...
Today, Bai Baobao didn't have any performance scheduled, which meant he also missed the chance to meet his brother.
But honestly, his brother's excuse of "looking for him" was just that—an excuse. What he wanted was to sneak out and have fun.
Such was the so-called "brotherly love"—all lies!
Meanwhile, Bai Baobao was living a cushy life back in the palace. As long as Lou Zhao could drink celestial brew, Bai Baobao could sneak a few precious drops.
Don't underestimate the power of a few drops. Bai Baobao was still just a cub—if he drank a full mouthful, he might end up sleeping for a hundred years!
That was why Lou Zhao never allowed him to drink directly.
After learning this, Yin Jixue kept a very close eye on Bai Baobao. Ordinary fruit wine was fine, but celestial brew? Only a drop or two a day—no more.
Even so, Bai Baobao's body grew bigger and bigger. The good news was, he learned how to control his size.
And why did Bai Baobao suddenly become so motivated?
Simple reason.
After growing larger, his mother couldn't pick him up anymore!
This broke Bai Baobao's little heart.
He loved snuggling in her lap, having her pat his head, scratch his chin, rub his back... If his mom couldn't even lift him, what was the point of growing up?
In despair, Bai Baobao went on a hunger strike—missing one meal before hunger finally defeated him. In a fit of frustration, he stomped his little paw—and to his surprise, he shrank back down!
From that moment, Bai Baobao discovered he could shift between big and small.
So, whenever Yin Jixue wasn't around, he would turn into his large form and flop onto the ground, becoming a puddle of tiger fluff.
But when she worked in the study, he shrank back to his tiny self, climbing onto her desk to be petted and squished to his heart's content.
Today, Lou Zhao had slipped out of the palace for a while. When he sneaked back in, Bai Baobao noticed his father looking suspicious and tried to peek at him—only to have his little head pushed away.
"Kids aren't allowed to look," Lou Zhao said solemnly.
That only made Bai Baobao even more curious. As soon as his father shut the door, he squatted by the door crack, spying through the gap.
But there was no mother inside.
Bai Baobao, his little butt sticking up, nearly pushed the door open by accident.
Then he remembered—Mom had gone out today! She had mentioned something about building a grand house and had gone to the Ducha Court for approval.
Disheartened, Bai Baobao slumped at the door, melting into a puddle of tiger once more.
Meanwhile, Lou Zhao had sneaked from the study into the bedchamber. Luckily, Tengshe and Gouchen weren't around.
Even if they were, so what? Lou Zhao thought with new determination. I'm the Demon King! Who am I afraid of?
Feeling justified, he pulled out something he had hidden in his robes.
It was a fluffy piece of raw, unprocessed wool made from Rabbit-Sheep beasts, resembling a primitive scarf.
Let's call it "fur cloth" for now.
Lou Zhao pulled down the bed canopy, kicked off his shoes, and climbed onto the bed.
After some fumbling under the blankets, a suspicious lump began to rise—a tall, narrow bump.
Finally, Lou Zhao managed to wriggle free from under the covers, gasping for air. He nearly suffocated himself!
And what popped out of the blanket was a tiny, deep green dragon—so dark it was almost black.
This little dragon had big, watery eyes that blinked adorably, long wispy whiskers at the corners of his mouth, small delicate horns on each side of his head, and tiny chubby claws underneath.
It was the image of a traditional, ancient dragon—except far cuter and less intimidating.
That's right—Lou Zhao hadn't reached full adulthood yet, so his true form wasn't that big.
Of course, he wasn't normally this tiny either. He had shrunk himself down for convenience—to dress faster and save on fabric costs.
The little dragon rolled around on the bed, struggling to wriggle into the fluffy garment, looking like a dragon dumpling.
Once he finally squeezed inside, he realized... he couldn't move.
The garment was way too tight, especially around the front legs where the holes were misplaced.
Lou Zhao was mortified.
How can I, the mighty Demon King, expose my real form to have some tailor-measure me?
Refusing to accept defeat, he tried to wriggle out and poke a few new holes in the garment.
Instead, after several attempts, he ended up tying himself into an even tighter knot.
Lou Zhao was stunned.
What now...?
He thought about calling his silly son outside to bite through the cloth for him, but... he couldn't even move, let alone jump down from the bed.
In his true form, he couldn't use his magic either—well, unless he wanted to breathe fire and burn down the whole palace.
Despairing, Lou Zhao flopped into an S-shape on the bed.
Fine, fine... let me lose face. Better that than burning down the house and making my little wife cry.
Outside, Bai Baobao waited for ages, but his dad didn't come out. Curious, he scratched at the door, then decided to slip in.
Back when he was even smaller and sillier, he used to snuggle into the bed with his mom to keep warm. Because of that, the palace's magical barriers never stopped him from entering the bedchamber.
Bai Baobao strutted inside, looking around.
Where's Dad? He was just here!
He spotted a strange lump on the bed.
Maybe Dad's playing hide-and-seek?
Bai Baobao pounced, pulling back the bed curtain—and saw a strange, fluffy thing.
But it smelled like Dad.
Is this his true form...?
So... his bloodline must take after Mom's side!
Delighted, Bai Baobao nosed at the little dragon.
Lou Zhao stiffened, pretending to be dead.
Bai Baobao stuck out his tongue and tried to pull his dad off the bed.
Lou Zhao, being poked and prodded, flipped over involuntarily.
See! Dad's playing with me!
Bai Baobao placed his front paws on the bed's edge and continued rubbing against Lou Zhao.
Lou Zhao was furious.
This silly cub just slobbered all over me!
If he could move, he would swat him with his tail!
But Bai Baobao, mentally still a ten-year-old, only thought about playing, still curious why Dad wasn't responding.
Meanwhile, for Lou Zhao, every second felt like an eternity.
Why hasn't my queen come back yet?!
Forget saving face—just save me from this drooling fool!
Yin Jixue finally returned as night fell. She figured Lou Zhao must've been busy since he hadn't come to find her.
The study door was ajar, but there was nothing suspicious inside.
Could there be a thief in the Demon Palace...?
This was the third time she had this ridiculous thought.
From the bedchamber came some suspicious slurping sounds.
Yin Jixue was instantly furious.
Who dares sneak into my bedroom wearing fancy clothes to—
...make out?!
And even so loudly that there are slurping noises!
She stormed toward the noise—only to find her little tiger half-lying on the bed, tongue out, licking something.
"Baobao? What are you doing?" she asked, even though she knew he couldn't answer.
When she approached for a closer look, she was stunned.
What... what the heck is that lumpy thing, white with streaks of black?!
Her heart sank.
"Baobao, how could you drag something so dirty onto the bed?!"
Meanwhile, on the bed, Lou Zhao was silently crying inside.
Finally! His queen was here! But... hearing her words, he was even more devastated.
The Demon King officially shut down emotionally.
Bai Baobao, thrilled, wagged his tongue even faster.
It's Dad! It's Dad!
Yin Jixue felt even worse.
Wasn't it dogs who... did that kind of thing...? My cub is a tiger, right?
Where the heck did he even find that gross lump?!
Fighting off nausea, she decided to summon the maids to clean the place up.
This bed is a total write-off. Maybe I should sleep in another room tonight.
Just as she was about to call for help, a muffled voice came from the bed.
"You're going to... sweep me out with the trash?"
Yin Jixue froze.
She looked down, following the voice to the strange lump on the bed.
Taking a deep breath, she asked in horror,
"You... why would you make yourself look like this?"
Panic flooded her heart.
I'm doomed. Completely doomed. I mistook my boyfriend for... garbage!
And not even ordinary garbage... the worst kind!
Help!!!
Is he my boyfriend?!