CH 51

Chapter 51: Guests from Dan Xue Mountain

The Flower Goddess took a few bites of the pear and smiled, saying, "Indeed, it's sweet. I have plenty of fragrant fruits in the mountains. If you like, when I return, I'll pick some good ones and bring them to you."

Before Yun Zhao could respond, the other children cheered and immediately surrounded the Flower Goddess, acting coquettish by her side.

Under the gaze of several sparkling animal eyes, the Flower Goddess had a momentary thought that Yun Zhao was not raising divine beasts but a group of greedy piglets.

On the following day, the Flower Goddess was drinking tea in the courtyard when she saw Yun Zhao coming out of the house. She said, "I have troubled you for a long time. I must return now. If you have the time in the future, come visit me at my place."

Yun Zhao naturally agreed and had the bunnies prepare some pastries as gifts for the Flower Goddess. In no time, her storage bag was filled to the brim.

Gently stroking the bunny's head, the Flower Goddess suddenly remembered something and said to Yun Zhao, "The spiritual energy in Yuming Mountain is quite abundant now. I have an old friend who saw your advertisement letter and intends to send his young child to stay here. They should be arriving soon."

Yun Zhao was taken aback and delighted in his heart. Just as he was about to ask which immortal clan the child belonged to, a pleasant voice came from behind.

"Oh, Yuming Mountain has become so beautiful."

Yun Zhao turned around and saw a young man in a brocade robe standing under a crabapple tree.

He was exceptionally handsome, with a charming appearance reflected in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows. The upturned ends of his eyes outlined a touch of reddish-gold, while the magnificent robe embroidered with feather patterns shimmered under the sunlight, making the feathers appear alive, changing and floating.

Wu Mu raised its front paw to shield its eyes. "Wow, so dazzling!"

The Flower Goddess smiled lightly and said to the dumbfounded Yun Zhao, "This is my friend, the Phoenix from the Dan Xue Mountain. His name is Chao Dan."

Phoenix?!

Yun Zhao blinked his eyes, no wonder he was so radiant and eye-catching, like a walking spotlight.

Chao Dan had a pleasant tone as he approached the two of them. "You must be Yun Zhao?"

Yun Zhao was confused, not knowing whom he was talking to. But when he turned his head, he saw the Flower Goddess sitting calmly at the stone table, sipping tea as if it were an everyday occurrence.

Just as Yun Zhao was about to ask again, Chao Dan's sleeve fluttered, and a faint halo appeared at the cuff. A fiery-red little bird's head poked out from inside, meeting the gaze of the young man.

The reddish-golden beast pupils slightly shifted, staring unblinkingly at the young man before them.

Yun Zhao felt his back tingling from being stared at by the little bird. Only then did he hear the proud little bird nod and say, "You look decent."

Yun Zhao scratched his face and chuckled, "Thank you."

On the opposite side, Chao Dan breathed a sigh of relief and took the little phoenix out from the halo, placing it on his own shoulder.

"I apologize for the rudeness," Chao Dan explained sheepishly. "This is my child, Le Huang. He's born to be picky and places great importance on appearance. He angered his mother a few days ago, so I brought him to Yuming Mountain for a while to mend his bad habits."

Yun Zhao was surprised. Phoenixes have always been picky, and they top the Blacklist of clients for Fairy Xiaguang. Now even Chao Dan himself was saying this, so this little phoenix... might not be easy to handle...

Upon hearing his father's explanation, Le Huang shook his slender and beautiful feathers. Countless fine golden lights emerged, swirling around.

The reddish-golden little phoenix corrected seriously, "I only said her new makeup was ugly. If having good taste is also wrong, then I have nothing to say."

Chao Dan: "..."

He helplessly spread his hands and raised an eyebrow at Yun Zhao. "See, that's his personality."

Yun Zhao: "..." Difficult to handle indeed.

But regardless, it was still a new divine beast, so Yun Zhao took out a price list and introduced it to Chao Dan.

To his surprise, Chao Dan didn't even look at it. He directly took out a box of gemstones and said, "Dragons have always liked these stones. They can also be exchanged for spiritual stones. Keep them."

Yun Zhao's eyes were dazzled by the colorful gemstones, and he quickly waved his hand, "No, I don't need that many."

Chao Dan shook his head, his tone profound, "No, you need them."

Yun Zhao looked puzzled, but seeing the Flower Goddess also urging him to accept, he reluctantly took the box of gemstones. Consider it as an advance payment. He would find a chance to return the excess later.

Once Yun Zhao accepted, Chao Dan made a sweeping gesture, signing his name on the contract, and then placed the little phoenix on Yun Zhao's embrace.

Yun Zhao and the little phoenix in his hand stared at each other, seemingly unable to go against the mother's command. The little phoenix sighed silently, broke free from Yun Zhao's hand, and flew to his shoulder, closing its eyes.

It was unclear whether it was resting with its eyes closed or trying to ignore everything.

Regardless, now that his wife's task was completed, Chao Dan looked satisfied and said, "The contract is set. I'll take my leave."

Without waiting for Yun Zhao's response, he summoned a magnificent golden leaf boat.

The boat was exquisitely crafted, with flying and flamboyant phoenix motifs carved on the hull and pillars. Ruby gemstones and gold leaf were embedded between the patterns as if they were worthless, giving off an aura of luxury that made Yun Zhao gasp in awe.

Chao Dan invited the Flower Goddess to board the boat together, and with a few strands of gentle breeze and white mist, they ascended into the sky, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Yun Zhao watched their fading figures and murmured, "They left in quite a hurry..."

The courtyard returned to tranquility for a moment, as if nothing had happened except for the addition of a phoenix.

Thinking that Le Huang was new here and unfamiliar with Yuming Mountain and the little companions, Yun Zhao looked at the little phoenix on his shoulder and suggested, "Would you like to go to the mountains with Wu Mu and the others?"

Le Huang opened his eyes, looked down condescendingly at the sitting kitten, and huffed, "No need."

After scanning the surroundings with disdain, he muttered in a dissatisfied tone and flew toward the largest banyan tree.

Yun Zhao scratched his head. The little bird seemed unhappy. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about we make some snacks?"

"Okay!"

Without waiting for Le Huang's response, the obedient little white cat sitting on the ground meowed and asked sweetly, "Brother, what are we doing today?"

Yun Zhao hesitated for a while and said, "Let's roast sticky rice cakes?"

The little ones had no objections when they heard that and silently urged him to start, gathering around Yun Zhao's feet.

Yun Zhao brought out the small red clay stove from the kitchen and placed it on a wire mesh tray. He also took out the freshly made fruit jam and honey, placing them on the stone table.

Luo Xue and the little ferret hopped onto the tabletop and curiously extended their small paws to dip into the jars and then licked them.

Sweet!

The eyes of the two little gluttons widened instantly, and their coquettish voices urging Yun Zhao grew incessant in the courtyard.

Yun Zhao chuckled and took out a handkerchief to clean their little paws. He held one in each hand, lifting them by the nape of their necks and sliding them off the table.

He cut the sticky rice cakes into small pieces, skewered them with bamboo sticks, and carefully flipped them on the wire mesh tray, roasting them until the outer layer turned golden and crispy. He then flipped them over to cook the other side.

After a few rounds, a faint aroma of rice wafted from the small red stove.

Several little ones gathered around, and even Xuanming, who was not particularly interested in sweet treats, strolled over and sat down.

They didn't mind the possibility of their fur getting burnt and blinked their eyes without looking away, focusing on the flipping rice cakes.

Wu Mu wagged his tail, licked his lips with his pink tongue, and called out to Yun Zhao in a tender voice, "Meow~"

His voice was even more melodious and gentle than usual, even more coquettish than Luo Xue that loved to act cute.

While calling out, he pressed against Yun Zhao, placing his front paws on Yun Zhao's knee and rubbing his little arm with his head. "Meow—Yun Zhao, is it not ready yet?"

"You're always so impatient." Yun Zhao chuckled and scolded, then dipped the roasted sticky rice cakes in honey fruit jam and handed them to the little ones.

Except for the black panther, who took a bite directly, the rest of the little ones held the bamboo sticks with their front paws and took small bites.

The crispy outer layer was broken by their tiny teeth, and with a gentle pull, a silky thread of rice cake was pulled out.

Afraid that the elongated rice cake would break, Luo Xue immediately increased his speed and took it all in one bite, stuffing his little mouth full. He squinted his eyes and ate with a satisfied expression.

Eating too many sticky rice cakes could cause stomach discomfort, so Yun Zhao allowed each of them to have only two skewers.

He picked up the remaining skewer and walked to the foot of the tree, tilting his head and calling out, "Le Huang, want to have some sticky rice cake?"

To his surprise, the golden little phoenix only half-opened its eyes and glanced indifferently before closing them again. It even turned its direction, using its magnificent tail feathers to face Yun Zhao.

He said, "At the very least, I am a divine beast. How can I lower myself to beg for food like a spiritual pet?"

Wu Mu froze, then quickly snatched the sticky rice cake from Yun Zhao's hand and chewed it with a smacking sound.

The black kitten licked its paws and tidied its facial fur, whispering back, "This bird is smaller than a mountain chicken and yet causes so much trouble."

Yun Zhao: "..."

Upon hearing that, Le Huang immediately became displeased. He landed on the lowest branch of the tree, spread his wings and shook them, causing numerous golden lights to fall from the sky like dewdrops.

The fine golden lights refracted different colors under the reflection of sunlight. Looking up, it was as if one could glimpse countless stars sinking into the sea.

The little ferret lifted its upper body and cupped its paws together to catch the falling specks of light, presenting them to Yun Zhao as if offering treasures.

Luo Xue raised its head and exclaimed, "Wow!"

Le Huang watched with satisfaction as his little companions reacted. He held his head high, and his peripheral vision fell on the stunned face of the young man.

The little phoenix thought to himself, “Look at how amazed he is. He should hurry up and personally bring the pastries he made.”

Yun Zhao sighed, impressed by the majestic and picky nature of the divine beast phoenix. Such a noble and discerning bird probably wouldn't appreciate the things he made.

With that in mind, he stood under the tree and, in front of the little phoenix, finished eating the remaining rice cakes himself.

Le Huang: "..."

When it was time to sleep in the evening, Yun Zhao carried the little phoenix, who had been squatting in the tree all day, and took it to the dormitory.

He exchanged some immortal stones from the gems given by Chao Dan and bought some bedding to set up a small nest.

"I arranged this for you. Come and try if you like it," Yun Zhao said as he tried to put the little phoenix in the nest.

He thought that since they were both birds, a nest shaped like a chicken's should be acceptable... right?

However, as soon as the golden bird's claws touched the nest, it immediately withdrew them and clung to Yun Zhao in protest.

Yun Zhao puzzledly asked, "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

Le Huang was especially picky within the clan, but even so, the phoenix clan always cherished their offspring and doted on him in particular.

Today, he had been squatting in the tree all day, and this foolish young man hadn't come to coax him at all. Despite not having eaten, his little belly had grown bigger from holding in his frustration. Feeling annoyed, he lowered his head and looked at his bulging belly. He felt secretly sad. It made him look even more like a chicken chick!

Le Huang let out a small hum and flapped his wings, flying back to the tree trunk and squatting there awkwardly.

The little phoenix stomped on the tree bark, waiting for the young man to come and coax him, preferably bringing some of those delicious roasted rice cakes!

However, he waited for a long time, but there was no movement behind him. The little phoenix turned around in confusion, but there was no sight of a person. In the silent night, it felt as if it had been left alone in the courtyard...

Inside the sleeping quarters, Ao Yu saw Yun Zhao returning to his room and asked, "Has that chubby bird settled in?"

Yun Zhao nodded, "Yes, I thought it would be difficult to handle, but turns out it's an easy and sensible child."

A hint of surprise flashed in Ao Yu's eyes, "Easy and sensible?"

Yun Zhao replied, "Yes, it just squats on the tree and drinks dew. It's really easy to take care of!"

Ao Yu got up, pushed open the gauze window, and indeed saw the plump bird sitting alone on the tall banyan tree in the dark night. It looked like a big red fruit growing in the canopy...

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Translator’s note: Hahaha. There’s finally a chicken…Ah, I mean a bird~ hahaha