The setting sun’s light shot through the window frame at an angle, falling on Bai Huo’s face.
He frowned lightly and shivered under the blanket; his forehead almost soaked with cold sweat.
　　”He’s a white dragon, he can’t stayhere.”
　　”White scales are ominous, that child, sigh…”
　　”The prophet said that he’ll bringdisaster upon us.”
　　”No, Bai Huo, say something ah…Bai Hou,Bai Huo!”
　　”…”
　　The little dragon and the fat bird were finishingup a chaotic scuffle in the front yard. The little dragon frantically rushedinto the living room, and before the fat bird could chase and catch up, he quicklyclimbed the sofa and skillfully burrowed into Bai Huo’s blanket.
　　”Scheming boy!” The fat birdurgently came to a halt, very angry at his cheating.
　　The little dragon ignored him and rolled aroundin the blanket, cheerfully using his furry head to boop Bai Huo’s nose.
　　Bai Huo sucked in hair, almost suffocating inhis sleep, dripping with sweat, he woke up, his eyes meeting with the littledragon cub’s smoky gray round face, then he suddenly recoiled.
　　”What did you snack on? Hmm?” He raisedhis head, exposing his neck, panting slightly, covering his forehead with the backof one hand and pinching the little dragon’s face with the other, “Smells like fish.”
　　The little dragon had no plans to admit it, heblinked, trying hard to make a sincere “I really didn’t eat anything”face.
　　Bai Huo pretended to believe and got up to washhis face. Then he walked out into the front yard and found two complete sets offish bones. It was already after dinner time; the little cub must’ve been too hungryand couldn’t hold back. Bai Huo looked at the small inconspicuous snow pocketon the ground, amused. He’d obviously sneakily eaten the fishes, then he’d buriedthe fish bones in the snow and thought Bai Huo wouldn’t discover it. As aresult, the sun came out and melted the snow, exposing the evidence of thecrime.
　　However, this episode was Bai Huo’sresponsibility. Since he’d adopted this child, the child has never eaten a goodmeal.
　　Bai Huo has always treated himself well. How couldhe let his child be neglected? He immediately pulled out his phone and ordereda luxurious salmon set meal. Even the fat bird received some benefits, and gota serving of chestnut braised pork.
　　When the food was delivered, the little dragonsaw the neatly cut, fat and tender fish fillets, and his jaw dropped for awhile. He excitedly ran a few laps around the big platter, looking like a smallbeggar going to the city for the first time. Seeing this, Bai Huo feltdistressed.
　　Poor guy, your dad is too useless, letting youlive such a third-rate life.
　　While the little dragon and fat bird were gorgingthemselves, Bai Huo took out the tooth he’d picked up in the mine and placed itunder the lamp to examine it.
　　”Fat chicken, how much do you know about RockWyrms?”
　　The fat bird swallowed a bite of pork bellyand mumbled: “Rock Wyrms?”
　　Bai Huo placed the tooth on the table: “Takea look.”
　　The arrogant bird was very pleased with themeal, so it was unusually cooperative. He patted his belly and hopped aroundthe tooth, but didn’t see anything special: “This fell out naturally, hmm … I’llcheck the “Dapeng Mark” for more info.
　　Bai Huo watched him bury his head in his tailfeathers, crossing his arms to ask: “I forgot to ask last time. Where didyou get this “Dapeng Mark”? How come I’ve never heard you talk aboutit before?
　　“I also just discovered it recently. There wasn’tmuch written in it before, so I saw no point in taking it out. “
　　Bai Huo hmmed, “So, it seems that my fairypeas not only fed you, it also gave you something useful. Legend has it thatthe ancient Dapeng could fly a thousand miles a day and had extensive knowledge,it was highly intelligent. How did it become so watered down by yourgeneration?”
　　”Shut up! “The fat turned red inembarrassment. “Everyone has different skills. I also have areas where I’mmore talented than them.”
　　“That’strue,” Bai Huo nodded in agreement. “Like eating.”
　　The “DapengMark” was all-encompassing, but there were very few records on Rock Wyrms.The fat bird translated: “Rock Wyrm… I see, the records say that the RockWyrm is a lower subspecies of the dragon race. In a modern analogy, it’s… it’slike the relationship between humans and monkeys. They’re uncultured, naturallyaggressive, have strong attacking power, and an extremely long lifespan. “
　　”Is there any precedent for using RockWyrms as guardian beasts?” Bai Huo asked.
　　”Guardian beast? “The fat bird wasshocked. “Isn’t that the beasts you dragons use to nurture your eggs?”
　　Besides the chaotic war, there was anotherimportant factor in why the dragon race’s reproductive ability was so low. The dragonegg’s hatching conditions were too harsh. If it was too hot, too cold, too dry,too humid, or too sunny, the dragon egg wouldn’t hatch. The eggs would rot in environmentsthat were too hot and humid, and when the temperature was too low, the dragoneggs would stop growing and even hibernate.
　　Plus, the incubation period of dragon eggs wasvery long, from six months to more than a year. During the warring era, parentsdidn’t have the time to stay and monitor the dragon eggs. Therefore, they cameup with another method: Find some docile and loyal animals, domesticate them,and use them as guardians for the cubs. Not only could they conveniently controlthe heat and humidity levels, they could also give the dragon eggs a certaindegree of protection during the incubation period.
　　Most dragons chose docile and intelligentanimals such as the Blackbirds, Bell Deer, and Blue Foxes as guardian beasts fortheir children. Many dragon cubs naturally grew close to these animals afterbirth, they were perhaps the best childhood playmates.
　　Of course, after the dragon race fell, thebirth rates dropped sharply. After the war ended, the guardian beasts were nolonger needed, and the practice gradually faded away. The dragons born afterthe founding of the association basically didn’t have guardians.
　　The fat bird flipped through its feathers fora long time before saying: “Wow, it’s true. The record says that thousandsof years ago, the dragons tried to domesticate Rock Wyrms as guardian beasts,but they couldn’t be used in the end. They were too uncontrollable, sometimes evenattacking their own masters. For safety reasons, the project wasabandoned.”
　　”So that’s how it is.” Bai Huonodded, there was precedent, but the danger-level was too high. Thinking ofthis, Bai Huo suddenly felt out of sorts, he didn’t know what the little guy’s parentswere thinking, how could they give their child to such a beast? Fortunately, thechild had met him right after birth, otherwise, who knew if he would’ve survived.
　　Although the RockWyrms were ugly, they were still subspecies of ancient spiritual beasts, BaiHuo thought about how all the murders occurred on unusually clear nights, and anidea floated up: “Don’t Rock Wyrms feed on the essence of the sun and themoon?”
　　”Yes, but not just that,” The fatbird said, sighing as he read, “Sheesh, those things are troublesome. WhenRock Wyrms grow too old, they can suck essence from human blood to replenishtheir life.”
　　Bai Huo frowned, so, the cause and effects ofthe matter were all laid bare.
　　The two Rock Wyrms had probably beendomesticated a long time ago, but their abilities obviously weren’t good enough.They didn’t dutifully protect the little dragon until birth, resulting in him beingrandomly picked up. Plus, the oldest Rock Wyrm seemed to have reached the endof its lifespan, resulting in the smaller one going out into the world to causetrouble. Stealing moonlight and blood essence to extend the old one’s life,which led to the three murders in Xi City.
　　Although the Rock Wyrm was naturallyaggressive, after being domesticated, its obsession towards the object beingguarded was relentless. After discovering that the little dragon had left theirterritory, the two had wanted to steal back the little dragon, but they were tooscared of Bai Huo to act. Until that night, when Bai Huo left the little dragonalone, only then did they dare to come out. But unexpectedly, they were misledby the scarf Ji Bei carried, and targeted the wrong object, which led to theirdeaths.
　　Thinking of this, Bai Huo felt verysympathetic towards these two unlucky beasts, but the sins they’d committedcouldn’t be erased. Killing humans was against heavenly law.
　　”How did you know that Rock Wyrms used tobe guardian beasts? Rock Wyrms aren’t very common.”
　　”I didn’t know,” Bai Huo massaged aheadache and said. “When I saw the tooth in the mines, the idea suddenlycame up in my head. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before, but I can’tremember.”
　　The fat bird looked at him doubtfully.
　　The phone rang, and Bai Huo picked it up:“Officer Ji?”
　　”Are you free right now? Come eat with me.”
　　*
　　Ji Bei sat in a family restaurant.
　　Bai Huo walked in holding the little babydragon, noticing that almost every patron was parents taking their children outto eat.
　　Ji Bei had arrived first, sitting by a window.He didn’t wear his uniform at night, instead wearing a large down jacket, asickly red blush on his cheeks and a fever patch on his forehead. Although he lookedsick at first glance, his eyes weren’t exhausted, instead, they were full ofspirit.
　　”Officer Ji has recovered veryquickly.” Bai Huo declined the high chair brought by the waiter, and directlyplaced the child on the chair by his side. The little dragon cub was very short,his chin was just even with the table.
　　”No need to humor me, call me Xiao Bei.”Both people knew what Bai Huo was referring to. Ji Bei didn’t mention it, only saying,“There’s nothing to be done, it’s our job after all. Even if we see thesky falling with our own eyes, we just have to take it all in and go out tomaintain order.”
　　Bai Huo sensitively glanced at the police caroutside the window. The black window was rolled down half-way, and inside ofthe car, a bit of cigarette spark could be seen.
　　Ji Bei followed his gaze and smiled bitterly:“Don’t take offense, he’s been like this since I woke up this afternoon. Hewon’t leave my side more than ten meters, the only reason he agreed to waitoutside was because I agreed to sit where he could see me.”
　　”You guys are close.” Bai Huo noddedin understanding.
　　Ji Bei didn’t speak, sliding the dessert menutowards Bai Huo: “Why don’t you order something to eat? This place has agreat custard tart.”
　　”I ate before coming out.” Bai Huo sawthe little dragon stretching his neck out to see the menu and handed it to him.“There’s no fish.”
　　The little dragon looked very disappointed. BaiHuo rubbed his head and ordered him a cup of banana milk.
　　”He…” Ji Bei hesitated, looking atthe two’s interactions, then took the plunge. “He looks no different fromother children.”
　　Bai Huo shoved a hand into his pocket and presseddown the little dragon’s bomber cap with the other: “He was born less thana week ago.”
　　Ji Bei’s eyes expressed amazement, but hequickly pushed it down.
　　“This scarf belongs to its rightfulowner.” Ji Bei pushed the bag on the table towards Bai Huo, seeing the otherman seizing him up, he sighed and said, “Director Bai, it’s better to takeout whatever you have in your pocket.”
　　Bai Huo couldn’t help but chuckle, pulling outa small pill bottle and placing it on the table.
　　”Is it poison?” Ji Bei’s expressionwas complicated.
　　Bai Huo nodded; his face unreadable: “It’svery poisonous.”
　　Ji Bei’s eyes dimmed a bit: “Can you letme say a few words first?”
　　Bai Huo readily agreed.
　　Ji Bei’s state of mind was difficult to pacify.He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes had recovered theircalm. He spoke unhurriedly: “To be honest, because of my experience in themine, I’ve already made some guesses about you guys’ identity. I called you outtoday to confirm it.”
　　Ji Bei had prepared a pile of evidence, andwas planning to list each one out, who would’ve expected that without evenwaiting for him to continue, Bai Huo would straightforwardly smile and nod: “Yeah,you’ve guessed it. We’re not people – ah, that should be, not humans.”
　　So, what Xiao Shu had written in that manualturned out to be true… Ji Bei’s face turned pale, then he let out a long sigh:“You’re really a dragon ah. “
　　Bai Huo fiddled with the pill bottle, feelingthat this reaction was a bit strange. It didn’t seem like shock, in fact, itfelt like a sigh of relief.
　　”Director Bai, to tell you the truth,many strange things have been happening in Xi City the past few years. Others mightnot notice, but as a detective, I see everything. There are so many cases that’veremained unsolvable for decades. Before he retired, the former director used toburn incense for peace and safety at home every day.” Ji Bei looked at theman siting opposite him with a complex mood. “When I saw you today, Irealized that everything could finally get a reasonable explanation.”
　　”I admit that we completely don’tunderstand the world you live in. It’ll probably be best if everyone mindedtheir own business. But that balance has already been broken. The DNA results provethat the three residents of Xi City were killed by those beasts. Those people can’tbe resurrected. Even if I’m dead, the Xi City police need to give the victims’ familiesand the rest of the citizens an explanation.”
　　”So, what do you want to do?” BaiHuo narrowed his eyes dangerously.
　　”I want…” Ji Bei looked up at him.“I want you to give me a chance. I want to cooperate with you.”
　　”Cooperate?” Bai Huo was surprised.
　　”Yes, humanity is too weak. In some aspects,we can’t compete with you. We’ve already seen the evidence of that in themine.” Ji Bei was an outstanding negotiator; all his words were logicaland sensible.
            “But as you can see, human technology advances every day; global satellitemonitoring, surveillance cameras with extensive coverage, streaming, instantmessaging… these things are getting more and more common. Humans have builtcivilizations for thousands of years, yet there are very few records about you.I think you guys must’ve protected your identity with great care, but if mankindcontinues to develop, it’ll get increasingly more difficult for you tosurvive.”
　　”Take this incident, for example. We coulddeclare that the two beasts were mutated by the polluted sewers. Captain Luoand I can also report to the superiors with collaborated stories. Some people willstill doubt it, but most of them will believe. In the end, except for me andLuo, no one else saw them when they were alive, so no one can know for sure.”
          “This time, I was the one kidnapped, but next time, what if someonearound you exposes their identity in public? Maybe you can use your own methodsto clean up the scene, but what if they were recorded and posted onto theInternet? Can you clean up the internet?”
　　The carelessnesson Bai Huo’s face retreated, replaced by a somewhat grim look. Infact, the points Ji Bei brought up were exactly what he’d been worried about. Afterpicking up the little baby dragon, he became even more anxious.
　　”Cooperate with us, I can make somethings convenient for you.” Ji Bei’s eyes were full of entreaty. Afterspeaking, he looked at the little dragon, saying meaningfully, “Forexample, I can solve your child’s household registration problem.”
　　Bai Huo and the little dragon looked at eachother, Bai Huo asked: “If I cooperate, what will you need me to do?”
　　”I just need to know a little moreprecise information about you,” Ji Bei said, “And in the future, you canprovide us with some assistance if necessary.”
　　In the small family restaurant, noisy childrenran around tables, and the parents tried to control them. On the side with the playground,several children were shrieking excitedly. On the other side, a young couplewere arguing in harsh whispers about how best to scold their children.
　　Bai Huo stayed silent for a few minutes. Whenthe little dragon had drank all his milk, he looked up and asked: “Why shouldI trust you?”
　　”Look at this.” Ji Bei took out aphysical evidence bag while Bai Huo watched attentively, inside was a whitescale that emitted a faint light. “This is something I accidentally found in asubordinate’s notebook. He must’ve stashed it.”
　　Bai Huo’s complexion changed, and he looked atJi Bei hesitatingly.
　　”Don’t worry,” Ji Bei pondered, thenoffered, “I’m the only one who has seen this, the subordinate… If youwant to know his name, I can tell you, but you must promise not to kill him.”
　　Bai Huo looked at Ji Bei, who was sitting stiffand upright, sporting a heroic expression like he was ready to die a martyr. BaiHuo suddenly smiled and took the scale, enclosing it in a fist. When he openedhis hand, there was only some fine dust left in the physical evidence bag:“Hey, Officer Ji, do I look like a homicidal maniac in your eyes?”
　　“Huh?” Ji Bei asked, puzzled.
　　”Pfft, hahaha!” Bai Huo laughed,then he leaned down and hugged the little dragon who was starting to nod off.“I’m going home, my son is sleepy.”
　　”Aren’t you…” Ji Bei got up, aboutto speak when he caught sight of the small pill bottle that was still on thetable, Bai Huo hadn’t taken it away.
　　”Take it.” Bai Huo hugged his sonand waved at Ji Bei with a wide smile, then he walked out, saying withoutlooking back: “You’ll need it someday.”
If you’re like me, you’re probably wonderinghow the rock wyrms killed those people. Well, I don’t know either lol. Theauthor says several times that the crime scenes were sealed, and I assume thereweren’t any big ass holes leading underground, or busted in windows and doors,those seem like important things to mention. So how the heck did those thingsget in, tear them apart, and leave no trace behind? I really hope this is an oversightfrom the author, and not a mistranslation from me. Oh well, let’s blame magic orsomething.