Holding the chubby dragon in his arms, Rong Sui unconsciously wrapped his fingers around the cool, slippery tail, staring blankly ahead, lost in thought.

Rong Fu watched him with a tense face. A burly man over 1.8 meters tall was squeezed pitifully into the single sofa, gazing at his dear boy with wide eyes, deeply afraid that Rong Sui would say words to sever ties with him.

After all, it was one thing if a family member was a demon—that was just a difference in species, and everyone could still live in harmony and love each other. But if you added the fact that you were on your old father’s menu, things became rather unpleasant.

Who could face a natural predator that drooled at them all day long?

Rong Fu thought somewhat sorrowfully that even if his dear boy refused to acknowledge him, he still wouldn’t leave.

“Forget it.” Recovering from his daze, Rong Sui let out a long sigh. He felt a strange sense of helplessness toward his incredibly nervous father. No matter what the original reason for his adoption had been, these twenty-two years of familial love were not fake. Getting angry and throwing a tantrum over a tiny matter from more than twenty years ago would be far too melodramatic. Besides, his old father was probably agonizing to death right now. Rong Fu was a typical rough fellow; Rong Sui had never seen such a tense, conflicted expression on his face before.

“I’m not angry,” Rong Sui expressed his thoughts gently. “I just need a little time to digest this.”

His worldview had been refreshed one after another; the fact that he hadn’t directly shut down and rebooted this time was already considered progress. Rong Sui felt he still needed time to sort out his complicated emotions.

“My boy, you’re not angry?!” Rong Fu stood up with a swoosh, rubbing his paws together as he looked at his dear boy in excitement.

“Why should I be angry?” Rong Sui said helplessly. “Either way, aren’t you still my dad?”

“Heheh, yeah.” A huge boulder fell from Rong Fu’s heart. He was so happy he wanted nothing more than to rush outside and fly two laps to announce to the whole world that he had a filial, sensible, and wonderful son.

After being exhausted from a long day outside and now having his worldview completely reshaped, Rong Sui was physically and mentally drained. Rubbing his eyes, he picked up Yin Zhuzhi and Hun Dun, saying to Rong Fu, “I’ll wake up a bit later tomorrow. Dad, remember to make breakfast.”

Back when the father and son lived together, Rong Fu used to do the cooking. Later on, Rong Sui disliked his cooking, so he began learning how to cook himself. Once he learned, he rarely let Rong Fu enter the kitchen anymore. However, Rong Fu had a specialty skill, which was making Chinese pastries and noodles. From noodles to buns and steamed buns, they were all springy, chewy, and exceptionally delicious—even Rong Sui couldn’t match him. So, occasionally, when Rong Sui didn’t want to cook, he would ask Rong Fu to make them for him.

“Good, good.” Rong Fu grinned blissfully. “What else do you want to eat? I’ll go buy groceries tomorrow morning.”

Rong Sui let out a yawn, saying through sleepy eyes, “Anything is fine, but buy more eggs and meat. The little cubs like to eat them.”

The eggs were for making egg pudding for Yin Zhuzhi, while the remaining cubs particularly loved eating meat.

“Right, okay…” Rong Fu’s words suddenly came to a halt. The smile on his face gradually faded, and his sharp gaze landed upon Yin Zhuzhi and Wen Tun, who were being held by his dear boy. Just now, he had been entirely focused on worrying that his dear boy would be angry, completely forgetting about these little brats.

“My boy, put these brats down first. I have something to say to them.” Suppressing his anger, Rong Fu spoke softly to let his son go rest first.

Rong Sui knew him all too well. Seeing his old father’s irritable expression that looked as if he was about to roll up his sleeves and beat someone, he said disapprovingly, “They are all children in my class. Don’t bully them.”

Rong Fu’s eyes widened, practically beyond furious. His finger pointed at Wen Tun, shaking with rage. “What children?! They are clearly old cucumbers painted green—pretending to be tender!”

“Hun Dun, get the hell down from there!” Seeing Wen Tun still sticking his bottom out and burrowing into his dear boy’s embrace, his anger flared. He took a large stride forward, about to yank Wen Tun out.

In ancient times, Hun Dun had been ranked alongside him, Tao Wu, and Taotie as the Four Perverse Beasts. He was clearly around the same age as him, yet he actually dared to turn into a cub to coax his dear boy. This was truly outrageous!

Hearing his own name and sensing a powerful aura approaching, Wen Tun was so frightened that he tucked his tail, burrowing desperately into Rong Sui’s armpit while letting out whimpering cries.

Rong Sui patted him soothingly, simultaneously blocking his dad’s hand from pulling Wen Tun. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “He doesn’t remember anything anymore; he’s no different from a regular child. Did you have a grudge against him in the past?” They looked ready to scrap the moment they met.

Suspicious, Rong Fu stopped his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly as he scanned the twitching tails of Yin Zhuzhi and Wen Tun. “No grudge, I just don’t like the look of him. What do you mean he doesn’t remember?”

Rong Sui could only sit back down and briefly explain the limited situation he knew to him.

Rong Fu listened with half-understanding. He pointed at Yin Zhuzhi. “You, get down and speak for yourself.”

In his golden eyes, the pupils narrowed into thin vertical slits. Yin Zhuzhi looked up to lock eyes with him for a moment. His paws moved, and he slowly crawled out of Rong Sui’s arms, squatting down beside him. Meanwhile, Wen Tun had long since hidden beneath Long Ya’s belly out of fear, leaving only a furry tail exposed.

“It is said that the Principal picked us up. When we woke up, our bodies had already reverted to a juvenile state. As for what caused this, no one knows.”

Yin Zhuzhi spoke devoid of emotion, “Our memories are also fragmented in various ways. The more severe cases are like Hun Dun, who doesn’t even remember who he is.”

He looked inquiringly at Rong Fu, his gaze filled with curiosity. “On the other hand, why weren’t you affected?”

Pi Xiu was in the same situation as them; their divine powers had waned, forcing them back into a cub state. This proved that it wasn’t a problem with just a few of them. The hypothesis was that all the great demons had encountered a problem, yet they had no idea why Qiong Qi alone was fine.

Rong Fu had never even considered this question. After coming out of the mountains, his whole heart had been set on nursing the baby. Once he raised Rong Sui, he had to busy himself with earning money to buy a house for his dear boy, having absolutely no mind to consider other matters. Moreover, he truly hadn’t encountered any other great demons, though he had seen plenty of minor spirits.

He pondered for a moment but couldn’t find a clue. Thus, he waved his paw impatiently and said to Yin Zhuzhi and the others, “No matter what, stay a bit further away from my dear boy.”

“Each of you is thousands or tens of thousands of years old—some even older than me—yet you still act tender to take advantage of a tiny kid. Do you have no shame?”

Comparing everyone in this room, the only one who could truly be counted as a cub was actually Rong Sui alone. Seeing his dear boy hugging and kissing these old cucumbers pretending to be tender made Rong Fu highly displeased.

“Dad!” Rong Sui frowned, pulling him down to sit, also becoming displeased. “They are my students, and I was the one who invited them to come over and play this time.”

Rong Fu choked. Stiffening his neck, he said reluctantly, “If it weren’t for your sake, I would have thrown them all out long ago. They are clearly taking advantage of you!”

Rong Sui pinched the bridge of his nose in a headache. His dad was a bit stubborn; when his temper flared, he was entirely unreasonable. He could only put on a stern face as if he was about to get angry. “I don’t care. They are my students now, and you are not allowed to secretly bully them.”

Rong Fu: “……………”

He looked at his son and then at the few cubs. Fearing that his son would truly get angry, he could only let out a disgruntled snort.

Rong Sui was incredibly sleepy. Letting out a yawn, he picked up Yin Zhuzhi and headed upstairs. “Then I’ll go to sleep first.”

“I’m going too!” Bi Fang fluttered his wings, flying low. As he passed Rong Fu, he opened his beak to mock him silently. Then, with a hard flap of his wings, he flew right onto Rong Sui’s head to nestle down, letting Rong Sui carry him up.

Rong Fu: “…Dammit!”

The Rong household had been a bit chaotic recently. Rong Fu and the several cubs found each other eyesores and would bicker from time to time. In particular, Bi Fang and Pi Xiu, two troublemakers, huddled together. Relying on the fact that Rong Fu didn’t dare to strike, they would frequently provoke him to start a fight.

Once Rong Fu got angry and chased after them claiming he would eat the cubs, they would put on panicked expressions and hide in Teacher Rong’s arms to complain first.

The old father practically wanted to cry from bitterness and grievance!

They were clearly old demons who had lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years, so why did his dear boy partial toward them just because they looked small?!

The sulking old father flapped his wings and hid in the backyard in a gloomy mood. Looking at the snickering Bi Fang and Pi Xiu, Rong Sui lifted them by the scruff of their necks and warned, “You aren’t allowed to bully Grandpa either, otherwise there will be no meat for dinner tonight.”

Bi Fang & Pi Xiu: “…Who is Grandpa?!”

Rong Sui tapped their foreheads, educating them: “You must learn to respect the elderly and cherish the young.”

Having said that, he set the cubs down and went to the backyard to comfort his old father.

Pi Xiu scratched his neck with a hind paw. After thinking for a long time, he said, “Did we just get the short end of the stick?”

Rong Fu lay on the grass in the backyard, his wings covering his head and face, so angry that he didn’t even want to eat dinner.

Dragging his slippers, Rong Sui walked over to find him. From far away, he could see a large tiger lying on the ground with its bottom facing the back door, its thick, furry tail swishing back and forth irritably.

Ever since his identity was exposed, Rong Fu had placed an illusion barrier around the villa. Knowing that people outside couldn’t see, he would turn into his original form and fly around the yard whenever he felt like it. Since his dear boy already knew, he didn’t need to waste effort hiding it.

“Dad, still angry?” Sitting cross-legged beside him, Rong Sui leaned his body against the fluffy tiger pillow, softening his tone to say coaxingly, “I just lectured them earlier and told them to respect Grandpa.”

Rong Fu’s ears twitched. He turned his head back in confusion. “Grandpa?”

Rong Sui nodded with a smile. “You are my dad. According to human generational structure, there’s nothing wrong with them calling you Grandpa.”

The thick, furry tail swished heavily a few times. Rong Fu savored this human title carefully, and his original gloominess vanished instantly. He became as high-spirited as if he had won a battle. He knew his dear boy still favored him!

“That’s right, they must be made to call me Grandpa.”

Rong Fu sat up straight in delight. His wings moved slightly, and he rose to walk into the house, muttering softly to himself as he walked, “Heh, I need to go check on my grandsons!”

The old father was finally happy. Rong Sui shook his head with a laugh, thinking that his dad’s size was just a bluff; he was actually so easy to coax.

Standing up and patting the grass clippings off his pants, Rong Sui prepared to go to the supermarket to buy some fresh cream to make pastries. Just as he stepped out the main gate, he saw the neighborhood security guards holding batons and talking into their walkie-talkies. The atmosphere appeared somewhat grim.

Seeing him, the person opposite clearly had a strong impression of this new resident. He waved his hand and walked over. “Teacher Rong, going out?”

Rong Sui smiled and said, “Yes, going out to buy some things.”

The security guard glanced at the gate behind him, a hint of worry adding to his expression. “I remember Teacher Rong has five children at home, right? Is there anyone else at home while you’re out?”

This question was rather abrupt. Rong Sui frowned. “Did something happen?”

The security guard looked troubled. After hesitating for a moment, he still whispered to him, “Keep a close eye on the children at home lately. Four or five children have already gone missing in our neighborhood and the nearby areas.”

Rong Sui was shocked, only to hear him continue: “The police have already stepped in. They suspect it’s the work of a human trafficking ring. However, to avoid causing panic, they haven’t made a public announcement for now. They only asked us to step up vigilance. The police are currently looking everywhere for the traffickers.”

_

Author’s Note:

The Old Father who just got promoted to Grandpa: Heh! I need to go check on my grandsons.

Little cub Yin Zhuzhi: Dad.

Teacher Rong: “…?”