“Boss, give me twenty skewers of lamb, ten skewers of beef tendon, one skewer of lamb kidney, and a pot of cold tea.”
The boss lady was a round-faced Foxian older sister.
Seeing Lux ordering so much, she asked with a smile, “Little girl, how many days have you gone without eating?”
“I haven’t had a proper meal in days.” Lux lay on the table, her Tail weakly swaying behind her.
“You have no idea how I’ve been living these past few days…
Ah, let’s not talk about it.”
“Alright, take your rest.
Coming right up.”
The boss lady was quick with her hands.
Soon, the skewers arrived.
The lamb skewers sizzled with oil, sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, the aroma drilling straight into the nostrils.
Lux grabbed a lamb skewer and took a bite.
“Mmm—”
Her eyes narrowed into slits, and her Tail went from listless to a slow sway, as if keeping time.
Delicious.
This is what human food should be.
She was eating happily, just putting the fourth beef skewer into her mouth, when suddenly a “gurgling” sound came from behind her.
Very loud.
So loud that even her chewing paused for a moment.
Lux was stunned.
She subconsciously touched her own stomach—it wasn’t hers.
Her stomach was growling too, but the sound came from a different direction.
She turned to look behind her.
A little girl stood there, not very tall, about waist-high to her.
She had long purple hair with slightly curled ends, and on her head grew a pair of curved dragon horns that glowed softly in the light.
Behind her trailed a long dragon Tail, with a tuft of fur at the tip, gently swaying as she shifted.
She wore a modified blue-and-white robe with a light blue belt around her waist.
The little girl’s eyes were golden, with vertical pupils.
At that moment, she was staring directly at the skewers on Lux’s table, her gaze filled with unconcealed longing.
Her nose twitched slightly, and a small swallowing sound came from her throat.
Lux looked at her delicate little face, at those golden eyes fixed on the skewers, and something softened in her heart.
“Little one, do you want to eat?”
Lux took a lamb skewer and held it out to the little girl.
The little girl moved her gaze from the skewer to Lux’s face, then back to the skewer, back and forth twice.
“Mm.” She nodded, her voice small and a bit babyish.
“I do.”
Lux smiled and stuffed the skewer into her hand.
“Go ahead, eat.”
The little girl took the skewer, hesitated for a fraction of a second, then took a bite.
Her eyes lit up instantly, as if fireworks exploded in her pupils.
“Is it good?” Lux asked.
“Delicious!” The little girl nodded vigorously, her cheeks stuffed full.
“Thank you.
You’re a good person.”
Lux felt a bit embarrassed by the label “good person,” and her ears twitched involuntarily.
She reached out and patted the little girl’s head.
The hair was soft, and the base of her dragon horns was warm.
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Bailu.” The little girl took another bite of a Qiongshi Bird Skewer, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster.
Lux then asked, “And your mom?”
“I don’t have a mom.”
Her tone was flat, as natural as saying “Nice weather today.”
Lux’s heart suddenly clenched.
Feeling a bit uneasy, she continued, “Then…
your dad?”
“I don’t have a dad either.”
Bailu took another bite of the skewer, still speaking calmly, not even slowing down her eating pace.
Lux fell silent.
Looking at Bailu’s peaceful little face, an indescribable guilt surged in her heart.
After Bailu finished the lamb skewer in her hand, she licked the grease from her lips and looked up at Lux.
Those golden vertical pupils held no sadness, no sorrow, only a simple contentment—the satisfaction of a full stomach.
She noticed the self-blame on Lux’s face and waved her hand dismissively.
“I’m a Vidyadhara.
We Vidyadharas are self-sufficient through reincarnation; we don’t need parents.”
Lux was taken aback.
Vidyadhara.
She had come across that term online.
One of the three major races of the Xianzhou, alongside Foxians and Xianzhou natives.
Vidyadharas don’t reproduce through childbirth; instead, near the end of their lifespan, they undergo’shedding rebirth’ to become a completely new individual.
So when Bailu said she had no parents, she didn’t mean she was an orphan—it was just that Vidyadharas inherently lack the concept of parents.
Lux suddenly understood, and the guilt in her heart dissipated mostly.
But looking at Bailu’s little face, she still felt a pang of sympathy.
“Do you…
want some more?” Lux pointed to the remaining skewers on the table.
Bailu looked at the skewers, and her golden eyes lit up again.
But she didn’t reach out immediately; instead, she looked up at Lux with a hint of cautiousness.
“Can I?”
Lux’s heart felt as if something had stabbed it hard.
She pulled over a nearby chair and patted the seat.
“Come on, sit and eat with me.”
Bailu beamed a bright smile, trotted around to the chair, and climbed up.
Her dragon Tail wagged behind her like a happy puppy—no, a little dragon.
Lux looked at Bailu’s adorable expression and felt an arrow pierce her heart.
She silently chanted three times: I’m not a lolicon, I’m not a lolicon, I’m not a lolicon.
Then she picked up a skewer of tendon and handed it to Bailu.
“Try this.
Beef tendon.
It’s very fragrant.”
Bailu took it, took a bite, and her eyes lit up again.
“Good!”
Her mouth was full of meat, so her speech was muffled, but the satisfied expression said it all.
Lux looked at her with an auntie-like smile.
Alright, she admitted it.
She wasn’t a lolicon.
It’s just that this rose was blooming so beautifully; if she didn’t stoop, it would seem unfriendly.
The two of them ate skewer after skewer, quickly clearing the table.
Bailu had grease all over her mouth, with a cumin seed stuck at the corner.
Lux used a tissue to wipe her mouth, and Bailu obediently tilted her face up, her dragon horns glowing faintly under the light.
“Ah—” Bailu rubbed her stomach, leaned back in her chair, and sighed contentedly.
“I haven’t been this full in a long time.”
Lux was also pretty full.
She picked up the cold tea and took a sip, then leaned back, watching Bailu.
Bailu turned to look at Lux, her expression turning serious.
“Thank you, big sister.
I still don’t know your name.”
“You can call me Sister Lux.”
“Sister Lux…” Bailu repeated, then nodded.
“Got it.”
She jumped down from the chair, adjusted her crumpled robe, and flicked her dragon Tail behind her.
“You’ve been so good to me, I don’t know how to repay you.” She tilted her head, thinking, then her eyes lit up.
“How about this—I’m really good at medicine.
If you come to me for treatment, I’ll waive one fee!”
Lux smiled and was about to say “It’s okay,” when a thought flashed through her mind.
Vidyadharas are dragons, right?
The Ice and Fire Legend module requires dragon scales, dragon blood, dragon bone, and dragon heart.
She had been worried whether there were dragons in this world, or if dragons looked weird.
But now, right in front of her, was a living dragon—well, a Vidyadhara.
She put down her cup and tentatively asked, “Bailu, do you Vidyadharas…
shed dragon scales?”
Bailu blinked, a trace of confusion flickering in her golden vertical pupils.
“Yes.
But not a lot.
Only a few pieces a year.
Why does Sister Lux ask?”
Lux’s eyes lit up.
“Are those scales important?
If not…
could you give me some?”
Bailu tilted her head, looking at Lux, seemingly puzzled why someone would want dragon scales.
But she didn’t pry; she just nodded.
“They’re not important.
Just like fallen teeth.” She thought for a moment and added, “If Sister Lux wants, I can give you some of my scales.”
With that, Bailu extended her hand, and a faint blue light glowed in her palm.
The space in her hand rippled, and a wooden box the size of a palm appeared out of nowhere, landing on her palm.
She handed the box to Lux.
“Here.
There are about thirty pieces or so, from my last shed.”
Lux took the box and opened it to take a look.
White scales were neatly arranged inside the box, each about the size of a fingernail, with fine patterns on the surface, shimmering under the light.
They didn’t look exactly like the Ice Fire dragon scales in her memory, but she could feel the energy contained within—faint, yet definitely present.
Lux’s Tail couldn’t help but perk up.
“Thank you.” She carefully stored the box in her inventory, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“I need dragon scales to make something.”
Bailu shook her head.
“It’s fine.
To us Vidyadharas, these aren’t important.
If Sister Lux wants them, you can take them.”
She paused, her golden eyes fixed on Lux, and a slight smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
“If you feel embarrassed…
then just treat me to another meal.”
Lux looked at those sly vertical pupils and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Of course.
Come on, whatever you want to eat, just say it.
Sister Lux will treat you.”
Bailu’s eyes shone like two little suns.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Then I want Qiongshi Bird Skewers!
And osmanthus cake!
And almond tofu!
And—”
Bailu counted on her fingers one by one, while Lux listened, the smile on her face growing wider.
“Alright, alright, we’ll buy them all.”
Bailu cheered, her dragon Tail wagging rapidly behind her like a happy puppy—no, a little dragon.
Lux paid the bill and took Bailu’s hand as they walked out of the skewer stall.
Bailu’s hand was small, her fingers soft, and her palm was warm in Lux’s grasp.
The night market at Aurum Alley was just starting.
Lanterns lit up one by one, casting warm yellow light across the entire alley.
The sounds of hawking, laughing, and the clattering of spatulas mixed together, lively and bustling.
Bailu walked beside Lux, looking around, her eyes reflecting the lantern light, sparkling.
“Sister Lux, there are Qiongshi Bird Skewers over there!”
“Let’s go, let’s buy some.”
Lux led Bailu toward the skewer stall.
Her Tail swayed behind her.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”