Probably the best course of action was to do nothing and let everyone associate the auspicious signs of the true dragon’s appearance with him, believing that the dragon briefly appeared for his sake.
Anyway, it was fine if Wen Mingyu was unaware of these things.
The golden dragon flew over a great distance with Wen Mingyu on his back, crossing the entire capital city. Viewed from above, businesses like the markets and shops were arranged in orderly rows, tightly packed like stars across the sky. The main roads and alleys were intertwined like a spider’s web.
Wen Mingyu observed the thriving capital city from above, watching it shrink like a model and leaving people with a unique and enchanted feeling.
The Imperial Palace where he resided, with its luxurious and spectacular architecture, now appeared miniature and even cute.
Everything had become very small.
With nothing but endless awe in his heart, Wen Mingyu hugged the dragon and took in the breathtaking view below, and for the first time, he truly knew what a feeling it was to fly in the sky.
Not only was it Mu Zhan’s first time experiencing flight, this was also the first time in his life up to this point that he had turned into his dragon form and flew through the clouds, seeing all things in the world from such a perspective.
Despite the fact that it was his first time on air, Mu Zhan used his wings proficiently; it came naturally to him and was almost like an instinct.
Mu Zhan kept his speed low, allowing Wen Minyu to take in the view. After a while, he soared back into the mountains and forests.
Wen Mingyu cocked his head and admired the wings’ brilliant luster in the sunlight. A strong wind blew with each fan, sending his hair and robes flying.
He couldn’t help but think that it was good to be a dragon, having wings to fly.
Finally, the golden dragon descended steadily into the mountain clearing.
Wen Mingyu, nevertheless, still couldn’t bear to let go. When the tail tried to wrap around his waist to help him down, he clung to his neck and stayed put. Mu Zhan also let him continue to lie on his back.
Only when Wen Mingyu released his neck and wanted to come down did he wrap his tail around his waist, planting the person firmly on the ground. Probably because he had just flown for too long, as if he had just finished horseback riding, his legs were sore and weak; he couldn’t even stand steadily. When his feet touched the earth, he nearly fell straight down.
Fortunately, the tail caught him in no time and held him up, and only then did he avoid the pain of a heavy fall.
Wen Mingyu leaned over and looked over curiously.
When in dragon form, his body was much larger than that of a human, and his head alone was longer than his entire body. The tip of his tail, although smaller, was still larger than what he used to see in Taiji Hall before.
The dragon scales were a more beautiful yellow golden color than gold, and looked extremely solid hard.
Wen Mingyu couldn’t help but tentatively touch it. Just as he was about to meet, the dragon scales retracted, sparing him no harm. The touch was ice-cold and penetrated through the thin skin, as if he had touched solid metal.
Afterward, Mu Zhan changed back to human, putting on his robes as he walked towards him. He naturally held his hand and said, “If you like it, we will come back next time.”
This meant that it wouldn’t be his last time flying.
WJy VfyqeD’I JeJI Lfm DR NqNfy, NLoOIm NI fA mCJe EJtJ IRNtXLfyq. “HXNe!”
aFJy mCODqC CJ zfzy’m CNFJ EfyqI, CfI EfAJe zfz, Nyz IO tODyzfyq mCNm DR—fm’I lDIm LfXJ Cfo CNFfyq EfyqI mO ALe. BLDI, CJ ENI tfzfyq N ztNqOy, lDIm LfXJ N hOOL ztNqOy tfzJt. dJ yJFJt foNqfyJz CJ EODLz CNFJ IDhC N hOOL JPRJtfJyhJ. vm zJAfyfmJLe AJLm LfXJ CJ ENI yOm LOIfyq NyemCfyq.
ow EaI LGN HJLw EaI hJkwEGQw, Pk WaGw tGQH, “zE’t G rQEN EaGE z vGw’E vaGwVI hN tQRI GE LQSS.”
Halfway through his words, something suddenly flashed in his mind, realizing what Mu Zhan’s underlying meaning. He looked at him in disbelief.
Mu Zhan still didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with his words and asked, “Isn’t it a pity? Do you not want that?”
Wen Mingyu resolutely shook his head. He didn’t want to, not at all. He didn’t want to see anything non-human. The current situation was already pressuring enough.
Seeing his reaction, Mu Zhan chuckled a bit, taking hold of his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze twice, teasing him, “So timid.”
Is this a matter of timidity?!
Wen Mingyu was unconvinced and purposely said, “Is it my fault? It’s clearly you who can’t change your size at will.”
“So, if I can become smaller, you can too?” Mu Zhan questioned slowly, squinting his eyes slightly.
Wen Mingyu’s heart jumped, and he began to regret his impulsive words, but this would make him look like too much of a wimp if he took his words back. He didn’t believe that Mu Zhan could change at will.
So he nodded, “Yes!”
Mu Zhan smiled meaningfully. “Remember what you said.”
Wen Mingyu trembled a little as his scalp went numb from his stare.
He quickly reassured himself. He had some confidence. They were just an Alpha and Omega, not beings from a mythical world!
He muttered a few words to himself, convincing himself, and became calm.
When they left the mountain, the courtiers and guards outside all kneeled and saluted, their expressions of reverence even more intense.
Wen Mingyu was somewhat puzzled.
Then Mu Zhan leaned to him and explained in a quiet voice, “They just saw a dragon in the sky.”
Wen Mingyu instantly understood that Mu Zhan’s dragon form was so enormous that it was normal to see it. And what kind of mythical creature was it? Even if it appeared in the future, it would cause a huge sensation, let alone the ancient people who still hold onto their myths and stories. They must have thought a true dragon had appeared.
Still, this was seen as a positive thing. It would strengthen everyone’s belief that Mu Zhan was the true dragon son of heaven.
Even if he lacked the power described in myths, it already gave people a feeling of being unattainable. Perhaps he would work well as the township’s mascot.
Wen Mingyu thought so, and didn’t expect that being a mascot would really have such a big impact, that even Mu Zhan didn’t expect it.
Three days later, they received a critical report of military intelligence sent by swift horses traveling eight hundred miles. It stated that the two major enemy armies jointly launched a surprise attack in the middle of the night, setting fire to the granary and capturing Military Advisor Wen Changlan. The report stressed the urgency of the situation and requested for His Majesty to send more reinforcements.
Mu Zhan’s expression, having read it, was serious, and he immediately dispatched reinforcements to provide support.
But the day after the issuance of this imperial decree, the palace received another piece of good news.
It said that a few days ago, there was a strange sighting in the sky. In the direction of the capital, a golden dragon emerged and flew through the mist and shook the ground, shocking the country. Its piercing gaze merely swept over the battlefield, but it caused great shock to the enemies.
Both our army and the enemy could not help but prostrate ourselves in reverence.
The enemy’s army was demoralized, but our morale was boosted, and we were able to eliminate the opposing force and cause them to retreat one after another, successfully rescuing Advisor Wen, who was not gravely injured.
Following the wonderful news, he ecstatically said that it was all because of the blessings of the Dragon Emperor that they were able to win this battle.
Mu Zhan: “……”
Wen Mingyu: “……”
Hearing the military report of victory was, by all rights, a cause for a happy celebration. Indeed, they did rejoice, but when they considered the cause of this triumph, their happiness was mixed with complex and unspeakable feelings.
Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan exchanged looks, then burst out into laughter.
In any case, it was considered a fortunate event made possible by mistake.
Mu Zhan did not expect things to develop as they did.
He laughed and said, “It’s thanks to you wanting to see my dragon form so suddenly.”
Wen Mingyu giggled and played along with His Majesty the Emperor, claiming the credit, lifting his chin and saying, “That’s right.”
Mu Zhan laughed.
He issued a new decree to have the army sent out yesterday to return, released the good news, and composed another letter to be sent to Wen Changlan.
After this incident, Mu Zhan felt it might be necessary to occasionally be in his dragon form and fly around to demonstrate the god’s blessings, as this was more likely to win over the hearts of the people.
Wen Mingyu was very supportive. He believed that it was effective, but he was also a little self-serving because he wanted to ride a dragon and fly in the sky as it felt extremely exhilarating.
Naturally, it shouldn’t happen too frequently. Being revered as a true dragon, it would lose its mystique and sense of awe if a true dragon started to roam around and became more commonplace. Appearing then the people needed to be placated was the only appropriate time to do it.
Thus, the experience of riding a dragon was still quite rare. After all, dragons were enormous, and once they took flight, they would make a stir, easily attracting attention.
Although the Taiji Hall was spacious enough to accommodate a dragon, any more than that would be a bit of a stretch, and it was difficult to turn around and move, looking like a snake in the game of snake. The snake was so long it could only coil around and around, looking aggrieved.
After transforming once, Wen Mingyu choked back a laugh, hugged the head of the dragon, and touched and comforted him. He assured him that not transforming was fine and his human form was quite good. On the contrary, Wen Mingyu’s lop-eared rabbit form didn’t have many restrictions, where he could change any time and hop onto the grass and eat Timothy grass happily. Mu Zhan had an empress and also got a soft rabbit with droopy ears he could pet anytime. He could be said to be a winner of life.
Their lives remained mostly unchanged after the grand wedding; in fact, they were mushy and more clingier than before.
Wen Mingyu still came home soon after school and occasionally played with his friends outside. Probably because of the marriage, Wen Mingyu’s feelings for Mu Zhan were reflected in every detail of his life, satisfying Mu Zhan’s sense of security. Not unlike when he had just confessed, he no longer had to worry about gains and losses like before, thinking that Wen Mingyu did not like him and perhaps would leave again at some point.
Their trust and dependence on each other grew stronger and deeper, turning into the one and only irreplaceable part of their lives.
As long as you stay with him, your mood will automatically become better, and every day becomes happier.
Time went on unnoticed.
One day, Wen Mingyu came back from Imperial College and noticed that the atmosphere in Taji Hall was a bit off—very silent. Zhao Dequan’s expression was also a bit complicated, his brows furrowing.
Wen Mingyu’s heart sank violently. His first reaction was that something had happened to Mu Zhan. He hastily approached him, asking, “What’s wrong?”
If it were someone else, Zhao Dequan would naturally remain tight-lipped, but before him was the empress and someone who could potentially alter the situation. He lowered and narrowed his eyes. “The birth mother of His Majesty passed away three years ago today.”
Wen Mingyu quickly understood. This was about the palace coup that year, the struggle for the throne, the betrayals among siblings, the bloodshed, and sacrifices. Even though Mu Zhan ultimately won in the end, he also lost nearly every family member. While these relatives mistreated him, only Consort Shu was his biological mother. Regardless, when Mu Zhan was a child, he must have had expectations and yearned for maternal love.
But all along, he was just his mother’s tool to draw the emperor’s attention and was subjected to various forms of abuse. Later, this mother, who had hardly shown him love, committed suicide by hanging herself from a beam when he ascended the throne, leaving behind a guilt-ridden suicide note.
Mu Zhan’s love for his mother may have faded over time, but on this day, no matter what the reason was, he may not feel good in his heart.
Wen Mingyu pursed his lips, unable to hide his disgust for Mu Zhan’s family, but more than that, he felt heartache for Mu Zhan.
Previously, on this particular day, courtiers and servants were exceptionally cautious and hesitant to approach Mu Zhan, leaving him on his own.
However, this time Wen Mingyu stepped into the palace door and walked in.
Through the crack of the door, a shaft of light poured in, piercing the darkness.
He saw Mu Zhan seated behind the table, his face expressionless, eyes downcast, making it difficult for him to see his emotions clearly. He looked no different from usual.
Wen Mingyu’s footsteps were light yet swift as he walked towards him. Then he carefully lay down by his legs, his head resting on his lap, curling up like a fluffy little animal.
Tilting his head, he turned to face Mu Zhan, extending his hands in his direction, and said in a small voice, “I feel a little unwell. I want you to hug me.”
ChiFu: sorry for dropping a few chapters and going missing again! life is lifeing haha TT