Chapter 199: Adoption?

Haru looked around as his surroundings became dark. He first thought that he had somehow passed out but he still felt the sensation of Lao holding his arm. Just as he was about to ask what was happening light flashed and he was plunged into the light from the sun that was just rising in between skyscrapers in the distance.

'Wait, skyscrapers…' Haru thought before looking around and realising he was now standing in his house. It had taken him a day to get to Beijing from Shanghai and a further few hours of flying to get to the Changbai mountain.

But almost instantly Lao had managed to take them back to the starting place. It only took a few seconds and Haru was now standing in the very spot he was standing when planning the trip.

"How did you just-?" He asked Lao who picked up a small clock from the fireplace in the living room.

"Hm… So this is what a clock feels like…" Lao zoned out as he walked around the room picking things up as if he had never seen them before.

"And this is plastic? It feels kind of like glass." He picked up the tv remote and felt the back of it.

"Haru… What are these buttons made out of? They are soft yet firm. I haven't felt anything like this before." Lao turned to look at Haru with excitement. He was curious about everything just like a cat which was a complete contrast to his behaviour before.

But it made sense. He was previously trapped within a ring for thousands of years. He couldn't see anything on the outside nor could he see how far technology had advanced in the lower realms so there was no point in him even worrying about such meaningless things.

But now that he had a new body and he was out in the world he now had the chance to look at new things and try to understand how they worked. It was exciting for Lao but frustrating for Haru. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to talk to each other again. There was just simply too much for Lao to look at.

"I thought you said that you wanted to teach the girl that I rescued?" Haru asked, bringing Lao back to his usual serious self.

"What about it?" Lao asked. He didn't know Haru's meaning for bringing it up so suddenly.

"Well if you want to teach her then first you will have to show that you are a functioning member of society or the authorities would never let you adopt a child," Haru stated.

"Adoption? She would become my daughter? Why would I need to do a thing like that?" Lao asked The only things he knew about the way the world functioned was what he was told by Haru and Li Jun. So he had no idea about the way he would have to go about gaining custody of her legally so that they wouldn't be hunted by the police for kidnapping a child.

"You would have to adopt her if you want to teach her. It is a crime to take people from their homes without becoming their legal guardian. You wouldn't have to become her parent. It would just be signing a contract to say that you will look after her." Haru explained but Lao still didn't understand.

"Well, If that's the way we have to do things here then what should I do? How do I adopt the girl?" Lao asked before dropping the TV remote back on to the table and walking over to Haru enthusiastically.

"Hm… Well, first I would have to get you an identification card. You have no paperwork to say that you are a citizen of china so you might get deported if you get into trouble with the authorities.

But while I do that. Let me show you something." Haru said and then picked up the TV remote and put on a Chinese drama show for Lao to watch.

"Sit down and watch it. This is how humans interact with each other these days. The way you speak is too stiff and formal. Just try to sound more like these people." Haru explained to Lao who was eager to learn. He sat down quietly and began to watch the show as Haru stepped out of the room to make a phone call.

"Ah, Haru. I wasn't expecting you to call. Is everything okay?" The leader of the crimson spiders answered the phone and said as soon as the call connected. Haru looked back into the living room and looked at Lao who was still eagerly watching and sighed.

"It's nothing too serious. I was just wondering if you could help me with something." Haru announced and then waited for his reply.

"You need my help? What can I do for you? Is there anyone else causing trouble for you?" Han asked with a serious tone to his voice that was almost downright scary. He sounded as if he was ready to kill someone at a moment's notice.

"No no, don't worry. I was just wondering if you could have someone forge some legal documents for a friend of mine.

He recently came from overseas to escape the authorities and I want to get him a new identity. Can you do something like that?" Haru asked. He knew that Han had a lot of influence in shanghai but he wasn't quite sure how far his influence stretched.

"Forged documents? I can't get forged one but I do have a friend in the government who could get you real documents. It will be the real deal and as far as anyone else is concerned your friend was born and raised in China. How about that?" Han asked.

"You can do that? That's perfect. I didn't know if you could get something like that done so I initially asked if you could get forged ones but this is so much better. Thank you." Haru said happily. This was better than he expected. Lao would now be able to make it through any background checks that they might do if they looked into his origin.

"There's no need to thank me. Just don't forget that that tournament will be coming up soon. So make sure that you win it for me. I will call contact now and give him your number so he can contact you about the details." Han let him know before they wrapped up the call.

Haru walked back into the living room to see Lao sat on the edge of the couch as he watched a fight scene play out.

"Just kill him! You have a gun! Shoot him in the head!" He shouted at the TV as the two male leads held each other at gunpoint while they talked.

"What's the point in having a weapon if you're not going to use it!?" Lao shouted once more as the episode came to an end.

"Hey Lao, I have some good news," Haru announced as he stood in the doorway.

"Oh, Haru, my old friend. I have been expecting you. Come, Talk to me about your plans." Lao said in reply as he acted out one of the scenes he had seen in the TV show.

"Okay… I told you to reenact how they spoke. Not copy their lines…" Haru chuckled slightly at how Lao had awkwardly pronounced the script.

" I can't do this. You, humans, have a strange way of talking to each other. It shows no respect for others and is quite crude." Lao went back to his static way of talking that he was used to.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We could just play it off that you are from a rich family and they taught you to always have manners… But please stop saying "You Humans." You are now going to live like a human.

And we don't tend to call each other by our species. People will think that you are delusional if you carry on doing that." Haru warned Lao of how idiotic it made him sound when he said things like that.

Usually, Haru wouldn't dare talk to Lao like this but seeing him in a human form was much less intimidating than it was seeing a dragon. He felt more relaxed while talking to him like this. It was almost like how he talked to Li Jun.

"Okay! No calling humans, humans." Lao said and then turned back to the TV as the second episode of the show started.

"This is going to be the death of me. It's like instructing a child." Haru complained.

"It's fine, leave him for now. I have known Lao for thousands of years, so trust me when I say this. He is extremely happy right now. Most of the time we spent together was while trying to find a new body for him.

This is a wish come true for him even if he does have to live in the body of a human. But honestly, I think that he secretly likes this although he would never say it out loud." Li Jun appeared and smiled as he watched his oldest friend finally gain his freedom.

"Are you alright?" Haru asked. There was a hint of sadness in Li Jun's eyes as he watched Lao criticise the writers behind the show.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just feel… Alone I guess. I didn't think it was possible since I am merely a fragment of a soul. But I know that one day I will have to go back to Li Jun's body and merge with the rest of his soul.

I'm just not sure what will happen to me though. Will I cease to exist? Or will he absorb my memories and know everything about what has taken place while I was here?" Li Jun asked himself.

"I need some time to myself." Li Jun announced before vanishing back inside the dragon emperor's ring that was now empty. No dragon was residing on the inside anymore. There was just darkness that Li Jun now used a hideaway to escape his emotions.