Chapter Four: The Lion Family

As he observed the woman and sensed the aura she radiated, Wang Luo couldn't explain why, but he felt a profound warmth and security. Her long black hair was slightly disheveled, cascading over her shoulders, which only made her pale complexion stand out more starkly. Though this diminished some of her noble elegance, it lent her a fragile beauty that stirred a desire to protect her.

Suddenly, an anguished roar and the cry of a bird pierced Wang Luo's ears. The woman’s eyes flashed with panic before she glanced at Wang Luo once more, decisiveness settling on her features.

She picked up a dagger from beside the bed and made a quick cut across Wang Luo’s small hand. Then, after smearing a black ring with his fresh blood, she slipped it onto the ring finger of his left hand. Wang Luo bit his lip to keep from crying out, confusion in his gaze as he looked up at her. The woman whispered a few words under her breath, and instantly, a blue light enveloped Wang Luo’s wounded hand.

As a cool sensation spread across his skin and the pain ebbed away, Wang Luo stared in disbelief, his mind racing: What is this? Magic?

Bang!

The door burst open, and a middle-aged man crashed to the floor before the bed. Without even glancing around the room, he surged to his feet, his body blazing with golden light as he flung himself at several black-clad intruders. His voice rang out in urgent desperation.

"Hurry!"

At the sound, the woman's eyes filled with boundless tenderness as she gazed at Wang Luo. Then she crushed a silvery scroll at her side.

A shimmering silver light enveloped Wang Luo, and through its glow, he watched, dazed, as the battle unfolded between the figures in front of him.

Blinding sunlight roused Wang Luo from unconsciousness. The dazzling orb overhead left his eyes swimming with darkness, rendering him blind at first. When he finally adjusted, he looked around and realized that his infant body was lying on a sloped mound of dirt.

Tall wild grasses, reaching the height of a person, surrounded the mound. In the distance, towering ancient trees loomed, their ages impossible to guess.

"What kind of forsaken place is this?" Wang Luo muttered inwardly as he took in his surroundings. He remembered being enveloped in silver light before everything went black, and now he had awakened here for no reason.

"This place is obviously deserted—there might not be a soul for miles. Still, I might as well try calling out. Hopefully someone will find me. Otherwise, I'll be baked alive under this sun… Waaah…"

Steeling himself, Wang Luo began to wail. But after a while, his throat went dry and his mouth parched; not so much as a shadow of a person or even an animal appeared. Disheartened, Wang Luo gave up shouting and decided to rest.

He glared resentfully at the glaring, merciless sun overhead, salty sweat trickling into his mouth—bitter and briny. Still, he swallowed it with a kind of grim satisfaction.

Suddenly, darkness fell over his eyes as something blocked out the sun. A spark of hope flared within him—could someone have actually heard his cries and come to save him?

Overjoyed, Wang Luo looked up eagerly, eager to see who his savior might be. But as he saw what loomed above him, the smile froze on his lips.

A black panther, its fangs glinting coldly in the light, stared down at him. He could smell its hot, fetid breath and the stench of blood from its maw. Wang Luo’s heart leapt into his throat as the beast drew closer, its jaws opening wide.

Just as he was about to surrender to despair and accept his fate, the shadow over him suddenly vanished. The scorching sun beat down on him once more, and for the first time, Wang Luo found the heat comforting.

Thud!

Not far away, the sound of the panther crashing to the ground echoed, and then all fell silent.

Roar!

Roar!

Two mighty lion roars followed, reverberating in Wang Luo’s ears and leaving him dazed.

Before the echoes had faded, his beloved sunlight was once again blocked by an unknown presence, and his heart, barely calmed, leaped in alarm once more.

Struggling, Wang Luo turned his head to the left. There, under the sun’s glare, was the majestic head of a golden lion, its mane gleaming.

What truly astonished Wang Luo was the look in the lion’s eyes—curiosity tinged with confusion, almost human in its intensity. He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: This lion's gaze is far too expressive!

Splatt!

A droplet of lion saliva landed on his tiny, pink hand, snapping him from his reverie. He cursed his own distraction—how could he space out at a time like this, with death so near?

The golden lion studied him with interest for a moment longer, then opened its jaws, baring those icy fangs, and lunged at his small hand. Once again, Wang Luo had a close-up view of sharp animal teeth and the stench of their breath.

Despite his dehydration-weakened body, Wang Luo found himself oddly unafraid as he faced the lion’s gaping maw. Instead, he felt only resignation at the twists of his fate.

Roar!

A low growl sounded from his right, and Wang Luo saw a flicker of annoyance cross the left-hand lion’s expressive eyes as it reluctantly withdrew its jaws. Curious, Wang Luo turned to his right.

Ah!

Beside him stood a charming white lion cub, staring at him with wide, inquisitive eyes. His sudden cry startled the cub, making it flinch, and Wang Luo mentally berated himself for his timidity—a lion cub had actually startled him!

Once it had recovered, the little white cub continued to regard him with innocent curiosity. As their gazes met, Wang Luo caught a whiff of the cub’s milky scent and suddenly realized he hadn’t had a drop to drink since birth—how was he even still alive?

Damn, why am I getting distracted again? This is no time for daydreaming!

Behind the cub, a golden lion entered Wang Luo’s field of vision, pulling him back to the present. This lion radiated the same milky aroma and gazed at the cub with deep maternal affection. Wang Luo guessed it must be the little one’s mother.

That thought sparked an idea—sometimes mother beasts with young of their own would adopt abandoned human infants.

Emboldened by hope, Wang Luo began making faces and winking at the curious lion cub, pulling every silly expression he could muster.

The cub was soon entranced by Wang Luo’s antics, and they began to play together. Internally, Wang Luo could have wept—how had it come to this, relying on clownish tricks to survive, and for the amusement of a lion cub, no less?

Roar!

Just as man and beast were playing happily, the male lion on the left emitted a disapproving growl, quickly joined by the mother lion on the right.

The two lions continued to communicate in gruff roars on either side of Wang Luo, and he realized that the moment of his fate had arrived.

Seeing Wang Luo’s tear-filled eyes and pitiful gaze fixed on its mother, the little white cub, feeling ignored, joined in the roaring. At the cub’s cry, Wang Luo pulled another face at it before resuming his beseeching look at the mother lion, hoping to win her favor—and praying that the male lion was thoroughly henpecked.

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Otherworldly Azure Dragon 4 – Chapter Four: The Lion Family, complete!