"Father??"
Yuan Hong, Star Lord Wugu, and the other celestial gods trembled inwardly, all of them startled, their breathing becoming somewhat hurried!
When had the Jade Emperor gotten a father?
This was truly sensational news!
Enough to shock the entire primordial world!
But they lowered their heads even further, becoming even more respectful. This was not something they could pry into, nor something they were qualified to know.
"Grandfather, I'm here too!" Yang Jian shouted as well, like a spoiled child.
Zhang Yifan was sitting in a rocking chair, basking in the sun.
"My son is here, and my grandson is here too. Why did you bring so many people?"
"Grandfather, didn't Uncle say last time that he wanted to bring people to expand the house? So Uncle and I called a group of brothers over."
"Are they all construction workers?"
Zhang Yifan looked at Yuan Hong, Star Lord Wugu, and the others outside the courtyard.
This group was tall, sturdy, and exuded a bandit-like air. No matter how he looked at them, they didn't seem like construction workers.
"Of course, Father. Don't underestimate them. When the Daughter Kingdom built its palace two years ago, they went too. Their craftsmanship is excellent."
"All right, as long as they can work. Invite them in." Zhang Yifan did not ask further.
"Come in." The Jade Emperor turned around and beckoned Star Lord Wugu and the others inside.
Obeying the order, Star Lord Wugu and the other celestial gods entered the courtyard.
The moment they stepped inside, everyone's bodies trembled involuntarily!
They all felt that the cultivation they had always been proud of had vanished, and their magical power was gone!
My god!
This was terrifying.
The Jade Emperor's father was truly frightening.
Yuan Hong, Star Lord Wugu, and the others all thought this involuntarily. They even walked carefully, afraid that a moment of carelessness might displease Zhang Yifan. If that happened, they would be completely doomed.
"Woof, woof, woof~"
A large black dog ran out and barked fiercely at everyone.
When they heard the barking, Yuan Hong, Star Lord Wugu, and the others felt as if they had been struck by lightning, their minds trembling violently.
Seeing the Big Black Dog was like seeing the phantom of an incomparably terrifying canine demon god surging toward them like a tsunami.
The group involuntarily retreated several steps in fright.
"Ugly dog, get back here!" Zhang Yifan shouted angrily.
"Whine, whine, whine."
Kirin Ancestor, in the form of the Big Black Dog, returned with his tail between his legs.
Kirin Ancestor felt deeply aggrieved. I only wanted to act like an ordinary farm dog. Is that wrong too?
Meanwhile, cold sweat poured from Yuan Hong and Star Lord Wugu's foreheads, soaking their backs.
What the hell? This Big Black Dog is terrifying.
It had only barked once, yet none of them could withstand it!
What was this dog's background?
Just what kind of divine being was the Jade Emperor's father?
Even a mere watchdog was this incredible!
"Build a few rooms over there." Zhang Yifan pointed to one side of the courtyard, where there was more open space.
"Yes!" Star Lord Wugu and the others replied respectfully.
Then they went to work.
"Father, didn't you say last time that you wanted to eat a whole roasted ox? I brought one for you."
The Jade Emperor went outside, released the Green Ox, and led it into the courtyard.
Seeing the Jade Emperor drag in Taishang Laojun's mount to roast it whole, Yuan Hong, Star Lord Wugu, and the others, who were working nearby, lowered their heads even further.
Many of them had cultivated from monsters into immortals. They did not want to be roasted someday as well.
Seeing the ox, Zhang Yifan's eyes lit up. "This ox looks pretty good. It's tall and sturdy. Look at those muscles—tut, tut, they're solid. The meat must be excellent."
At that moment, the Green Ox wanted to cry but had no mouth with which to speak. His entire cultivation had vanished, leaving him no different from an ordinary ox. All he could do was wait to be slaughtered!
He was then led by the nose and tied to a tree. No matter how he struggled, he could not break free.
"Grandfather, I went hunting some time ago and also caught a lion and a great roc. There's even an elephant."
Yang Jian released the true forms of the Green Mane Lion, Yellow Tusk Elephant, and Golden-Winged Great Peng as well.
"Wow, I've never eaten lion meat before. And this great roc—tut, tut, what wild game!"
"As long as Grandfather likes them!" Yang Jian laughed heartily.
"You suddenly brought this group of people over to work, and I was wondering what to prepare for them to eat. Now that we have this ox, this lion, this great roc, and this elephant, it's enough."
"Grandfather, are you going to cook?" Yang Jian's eyes lit up.
He had brought so many ingredients precisely so that his brothers could eat food prepared by Zhang Yifan.
"I am. Of course I am. If I don't cook for a day, I get restless." Zhang Yifan nodded.
"That's wonderful! We can eat Grandfather's cooking again!" Yang Jian was overjoyed. He then shouted to Yuan Hong and the others, "Work hard! My grandfather is cooking tonight!"
"Yes!" Everyone responded loudly, delighted. They worked with even greater enthusiasm.
Hadn't they come here for this very meal?
Even a sip of soup would be enough.
Thinking about it, the celestial gods were practically drooling!
Chapter 22: The Jade Emperor and Yang Jian Compete in Acting
At that moment, all the first- and second-rank great celestial gods of the Heavenly Court had rolled up their sleeves. They were digging foundations, sawing wood, planing timber, carving windows...
They looked exactly like a construction crew.
They were all working desperately to build a house for Zhang Yifan.
Where was the slightest trace of their usual lofty bearing as great celestial gods?
If this scene were witnessed by the cultivators of the primordial world, they would certainly cry out in astonishment, thinking they had seen a ghost.
Having a group of great celestial gods build a house for a mortal?
Impossible. It was absolutely impossible!
"Work hard!"
The Jade Emperor shouted at Star Lord Wugu, Yuan Hong, and the other gods as they worked energetically to build the house. As he spoke, he was about to sit down.
Before he could sit, Zhang Yifan kicked him in the butt.
"Why are you sitting there? Doesn't that great roc need to be boiled and plucked?"
"Huh? I'm supposed to boil the water and pluck it?" The Jade Emperor froze.
"If you don't do it, do you expect your father to?" Zhang Yifan said irritably.
The Jade Emperor grew depressed. The dignified ruler of the Heavenly Court, the Supreme Great Heavenly Venerable Haotian Shangdi, actually had to boil water and pluck feathers.
The key was that he did not know how to pluck feathers.
He had never done it before.
"Uncle, I'll help you." Yang Jian hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Mm, good." The Jade Emperor was very satisfied with Yang Jian's performance. This eldest nephew had always been good at reading the situation.
Thus, the Jade Emperor and Yang Jian went to boil water.
Kitchen.
The kitchen was enormous, covering a full sixty square meters. In the middle stood a large table for chopping vegetables, with a rack for hanging kitchen utensils running across its center.
Dozens of various cooking and cutting tools hung from the rack. They gleamed brightly and were extremely eye-catching.
The other side of the kitchen was used to store numerous ingredients and dried goods.
The Jade Emperor sighed with emotion. "This is my first time in Father's kitchen. I didn't expect it to be so large, with so many utensils and ingredients. Even the imperial kitchen of an emperor probably isn't any better."
"Indeed. And this kitchen knife looks extraordinary. It actually carries the aura of the ancient primordial world." Yang Jian saw an archaic kitchen knife embedded in a wooden cutting board and could not help praising it. He reached out to pick it up and examine it.
But when he pulled, Yang Jian froze. He actually could not remove it.
"Hm?"
Yang Jian was astonished. What was going on? It was only a kitchen knife. Could it really be that heavy?
He tried again, exerting more force, but the kitchen knife on the cutting board still did not move at all.
"Wow, what's going on?"
Yang Jian was shocked once more. It couldn't be. It was only a kitchen knife—how heavy could it be?
Yang Jian gripped the knife handle with both hands, planted one foot on the table, and pushed hard while pulling fiercely with both hands, trying to extract the kitchen knife from the cutting board.
He used every ounce of strength he had. Yang Jian's old face flushed bright red, but he still could not pull the kitchen knife free!
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