Chapter 98: Chapter Ninety-Eight: Cloud monsters

The three little princes had turned into three giant, perfectly round, ultra-fluffy snowballs, their fur standing straight up like massive cotton balls, with only their blinking blue eyes and tiny pink noses visible through the fluff.

Lin Wan took one single look at her three round, static.filled puffball sons and completely lost her usual cold composure, burying her face in her hands as her shoulders shook with uncontrollable, silent laughter. "Oh my god... you look like three giant dandelions ready to blow away in the wind."

"Hey! Look at me, I’m a giant cloud monster!" Xiao Rui babbled excitedly, trying to look at his own ridiculously fluffy tail, which now looked three times its original size.

The three chubby dandelions began to happily roll and tumble over each other across the clean grass, their high-pitched laughter and soft, staticky purrs echoing through the beautiful courtyard as Qin Mo and Long Zhan stood proudly by, completely satisfied with their chaotic, heartwarming victory. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The tranquil serenity of the morning was beautifully interrupted by the high-pitched, excited chatter of the three silver leopard princes.

Having fully discovered the boundless joy of using their true voices, the triplets were practically bursting with hyperactive energy, their round, fluffy bodies bouncing around Lin Wan’s ankles as she walked down the mansion’s rear porch.

The static fluff from yesterday’s laundry extravaganza had finally settled, leaving their snow-white coats incredibly glossy, smelling faintly of sweet mountain herbs and pure spiritual mist.

"Mother! Mother, look at my claws! I can make them go ’shhh tup’ out of my paws now!" Xiao Chen babbled proudly, holding up one chubby front paw and flexing his tiny, translucent baby claws with a wide, toothy grin.

He let out a soft, rumbling purr, hopping on his hind legs to catch her attention. "Daddy Zhan said a fierce leopard warrior needs to practice his ultimate tracking skills today! Can we go hunting? Can we hunt a giant beast inside the bamboo grove, Mother?"

Lin Wan scooped the heavy snowball up into her arms, gently tapping his wet pink nose with her finger as she looked toward the dense, shimmering green bamboo grove stretching out behind the mansion’s courtyard.

"No hunting today, Xiao Chen. Your little cores are still adjusting to your awakened voices, and the last thing I need is the three of you straining yourselves trying to chase down the spiritual birds. If you want to practice your tracking skills so badly, we are going to play a game from my hometown instead, a game called hide-and-seek."

"Hide-and-seek? What kind of name is that, Mother?" Xiao Jue chimed in, his small voice carrying that hilariously serious, dignified tone as he trotted right beside her leather boots, his silver-striped tail swaying thoughtfully. "Is it a highly advanced tactical military simulation? Do we have to use our camouflage techniques to evade the enemy forces? Because if so, I am definitely going to be the absolute best commander of the squad."

"It’s very simple," Lin Wan explained, a relaxed, genuinely warm smile gracing her usually cold face as they reached the edge of the bamboo grove, where the cool, refreshing mist swirled gently over the mossy ground.

"One person closes their eyes and counts to twenty while everyone else hides in the bamboo. Once the counting is done, the seeker has to track down every single hidden person. Since you three are natural-born hunters, let’s see if your stealth is actually as good as you claim it is."

"Oh, a stealth competition? Now you’re talking my absolute language, Wanwan!" Long Zhan’s thunderous voice suddenly boomed from behind them, causing the bamboo leaves to rustle violently as the massive Dragon King strode into the clearing.

He had a massive, enthusiastic grin on his face, his violet eyes flashing with pure excitement as he aggressively cracked his giant knuckles. "I’m the absolute king of the jungle! My Northern Peak warriors can hide in the deep snow for weeks without making a single sound! Hey, you three little rascals, you better find a good spot, because your Daddy Zhan is going to sniff you out in two seconds flat!"

Qin Mo glided smoothly right past the boisterous dragon, his elegant silver silk robes hovering just an inch above the damp moss as he let out a cold, deeply condescending snort.

"A brainless brute only knows how to stomp through the undergrowth like a blind kodo beast, breaking branches and leaving a massive trail of destruction in his wake. True stealth requires absolute elegance, refinement, and a seamless blend with the surrounding spiritual aura. Wanwan, please let me be the first seeker; I will locate these tiny snowballs immediately without disturbing a single leaf."

Lin Wan turned around, her cool eyes narrowing with an amused but firm glare that instantly shut both supreme kings up. "Neither of you is seeking first. I am going to cover my eyes and count, which means all five of you, including Lanying over there, need to go find a hiding spot right now. If I catch either of you using your supreme king spiritual sense to cheat or look through the bamboo, you are both spending the night sleeping out in the palace corridors."

Long Zhan and Qin Mo instantly stiffened, their competitive pride temporarily locked away as they submissively nodded, scrambled into the dense green stalks, and vanished into the swirling mist alongside a softly chuckling Lanying.

Lin Wan turned her back to the grove, gently closing her eyes and pressing her face against the smooth trunk of a large bamboo stalk. "Alright, I’m starting to count now! One... two... three..."

The moment her voice began to echo through the clearing, the three chubby silver leopard cubs let out a synchronized flurry of panicked, incredibly high-pitched baby gasps. "Ah! Mother is already counting! Run! Run for your lives!" Xiao Rui shrieked happily, his tiny paws scrambling frantically over the soft moss as he sprinted deeper into the bamboo, his round body tumbling over a root before he scrambled back up.

The three brothers completely scattered in every direction, their small minds racing to find the absolute most elite, impenetrable hiding spots.

By the time Lin Wan loudly shouted, "Nineteen... twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" and turned around, the spiritual bamboo grove had fallen into a deep, completely dead silence.

The thick, cooling mist hung beautifully between the green stalks, making the entire clearing look completely empty.

However, to anyone with eyes, the "elite stealth techniques" of her chaotic family were an absolute, 100% masterpiece of high visual comedy.

Lin Wan didn’t even have to take three steps into the grove before she spotted the first "master of camouflage." Long Zhan, the terrifying, world-renowned supreme lord of the Dragon Clan, had decided to hide behind a single, incredibly thin bamboo stalk that was barely two inches wide.

His massive, six-foot-six heavily muscled frame was completely visible on both sides of the plant, his giant shoulders jutting out comically, while his long, dark hair draped over the grass.

To make matters even more hilarious, Xiao Chen had decided to hide by squeezing his chubby white body completely inside one of Long Zhan’s heavy leather boots that had been left near the edge, his fluffy tail sticking straight up into the air like a white flag.

Lin Wan walked slowly over to the thin bamboo stalk, crossing her arms over her chest as she cleared her throat loudly. "Well, this is a truly magnificent piece of bamboo. I had no idea that plants in The space could grow giant, muscular leather-clad shoulders and a long dragon tail. Long Zhan, you are completely caught."

Long Zhan popped his massive head out from behind the tiny stalk, a look of pure, exaggerated shock on his face as he let out a booming laugh, scooping up the giggling Xiao Chen out of his boot.

"Dang it, Wanwan! How on earth did you spot me so fast? I was completely suppressing my dragon aura! I thought I was totally invisible behind this tree! Xiao Chen, I told you your fluffy tail was going to give our position away!"

"It wasn’t my tail, Daddy Zhan! You’re just way too fat to hide behind a tiny stick!" Xiao Chen squealed happily, his small voice full of pure, childish mockery as he rubbed his flour-covered nose against Long Zhan’s chest.

Lin Wan shook her head with an amused smile, turning her sharp gaze deeper into the misty grove to look for the others.

She walked a few paces forward, her boots clicking softly against a flat stone until she stopped right underneath a beautiful, low-hanging bamboo branch.

There, draped entirely over Qin Mo’s elegant, long silver hair ribbons, were Xiao Jue and Xiao Rui.

The two chubby cubs had climbed up the snake king’s back while he was gracefully hovering mid-air behind a thick bush, and they were currently holding their tiny paws over their own mouths, their large blue eyes wide with panicked excitement.

Qin Mo remained perfectly still, his elegant silver robes blending beautifully with the mist, acting completely oblivious to the two heavy, warm puffballs currently dangling from his hair.

Lin Wan reached up, gently tugging on one of the silver ribbons, causing the two cubs to instantly burst into an uncontrollable barrage of high pitched baby giggles. "And here I thought the noble Snake King was an expert in refined elegance. I didn’t know your hair ribbons were capable of letting out loud leopard purrs and wiggling their ears. You three are caught too."