CH 3

Chapter 3: New Student Orientation

Yuming Mountain was immersed in silence during the night, with only the kitchen illuminated.

Bai Ze stared silently at the sizzling roast chicken.

Yun Zhao flipped the rack and used a simple bamboo brush to apply a layer of honey to the chicken skin. Oil dripped and sizzled into the fire, making a crackling sound.

Bai Ze couldn't resist the temptation and reached out to grab a chicken wing, but Ao Yu flicked his tail and swatted Bai Ze's hand away.

"Hey, what's the matter? It's ready, and you won't let me eat!" Bai Ze exclaimed in frustration.

"Patience," Yun Zhao comforted him, handing him a cup of tea. He rubbed his hands together, hesitating, and said, "Senior, could you lend me some startup capital to buy supplies?"

"What?" Bai Ze looked at Yun Zhao incredulously, pointing at the chicken, his finger trembling with anger. "I caught this chicken myself."

He pointed to the small bump on his forehead. "I even collected the honey."

Finally, he gestured with his trembling finger towards Yun Zhao and Ao Yu, who were devouring chicken meat in his arms. "And now you want to borrow money from me? You two can't just fleece me like a sheep?"

After finishing a chicken leg, Ao Yu smacked his lips and interrupted Bai Ze's complaint. "He's broke."

"Broke?" Yun Zhao's eyes showed a hint of surprise. After all, Bai Ze was an ancient divine beast. It was unexpected that he would be short of money.

Bai Ze had profound magical powers and never had to worry about food and drink. He would frolic around in the mountains, then sleep and meditate. Money and spiritual stones held no interest for him.

So Bai Ze simply rolled up his sleeves and spread his hands, saying, "I really don't have any money!"

Yun Zhao had never encountered someone boldly claiming to be broke like this before and could only ponder other solutions in his mind.

There wasn't much food in the kitchen at the moment, and hunting beasts in the mountains meant one less animal to be left. Although they wouldn't starve, it was still inconvenient.

Suddenly, a bright idea flashed in his mind. Yuming Mountain was near the sea, so there should be plenty of seafood and aquatic products available, right?

He looked at Ao Yu thoughtfully and handed him all the large pieces of chicken legs and wings.

The silver-white dragon hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth and swallowed them whole, his tail smacking loudly behind him.

It was so easy to please himself, truly enchanting!

Bai Ze stared at the remaining chicken bones on the plate, angrily gulping them down, crunching and munching on the bones.

The following morning, Ao Yu was awakened by the sound of crashing waves beside him.

He groggily opened his eyes and found himself placed on a rocky shoreline, with Yun Zhao smiling at him, his face beaming. "Good morning!"

Ao Yu: "..."

He propped himself up and shifted his gaze downward, noticing that Yun Zhao was holding a fine net, shimmering with golden light, in his hand.

A sense of foreboding crept over him as he asked, "What do you intend to do?"

Yun Zhao answered quickly, "Catch seafood, of course!"

Ao Yu suppressed his anger and asked, "You want me to catch it for you?"

"Of course," Yun Zhao replied matter-of-factly.

Ao Yu felt his anger swell, his massive form expanding. The esteemed young Dragon Clan prince was about to become a fisherman!

Yun Zhao picked up the disgruntled Ao Yu and placed him on a seaside rock. "Bai Ze mentioned that summoning these mindless seafood creatures wouldn't require much effort from the Dragon Clan. Just stay here."

As if realizing something, Yun Zhao instructed, "Just catch squid, and if you happen to catch other fish, I'll take those too."

Ao Yu: "..."

After a brief moment of eye contact, unable to resist the pleading look in the young man's eyes, Ao Yu finally gave in.

He grew in size, lowering his tail into the water. Within moments, the waves surged fiercely.

Yun Zhao floated in mid-air, performing his magic. Seizing the opportunity, he cast his net and then pulled it onto the shore with a heave-ho.

Ao Yu observed the net, shimmering with golden light, and asked skeptically, "Where did this come from?"

Yun Zhao pulled the net completely onto the shore, nodding in satisfaction at the squid lying on the beach. "I made it using the Immortal Binding Rope, the one that bound me."

Ao Yu's pupils shook, now realizing the concept of making the most of every resource.

Catching squid turned out to be smoother than Yun Zhao had anticipated. In no time, they had brought back bags filled with squid to the kitchen.

As Yun Zhao rolled up his sleeves to clean them, footsteps could be heard in the distance.

"Yun Zhao! Come here quickly!"

Bai Ze pushed open the door, looking at the abundance of seafood filling the room, wrinkling his nose in disgust and stepping aside. "These things are so slimy and tasteless. Why did you catch so many?"

"They're delicious. You'll see once I'm done cooking," Yun Zhao explained helplessly.

Bai Ze didn't believe much and interrupted him, "Stop that. Come to the front hall quickly. A cub has been delivered."

Yun Zhao perked up upon hearing this, his face filled with excitement. "Really?"

"Yes, they were waiting," Bai Ze said, rubbing his chin in disbelief. "Your Coconut Tree Breeze advertisement letter actually worked."

Yun Zhao chuckled and followed into the hall.

Master Kongming was sipping tea. He had just taken a stroll around and noticed that the spiritual energy of Yuming Mountain was not as abundant as before, and the divine beasts that used to reside there were nowhere to be seen. It was a pity to witness such a decline in this once glorious immortal mountain.

"Kongming, this is Yun Zhao."

Bai Ze brought Yun Zhao in and nudged him toward the elderly white-haired man. "Yun Zhao comes from the Mountain Spirit Clan. You can trust him with your cat."

Yun Zhao nodded and greeted Kongming. He glanced around but couldn't spot the mentioned spirit cat. "Master, where is the cat? Can I see it?"

Master Kongming had been secretly observing Yun Zhao since his arrival. It was his first encounter, and he was still unsure about him.

In a moment of hesitation, he suddenly noticed Ao Yu hanging around Yun Zhao's neck, and his eyes widened.

Ao Yu was always rebellious, yet he was willing to obediently coil himself around Yun Zhao's neck like a scarf. It seemed this little mountain spirit had some tricks up his sleeve.

Unaware of the myriad of thoughts running through Kongming's mind, Yun Zhao, who had no clue, saw the old man seemingly make up his mind. He fumbled around in his loose sleeve robes and finally pulled out a white bundle, placing it on the table.

Curiously, Yun Zhao approached and discovered a small white cat!

The little cat was completely snow-white, disoriented from being jostled around in the robes. It stumbled a few steps on the table and sat down, lifting its eyes to see a handsome face.

"Meow..."

The little white cat meowed softly towards Yun Zhao, then stumbled backward, half-hiding its form behind Kongming's sleeve, peeking at Yun Zhao with a timid gaze.

Yun Zhao couldn't help but be charmed by the adorable little cat. He covered his mouth, laughing foolishly, which earned him a light tail flick on the back of his head from the small dragon on his neck.

Master Kongming stroked his long beard and said slowly, "This cat is called Luo Xue. Its twin brother went out to play and hasn't returned yet, so we can only bring Luo Xue for now."

As he spoke, he nudged Luo Xue toward Yun Zhao. "It had been in its animal form for a long time, and I often traveled. The young servants in the mountains couldn't take care of it properly, so I trouble you to look after this child."

Yun Zhao gladly accepted the task and handed over a document. "Master, here's the invoice for our kindergarten. Please take a look."

Kongming received it and opened it up, revealing a long list of items—basic care fee of 20,000 spirit stones per month, a food expense of 5,000, toy usage fee of 5,000... Any damages would require compensation at the original price...

Kongming felt a headache, while the young man before him continued to smile. "Would you find the cost of providing a warm and comfortable environment for your divine beast expensive?"

Luo Xue opened its round eyes and lightly tapped Master Kongming's hand with its small paw. "Meow..."

"Of course, of course..." Kongming cleared his throat and took out thirty thousand spirit stones from his storage bag, handing them over to Yun Zhao. The smile on Yun Zhao's face visibly grew wider.

Bai Ze, who was munching on melon seeds beside them, looked on in awe. So, this was the power of three sentences that made a man pay three thousand spirit stones for?

After paying the money, Kongming casually skimmed through the contract that Yun Zhao handed over and prepared to leave.

He truly didn't have the energy to take care of this timid little cub and had only hoped that someone would look after it in his absence.

As Kongming's and Luo Xue's names were recorded on the pale golden contract, Yun Zhao's system beeped in his mind.

System: [Congratulations to the host for obtaining the first cub in the Divine Beast Kindergarten! You will receive a reward of 500 immortal stones and a divine beast handbook! Please check it out!]

While Bai Ze saw Kongming off, the system thoughtfully opened the divine beast handbook for Yun Zhao. [Luo Xue, a divine beast of the Spirit Cat Clan, 150 years old, in the cub phase, enjoys eating fish, shrimp, and seafood.]

Yun Zhao was delighted. This cub would be easy to feed, considering that Yuming Mountain was never short of seafood.

Upon returning to his room, Luo Xue indeed displayed shyness and introversion, curling up into a ball and not making a sound.

Yun Zhao placed Luo Xue on a cushion and reached out to gently pat the furry little head in his arms. Luo Xue looked up in confusion, and its watery eyes met Yun Zhao's gaze—

"Meow..."

Kitten, hungry, food!

Yun Zhao pondered for a moment and then scooped up the cub and tucked it into his arms. Startled, Luo Xue shrank back and only peeked its head out from the collar after a while.

The warmth from the young man's body seeped through the fabric, and as Luo Xue smelled the warm scent emanating from him, it gradually relaxed. Blinking its big eyes, it followed Yun Zhao into the kitchen.

Yun Zhao fetched a few squids and rinsed off the mucus from their bodies. Then, with a small knife, he skillfully peeled and removed the suckers, all in one go, leaving Luo Xue wide-eyed in astonishment.

There were some seasonings in his storage bag, so Yun Zhao took some and spread it on the scored squids.

Knowing that Luo Xue was timid, Yun Zhao engaged in idle chatter with the cat while handling the squids. He slowed down his speech and asked, "Did you think these patterns are nice? Should I use more or less cumin?"

At first, the little white cat kept its head tucked in and didn't dare to respond. But seeing that Yun Zhao continued to look at it with a smile, it involuntarily flexed its front paws and tentatively meowed.

Almost imperceptibly, Yun Zhao heard a faint response that sounded particularly pleasing to his ears. Encouraged by the acknowledgment, he hastened his movements.

Having seasoned the squid, Yun Zhao skewered them and placed them on the charcoal grill, flipping them back and forth with one hand while brushing oil on them with the other.

The sizzling sound filled the air, and the rich aroma of the squid attracted Bai Ze's attention.

"It smells so good," Bai Ze sighed, his eyes fixed on the squid.

Yun Zhao chuckled and handed him a perfectly grilled skewer. He then peeled another squid and gave it to Ao Yu and Luo Xue.

Ao Yu glanced at it and was about to dig in. However, he caught sight of Yun Zhao blowing on the torn squid to cool it down before offering it to the little white cat.

"Tsk." Ao Yu disdainfully played with the squid on his plate with his paw.

In the past, the young boys in the mountains would only throw a fish at him and walk away. It was the first time Luo Xue had tasted such delicacy, and it was the first time someone had patiently fed it.

Luo Xue savored the squid, taking small bites and relishing the salty, tender, and flavorful taste as it rolled around in its mouth. The meaty aroma filled its senses, making it lick its lips in satisfaction.

"Meow, meow!" Emboldened by the delicious meal, Luo Xue rubbed against Yun Zhao's head, its voice soft and filled with dependence.

Naturally, Yun Zhao obliged and even provided a belly rub to aid digestion, leaving Luo Xue feeling comfortable and content, purring with delight.

...

The joyous time continued until nightfall. Yun Zhao intended to take the lone seedling to see the bedroom he had prepared. However, as soon as he stepped out, he saw a young boy descending slowly in the courtyard on a white crane.

Impatiently, the boy saluted and said, "Sir, I have to take Luo Xue back."

Yun Zhao was surprised. "Aren't you staying here overnight?"

Hearing Yun Zhao's question, the boy looked at him strangely and replied, "The spiritual energy on Yuming Mountain is so thin. The Master doesn't intend for him to stay long-term. It's just for someone to take care of him during the day."

Having said that, the boy carried Luo Xue in his arms.

Luo Xue, the whole cat, instantly deflated, and the boy didn't bother to comfort it. He simply took Luo Xue and left.

The boy's words lacked politeness but held truth.

Yun Zhao watched their retreating figures and felt an unexpected sense of loss. It seemed that keeping a divine beast was not as easy as he had initially thought.

Through the window, Ao Yu observed the young man, who had been filled with joy all day, enter the room with a dejected expression and lie down on the bed.

A sigh seemed to echo in the room, and Yun Zhao suddenly found a furry dragon tail in his hand.

With delight in his eyes, Yun Zhao gazed at the small dragon that had approached unnoticed. However, Ao Yu extinguished the candle before anything else.

"I'm exhausted. I need some sleep," Yun Zhao chuckled and pulled the blanket over himself.

After a tiring day, Yun Zhao had hoped to sleep until morning, but to his surprise, there was a knock on his door before dawn.

"Yun Zhao! Yun Zhao!"

Yun Zhao rubbed his eyes and emerged from his room to find Master Kongming standing in the courtyard, holding a small white cat that seemed on the verge of fainting.

Master Kongming was visibly distressed, perspiration glistening on his forehead. "I apologize. My disciple spoke out of turn! I would like Luo Xue to stay with you overnight as well! I am willing to pay any amount of spirit stones!"