“No.” Li Shimin insisted firmly.
“No?” Chai Shao was bewildered.
“You misheard.”
“…Oh.”
He truly believed he had misheard and didn’t press further, busying himself with fetching medicine for Li Shimin.
“Crack”
The sound of shattering echoed continuously, almost allowing one to imagine the shell cracking with branching patterns like ice.
In his urgency, Li Shimin quickly removed his armor and, flustered, pulled the egg from his embrace.
Could he have broken it?
At this thought, his mind buzzed with noise, and he couldn’t help but feel disheartened. How would he explain this to Wuyou?
The dark golden eggshell, covered in ice-crack patterns, split open in his hands.
Li Shimin held his breath.
A fragment was shattered from the inside out, pushed aside, and a soft little hand emerged from the hole, fumbling along the edge of the broken piece.
It was a hand, like a human hand.
Li Shimin stared intently at the fair, tender hand—five fingers, no more, no less—just much smaller than that of an ordinary infant.
It even had fingernails, with a pink hue like the apricot blossoms just budding on branches in early spring, very light and delicate.
Wow.
He wasn’t sure what he was marveling at, but he continued holding his breath, not daring to move, waiting for this tiny, miraculous creature to emerge from its shell on its own.
“Crack, crack” Though small, the hand was strong, smashing the eggshell into pieces one after another.
A pair of golden horns, along with half of a small face, peeked out stealthily, thinking it was well-hidden behind the eggshell, secretly observing.
The gold was richer than that of the Golden Crow, closer to the color of honeyed amber. Though they were young, velvety, deer-like horns in their infantile state, they seemed as if meticulously carved by the heavens, exuding an air of noble elegance.
The dark gold eyes were round and full, with the outer corners slightly upturned—the very definition of phoenix eyes, though they appeared rounder due to youth.
Exquisitely beautiful, flawless.
By Li Shimin’s standards, it was impossible to find even the slightest fault, even if one were to nitpick.
He was looking at his child, and the child was looking at him.
The dawn light had yet to break through, and the candlelight was faint, illuminating a young face—sickly but not weak, weary but not sluggish.
Li Shimin felt a bit nervous and smiled awkwardly, his voice unnaturally gentle.
“You… are you alright? Why so early… are you hungry?”
Zheng Zai observed him from behind the shell for a moment, then slowly poked his head out, shaking it before nodding.
“?” Li Shimin didn’t understand.
Though he was indeed hungry, Zheng Zai was more concerned about something else at the moment.
He wasn’t wearing any clothes!
When would this person in front of him realize that?
Clearly, his father was completely unaware of his predicament and didn’t think a newly hatched whelp would have a sense of shame.
Zheng Zai had no choice but to continue hiding in the shell, puffing out his cheeks, trying to figure things out on his own.
Li Shimin took out the stone needle, hesitating as he saw the little dragon whelp shaking its head repeatedly.
“Not hungry?” he guessed.
No, it wasn’t that he wasn’t hungry, but Li Shimin was currently too weak—being able to rush out to rescue others was only possible thanks to Zheng Zai’s hard-earned healing efforts.
“Can I hold you and bring you out?”
This person talks so much, muttering and constantly testing Zheng Zai’s limits.
Zheng Zai glanced at his own bare body, puffing his cheeks even rounder, and had no choice but to use his large tail to cover the crucial areas.
Li Shimin cautiously extended his hand, as if he had never been this careful about touching anything in his entire life.
He reached halfway, then abruptly withdrew, suddenly remembering something. He hurriedly turned and ran to wash his hands, drying them thoroughly before returning.
Zheng Zai: "…"
This feels so silly.
Although Li Shimin came from a privileged background, his hands were not those of someone who had lived a pampered life. The calluses left by years of archery, horsemanship, and riding naturally couldn’t compare to Wu You’s softness. Realizing this, he became even gentler.
His fingertips slipped under the child’s armpits as he slowly lifted Zheng Zai, somewhat resembling the way one might hold a small bird.
The child was so soft it was almost frightening, as if boneless, and no amount of caution seemed excessive.
Zheng Zai pursed his lips, his body tensing from the lack of cover.
"Are you cold?" Li Shimin noticed the child’s discomfort. "I’ll go get you…"
He seemed utterly flustered, turning in place once. He had intended to fetch the bundle Wu You had given him before the campaign, but instead, his eyes remained fixed on the child, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
What he saw, what he said, and what he did were completely at odds.
Zheng Zai resembled a kitten being lifted by the scruff, his tail desperately trying to cover his lower back, though he refrained from meowing.
"Is this your tail?"
Li Shimin’s eyes brimmed with curiosity and excitement, his joy almost overflowing. He seemed like a wild man returning to the primal forest, every movement tinged with irrational exuberance.
"Wow!"
After this meaningless exclamation, his mischievous hand reached out to touch Zheng Zai’s Da Weiba (Large Tail).
The legendary creature suddenly had a tangible reference.
The dark tail had a bluish tint, but it wasn’t the green of grass or the azure of a clear sky. Instead, it resembled the color of the winter dawn sky, just before the light fully breaks—a deep, dark blue tinged with hints of crimson, rich and profound. It evoked memories of an era long past, when humans still drilled wood for fire, or even earlier, when Nuwa molded clay to create humanity. The vast, boundless sky above the endless plains might have looked just like this.
So adorable.
Its plump shape didn’t replace his legs but instead curled around from behind, much like a squirrel’s large tail. The texture was softer than reed catkins, smooth to the touch, with fluffy, childish fur at the tip.
Truly adorable.
And it could hit people too!
With a crisp "smack," the Da Weiba (Large Tail) unceremoniously slapped the back of Li Shimin’s hand.
Zheng Zai’s face flushed red. How could he be so outrageous? Touching the tail was one thing, but prying it aside to look underneath!
"Why hit me?" Li Shimin complained, sounding aggrieved. "I was just checking to see if you’re fully formed."
Zheng Zai glared at him angrily, his eyes widening even further.
Ah, so adorable! He had even slapped Li Shimin’s hand red—clearly a sign of good health.
"Your Highness…"
Chai Shao’s footsteps shattered the blissful bubble filling the tent.
The novice father hastily tucked the child into his arms, grabbed the makeshift bedding in the corner, and covered it with his cloak. Clearing his throat, he asked absentmindedly, "Do you need something?"
Chai Shao, bewildered, entered carrying a food tray, his steps hesitant. "Are you alright? Didn’t I just say I’d fetch medicine for you…"
"Oh, right, medicine. Yes.—What medicine?"
"This bowl contains artemisia juice, that one is a decoction of Changshan and Chaihu, and there are also some easily digestible foods."
"Has the prescription changed?" Li Shimin asked casually.
"A renowned old physician has arrived in the city, said to have come specifically for the epidemic. He has keen insight into the root of illnesses and approaches treatment with gentle methods. Many have praised him—this is the prescription he uses to treat malaria. I thought it looked effective, so I switched to it," Chai Shao explained, placing the tray on the table.
"Did he make the prescription public, or did you ask for it?"
"He made it public."
Li Shimin praised, "That can be called 'the Way.' If it truly works, we should send guards to gather wormwood and supply the physician with medicinal herbs. We should also ask what else he needs and how we can help…"
"Naturally," Chai Shao, well-acquainted with his style, heartily agreed and urged, "Drink the medicine and rest quickly. Don’t push yourself—take a break for a couple of hours."
"Understood… you’re more nagging than my sister."
Chai Shao had no way to deal with Li Shimin and simply pretended not to hear. His gaze drifted downward unintentionally and then froze.
"You…"
"Is there something else?" Li Shimin looked up with a nonchalant smile.
"No…" Chai Shao hesitated, glancing repeatedly from Li Shimin’s serious face to his bulging chest, then stealing a look at the disheveled bed.
The positions of the mat, blanket, and cloak seemed off somehow?
"If there’s anything, you must tell me," Chai Shao emphasized.
"That’s more fitting for me to say," Li Shimin teased.
Chai Shao felt awkward and had no reply.
He had just turned to leave when Zheng Zai began squirming inside Li Shimin’s clothes.
It wasn’t that the child was impatient—he had sensed demonic energy.
Very strong, very thick demonic energy, drawing closer and closer.
Zheng Zai bristled with fury.
Li Shimin quickly held him down to prevent Chai Shao from hearing any unusual sounds.
"By the way, that physician surnamed Sun also said—" Chai Shao stopped and turned back.
Zheng Zai tried to break free from Li Shimin’s grasp, while the latter attempted to conceal his presence.
The demonic energy drew near the main tent.
"I need to rest now. We’ll talk about it later," Li Shimin hastily shooed his brother-in-law away, escorting him out with one hand and telling Duan Zhixuan outside to keep his distance and not disturb him.
Both Chai Shao and Duan Zhixuan were bewildered, silently stepping back a few paces.
"Was he ever afraid of being disturbed while sleeping before?"
"Never heard of it."
"Today is very strange."
"Perhaps he’s unwell," Duan Zhixuan analyzed. "He had chills, fever, headaches, and vomiting severely the past couple of days. To recover so suddenly is already a stroke of luck."
"It shows heaven favors us…"
Chai Shao’s words trailed off as he stared dumbfounded at the grass withering instantly on the ground.
"Wasn’t this grass green just now?"
"…Yes," Duan Zhixuan also stared blankly at the ground.
"I remember it’s July now?" He actually felt uncertain.
"It is July."
How bizarre!
For a moment, everyone inside and outside the military tent shared the same thought.
The demonic mist approached Li Shimin’s main tent, a gray shadow swirling like a whirlwind. Wherever it passed, the midsummer grass withered upon contact.
Li Shimin keenly sensed the killing intent, subtly gripping the sword by the table.
In the blink of an eye, the tiny cub in his embrace flew out.
In an instant, a colossal Divine Dragon coiled like a mountain, bursting through the gray mist. Its dark golden vertical pupils shone with a solemn brilliance, as if galaxies swirled within them, eternal and unceasing.
Li Shimin was stunned, holding his breath.
These eyes… this enormous Dragon…
The dark-colored dragon opened its mouth and swallowed the monster beast condensed from mist.
Even with the eyesight of a top archer, all he could see was that the monster beast resembled an ox, with a white head and only one eye.
And then it was gone.
The monster beast was gone, and the dragon was gone too.
The naked little cub fell into his palm, wobbling unsteadily, failing to maintain its balance, and stumbled to sit on its own tail.
Its little belly was bulging, looking as if it had eaten its fill.
Li Shimin was stunned for a second before letting out a frantic cry: "Don't eat random things!"
Author's Note:
Leaving a naked Zheng Zai here, I'm off to sleep. You all help keep an eye on him.