CH 34

Chapter 34: Arranging the Courtyard

Upon returning, Ao Yu grabbed Bai Ze from the bamboo chair and tossed the unconscious Sun Yang to him before returning to his room.

Bai Ze, feeling puzzled, held onto the puppy and asked Yun Zhao who came along, "What's going on? What's his situation?"

Yun Zhao briefly explained the previous events to Bai Ze, who couldn't help but curse, "Old man Cheng Yi is shameless!"

He carried Sun Yang into the divine beast dormitory and reassured Yun Zhao, "I think this child broke free from his restraints due to a moment of urgency. Don't worry, I'll take care of him."

Yun Zhao glanced into Ao Yu's room and speculated that the little dragon must have gone out and got tired. It would be best to let him rest.

Thinking this way, Yun Zhao picked up his robe and followed Bai Ze.

Little did he know, Ao Yu, who he thought was resting well, was actually standing by the bedroom window, angrily pacing back and forth as he watched the young man and Bai Ze walk away.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ao Yu suddenly noticed a small black rabbit curled up and napping in a bamboo basket.

The bamboo basket was specially made by Yun Zhao for the little ones. Taking advantage of the absence of the two kitten cubs, the small black rabbit had come over to enjoy itself and was peacefully sleeping with its eyes closed.

Ao Yu squinted his eyes slightly.

The small black rabbit instinctively shivered and warily opened its eyes, "?"

Ao Yu walked over, reached out, and pinched its long ears, lifting the bunny out.

Transforming back into his infant form, Ao Yu domineeringly occupied the small bamboo basket, even tucking his tail tip back into his embrace, tightly holding it with his four dragon claws.

The small black rabbit: "..." Feeling annoyed.

In the courtyard, Kongming had no intention of joining in the fun since Bai Ze was present, knowing that things wouldn't go wrong.

He placed the two kitten cubs on the stone table and mysteriously opened a storage bag, taking out several dishes from the feast as if offering precious treasures.

Kongming sighed while boasting, "These are delicacies from the wolf clan's feast. I couldn't bear to eat them, so I specially brought them for you to taste."

"The taste... tsk tsk... is not something an ordinary person can create." Kongming recalled the flavor he had tasted and sighed, "I don't even know who was in charge of this feast in the wolf clan. It was only because I’m your master that I remembered to bring some for you."

Saying that, he lowered his head to look at the two kitten cubs who should have been excitedly jumping into his arms, showing gratitude. However, he found them sitting motionless on the stone table.

Wu Mu extended his claws and scratched a few times, his face devoid of the expected surprise from Immortal Kongming.

The black cat turned his head and licked his younger brother's fur before saying, "We have eaten these dishes many times with Luo Xue. Old man, you can keep them for yourself."

"Eaten... already?" Kongming picked up a plate and brought it close to their mouths. "These are dishes from the divine feast. Can't you see? Where else can you eat them?"

Luo Xue raised a small paw and pushed the plate away, whispering, "Zhenren, it was Yun Zhao gege who made these dishes. He often made them for us during the tasting... We've grown a bit tired of them..."

The more Luo Xue spoke, the softer his voice became. Nonetheless, he stepped forward and rubbed his head against Zhenren Kongming's outstretched palm to express his gratitude.

Zhenren Kongming stood there dumbfounded, his enthusiasm completely deflated. But then he caught onto the key point: Yun Zhao actually made these dishes?

Well, well, the dishes that he and a few old friends couldn't get enough of turned out to be the everyday food for these two kittens?

He lifted his head and felt a connection with Wu Mu's eyes. The black cat's beast pupils clearly reflected the words ``inexperienced."

Zhenren Kongming, feeling embarrassed, packed all the dishes into his storage bag and left the courtyard, huffing with annoyance.

Wu Mu chuckled a couple of times and followed after with Luo Xue, "Old man, don't be angry!"

This old man just can't resist being teased.

...

When Yun Zhao came out of Sun Yang's room, the courtyard was empty, which was rare and peaceful.

Sun Yang's condition was better than he had expected. As Bai Ze had said, the sudden event was too overwhelming, and Sun Yang couldn't withstand the depletion of his spiritual power. As long as he focused on cultivation, there would be no major issues.

Fortunately, Yuming Mountain was no longer a desolate mountain with depleted spiritual energy. It nourished the divine beasts and vice versa, making it a decent place for cultivation.

Yun Zhao felt relieved, but then he suddenly heard the electronic voice of the system: [Congratulations to the host for successfully assisting the Wolf Clan in hosting the Immortal Clan Celebration (1/1). Now, it's time to settle the rewards for this mission.]

System: [Data settlement in progress...]

System: [Congratulations to the host for obtaining the reward of increased spiritual power in Yuming Mountain. The progress of spiritual vein restoration has reached 50%. Please continue your efforts, host.]

System: [Now distributing ten thousand immortal stones and one 95% discount coupon for the shopping mall.]

Yun Zhao opened the spiritual vein interface in his spiritual sea. The small sapling that had been there all along had grown into a tall and sturdy tree, swaying its branches and leaves in a particularly leisurely manner.

Together with the payment from the Wolf Clan, Yun Zhao had nearly two million spirit stones in his hands. After some consideration, he decided to convert all of them into immortal stones, totaling 1.8 million.

The system paused for a moment, and the electronic voice instantly became more urgent: [What are you planning to do with all of these?]

Yun Zhao remained calm and composed, as if he had planned it all along. "Shopping," he replied casually.

The system felt like the sun had risen from the west. Yun Zhao actually willing to spend money in the mall?

Ignoring the system's murmurs, Yun Zhao skillfully opened the module in the mall that contained divine beast toys and facilities.

After careful calculations, he began operating in his spiritual sea, checking off all the items he liked and settling the payment with a single click. He also made use of the discount coupon provided by the system.

With the 18,000 immortal stones after the 5% discount, it was just the right amount!

The system was utterly shocked, as if it had finally encountered the legendary customer who swiped the card straightforwardly after a long wait. It was so overjoyed that it couldn't form a coherent sentence.

Unaware of the system's excitement over its commission, Yun Zhao took the purchased facilities and placed them in the courtyard.

The pear wood swing was hung under a massive banyan tree. Next to it was a complete set of light pink bud-shaped combination rotating slides, with a trampoline in the center of the buds for children to bounce on.

He also set up a combination cat climbing frame with a roof in front of the artificial mountain, allowing Wu Mu, the restless little kitten, to play to his heart's content.

After arranging these facilities, Yun Zhao stepped back a few steps and looked at the courtyard with satisfaction. Now it truly resembled a kindergarten!

Just as he was enjoying the view, the system suddenly asked, [So, you saved up money to buy these things?]

"Yes," Yun Zhao replied. "At first, I thought about making these facilities myself, but then I realized that the variety and quality in the mall are better. The kittens should like them more."

Yun Zhao smiled and added, "And most importantly, don't you get a commission?"

The system was deeply moved. [Oh, how Yun Zhao loved me!]

Listening to the system's grateful mumbling, Yun Zhao touched his nose and tested, "So, can you give me a little cashback?"

The system: "..."

Although the system firmly rejected his request, Yun Zhao was not discouraged. He shrugged and brought in a few branches of drooping magnolias.

As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw a little dragon cub curled up in the small bamboo basket on the mahogany table. The little black rabbit sat on the carpet, holding his face in his hands and sighing.

Yun Zhao was extremely worried and quickly asked the system, "What's wrong with Ao Yu? He hasn't transformed into a dragon cub for a long time! Did he exhaust too much spiritual power when he rushed here to save me?"

[Don’t panic,] the system replied after a few seconds. [He's fine. His powers have already recovered to fifty percent along with Yuming Mountain.]

Yun Zhao felt relieved after hearing the system's response and suppressed the worry in his heart.

Yun Zhao placed the flower branches in a vase and carried it along with the vase to the side of the small bamboo basket.

As the vase made a clinking sound on the wooden table, the little dragon in the basket only wagged its tail slightly, still looking away.

Yun Zhao tentatively caressed the dragon cub's back, and seeing no objections, he gently stroked along its scales.

"Is Sun Yang okay?" the little dragon suddenly turned its head and spoke.

Yun Zhao smiled and replied, "He's fine. Bai Ze is looking after him."

"Oh."

After the conversation ended, there was a moment of silence.

Yun Zhao looked at the vibrant sea holly in the vase and understood in his heart. "Ao Yu, these sea hollies are beautiful. They are even more beautiful than what I saw in the Su yu Valley."

"Of course," Ao Yu immediately raised his head, lifted his chin proudly, and his eyes were filled with arrogance. "I used my spiritual power to bless them, allowing them to bloom throughout the year without withering."

Yun Zhao was amazed, and his grip tightened slightly. Following the tone of the little dragon, he praised, "So, they're as powerful as the Flower God!"

"It's barely passable," Ao Yu, who was enjoying the touch, said contentedly. He caught a glimpse of Yun Zhao's admiring gaze and his tail wagged happily.

He would never mention that this technique was taught by the former Flower God.

Yun Zhao secretly chuckled at how easily this guy could be pleased. He then plucked a few petals and scattered them on the little dragon like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

The pink petals adorned the silver-white dragon cub, and its little belly gently rose and fell, making the petals float around it as if they were enveloped by clouds.

Yun Zhao touched his chin with satisfaction and said, "Hmm... it's the Flower Dragon! It smells so good!"

Ao Yu, still holding the bamboo basket, suddenly transformed back into his human form in a flash of white light.

With his handsome divine appearance and a face covered in pink flowers, his eyes narrowed slightly as he raised his hand to grab Yun Zhao.

Realizing it wasn't good, Yun Zhao swiftly dodged and ran out of the room like an eel.

The little black rabbit stood up from the carpet, looked at the two young men chasing and playing around, sighed, and hopped onto the coffee table.

With its short legs, it leaped into the bamboo basket and lay down comfortably. It blew on the flower petals at the edge of the basket and covered its eyes with its ears to continue sleeping.

In the fragrant bamboo basket, with a heavenly mattress, who sleeps and who knows?

...

After being caught by Ao Yu and having flowers inserted all over his head, Yun Zhao could only look speechlessly at the sky. Dragons really hold grudges.

At that moment, Zhenren Kongming returned with two kitten cubs. Wu Mu, who was just meowing around his feet, quickly settled down by himself.

Seizing the rare opportunity, Zhenren Kongming decided to take a casual stroll with the kittens in the mountains. During their walk, they discovered that Yuming Mountain had undergone a remarkable transformation, regaining its former celestial charm.

When they returned to the courtyard, they happened to see Ao Yu and Yun Zhao, adorned with flowers on their heads. Before they could ask what was happening, their attention was captured by the astonished cries of Luo Xue and Wu Mu.

"Wow! What are these things?"

"A swing! What's this thing with a long tube?"

The two little kittens' eyes gleamed as they pounced around Yun Zhao. "Did big brother prepare these for us? Can I play with them?"

"How do you play with this?"

"Big brother, come push the swing for me!"

The chirping voices made Yun Zhao feel dizzy as he followed behind the two little cubs, playing with each of the facilities.

Leaning against the cat climbing frame, Yun Zhao panted for breath. Originally, he had intended for these items to tire out the cubs, but to his surprise, they seemed to grow more energetic the longer they played, while he himself felt more exhausted than hosting a banquet.

He fanned himself and, by chance, caught a glimpse of Ao Yu reaching out and shaking the swing rope.

Yun Zhao asked, "Do you want to play too?"

Ao Yu immediately withdrew his hand, his gaze drifting I has he replied, "No."

**********************

Translator's note: Sorry for the slow updates today. I was busy at home, taking care of the leaking roof. There are a lot of things to do.