CH 22

Chapter 22: Bamboo Fungus Chicken Soup

"You don't need to worry," Ao Yu said quickly, closing the box and securing it with a jade lock, making a satisfying "click" sound. His movements were smooth and effortless, leaving Yun Zhao astonished.

Yun Zhao looked at Ao Yui in a daze, feeling uneasy. Could it be that this precious item is not something important?

Suspicious redness slowly crept up Ao Yu's ears as he avoided Yun Zhao's gaze and muttered, "Just some accessories, I can handle it myself."

"Okay, alright," Yun Zhao watched as he took the small box into the wardrobe, then casually shrugged and lay down in bed.

It started raining again shortly after the night had cleared, and Yun Zhao fell into a deep sleep amidst the gentle patter of raindrops.

On the other hand, the silver-white little dragon coiled itself awkwardly, burying its entire head within its tail.

Yun Zhao slept soundly until the next morning when he stretched lazily, and the system's electronic voice sounded in his ears.

【A new mission has been assigned to assist the Wolf Clan in successfully hosting the Immortal Spirit Celebration (0/1). Completion of this mission will greatly enhance the spiritual power of Yuming Mountain. Please actively complete the task, or 50% of your current spiritual power will be deducted!】

Yun Zhao's eyes widened in shock as the system finished speaking, and he couldn't believe there would be penalties too!

In a hurry, he exclaimed, "I was just thinking that it would be enough if the Wolf Clan was unsatisfied with my menu. But now, if they're not satisfied, I'll be at a loss!"

The system agreed, stating: 【So you should actively complete it!】

Yun Zhao clicked on the Yuming Mountain icon and let out a sigh, "Don't you think this forced assignment lacks human touch?"

The system innocently replied, 【It was always meant to be assigned to you. You just happened to activate it in advance. Think about the rewards, it's not a bad deal!】

Yun Zhao carefully examined the situation. Sun Yang's satisfaction level was close to 80%, but the overall repair progress of Yuming Mountain's spiritual power was stuck at 30%.

Rubbing his chin, Yun Zhao pondered and asked, "How much is the reward?"

The system replied, 【A whole 20%! Once you complete it, the repair progress will reach halfway! Isn't it enticing? Doesn't it give you the drive?】

Yun Zhao closed the interface, got out of bed, and calmly said, "If the client are unsatisfied, I'll lose half of my spiritual power. The risk is too great. Don't you think you should give me some encouragement?"

The system probed, [Like what?]

Yun Zhao grinned mischievously, "How about giving me ten thousand Immortal Stones as a start?"

The system fell silent for a moment and then responded in a firm electronic tone, [Get lost.]

Yun Zhao pursed his lips, knowing well that this stingy system wouldn't give him any extra benefits. He finished getting ready and pushed the door open.

He remembered that Wu Mu had mentioned yesterday that the pastries made with vanilla were highly popular among the immortals. So, holding an umbrella, he walked towards the spiritual field.

The rainy weather made the muddy ground slippery and sticky. As Yun Zhao walked along the stone path, not yet reaching the back mountain, he faintly heard whimpering cries.

Yun Zhao frowned and quickened his pace.

When he brushed aside the willow branches, he was startled by the scene in front of him.

In the small spiritual field, half of it was planted with vegetables and fruits, while the other half was filled with the vanilla plants Yun Zhao had brought.

However, several days of continuous heavy rain had washed away the vanilla plants from the field. The almost matured plants were rotten at the roots, with the entire grass appearing dull yellow, devoid of its former radiance.

The rabbits clung to the dead vanilla plants, crying in a huddled mess, their long ears drooping without any spirit.

Sensing Yun Zhao's approach, the little black rabbit turned around.

Its young body, not even as tall as Yun Zhao's legs, sadly huddled in the spiritual field. Its furry paws were in a disheveled state due to the muddy water.

Seeing Yun Zhao's arrival, it held the vanilla in its arms, trying to cover the decayed roots.

Turning its back, the little black rabbit inserted the vanilla into the soil, forcing a smile through held-back tears. "It's alright, sir. We'll plant the vanilla again right away, and it'll be fine with a shelter later."

As if comforting Yun Zhao and themselves, all the rabbits began busying themselves, stubbornly wiping the muddy water from the vanilla plants onto their own bodies, and then replanting them in the spiritual field.

Looking around, Yun Zhao noticed some makeshift wooden boards next to the field, probably a rain shelter made by the rabbits. Unfortunately, it was already in ruins due to the strong wind last night.

"Never mind, it's okay," Yun Zhao approached and consoled them.

The little black rabbit remained silent, continuing to insert the vanilla into the small pits it had dug and covering them. But no matter how hard it tried, the withered vanilla would only flop down softly.

"Wawu wuwu... wuwu..." The little black rabbit couldn't hold back any longer, looking up, it was about to burst into tears.

Seeing Yun Zhao's outstretched hands, it hesitated for a moment and cautiously placed its paws into his embrace.

Other rabbits also gathered around, crying and whimpering. Their pitiful appearance made Yun Zhao feel a pang of sadness as well.

"Apologies... Lord Yun Zhao! The vanilla you provided... wuwu... they all died..."

The little black rabbit was so upset that it was about to faint. It hiccuped while apologizing, with a face covered in a mixture of mud and tears, making its rabbit face look comical and pitiful.

Its tiny paws clutched Yun Zhao's clothes. "It rained a few days ago, but we... wuwu... didn't think much of it. Yesterday, the rain was too heavy, and you weren't here. We built a shelter, but... it collapsed..."

"Wuwu... the wind was so strong... when we woke up in the morning... it had collapsed..."

The little black rabbit explained incoherently, its gesturing paws stained with traces of blood, probably from injuring itself while building the shelter.

Initially, Yun Zhao only wanted these rabbits to work for him for free, but he didn't expect it to feel so concerned about the task he assigned them.

Yun Zhao sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt in his aching heart. "It's alright. If the vanilla is gone, it's gone. The most important thing is that you are all safe." Yun Zhao embraced the rabbit, gently patting its back.

He spent a long time comforting the rabbits until their crying subsided.

Seeing the bedraggled state of the rabbits in front of him, Yun Zhao brought them all back to the nursery room.

Wu Mu and Luo Xue were playing with a ball. When they heard Yun Zhao recount the incident, they turned into sensible children and brought clean clothes to help groom the rabbits.

Yun Zhao relaxed and thought that Ao Yu and Sun yang were probably hungry from their cultivation. He turned to the kitchen to prepare some food.

The rain outside had subsided a bit, and Yun Zhao slapped his face to cheer himself up.

In the kitchen, he found some bamboo fungus and was about to go to the cellar to find some meat when Ao Yu and Sun Yang entered with a pheasant in the latter's mouth. Sun Yang sat obediently, wagging his tail vigorously.

Yun Zhao chuckled, took the pheasant, and rubbed the dog's head. "Weren't you supposed to be cultivating? Why did you come here?"

Ao Yu helped clean the pheasant while speaking softly, "The rabbits were too noisy."

Yun Zhao raised an eyebrow. Since they had brought ready-to-cook ingredients, he was saved from making an extra trip.

He skillfully opened the pheasant's belly and rinsed it to remove the blood, then placed it into a clay pot.

Afterward, he poured in clear mountain spring water and slowly simmered it over the glowing embers of a fire.

Rainwater dripped outside, and the fragrant aroma of the chicken soup gradually filled the room. Yun Zhao lifted the lid of the clay pot and added the cleaned bamboo fungus.

The two pheasants brought by Ao Yu were quite large, enough for everyone to have a delicious meal.

Yun Zhao threw a log under the stove and casually asked, "What's with the recent rainy weather? It's too abnormal. It flooded the spiritual field completely."

A coldness appeared in Ao Yu's eyes as he looked at the gloomy sky.

After a while, Yun Zhao regained his composure and said, "It's probably just the Abyss being unstable. Don't worry, there are always people who can handle even the reversal of the Milky Way."

Yun Zhao looked up, and Ao Yu leaned against the window, arms crossed, his gaze devoid of emotion as he looked into the distance. The cold wind blew, causing his silver hair to add a touch of desolation.

Sensing Yun Zhao's gaze, Ao Yu's golden eyes turned directly to meet his. "What's wrong?" Ao Yu asked.

Yun Zhao coughed and averted his gaze, shaking his head. "It's nothing, it's nothing!"

The soup in the clay pot bubbled and boiled, making Sun Yang's mouth water as he stared intently.

Yun Zhao lifted the lid, revealing steaming water vapor and the simmering golden chicken broth. The chicken, cooked to a rich golden hue, could be faintly seen in the soup.

Yun Zhao called for Wu Mu and the others to come, and the room quickly filled up.

The rain outside was incessant, but the room was filled with the aroma, dispersing the dampness.

Yun Zhao scooped the soup into small bowls, the white porcelain bowls containing golden chicken soup. Blowing away the thin layer of oil floating on top, a rich white soup appeared.

Using chopsticks, Yun Zhao pierced the chicken into small pieces and distributed them into each person's bowl.

The tender and delicious chicken soaked in the golden soup, each bite leaving a lingering taste.

Wu Mu, who had a sensitive tongue, cautiously blew on a spoonful before putting it in his mouth.

The bamboo fungus absorbed the rich oil from the chicken and infused its own fragrance into the soup. The warm soup flowed down his throat, making Wu Mu feel warm all over, dispelling the irritability caused by the rainy day.

He sipped the soup in small sips, squinting his eyes. He glanced over and saw the little black rabbit happily slurping the soup and even managed to stuff a few pieces of tender chicken into its mouth.

After staring for a while, perhaps his gaze was too direct, the little black rabbit stopped eating and warily asked, "What?"

Wu Mu curled his lips and said, "Aren't you a rabbit? Why are you eating meat?"

Swallowing the soup in its mouth, the little black rabbit wiped its mouth with a cloth and corrected him unhappily, "Sorry, to be precise, I am an intelligent rabbit demon. Please don't compare me to ordinary rabbits. Thank you."

Wu Mu: "..."

Yun Zhao chuckled and added a piece of meat to both of their bowls, encouraging them to eat more and avoid a potential quarrel later.

After eating and drinking to their heart's content, the mood of the little black rabbit eased. It used its paws to tidy its long ears and rubbed its front paws in front of Yun Zhao.

After hesitating for a moment, it said, "Master, I heard from Wu Mu that you have taken over the celebration banquet and want to use vanilla to make pastries..."

Yun Zhao turned to look at Wu Mu.

Wu Mu shrugged helplessly, "It kept crying, so I ended up telling it everything."

Yun Zhao rubbed his forehead, sighed, and said, "I did have that plan, but I didn't put all my hopes on the vanilla."

The little black rabbit tugged on its ears and whispered, "But those seeds were entrusted to me by you, and I let you down... wu..."

Afraid that it would start crying again, Yun Zhao quickly stuffed a chicken leg into its mouth.

Yun Zhao was contemplating how

to comfort the saddened little rabbit when he suddenly heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"I'm back! Yun Zhao—Hey, where is everyone? Is there anyone here? I'm so hungry!"