Chapter 144

Chapter 144: The Humble Cub Father Still Wanted to Say Hi After the Fight

Jiang Tea Tea’s eyes spun. A plan formed.

She deliberately touched her belly and called out, “Fine. Wait for me. We’ll beat your uncle together.”

Sui Xuan Chu grinned, cocky and stupid at the same time. “Uncle! Give us three minutes. We need to discuss strategy.”

Chong Ming’s gaze snagged on her hand over her belly.

A flicker of regret rose in him—sharp and brief.

Jiang Tea Tea caught it instantly.

Good.

That was exactly what she wanted. If he didn’t regret it, she would’ve wasted her reminder that she had babies inside.

Sui Xuan Chu pulled her to the edge of the training ground, keeping a huge distance from his uncle like a thief whispering a secret. “Roommate, to beat my uncle, I came up with three moves. Which one do you think works best?”

Jiang Tea Tea looked at his bruised, swollen face and went straight for the throat. “These three moves… you’re not planning to use me as bait, are you?”

Sui Xuan Chu stiffened, caught, then tried to argue. “What do you mean bait? It’s cooperation. The goal is to take down my uncle.”

“Think about who my uncle is. He’s one of the strongest top-tier beastfolk men in the whole M31 star system. If we beat him—if we even take advantage of him a little—we prove we’re legends.”

“Heroes aren’t judged by their origins. The result matters. The process doesn’t.”

Jiang Tea Tea dragged out an “Oh.” “Then go on. What are these three legendary moves?”

Sui Xuan Chu counted on his fingers, animated. “You’re a pure human, so you’ll fight in human form. Move one: you stand in front and stick out your belly. I attack from behind.”

“Move two: you stand in front and stick out your belly. I attack in beast form.”

“Move three: you stand in front and stick out your belly. I switch between human and beast form while attacking. How about it?”

Jiang Tea Tea stared at him.

Then she clapped.

“Clap, clap, clap.” Her voice was full of mock reverence. “Unprecedented. Truly unprecedented. Human language can’t even describe how ‘excellent’ those moves are.”

“Come on. Let’s do it. We’ll go beat your uncle. We’ll definitely kill him, and then the Zhen Lin Empire will be yours alone—unstoppable.”

Sui Xuan Chu frowned. “Roommate, if you think it’s bad, we can think of something else. Don’t mock me like that. You’re crushing my motivation.”

“My dream is to surpass my uncle and beat my uncle.”

Jiang Tea Tea snorted. “So you do know it’s bad.”

“Look at you, with this trash strategy.”

“Forget it. You’re wasting my time. I’m not fighting anymore.”

Sui Xuan Chu panicked. “Why not? Fight! You’ve got a protective baby on you right now. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!”

Jiang Tea Tea ignored him and walked straight up to Chong Ming.

Then she sold him out without blinking. “Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming, your dear nephew said I should charge you with my belly out front while he picks up scraps behind me.”

Chong Ming’s golden eyes swept over Sui Xuan Chu. “That is a good idea. For an imperial heir to come up with something so unprecedented… it’s certainly a first.”

Sui Xuan Chu: “!!!!”

Danger.

Danger.

Danger.

Jiang Tea Tea hesitated. “So…”

Chong Ming finished her sentence smoothly. “So to encourage his flexible brain and bold mouth, he will train here.”

“We’ll go eat breakfast.”

Jiang Tea Tea tilted her chin toward Sui Xuan Chu, who was trying to sneak behind Chong Ming. “What do you think of your uncle’s idea?”

Sui Xuan Chu’s hand snapped into a dragon claw, and he swung at his uncle.

Chong Ming didn’t even turn.

He spun his body like he had eyes on his back and kicked Sui Xuan Chu square in the belly.

Sui Xuan Chu’s claw hadn’t even touched him. His stomach bowed, his upper body folded, and he flew out like a shrimp.

Jiang Tea Tea’s branch staff whipped through the air toward Chong Ming’s back.

Old Loach Chong Ming was fast.

He finished that kick and, in the next blink, grabbed her branch staff by the far end.

Jiang held one end. He held the other.

He looked at her like he was correcting homework. “Classmate Jiang Tea Tea, your speed is a bit slow.”

Jiang Tea Tea tried to yank the staff back. His grip was like an iron clamp. It wouldn’t budge.

Fine.

If she couldn’t pull it back, she’d let it go.

She dropped the staff and went in barehanded.

Sui Xuan Chu, still mid-flight and already transforming into a dragon, shot back in, trying to whip Chong Ming with his tail.

Chong Ming caught the tip of Sui’s tail with one hand and pulled it in front of him like a shield.

Jiang Tea Tea’s kick landed on Sui Xuan Chu’s tail with a heavy smack.

Sui Xuan Chu let out a miserable roar and twisted, trying to bite his uncle.

Chong Ming held his tail with one hand and slapped Sui’s dragon muzzle with the other.

Smack.

Sui’s dragon head snapped sideways, swelling instantly.

Jiang Tea Tea couldn’t help it. She burst into laughter.

The moment she stopped, the tight rhythm of the fight broke.

Chong Ming grabbed Sui Xuan Chu by his little horns, seized his head, and yanked his tail.

Then he tied a ten-meter dragon into a knot and tossed him away like trash.

Sui Xuan Chu drew a beautiful arc through the air.

Then crashed hard into the ground.

His howls sounded like the end of the world.

Jiang Tea Tea’s expression sharpened again. She rushed in, still trying to sneak hits—this time without a weapon, using only hands and feet.

With a weapon, she couldn’t beat Old Loach Chong Ming.

Without one, she had even less hope.

Chong Ming indulged her. He yielded, never using real force.

And because he didn’t use force, she showed none either.

Each strike wrapped in magic power aimed at his face, his heart, his stomach.

He dodged every blow—smooth, precise—never injuring her, never even touching her, yet still letting her swing freely.

Minutes passed.

Jiang Tea Tea couldn’t land a single hit.

She stopped.

Chong Ming picked up her branch staff and looked at her. “Why stop? Compared to a few months ago, your movements are much more agile. You’re stronger too.”

Jiang Tea Tea snatched the staff back and shoved it into her storage button. “Thanks for the compliment. Bye.”

Chong Ming stepped in front of her. “Wait.”

Jiang Tea Tea tilted her head. “What now?”

Chong Ming’s fingers curled slightly. His gaze dropped to her lower belly. His voice lowered, careful, almost asking permission. “Can I touch your belly and say hi to it?”