The Dog Emperor Has Gained Telepathy - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

【10】

It took Lu Zhiwan quite some time to force herself to accept the current situation—she and Xiao Jingting were in a spacious courtyard resembling a zoo, facing two robust adult tigers. There were no protective measures or defensive equipment in place. If these two tigers wished, they could open their massive jaws at any moment and devour her until not even bone fragments remained.

The most alarming part was that Xiao Jingting wore a delighted expression that seemed to say,Look how adorable they are, and even invited her to join him in petting thecats:Yihua and Erhua are usually very gentle. They won’t harm you.
I don’t believe a word of it, you wretched dog emperor, you’re utterly wicked! Lu Zhiwan rolled her eyes internally while forcing a stiff smile on her face:This concubine… this concubine is meeting them for the first time and isn’t very familiar with them yet. Perhaps it’s best if I don’t pet them for now.
Earlier you claimed to like cats, but judging by your current demeanor, you seem to detest them.
Xiao Jingting shot her an unreadable glance, then lowered his gaze, his broad palm stroking the head of the tiger on the left:Yihua, she has deceived her emperor right to his face. What punishment do you think would be appropriate for her?
Hearing its master’s words, the tiger called Yihua lifted its head and looked toward Lu Zhiwan, letting out a lowaowu sound.

Though the sound wasn’t particularly fierce, making direct eye contact with a tiger still frightened Lu Zhiwan. Her legs turned to jelly, and her words came out stammered:Y-Your Majesty jests, how would this concubine dare deceive the emperor… This concubine truly does like cats. But this kind of cat is not that kind of cat!

If you haven’t deceived me, then come here.
This concubine… Lu Zhiwan wanted to protest further, but the man before her seemed to be losing patience, his tone cooling:Come here.
This was the perfect example of being caught between a rock and a hard place.

Cursing the dog emperor a thousand times in her heart, Lu Zhiwan ultimately steeled herself and dragged her trembling legs toward the slightly smaller Erhua.

Seeing the stranger approach, Erhua bared its teeth and tightened its paws, ready to fight at any moment.

Lu Zhiwan halted in her tracks, her dark eyes pleading helplessly at Xiao Jingting:Your Majesty…
Xiao Jingting raised a brow and patted Erhua’s head reassuringly:She’s timid. Hold back a bit—don’t scare her out of her wits.
Then, he cast a comforting look toward Lu Zhiwan:Erhua has a gentle temperament. It hasn’t eaten anyone in a long time.
Lu Zhiwan:……?
His attempt at comfort only made it more terrifying!

After much internal struggle, she finally shuffled over to stand before Erhua. As she reached out toward the large, furry head, Lu Zhiwan instinctively closed her eyes, her mind racing with thoughts about whether she was more likely to bleed to death if her arm was bitten off or die from rabies.

The next moment, her fingers touched a sensation that was both coarse and soft, warm and alive.

Her thin eyelids fluttered as she tentatively pressed her fingertips downward. The warmth grew more tangible, gradually filling her entire palm. Unable to resist, she opened her eyes.

When she saw her hand resting intact on the tiger’s head, Lu Zhiwan swallowed nervously, feeling as if she were in a dream. She had really done it—she had actually dared to pet a tiger!

I told you, Erhua is quite docile. Xiao Jingting watched the shifting expressions on her face, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint curve—a pleasure that came from having his treasure recognized:The world says beasts are fierce and cruel, but I don’t think so.
The cats he raised were simple-minded, a hundred times purer than human hearts.

Lu Zhiwan also snapped out of her initial shock at petting such a large cat. Seeing how gentle the two tigers truly were, she grew bolder and tentatively reached out to stroke them.

But after just a couple of strokes, Erhua suddenly opened its mouth and let out a fierceroar at her, startling Lu Zhiwan into pulling her hand back:Your Majesty, what is she…!
You’re not petting her correctly; it’s making her uncomfortable.
Xiao Jingting glanced at her tense face, grabbed her hand, and guided it back onto Erhua’s head:You have to stroke along the fur like this.
Lu Zhiwan was dazed, her gaze lowering to see the man’s well-defined hand firmly covering the back of hers, guiding her strokes again and again. Against the tawny tiger fur, his hand looked as exquisitely carved as white jade, the blue veins faintly visible under the sunlight.

His hand was truly beautiful—it could be a hand model’s.

As she thought this distractedly, his pleasant voice sounded by her ear:Have you learned it now?
Lu Zhiwan jolted, instinctively looking up. The clear afternoon sunlight poured like water over the man’s sharply defined face. He truly had a face that could kill with its beauty—high brow bones, deep-set eyes, features as three-dimensional as if modeled. In the light, his usually dark, still eyes appeared slightly lighter, tinged with a faint amber hue, making his skin seem even paler and colder.

Even having seen many handsome men and beautiful women in her past life, Lu Zhiwan couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of Xiao Jingting’s face up close: What a magnificent face!

Her straightforward stare made Xiao Jingting frown slightly:Why are you looking at me like that?
Lu Zhiwan answered instinctively:Because you’re good-looking.
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man’s expression seemed to stiffen for a moment before he turned his face away, his tone displeased:How can there be such an unreserved woman like you?
Seeing his frown, Lu Zhiwan snapped out of her daze from the visual impact and realized what she had just said. Her cheeks warmed slightly, but remembering her love-struck persona, she didn’t retract her words. Instead, she continued praising:Your Majesty is naturally handsome. This concubine was only speaking the truth…
Enough. Xiao Jingting seemed unwilling to hear more. He released her hand and said flatly,You’ve met Dahua and Erhua. Come with me to see Xiao Caiyun.
He bent down to pet Dahua and Erhua again. The two large tigers were reluctant to see him go, rubbing against his legs for a while before watching him leave.

Seeing this, Lu Zhiwan didn’t dare linger and quickly hurried after the man in front of her. Yet she couldn’t help grumbling inwardly: What kind of temper does this man have? He gets praised for his looks and isn’t happy? If someone praised her in various ways, she’d be overjoyed.

With the precedent of Yihua and Erhua, Lu Zhiwan didn’t dare underestimate Xiao Caiyun’s might—

Sure enough, Xiao Caiyun wasn’t a small cat but a female leopard with cloud-like patterns on its forehead.

Seeing the heavily pregnant leopard, Lu Zhiwan forced a smile, consoling herself that it was still a feline—close enough to a cat.

For the next two hours, she followed Xiao Jingting around like a child visiting the zoo for the first time with their parents, meeting all thecats in the Jinli Garden.

To summarize, Xiao Jingting kept two tigers, five leopards, two lions, one leopard cat, and twenty-eight small cats of various breeds… truly a certified cat lover!

As the sun set in the west and they sat in the carriage returning to the palace, Lu Zhiwan couldn’t resist her curiosity and asked,Your Majesty, how did you come to like cats so much?
Xiao Jingting poured himself a cup of tea, took a small sip, and only then replied,They are so adorable and well-behaved, why wouldn’t I like them?
This retort left Lu Zhiwan speechless:…
Cats were indeed cute, but tigers and leopards seemed a bit distant from the wordcute, didn’t they?

Then again, everyone has different preferences—there are cat people and dog people, and some even keep snakes, spiders, lizards, and other reptiles as pets. She had personally seen a sweet, petite girl who stood only five feet tall, lovingly cooingbaby to a small snake wrapped around her hand… Though she didn’t quite understand it, she respected it. Besides, Xiao Jingting was the emperor. Forget tigers and leopards—even if he wanted to keep elephants or crocodiles and open a zoo, it would only take a single command.

Being the emperor is really something, Lu Zhiwan thought with a sigh. Seeing that he was in a good mood after petting the cats, she decided to strike while the iron was hot, catering to his interests by praising each of the lions, tigers, and leopards one by one.

Watching her rosy lips move incessantly, Xiao Jingting found himself thinking how talkative she was.

Still, he didn’t dislike it all that much.

He closed his eyes and listened quietly as she lavished praise on the cats. Only when she had finished complimenting each one did he open his eyes and remark in an unhurried tone,Your memory is quite good, remembering all their names on the first visit.
Your Majesty flatters me, Lu Zhiwan said with a modest smile.It’s just that the cats Your Majesty keeps are so delightful, they left a deep impression on this concubine.
With such large tigers and lions appearing before her, how could she possibly forget them?

Before long, the carriage entered the palace grounds.

Perhaps feeling that Lu Zhiwan had accompanied him well during the day, Xiao Jingting brought her directly to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, keeping her for dinner and once again having her attend him at bedtime that night.

Lu Zhiwan was more than willing. Even if it was just a chaste arrangement, as long as outsiders believed she was favored and her living conditions improved, that was enough!

However, if she wanted to secure a more stable future, continuing with this platonic relationship wasn’t a long-term solution. So, Lu Zhiwan decided to exert a bit of her charm and try to seduce this dog emperor—

Late at night, when all was quiet and the bed curtains were enveloped in darkness, she listened to the breathing of the man beside her. Confirming he was still awake, she stealthily extended her pinky to hook his palm, then cooed in a sweet, delicate voice,Your Majesty.
The large hand she held stilled for a moment, and then the man’s calm voice broke through the darkness:What is it?
Seeing that he hadn’t released her hand, Lu Zhiwan felt slightly reassured and softened her tone further.It’s nothing, really. I just can’t fall asleep right away and wanted to talk with Your Majesty. These past two days, Your Majesty has been holding this concubine’s hand… does it feel comfortable to hold?
Silence lingered for a while beside her before the man replied, his tone unreadable,Why do you ask?
This concubine is just curious, Lu Zhiwan whispered. After listening for a moment and detecting no displeasure from him, she bit her lip, mustered her courage, and turned over, pressing closer to the man.Your Majesty…
Before she could get closer, a hand pressed directly against her forehead, as if a Taoist priest were sticking a talisman on a female demon. Lu Zhiwan froze completely, and then from the dimly lit bed curtains came the man’s cold, righteous voice:What are you doing?
Lu Zhiwan, with her forehead still pressed:…
A young man and woman sharing a bed late at night—what do you think I’m doing! Is he really incapable?

Suppressing her inner exasperation, Lu Zhiwan, adhering to her goal ofsince we’re pursuing thrills, let’s go all the way, lifted her hand to rest on Xiao Jingting’s arm, her tone innocent and soft:This concubine merely wished to ask if Your Majesty would like to hold me?