The Yao Emperor and His Human Doctor.

Chapter 36 - Curse of Memory

"We've lost our minds!" What if he disappears and we've got the doctor right???" Ren Loo suddenly screamed hysterically. An Shu panicked and without caring if the chimera was still there, he ran towards the rising smokescreen.
"DR. SU! SU NING!" He fell to his knees, finding the doctor's robe lying on the floor.

"He's gone! He's been taken away again!" He shouted in a daze. The other yao approached, looking around. Then, to everyone's surprise, a small head came out from under one of the ends of the robe, on the opposite side that An Shu was holding. The snake's eyes widened, as did the others.

Underneath the robe was a child, apparently about eight years old. His hair reached just above his shoulders and he was trying to get out of the inner robes that were too big for him. However, seeing the yao and the strange environment around him, he looked at them with perplexity in his large childish eyes.

"Ah... I'm sorry, but do you know what this place is?" The child asked embarrassedly, scratching his head shyly. An Shu let his arms hang at his sides. It felt like his soul had come out of his mouth.
"D-Dr. Su...?" Huang Jia stammered softly.
"Are you looking for Dr. Su Xue?" The child turned to her, this time with a more attentive look.

"She won't be back until late afternoon. Are you badly hurt? I can take a look and then she'll take good care of you!" He smiled with motivation and eyes shining with goodwill. Qiang Yong ran his hand across his forehead and Ren Loo had a nosebleed.
"It's him! How cute!" The dragon exclaimed and also ran towards the child, who was caught off guard.

The dragon pressed his cheek bluntly. "Ahhh! It reminds me of when A-Shyu was little like this, but he had such a frowny expression!" Qiang Yong looked at his sister in amazement. If she was already acting like this, how could the Empress not react?
Worse than that, besides her, An Shu and Huang Jia also surrendered to pampering the child Su Ning, going to take a good look at him and forgetting that the danger had not yet passed.

"So this is what he was like when he was little?" An Shu held the tiny hand in his. "It's so delicate! Human children are so fragile!"
"The hair already had this bluish glow." Huang Jia stroked one of the locks. Su Ning was lost, he didn't know where he was, he didn't know these people and now they were watching him like a rare object in the world. What should he do?

In a daze, he looked at Qiang Yong,  who seemed to be the only one with his head on straight.
"Eeeeh... do you know me? Do you know how I came here?" He asked the dragon directly. Qiang Yong decided to step forward and put an end to this.
"Sorry to disturb you, but we'd better get out of here before the chimera recovers and comes back here to take Dr. Su, don't you agree?"

Everyone became immediately alert remembering that the chimera probably did what it intended and moved away to recover. Although it didn't seem like it, he suffered some major damage in this last attack, the price he had to pay to get to Su Ning. The doctor was harmless and an easy prey, in fact it was the best strategy the chimera could use against him.

"How can he be like this?" An Shu murmured, still stroking Su Ning's little fingers.
"It's a curse. It causes the person to take the previous form in which they experienced some past trauma. So, when they remember, they will return to their original state." Qiang Yong approached the child and crouched down until he could look directly at him. Seeing the other's innocent expression, he bit his lower lip.

“Su Ning, that is your name, correct?”
"Yes!" The little boy exclaimed, finally someone bothered to give him an answer!
"I'm Qiang Yong, you don't remember us because you're under a curse. But in fact you're already an adult. Do you know what I mean?"
"How would he understand something like that?" Ren Loo criticized his brother.

Su Ning lowered his eyes in thought, and then raised them again, nodding slightly.
"I think so." He responded honestly.
"Good, it's not safe for us to stay here. Whoever did this to you is hurt now, but they'll come back for you. I just ask that you trust us. We're going to get you somewhere safe, okay?"
The other yao were shocked.

Who would have thought that the emperor would be so cool-headed at a time like this? And what about this child? Has he always been this mature, since he was little???
Qiang Yong picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and wrapped Su Ning like a roll, holding him on his lap carefully.
The others "..........."

"Hold on tight. Let's go back now!" He nodded and everyone went down the Plateau, to open a portal back to the Fortress.
Qiang Yong unconsciously held the child tightly, so that he could feel the thin frame of the small body wrapped only in the thin fabric. He was afraid that suddenly the chimera would appear out of nowhere and rip him out of his arms.

The dragon descended the Plateau jumping over the rocks. This feeling of holding such a small Su Ning was strange. What a strange child, Qiang Yong thought. He so readily trusted strangers. At that moment he didn't remember anything that wasn't related to this age. How could he let himself be carried away so easily?

"Are you afraid of heights?" He asked unexpectedly.
"No, I live on a mountain." The child responded.
"Okay, what else do you remember? Where were you before you ended up here?"
"I went to get herbs for my mother."
"Yes, you said she wouldn't come back until late afternoon."
"Yes! She's the doctor in our village! She went to see a patient." The little boy replied proudly.

Qiang Yong let out a low laugh. Now this obsession has been explained. However, his heart sank. Su Ning was cursed with the intention that he would relive a past traumatic experience. The yao's objective was to break his will and spirit the moment he brought back a memory that was too painful. What did this doctor go through at such a young age? What if he was unable to withstand this trauma and broke?

Qiang Yong shivered, and Su Ning eventually realized his apprehension.
"What it was?"
"Anything."
Su Ning stared at him. The round, dark eyes blinked curiously. "What kind of yao are you?"
"I'm a dragon."
"Oh!"
"Do you have something against yao or dragons?"
"No! Of course not! Yao are very good!" Su Ning exclaimed so vehemently that the dragon was surprised.

Qiang Yong frowned, before landing on the ground, back in the valley. "How can you be so sure that yao are good?"
Su Ning smiled simply. "I haven't found any bad ones so far. They've all been very kind."
Qiang Yong minus the head. "And this one who cursed you?"
"I-I... I don't remember how it happened. I was picking herbs and the next thing I knew I was in that dark cave without my clothes!" He was embarrassed, pulling his robe closer to him.

Qiang Yong laughed. He didn't think that Su Ning was so shy. Although he had been really embarrassed when he pulled him into the clinic pool.
The dragon opened the portal in the same place they had come from. Su Ning was very quiet, just silently observing everything, taking in the information. He had never seen dragons up close, but they looked incredible.

Author's Note

Su Ning child, how cute😚
Even Qiang Yong acted strong but took advantage of the opportunity and picked him up lol.

My baby doctor's perplexed face ❤