“There’s no reasoning with you, hmphX”
Yiyi stiffened her neck and turned her face away, but the pain at her temple made her sniff involuntarily, her eyes reddening again.
“Hey, wait… you!”
Aze was so exasperated by her unreasonable behavior that he could only laugh, pointing at Yiyi for half a day without managing a complete sentence, though the tips of her ears were secretly turning red.
“I’ve seen unreasonable people before, but never a little baby dragon as unreasonable as you! Hades, it was your head the broomstick hit, not your conscience. How can you still turn the tables and blame me?”
“I don’t care, it’s your fault!”
Yiyi buried her face in Liliya’s neck, but her dragon tail lashed out angrily, sending the tassels on the brocade quilt flying in all directions.
“My head is swollen from being hit! Of course it’s your doing!”
“My doing? Are you blind?!”
Aze was so mad she stomped her foot on the spot, the redness at her ears nearly dripping blood.
“Hades, open your eyes and look! That broomstick flew in from outside! I was in front of you the whole time—how could I possibly be behind this?!”
She reached out, wanting to poke Yiyi’s forehead, but afraid to touch that bruise, her hand froze awkwardly in midair.
“You little ingrate! I was worried you might not wake up, but now you wake up and immediately bite back at me!”
“Tch, whether I wake up or not is none of your business….”
“Fine.”
Aze suddenly suppressed her anger, a hint of reckless resolve flashing in her eyes.
“Come here! Come over here right now!”
Before the words even faded, she reached out and grabbed Yiyi by the collar at the back of her neck, dragging her out like a bristling kitten.
Caught off guard, Yiyi’s little body was lifted clean off the ground, her dragon tail flailing in panic, brushing against Aze’s wrist and making it itch.
“Hey! What are you doing! Put me down!”
Yiyi was shocked and furious, her little hands flailing at Aze’s grasp, her dragon horns so hot they seemed to steam.
“Aze, you jerk! Let go! My head still hurts!”
“Are you even listening to me?! Hey, Aze? Put me down?”
Yiyi’s voice was both anxious and aggrieved, her little hands waving helplessly in the air, her dragon tail lashing even more furiously and leaving red marks on Aze’s arm.
But Aze acted like she couldn’t hear, carrying her straight to the kitchen and dropping her heavily onto the cold cutting board.
The kitchen knife landed on the counter with a loud “clang,” its icy gleam flashing—Yiyi froze in terror, her eyes instantly welling up.
“Aze, you wouldn’t actually murder your own brother, would you? I only said a couple of things to you, and now you’re really going to kill me!”
“Oooh—help, someone! She’s going to kill a dragon….”
Yiyi sobbed as she struggled, her dragon tail tightly wrapped around the edge of the board, trying to pull herself away.
Aze held the kitchen knife, leaning in close, her gaze a mix of mischief and menace: “Didn’t you just say I was behind this? Say it again, right now!”
She pressed the knife lightly to a white radish beside her, and with the gentlest pressure, a deep gash appeared in its side.
“If you dare lie again, I’ll do what Shamir did and turn your butt into a blossom—or… hmph!”
The cold glint of the knife made Yiyi shudder, her sobs abruptly ceasing as she stared at Aze with tear-filled eyes: “I… I really am telling the truth! It really was you!”
But her voice grew weaker and weaker, obviously lacking conviction.
“Still got a stubborn mouth?”
Aze raised an eyebrow, lifting her hand as if to grab Yiyi’s dragon horn.
But the moment her fingers touched those warm scales, she caught sight of the bruise on Yiyi’s forehead, and her movements subconsciously softened.
“Hades, I’ll give you one more chance—say it! Was it me?”
“No, no—it wasn’t you, alright?! Uuuuh, put the knife down, Aze….”
Yiyi was bawling, her dragon tail twisted like a rope.
“Too late! Your butt won’t escape today! Still dare to lie!”
Aze put down the kitchen knife and reached for Yiyi’s skirt, making a show of preparing to spank her.
“No, don’t! I was wrong, I was wrong!”
Yiyi was scared out of her wits, clinging tightly to the vegetable basket next to her. Just then, Liliya and Yaoyao finally rushed into the kitchen.
Seeing this, they hurried forward to intervene.
Liliya grabbed Aze’s arm and said helplessly, “Aze, enough! Yibao knows she’s wrong now.”
Aze backed off as soon as she had an out, giving Yiyi a fierce glare and saying with a stern face, “I’ll let you off this time. If you dare frame me again, I’ll… hmphX”
Yiyi slumped on the cutting board, clutching her pounding chest, tears still streaking her face as she muttered in the aftermath of the scare: “Ugh… scared me to death… That jerk, not only attacked me, but almost killed me just now—ugh, I nearly lost my life.”
Aze ignored her grumbling, turning to return the kitchen knife to the counter, then grabbing Yiyi’s dragon tail with a quick motion and giving it a gentle tug.
Yiyi yelped in pain, just about to retort, but was once again lifted off the ground by Aze and carried out.
“Hey! What are you doing! Let go of my tail!”
Yiyi struggled, but couldn’t break free from Aze’s grip, left dangling helplessly.
Aze waved at Liliya and Yaoyao, her tone leaving no room for argument:
“Let me borrow her for a day. If this little liar doesn’t learn her lesson, it’ll never stick!”
“Uh… Yibao… you two….”
Liliya watched in worry as Yiyi was dragged out the door.
Picking up Yaoyao, she puffed out her cheeks and warned Aze: “Aze, don’t go too far! If Yibao gets hurt, I’ll beat you to death!”
Dangling in midair, Yiyi flailed her limbs wildly, her dragon horns burning even redder from shame and anger as she kept yelling: “Let go of me! You brute! I’ll tell Grandma you’re abusing me!”
Aze didn’t pause her steps, a cold smile curling at her lips as she replied without looking back, “Abuse? Compared to you framing me for no reason, this is getting off easy.”
“Where are you taking me? Tell me now or I’ll start crying for real!”
Yiyi threatened, her eyes brimming with tears once more.
“I’ll sell you off, how about that? Such a handful and so noisy, it’s driving me mad…”
Aze said impatiently, not slowing her pace as she headed straight toward the training ground with Yiyi in tow.
Her dragon tail swept behind her, sometimes brushing the ground and stirring up little clouds of dust.
“Nobody would buy you anyway, too dumb…”
Aze snorted in disdain, though her gaze flickered unconsciously to Yiyi’s red-rimmed eyes.
“You’re the dumb one! If you have the guts, go ahead and sell me! Nobody wants you either!”
Yiyi puffed out her cheeks in anger, her face turning crimson, her tail lashing more fiercely but still unable to escape Aze’s grasp.
“You said it?”
Aze suddenly stopped, lowering her head to glare at the bristling little baby dragon, a teasing glint flickering in her crimson eyes.
“Then I’ll go sell you right now. Once you’re gone, I’m outta here.”
Yiyi instantly wilted, her earlier bravado vanishing, eyes red and pleading as she begged tearfully, “No, no, please! I was wrong, Aze! I’ll listen to you from now on! If you tell me to go east, I won’t go west; tell me to pick flowers, I won’t pick grass! Just don’t sell me…”
As she spoke, tears slid down her cheeks and into her collar, cold and wet.
Aze looked at her pitiful, spineless display, both angry and amused.
She reached out and pinched Yiyi’s flushed cheeks, her tone both exasperated and doting: “Has playing with Liliya made you stupid? Hades, oh Hades, you’re hopeless….”