BOOOOOOOMMM…

“Hmm? That sounds like an explosion, but where is it coming from? Could it be from Death Forest? D-don’t tell me it’s not far from here. H-hopefully it’s not caused by some cultivators fighting. If it really is a battle, I might get caught up in it. Damn! RuanRuan, Xianxiu, Linglu, where are you all when I need protection?”

“C-calm down. Since it was only one explosion, it probably wasn’t a fight between cultivators. But then, what was it? Could a cultivator have caused that? …well, whatever. The fighting sounds or explosion have stopped, so there’s no need for me to overthink it. I’d better finish my lunch.”

Having no reason to worry about the source of the explosion, Vheena nonchalantly shrugged it off and returned to her unfinished lunch.

"Yawn, ahh... after lunch, I feel sleepy for some reason. It seems like it would be nice to take a nap in the backyard. Luckily, I’ve already washed the dishes and utensils, so I can just head to the backyard to relax before my two disciples and pets return!"

Feeling excited, Vheena went to the backyard, grabbed a rocking chair that was there, and placed it near a shady tree to enjoy the rest she had been looking forward to.

Sitting on the chair and closing her eyes to savor the tranquility, Vheena tried to relax, but even after lounging for a while, she still couldn’t fall asleep. She began to think of trivial things to keep her mind busy, hoping it would help her drift off.

‘Feeling the cool breeze around the garden while sitting on my rocking chair is so soothing. I would never have done something so boring in my old world. Is it because I don’t have a cellphone in this world that I’ve come to enjoy these lazy, old-people hobbies?’

‘It seems like that’s the case. Besides, this world is so boring with so little entertainment compared to my old world. That’s why I don’t have any hobbies other than lazing around every day—hmm? Why does it feel like there’s a shadow over me, making my closed eyes feel even darker? Is it because it’s about to rain? S-something’s strange. I hear heavy breathing nearby. Whose breathing is this? I-it’s better if I open my eyes and check—’

“…A-a dragon?”

‘Scary! Scary! Scary! W-why is there a dragon right in front of my face? A-and it’s enormous! A-am I going to die here, eaten by this dragon?’

As Vheena felt a wave of despair, seeing a dragon looming above her as if it were about to devour her, she suddenly heard two familiar voices coming from the dragon.

"Master! Please help us save this human!" "Master! Please save Sister Xue!"

"T-that voice... Long Linglu and Ruan Xiaoyue? ...What do you need help with?"

‘It seems this dragon is Long Linglu, while Ruan Xiaoyue might be on its back? Thank goodness, it’s really them. I was so scared just now, thinking a random dragon was going to eat me. But still, why are they, who’ve been gone for five days, suddenly asking me to save Sister Xue? W-woah! Long Linglu has transformed back into a half-dragon human! I-it’s unbelievable how such a huge dragon just became a loli dragon girl!’

While Vheena was marveling at Long Linglu’s transformation, her disciple Ruan Xiaoyue, who had been carrying Xue Lanting, came down from Long Linglu’s back and approached her to ask for help.

“RuanRuan asks her master to save Sister Xue, whom RuanRuan is carrying.”

“Hmm? Is this woman sleeping?”

‘What’s with this stunning beauty RuanRuan is carrying? She’s too gorgeous! Her skin is flawless and without any injuries, so she must just be asleep or unconscious, right? Why on earth is RuanRuan asking me to save her? Is she expecting me to kiss this woman to wake her up?’

“No, Master, Sister Xue is—eh?”

“T-thank you, master, for saving Sister Xue! You’re truly amazing! Thank you, master!”

“Woah! Ruan Xiaoyue, you’re right! She’s breathing again! Master is incredible! This woman named Xue isn’t going to die! Thank you for saving her, master!”

‘W-what? What’s going on? W-why are the two of you suddenly thanking me? I didn’t even do anything! Is it just because I had the fleeting thought of kissing that sleeping beauty that you’re thanking me? No, that can’t be it. There’s no way they’re thanking me for something that strange. At the very least, I should respond to these two little girls. It would be weird if I just stayed silent while they’re so energetically expressing their gratitude!’

“O-oh, y-yes. What have I done—uhum! Ruan Xiaoyue, take this woman to your room and let her rest for now. After that, come back here; I want to hear the story of the two of you who have been away for five days.”

“Alright, master.”

‘Ugh! Now that they’re both back, my brain will have to work hard again. I need to think of a plan to trick them, and I hope my stomach doesn’t hurt from the stress caused by my disciples and pet.’

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Trying to maintain a flat expression on her face despite feeling sad, Vheena sat up, adopting the demeanor of an expert. Unfortunately, her facade was shattered when Long Linglu approached her and immediately sat in her lap, hugging her.

“Master, you saw Linglu’s transformation, right? What do you think? Is it cool?”

‘Cool? Yeah, it was definitely cool. Linglu’s dragon form resembles a Chinese dragon, but with white skin and horns, her body enveloped in blazing yellow light like fire. I think that’s really cool. Especially the size of her body when she transformed, which might have been about 40 meters tall and an absurd length of around 200 meters, making her look truly dominant. But as an ordinary human, I find Linglu’s dragon form quite intimidating. I felt like I was a character from a certain game facing a massive dragon god boss with just a sword! But aside from that, why is this dragon girl hugging me? Whatever, I might as well praise this silly girl.’

“…Of course, your dragon form was incredibly cool. I even want to try riding on your back and experiencing what it’s like to fly in your dragon form.”

“Hehehehe, if Master wants to ride on Linglu, all Master has to do is command it. Linglu belongs to Master, so I’ll follow all of Master’s orders.” Long Linglu responded shyly, wagging her tail happily.

BASH!

‘Linglu-chan, I was just complimenting you to lift your spirits. Why are you blushing like that? Look at the dent your tail left next to my foot. It wasn’t intentional, but the ground is caving in! Is this dragon girl getting stronger? H-hey, why is your big tail wrapping around my legs? Let go! I’m scared my legs are going to get crushed!’

As Vheena, who was being hugged by Linglu, stiffened in fear at the thought of her legs being crushed by Linglu's big tail, she remained unaware that RuanRuan had just finished moving Sister Xue to her room and had returned.

Seeing her master being affectionately embraced by Long Linglu, with a flushed face while sitting in Vheena's lap, RuanRuan felt a pang of hurt in her heart, which quickly turned into anger. She immediately shouted at Long Linglu to let go of her master.

“Long Linglu! What do you think you’re doing? Get off Master’s lap! Where are your manners?”

“Ck! Why are you upset when I’m with Master? Besides, I’m her pet; it’s only natural for me to want her affection!”

“You! Get off Master’s lap right now! She belongs to me! I’ve never even sat on her lap!”

“Don’t pull me! Let go of me, Ruan Xiaoyue! I’m her pet! Master is mine! You, as a disciple, should behave like one and not be jealous of me!”

‘Ugh! Linglu, don’t hug me so tightly; your soft body is making me feel all flustered! And RuanRuan, stop pulling at her; it only makes Linglu hug me tighter, making me feel her softness even more! Oh no, I feel my Lolicon parameters rising!’

“Long Linglu, let go of Master! Ugh! Why can’t I pull you away? When did your body get this strong?”

“Hahahahaha! Ruan Xiaoyue, ever since my divine dragon bloodline awakened, of course, my strength has grown tremendously! With this power, I can surely defeat you! Let’s duel to see who’s the strongest! If you lose, you have to lick my feet and obey my every command! If you win, I’ll let go of Master. How about it? Are you brave enough?”

“You brat! That’s not a fair bet! Why do I have to lick your feet if I lose, while all you have to do if I win is let go of Master? That’s not fair! Let go of Master now!”

“Hahaha! I won’t let go of Master until you agree to a duel with me!”

“Ugh, damn it, why can’t I break free! Long Linglu, let go of Master!”

“…That’s enough, you two. Stop messing around. And Linglu, get off my lap. It’s time for you both to explain to the master where you’ve been for the past five days.”

“Yes, Master!”

‘Phew, luckily I told Linglu to get off my lap. Still, it’s embarrassing that I, as their master, let them argue for so long just so I could keep feeling Linglu’s body hugging me. Could it be that without realizing it, I’ve truly become a Lolicon? Somehow, this doesn’t feel right,’ Vheena thought with a sad expression.

After Linglu got off Vheena’s lap, RuanRuan, now calm after seeing Linglu no longer sitting on her master’s lap, began to tell the story of what she and Long Linglu had experienced in the alternate realm.

“So, it started when RuanRuan was exploring Death Forest—”

“Stop, Ruan Xiaoyue. Let me tell the story quickly. So here’s what happened, Master. While Linglu was gardening, Ruan Xiaoyue suddenly invited Linglu to enter an alternate realm to look for a human named Xue. After that, we explored the alternate realm, encountered some scumbags from a scumbag sect, and then we were captured by these scumbag who threatened us to follow them. Then, those scumbag and he alternate realm were destroyed by Ruan Xiaoyue’s attack. Because of that, we managed to escape from those scumbag and also successfully brought back the human named Xue. That’s the story, Master!”

“…Huh? Is that it? Is that really how it happened, Linglu?”

“Yes, Master. Even though Long Linglu rudely interrupted RuanRuan’s story, what she said is true. Although there are many details she left out, the main point is that we managed to bring back Sister Xue and survived that scumbag cultivator.”

‘I’m getting a headache listening to their story. Also, why does Linglu keep using the word “scumbag” so much? And RuanRuan, how can she agree with Linglu’s version of the story so easily? Am I just too dumb to understand what they’re saying? After hearing this weird story from these two little girls, how should I even react? Ugh, my stomach hurts. I’ll just try to praise and criticize them. Time to act like a proper master again.’

Standing from her chair with graceful movements, Vheena turned her back to the two girls, raising her gaze toward the sky to act like an expert. But seeing only thick foliage above instead of the sky, Vheena quickly turned back around and gently patted the heads of her confused disciples, wearing a loving expression to hide her embarrassment from failing to act like an expert.

“Uh, y-you two, I’m really glad to see your willingness to help your friend, even though it was very dangerous for you. However, that’s still not a wise decision. You both underestimated your enemies, which led to multiple attacks against you and even nearly getting killed. If a situation like this arises again in the future, I want you both to think things through first to avoid it happening again. Do you understand?”

“Understood, Master!” “Understood, my Master!”

‘Phew, even though those words feel cheap, at least they look serious while listening to me, so they should be fooled, right? So, to keep these two little girls from talking any further, it’s better to invite them for lunch.’

“Hmm, yeah, since we’ve finished the story, it’s better if I take you both for lunch. You two haven’t eaten yet, right?”

“Not yet, Master!” “Of course not, my Master! Please make your pet some delicious food as a reward for awakening my bloodline, Master!”

“O-okay.”

After that, Vheena led RuanRuan and Linglu to the dining room and instructed them to sit and wait while she went to the kitchen to prepare a simple lunch for the two little girls.