I Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder, Only to be Desired by the Dragon King - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Kicking the Quilt, the Dragon King Covers Him — Feng Xiuyan lightens his steps and walks to the bedside…

After dinner, Shen Youqing originally intended to check the room again to see if anything else was missing.

However, for reasons unknown, the moment he set down his chopsticks, he felt his body turn soft and weak. His temples throbbed, and his head felt heavy and dizzy.

“Oh, no…” He supported himself against the table as he stood up, his steps faltering.

These symptoms… could it be a cold?

It made sense. After tossing and turning all afternoon—his clothes getting wet, drying, and getting wet again—plus swallowing several mouthfuls of chilly autumn wind on the mountain, it would be a miracle if he didn’t get sick.

He felt truly miserable. Lacking even the strength to rummage through his trunks, he simply kicked off his shoes, crawled into bed, and wrapped himself tightly in the quilt.

“It’s okay, a night’s sleep will fix it,” he mumbled, patting the blanket to comfort himself.

In this ancient world, there were no convenient cold capsules or tablets. If he really fell ill, he’d have to see a physician, get a prescription, and boil the herbs—a process that took hours. More importantly, Chinese medicine was too bitter; he didn’t want to drink it.

Forget it, let’s just count on my immune system. Maybe I’ll be fine by morning…

Shen Youqing tossed and turned in the covers, unable to find a comfortable position. His nostrils felt stuffed with cotton, making breathing difficult. Eventually, he had to breathe through his mouth, which made his throat parch with pain.

After some time, accompanied by the rising chirp of insects outside the window, he finally drifted into a dazy slumber. His brow remained furrowed, his sleep far from peaceful.

…

In the small courtyard pond, there was a faint sound of water—the sound of something breaking the surface. Moments later, the bedroom door was pushed open softly, and a tall figure stood silently in the doorway.

Feng Xiuyan lightened his steps and walked to the bedside. By the moonlight filtering through the window lattice, he saw the boy’s state.

The youth was sleeping fitfully, his small mouth slightly agape, his breathing heavy and strained. His usually pale face was flushed with an unnatural feverish red, and even the tips of his ears looked scorched.

Feng Xiuyan knelt down. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and gently touched Shen Youqing’s forehead.

The moment his fingertips brushed the warm skin, his brow snapped into a frown.

Burning.

As expected, the kid had a fever. Looking at the boy’s tightly knit brows and hearing the labored breathing, an inexplicable sense of annoyance rose in his heart. When I saw him messing around the yard in wet clothes this afternoon, I should have known this would happen…

Feng Xiuyan raised his hand. A faint, pale light condensed at his fingertip, which he gently pressed against the center of Shen Youqing’s brow. The light seeped into the skin, turning into a cool current that slowly smoothed over the feverish heat within the boy’s body.

Even after finishing, Feng Xiuyan didn’t leave immediately. He reached out to tuck the corners of the quilt before preparing to depart.

But within two steps, a rustling sound came from behind. He turned back to see that the quilt he had just tucked in was already kicked down to the foot of the bed. A bare calf was unconsciously rubbing against the sheets.

Feng Xiuyan’s brow twitched. He turned back, bent over, and pulled the quilt up to cover him again, carefully tucking in the exposed ankles.

Yet the moment he withdrew his hands, Shen Youqing’s legs flew up, kicking the quilt back down below his knees.

Patiently, Feng Xiuyan pulled the blanket up a third time, pressing down on the corners with extra care. But before he could even stand straight, Shen Youqing suddenly rolled over, bunching the quilt up underneath his body and leaving half of his torso exposed, sleeping completely defenseless.

Feng Xiuyan: “…”

Looking at the boy’s steady breathing and the gentle rise and fall of his chest, it was clear he was in a deep sleep, not intentionally causing trouble. He sighed helplessly, but there was no real anger in his eyes—instead, there was a hint of indulgence he hadn’t noticed himself.

Feng Xiuyan reached out and used a bit of force to pull the quilt out from the boy’s embrace, shaking out the wrinkles. This time, he grabbed the corner and draped it lightly only from the boy’s chest down to his hips. He intentionally left those two long, slender legs exposed. Let’s see you kick it now.

He stood by the bed, watching silently for a moment. This time, Shen Youqing seemed more comfortable and stopped moving.

Feng Xiuyan finally let out a breath of relief. For some reason, his gaze drifted back to the boy’s face. His hand reached out instinctively—his movements so careful he didn’t even realize it. His fingertip hovered in mid-air for a second before he lightly poked the boy’s cheek.

He hadn’t expected the skin to be so tender. It dipped slightly at the touch and immediately bounced back, feeling as soft as fresh tofu that might break with the slightest squeeze, yet still carrying a lingering heat.

“Mmm…” Shen Youqing murmured in his sleep, his small mouth twitching.

Feng Xiuyan’s fingertip felt as if it had been burned; he withdrew his hand in a panic, the sensation of that soft, delicate touch still lingering on his skin. Without staying a second longer, he turned and stepped quickly out of the room.

…

The next morning, the moment Shen Youqing opened his eyes, he felt refreshed. The heavy grogginess of the previous night had vanished completely.

“I knew it! A good sleep fixes everything.” He stretched, his joints making satisfying little pops.

As he sat up, the quilt draped over his chest slid down. Shen Youqing looked down, a bit surprised. He was usually a terrible sleeper—either kicking the blankets off or rolling to the very edge of the bed. Sometimes he even needed to hug a pillow to stay still.

Hey, this is the first time I’ve woken up with the blanket still properly on me. I guess I was too sick to move last night?

He got up early, a rare occurrence. Remembering the missing snacks and fruit, he searched the room top to bottom again but found no trace of a thief. In fact, his frantic searching made the tidy room look like it actually had been ransacked.

“Huh? Nothing else is missing. Was it really a wild monkey?” He scratched his head, looking at the mess.

Noticing the sun was already up, Shen Youqing set his doubts aside. He decided to feed the fish first before heading to the front courtyard for breakfast.

…

Having not slept a wink, Feng Xiuyan was indeed feeling a bit drained. While the boy was still asleep earlier, he had intended to take a short nap on a bluestone at the bottom of the pond. But just as he was about to close his eyes, his body was slammed by a sudden force.

Unprepared, he crashed straight into a nearby rock, his scales tingling from the impact. Feng Xiuyan whipped around to face the intruder—the dumb, jet-black fish.

The “stupid fish” was wagging its short, thick tail, its fins stiff, staring at him with wide, round eyes.

Feng Xiuyan: “…”

A wild fish is a wild fish. Not having seen the world is one thing, but to be this ugly and dim-witted was another. He was about to slap the intruder away with his tail when a clear, giggling laughter echoed from above.

Perhaps because he was tired or distracted by the annoying fish, he hadn’t noticed when the youth had woken up and snuck over to the edge of the pond.

“Hahaha! It looks like you guys are getting along famously!” Shen Youqing held a white porcelain jar of fish food, crouching by the pond with eyes curved into crescents.

Feng Xiuyan: “…” Who is getting along with this thing?

Shen Youqing grabbed a handful of food and scattered it toward the two fish. “Stop playing, time to eat!”

The red fish pellets hit the surface, sending out tiny ripples. Feng Xiuyan rolled his eyes—a feat for a fish. This kid wasn’t just dim-witted; his eyesight was terrible too. Which eye saw him “playing” with this idiot? It was clearly a provocation!

“Little White, why do you look so listless again?” Shen Youqing noticed Little White wasn’t moving much, just lazily swaying his tail. “Are you hungry? Here, eat more.”

He grabbed another large handful of food and scattered it specifically near Little White.

Feng Xiuyan swerved to avoid the black fish, which was charging like a maniac for the food. He flicked his tail, swam to a corner, and slowly nibbled on the pellets. The black fish was shameless, gulping down almost everything like it hadn’t eaten in centuries.

“You guys eat. I’m going to get my breakfast too, and I’ll come back to play with you later.”

Shen Youqing watched for a bit. Seeing both fish occupied—specifically, Little Black eating like a vacuum and Little White eating politely in the corner—he patted his pants and stood up. He glanced at the water’s surface, his brow furrowing slightly.

It was the Autumn Equinox. The fresh water he had put in yesterday was already covered with yellowed leaves from the night wind, and some debris had settled at the bottom.

Tsk. After breakfast, I need to find a net and scoop this stuff out.

Feng Xiuyan listened to the boy’s footsteps fade away. He then glanced at the black fish still frantically swallowing food. With a sudden, powerful snap of his tail, a small jet of water struck Little Black squarely on the head.

Stunned, Little Black dropped the food from its mouth and turned to confront him, only to see Feng Xiuyan already sinking to the bottom, leaving behind nothing but the silver shimmer of a retreating tail fin.

A common fish thinks it can compete for food with me?