Chapter 51 – Dragon scales during courtship
Jian Luo saw the Lord Marshal standing not far from the shed.
The marshal was wearing a straight and orthodox military uniform. His stern face held less of his usual wanton laziness, and was a little more hostile than usual. Jian Luo was a little scared.
Jiang Kang was surprised: “Who is he?”
Taking advantage of his surprise, Jian Luo trotted to Lu Shifeng: “What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t I come at the right time?” Lu Shifeng lowered his head and looked at him: “Did I interrupt you while you were doing something important?”
“…”
Have you had enough?
Jian Luo wanted to prove his innocence: “I had a work matter to deal with with him, so I was late. Were you waiting for me outside?”
Lu Shifeng nodded, raised his eyelids and glanced at Jiang Kang: “Is this your colleague?”
Inexplicably, Jiang Kang felt that the word “colleague” contained a little murderous aura.
Jian Luo nodded and said to Lu Shifeng, “There is still something he and I have to settle.”
Jiang Kang felt a little worse for wear when he saw Lu Shifeng. Dark star people were very easy to distinguish from human beings. Some races were born with grace and self-confidence. That kind of temperament was difficult to conceal. Previously, Jian Luo was like a dust-covered little pearl. He didn’t know what happened after all this time, but there were no longer traces of that inferior temperament and complex of the lower beings on Jian Luo anymore.
The most unpleasant sight for Jiang Kang was Lu Shifeng wearing a military uniform. He was not an ordinary dark star citizen, and may even be a member of the military, one of the three major authorities in the Dark Star!
Jian Luo turned to look at Jiang Kang: “Jiang Kang, I don’t want to embarrass you either. What we had in the past is over, so there’s no need to mention it. Now that you have stolen the seeds, hand it over and tell me who the mastermind was. I can let it go since you were only instructed to do this.”
…
Jiang Kang’s face was pale: “Luoluo, don’t talk nonsense.”
Lu Shifeng grabbed Jian Luo: “Since he doesn’t want to admit it, it’s useless to ask.”
Jian Luo looked at the Marshal in surprise.
Lu Shifeng glanced at Jiang Kang and said slowly: “As for the person who contacted him to steal the seeds, he has been found. Yesterday, the internet keyboard warriors hired by him have all been arrested and detained in the military prison.”
???
Jian Luo was slightly surprised: “Really? It went so smoothly?”
“Otherwise?” Lu Shifeng helped Jian Luo fasten the first button on his shirt: “Do you need me to introduce you to a lawyer to prosecute them?”
“…”
You don’t have to.
The conversation between the two was very nonchalant, but Jiang Kang was panicking. If he really thought about it, it seemed that the person had not sent him any messages since the afternoon. However, he still had a way out: “What nonsense are you both talking about? I don’t understand.”
Lu Shifeng glanced at him sideways. Seems like it’ll be a waste of words to speak any longer: “You don’t have to understand. There is a new law to be passed by the imperial capital soon. After a credit assessment is carried out on the humans, those with a full credit score will be able to enter Sky City with an ID registry.”
Jiang Kang was taken aback.
Jian Luo was also a little surprised.
How important is an ID registry? If one has an ID registered, they will be able to obtain many things. Not only can one buy a house, there are also many other conveniences that come with having an ID when it comes to information and communication technology agencies, such as purchasing from major retailers.
However, Lu Shifeng added slowly: “Those who have a history of committing crimes will be included in the list of dishonest citizens and will obtain an ID registration.”
“…”
There was a moment of silence in the air.
Whether he was in the right or wrong doesn’t matter anymore. Even if Jiang Kang initially still wanted to resist stubbornly, upon hearing this, all his perseverance faded.
Yes, 100,000 star dollars was indeed a lot, but if something goes wrong and he loses his rights to obtain an ID registration, wouldn’t he be reduced to a joke?
Thinking of this, Jiang Kang suddenly changed his expression and took the initiative to say: “Actually, I do know that person, but I am not collaborating with him. I mainly took the opportunity to approach him and find out his motives, so I can call the police to deal with him for justice.”
Jian Luo widened his eyes: “It really was you.”
Jiang Kang’s eyes flickered a little: “Luoluo, you have to believe me. All I did was to… help you.”
As he spoke, he took out a small plastic bag from the storage space of his bracelet. The bag really contained seeds.
Jian Luo was angry when he saw it: “Are you also the one who cultivated and distributed those spoiled potatoes too?”
Jiang Kang shook his head: “Luoluo, I’m not with them. I don’t know what happened with the potatoes. They just contacted me suddenly so I don’t know.”
Lu Shifeng sneered.
Jiang Kang didn’t dare to look at him for some reason. He always felt that this man was very dangerous. Although he didn’t do anything from beginning to end, he was very oppressive.
It was getting late and the air around them was starting to turn chilly.
Lu Shifeng took off his coat, put it on Jian Luo’s body and said, “You stole the seeds to plant them by yourself, and disregarding whether the quality is suitable for consumption or not, you put them on the market. The cultivation base will judge and issue a suitable punishment for you.”
Jiang Kang’s expression was very bad: “You can insult me, but you can’t slander my morality. Are the dark stars that amazing that they can look down on humans like this?”
…
Just as Jian Luo was about to speak, Lu Shifeng stopped him.
“You can’t blame anyone for humiliating yourself.” Lu Shifeng glanced at the sky: “Go back and tell it to the judge.”
Jiang Kang was taken aback.
As if they received an order, a luxury car came over as two soldiers in military uniforms got out of the car. The two came over and opened a pair of handcuffs as Jiang Kang was restrained skillfully.
Jiang Kang started to completely panic and began to struggle: “What are you trying to do? I said I didn’t do it, I just wanted to help. Luoluo, Luoluo, hurry up and explain to them for me. What right do you have to arrest me? Luoluo?!”
Jian Luo stood beside Lu Shifeng and did not speak.
Jiang Kang still looked at him persistently: “Luoluo, Luoluo. Speak up!”
Jian Luo looked on indifferently and said, “Jiang Kang, if I didn’t find out about your theft of the seeds today, will these things be blamed on me as the supervisor if there are peppers of compromised quality on the market in the future?”
Jiang Kang choked.
“Doing too much injustice will lead to your own downfall.” Jian Luo had no pity for him: “Seek more happiness for yourself.”
His indifferent attitude angered Jiang Kang.
As a person with a very good exterior image, especially in front of a person who has always been inferior to himself, since childhood, whether in family status or ability, he suddenly lost his pride in front of Jian Luo.
Jiang Kang was pinned down as he said, “Jian Luo, what do you have to be proud of? Do you really think you are very powerful? Don’t assume that I don’t know what you are doing. Aren’t you quite proud to be the lover and dog of the dark stars? Even if the seeds are stolen, you deserved it!”
Jian Luo said, “So you admit that you took the seeds and also knew about the potatoes?”
Jiang Kang snorted coldly, neither admitting or denying it.
Jian Luo smiled slightly and said towards a shed not far away, “Director Li, you can come out now.”
…
Not far from the shed, a figure slowly walked out.
Director Li walked out with a heavy face, followed by many senior staff members from the planting base.
Director Li’s face was solemn: “It’s because of my lax management, I’m really ashamed.”
There are a few senior staff members behind:
“Jiang Kang… Back then, there was only one place in the village to study abroad, so I gave it to you. Now what has become of you…”
“Are you worthy now?”
“Your mother used to go around telling about how good you are.”
“This child, I never imagined…”
Jiang Kang opened his eyes wide and looked at these people who came out in disbelief. For a long time, he pretended to be virtuous inside out, crafting his own excellent character just to gain everyone’s respect.
But now, thousands of people looked at him with contempt and regret in their eyes, as if he was just an insect. There was such a gap between the two different treatments, no one would be able to accept it.
Jian Luo said: “There should be others who were bribed just like him. This is how the seeds of potatoes were distributed. Director Li, you need to do a thorough investigation.”
Director Li nodded: “I will, Luoluo. You have been wronged. If it weren’t for you, we might not have realized these problems.”
Jian Luo didn’t say much.
Jiang Kang was completely destroyed. Even if he will not lose his rights to register for an ID, after being found out by Director Li, it will be shameful for him to live in the village in the future. How will he be seen by the others? This was all the fault of Jian Luo!
Thinking to this extent, Jiang Kang could hardly control his emotions. He broke free from the person restraining him and rushed over to Jian Luo: “Jian Luo, you b-tch…”
“Bang!”
Jiang Kang’s body was kicked away just before he touched him. The force of Lu Shifeng’s kick was not something ordinary humans could withstand.
Jiang Kang was smashed back to the ground as his whole body twitched twice. He spat out a mouthful of blood and passed out.
Lu Shifeng didn’t even notice it: “Take this thing back.”
The two soldiers came over quickly: “Yes.”
Director Li and the others were also dumbfounded. They had heard of Lu Shifeng’s reputation before, but even after hearing it, what they saw still came as a shock, even if they shouldn’t be surprised at all.
Lu Shifeng didn’t give them a chance to think and glanced at Director Li: “Investigate about the potatoes. I don’t want this kind of thing to happen again.”
The extremely powerful tyrant’s command is absolute. Lu Shifeng didn’t do much, but Director Li’s back broke into a cold sweat: “Yes!”
After explaining the matter, Lu Shifeng said to Jian Luo, “Go back.”
Jian Luo came back to his senses: “Okay.”
The two left the base in tandem. Lu Shifeng’s car was parked outside, and Jian Luo said, “Where are we going?”
Lu Shifeng: “You haven’t been back for two days.”
Inexplicably, Jian Luo looked at the indifferent face of the Marshal. It seemed he heard something else from it – was it grievance?
A very substantial amount of grievance.
Jian Luo sat on the soft seat: “The babies are fine.”
Lu Shifeng glanced at him and said in a low voice, “In the health information reported back by the bracelet yesterday, there was an abnormal fluctuation.”
…
I see.
Jian Luo sighed. It was just as he thought, how could Lord Marshal have come to see him? It wasn’t because he missed him for two days that he came here, but because he cared about the dragon babies.
Lu Shifeng said, “I’ll send you here in the future.”
Jian Luo shook his head: “No, if we’re going to Phoenix Stage, it’s very close, so you’ll still pass it by on the way. However, the planting base is too far away, so you can’t.”
Lu Shifeng took out a nearly frozen holy dragon fruit from the small refrigerator for Jian Luo to eat: “When I don’t have time, I will ask Secretary Jin to send you there instead.”
Jian Luo still wanted to struggle.
Lu Shifeng interrupted his thoughts: “Moonlight has released a lot of new products, all of which have been put in the small kitchen. You can eat them when you go back.”
Jian Luo was very straightforward: “It’s great to go back!”
“…”
The car arrived at the military base soon after. Jian Luo thought he was going back to rest. Unexpectedly, Lu Shifeng said, “There are a few small brigades coming back from their missions today. There is a celebration banquet ahead, so let’s go enjoy ourselves there together.”
Jian Luo was very curious: “It’s a celebration banquet, what are we going to enjoy?”
In fact, he doesn’t know much about these pastimes. In Jian Luo’s own impression, the military was rigid and cold, if they were not fighting all day long, they were probably on the way to fight?
Lu Shifeng said lightly, “You’ll know when you go.”
All right.
It’s close by anyway.
Before he left, Jian Luo also checked himself. In the morning, he only wore a white shirt and jeans for convenience. He was unsure: “Will it be bad for me to dress like this?”
Lu Shifeng closed the car door: “As long as you are not wearing a military uniform, anything else will be the same for them.”
…
Jian Luo gave up.
It was his first time visiting to attend a banquet inside the military base. Before walking into the huge auditorium, he had countless imaginary scenarios in his mind, such as the icy soldiers sitting neatly together while discussing the war tactics, and talking about who to kill tomorrow. It would be a gathering full of violence and blood.
However, when Jian Luo walked in, he only smelled the smell of barbecue.
Inside the restaurant, there were soldiers gathered together in twos and threes on the huge table with their sleeves rolled up as they grilled the skewers of meat with their shoulders lifted. The scene was extremely crowded.
“…”
Jian Luo felt that his imagination was completely shattered.
Obviously, no one has made a sound yet. The moment Lu Shifeng stood at the door, the entire hall fell silent. The whole room that was rowdy just now immediately fell silent. Everyone stood up and saluted Lu Shifeng: “Marshal!”
Jian Luo’s eardrums almost burst.
The voices of the young dragons or half-dragons in the room were so loud that they almost pierced through the sky.
Lu Shifeng said quietly, “Sit down.”
The little soldiers in the house couldn’t help but look at Jian Luo. There was a single human being in the dragon clan’s building. It was inevitable that some people would be curious.
Especially since this human being was full of the scent of dragons, which made thing even more exciting. Some people have already started whispering:
“Who is it?”
“He looks so small.”
“The one who looks like he can be squeezed to death with one hand?”
“Please be quiet.”
The corners of Jian Luo’s mouth twitched, and he was really speechless at what the dark stars said, especially the silly people of the dragon clan.
When Jian Luo accompanied Lu Shifeng and walked inside, he thought that it was an ordinary building from the outside, but when he was inside, he found that there was something different. The back of the building was actually open-air and connected to the outdoor hills behind, where there were various grills full of meat.
Jian Luo was surprised: “Why do you only eat meat during dinner together? Shouldn’t you have some cakes, vegetables or something else when you return?”
The little adjutant was roasting meat. Hearing that, he said, “We don’t have any food to eat on the way to our mission, only nutrient solution, so we have a tradition of holding a celebration banquet and eating as much meat as we can when we come back.”
Jian Luo just nodded.
Secretary Jin held a plate and said, “As for vegetables or other foods, we can’t cook it to the standards of our own taste, so we just eat meat.”
…
Are all dragons always so upfront?
Jian Luo was also hungry when he smelled the meat. He was convinced: “I’ll help to get some vegetables and grill some meat.”
Secretary Jin has been waiting for Jian Luo to say that for a long time: “Okay.”
A new batch of vegetables and meat were delivered from the kitchen. Jian Luo prepared it well before wrapping it up to be eaten. It was a pity that he couldn’t eat the chili peppers the last time he had grilled meat, so he asked one more question: “Do you have chili peppers?”
Secretary Jin nodded: “Yes, weren’t the first batch of chili peppers distributed today? We recently received them.”
Jian Luo was very moved: “You received them just in time.”
Thanks to the technology of the dark stars, all crops had a shortened growth cycle. As such, life has become much more vibrant!
Even if it was too late to grind the chili into powder or make it into chili oil, it could still be eaten directly, as long as it tasted spicy!
The little adjutant said: “Come here, it’s all been delivered.”
Jian Luo sat on the ground on the grass. He had just started grilling when he saw the Lord Marshal sitting in the front seat not far away. There was a lot of roasted meat on the table but he did not touch it much. He was basically still drinking the brewed wine.
“Is he not hungry?” Jian Luo was inexplicably concerned: “At least I still ate something before coming here.”
Secretary Jin followed his gaze and explained, “Are you talking about the marshal? He has always been like this. The Lord doesn’t eat barbecued meat.”
…
Jian Luo’s movements suddenly stopped.
Secretary Jin asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.” Jian Luo suddenly remembered that at the banquet of the blood clan, the marshal had eaten a few pieces of barbecued meat then: “Why? It’s not like your dragon clan has an aversion towards meat.”
When he mentioned this, Secretary Jin sighed deeply: “Who said we do? Actually, the marshal did not have this much of an aversion towards meat before, but one year, he entered the Dragon Valley for training and stayed there for many years… not once ever coming out during this period. Ever since he came out, he has been very picky about food and has a deep aversion to barbecued meat.”
Jian Luo suddenly thought of what the driver had said to him before, about how Lu Shifeng was just cloned, he had a genetic defect.
The dragon clan had high expectations for him. In order to revitalize their clan and the hope of the entire race, Lu Shifeng entered the abyss of the Dragon Valley to undergo tribulations. As for what happened during that period, no one knows.
Was it post-traumatic stress?
It is also possible.
Secretary Jin said: “The Lord is very picky when it comes to food. Moonlight used to have someone deliver food on a regular basis every month, but he basically didn’t eat it. The time he actually began to eat the food was probably when you started coming here to work.”
Jian Luo was flattered: “Me?”
Secretary Jin nodded.
Jian Luo turned to look at the person sitting on the front seat not far away. Dragons were actually quite open and enthusiastic by nature. They are quite open when it is time for fun. There were also many soldiers who looked like they wanted to mingle with the marshal. But when they all saw that the marshal had no appetite, without any exceptions, all of them decided to give up.
…
Slowly, Jian Luo had an idea in his heart.
Seeing that he was in a daze, Secretary Jin asked curiously, “Luoluo, what are you thinking about?”
“Huh?” Jian Luo smiled slightly: “I was thinking, do you want to try to eat something fun?”
The little adjutant likes to eat the most, and he especially liked to eat the things that Jian Luo made. Hearing this, he was very excited: “What is fun to eat?”
Jian Luo clapped his hands together and said, “Hotpot.”
…?
There was no such thing as hotpot in Dark Star, but there was never a shortage of ingredients and people who were good at using their brains. Those of the dragon clan do not simply like barbecue because it was easy and didn’t require any brains to make, to them, other foods were also welcome.
It just so happened that a hotpot meets all the requirements. There was no need to use their brains or skills, plus they could also eat the hotpot according to their personal preferences.
Secretary Jin said, “How do you eat a hotpot?”
“It’s a dish that’s easy to cook for all ages.” Jian Luo arranged for a pot to be sent from the kitchen and began to put peppers and other spices into the pot at the bottom of the pot to be cooked: “Hotpot is really the savior of the world.”
The dark stars also had their own eating habits, so they also had their own spices. There were some that Jian Luo was not used to eating, while the other basic ones were okay.
Jian Luo cut the peppers and put them in to cook when the oil was hot. He took advantage of the time to get in front of Lu Shifeng: “I cooked hotpot, do you want to come and eat it together.”
Lu Shifeng played with the cup in his hand: “Just eat it with the others.”
…
It was impossible for Jian Luo to follow his instructions.
Since you didn’t eat barbecue, I have taken great pains in terms of labor and management to make a hotpot for you. Now, you’re asking me to eat it with them, how could it be possible!
“No, no.” Jian Luo tugged at his arm: “Let’s eat it together. A hotpot is fun when more people eat it together. Aren’t you hungry? I’m hungry, even if you’re not hungry and I want to eat with you. If you won’t eat, then you don’t need to eat it, but I’ll eat it instead.”
…
Marshal Lu has not been threatened by anyone for a long time, but the arrogant man still couldn’t get angry with him. He could only nod his head in the end: “Alright, let’s go eat together.”
Jian Luo’s lips curled up: “Okay!”
The process of cooking the hotpot soup base was very simple and fast. The aroma of chili spread out as Jian Luo prepared the dipping sauce and taught Secretary Jin how to mix it together.
Slowly, some dragons who were eating the barbecue couldn’t stand it anymore.
A dragon came up and asked, “What is this, can we also taste it?”
Jian Luo said generously, “Yes!”
He boiled a piece of meat in the pot and then gave it to the soldiers. The meat cooked in the pot has been marinated by the soup and has a spicy taste. After dipping it in some delicious sauce and putting it in one’s mouth, the flavour which was distinctively different from the barbecued meat was very delicious. It was also salty and flavorful. There was an endless good aftertaste after just taking a bite.
The soldier’s eyes lit up: “Delicious!”
Jian Luo smiled: “It should be.”
“Yeah! The barbecue is no longer fragrant.” The soldier was very excited: “It’s so delicious, you are amazing!”
The members of the dragon clan were very direct, unlike the marshal.
The soldier put his hand on Jian Luo’s shoulder in an intimate manner: “Are you the chef invited by our marshal? This hotpot is so delicious, you…”
Lu Shifeng glanced at the intimate gesture between the two, reflecting the terrifying possessive nature of the dragon clan. Even among the same clan, members won’t allow for their own things to be shared with others, and this includes people. The marshal said lightly: “I want to eat by myself. Stay away from the chef.”
The soldier quickly withdrew his hand.
Jian Luo thought for a while. If everyone came to eat together, this small pot would be rendered inefficient. He said, “Tell the kitchen to send a few more sets. You can cook on your own. I’ll teach you how to cook it.”
The little soldier nodded happily: “Okay!”
The kitchen responded very fast. Several dishes and seasonings were delivered. Jian Luo asked Lu Shifeng to eat first before going over to tell the soldiers a few precautions. Usually, he viewed the soldiers of the dragon clan as unfriendly, but once he mixed with them and chatted more, he felt that they were actually very enthusiastic and easy to understand.
Sure enough, Jian Luo had different impressions of each clan. The people in Moonlight all put their own interests first while the people at Phoenix Stage always had a sense of unapproachable seriousness. The blood clan was always proud and it’s unknown what they were scheming. As for the dragon clan, it was Jian Luo’s favorite clan in his heart. They were warm and generous, quite simple and he felt happy to get along with them.
A soldier said, “Luoluo, you are so good at cooking, so why haven’t you been snatched up by Moonlight?”
Jian Luo said while stirring the bottom of the pot, “I don’t have to go to Moonlight. You guys here are pretty good too.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The little soldier rolled up his sleeves. Because he was too excited to eat, a lot of scales appeared on his face: “We’re all here. Plus, you can go to the hanging garden to play if you have nothing to do. There are also little dragons there. The little dragons prefer to play with other people.”
When Jian Luo retracted his hand, he accidentally touched the arm of the soldier next to him. There were a lot of scales floating on his arm, but it was actually cold to the touch which made Jian Luo feel very strange: “Will the temperature of your dragon scales change?”
The soldier was curious: “What?”
“Aren’t your scales hot when they appear on your skin?” Jian Luo was very surprised: “Your body is cold.”
He had only touched Lu Shifeng’s scales before, and it was hot, like a big oven. It was now summer, which made Jian Luo not very fond of touching Lu Shifeng in his human form. It was only cool and comfortable when he was in his dragon form.
…
There was silence around the table.
Several soldiers looked at each other and fell into a strange silence. They didn’t know whether to say it or not. The scales of the dragon race only get hot when they are in heat or in courtship.
T/N: Yummy yummy… I wanna eat hotpot too…
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