What You Do Not Desire

"I'm a professional, you can trust me."

The Dragon Girl tried her best to make her tone sound more convincing.

Unfortunately, given her indifferent expression, saying that would only seem suspicious.

A fleeting thought crossed A Xing's mind, but then she remembered Horus's plan: she was to wear that very strange outfit to crawl into Kang De's bed today...

How could I possibly let her come along!

She turned and walked away. "I don't believe it."

With a swift movement, Dragon Girl gracefully positioned herself in front of A Xing. A Xing threw a punch, and Lily reached out to block it, her slender, white fingers enveloping A Xing's fist. The two of them exerted their strength together, yet they remained locked in a stalemate.

A Xing looked surprised, then shouted, "Alright, let's have a fight!"

She'd been seething with anger these past few days, and her Big Goldie always had that smug grin on its face, but she couldn't actually bring herself to hit it... Today, finally, a little female dragon of similar stature arrived, a perfect opportunity to vent her frustrations.

Upon hearing this, Lily immediately released A Xing's hand and gracefully stepped back. "I won't fight."

A Xing asked, dissatisfied, "Why?"

"Because fighting is troublesome, takes a long time, and is inefficient."

The Dragon Girl answered calmly.

She hates violence, dislikes fighting, and especially dislikes direct confrontation with equally matched opponents. If a fight is necessary, wouldn't it be better to kill someone with a sneak attack than to fight? The latter is much simpler.

The A Xing bared its teeth and said, "Didn't you want to see Kang De? Fight me, and I'll take you there."

--After we've had our fun, we can just renege on our promises. After all, nobody keeps their word on the island anyway.

The Dragon Girl looked troubled, pondered for a moment, and then sighed.

She put the notebook away and reached up to tuck her hair back.

A Xing showed a satisfied expression and took two steps back.

In her view, this was undoubtedly preparation for the upcoming match.

If you have long hair, you have to tie it up before a fight—she never understood why those politely dressed women in Kang De's computer would have long, flowing hair while fighting, and their opponents were also stupid, with their long hair swaying in front of them, not even knowing to grab it and pull it hard, or tear off half a piece of their scalp.

She tapped a few times on her tablet, switched to the music player, and found the song "Stardust - Crusader." Kang De said that it was best to play "Bitch Lover" during a fight, and that this song was the most suitable for her.

Alright, now let's give her a good beating!

She prepared herself, looked up, and saw the Dragon Lady gathering her long, pale golden hair into a bun under the moonlight. The moonlight slanted down, casting a soft glow on her hair and fair face. Her black sword-shaped earrings swayed gently. The Dragon Girl was expressionless, her head slightly bowed, as she gathered her flowing, smooth hair. But the charm revealed in this graceful movement made A Xing pause in surprise.

Kang De actually said she was a man? How could that be?

... But there's no downside to it, right?

Ideally, he would treat all women in the world as men.

Sigh, why doesn't he think that Big Goldie is a man...?

In a flash, A Xing's mind raced, and many thoughts that he wouldn't share with outsiders popped into his head.

The Dragon Girl had already styled her hair.

The battle horn has sounded.

A Xing gathered his thoughts, assumed an execution stance, and prepared to press the play button.

The next moment, the dragon lady, who had just finished putting her hair up, put her hands on her head and squatted down in a corner.

"Go ahead and fight."

She said in a muffled voice, "Go easy on me, you're too strong. When you've had enough, take me to see Kang De."

--Is she putting her hair up because she's afraid of getting it dirty while squatting on the ground to be beaten?

A Xing's expression froze.

She rushed forward, grabbed the Dragon Girl by the neck, and lifted her up. "Hey! I said we're fighting, not you getting beaten up! Come on, fight me!"

A Xing was a bit taller than the Dragon Girl. He lifted her up again, and the Dragon Girl's limbs dangled down, her body swaying. Her voice remained calm. "I can't beat you. Even if I did, I'd only get beaten up. Since I'm going to get beaten up anyway, why bother fighting back? It's exhausting and time-consuming. It's more efficient to just let you hit me. It'll end sooner, and I won't feel tired."

A Xing shouted, "Hitting you would be worse than hitting a punching bag!"

"How could I be inferior?" With her neck being gripped, the Dragon Girl forced her head to turn and gave A Xing a deliberately forced smile. "I'm so beautiful, so flexible, and I can even fake crying. Wouldn't it be more satisfying to hit me?"

A Xing chopped her down and threw her away.

The Dragon Girl landed face-first on the ground, and thanks to two powerful brake pads, she slid for less than a meter before stopping. She got up, dusted herself off, and asked, "Besides fighting and Kang De, what other wishes or demands do you have? Or, I could help you kill someone?"

She said casually, "Like Princess Tina?"

A Xing declared resolutely, "Then I'll kill you first!"

The Dragon Girl said calmly, "Weren't you trying to take Kang De? She's dead, and you..."

A Xing shouted, "That's none of your business!"

She turned and walked away, but then she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw the Dragon Girl following behind with small, quick steps.

As soon as A Xing raised his hand, she covered her head and squatted on the ground.

As soon as A Xing turned to leave, she immediately followed with small, quick steps.

"You're so annoying!"

"Take me to see Kang De, and I won't bother you anymore."

"I won't have it! What's wrong with you, dragon? You're so weird!"

"You're the strange one."

The Dragon Girl calmly said, "Taking me to see Kang De isn't difficult at all; in fact, I could go by myself. The reason I'm asking you to take me is because of what happened at noon. If I go to see Kang De alone, it might cause him to misunderstand and be dissatisfied. With you by my side, everyone will feel at ease—why do you always make excuses? Is there something you're hiding?"

Things that can't be shown to others.

These words struck a chord with A Xing. Although she was ignorant of worldly affairs, she had a sense of shame. In her opinion, the clothes Horus had given her were shameful, as shameful as shaving off most of the fur on one's body. In short, they were very, very, very strange.

Her face flushed red, and she was about to retort loudly, but looking at the shameless and stubborn dragon girl in front of her, a flash of inspiration struck her in a split second.

A Xing loves Kang De.

He trusted Kang De the most.

It was on the island that she first met Kang De. From then on, she was inseparable from Kang De and knew his secrets. Kang De told her many, many stories, some bizarre, some nonsense, some were jokes, but some were very serious and made a lot of sense.

At that moment, A Xing thought of Kang De's teachings.

A very insightful piece of advice.

It is said to be a famous saying from an ancient sage in his hometown, and it served as Kang De's standard for conduct. Since it was approved by Kang De, it must be good.

Moreover, that statement is indeed very true and quite insightful.

That phrase is called...

What you do not want for yourself...

It is then given to others.

She suddenly revealed a smile that sent chills down the spine of the Dragon Girl.

Lily's eyes widened slightly. "A dangerous aura... What are you thinking?"

A Xing laughed and said, "You want to see Kang De?"

Miss Dragon nodded.

"You really want to see me?"

He nodded again.

"Then do something for me, and if you do it well, I'll take you to see Kang De."

"... A bad feeling. What's wrong?"

A Xing's smile grew even warmer and brighter, "It's a very simple matter... come with me."

"This is getting worse; you practically have 'I have ill intentions' written all over your face."

Despite saying that, the Dragon Girl still followed behind A Xing.

A Xing glanced at him sideways and said, "Then why did you come along?"

"Um."

The Dragon Girl said expressionlessly, "Because there's a thrilling feeling mixed with unease about the unknown, yet also a faint anticipation of what it might be."

"..."

This level is too high; A Xing like me can't possibly understand it.

She tentatively asked, "For example?"

"For example, you lure me into a trap, using spells, curses, or potions effective against dragons to render me incapable of resisting. When I wake up, I find myself in a cramped, flickering room filled with strange smells, surrounded by all sorts of torture instruments. Kang De stands before me with a bestial grin on his face, while you, with a seductive smile, are pressed against him..."

A Xing turned around and roared, "What kind of strange expectation is that?!"

Her face was still a little red.

The A Xing used to not understand these kinds of things, but after watching the video materials provided by Horus, she began to understand them a little. That's what growth is all about.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Miss Dragon's tone remained calm. "After all, I am a dragon. Having lived for so long, if I don't want to become a living fossil that can't think and has lost its self, I must try to keep my waking hours enjoyable and pleasurable. Pleasure is like Magic Power; it's easy to accumulate at first, but the deeper the Magic Power, the harder it is to accumulate. The principle is the same, which forces me to consider how to obtain more pleasure..."

This statement is equally difficult to understand.

"Pleasant..." A Xing frowned and said, "Do I have to go looking for this kind of thing myself?"

Miss Dragon sighed, "The happiness of short-lived species! Everything is so new."

"This has nothing to do with being new or not. I spent a long time with Kang De, and before that, I couldn't speak at all, yet I felt fulfilled and happy, experiencing joy every day. Or rather, isn't happiness a normal thing?"

When asked about Kang De, A Xing retorted, listing off a list of things he knew by heart. "He would bring me delicious food every day, always something new and never the same. He would give me gifts, cook for me, and take me to see interesting things. He would explain everything to me, and I would listen to whatever he explained. It didn't matter if I didn't understand; I knew Kang De was explaining things to me, and that made me very happy."

"Although I missed him terribly when we parted, the thought of reuniting made me happy. I wasn't happy when he was with the Big Goldie, but he would always come to talk to me afterwards, just like before, and that made me happy too. Although I'm not as free and happy here as I was on the island, and although I miss home, I'm only happy going home with Kang De. And I'm happy even if I don't go home, being with Kang De makes me happy..."

A Xing seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, speaking fluently with a smile on his face.

As he spoke, he found himself chuckling to himself.

She spoke for a while, then turned her head and saw Lily standing there, looking quite full.

Miss Dragon sighed, "You're so powerful, how come you couldn't beat Princess Tina?"

A Xing looked annoyed. "Because I can't hit her."

"..."

Miss Dragon wanted to explain, but found it troublesome. Besides, discussing matters of the heart only fueled her jealousy.

And also, curiosity.

She tilted her head and asked, "Is Kang De really that good?"

"Of course..." A Xing said subconsciously, but suddenly came to his senses and glared at him, "You're not allowed to take it!"

Seeing that she was no longer in danger of being beaten, the Dragon Girl let down her neatly styled hair. Hearing this, she gently brushed her hair aside and smiled slightly, "To be honest, I'm actually more interested now..."

A Xing showed signs of anxiety and dissatisfaction, but then, as if remembering something, he immediately lowered his guard and even revealed a mocking smile, "Interested, aren't you? Interested, aren't you? Anyway, you won't be able to get your hands on it."

Miss Dragon asked curiously, "Why? I'm so beautiful, so big, and I'm a dragon..."

But none of these methods work!

A Xing, being the type to keep secrets, didn't beat around the bush with the Dragon Girl. Instead, he immediately revealed the answer, pointing at the Dragon Girl in front of him and loudly proclaiming, "Because Kang De believes you are a male dragon!"

"..."

At this moment, even the composed Dragon Girl showed a look of stunned disbelief.

She blinked to make sure she hadn't misheard, then looked down.

It's so big.

Is there something wrong with his head!?

In a flash, the Dragon Girl suddenly remembered that a group of scoundrels on Dragon Island, for triple pay, were willing to undergo physical transformations, enduring ridicule and strange looks from their own kind, turning their humanoid forms into young girls, or even boys, and some even into elves, or even dark elves.

They called it enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens, sacrificing for the company and Dragon Island, but when Lily recalled the smiles on their faces, and their alluring postures and flawless voices and movements after transforming into human form, she understood from that moment on that there was only the difference between zero times and countless times.

Clearly, Kang De mistook her for a dragon...

The thought of this stirred a sense of irritability and impulsiveness within her, even though she was usually calm.

How do you explain this?!

--Wait, why should I explain this to him?

Hmph, a male dragon? Since that's the case, then I'll... hmph, disgust you to death, make you suffer to death.

Thinking of this, the little female dragon, gritting her teeth in secret, came up with a plan.

She urged, "What do you want me to do? Take me to do it quickly, and then I'll see Kang De!"

A Xing chuckled and led her to his room.

In her view, the little female dragon posed virtually no threat.

Even if Kang De liked dragons, it wouldn't be her place on the island...

She hummed twice and glanced at Lily.

The taste is quite similar.

The A Xing and the little Long Yi tiptoed into their room, listening intently. Hearing no sound from Kang De, they entered, closed, and locked the door in one swift motion. Then, the A Xing pulled a bag from under the bed, took a deep breath, and pulled out its contents. "Wear these!"

A moment later, the little dragon's voice could no longer conceal her astonishment and unease.

Are you a pervert?

"... no!"

"Then why did you make me wear this! No, why do you even have clothes like this?"

"None of your business! Are you going to put them on or not? Hurry up and put them on! Let me see!"

The noise could be faintly heard emanating from another room not far away, where Kang De was contemplating Shakespeare's ultimate question, "To-do or not-to-do."

Further afield, a spreading Shadow lingers within the Maple Leaf Palace.

It has been waiting for three days.

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Time for bed... Damn, last night I dreamt I was transported to the Sekiro world, and I was fighting a really tough boss. What's even tougher is that I actually managed to hold my own against him, exchanging blows several times. Then, a thought suddenly popped into my head: Damn, where's my Wind Spirit Moonshadow?

PS2: Then I woke up.