The Dragon King Insists That I Raise Him Chapter 11

Chapter 11 This Is For Me

The path up the mountain had been simply repaired, but after so many days of rain, the ground was muddy and difficult to traverse. Tao Qingguan walked with one foot sinking deep, splashing mud onto his lower legs.

Tao Qingguan held an umbrella in one hand and a red bucket in the other, slowly climbing the path. A journey that usually took less than fifteen minutes took him over twenty minutes today, and he still hadn’t arrived.

He really had raised an ancestor.

Fortunately, every time小白 needed a water change, only one-third of the Smart Fish Tank needed replacing, so one bucket of Spring Water was just about enough for him to carry back.

Tao Qingguan pushed aside a branch hanging into his face, closed his umbrella, and bent down to enter the narrow gap between the rocks. After only a couple of steps, the view before him opened up brightly.

A large stone slab was embedded in the rock face, forming a natural rain shelter. Clear Spring Water gushed out from the cracks below, falling into a stone pool like a small waterfall.

Once the pool filled up, the Spring Water would flow down the hillside, eventually converging into the stream.

When he was little, he often played here. A little-known spot always managed to capture the vigorous curiosity of a human cub, perhaps for setting up a secret base or something similar.

Tao Qingguan placed the bucket under the gap to collect the Spring Water. While waiting, he bent down and pushed aside the thick weeds, looking at the crooked characters carved on the rock wall behind him. He couldn’t help but smile faintly.

The word ‘Genius’ was written with reversed strokes and was ugly, all in an attempt to look elegant, filled with the untamed spirit of his youth.

It was fine; his younger self just wanted to be an arrogant protagonist, not an astronaut. What bad intentions could he have?

After admiring his own masterpiece for a while, Tao Qingguan covered the writing back up with grass. It was better if only he knew about this masterpiece; true geniuses were always aloof.

Seeing that the bucket was almost full of Spring Water, Tao Qingguan stood up, gripped the handle, adjusted his angle, and lifted the bucket.

A bucket of water weighed about thirty catties, and Tao Qingguan’s steps back were noticeably heavier.

The raindrops hitting the umbrella became more frequent, showing signs of intensifying. Tao Qingguan quickened his pace.

He reached the protruding branch again. This time, Tao Qingguan couldn’t use his free hand to push it aside, so he had to sidle past it. Unexpectedly, while he managed to pass, the corner of his umbrella snagged on the branch.

Tao Qingguan was caught off guard, pulled into a stumble. His foot slipped, and he severely twisted his ankle, hitting the surrounding loose stones.

He quickly grabbed the branch to steady himself. The umbrella fell to the ground. Tao Qingguan’s first concern was the bucket. Since it had a lid, not much Spring Water had spilled. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Tao Qingguan picked up the umbrella, shook off the grass leaves, and stood up straight. The moment his left foot touched the ground, a piercing pain shot up. He frowned slightly and gently moved his ankle.

The bone was fine; it was likely just a soft tissue contusion.

Tao Qingguan walked down expressionlessly. His left foot was somewhat unresponsive. He deliberately put more weight on it, and once the pain numbed, the sensation lessened considerably.

He didn’t even blink, determined to be a cold and ruthless killer.

Today, he would show his left foot who was the master of this body.

Inside the house, in the Fish Tank.

Yan Jiu swam back and forth between the two ends, frequently glancing toward the back door.

It had been over half an hour. It was still raining outside. Why was the kid wandering around? Why hadn’t he come back yet?

Yan Jiu watched the second hand circle round and round, swimming faster and faster until a faint afterimage was visible. At that moment, it noticed the bucket usually kept under the long table for water changes was gone.

Had he gone to fetch Spring Water? In this weather?

It felt a jolt in its heart. Even if he went to the back mountain, he should have been back by now.

Recalling Tao Qingguan’s frail appearance, Yan Jiu stopped swimming. The swaying of its tail fins betrayed its inner unrest. Although Tao Qingguan’s fate didn’t concern it much, the person at least shouldn’t meet with disaster right under its nose.

It hesitated for a moment, leaped out of the Fish Tank, transformed into human form, and stopped delaying. It strode toward the back mountain.

Considering various factors, Yan Jiu chose the overgrown path. He didn’t want Tao Qingguan to discover his identity yet. A few days ago, it was to avoid being an accomplice to cheating; these past few days, there was the added charge of stealing vegetables…

The rugged mountain path was like flat ground under Yan Jiu’s feet. The dense trees provided natural cover. The advantage of long legs became apparent; in just three or four minutes, Yan Jiu had climbed a significant distance.

His breathing was even, and his white robes remained completely untouched by the rain. The raindrops falling toward him seemed to possess life, parting around him—the Creator showed no concealment of His favoritism.

Yan Jiu spotted Tao Qingguan about ten meters away. He slowed his pace, approaching cautiously from an angle the other couldn’t see.

He sized up Tao Qingguan from head to toe. Thankfully, he wasn’t missing any limbs, but why was his gait like that of a fat penguin?

Yan Jiu shifted his gaze to the leg that was moving abnormally. A blood-seeping wound came into view. The ankle was somewhat red and swollen, coupled with abrasions. He realized Tao Qingguan must have twisted his ankle, which explained why he was taking so long to return.

Tao Qingguan walked down without a sound, his left foot trembling slightly. He gritted his teeth, gripping the handle of the bucket tighter, and deliberately slowed his pace a little.

He was still seven or eight minutes from the bottom of the mountain, but at Tao Qingguan’s current speed, it might take another half an hour to get down.

Yan Jiu glanced at the completely full bucket of water. Even in this state, he hadn’t bothered to pour some out. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Stubborn enough.

Yan Jiu admired the ‘Penguin Tao’ for a moment. Seeing the other approach a steep slope, the fingers hanging by his side slightly curled.

Suddenly, the weight in Tao Qingguan’s hand lessened. He paused, found a relatively flat spot to set the bucket down, and bent over to open the lid. The Spring Water was still inside. But when he tried to lift the bucket again, the full bucket felt as light as air.

Encountering such a bizarre phenomenon, Tao Qingguan remained calm. He scanned his surroundings, finding no suspicious ghostly figures, but the weightless bucket constantly reminded him that something was unusual.

Tao Qingguan searched the area for a moment but found nothing abnormal. He continued walking down the mountain.

Without the burden of the bucket, Tao Qingguan’s speed increased noticeably. He passed a corner, and a few seconds later, walked back in reverse.

He looked at the small Earth God Temple on the stone, his eyes narrowing in thought.

Since his grandfather was apparently a shaman, Tao Qingguan wasn’t a strict materialist. But this was the first time he had encountered something that science couldn’t explain.

The Earth God Temple before him was barely a meter tall, with a dilapidated tiled roof that had two holes leaking rainwater. The Earth God statue inside looked blurred, as if worn down by wind and rain.

The stone offering plate at the temple entrance was cracked in half, still adorned with scattered cobwebs, clearly having received no offerings for a long time.

Rainwater poured in through the holes, washing the Earth God’s round head until it shone brightly. Describing the entire temple as shabby would be an understatement.

Tao Qingguan stared at the Earth God Temple for a while, then looked up into the distance. He was already very close to home; just one more turn and he would reach the backyard gate.

He tightened his grip on the umbrella handle. After a brief hesitation, he placed the umbrella on top of the Earth God Temple.

Raindrops pattered down, bending the emerald green grass leaves, the crisp sound like dancing musical notes. A sky-blue umbrella stood quietly there, providing shelter to this small corner of the world.

Yan Jiu appeared next to the Earth God Temple. He watched Tao Qingguan’s retreating figure as he jogged away, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. Controlling water was easy for a Dragon; manipulating the water in the bucket was effortless.

He tilted his head and glanced at the Earth God next to him, feeling a bit disgusted. It was dusty and unremarkable—mere scrap material produced on a human assembly line, naturally containing no divinity.

After the Rainy Day Doll, he had conjured an Earth God Temple for him. Looking at the umbrella resting on the temple, Yan Jiu’s mouth turned down, and he uttered a single word: “Stupid.”

It was unclear who he was calling stupid.

The Earth God stood silently. It couldn’t speak and couldn’t respond to Yan Jiu.

Yan Jiu didn’t linger. He hurried down the mountain, needing to get back into the Fish Tank before Tao Qingguan noticed he was gone.

Tao Qingguan returned home, his clothes mostly soaked, and water sloshing in his shoes.

He took off his socks and changed into slippers. His aching left foot finally felt a bit better, but his limp was still noticeable when he walked.

The bucket in his hand was still light as air. Tao Qingguan carried it to the main hall, lifted the lid of the Fish Tank, and began changing the water.

Tao Qingguan was very familiar with this routine; he changed the water skillfully. Facing the approaching小白, he reached out and poked its head.

“Be good, Dad will play with you later.”

Yan Jiu felt speechless internally. It dodged Tao Qingguan’s hand, which was trying to get too familiar, and swam to a spot out of reach.

Unable to poke it, Tao Qingguan withdrew his hand. He wiped his face; his wet clothes clung uncomfortably to his skin. He grabbed a few tissues to dry his face, and his gaze fell upon the apples in the bag. He paused his action of getting a change of clothes for a moment.

He remembered the saying that all things have a spirit. Did the Earth God Temple count among them?

Tao Qingguan set his clothes aside, took an apple from the bag, grabbed a plate from the cupboard, and ran out the door again.

Yan Jiu heard the back door open and floated up from the bottom of the tank, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Why did the kid run out again?

However, this time, Tao Qingguan returned empty-handed within a few minutes, followed by the sound of running water from the bathroom.

Out of curiosity, Yan Jiu flipped out of the Fish Tank. He estimated Tao Qingguan would be showering for a while, so he quietly slipped out the back door.

Where Tao Qingguan went was easy to guess.

Yan Jiu headed straight for the Earth God Temple. As expected, he found a newly placed plate at the temple entrance, and on the plate, a bright red apple.

With an offering, the small Earth God Temple felt less desolate, the dilapidated little house imbued with a touch of human warmth.

Yan Jiu paused slightly, then let out a soft laugh, as if he had seen something amusing. A shade of obscure, hard-to-decipher color flickered in his eyes.

After a moment, Yan Jiu strolled forward, squatted down, picked up the apple, and played with it in his hand. A curve lifted the corner of his lips, his smile playful. Yan Jiu looked up at the silent Earth God statue, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of smugness.

“This is for me.”

Yan Jiu leaned against the Earth God Temple and took a bite of the apple with a crunch.

Not bad, quite sweet.