Chapter 4 — Raising a Demon King as a Pet by Mistake

One hand gently patted his back, the other hand caressed his small head.

“Cough… cough cough!”

He choked so much that tears welled up in his eyes. She used her thumb to gently wipe the tears from the corner of his eyes.

“My Tieu Ngan is the most pitiful.”

She hugged him up, let him lean on her shoulder, patted his back and gently coaxed him like a newborn.

“From now on, I will cook a special dish for you every day, okay?”

His ears moved slightly.

“The best things are for you.”

Her voice was soft. The tip of his tail moved slightly.

“Because you are the kid I like the most.”

The tail no longer moves. It wrapped directly around her wrist. Doan Tu stood next to him, eyes wide open, as if he wanted to say something. Tieu Ngan glanced at it with a "don't you dare open your mouth" look. Doan Tu immediately closed his mouth and silently sat back on his cushion. But the little tail drooped sadly.

—

From that day, Tieu Ngan's appetite increased at a speed visible to the naked eye. Furthermore, it started showing some strange behavior. For example, every night before bed, it appears on time at my door. The first day, he sat at the door, pretending he was just passing by. The second day, he sat at the door, pretending to lick his claws. The third day, I opened the door to my room while sleeping. Waking up in the middle of the night, I discovered that at some point he had jumped onto the bed, curled up next to the pillow, facing me. The tips of our noses are less than three centimeters apart. When sleeping, it is completely different from when awake. No longer had the cold, judgmental eyes, the small mouth was slightly open, revealing a bit of the tip of the tongue. My breathing continued steadily, my tail naturally placed on my hair. So good. I couldn't help but reach out and rub his ears. In its sleep, it made a soft "ummm" sound and actively rubbed its head against my palm.

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr…”

The purring sound appeared again. My heart softened into a puddle.

“Good night, Tieu Ngan.”

I whispered in the dark. The tip of its tail gently brushed my cheek. Like a kiss.

—

Chapter 4 On the night of Thursday, a rainstorm came. Thunderstorms on Thanh Tu Mountain are completely different from those in the city. Thunder exploded overhead like a bomb, and lightning turned the entire valley into a pale white color. The strong wind rattled the windows. The kids were all scared. Doan Tu and Dau Sa hugged each other and trembled. Nhu Me screamed and crawled under the sofa. Tieu That howled and ran wildly in the living room. Snowball used his long ears to cover his eyes and lay motionless. I frantically gathered all the kids onto the big bed in the master bedroom, closed the curtains, turned on the night light, and wrapped them in blankets.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. It's just thunder, I'm here."

Doan Tu and Nhu Me each took one of my arms. Dau Sa lies on her stomach, Tieu That rests on her lap, and Tuyet Cau sits on her pillow. I looked around. Where is Tieu Ngan? A flash of lightning tore through the night sky. I see it. It sat on the windowsill, facing the storm, its small body standing straight. The white light of lightning shone on its body. Silver-white fur rolled in the wind, amber eyes calmly looked into the darkness outside. It doesn't tremble. Don't even blink. While all the other hatchlings were curled up in fear, only it was like a small sentinel, standing guard by the window. That image made my heart ache. Child This little thing… is protecting us? Incorrect. It's just a slow-growing hatchling. It must have been scared to death.

“Tieu Ngan!”

I reached out towards it.

“Come here quickly!”

It turned its head to look at me. Lightning exploded behind it, illuminating its profile. In that moment, I don't know if it was because of the light or not, I felt something flash in its eyes that completely did not belong to a hatchling. Only appears in the blink of an eye. Then, it jumped off the window sill and ran to the bed. It doesn't compete for position on me like the others. It just silently jumped onto the bed, walked around the crowded pile of cotton balls, and finally found a spot— The crook of my neck. He tucked himself between his neck and pillow, his small body curled up, the tip of his nose resting on his collarbone. Its heart beats very fast. Unusually fast.

“Scared?”

I used my chin to gently rub the top of its head. It did not respond. There was another clap of thunder outside. I felt its small claws gripping the collar of my nightgown.

“Don't be afraid.”

I spoke softly. One hand held Doan Tu and Nhu Me in his arms, the other hand gently placed on his back.

"With you here, even the god of thunder or lightning can't get in."

“I will protect all of you.”

Its claws tightened. Then, little by little, he slowly buried his face in the crook of my neck. The breath was very light, very warm, each beat hitting the collarbone. I closed my eyes. The sound of thunder, the sound of rain, the continuous purring of five children. And a warm silvery white cotton ball lies in the hollow of my neck. That night, I slept very well.

—

Dung Cuu Uyen does not sleep. All night long, he opened his eyes and listened to her heartbeat. Her heartbeat was very steady, like a steady, strong drumbeat. On a stormy night, six cubs crowded into her lap. Her arms opened like the wings of a mother bird, gathering all the weak lives underneath. When she said "I will protect you", his spirit probed her body. An ordinary human girl. No spiritual power, no love power. Bones are so weak that they break just by breaking them, and muscles are so weak that they are almost insignificant. One such body said:

“I will protect you.”

Protect him? He is the nine-tailed silver fox Dung Cuu Uyen. When he was young, he used a palm to suppress the demon dynasty of the North Sea. Later, he relied on the power of a clan to pacify rebellions in all directions. His true body only needs one tail to crush mountains, and a roar can tear through the sky. Yet at this moment, he was hugged by a human girl who couldn't feel spiritual energy, saying she wanted to protect him. Wild to the extreme. But why does her heartbeat make people feel so reassured?

“The deity is just taking advantage of her body temperature to speed up spiritual recovery.”

He said to himself.

"The demon race wants to heal its spiritual root and needs to be warmed. Her body temperature is just right. This is a medical act. It's purely a medical act."

The tip of his nose rubbed the small warm skin on her collarbone. It smells like the cheap shower gel she often uses. Peach smell.