CH 7

Chapter 7: Dragging the Whole Family Along

Early the next day, Bai Ze played with the cat for a while before bidding farewell to Yun Zhao. "I'm going to Qingqiu. A nine-tailed fox has just been born in the fox clan, and we're celebrating its birth with a feast."

A naturally-born nine-tailed fox is a divine beast, indeed worth celebrating.

Yun Zhao thought for a moment and packed the sweet cakes he made for Bai Ze to take with him. "Consider this a congratulatory gift from Yuming Mountain. Take it along with you."

Bai Ze nodded in agreement and then Yun Zhao asked, "You should pass through the Mountain Spirit Clan in Zhonglu on your way to Qingqiu, right?"

Bai Ze nodded, "Indeed, what's the matter?"

Ouyang Yu, who was lazily lying on the tea table behind them, immediately raised his head upon hearing Yun Zhao mention his hometown. He stared intently at Yun Zhao's back.

Unaware of this, Yun Zhao made a list on paper and handed it to Bai Ze along with a bag of spirit stones. "I'm running low on the herbs I brought from the Mountain Spirit Clan, and the newly planted ones haven't grown yet. If you have the time, could you buy some from the clan's merchants when you pass through Zhonglu?"

"That's easy, I'll make sure to buy them," Bai Ze replied, accepting everything and leaving.

The mountain was filled with falling petals, and the dense forest was adorned with a warm halo. Bai Ze wondered if he was imagining it, but it seemed that the spiritual energy of Yuming Mountain had become more abundant.

On the other side, in the Divine Beast Dormitory.

Yun Zhao used a mahogany comb to groom Luo Xue's fur. The fur of the little cat was incredibly soft, and Yun Zhao couldn't help but put down the comb and stroke it with his hand.

Luo Xue opened his round eyes and let out a few meows before flipping onto his back, allowing Yun Zhao to play with his belly.

He's so well-behaved!

Just as Yun Zhao was about to pick up Luo Xue and give his a few kisses, the little rabbit spirits knocked on the door. "Lord Yun Zhao! The squid skewers are ready. Are we going to the market now?"

In the Divine Beast Kindergarten, Luo Xue was the only child, and the main source of spirit stones was still through selling squid skewers. This sideline business couldn't be neglected.

Yun Zhao stood up and went outside. The spiritual colt had already harnessed the small wooden cart on its own, and Ouyang Yu was sitting on the railing of the cart, looking impatiently at Yun Zhao. "Are we going or not?"

"We're going," Yun Zhao replied.

He looked down at Luo Xue in his arms. Luo Xue's little paws were hooked onto his collar, and his watery eyes stared straight at Yun Zhao.

Unable to resist, Yun Zhao softly asked Luo Xue, "Can you come with us to sell the squid skewers?"

Luo Xue glanced at the marinated squid on the cart, and his tail gently swayed. He raised his head and rubbed against Yun Zhao's chin, indicating that he wanted to go.

And so, Yun Zhao brought the whole family along to the market.

Unlike the first time they came to the market, wherever Yun Zhao set up his stall, that area became the liveliest spot on the street.

As soon as the other vendors saw Yun Zhao choose a spot, they immediately rushed over to occupy the space around him.

Come on, with such a high customer flow at the squid skewer stall, who wouldn't be tempted? If they could sell more of their own snacks and food items next to Yun Zhao's stall, it would be great.

Just as Yun Zhao got the charcoal fire burning, many regular customers crowded around him. "Boss, give me ten skewers of squid."

"Sure thing." Yun Zhao took out the marinated squid skewers and started to work.

Luo Xue squatted on the wooden board of the small cart. Today, the little black rabbit was busy taking care of the spirit field and couldn't come. So Yun Zhao simply took out the little cat and placed him next to the money jar.

Luo Xue tilted his head curiously, watching as Yun Zhao flipped and grilled the squid in his hand until it turned golden. With a cut of the knife, the tender white meat was revealed.

When Yun Zhao turned his head to grab the condiments, he saw a drop of transparent liquid dripping from Luo Xue's mouth.

Yun Zhao: "..."

He set aside a grilled squid tentacle, cut it into suitable pieces, and placed them in a small plate in front of Luo Xue.

Luo Xue meowed gratefully and buried her head, happily devouring the squid.

He held a piece of squid tentacle in his mouth, tilted his head, and slowly chewed. His expression was both satisfied and delightful. The surrounding customers couldn't help but comment on how the boss was good-looking and talented, and paying for their orders was a pleasant experience.

A vendor selling fried pork chops across from them sneered and mocked, "What Dragon Clan's young lord's spouse? Just a cheap plaything."

The market was crowded with people, and although they had seen the little dragon on Yun Zhao's neck, they were only curious and glanced at it briefly before their attention was quickly drawn to the skewers.

The vendor's voice wasn't loud, but many people heard it and exchanged whispers about Yun Zhao among themselves.

A burly bear clan customer, who was as strong as a small mountain, grabbed a bunch of skewers and threw spirit stones into the money jar in front of Luo Xue. He gruffly said, "I'm here to buy food. Whichever place has good taste, I'll buy from them! Say any more sour words, and I won't hesitate to smoke your pork chops too!"

"Can't people speak the truth anymore? Besides, I haven't seen any respectable divine lord letting their spouse set up a stall..." The vendor glanced at Yun Zhao, who remained silent across from him, and quietly retorted.

As soon as those words were spoken, Ao Yu, who had been resting with closed eyes, opened his eyes. A faint golden light leaked from his eyes like a sharp arrow, causing the vendor to fall silent and dare not speak any further.

In an instant, the vendor felt as if his throat had been gripped tightly, and though he moved his lips, no sound came out.

After what seemed like a long time, he heard a cold laughter ringing in his ears. Struggling, he looked up and saw that the silver-white little dragon had closed its eyes, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

The vendor didn't dare to linger any longer. He quickly packed up his stall, pushed through the crowd, and left in a hurry.

The bear clan customer who had supported him rubbed his head and wondered if his own spiritual power had increased. It turned out he had such a deterrent power!

Luo Xue lifted his head and softly meowed as if saying thank you. His innocent and adorable appearance made the bear clan customer unable to resist patting his head a few times.

The customer smiled and asked Yun Zhao, "Boss Yun Zhao, how come you've raised another spiritual cat?"

Yun Zhao, while seasoning the skewers, casually explained, "Yu Ming Mountain has opened a divine beast kindergarten, and this cat is fostered by Master Kongming."

Other customers nearby forgot about the little incident just now and curiously asked, "Divine beast kindergarten? What's that?"

"Oh, it sounds familiar. Our clan leader received some kind of letter before."

"Yeah, and Erlang True Immortal seemed to have received one too."

"No, what exactly are you guys talking about?"

Yun Zhao didn't expect the customers to start discussing his divine beast kindergarten. It was a perfect opportunity for advertisement, and he naturally didn't want to miss it.

So he took out the spare jade slips made by Bai Ze from his storage bag, crushed them, and tossed them into the air.

The huge coconut tree-themed advertisement appeared in the air again. This time, there seemed to be some improvements in the advertisement. The words "Divine Beast Kindergarten" rotated in five or six different colors, rhythmically jumping at the top.

"Cough, cough..."

The little dragon coiled around Yun Zhao's neck tensed up as soon as the advertisement appeared, causing Yun Zhao to cough involuntarily.

He quickly patted the dragon's back, gesturing for Ao Yu to relax a bit. Otherwise, he felt like he was being strangled.

Ao Yu's claws involuntarily curled up, and for the first time, he wanted to find a hole to hide in.

Yun Zhao's sudden advertisement stunned the people on the street. Although they didn't know if they would consider sending their suitable offspring there, it had at least served as good publicity.

Due to the large number of returning customers, business was even more booming than before. Despite preparing more goods, they were still snatched up by the customers.

After tidying up the stall, while the market was still lively, Yun Zhao had the spirit foal pull the small wooden cart back first, while he and Ao Yu took Luo Xue for a stroll.

Luo Xue hadn't been out much since being raised by Master Kongming on the Floating Sky Island. He huddled in Yun Zhao's arms, with only a small head sticking out. His round eyes looked left and right along the streets.

The market in the Spirit Realm was not much different from the markets in the cultivation world and mortal realms, except that most of the vendors retained their original forms.

"Ao Yu, is there anything you want?"

Yun Zhao asked the little dragon coiled on his shoulder. Ao Yu rarely spoke on his own initiative, sometimes even Yun Zhao would forget that there was a dragon coiled around his neck.

Now that his purse was relatively full, he felt confident.

Thinking about buying something to please himself after earning just a little money, Ao Yu rubbed his itchy dragon horn against Yun Zhao's tender neck. He wouldn't let anyone figure out his preferences.

"No."

Yun Zhao thought so too. With Ao Yu's discerning eyes, he probably wouldn't be interested in the trinkets in the market.

Yun Zhao bought some meat and put it into his storage bag. Eating seafood all the time could get boring.

While tidying up, Luo Xue in his arms meowed softly, his eyes fixed on a small stall across the way.

Yun Zhao followed the cat's gaze and realized it was a shop selling dolls.

"Sir, come take a look. They are all handmade by me!"

The stall owner was a spider woman who warmly greeted customers at the stall. Several spider legs behind her were deftly knitting dolls with yarn.

Yun Zhao casually picked up one of the dolls. The outer layer of the doll was woven with a mixture of spider silk and thread, and it was stuffed with soft and comfortable materials inside.

"The stuffing inside is made from cotton grown in the Spirit Field. I also added some grass, so it's no problem for little ones to cuddle and sleep with it."

Yun Zhao touched the raised head of Luo Xue and saw the longing and hesitant look in his eyes. His heart melted instantly. "You can buy whatever you want. Big brother will buy it for you."

Just as the words fell, a cold snort came from Ao Yu.

Yun Zhao quickly asked, "Do you want one too, Ao Yu?"

Annoyed, Ao Yu pushed Yun Zhao's face away with his front paw. "I'm not a whelp. I don't want it!"

Yun Zhao stopped bothering him and placed Luo Xue on the stall for him to choose.

At first, Luo Xue was a bit bewildered, looking at the array of dolls and getting a bit overwhelmed.

Finally, the little cat trotted over and sat down beside one doll, with its tail draped over the doll, gesturing to Yun Zhao, "Meow meow!"

"Just this one?" Yun Zhao picked it up. It turned out to be a rabbit doll, and its black beady eyes inexplicably reminded him of the small black rabbits in the mountains.

Luo Xue nodded his head and wrapped his tail halfway around the little rabbit doll.

Seeing that he liked it, Yun Zhao happily paid for it. Compared to the toys sold in the mall, this rabbit doll was a bargain at only fifty spirit stones.

By the time Yun Zhao returned to Yuming Mountain, it was already dark. They casually ate some grilled meat dumplings at the market, saving the effort of cooking when they got back.

As soon as they returned to the mountain, Ao Yu disappeared somewhere. Well, he would come back to his own room to sleep, and Yun Zhao couldn't be bothered to look for him.

Luo Xue crouched by Yun Zhao's feet, watching him organize the spice jars on the small wooden cart.

"Achou!"

Yun Zhao sneezed, rubbing his nose. He could smell the aroma of grilled squid on himself. He lifted Luo Xue for a sniff and found that he also had a smell of oil and smoke.

Yun Zhao sighed and took Luo Xue to the bathhouse.

The bathhouse had a natural hot spring. Yun Zhao rolled up his trousers and robe, took a small wooden basin, and placed Luo Xue inside.

It was true that cats were naturally afraid of water. Even though Luo Xue endured it obediently, Yun Zhao could feel his body trembling all over.

Yun Zhao thought for a moment and reluctantly bought a bath toy from the mall.

System: [Thank you for purchasing the [Bath Essential Atmosphere Set - Little Yellow Ducks]! It has been placed in your storage bag. Please check it!]

Yun Zhao reached into the storage bag and pulled out five yellow rubber ducks. He hesitantly placed them in Luo Xue's small wooden basin.

Just a few items like these cost him thirty spirit stones!

Luo Xue was momentarily stunned when he saw the little yellow ducks, but then he lifted his small front paw and pressed it down. The ducks sank into the water, bubbling and bobbing. When Luo Xue anxiously moved hiz paw away, the ducks resurfaced, wobbling.

Luo Xue's cat eyes instantly sparkled with delight: he loved the duckies!

Yun Zhao saw Luo Xue having a great time and felt relieved, letting go of his previous tension. He sighed and thought the money was well spent.

He quickly finished bathing Luo Xue and turned around to find a clean towel, but he heard a "plop" sound behind him.

Yun Zhao quickly turned back, only to see the overturned wooden basin and the floating set of ducks in the water, with no sign of Luo Xue...

Yun Zhao panicked, "Where's my cat?!"