one big puff, he accidentally sent the ragdoll cat flying out of his claws.
Almer: ……
Oh no, his little lucky charm was definitely going to freak out now.
Feeling guilty, he quickly swooped down to catch the dazed little cat again.
Ruan Shu, still feeling like her spirit hadn’t fully returned: “……”
She thought she saw an elderly lady standing on a bridge, holding a bowl of soup and smiling kindly as she offered it to her.
“Shushu, Shushu, wake up!”
The dragon’s thunderous voice successfully pulled her spirit back from the bridge.
“Meow meow meow.”
‘Where did the old lady go? Where’s my soup?’
Almer: Although he didn’t understand what his little lucky charm was saying, his instincts told him that drinking that soup was definitely a bad idea.
“Are you alright? I was wrong.”
His Majesty admitted his fault in record time. “How about you hit me instead?”
For the mighty Dragon Emperor, who had been wild and unruly since childhood, apologizing to anyone was unheard of. Not even his father received apologies from him; in fact, when he got angry, he’d even say to his father, ‘I’m the real boss here!’
Though, of course, he’d usually get quite the beating afterward.
Looking back, those youthful mistakes were nothing but embarrassing memories. His only regret was that dragons had an exceptionally strong memory, and every single thing he’d experienced since hatching was vividly clear in his mind!