CH 6

Chapter 6: Being a model parent

After half a month, no other divine beasts had come to the kindergarten, so Yun Zhao had to take care of Luo Xue, the only cub, every day.

Ao Yu felt that having another furry little troublemaker was quite troublesome, but the little mountain spirit was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling.

Now, every three days, they would take the rabbits to the seaside to catch fish, mainly squid and scallops, but thanks to Ao Yu's spiritual power, they would always catch a lot of fish and shrimp that would come their way.

Yun Zhao was afraid of getting tired of eating fish too frequently, so he had Bai Ze build a freezer to store the fish and shrimp.

Since cat food in the mall was so expensive, they might as well make their own. These fish and shrimp were coming in handy now.

Thinking of this, Yun Zhao used a redwood comb to smooth out the back hair of the Luo Xue that Bai Ze had messed up, then got up and went to the kitchen.

Ao Yu was left on the cushion, facing the little cat's eyes. The timid little cat was trembling and making a faint trembling sound.

It was really troublesome...

Ao Yu turned his back and ignored the weak and helpless spirit cat cub.

Luo Xue put her head on her front paws. She liked the warm scent of the young man, like her own fur being dried by the sun.

But Yun Zhao's sudden departure made Luo Xue a little uneasy, so she could only lick her paws to distract himself.

However, after a while, Luo Xue couldn't bear it anymore, fearing that she would be ignored by the children like she was at Zhen Kongming’s house.

Thinking this, a faint glimmer appeared in the little white cat's eyes as a silver dragon tail stretched out and swayed rhythmically in front of Luo Xue before patting him on the head.

Luo Xue's pale blue eyes followed the swaying tail and couldn't resist pouncing on it, hugging it tightly.

Ao Yu glanced at the stupid cat that was licking his own tail and coldly snorted before closing his eyes to rest.

In the kitchen, Yun Zhao opened the fish belly and separated the fish bones from the meat. He fried the fish bones in a pan until they were golden brown with the natural fat that came with it sizzling and bubbling.

As Yun Zhao added water to make soup, the little black rabbit brought a pot of shrimp over. "Lord Yun Zhao, are these shrimp enough?"

"Enough," Yun Zhao said.

He gave a carrot to the little black rabbit and started peeling and deveining the shrimp, chopping some of them into small pieces to mix with the fish paste and make small dumplings. Another batch was coated in flour and fried slowly in another pot of oil.

The shrimp meat was split open at the back and gradually curved into a tempting arc in the hot oil.

"It smells so good!" Yun Zhao carefully flipped the shrimp with his chopsticks when suddenly he felt a weight on his waist. He looked down and saw that Ao Yu had climbed up along his belt.

The little dragon curled its sharp claws so as not to scratch the tender mountain spirit.

Ao Yu leaned over Yun Zhao's neck and peered into the pot, his tail wagging and tickling Yun Zhao's ears.

"Are you hungry?" Yun Zhao scooped out a freshly fried shrimp and put it on a small plate. He used his chopsticks to break it in half, revealing the white shrimp meat emitting a hot and rich aroma.

"Although there's no seasoning, it still tastes good..." Yun Zhao picked up half of it and fed it to Ao Yu, "Try it...Hey! Be careful, it's hot!"

Yun Zhao had just brought it to Ao Yu's mouth when the dragon opened his mouth and bit the chopsticks, swallowing the shrimp whole.

Ao Yu didn't seem to mind the heat and chewed on the shrimp with a "crunch, crunch".

The crispy shell was fragrant and crunchy, and the shrimp meat inside was tender and elastic, fried to perfection.

Yun Zhao asked him, "Is it delicious?"

Ao Yu signaled for Yun Zhao to feed him the remaining half of the fried shrimp, his mouth full as he said, "It's okay."

During this time, Yun Zhao had been trying different cooking styles to please the picky little dragon, and he ate quite a lot, but he had never heard him admit that something was tasty.

But Yun Zhao had grown used to it and continued to cook.

The fish bone soup had turned white and bubbly, and Yun Zhao scooped out the fish bones and added the sliced fish and shrimp balls. He also boiled some green vegetables, even though Ao Yu scowled and pulled his hair.

As Yun Zhao carried the large pot of fish soup back to the dormitory, Luo Xue looked at him with tears in his eyes, and the cushion beneath him was already half soaked.

"Oh no!" Yun Zhao exclaimed.

He had forgotten that the little cat was a clingy creature who couldn't be separated from others.

Yun Zhao put down the soup and held Luo Xue in his arms, coaxing him softly, "What's wrong, little Luo Xue? Brother will make you something delicious, don't be afraid!"

Luo Xue meowed softly, lifted her little head and looked at the patient young man, rubbing her head against his chin.

The small cat bravely buried himself in Yun Zhao's shoulder, but was accidentally hit by the dragon's silver-white tail.

Ao Yu glanced over at the bewildered cat and silently muttered, "Get out of the way, crybaby."

Luo Xue moved her head away, feeling wronged.

Yun Zhao took Ao Yu off his neck and put him aside, then mashed up some fish meat and balls in a small bowl.

As divine beasts could transform into human forms, adding seasoning to their food shouldn't affect them.

Yun Zhao used a small spoon to scoop out some fish meat and fed it to Luo Xue, saying, "Come on, good baby, let's eat."

Ao Yu's face darkened instantly, staring at Yun Zhao in disbelief.

Did she have to be rare and attract people just because she had fur?

Ao Yu looked down at his own body covered in silver-white scales, previously being doted on by Yun Zhao all the time, always taking advantage of him in various ways.

Ao Yu glared at Yun Zhao coldly.

Men, they always liked novelty and got tired of the old!

Yun Zhao was completely unaware of this and the little cat in front of him smelled the fishy aroma, sniffing around the bowl with her little pink nose and immediately wagging her tail, meowing softly.

The fish meat had cooled down to the perfect temperature. Luo Xue opened her small mouth and carefully chewed on the spoonful of fish meat.

The unique sweetness of seafood was locked in the soup, making the fish meat that was coated in the soup even more delicious.

After swallowing the fish meat in her mouth, Luo Xue couldn't wait to scrape the bowl with her paws, but then remembered something and hesitantly glanced at Yun Zhao, obediently retracting her paws and sitting down. She covered her paws with her tail and looked up, meowing softly.

During the days she had been here, Yun Zhao was still amazed by Luo Xue's well-behaved nature. As he thought about how the cat was said to have been picked up by Kongming, he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her.

After feeding her several spoonfuls of meat, Luo Xue finally let go of her reserved demeanor and bravely approached the bowl.

The little cat secretly glanced at Yun Zhao and saw only a gentle smile in his eyes. He immediately sweetly meowed and buried her head in the bowl, eating away.

Ao Yu became more and more restless, and his tail made a loud noise as it swayed on the table. Finally, he couldn't help but hit Yun Zhao's back with a snap.

Yun Zhao winced in pain and turned his head to look at the dragon.

Ao Yu raised his head in a dignified manner and his tail fell weakly next to the fish soup. When he saw Yun Zhao looking at him, he quickly looked away.

Yun Zhao blinked and understood what was going on. He went to the kitchen and brought out some fried shrimp, then poured a bowl full of fish balls and fish meat soup in front of Ao Yu.

Yun Zhao scooped a spoonful of soup and fed it directly into Ao Yu's mouth. Without waiting for his response, he pushed a fried shrimp towards Ao Yu's mouth and asked, "Is it delicious?"

Ao Yu chewed the meat in hisvmouth but didn't answer. The amplitude of his tail swinging gradually decreased.

Luo Xue licked the bowl clean and saw Yun Zhao holding a golden, hot and steaming thing in front of the dragon's mouth. Curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned over to sniff it.

Ao Yu quickly took the fried shrimp and put it in his mouth, looking warily at the crying and foolish cat.

Yun Zhao avoided the furry little head and tapped her forehead with his finger, saying, "This is fried food. I'll give it to you next time. Kongming said you can't eat oily and greasy meat."

Luo Xue meowed softly to indicate that she understood, then obediently withdrew her gaze.

Ao Yu raised his chin triumphantly and finished off the rest of the fried shrimp, leaving golden crumbs and oil residue all over the table.

Yun Zhao: "..."

At night, Yun Zhao put Luo Xue in a small nest. The nest was a bamboo basket he bought at the market, covered with various soft fabrics, making it even more comfortable than the cat beds in the mall.

Luo Xue lay in the center of the bamboo basket, and the soft blanket immediately formed a small depression, enveloping the little white cat's entire body.

Luo Xue had eaten a lot of fish meat, and her little belly was slightly bulging. Yun Zhao rubbed her belly for a long time, and the kitten finally became sleepy,slowly closing her eyes.

When he saw that Luo Xue had fallen asleep, Yun Zhao quietly left and went back to his own room to wash up and sleep.

Just as Yun Zhao lay down on the bed, he heard the voice of the system in his mind: [The satisfaction level of the Divine Beast [Luo Xue] has reached 40%. Please continue to work hard to ensure the healthy growth of the cub!]

The system then said, [The restoration status of the Spiritual Vein System has been updated. Please check it, host.]

Yun Zhao first looked at Luo Xue's information and saw that the kitten was sensitive and introverted, but if he spent more time and patience taking care of her, her satisfaction level would gradually increase.

He then opened the Spiritual Vein System and found that the little dirtbag representing the spiritual vein now had several saplings growing, adding a bit more green vitality than before.

"What are you thinking about?"

A cold voice came from his side, and Yun Zhao turned his head to find Ao Yu lying on his pillow.

During this time, although the little dragon looked down on him almost every day, he always stayed by his side and never showed any intention of driving him away.

Ao Yu thought Yun Zhao's cooking was not bad, but he was a bit slow-witted and often stared blankly by himself.

Yun Zhao couldn't naturally say that he was looking at the system interface. He turned his body sideways and propped his head up, saying, "I'm worried that Luo Xue won't adapt here."

Ao Yu flicked his tail impatiently and turned his face away. "What's there not to adapt? He's over a hundred years old, not one year old."

"Okay, I'm overthinking it," Yun Zhao said.

He blew out the candle, pulled the blanket over himself, and tossed and turned a few times before finally falling asleep in a daze.

In the middle of the night, only the sound of rustling leaves could be heard on Yuming Mountain.

Yun Zhao turned over and habitually reached out to touch the pillow, but found it empty.

Where was the dragon?

He rubbed his eyes and turned on the light, then went to the Divine Beast dormitory, as if he had thought of something.

Yun Zhao gently pushed open the door and looked inside--

In the bamboo basket, the silver-white dragon and the white cat were lying together, as if a night breeze had blown in, and the long dragon tail hooked up a small blanket that covered the little white cat's rising and falling belly. The dragon then re-curled it back into its arms and hugged it with its four dragon claws...

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Translator's note: So cute!!!