SLLBTT Chapter 77
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
⋇⊶⊰Chapter 77⊱⊷⋇
Actually, the Snow Wolf King, upon seeing Bai Qingsi, dared not acknowledge him, and there was a significant reason for it — their temperaments were just too different.
In the past, Bai Qingsi was so carefree, laughing and cursing freely, with a strong sense of pride. Anyone who dared to criticize him would immediately face his wrath. Now, when Bai Qingsi looked at the Snow Wolf King, he didn't even lift his head. He simply knelt down and bowed, appearing as if he had long resided in a deep palace, unlike the former unruly king.
Hong Huli also hesitated to acknowledge him, but since the Snow Wolf King had instructed Hong Huli to take care of Bai Qingsi, Hong Huli had no choice but to comply.
Once Hong Huli entered the side hall, he saw Bai Qingsi shedding tears in front of the candles.
Hong Huli hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
Bai Qingsi only said, "It's nothing. I've developed PTSD from excessive exposure. When I see candles, I feel like crying."
Hong Huli quickly had the scented candles removed and replaced with flameless ones. Surprisingly, even in the absence of an open flame, Bai Qingsi still teared up. Hong Huli asked, "Is the scent not right?"
Bai Qingsi shook his head. "It's nothing. I've developed PTSD from excessive exposure. When I see cylindrical objects, I feel like crying."
"......" Hong Huli sighed inwardly, thinking, "The Son if Heaven truly is a dragon among men!"
Hong Huli then said, "Shall we skip the incense?"
Bai Qingsi replied, "Thank you, Master Hong."
Hong Huli had the incense removed. Bai Qingsi, supporting his cheek, asked, "Has the Great King truly recognized me?"
Hong Huli's eyes widened, "Noble Lady..."
"It's just the two of us here. I assume the Great King sent you with that intention!"
"Well..." Hong Huli was at a loss for words.
Bai Qingsi, holding Hong Huli's hand, said, "You have no idea how pitiful I am... When I first entered, I thought about escaping every day. Little did I know, with all the rings, studs, and plugs, the security checkpoint made a clinking sound!"
Hong Huli comforted Bai Qingsi for a while and then asked, "Noble Lady is a male, how did you conceive?"
"It's dragon's blood!" Bai Qingsi tearfully explained, "Dragons have nine offspring, and there's no reproductive isolation with anyone. It's just infuriating..."
Hong Huli, avoiding discussions that insulted the Son of Heaven, quickly said, "Noble Lady, after your long journey, let me assist you with bathing and changing. Rest early, please."
As he spoke, Hong Huli assisted Bai Qingsi in changing. Once the clothes came off, he noticed several changes. Though Hong Huli maintained a neutral expression, a hint of surprise lingered in his mind. After all, he had been tending to Bai Qingsi for years and knew every inch of his body. At least, there used to be hair in a certain place on Bai Qingsi, which was now absent.
Confined in the Heavenly Palace for years without anyone to talk to, Bai Qingsi, upon finally meeting an old acquaintance, poured out his grievances, "This is laser hair removal! Can you believe it?"
"Laser!" Hong Huli, weathered by many experiences, was genuinely astonished.
"He said laser is permanent and more convenient. But think about it... laser on that particular area!!!" Bai Qingsi lamented with tears. "He even claimed that as a divine snow wolf, my injuries would heal — but it's true, you have no idea how many injuries I've endured over the years..."
Hong Huli thought to himself, "I really don't want to know! Please don't tell me! I absolutely do not want to know these details!"
After Bai Qingsi finished bathing and felt tired, he lay down. "No matter how exhausted I am now, I can't sleep without taking sleeping pills."
"Noble Lady, with child, it's not suitable to take such medication!"
"This is the child of a dragon and a snow wolf, it won't be affected." Saying this, Bai Qingsi took the medicine on his own, thinking, "Even if there's an issue with the fetus, it's because the Son of Heaven has committed too many sins, so he could give birth to a son without a butthole!"
Hong Huli comforted Bai Qingsi to sleep and then returned to the main hall to report to the Snow Wolf King, conveying Bai Qingsi's words and mentioning his criticisms of the Son of Heaven. The Snow Wolf King listened calmly and said, "I understand. Continue watching over him, and don't let anything happen to him."
"Yes." Hong Huli immediately returned to the side hall.
Liu Jiao stood nearby, dumbfounded, and could only exclaim to the Snow Wolf King, "Heavens! How can there be such a perverted person?"
"The Son of Heaven's temperament has always been peculiar," the Snow Wolf King pondered for a moment. "But Bai Qingsi is not exactly innocent either. It's like two jinxes coming together."
"Why do you speak of the Son of Heaven like that? Weren't you supposed to be friends?"
"Who said that? I dare not claim such a title. At most, we're old classmates — let's just say, among everyone, I probably know how to avoid offending him a bit."
Liu Jiao, listening with wide-eyed astonishment, asked after a moment, "So, is this what they mean by 'accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger'?"
"Exactly," the Snow Wolf King nodded. "That's probably it."
Leaning against the Snow Wolf King's arm, Liu Jiao said, "But I'm accompanying you now, and it doesn't feel like accompanying a tiger at all."
The Snow Wolf King chuckled. "That's because I'm not your ruler."
Liu Jiao, somewhat understanding, simply replied, "Oh, I see."
"You see?" the Snow Wolf King smiled and teased, "What do you think you've figured out? And why is that?"
In truth, Liu Jiao didn't quite comprehend, so he said, "Well, it's probably because you like me, isn't that the gist?" With that, Liu Jiao laughed heartily again.
Upon hearing this, the Snow Wolf King chuckled, revealing a rare, radiant smile. Embracing Liu Jiao, he said, "Exactly, that's what I mean."
Liu Jiao extended his tail, coiling it around the Snow Wolf King's waist, arms encircling him. "I like you too."
Touched by this, the Snow Wolf King embraced Liu Jiao's shoulders and sighed. "Do you really understand what 'liking' means?"
Liu Jiao gazed at the Snow Wolf King, a bit puzzled. "Of course, I know. I'm not foolish."
The Snow Wolf King smiled and teased, "Aren't you called Second Fool?"
"Seems like it..." Liu Jiao paused, then added, "Even if I'm Second Fool, I still know what 'liking' means."
"But you also like Leng Jiao, and you like chicken feet. I recall you saying last time that your favorite is spicy chicken feet. Without them, you couldn't go on living."
"Is the Great King jealous of spicy chicken feet?"
Surprisingly, the Snow Wolf King was left speechless. Reflecting on that statement, it did sound a bit like being jealous of spicy chicken feet.
Lanmao, who was serving on the side, couldn't resist asking, "By the way, if spicy chicken feet and the Great King fell into the water at the same time, whom would you save?"
The Snow Wolf King attempted to stop him but Liu Jiao answered, "The Great King can swim, after all."
Lanmao asked with a touch of sadness, "So, you'd save the spicy chicken feet?"
"But..." Liu Jiao felt a bit aggrieved, "The Great King can swim. However, once chicken feet fall into the water, they're not spicy anymore..."
Observing the Snow Wolf King's aloof and lonely demeanor, Lanmao felt a twinge of empathy. It seemed that even a Great King could be so humble when falling in love with a cat.
Owning a cat, it seemed, was a form of self-inflicted torture.
Hence, it was said that those with a submissive tendency would choose to keep dogs.
Therefore, the Son of Heaven kept a snow wolf.
The logic was flawless.
The next day, Bai Lingling came to inquire about the newly arrived "Wolf Noble Lady." The Snow Wolf King felt there was no need to conceal the truth and shared the situation with Bai Lingling. Hearing this, Bai Lingling was greatly surprised, "The Son of Heaven is getting senile."
"The nature of a dragon is promiscuous, difficult to overcome."
Bai Lingling sighed after a moment. "Just like wolves, naturally loyal, hard to overcome."
"That's not right," Liu Jiao interjected, "If wolves are naturally loyal, why is Bai Qingsi so fickle? I heard he's also a wolf, but he's promiscuous, loving one today and another tomorrow. When he likes someone, he treats them like a treasure, but when he loses interest, he treats them like trash. Very heartless. I don't see any loyalty in him."
"Occasionally, there are a few mutations," Bai Lingling amended.
The Snow Wolf King added, "Perhaps he hasn't encountered the one in his life yet. The idea of falling for everyone you meet is often not true love."
Liu Jiao nodded, then turned to Bai Lingling. "Are you also the unfaithful type?"
"Why do you say that?" Bai Lingling retorted.
"If you claim to be loyal, why do you like both the Ragdoll Fairy and Leng Jiao?"
Bai Lingling was astonished. "Where did you hear that?"
Liu Jiao pointed at the Snow Wolf King. "Xiao Baizi told me."
Bai Lingling was infuriated. "You're spreading nonsense!"
The Snow Wolf King cleared his throat and said, "I did say something similar, but... Xiao Jiao's understanding has deviated."
Liu Jiao insisted, "Isn't it true, though?"
"Certainly not!" Bai Lingling adamantly denied. After a moment, he stared at Liu Jiao and said, "You didn't tell Leng Jiao this, did you?"
"Well... I might have mentioned it. I said you like the Ragdoll Fairy, and you're his number one fan."
In the past, Bai Lingling had pretended to like the Ragdoll Fairy, even creating a fan account to praise him every day. Now, filled with regret, Bai Lingling immediately posted on the fan account, "The Ragdoll Fairy's cat persona has collapsed. Unfollowing."
Along with this, Bai Lingling also shared an article from a public account titled "The Truth Behind the Ragdoll Fairy Being a Dyed Lion Cat."
Before long, an account named "MindYourOwnBiz" mocked, "Can't stand people like you who leave the fandom and then come back to criticize."
Bai Lingling clicked on it and found that "MindYourOwnBiz" was a newly created account, reposting a bunch of negative information about the Ragdoll Fairy.
"Aren't you a hater too?"
"Mind your own business."
"......"
Bai Lingling couldn't understand but decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he had gifts sent to Nishang Palace, hoping the Sheep Noble Consort would notice them more. However, the gifts were returned. Perhaps Bai Lingling's increasing attentiveness to the Noble Consort had stirred rumors in the palace, with even forums discussing the gossip, and maids starting threads to speculate about it.