Chapter 137 – Separate Ways
Upon hearing these words, Jian Luo’s heart immediately ached.
He held his sister and gently patted her head, “We are going home, very soon. We’ll be home soon.”
Not far away, Long Aotian seemed to calm down as well. Realizing that struggling was futile, he obediently crouched against the glass wall, his dragon eyes fixed on Jian Luo with a hopeful gaze, wishing his father could come and rescue him.
Jian Luo felt like his heart was being stabbed as he looked at that gaze. He instinctively took a few steps forward, but the doctor behind him cautioned, “Please do not cross the line. It could affect the scan results. We might have to redo it, and our technology ensures the young highness won’t feel uncomfortable.”
Seeing Jian Luo approach, Long Aotian couldn’t hold back anymore. The little dragon dashed to the glass wall, chirping and chirping incessantly. Every scale on his body betrayed anxiety and unease. Initially using his horn against the glass, he then resorted to bumping it with his body.
Jian Luo was frantic. Tears were welling up, but he had no time to process his own emotions. As a caretaker, he was more afraid of the children hurting themselves. He turned to the doctor, “Can I talk to him?”
The doctor hesitated for a moment, then nodded, “Yes.”
They handed Jian Luo a small communication button. Through this device, his voice could be transmitted inside the glass. Jian Luo hurried over to the child, suppressing his own emotions, and spoke gently, “Little one?”
Long Aotian let out a whimper of distress.
The child was probably too angry to speak. He focused solely on expressing his dissatisfaction through sounds. Fortunately, though forgetting to speak, he could understand what was being said.
Jian Luo reassured him, “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid. Uncle and auntie are just checking your body. Once the check-up is over, you won’t get sick all the time. Then you can go hunting with Dad.”
Upon hearing the word “hunting,” Long Aotian’s spirits lifted. In a child’s world, hunting meant food. If there’s food, Dad would make delicious meatballs for him, and his younger siblings wouldn’t go hungry. So hunting was the best, the best game.
“Chirp!”
Long Aotian sat down, showing some pride. Finally giving up on bumping the wall, he adjusted to the temperature and light inside the glass. After circling inside, he raised his head high, looking like he was leading an expedition.
“Chirp!”
He called out to Jian Luo again, bursting with pride.
Jian Luo laughed, “Yes, yes, little one is indeed a fearless young man!”
The doctors, seeing him finally calm down, breathed a sigh of relief and proceeded with the examination swiftly.
The doctor said, “Next one.”
They treated the dragon cubs with utmost care, each person showing respect and performing their duties meticulously.
Jian Luo patted the second child’s head, “Don’t be afraid, little one. Look, your big brother is fine. It will be over soon.”
The second child was always the most silent among the three. The sister was smart and expressive, Long Aotian was energetic and talkative, but the second child was the quietest. It didn’t like to move much or speak.
Sometimes Jian Luo felt this child might think the world only had himself. Other times, he felt it wasn’t true. It would come to him for comfort when sad and quietly stay by the sister’s side when she was sick. It even helped clean up after his brother’s mischief.
So Jian Luo thought, maybe this little one just wasn’t good at expressing emotions, a bit… like Lu Shifeng.
The doctor said, “Seems like chatting helps. You should talk to him more later.”
Jian Luo nodded quickly, “Okay, don’t worry.”
Long Ao Tian was brought out looking very aggrieved, rolling into Jian Luo’s arms. Upon seeing his younger brother taken away, he wanted to bite the doctor, but Jian Luo managed to stop him just in time.
Finally, Long Ba Tian was placed into the glass enclosure.
After the machine started, the light and temperature rose. Everyone was concerned that Long Ba Tian might not adjust well at first, fearing he would exhibit the same restlessness as the first one. However—
Several seconds passed. Sitting motionless in the middle of the glass enclosure, Long Ba Tian stood as still as a statue, seemingly unaffected by the outside world. His indifferent attitude made the observers doubt their own sanity.
Finally, the scanning process was completed.
The doctor approached to take him, expecting him to be cooperative and indifferent. But when the doctor tried to hold him, those amber eyes carried a slow chill and wariness. He seemed like a dangerous hunter ready to strike—if you dared to come closer, he might snap at your throat.
Unknowingly, the doctor started to feel intimidated.
A female nurse turned to Jian Luo and said, “Luo Luo, please come and take the child.”
Jian Luo responded and walked over. Initially unaware of what had transpired, he had been a bit anxious, thinking Long Ba Tian might be injured. He bent down, reaching out to scoop him up, “What’s wrong?”
The dragon, who had just been fierce moments ago, now reverted to an indifferent and zen-like state, allowing Jian Luo to check him in his palm, “Seems like nothing’s wrong.”
The doctor reassured from the side, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
Jian Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, it was the youngest one’s turn. She resisted strongly, holding onto Jian Luo’s hand tightly. When the doctor approached to take her, she couldn’t help but whisper softly, “Dad, I’m scared.”
In an instant, Jian Luo’s eyes reddened. He gently patted his daughter’s head, “It’s alright, it won’t hurt. We’ll be home soon after the check-up, okay?”
After hesitating for a moment, the girl nodded, “Okay.”
Inside the glass, the youngest didn’t behave well either. She kept touching the glass but couldn’t muster the lively energy of Long Ao Tian or the calmness of her elder brother. In the end, she curled herself into a small white ball in one corner of the glass.
Finally, the doctor announced, “All done.”
With all three children checked one by one, it was now Jian Luo’s turn for his own examination.
The doctor approached and asked him to leave the children outside while he went in for his examination. Jian Luo was a bit uneasy but could see the doctor’s concerns. The doctor chuckled helplessly, “You can relax. We have orders from the Marshal himself—aside from the full-body scan, we won’t do anything else. And we’ll follow all your commands and requests; we won’t act without your consent.”
Jian Luo finally felt a bit relieved and proceeded to leave the children outside for his examination.
While gentle with the children, the doctors weren’t as accommodating with adults. They said, “We need to do blood tests and routine checks. Please lie down on this bed, and we’ll begin shortly.”
Jian Luo replied, “Okay.”
Standing nearby was the nurse who had previously assisted with his examinations. She remarked, “You don’t seem as nervous as before.”
“After all, I’m a father now. Can’t stay nervous forever,” Jian Luo joked back, “If I were that fragile every day, I wouldn’t survive.”
“Actually, you don’t have to be so pessimistic,” the nurse said thoughtfully, “You have a lot of luck that many envy. The child you’re carrying is the only hope of the entire Dark Star, and the Little Princes are destined future Dragon Kings of the Dragon Clan. Our King is still young…”
The nurse paused, “And still unmarried.”
Jian Luo smiled wryly.
“You’re the only partner he’s ever acknowledged,” the nurse lowered her voice as the doctor returned, “I think your good fortune is yet to fully unfold. Keep going.”
The doctor came over and drew blood from Jian Luo, saying, “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Jian Luo refocused, “What is it?”
As the doctor worked, he explained, “The results of the Little Princes’ examinations are out. They do show signs of mild malnutrition. We’ll quickly provide a regimen to rectify this. Starting today, they’ll need bi-daily check-ups. Now that they’re a month old, they can begin physical and educational training. To ensure they adapt quickly and integrate smoothly, we hope for your cooperation.”
Jian Luo frowned, “So soon?”
The doctor smiled, “Don’t worry, it won’t be too taxing. It’s all basic training. You can follow along if you’re worried.”
Jian Luo nodded then, now more keenly aware of the weight of wearing the crown. Here was the Dragon Clan, and they were returning to Dark Star—the most powerful and prosperous planet in the universe. There, the weak and tearful couldn’t survive for long.
…
Evening came.
Lu Shifeng finished his meeting and returned.
The first day back after a month filled with unresolved matters left him utterly exhausted. By the time he could truly rest, it was already past nine in the evening. He entered his room, opening the door to find it eerily quiet and spotlessly clean, just like it had been for centuries, unnervingly silent.
Everything seemed normal, yet not quite normal.
Lu Shifeng hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t resist contacting Secretary Jin, “Did you arrange the rooms incorrectly for Jian Luo and them?”
Secretary Jin paused briefly before replying, “No, it’s room 303 as planned. It was Jian Luo’s choice. He liked the layout of this room.”
…
Lu Shifeng remained silent for a while, then finally spoke up, “He doesn’t want to stay in the same room with me?”
There was a pause on the other end of the phone.
Secretary Jin felt a tightness in her scalp. After holding back for a while, she finally said, “Jian Luo mentioned that sleeping together before was due to the pregnancy. Now that the child is born, he feels there’s no need anymore. He also said he prefers that all aspects of daily life be separate from now on.”
Author’s note: Lu Shifeng: Feels a bit exposed here…
T/N: Alrighty. 3 more chapter to go for the mass-updates… After, the plan is to have chapters released regularly! Thank you for following this series, even after radio silence for so long!! It’ll be a race till the end to finish this, I’m sure :O
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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
and many, many more!
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I felt so bad for all the lil ones during checkup. I know the feeling that Jianjian felt for them. I was the same when my lil daughter born premature and got sick after leaving the hospital for 5days and had to go back and get checkup. The nurse tried so hard to find a vein for the IV drip but keep missing. My baby cried so much that I started crying too. The nurses had to evacuate me cause I was too emotional. Gosh, let’s have some good happy moments after this. Thanks again for translating!