Xiao Xiaodong’s little flower-patterned chicken clucked loudly, “Cluck cluck cluck!”
Xiao Xiaojin squatted down, cupping his cheeks as he observed the chicken. “Brother, your chicken seems to have gotten fatter.”
“After eating so much, if it hadn’t grown at all, wouldn’t that be a waste? This damn chicken is about to bankrupt me!” Xiao Xiaodong said, exasperated.
“Brother, this chicken eats that much?”
Xiao Xiaodong nodded. “Yeah.” He considered releasing the chicken into the back mountains to forage on its own—otherwise, he’d be penniless soon.
“Brother, what’s your contracted beast saying?” Xiao Xiaojin asked.
“It says it’s sorry, that it talks too much, and that it’ll work hard to repay me.”
Xiao Xiaojin looked at him admiringly. “Big Brother, you’re amazing at training beasts! Yours is so obedient!”
The flower-patterned chicken hopped around, making a “heh… heh…” sound.
Xiao Xiaodong shot it a glance. This damn chicken has no shame! It eats my food, spends my money, and now it’s complaining that I don’t earn enough? Saying it’s not that it eats too much, but that I’m just bad at making money? If it could eat eight or ten high-grade demon beasts like the Green-Feathered Swallows every day, it wouldn’t need as many low-grade ones. As if Green-Feathered Swallows grow on trees!
Xiao Xiaojin watched the furious chicken. “Brother, are you sure it feels sorry for you? It looks really angry!”
Xiao Xiaodong: “…”
Xiao Xiaojin tried to pick up the chicken but couldn’t even lift it.
“Brother, your chicken is heavy!”
Xiao Xiaodong nodded. “Yeah.”
—
“Where’s Xiaojin? I haven’t seen him,” Xiao Jingting asked after searching around.
“Xiaodong sent a message saying Xiaojin is staying with him for now,” Xu Mu’an replied.
“Oh, I see.”
Xu Mu’an sighed. “Your youngest is also quite the troublemaker.”
Xiao Jingting blinked. “What happened?”
Xu Mu’an smiled. “Nothing much. Your son somehow befriended Mu Yun. According to Xiaodong, Xiaojin asked Mu Yun if he was a virgin, confirmed it, and even advised him to have children soon.”
Xiao Jingting rubbed his temples. My youngest is too proactive—not only does he love cooking, but now he’s meddling in Mu Yun’s love life? Since when is that any of his business? And telling Mu Yun to have kids? Does he not know that’s practically a death wish? Cheng Yishu once tried to seduce Mu Yun and ended up severely injured and punished!
Xu Mu’an sighed. “Xiaodong said he’ll keep Xiaojin with him for a couple of days.”
Xiao Jingting nodded. “Good, good. Let him stay there so he doesn’t run into Mu Yun again and spout nonsense.”
Xu Mu’an: “…”
—
Xiao Xiaojin brought a few chickens to Xiaodong’s place. The moment they saw the flower-patterned chicken, they all collapsed.
“Brother, your chicken is scary! It didn’t even do anything, and the other chickens just dropped dead!” Xiao Xiaojin said warily.
“Where’d you get these chickens?” Xiao Xiaofan asked.
“I bought them.”
“To cook?”
Xiao Xiaojin nodded. “Yeah. I was going to slaughter them, but they all died of fright. Are they sick? Can we still eat them?”
“Don’t worry! If you’re scared they’re diseased, just cook them all for me! I’m not afraid!” Xiao Xiaofan said eagerly.
Xiao Xiaojin eyed him suspiciously. “Second Brother, aren’t you worried about getting sick?”
Xiao Xiaofan thumped his chest. “Nah! I’m tough! Wasting food is bad—just cook them as planned!”
Xiao Xiaojin clapped. “Second Brother is amazing!”
Xiao Xiaodong: “…” (These two idiots…)
“Don’t worry, the chickens are fine,” Xiao Xiaodong assured.
“How do you know?” Xiao Xiaojin asked curiously.
Xiao Xiaodong tilted his head. “My chicken has strong pressure. Ordinary demon beasts can’t withstand it, let alone regular chickens.”
Xiao Xiaojin nodded. “Oh! Brother, you should take it cockfighting! It’d dominate and earn you tons of money!”
The flower-patterned chicken turned its head away, as if dismissing the idea.
“Brother, what’s it saying?”
Xiao Xiaodong sighed. “It says it’s not a chicken—it’s a dragon. It scorns fighting lowly creatures.”
Xiao Xiaofan’s eyes widened. “It says it’s a dragon?”
Xiao Xiaodong nodded. “Yep.”
Xiao Xiaojin blinked, then clenched his fist solemnly. “As they say, a beast that doesn’t aspire to be a dragon isn’t a good beast. Even if it’s a chicken now, we should support its dreams!”
Xiao Xiaodong: “…”
Xiao Xiaofan eyed the chicken thoughtfully. “They say dragon meat is super nourishing—eating a bite can extend your lifespan. If it is a dragon, we could try some…”
The flower-patterned chicken angrily spat a puff of blue mist at him.
Xiao Xiaofan coughed and glared. “Big Brother! Your beast keeps spitting at me! It’s rude!”
The chicken spread its wings, glaring back.
Xiao Xiaofan gulped. “Big Brother, control it!”
Xiao Xiaodong: “…” (The chicken initiated an equal contract with me—its restraints are loose. I don’t actually have much control over this aggressive thing…)
—
Xiao Jingting worked in the peach orchard, cultivating Jade Peach King while Xu Mu’an assisted.
“Manager Qiu hasn’t shown up today. Is he avoiding Senior Mu Yun?” Xiao Jingting wondered.
“Probably,” Xu Mu’an agreed.
Xiao Jingting stroked his chin. “I think Qiu Yun doesn’t actually want Mu Yun to die.”
Xu Mu’an tilted his head. “How so?”
“Qiu Yun’s poison is already cured—the Jade Peach King has no use for him anymore. Yet he still wants me to research it. Isn’t that obvious?”
Deep down, Qiu Yun probably still hopes Mu Yun can recover. But he also told me not to rush—maybe he wants Mu Yun to suffer a bit first. They say a woman’s heart is as deep as the ocean, but men’s thoughts are just as hard to guess!
Xu Mu’an nodded. “True. But it’s not our business. Let’s just focus on our work.”
“Right.”
Xiao Jingting cast the Spirit Wood Technique on three trees in succession, following Qiu Yun’s method. The technique greatly benefited the plants but drained the caster’s spiritual energy rapidly. After one round, Xiao Jingting was drenched in sweat, his energy nearly depleted.
Xu Mu’an wiped his forehead with a handkerchief, and the two shared a warm moment.
Suddenly, Xiao Jingting grabbed Xu Mu’an’s hand. “I think I just saw Senior Mu Yun.”
Xu Mu’an: “…”
“Should we go greet him?”
Xiao Jingting nodded. “Sure.” (It’s not like I can do any more work right now anyway.)
“Fellow Daoist Xiao, you’ve done an excellent job with this peach orchard,” Mu Yun praised.
“That’s all Manager Qiu’s leadership. I just follow his instructions,” Xiao Jingting said modestly.
“I see. You and Fellow Daoist Xu have a wonderful relationship,” Mu Yun remarked, glancing between them almost enviously.
Xiao Jingting scratched his head. “We’ve been married for years and have three kids. Of course we’re close.”
Mu Yun sighed. “Such harmony is truly enviable.”
Xiao Jingting waved it off. “I’m nothing compared to you, Senior. Reaching late Golden Core at your age is the real achievement.”
Mu Yun smiled bitterly. “Sometimes I wonder if I made the wrong choices. Now I have all this cultivation but no one to share it with. I can’t compare to you, Young Master Xiao.”
Xiao Jingting: “…”
“Senior, you flatter me too much. By the way, I heard you escorted my son yesterday. Thank you. Xiaojin is spoiled—please forgive any offense.”
“Offense? None at all. Your son is adorable.”
Xiao Jingting nodded. “That’s good.”
“Do you know where Manager Qiu is?”
Xiao Jingting blinked. “He’s not around?”
Mu Yun shook his head. “No.”
Is Qiu Yun deliberately avoiding him?
“Uncle Mu!” Xie Wanran approached.
Mu Yun frowned. “Why are you here?”
“I was worried about you, so I came to check,” Xie Wanran said softly.
“What’s there to worry about?”
“Uncle, your condition… Shouldn’t we return to the sect?”
Mu Yun waved her off. “It’s fine.”
“But the time is almost here. We should hurry back—”
Before she could finish, Mu Yun suddenly collapsed to one knee.
A surge of scorching heat erupted, and the temperature in the herb garden skyrocketed.
Xiao Jingting watched as nearby peach leaves curled from the heat.
So this is what happens when the fire poison flares up. Mu Yun looked like a human torch.
The once-blackened soil turned fiery red under the intense heat.
This is bad. Really bad.
R : I’m so excited to tell you about the new schedule! We’ll be having one chapter on Thursday and Friday ♥
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