Chapter 271
Chapter 271: The Second Dragon Cub Screwed Mom Over at Birth and Started Fighting the First
Chong Ming’s sudden appearance hit like a thunderclap. Jiang Tea Tea jerked and tried to shove the hatchling under the quilt.
Chong Ming’s breathing turned shallow. He lifted both hands. “Jiang Tea Tea, don’t be afraid. I’m not here to take the dragon hatchling from you.”
Jiang Tea Tea stared at him, heart pounding so hard it rattled her ribs. Her brain was practically shrieking.
So that little bastard loach cub had really been born like that?
From the first stab of pain to the moment she sat bolt upright, it hadn’t even been three minutes. A rush of heat—and it was out.
Even a chicken didn’t lay eggs that fast, did it?
Like father, like son. Nothing but trouble. Nothing but surprises. Leaving her scrambling with no idea what to do. Be happy? Happy my ass.
There were five cubs in her belly. One had already come out. Was she supposed to pop out the other four right in front of Chong Ming?
Fuck.
Plans never kept up with reality, and the heavens never indulged a demon’s wishes.
“Jiang Tea Tea.” Chong Ming’s voice softened, slow and careful, like he was afraid to startle her. “Don’t be scared. The dragon hatchling is yours. I won’t fight you for it, and I won’t take it.”
“You just gave birth. Your body needs to recover, and the cub needs to be checked.”
“I’ll call Cheng Yuan and Cheng Lin Yue. They’ll bring a medical pod and a treatment solution tailored to you. After giving birth, lying in a medical pod helps you recover faster.”
“I swear the cub won’t leave your sight. Every test will be done right in front of you. Okay?”
Jiang Tea Tea stared at him, bracing for another cramp—for the next birth to hit.
But her belly didn’t hurt anymore.
It was like the magic power that had vanished was crawling back, slowly returning. About twenty percent.
Under the quilt, the hatchling clung tightly to her finger, coiling around it like it knew it had messed up by showing up out of nowhere. It even had the nerve to act pitiful.
Jiang Tea Tea was so angry she could’ve exploded. But what was she supposed to do—hit it? Scold it?
She took a deep breath. There was no hiding it now. He was right there.
Slowly, she drew her hand out from under the quilt.
The hatchling was shorter than her two middle fingers. It wrapped around her finger, four tiny claws gripping her skin. Two little fleshy bumps sat atop its head like budding horns, and two fine golden whiskers—soft as fuzz—trembled beside its snout.
Its eyes were open now, round little bead-eyes, bright gold. But it had no scales yet. Up close, it looked more like a tiny golden loach than a dragon.
Chong Ming’s gaze locked onto it. His breath went even shallower, like his blood had congealed.
It was too small. Far too small.
It should have been an egg for another ten to fifteen months, then incubated. Instead, it had skipped being an egg entirely, skipped hatching, and arrived early as a premature hatchling.
And all of it…
All of it was because of that kick he’d dealt Jiang Tea Tea.
Self-blame, guilt, and an aching tenderness tangled in his eyes.
He didn’t reach out to take the cub. Instead, he pulled a transparent hatchling box from his storage button and set it within Jiang Tea Tea’s reach.
“We can put the cub in here for now.”
Jiang Tea Tea twitched her hand. The hatchling reacted like it had been terrified—its tiny claws tightened, clinging harder, refusing to let go.
When she shook her hand again, it let out a string of indignant whines and spat a few scattered sparks, as if throwing a tantrum.
“Sparks?” Jiang Tea Tea lifted her hand. “Chong Ming. Did you just see it spit sparks?”
“I saw it,” he said, face steady even as his insides churned. “It may have awakened a fire ability at birth.”
Jiang Tea Tea poked the tiny horn-bumps with her free hand. Her motherly feelings weren’t exactly overflowing, but her pride sure was.
“That’s my cub,” she said smugly. “Takes after me. Impressive.”
Since the cub refused the box, Chong Ming set it aside and agreed without hesitation. “Yes. Just like you. Very impressive.”
Jiang Tea Tea snickered. “Of course. My cubs have to take after me.”
Just imagining taking five dragons back to the Demon Realm—one breathing fire, one spraying water, one summoning lightning, one drawing electricity, one riding clouds—made her blood hum with excitement.
She and her five hatchlings were going to become a legend across the Five Realms. Anyone who saw them would have to admit she was a badass.
Chong Ming gave a low hum. “Yes. Your cubs take after you—very much.”
“And it likes you. If it won’t go in the box, hold it for now. I’ll have Cheng Yuan and Cheng Lin Yue come over.”
As he spoke, he brought her a cup of dragon blood. The hand holding it trembled, betraying how far he was from calm.
Jiang Tea Tea caught the tremor and felt smug satisfaction bloom. She took the cup and drank. At the same time, she drew on her magic power and probed her belly.
The other four cubs were clustered together. No movement. No signs of labor. Curled like a ball, sleeping.
Jiang Tea Tea froze.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Who delivered one out of five and then just… stopped?
To hell with any so-called perk. This was them messing with her. Did they really think she wouldn’t get furious enough to rip herself open and drag them out?
Cheng Yuan and Cheng Lin Yue had split up earlier—one back to the Military Department lab, the other back to school. One was still running calculations off Jiang Tea Tea’s data, trying to estimate when her cubs would be born. The other had just showered and was about to collapse into bed.
Neither got what they wanted. One couldn’t sleep, and the other couldn’t compute an answer—because a call came in from Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming.
Jiang Tea Tea had given birth. A hatchling had been born. The third-in-line heir of the Golden Dragon Imperial Clan had arrived—which meant the fourth heir, the fifth, the sixth…
Any trace of sleep vanished.
One of them changed and charged out. The other stormed into the Medical Department, grabbed the most advanced medical pod, shoved it into a storage button, and swept up every treatment solution he could carry.
After ending the call, Chong Ming asked, “How do you feel? Do you want something to eat?”
Jiang Tea Tea had just finished the cup of blood. “Not hungry.”
Chong Ming took the empty cup, went to the wardrobe, and returned with pajamas.
“After giving birth, there will be discharge,” he said, voice low. “Let me help you change into clean clothes, okay?”
Jiang Tea Tea lifted the quilt. Sticky, bloody discharge clung to her legs, her pajama bottoms, and the sheet beneath her.
“I’ll go wash up—”
“No.” Chong Ming pressed the quilt back down. “You haven’t been examined yet. You haven’t had treatment. Going in there is unsafe. I’m not comfortable with it.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “I’m a healer. I know my own body.”
Chong Ming shook his head, stubborn. “Jiang Tea Tea. After giving birth, the mother is weak. You shouldn’t go wash up.”
“Change into clean clothes and bear it for a bit. Cheng Yuan and Cheng Lin Yue will be here within fifty minutes.”
Her brows knit. “I know what condition I’m in. Chong Ming, you said you wouldn’t force me. Don’t hide behind ‘it’s for your own good’ to stop me from doing what I want.”
A great demon carrying five cubs, and she didn’t feel like a little tree demon at all—she felt like a delivery service with legs. It was humiliating.
And now he wouldn’t even let her wash.
Her temper snapped up like a flare.
A brief struggle flickered in Chong Ming’s eyes. Then he bent and simply lifted her into his arms.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll take you in.”
Jiang Tea Tea went rigid. “What?!”
He carried her into the bathroom and set her down. He didn’t barge in. Instead, he rattled off warnings—careful, don’t slip, call him if anything felt wrong—then stepped out.
The door closed.
But Chong Ming didn’t leave. He stood on the other side, tall and motionless, gaze deep, heartbeat pounding like thunder.
A mate. Cubs.
He’d never imagined it, never expected it—and in less than a year, he had both.
Inside, Jiang Tea Tea was about to undress when the hatchling wrapped around her hand suddenly sprang into the tub, paddling like a dog and splashing water everywhere.
She let out a short laugh and walked over.
The tiny cub rolled in the huge tub, popped its head up, and made little awu-awu sounds like it was urging her to hurry and join it.
It was unbearably cute.
She was here to wash up anyway. And her cub was inviting her.
So she stripped and climbed in.
The water was room temperature—neither cold nor hot. For a tree like her, it was fine.
The moment she got in, the little hatchling swam excitedly, darting around her in tight circles, as if it couldn’t contain its joy.
Tiny body. Tiny whiskers. Slim little tail.
The more she looked, the more she liked it.
When she reached out, it immediately swam over, hugged her hand with its little claws, pressed close, and rubbed its head against her fingers.
Jiang Tea Tea’s old tree heart melted into a puddle.
Now she understood her ancient tree demon grandmother back in the Demon Realm. When Grandma stood atop a mountain as a tree, she never minded little demons climbing all over her or playing under her branches, no matter how noisy they were.
Because they were cute.
And now Jiang Tea Tea could see her own cub’s cuteness so clearly it was almost painful.
One cub was already this adorable. She had five.
Five times the cuteness.
Just thinking about it made her giddy.
Laughing, she played with the hatchling in the tub, chasing it around—until a sudden cramp twisted through her belly.
She froze.
No. Don’t tell her…
Before she could even inhale, that familiar warm rush hit—the same as the first time—pouring out with the pain.
The bathwater turned murky, tinged with blood.
And then a second golden hatchling surfaced from beneath the water and swam straight for Jiang Tea Tea.
Jiang Tea Tea stared, stunned.
No warning. No symptoms. Just… plop.
She was a demon, not a chicken. How could she just pop out another golden dragon cub like that?
The first cub saw the newcomer swimming toward Mom and immediately charged, slamming its head into the second cub.
The second cub tumbled aside. Freshly born or not, it was vicious. It bared its toothless mouth, let out a tiny roar, and snapped back, biting the first cub.
Bitten, the first cub bit right back.
Two golden cubs of nearly identical size locked together, mouths clamped, tails tangled. One bit, the other scratched—neither gave an inch.
They just went at it.
Jiang Tea Tea snapped out of it and reached to separate them—
Only to watch them bite and coil into a ball and slam into the wall with a loud bang.
The impact was shockingly strong. The wall actually shuddered.
Outside the door, Chong Ming jolted. He shoved it open. “Jiang Tea Tea, are you okay?”
Jiang Tea Tea’s face changed. She yanked a towel around herself, climbed out of the tub, and positioned her body to block the two cubs—still snarling and tangled—from Chong Ming’s line of sight.
“I’m fine,” she snapped. “All washed up.”
Chong Ming truly didn’t see the cubs wedged against the wall. All he saw was her.
“Didn’t you say you’d just rinse off?” he said, frowning. “Why did you soak? With your body—”
“My body is fine,” Jiang Tea Tea cut in quickly. “I just bumped into something. Get out. I’ll be done in a minute.”
Chong Ming didn’t move. He stepped closer. “I’ll carry you out—”
Thud.
Before he could finish, the ball of two cubs stuck against the wall rolled free and dropped to the floor.
Chong Ming’s gaze lowered.
Jiang Tea Tea backed up and kicked the cub-ball away, sending it skidding. “What are you staring at? I don’t need you to carry me. Get out!”
Chong Ming’s brows drew together. “Your towel is wet. You need a dry one.”
“I know,” Jiang Tea Tea said tightly. “You go out, and I’ll change.”
He took another step instead. “Jiang Tea Tea. Are you hiding something from me?”
Behind her, the two cubs rolled and bit and scratched, making a racket that was impossible to miss.
“No!” Her voice shot up. “I’m not hiding anything. Get out!”
She was so guilty it practically radiated off her.
Chong Ming tried to look past her. “Then what’s making that noise behind you?”
Jiang Tea Tea swallowed. “The cubs are just rolling around. It’s fine. I can handle—”
The cub-ball rolled right up against her foot.
Chong Ming’s eyes tightened. His gaze locked onto it.
Two cubs.
Two identical golden dragon clan cubs.
Jiang Tea Tea clenched her jaw.
Fine. No hiding it now.
She bent, scooped up the cub-ball, and smacked one of them.
The cubs instantly loosened their bite, separating into two tiny, clingy dragons that tried to coil around her hand.
She had five fingers. Each hatchling wrapped around two—then immediately started scratching at the other one again, fighting over the last finger.
Jiang Tea Tea lifted her hand toward Chong Ming and forced a dry laugh.
“Chong Ming… funny thing. Earlier you said there were two cubs in my belly, and I denied it. Who knew I’d give birth to another one while I was taking a bath? Hahaha…”