Chapter 93: He Wants to Keep You in Captivity

Wen Chu was on full alert, holding onto the wall as he walked out amidst the violent shaking.

The little white horse was so scared it hid behind the mountain of gems. Wen Chu comforted the pony and walked straight to the cave entrance.

“Old dragon, open the door!”

Just as he stepped out of the cave, Wen Chu saw a dazzling red light charging straight towards the entrance with unstoppable momentum.

However, four or five meters away from the cave entrance, it was intercepted by a golden protective shield, causing a loud “boom.”

Another round of tremors shook the earth.

Now Wen Chu knew where the vibrations had come from.

Fortunately, he had gradually regained his balance. Step by step, he walked out of the cave, one hand reaching for the various magic scrolls seized in his spatial stone, while frowning at this “uninvited guest.”

“Xiu isn’t home. What business do you have with him?”

Wen Chu kept his wits about him and didn’t mention the revival of the wasteland directly.

The red figure, too fast to be seen clearly, stopped, and Wen Chu finally got a clear look at the person’s appearance.

It was a girl half a head taller than him, with long, curly brown hair, yellow eyes, and faint freckles on her face. She looked extremely staid and well-behaved.

Yet, this princess, who looked like a studious good girl, carried a red heavy sword as tall as a person on her shoulder. The red crystal and dragon head on the hilt looked particularly familiar.

Alice hadn’t expected a delicate and beautiful young boy to walk out of Xiu’s cave. She looked at Wen Chu in shock and instinctively sheathed her sword.

“Who are you? A demon? Why are you here?”

Before Wen Chu could figure out how to introduce himself, he saw Alice clap her hands.

“Were you snatched by the old dragon? I was wondering why that old man in the capital suddenly came up with such a disgusting reason to slay the dragon. Don’t be afraid, I’ll save you right now!”

Saying this, Alice raised her heavy sword with one hand, ready to slash at the protective shield again.

“Wait!” Afraid the shield would actually shatter, Wen Chu hurriedly spoke up. “I wasn’t snatched. I came back with Xiu voluntarily.”

Alice stopped abruptly, looking at Wen Chu as if she had seen a ghost.

She scanned him up and down with her amber eyes, then muttered to herself, “That shouldn’t be? There’s no illusion spell on him either.”

Wen Chu: “…I really came back with him voluntarily.”

Wen Chu cut the long story short, briefly explaining how he was chased by Wasteland Ice Wolves in the wasteland and how Xiu saved him and brought him home, concluding with:

“Xiu the dragon is very good. I wasn’t forced.”

Alice scratched her head. “Huh?”

Why did she feel like she was listening to a fairy tale?

“This isn’t right, is it?” Alice frowned. “That old dragon is the most irritable creature. Last time he chased me for eight hundred miles. If I weren’t a berserker, I would have died eight hundred times over. Why would he take the initiative to save you?”

“Besides, the Wasteland Ice Wolves’ territory is in the north. This place has undergone simple development, so fierce demonic beasts are almost non-existent. How could they suddenly attack you in packs?”

The more Alice spoke, the more she felt something was wrong.

She looked at Wen Chu inside the protective shield again.

The boy had long white hair, his round azure eyes looking at her innocently. The budding small horns on his head and the swaying heart-shaped tail behind him all declared his identity.

A demon, and one who had just come of age.

Alice’s gaze finally rested on Wen Chu’s face.

That beautiful little face, especially those blue eyes, reminded Alice of precious sapphires.

Connecting this with Xiu’s obsession with collecting various gems, Alice’s frown deepened.

She slammed the heavy sword down with a “bang” and softened her voice towards Wen Chu. “My name is Alice. I’m a human princess, currently staying in the Moonlight Forest. What about you?”

Wen Chu was baffled. “My name is Wen Chu.”

“Alright, Wen Chu,” Alice said seriously. “Do you have parents or friends in the demon realm? Do they know you are currently in a dragon’s lair? I’ll find a way to contact them right now. Once I save you, go back to the demon realm with them and get as far away as possible.”

“Wait?” Wen Chu was dizzy from listening. “Didn’t I explain? I wasn’t snatched. Isn’t the rumor that you were the one snatched?”

“How could he snatch me? Does he think he’s lived too long?” Alice was very self-aware. “That’s a rumor spread by the old geezer in the capital. I actually came to warn the old dragon to be careful.”

She looked at Wen Chu with the eyes one would use for a wayward youth. “But you were definitely snatched. This dragon is wicked by nature. He must have schemed to snatch you and keep you in captivity. If you continue to stay here, maybe one day he’ll force himself on you?”

“Force himself?” Wen Chu was stunned. “Force what?”

Alice was anxious. “Idiot, sex! He just lusts after your body! Dragons have strong desires. Maybe once he fattens you up, he’ll tie you to the bed and demand it from you every day. Hurry up and come with me. I live in the Moonlight Forest; it’s very close to take you back.”

Wen Chu’s face turned bright red instantly.

Seeing his flushed, fair cheeks, Alice felt even more strongly that Xiu was utterly unconscionable for deceiving such an innocent child. She immediately raised her sword to slash at the shield.

Just then, she heard Wen Chu whisper with a blushing face:

“Is there such a good thing?”

Alice: ?

Wen Chu: “Then what preparations should I make now? How do I count as ‘fattened up’?”

Alice: ??

Alice put her sword down.

Just as Wen Chu wanted to ask in detail how to achieve this “fattening up,” an angry roar came from outside the barrier.

“Roar—”

Wen Chu looked towards the sound and saw the golden figure of the dragon flying towards him, one claw carrying a huge bag and the other grabbing a giant rabbit.

“Roar!”

Upon seeing Alice and the red heavy sword, the dragon let out another threatening roar.

Alice’s expression immediately became serious. She gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, ready to attack at any moment.

At that moment, her shoulder sank.

Alice looked back and saw that Wen Chu had walked out of the barrier at some point, stood on his tiptoes, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t hurt him,” Wen Chu said politely. “If you hit him, it will hurt.”

Alice: …

What kind of love potion did Xiu give Wen Chu!!

During their standoff, the dragon landed with a crash, then quickly transformed into human form and came before Wen Chu.

“Wen Chu.” Xiu ignored the things he was carrying, dropping the rabbit and kitchenware, and rushed over. “Don’t listen to her nonsense, don’t go with her!”

Wen Chu hadn’t thought much of what Alice said initially, but the information about the Wasteland Ice Wolves and Xiu’s panicked expression all hinted at a problem with the other party.

Wen Chu narrowed his eyes, withdrew his hand from Alice’s shoulder, and took a few steps to stand in front of Alice to prevent her from attacking Xiu again. Then he asked back, “What nonsense did she say?”

Xiu paused, then continued walking towards Wen Chu while whispering, “Did she tell you I commit all kinds of crimes, burning, killing, and looting? I don’t. I only act in self-defense. And I didn’t snatch the princess.”

“Alice ran away herself to escape a marriage. I don’t know why she fled to the Moonlight Forest, but I didn’t snatch her.”

As he spoke, he arrived at Wen Chu’s side.

He looked at Wen Chu nervously, clenching his fists. “…Believe me, okay?”

What Wen Chu actually wanted to ask was how exactly Xiu planned to “force” him, but unexpectedly, Xiu spilled a bunch of things he didn’t know like pouring beans. He nodded blankly.

“It’s okay, I don’t disbelieve you.” Wen Chu took Xiu’s hand. “Look, I didn’t go with Alice.”

Xiu’s vertical pupils shrank dangerously as he looked past Wen Chu at Alice. “She still wanted to take you away?”

Alice glared back, shouldering her giant sword without backing down. “What? You old dragon robbing the cradle and won’t let people talk about it? I did you a huge favor!”

With Wen Chu still present, Xiu barely suppressed the urge to beat Alice up and retorted sarcastically, “You mean the ‘huge favor’ of demolishing my house?”

“Oh! This time it really is a huge favor!” Alice put her hands on her hips. “I really came to find you for something!”

“My father targeted your weakness and commissioned a dragon-slaying sword from the dwarves. Dragonflame can’t erode it, and a protective barrier rises around the wielder. I retrieved the sword in advance so the Dragon Slaying Squad wouldn’t succeed.”

Saying this, Alice held out the sword. “Look, if not for me, you would have been chased and hacked long ago. Would you still be able to threaten elves for kitchenware and run back to cook for your little darling?”

Wen Chu caught the key point. “Threaten elves?”

Under Xiu’s death glare, Alice tactfully corrected herself. “No, you heard wrong. I meant a friendly trade with the elves.”

Xiu looked at Alice coldly, very repulsed. “Are you done with your nonsense? If you’re done, get lost. I won’t fight you today, so don’t push your luck.”

Alice cried injustice. “Don’t you want to know why I ran to the Moonlight Forest?”

Xiu raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. “Wasn’t it to escape a marriage?”

“Yes, and no.” Alice’s expression finally became serious.

She said, “The old man originally planned to put me under house arrest, announce to the public that I was abducted by you, invite brave warriors from all races to rescue me, and promise them gold, silver, treasures, and the position of prince consort.”

Wen Chu couldn’t help but interrupt, “But if those warriors won, and didn’t find you with Xiu, wouldn’t they be suspicious?”

Not to mention if they lost; Xiu might have gone straight to their door to kill them.

Alice sneered. “How could he be so kind as to actually give the position of prince consort to an outsider? The damn old man just hopes the Dragon Slaying Squad and the old dragon destroy each other, so he can provoke a conflict between the dragon race and other races and reap the benefits himself.”

After all, the human empire’s current vast territory was largely due to the Dragon Slaying War back then.

As Alice spoke, the dragon-slaying sword in her hand emitted a red aura of fighting spirit. “It’s this sword. Don’t be fooled by its exquisite craftsmanship. Once it’s stained with enough blood, it will send the wielder into a frenzy.”

“‘Frenzy,’ does that word sound familiar to you?”

Alice met Xiu’s suddenly tense expression and smirked.

“If the information I stole from the palace is correct, all the Moonbreath Grass in the empire has been tampered with by the old man. It’s a type of contamination. The more you take it to aid sleep, the more you’ll depend on it, and your mental state will worsen.”

“Over the years, besides buying elven Moonbreath Grass from Mary, you’ve also bought quite a bit from the black market, right? Your mind should be on the verge of collapse.”

“Demolishing your house back then was indeed immoral of me, so this time I came to cooperate with you. I’ve already contacted the elves. As long as you help me kill the king and ascend the throne, I’ll definitely find a way to help you solve your mental breakdown problem!”

Alice felt her speech was incredibly cool. After finishing, she even smoothed her hair, confidently waiting for admiring gazes from Xiu and Wen Chu.

But Xiu just looked at her calmly, and Wen Chu’s expression was a bit conflicted.

Alice: ?

She reviewed her lines.

Nothing wrong, they were pretty cool. Why no reaction from these two?

“Um,” Wen Chu spoke hesitantly. “Although I don’t understand your political struggle, does the mental breakdown you mentioned refer to insomnia and nightmares every night?”

Alice nodded. “Of course, that’s the most direct manifestation of mental contamination.”

Wen Chu flicked his heart-shaped tail. “Then I seem to have solved that for Xiu?”

Alice: “Huh?”

Wasn’t Wen Chu an incredibly weak demon? She had sized him up thoroughly when she first arrived.

Wen Chu took out his tuning fork. “Actually, I’m a nightmare. Those nightmares you mentioned… I seem to have eaten them.”

He added, afraid Alice would misunderstand his relationship with Xiu again, “I did it voluntarily. Xiu really didn’t force me. He treats me very well.”

Alice: …

Alice wore an expression of existential doubt that said “That works too?”, standing there dazedly leaning on her sword.

“Why… Old dragon, where did you get this luck? Snatching such a beautiful demon is one thing, but he just happens to be able to cure your mental illness… Shouldn’t I be the chosen one?”

Xiu said coldly, “You’re the one with mental illness. If you want to leave, leave quickly. If you want to usurp the throne, work hard yourself. Stop bothering me.”

Alice shouldered her sword, ready to leave, but remembered her original purpose upon stepping on the lawn.

She turned back sharply. “By the way, how was this grass revived? Do you have any special items? I can buy them for a high price.”

Although Alice was a bit impetuous, Wen Chu had a good impression of her. He glanced at Xiu and, after receiving a nod, said, “I did it. I have a rather special ability to revive dead life.”

Alice once again showed Xiu a sour expression that screamed, “Why is your luck so good?”

Xiu flicked his tail happily, silently holding Wen Chu’s hand tighter.

Envy and jealousy were useless. In Wen Chu’s heart, he was a thoroughly good dragon.

Even if Alice came to expose his past, Wen Chu hadn’t thought of leaving him.

This was a complete victory for the dragon.

Xiu lowered his eyes, feeling his dragon blood heating up again.

Unlike the heat of a mental breakdown, this time it was due to genuine excitement—dragons always had trouble with self-control in front of their lovers.

Especially since he and Wen Chu hadn’t done anything yet. At most, they had just helped each other out.

Even though he had been “helped” quite miserably, without doing it for real, Xiu still felt unsatisfied.

He wanted more.

More of Wen Chu, more blending together.

But now was not the time.

He had to be restrained, to take it step by step.

Not everyone could withstand a dragon’s desire, especially someone as weak as Wen Chu.

Xiu bit the tip of his tongue to calm himself down.

Fortunately, Alice’s attention was no longer on him. The curly-haired princess looked at Wen Chu with delight. “You did it? Does this ability consume a lot? I want to invite you to the elf territory. You can ask for any reward you want.”

Wen Chu didn’t really want any reward, and he didn’t want to be separated from Xiu, so he politely refused. “The consumption is quite large. Is something wrong?”

Alice paused, hesitating for a few seconds.

Xiu, watching with arms crossed, suddenly spoke up. “Is there a problem with the Tree of Life?”

Alice was startled. “How did you know?”

Wen Chu also looked at Xiu in confusion. “What is the Tree of Life?”

Xiu turned his head to explain to Wen Chu, “The Tree of Life is the mother tree of the elves. Every elf is born from the tree, and the highest mission of all elves is to protect the Tree of Life.”

“I know an elf wandering outside named Mary. Before I met her, the elves often traded with the outside world. But not long after, according to her news, the elves suddenly started isolating themselves. So I guessed there might be something wrong with their Tree of Life.”

Wen Chu’s focus went completely astray. “How does a tree give birth to elves?”

Alice explained, “Not giving birth, exactly. They hang on the tree like eggs, and when they’re ripe, they fall off and become elves.”

Wen Chu exclaimed sincerely, “That’s amazing.”

A tree that laid eggs itself.

If only he and Xiu had encountered this in the previous world; then they would have had countless energy balls to use.

Although he had a bit of a mischievous taste for certain things, punching in like it was work to make Xiu pregnant with an egg was different from free mode. Wen Chu was actually a bit resistant to doing that with Xiu just to complete a mission.

It felt like Xiu was forced to be bound to him, not genuinely willing.

Wen Chu knew this thought was unreasonable on his part, so he never brought it up.

Xiu: …

He always felt Wen Chu’s words were a bit strange.

Alice said nervously, “If you can revive the Tree of Life, whatever you want, I can find a way to get it for you.”

Wen Chu hesitated.

Alice seemed like a nice person. After this incident, he could also see that Alice and Xiu had nothing going on.

Plus, he was indeed curious about the egg-laying tree. If the lifespan consumption wasn’t large, Wen Chu wouldn’t mind helping out.

He could also earn some money to fill his little treasury and buy things for Xiu.

He asked the system: 【If I want to revive the Tree of Life, how much lifespan is needed?】

System: 【The Tree of Life isn’t dead, it just needs healing. It requires two years of lifespan.】

System: 【Don’t forget your mission. Don’t rush to spend your lifespan as soon as you save a little.】

Wen Chu felt guilty. 【I really remember…】

System: 【You’d better.】

The system disappeared after speaking. Wen Chu thought for a moment. “What can you give me?”

Alice waved her hand. “Wait until I ascend the throne. Money, power, land—I can give you whatever you want.”

Wen Chu: …

Wasn’t this just a blank check?

Standing beside him, Xiu said in a deep voice, “We don’t need your reward. I want to meet the current ruler of the elves with Wen Chu directly and discuss the reward face to face.”

Wen Chu suddenly realized: Right, isn’t the Tree of Life the elves’ business? What does it have to do with Alice?

Alice, having failed to scam them, sighed. “Alright, why are you protecting him so much? I was going to trick him into signing a slave contract and then give it to you so he’d be under your control for life. Doesn’t that suit your wicked ta—Wahhhhh!!”

Before Alice could finish, Xiu breathed dragonflame onto her, sending her running away screaming.

“I didn’t even use the dragon-slaying sword! Old dragon, you’re immoral!!”

Xiu breathed another mouthful of dragonflame at her. “Not killing you is already giving you face.”

Alice jumped up and down from the heat. “Bullshit!! It’s obviously because my class is Berserker and I have health-locking when near death, otherwise I would have died at your hands eight hundred times!”

Wen Chu: “…What is a Berserker?”

Xiu straightened his sleeves reservedly, looking harmless. “When humans cultivate fighting spirit to a certain stage, there are advanced class choices. Berserker is one of them. The more injured they are, the stronger their attack power. When their life is in danger, their health is forcibly locked, granting a period of invincibility. The duration depends on the specific ability.”

“Alice is considered the talented type. When I met her, she could lock her health for a whole day. It should be even longer now.”

If this brat weren’t so durable, why would he have burned down the Forging Duchy back then?

Wen Chu looked enviously at Alice, who was running around on fire.

Burned into an invincible state, Alice glowed with golden light. The dragonflame could no longer harm her, and after a while, it went out.

Alice, with a charred face, took out a bottle of healing potion and downed it, recovering instantly.

Wow, an undying god of war.

Looking at the lively Alice again, Wen Chu considered his words. “I can go to the elves with you to try and restore the Tree of Life, but this consumes a lot of me, so I want to bring Xiu along. And as Xiu said, I want to discuss the reward face to face with the Elf Queen.”

After so many times, he had learned to bargain.

Alice nodded repeatedly. “Okay, okay. When will you set off? I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

Wen Chu looked at Xiu.

Xiu said, “Tomorrow morning. I’ll take Wen Chu there personally.”

Alice clapped her hands. “Alright! I’ll tell them to prepare for you urgently tonight.”

Xiu was already tired of her. “If there’s nothing else, get lost.”

Having achieved her goal, Alice rolled away faster than anyone. “Okay!”

Just as she was about to leave, a magic fluctuation suddenly came into her mind.

【When we get to the elves, can you tell me a bit more? About what you said, Xiu wanting to keep me in captivity.】

Alice smirked.

It seemed this little nightmare had some brains after all, knowing how to feign obedience while secretly plotting.

She agreed readily: 【No problem!】

She would go back and collect all of the dragon race’s past atrocities. This time, she would definitely persuade Wen Chu to leave the old dragon!

Why should Xiu have such good opportunities? She wasn’t convinced.

Communicating with Alice took less than half a second.

Wen Chu and Xiu retrieved the giant rabbit and various furniture and kitchenware. Wen Chu said cheerfully, “Let’s go in and prepare lunch quickly. I got hungry waiting for you.”

Xiu looked at Wen Chu, his gaze softening considerably. “Mm.”

Wen Chu said seemingly casually, “By the way, do you know Overend?”

Xiu paused. “What about him?”

Wen Chu: “Nothing, I just don’t like his poems. They’re written so sourly. I just suddenly remembered.”

The princess issue was resolved, but Overend’s issue wasn’t.

Xiu was such a fanatical fan, hiding a storage room full of books from him; there must be a big problem.

Xiu’s face turned a shade paler. “You don’t like him?”

Wen Chu puffed out his cheeks. “I hate him.”

Although the person seemed nice, since Xiu treated him so specially, he hated him.

Next time he saw Overend, he would definitely return everything to him, pay him back extra money, and tell him not to write poems about him anymore.

Xiu lowered his eyes. “Since you don’t like him, how about I make him disappear?”

Wen Chu was startled. “N-no need to kill anyone!”

Xiu forced a smile. “I was joking.”

As they spoke, the two entered the cave.

The little white horse poked its head out from behind the gem mountain with lingering fear. Seeing it was Wen Chu and Xiu, it ran away again.

Wen Chu looked at Xiu and asked seriously, “Xiu, are you hiding something from me?”

Especially the good thing about planning to keep him in captivity.

If Alice hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have realized Xiu had such thoughts.

Was it because he wasn’t fat enough yet?

Or was Xiu actually planning to give him a surprise?