Love, Gun, Cupid

After Lin Jiade recovered, Jasmine continued, "I didn't go to school. My parents became my teachers, teaching me everything, letting me understand the history of the Red Dragon, and where we should go."

The White Dragon is the Red Dragon's destined enemy, but they haven't seen each other for twenty years. Even my father, who is usually pessimistic, believes that under the threat of the Universal Empire, the White Dragon won't dare to cause us any trouble.

However, the biggest mistake my father made was viewing the empire as a single entity with only one voice.

Imperial nobles who are friendly to the Red Dragon can only represent a part of the Empire's ideology, and this head is constantly divided and fighting, with one ideology sometimes gaining the upper hand and the other losing the upper hand, always fickle.

After twenty years, Bai Long gradually realized that the nobleman's support for them was not entirely firm. They also realized that all imperial politicians had the virtue of fickleness. So they went to Swan City and made an agreement with the imperial nobleman who had once protected them.

Twenty years of friendship are no match for gold; guided by a traitor, the White Dragon attacks us.

Red dragons and white dragons, servants and servants clashing in bloodshed, my childhood ended in carnage. Two years later, we came to the Legion City in the central province, where we hid for a while.

The uncle who brought me here, posing as my father's servant, contacted an old friend of his in the Eastern Province. That friend had some influence in District 18, so when I was 14, I moved to Fuxing City.

My uncle and aunt treated me well, but they longed for me to become an avenger, to avenge the shared wounds in our memories. The Empire betrayed us, but we can only rely on its protection and use it to exact our revenge.

Our lord, who shelters us, is a pragmatist. He demands we do shady things for him to consolidate his 'rule' in District 18… disgusting things indeed.

The voting has ended, and readers have chosen Manchester City.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Yes, yes!

No wonder your parents disappear for nine months every year, and then disappear for three months with you. Lin Jiade thought.

He grabbed Jasmine's hand and noticed her fingers were icy cold, so he gripped it even tighter. At the same time, he glanced guiltily at Dujuan, who made a shy face. But as he listened to Jasmine's past, he couldn't laugh.

"Just earlier this year, my uncle's old friend passed away, and we lost our protector. The Eastern Province is no longer safe."

My uncle was terrified that the White Dragon's men would come back and kill us, leaving us with no hope. So he used a secret method he'd obtained from an old friend to force me to perform the 'Dragon Gate Ritual.'

Lin Jiade looked at the all-powerful azalea, and Doraemon explained, "Eastern dragon species value opportunity, and their population is mainly based on cultural identity. Therefore, all things can be tested through the 'Dragon Gate Ceremony.' From tuna to general, all can be promoted to dragon species through the Dragon Gate Ceremony."

Jasmine nodded: "That's exactly what Uncle was thinking. Although the probability of forcibly converting the lineage is as high as 67%, Uncle believes that the remaining 33% probability is worth the gamble."

"As you know, I failed to get promoted and was sent to the hospital. My uncle and aunt were also affected and died."

They loved me, but more than that, they used me as a tool for revenge and education. I rarely felt any warmth from them.

But even after they were gone, I still felt regret. Because at least they told me why I lived. So when they left, and their goals had failed, what was the purpose of my life?

In the quiet of the hospital at night, when I returned to my home where I was the only one there, and when the school approved my leave of absence, I suddenly realized that I had become an outsider, and I had cut off all contact with this society.

Freedom, the freedom of solitude, the freedom of loneliness followed by emptiness. I once dreamed of freedom, to escape the responsibilities I was given. But when I finally grasped freedom, all I wanted was to throw it away.

"No, Jasmine, you're wrong."

Lin Jiade said, "I'm only 19 years old, and I don't even fully understand my own life yet, but I know that there are no outsiders in this world, and we can't separate ourselves from society."

Jasmine replied, "You're right. Even if you're mentally detached, you can't escape the rules and cause and effect of society in your body."

I'm slowly trying to understand myself. Your appearance accelerated my process of figuring things out, and then the new pain brought by my enemy made me completely awake. You became my painkiller.

but……"

She covered her head in frustration: "In some ways, you're more troublesome than my enemy, Lin Jiade. This is insane. We've only known each other for a little over ten days, and you have so many unreasonable choices. What am I supposed to do with you?"

The young man shrugged, then opened his arms in a mock-humorous manner: "Embrace your future?"

Jasmine looked troubled and sad. Lin Jiade only wanted to make a joke to ease the atmosphere, but unexpectedly, Jasmine dropped her pretense and actually hugged him.

An irresistible force caused Lin Jiade to lean back onto the sofa. Jasmine's paws carefully wrapped around him, her tail resting on his thigh. He placed one hand on Jasmine's shoulder and the other on her beloved white hair, gently stroking it.

Their heartbeats mingled, their breaths mingled, and Jasmine, resting her head on the young man's chest, whispered, "Are you going to get involved in my affairs no matter what?"

"Ah."

Can I trust you?

"Ah."

Can we walk towards a bright future together?

"I'm the only son in my family, and the only boy in my generation among my relatives. In traditional terms, if my family line ends, my line will die out—"

So of course I want to live, we'll live together...

Lin Jiade awkwardly thought of Jasmine's age. Indeed, human laws only apply to humans, and it wasn't a crime for him to lay a hand on a young red dragon.

However, the law is always just the lower limit of morality, and one cannot allow oneself to linger at that lower limit indefinitely. Therefore, morality silenced his body, a fact that Jasmine sensed.

“I’m 17 years old this year, and I’m also 17 as a dragon,” she said.

Lin Jiade immediately perked up: "Hmm, there's such a setting?"

Jasmine explained, "The failure of the Dragon Gate Ritual not only sent me to the hospital, but also destroyed my dragon body, so my true form became an awkward shape that is neither human nor dragon."

She raised herself slightly, bringing her face close to Lin Jiade's, and said while touching her hair, "The hair color is the same. Before the Lungmen ceremony, it was red, but now it has turned white."

Lin Jiade's breathing quickened slightly: "Wouldn't that be even better?"

"?"

Jasmine didn't understand why Lin Jiade reacted this way. In her mind, she categorized her white fur and thick tail into two parts that she disliked but Lin Jiade unexpectedly liked.

She continued, "Having lost my dragon body, I cannot use the magic inherited from the dragon race, but the Dragon Gate Ritual allowed me to glimpse some profound knowledge about the Eastern dragon race. The 'thunder magic' and 'spell magic' I use now are my attempts to apply this knowledge."

Lin Jiade tried to say, "So, your path to becoming Jackie Chan hasn't ended?"

“I think I’m more like Jade than Jackie Chan,” Jasmine replied earnestly.

Are we talking about Jackie Chan?

"Obviously not."

"So……"

Jasmine interrupted Lin Jiade: "There's no need to ask the same question again. My answer is yes! yes! I still have hope of challenging the Dragon Gate Ritual again, but that's a matter for the future."

Right now, I just want to tell you that I'm 17 years old right now, and I'll be an adult in a few months.

"Hmm, Lin Jiade, I'm a little curious," Du Juan interjected after a long silence, "before Jasmine revealed her new setting, were you prepared to stay with her for decades without making a move?"

"I don't want to go all the way to the end, and then adopt a child in the future to complete the continuation of our family name."

I really want to say that it's okay to have no descendants, but my parents are just as important to me. How heartbroken they would be if we had no children. I can't... I can't just think of myself.

Lin Jiade smiled and said, "However, I don't have to worry about that now. The biggest challenge for Jasmine and me is defeating our current enemy."

Jasmine looked at him for a few seconds, and when she saw that he was a little embarrassed and wanted to look away, her face came close to his and her lips pressed against his.

She sat up, straightened her clothes, and said, "I agree."

"Agree to what?"

Happiness came so suddenly that Lin Jiade was completely dumbfounded. While savoring the kiss, he asked, "Does it mean you agree to fight alongside me, or do you agree to my feelings?"

"Yes, yes... I agree with both."

Chapter Sixty: One More Time

Jasmine whispered, "Even though I don't know what love is yet, I felt really bad when I rejected you yesterday. Was that love?"

Lin Jiade sat up: "You'll have to figure out the answer yourself, but it's okay, I can wait."

"If you don't mind me, then we can be considered dating."

Lin Jiade looked at Du Juan, and Cupid shook his head, indicating that he didn't feel any romantic energy. He was somewhat disappointed, realizing that Du Juan's feelings for him were probably mostly gratitude.

A relationship maintained out of gratitude is not love, but even so, he was happy that Jasmine stayed by his side.

The 19-year-old youth, still caught up in the burgeoning desires of adolescence, looked at Jasmine with such intensity that Jasmine momentarily mistook him for a big bad wolf staring at her.

“That kiss…” Lin Jiade said, trembling.

Jasmine honestly replied, "It's considered a deposit and a ceremony. I read online that human lovers value this, so I did it. Is there something wrong with it?"

"No, I feel great, really great. My heart is racing, and I feel a little dizzy." Lin Jiade leaned closer. "It's just that, because I wasn't prepared, I didn't really feel anything from the kiss."

Jasmine tilted her head, puzzled. "Ah, you mean?"

"Can, can we do it again? This time it's my turn..." Lin Jiade said somewhat awkwardly, "I just want to leave behind some memorable memories on this special day."

Jasmine's face flushed slightly, a burning sensation spreading across her lips. Lin Jiade's agitation also stirred her own; she was very close to adulthood—both in terms of age and her first heat.

Amid this inexplicable restlessness, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looked down at her knees, and said, "Okay."

So Lin Jiade embraced Jasmine, his chest filled with joy, a feeling even more exhilarating than scoring a goal in football.

Lin Jiade stammered out a lot of cheesy pickup lines, his preparation was extremely inadequate. Jasmine didn't reply, she just listened with a blush on her face.

Du Juan leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching this scene. The pink lines on her palm disappeared, and she canceled the planned spell.

She lied to Lin Jiade: Du Juan had been smoothly drawing energy from the desires that Lin Jiade himself had become aware of, and that Jasmine herself had not yet become aware of.

However, if she tells him the truth, Lin Jiade will lose the motivation to continue developing his relationship with Jasmine, and at least for a while, he will remain in the innocent love of a novice couple.

Du Juan couldn't draw much energy from the love here; passionate love, undying love, morbid love... these were the types of love she preferred.

In order to deepen their relationship, she was prepared to use a happiness spell on them, so that they could ascend the Lovers' Stairs in one go.

But Jasmine's unexpected kiss, and Lin Jiade's later passionate kiss, which he almost pulled Jasmine into his arms under the guise of "reminiscing," let Du Juan know that she didn't need to do anything extra.

Although their love wasn't quite enough to be a graduation project, it was at least a good start, Cupid thought.

When Lin Jiade reluctantly released Jasmine due to lack of oxygen, Jasmine gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered something. Lin Jiade didn't hear clearly, so he leaned closer and heard her whisper, "A kiss... is just two kisses enough?"

Her eyes were hazy, a mixture of anticipation and shyness that made it impossible for Lin Jiade to refuse. He complied with Jasmine's wish, cupping her face in his hands, wanting to make his image overlap with Jasmine's once again.

Suddenly, he saw another "Jasmine" standing behind Jasmine, looking at him coldly. He was so frightened that he shuddered and let go of Jasmine. Jasmine then looked behind him in fear.

"Jasmine" transformed back into the form of a cuckoo and said with a smile, "You have more important things to deal with than sticky things."

Lin Jiade lowered his head in shame. After meeting Jasmine, the fanatical House of Commons dominated both houses of parliament, causing his little teddy bear to bend down and kiss Jasmine endlessly, and develop an even more dangerous desire for her.

The young man in the upper house likes women with fit bodies, but unfortunately his lower house doesn't listen to him. Just now, his inner monologue was full of "Oh no, I'm dead," "How can she be so cute," "This white fur, this paw, this tail, I'm all for her," and "Her size is just right to hold in my arms."

He patted his cheeks and said, "Indeed, let's discuss Jasmine's matter first."

Now that she had said "yes! yes!" to Lin Jiade, Jasmine no longer needed to hide her boyfriend, except for Du Juan's matter; this was an unspoken understanding between the two.

Therefore, she said, "Based on the information we have, I guess the people who attacked me this time are both the new lord of District 18 and the White Dragon, the Red Dragon's nemesis. They don't know my specific situation, so they sent five mine-clearing soldiers first."

Unfortunately, I'm currently so weak that even a minesweeper could easily take me down.

“So, we can only rely on ourselves and the helpers we find ourselves.” Lin Jiade smiled. “Senior Hehuan and Mumian have more connections and more influence than I do. Through them, you should be able to exchange for more resources.”

Jasmine shook her head again: "I... no, the people my uncle knows, they might not kill me, their former ally, but they also won't help me, an outsider, because that would risk being attacked by their enemies."