Chapter 16: Bald?
Despite the teasing, Su Muluo still took the little black dragon out of his pocket and coaxed it properly.
“You’re my favorite. Don’t be mad, okay?”
The little black dragon hummed, curling up in Su Muluo’s palm with its little head held high, flicking its tail.
“Kiss me and I’ll forgive you.”
“No kisses, go away,” Su Muluo responded.
He was just teasing the little black dragon, and the dragon knew it, not really angry but seizing the opportunity to be coaxed by its phoenix.
The little black dragon liked when the phoenix smiled at it, spoke sweetly in a gentle tone, and wanted to hold the phoenix tightly, keeping him close always. Of course, the latter part was just a small fantasy of the dragon’s. If it truly tried to confine the phoenix, the phoenix would surely be unhappy.
Thinking of this, the little black dragon let out a “roar,” turning its head away in a pouty manner, as if saying, “If you don’t kiss me, I won’t pay attention to you.”
“……”
Kissing was out of the question, so Su Muluo stroked the little black dragon from head to tail like petting a cat, making the little dragon hum and wag its tail.
“Happy now?”
The little black dragon lay limply, hugging Su Muluo’s finger and snuggling against it.
With a slight smile, Su Muluo patted its small head and then turned his attention to the red umbrella on the ground.
He hadn’t expected the fox demon to hide in the umbrella, but it didn’t matter. Now that the umbrella was in his hands, the fox demon had effectively cut off her escape route.
On the other side of the room, the woman in white stirred and slowly opened her eyes.
Her body still ached from the separation of her soul. She struggled to sit up and looked up, seeing a very handsome young man sitting in front of her.
“What’s your name?” Su Muluo asked directly.
“…” The woman in white was silent for a few seconds before softly saying, “Hu Xiao.” Before Su Muluo could ask further, she added, “The one just now was my sister, Hu Yan.”
“You’re both fox demons. Haven’t you registered with the Extraordinary Beings Bureau?” Su Muluo inquired.
Hu Xiao shook her head. “My sister and I mostly live in the mountains. We only come out during this time of the year…”
She glanced at Su Muluo as she spoke, and he made a “please” gesture, prompting her to continue.
“In a while, it will be the seventh day of the ninth lunar month, the death anniversary of my sister’s lover. During this period, she comes to human settlements to find a suitable skin for her lover.”
Su Muluo raised an eyebrow. “So that’s why she attacked me.”
Hu Xiao did not deny it. “She initially chose that dog demon, Yu Haozhi, because his affectionate behavior with his girlfriend reminded her of her lover. But soon she set her sights on you, so I went to your café.”
Su Muluo’s pocket moved, and he calmly pressed down on the little black dragon inside. He didn’t want to expose his dragon to this fox demon—so far, neither Hu Xiao nor Hu Yan knew he had a real dragon, and there was no need for them to know.
“So, you and your sister are accomplices in murder?”
“…” Hu Xiao was silent for a few seconds before saying, “I’ve never killed anyone. I went to your café to delay her from attacking you.”
This was an unexpected answer. Su Muluo looked at Hu Xiao, who continued, “All these years, I’ve tried to stop her, but she is stronger than me. Many times, I’ve been powerless and couldn’t save anyone.”
“Even so, the Extraordinary Beings Bureau may still hold you accountable,” Su Muluo noted. After all, living together for so many years, Hu Xiao was likely seen as complicit in her sister’s actions.
Hu Xiao showed little reaction to this, calmly stating, “I know. Because she’s my sister, I lacked the courage to report her. Sometimes, I even helped cover for her… For the past two hundred years, I’ve enabled her killings, letting her go further down this path.”
“You’ve anticipated this day for a long time,” Su Muluo observed, noting the calm in her eyes.
“Yes, I knew the truth would come out eventually. I don’t regret it. The moment I chose to hide her actions instead of reporting her, there was no turning back.”
Su Muluo was silent for a few seconds, then asked, “Where is your sister’s lover now?”
Hu Xiao’s expression remained calm throughout, but a clear hatred flashed in her eyes at this question.
“He’s dead,” she said. “Killed by my sister.”
Unsurprised, Su Muluo asked, “Can you tell me his story?”
“There’s nothing much to say,” Hu Xiao coldly replied. “He was a merchant who deceived my sister, saying he didn’t mind her true nature and would marry her if she helped him reach the capital. But after she did, he married another woman and tried to kill my sister, intending to skin her and use her bones to become a cultivator… Then he died.”
She remembered the rainy day when her sister knelt in the mud, holding a skeleton, and turned back to her.
“It’s wonderful,” Hu Yan had said softly, a satisfied smile on her face. “Sister, look, he’s still with me.”
Hu Xiao had stood frozen, seeing her sister’s face covered in blood, a shocking red. The merchant had found other cultivators, and they had skinned Hu Yan’s face, nearly killing her.
But Hu Yan survived, clutching the skeleton in the rain for a long time. Since then, every year around the ninth lunar month, she would hunt for a new skin for her lover.
“She turned the merchant’s flesh and bones into an umbrella, infusing it with her fox tail, half of her power,” Hu Xiao said softly. “She believed that way, they could be together… Maybe I should have told her sooner that it was all a delusion, just her own fantasy.”
Su Muluo was silent for a while after hearing the story. Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the room. He looked up and saw people from the Bureau of Extraordinary Beings arriving.
Hu Xiao remained unresponsive. Su Muluo glanced at her and said, “It’s all over now. I’ll tell them you helped me, which might lessen your punishment.”
No matter what, Hu Yan could not be forgiven, but Hu Xiao still had a kind heart. She came to his café hoping to help him—unaware of Su Muluo’s strength—just thinking that her presence might deter her sister from harming the café owner.
Hu Xiao shook her head at his words, giving Su Muluo a faint smile. “No need. I deserve punishment; it’s my just deserts… and also the release I’ve been waiting for many years.”
“And, my sister is hidden inside the umbrella. If you want to find her, I can take you in.” Her expression was weary, yet somewhat relieved. “After all these years, we must face this day… At least in the final moments, I want to be with her and have a proper conversation.”
As Hu Yan’s older sister, she undoubtedly loved her dearly, not wanting to see her harm others or fall into the hands of the Bureau. Initially, she tried to stop Hu Yan from killing. When that failed, she covered her tracks instead.
For a century, Hu Yan had blood on her hands, betrayed by her lover, while Hu Xiao lived in torment, haunted by her conscience. When the truth was finally revealed and their crimes exposed, she found her release, able to breathe easier at last.
“Mr. Su,” Liu He entered with the Bureau agents, scanning the room before focusing on Hu Xiao. “Is this the culprit?”
“No,” Su Muluo picked up the red umbrella from the ground, feeling the overwhelming aura of blood on it. “The culprit is hiding inside this.”
Liu He eyed the red umbrella, frowning slightly. “Quite a weapon, no wonder it can hide its presence… So, we need to go inside to find it?”
Su Muluo replied, “Let me handle it. I want to end this personally.”
If the Bureau took Hu Xiao inside, she might not get the chance to speak to Hu Yan.
Liu He was surprised, about to protest, but seeing Su Muluo’s determined look, she held back.
Mr. Su’s mind was made up; it wasn’t wise to oppose him, especially since it also benefited them.
She said, “Alright, but first we need to take her back for questioning and figure out the details. Can you wait a bit?”
Su Muluo agreed, “No problem, I need to go back for a bit too.”
He had to close his café, as he had left Qiansui impersonating him there.
Liu He nodded and ordered her men to take the red umbrella and Hu Xiao back to the Bureau. Su Muluo left as well, returning to the café with the little black dragon.
Inside the café, someone who looked exactly like Su Muluo stood stiffly at the counter, a dark expression as if someone owed him five million.
The café was empty of customers. Su Muluo stepped inside, and Qiansui instantly reverted to his orange cat form, grabbing a cat food can and scurrying away.
Su Muluo laughed, closed the door, and took the little black dragon out of his pocket, sitting at the counter to tally the past two days’ earnings.
Due to the fox demon sisters, he had barely opened for business these past two days, resulting in pitifully low income, not even enough to cover daily expenses, let alone the monthly rent.
Of course, he wasn’t broke; he had millions in his bank account. Still, looking at the meager earnings was disheartening.
The little black dragon, lying in Su Muluo’s palm, suddenly felt its scales itching and started rubbing against his phoenix hand.
Su Muluo, glancing between the earnings and the oblivious little dragon rubbing its scales, scratched its scales and said, “If your scales fall off, you’ll become a bald little dragon.”
Little Black Dragon: “?”
Su Muluo: “So grow up before you go bald, instead of just eating all the time.”
Little Black Dragon: “??” When did it ever just eat all the time!
And it wasn’t bald!
The little black dragon grumbled, hugging Su Muluo’s finger for an explanation. Su Muluo, eyes filled with laughter, said, “You always itch, feels like you’re going bald.”
Little Black Dragon: “Aoo!”
Annoyed, the little dragon wanted to grow big and wrap itself around him. But it was too itchy, so it kept rubbing its scales against his fingers.
Su Muluo laughed, petting the irritated little dragon’s head, then held it up and scratched its itchy scales.
As he scratched, a feather suddenly fell.
Little Black Dragon: “?”
The soft white feather landed on its head, and it sniffed it, recognizing the phoenix’s scent, hugging it tightly.
Another feather fell.
Then another.
Su Muluo: “…”
After a century, he was losing feathers again.
But this time was different. He usually lost one, at most two feathers. Now, he lost three.
Three whole feathers!!
Su Muluo stared at the feathers, then at the happy little dragon hugging them, suddenly filled with a horrifying thought—
Could he be going bald because of this little dragon??
T/N: Hello hello! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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Kkkkk isso é carma!!! 🫠