[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-saya-and-the-dragon":3,"chapter-saya-and-the-dragon-saya-and-the-dragon-chapter-195":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Saya and the Dragon",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1705182,2177,"Chapter 188: Minty Fresh and Morally Bankrupt","saya-and-the-dragon-chapter-195",195,"\u003Cp>I squat by the river, dip my fingers in the pouch, and scoop out a pinch of black powder—charcoal, salt, crushed mint, and a hint of clove. Smells like a holy man on fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stuff it into my mouth with all the grace of a drunk bandit and start scrubbing with a chewed twig. Back and forth. Circular. Jab and twist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look like I’m exorcising demons out of my molars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon watches from his perch across the river, neck curled elegantly, claws folded, the picture of judgmental serenity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinks at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grin through the foam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Morning, sunshine,” I gargle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He doesn’t blink again. Just stares. “Do youhaveto make it look like a violent crime?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dark, minty glob hits a rock with a satisfying splat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beetle rolls over and dies from the fumes. Maybe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beauty,” I say around the twig, “requires sacrifice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someoneisbeing sacrificed,” he mutters. “Your dignity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rinse with river water. Spit again. Then stand up, still brushing, one hand on my hip like a queen in warpaint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’d be amazed what fresh breath can do,” I say, pointing the twig at him. “I’ve talked men into giving me rings, horses, citizenship papers. All because I didn’t reek like last night’s sins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looks mildly sick. “You gargle sin, Saya.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. That’sstrategic branding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another spit. Another gargle. The river churns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides,” I continue, “I like the feeling. The sting. The clarity. Like I’m scraping off everything I said and did and swallowed last night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifts his massive head and tilts it. “You make tooth care sound like repentance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grin, showing off black-streaked gums and a sparkle of white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who says it’s not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighs. Long, ancient, and very tired. “There are mornings I wonder if you were meant to be a cleric.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rinse one last time, toss the twig, and beam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And there are mornings I wonder if you were meant to be less of a judgmental fossil, but here we are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closes his eyes, muttering about karma, chaos, and the collapse of civilization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I skip past him, barefoot and minty, spitting one last time behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clean mouth, dirty life,” I sing. “Balance, darling. It’s all about balance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I toss the last bit of riverwater at a rock and spit again with flourish—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A high arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excellent velocity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would’ve won a spitting contest if anyone sane judged such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I glance back at him, still perched like a grumpy monument to ancient superiority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should try it sometime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opens one golden eye. “Trywhat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brushing your teeth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He makes a sound like someone stepped on a relic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My mouth,” he says stiffly, “is cleansed by fire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I roll my eyes so hard I nearly lose balance. “Oh please.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is,” he insists, rising slightly. “My breath is a forge. A holy cleansing flame.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your breath,” I say, “smells like roasted sheep, old coins, and death threats.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He squints at me. “Mint is amortal crutch. Dragons burn impurities from within.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that’s cute. You think halitosis is a personality trait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snorts. A puff of smoke curls around his muzzle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stomp back up the riverbank, dripping, wild-haired, grinning like a lunatic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next time we rob a city, I’m finding a brush your size. Maybe a ship’s mast. Tie some moss to it. You can even pretend it’s ritualistic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glares. “If you try to climb into my mouth with a toothbrush, Iwillbite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wink. “Kinky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He groans and lays his head back down with a thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every morning with you,” he mutters, “feels like blasphemy wrapped in dental advice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly,” I say, flopping down beside him, still naked, still minty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re welcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>",618,"2026-06-06T14:39:25.900Z",1,"novelbin.me","96f6670686ef66af11f91e87d68afce9fbc7d37dabb8d456249f12fcfd30e0d6","saya-and-the-dragon-chapter-196","saya-and-the-dragon-chapter-194",228,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsaya-and-the-dragon-cover.jpg"]