Spirit Beasts' Views on Food

This was a place no human could possibly appear, so the woman opposite him was undoubtedly a Spirit Beast. Yet her body radiated an aura he disliked. The answer was obvious: the only ones who could instinctively give him that feeling were dragonkin.

"Di Tian sent you? Where is he himself?" Nearly all dragonkin in the Star Dou Great Forest served under Di Tian. Ye Qing had also noticed that she had only just crossed the hundred-thousand-year threshold, hence the question.

"Greetings, Lord Qing Di. My name is Zi Ji. Lord Di Tian recently gained some insight and is still in seclusion. He asked me to come here and seek your help tempering my body," the woman in purple replied respectfully.

Zi Ji was a rising talent of the Hell Demon Dragon clan. Among the Spirit Beasts of her generation, she had been the first to reach one hundred thousand years, which had drawn Di Tian's attention. However, the Dragon Clan bloodline of Hell Demon Dragons was far thinner than that of Di Tian and the other nine great dragon clans. For dragons, the purity of their bloodline nearly determined their future growth, and the best way to purify it was through the Dragon God.

Now that the Dragon God had fallen, the energy in Ye Qing's hands was practically the last resort. That was why this situation had arisen. When Ye Qing returned, several beings in the Core Area had sensed his presence, along with several other powerful auras. Di Tian had previously instructed Zi Ji to come on her own once Ye Qing returned, because he knew Ye Qing would not refuse.

"Body tempering? Oh, I get it. I was just about to do that anyway." Even if Zi Ji had not come, he would still have needed to do something for Gang Zong. The energy leaking from the Castle was no longer useful to a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast like Gang Zong. Ye Qing did not want Gang Zong, a Woolly Pig, to one day die of heatstroke just because the temperature rose. Gang Zong was not a bamboo rat. Still, this was the first time Di Tian had actively asked Ye Qing for this energy. Ye Qing sized up the woman before him, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

"Is your relationship with Di Tian something special? He has never asked for this on anyone else's behalf before."

"Maybe it is because my talent is quite strong. Among the Dragon Clan members of my generation, no one can defeat me, and no one is stronger than me. Perhaps Lord Di Tian favors me somewhat because of that."

"Is that so? Wait here for a while. By the way, where is Ah Rou?"

"Xiao Wu, where did your mother go?"

"Mom went to chat with Aunt Grass."

"Aunt Grass?"

"Lord Qing Di, she means the recently awakened Blue Silver Emperor. The emperor of the Blue Silver Grass has recently awakened and should have developed considerable intelligence already," Zi Ji explained from the side. Plant-type Spirit Beasts cultivated with far greater difficulty than animal-type Spirit Beasts. Even hundred-thousand-year plant-type Spirit Beasts might not have the ability to move.

They were even more vulnerable during their early years. Whether foraging beasts or human Spirit Masters, any of them could easily kill them. Spirit Beasts were somewhat better off; as long as their roots were not destroyed, plant-type Spirit Beasts would not truly die. But human Spirit Masters...

Blue Silver Grass was the most common weed on the continent, yet it would still give birth to its own emperor. The birth of a Blue Silver Emperor was exceptionally difficult, so those in the Core Area would more or less pay attention to one.

"Counting the time, that Blue Silver Emperor should be Ah Yin. How did Ah Rou get to know her? Xiao Wu, how did your mother meet this aunt?"

"Ummm, I accidentally took a bite out of her that day."

"?" Right, he had nearly forgotten. Rabbits ate grass too. Soft Bone Rabbits were rabbits, and Blue Silver Grass was grass. As a special emperor, the Blue Silver Emperor probably tasted better than other grasses in some sense.

"Aren't all those fancy carrots enough for you?"

"I was curious. And Mom took me to apologize. Aunt Grass forgave me too, and after that, Mom and her seemed to become really close." Of course, a ten-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor was not something a little rabbit like Xiao Wu could bite through. If Xiao Wu had not been covered in Ye Qing's aura, the surrounding Blue Silver Grass might have entangled her before she even reached the outskirts.

"...Fine. Don't eat things outside at random in the future. Let's eat first. Tonight's food will be very special. I think someone will like it." As Ye Qing spoke, he revealed a smile. At that moment, the Ice Empress, who was tidying rooms in the Castle, suddenly sneezed.

"Achoo."

"How could I catch a cold? It must be that bastard Ye Qing talking badly about me." As a species of Ultimate Ice, she was fundamentally immune to things like colds. Besides, her instincts told her that Ye Qing was definitely plotting something behind her back.

Ye Qing realized he had been wrong again, and terribly so.

"Don't you think these things look hard to swallow?"

Today, Ye Qing had specially prepared an all-bug feast. Whether the main dishes or the desserts, everything came from the unique insect species of the Gourmet World. He knew that the Ice Jade Scorpion's staple food was the Ice Silkworm clan, but compared to the plump, round Ice Silkworms, the strange-looking things on the table seemed far less normal.

It was understandable that the Ice Empress could accept them, but he had never expected everyone else to accept these bizarre foods as well.

"Boss, these bugs are super tasty. They taste like chicken and crunch like crazy."

Gang Zong was the one speaking, and Ye Qing knew exactly what he was eating: a Chicken-flavored Crunchy Bug. It had the flavor of premium roast chicken coupled with an ultimate crispy texture. Aside from its mealworm-like appearance, it was a top-tier ingredient.

"Don't you think they look... awkward?"

"Nope. As long as they taste good, that's all that matters."

"You actually had something this good and didn't bring it out sooner. For the sake of these things, I won't hold what happened before against you for now. But stay away from my Xue'er." As she said this, she swallowed a bug that burst with black liquid. Her little tongue even slipped out to lick the residue from the corner of her mouth.

A Chocolate Bursting Honey Bug. Its insides were filled with exceptionally smooth liquid milk chocolate, while its outer layer was crisp dark chocolate. Its head was nut chocolate. It was a rare species with a capture level above 500, flawless in every regard except its appearance.

He had thought its appearance would successfully prank the Ice Empress. He had prepared normal food as well, but he had still underestimated Spirit Beasts' way of thinking. He had assumed female Spirit Beasts would care somewhat about appearances and be repulsed by ugly things. Yet he had been completely wrong. Not only did the Ice Empress, whose true form was a scorpion, not care in the slightest, even little Xiao Wu was feasting heartily. The food's appearance did nothing to affect their appetites.

"Aren't you eating?" The Ice Empress held a chubby, wriggling grub out toward Ye Qing.

"No... I'm not hungry." Looking at the still-squirming thing, Ye Qing found that he simply could not bring himself to eat it.

"You really are strange."

"It is not that. I underestimated some things. Gang Zong, are you about done eating? Come with me. I'll deal with your inability to adapt to the tropical climate. Zi Ji, come along too."

There was a problem with the computer. The author had nearly been driven mad. Normal updates would resume tomorrow.