The tale of the fox and the dragon egg

Chapter 5 - Lan Yuan

Once again, there was a pressing silence between them. Silver and gold fought and clashed. The blade was silent as well, coolness dripping onto his stomach. It left him shivering slightly.
It took long for the Lan to find words again.

"Do not lie to me."

Wei Ying would have screamed out of frustration. But he swallowed the sudden urge and snarled, sharp teeth of him showing beneath his lips

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Wei Ying was almost crawling out of his skin.

Silence was stretched within the tight space of surrounding trees, cut by the fierce sounds he never witnessed from the baby dragon on his chest.

The golden eyes flashed from the fox in human skin towards the red child. Every second felt like an hour. Nothing happened.

His breathing lessened its speed again, leaving his throat raw and burning. Blood was a taste he knew very well and it coated his whole mouth and every breath he took. There was wheezing within every shuddering intake of air. Something he couldn't hear but felt and he suspected, A-Yuan did too.

Coolness drifted off the white sword in waves.

This is the worst story to tell, a voice whispered in his head. A fox, who was gifted an egg from an immortal dragon. A child to protect. With him now lying beneath the blade of another Lan dragon. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

Especially when the golden eyes hardened once more. Wei Ying was glad that the blade didn't move forward. It didn't retreat at the same time.

"This child belongs with the Lan."

Simple words. The fox scoffed. And the dragon child hissed once more.

"Do you think I have no eyes?", Wei Ying scoffed, silver orbs returning to the cold blade in front of him. A-Yuan was silent, but didn't seem to listen to their words. She was staring the other Lan down, a clear challenge in her stance.

The cultivator was much, much stronger than the freshly hatched baby. He could grab her in a strong hand and vanish. Taking everything from Wei Ying with him. Leaving him bare and empty again.

He did not.

Instead, he seemed to register the challenge of the little one and stood, clearly hesitant. How a baby was able to dominate an elder escaped Wei Ying and he would have laughed at the situation. The sword in front of him was convincing him to not do such a thing.

"I always suspected you to come down from your high throne. And the last weeks I thought it would be because of this child", Wei Ying said, rising his eyes towards gold once more. "I'm actually surprised why it took you so long."

The Lan examined him, from head to toe and straightened himself again. Sharp, glistening steel returned to his stomach again, ready to strike whenever the other decided to do so. A-Yuan rose. Growling and hissing were a speech without words.

It was a clear message for everyone, but this time the man stood his ground, ignoring the little one.

"How did you acquire this child?"

Wei Ying pressed his lips together and tensed. He eyes the man in white.

It was still unclear if he could trust him. Only weeks ago, one member of the Lan killed an immortal soul. Robbed the little one of its parent and left her within his care. The fox needed to be careful. He did not trust this stranger. He did not trust him to simply let them be.

But with a blade against him and his child, he needed to answer him. And not with another lie.

This is a test and lying will be against the rules.