I Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder, Only to be Desired by the Dragon King - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: You’re Stupid! Your Whole Family is Stupid! — “Why are you moving around like that!…”

Shen Youqing’s consciousness felt like cotton wool soaking in warm water, drifting for a long time until a sharp, suffocating pain in his chest pulled him back to reality.

The moment he opened his eyes, he winced at the cold light reflecting off the stalactites on the ceiling of a strange cave. An instant later, he couldn’t hold it back anymore; he rolled to the side of the stone bed and coughed violently.

Salty river water mixed with fluid surged from his throat, making tears sting his eyes.

“Cough… hack…” He collapsed back onto the stone bed only after the water in his lungs was mostly cleared. His chest heaved, and the cold sweat on his back soaked the animal furs beneath him.

He exhaled a long breath and pinched his arm. The sharp pain confirmed he was awake—he actually wasn’t dead? Who saved him?

Supporting himself on his weak arms, he sat up with difficulty and surveyed his surroundings. This was clearly an inhabited cave. Aside from the stone bed, there was only a clay pot on a stand in the corner, bubbling with an unknown herbal decoction. A few luminous pearls embedded in the walls provided just enough light to see.

Where was he? Where was Feng Xiuyan? Were Little Black and Little Fu okay? Before he could get up to investigate, footsteps echoed from the entrance. A familiar voice followed: “You’re awake?”

Shen Youqing snapped his head around. Standing against the light was a silhouetted figure in dark robes. The hood had been pulled back, revealing a face somewhat similar to Feng Xiuyan’s but more feminine and sinister—Chu Heng.

Shen Youqing glared at him warily. “You saved me? What do you want?”

Chu Heng walked in slowly and placed a ceramic bowl of dark brown medicine on the stone table. “Relax. I have no intention of harming you.” His gaze lingered on Shen Youqing’s pale face with a near-obsessive intensity.

Shen Youqing’s guard dropped slightly. If Chu Heng truly meant him harm, he wouldn’t have bothered fishing him out of the river and brewing medicine. But suspicion quickly returned. “I know you orchestrated the kidnapping last time. Was the chaos at the Gulan River your doing too?”

Chu Heng’s body went rigid, as if caught red-handed. His ears turned pink, but he turned his face away with a look of disdain. “I didn’t touch a hair on your head. It was your own stupidity—insisting on diving in to protect that brat. How else would you end up in the river?”

Shen Youqing’s eyes went wide. He nearly bounced off the bed. “You’re the stupid one! You and your whole family are stupid!” He stopped abruptly—Wait, didn’t I just insult Feng Xiuyan too?

He peeked up and saw Chu Heng standing there with an arched eyebrow and a meaningful smirk.

“Are you for real?!” Shen Youqing punched the stone bed in frustration, which triggered another coughing fit. Grief suddenly overwhelmed his anger. “Just to get your brother’s attention, you target me every time? What did I ever do to you? Every time you show up, I’m either kidnapped or drowning! I almost died!” His voice cracked with a sob of pure frustration.

The smirk on Chu Heng’s face froze. He stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He had seen Shen Youqing fierce and wary, but never like this—looking like a wounded kitten whose complaints were soft and heartbreaking.

“What are you crying for?” Chu Heng turned away, his voice stiff. “I didn’t actually do anything to you.”

“Didn’t do anything?!” Shen Youqing grabbed the fur pillow beside him and hurled it. It hit Chu Heng’s back like a soft pat. “Last time it was bandits, cages, and jumping off cliffs! This time it’s the river! You’re a giant baby, Chu Heng! You have a terminal case of a brother complex!”

“Who has a brother complex!” Chu Heng exploded, his ears turning beet red. He snatched the pillow and slammed it back onto the bed. “I just can’t stand him! Why was he born a golden dragon prince who gets everything? My mother’s eyes are always on him. Even for snacks, she only picks what he likes! She never looks at me!”

His chest heaved, his voice rising with a sorrow he could no longer hide. “And me? I’m just the illegitimate son she had with a low-class serpent! I don’t even have the right to enter the Dragon Palace through the front gate! Did I choose this?!”

Shen Youqing felt a pang in his heart. Feng Xiuyan had told him about Chu Heng’s background. The Dragon Race valued blood purity above all else; Chu Heng’s birth had doomed him to a life of exclusion.

He felt pity, but seeing Chu Heng acting like the world owed him everything while venting his trauma on innocent people made Shen Youqing scowl again. He wasn’t going to coddle this behavior.

“That’s it?” Shen Youqing sat up straighter, though his shoulders shook from his weakness. “Are you serious, big bro? You’re so immature!”

He pointed at Chu Heng, his words sharp. “If your mother is biased, that’s her fault. Go argue with her. What kind of ‘skill’ is it to take it out on others? Why don’t you look at yourself?”

“And!” he added, his eyes full of disapproval. “When has your brother ever told your mother to be mean to you? You hate him just because she loves him? He’s the one who’s actually being wronged here!”

His words were like a bomb. Chu Heng stood paralyzed, his knuckles white as he clenched his fists. Memories he tried to bury flooded back—how Feng Xiuyan secretly gave him his own spirit fruits after other sea tribes bullied him, only for Chu Heng to slap his hand away; how Feng Xiuyan risked punishment to bring him protective dragon-scale armor when he was forced to kneel in the polar ice.

His chest felt tight, but his pride wouldn’t let him bend. “He’s just being fake! Acting like a saint to make me look pathetic!”

Shen Youqing sighed, feeling exhausted. His lungs still ached from the water. He didn’t have the energy to argue with a “chunibyo” teenager anymore. He turned around, giving Chu Heng his back.

“Why stopped talking? Did I hit a nerve?” Chu Heng felt restless at the silence. He kicked the table leg, splashing the dark medicine. He gritted his teeth, picked up the bowl, and shuffled to the bedside. “Drink the medicine before you sleep.”

“I’m not drinking it.”

Chu Heng took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “Drink it! It’s useless once it’s cold!”

Shen Youqing reluctantly sat up to inspect the bowl. It was a black, oily liquid with charred bits floating in it. It smelled of bitter herbs and burnt pot-bottom. He recoiled. “Did you poison this? I’ll probably die the moment it hits my stomach.”

“Shut up and drink it!” Chu Heng nearly shoved the bowl into his face. He had spent half the night brewing this! The first two pots had burned to a crisp; this was the only one that survived.

Seeing Chu Heng’s “I’m mean but I’m actually hurt” expression, Shen Youqing sighed and took the bowl. He closed his eyes and took a sip.

The taste was worse than bile. “YUE—” He pushed the bowl away, his face twisting. “I’m done! This is more bitter than Granny Meng’s soup! I’ll ascend to heaven before I even get better!”

“You!” Chu Heng reached out to catch the bowl as it wobbled, but his hand collided with Shen Youqing’s.

The medicine splashed across Shen Youqing’s collar, the warm liquid soaking into his skin.

“Why are you moving around like that!” Chu Heng reached for his collar to wipe the spill.

The moment his fingertips touched Shen Youqing’s skin, Shen Youqing’s body jerked. The strength in his arms vanished, and he collapsed back onto the stone bed.

“Hey! What’s wrong?” Chu Heng grabbed him, only to find Shen Youqing’s face flushing a deep, sudden red. His breathing turned ragged, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes began to glaze over.

“Dammit… why now…” Shen Youqing hissed through his teeth, a familiar, violent wave of heat surging through him. He grabbed Chu Heng’s wrist, his voice a strained, breathless gasp. “Don’t touch me… get out… get out now…”