Ming Lou, as the sole representative of idleness, found the sun at the South Heaven Gate of the 13th Heaven to be exceptionally warm. He couldn't help but squint his eyes, and in the next moment, he reverted to his original form, flapping his enormous wings to cover his head. He then settled down at the very entrance of the South Heaven Gate, drifting into dreamland.
Ming Lou believed he had left a small passage for others, thinking it wouldn't impede their affairs.
Little did he know that after he fell asleep, the entire 13th Heaven erupted in chaos.
"Why is there a tiger lying at our main entrance? It's so huge, it's completely blocking the gate!"
"That big white tiger is too adorable. It's fluffy and has wings on its back. It must be a cub from the Winged Tiger tribe."
"What cub? Haven't you seen its size?"
"Ah, but cute as it is, let's be honest, its current position is rather inconvenient. Who's going to tell it to move?"
The deities of the 13th Heaven nudged each other, pushing the responsibility back and forth. While chattering amongst themselves, they eyed Ming Lou, who was snoring soundly from a distance, each reluctant to be the one to ask him to move.
"...Roar" Ming Lou was fast asleep, completely oblivious to the chatter outside. He even snored involuntarily, exposing his belly and letting out a loud *thwack* as his wings hit the ground.
Ming Lou's snores were quite loud, and his belly seemed to jiggle with each breath.
"This big white tiger is so lovable. I really want to pet its tail," a maidservant whispered from a distance, peeking cautiously. She couldn't resist extending a mischievous hand, stealthily touching Ming Lou's fluffy belly.
Since transforming into his smaller form, Ming Lou had always stayed with Yue Zhi Yin. Thus, feeling someone touch his belly, he instinctively mistook the person for Yue Zhi Yin in his sleep. He immediately wrapped his two fluffy paws around the hand and hugged it tightly.
As he hugged, he also curled his body into a C-shape.
The maidservant was terrified, frozen in place, not daring to move. She had never expected that simply reaching out to touch him would result in this.
As Ming Lou held onto her arm tightly, his snores grew even louder.
This was the maidservant's first encounter with a colossal creature like a tiger. At this moment, she dared not move, not even to change her posture. She remained stiff and numb, crouched a safe distance away, constantly looking back at her companions for help.
No one dared to step forward.
After all, when this great being was awake, he appeared as a sunny young man. But when he reverted to his original form and slept, he could block the entire South Heaven Gate. His sheer size was intimidating. If he were to wake up with a temper and let out a "grr," wouldn't they lose half of themselves?
Just as everyone trembled, unsure of what to do, footsteps suddenly echoed from a distance. They turned their heads and saw that it was Yue Zhi Yin who had arrived.
Yue Zhi Yin looked at Ming Lou, who was sleeping sprawled on the ground, and helplessly dragged him up, then forcibly pulled him back to Qi Yu's room.
Qi Yu was currently sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, listening to the thoughts of the Three Realms.
She hadn't done this for quite some time. Although she could delegate it to her subordinates, Jin Yan and the others, occasionally handling it herself was still a refreshing change.
Midway through listening to the thoughts, Qi Yu suddenly heard a clattering sound from the doorway. She looked up and saw Yue Zhi Yin dragging a large white tiger towards where she was sitting.
The white tiger was snoring thunderously. The door even shook as he was dragged in.
His two wings trailed on the ground, showing no sign of being retracted. Clearly, this large tiger was deeply asleep.
"Senior Brother, what did you drag back? Did you drag Sixth Brother back? Why is Sixth Brother sleeping like this? He's sleeping so soundly that he didn't even stir when you dragged him from outside all the way into this room?" Qi Yu stood up in shock, scurrying over and pinching Ming Lou's arm.
Ming Lou felt nothing. He even hugged Qi Yu tightly.
Looking at the snoring behemoth, Qi Yu found him incredibly cute. She couldn't help but cradle his large paws and examine them. The contrast was striking.
When Ming Lou reverted to his original form, his paws were larger than her hands, thick and substantial, giving the impression that a strong push could crack the ground.
Si Qing also saw a tiger's paw this large for the first time. He let out a surprised exclamation, and then he and his sister both leaned in to poke it.
Ming Lou mumbled something in his sleep, then used his paws to cover his head, even remembering to tuck his head under his wings.
As the Senior Brother, Yue Zhi Yin understood his sixth junior brother's sleeping habits. He walked over and said, "It's probably because the light here is too bright and bothers him, which is why he's always covering his head with his wings. If the lighting were dim, he'd prefer to lie sprawled out."
As he spoke, Yue Zhi Yin took a piece of jerky from his storage pouch and gently dangled it in front of Ming Lou's nose.
Ming Lou, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes upon smelling the jerky. Then, with lingering drowsiness, he half-closed his eyes, opened his mouth to snatch the jerky, and closed his eyes again, chewing unconsciously as he slept.
Qi Yu watched, dumbfounded. After a moment, she tentatively asked, "Sixth Brother, are you awake or still asleep?"
"Does that even need asking? He's definitely not awake, but he's greedy. So, he's used all his strength to open a sliver of an eye and open his mouth to eat the jerky. That's peak performance," Si Qing remarked sarcastically from the side, watching the scene unfold.
Yue Zhi Yin found Si Qing's description to be spot on and couldn't help but applaud in agreement.
Ming Lou finished chewing the jerky in his mouth and finally opened his eyes lazily. He stretched languidly on the ground, then wagged his tail and asked irritably, "Why are you guys so mean? I was sleeping so soundly, and you woke me up."
Using jerky to lure someone and forcing them to wake up was a truly heinous act.
"The spot you were sleeping in was too much of a hindrance. So many people couldn't get through because you were blocking the gate. Everyone was running around in a frenzy, and you were the only one with nothing to do, and you were blocking the gate! If I didn't move you, by the time you woke up, the entire 13th Heaven would be waiting for you."
Yue Zhi Yin knew that his words were a bit of an exaggeration.
Even if he hadn't gone over, someone else would have surely come to move Ming Lou.