Zhuge Cuihua

After Zhang Chongtian left, Xu Zimo and Lin Ruhu began their preparations as well.

Boiling water, killing the chicken, plucking its feathers, preparing the seasonings.

By the time Zhang Chongtian sneaked back carrying a large bundle of spirit tree branches, Xu Zimo and Lin Ruhu had finished preparing too.

"Why did you take so long?" Xu Zimo asked curiously.

"I watched some excitement," Zhang Chongtian said with a smile. "Yesterday, Second Elder went to peep at female disciples bathing and got caught.

Second Elder had a flash of inspiration and transformed into the appearance of his eldest disciple, Xiao Xinghe.

Now Xiao Xinghe himself was being hunted down by all the female disciples in the sect."

"With a master like that, Senior Brother Xiao was truly unlucky," Lin Ruhu said with a laugh.

Xu Zimo lit the spirit tree branches, set up a rack, and placed a Medicinal Dao Sacred Chicken on it to roast.

Another pot was used for steaming. Besides the Medicinal Dao Sacred Chicken, it contained other ingredients as well: Dragon Spirit Grass, Heavenly Heart Flower, and Refreshing Mint.

The spirit tree branches ignited, releasing a faint fragrance, while the water came to a boil.

Just then, the maid Chunxiao walked over and said, "Young Master, Liao Ruyan, First Elder's granddaughter, has arrived. She says she has business with you."

In the courtyard on Yan Nan Peak where Xu Zimo lived, aside from himself and his guard Zhang Chongtian, there were also two maids who attended to his daily needs.

Chunxiao and Xiuqiu.

"Let her in," Xu Zimo said.

Not long afterward, Liao Ruyan came over, carrying a Dark Sky Tiger cub in each hand.

She gripped the cubs by their necks and casually lifted them up. The two little tigers wore utterly despairing expressions.

"I brought you the wager I promised. From now on, we're even," Liao Ruyan said.

Her eyes were a little red, as though she had just cried, and she looked deeply dejected.

"Who bullied you?" Lin Ruhu asked curiously.

"The two chicks my Medicinal Dao Sacred Chicken gave birth to are gone," Liao Ruyan said aggrievedly. "I was playing with them just yesterday."

Lin Ruhu looked at the roasting rack beside him, then at the pot of boiling water. After a moment of silence, he began gazing at the sky.

Seeing that Liao Ruyan was about to cry as she spoke, Xu Zimo sighed and said, "Ruyan, I originally thought you were an exceptionally intelligent girl. I never expected you to be so foolish."

"What do you mean?" Liao Ruyan asked curiously, her large eyes wide open.

"Every living thing has its own road to walk," Xu Zimo said, shaking his head. "A chicken must die eventually—either braised in soy sauce or steamed.

"But no matter why it dies, as long as it dies in the right place and its death has value, then its death is meaningful and worthwhile. Do you understand?"

"Oh, I understand," Liao Ruyan nodded dazedly. "Then I won't look for them?"

"Seeking it among the multitude a thousand times, then suddenly turning back—the chicken is right there where the lantern lights grow sparse," Xu Zimo said. "Some things, the more you look for them, the less likely you are to find them. When you no longer want to search, perhaps they will appear on their own."

Liao Ruyan nodded earnestly. "I understand."

"Ruhu, let's take one Dark Sky Tiger cub each," Xu Zimo said to Lin Ruhu.

The Dark Sky Tigers were still young. They were about the size of house cats, and even looked very much like cats, except they had two pairs of cicada-wing-thin wings.

Their bodies were entirely dark, covered in striped patterns, and they looked especially adorable.

At that moment, one of the two Dark Sky Tigers was rolling around on the ground, acting cute, while the other viciously bit Xu Zimo's shoelaces.

They said one could see the adult from the child; a creature's behavior when young revealed its personality after growing up.

This Dark Sky Tiger rolling around and acting cute clearly had no future, while the one tearing at shoelaces would surely grow into something ferocious—a powerful mount.

So Xu Zimo wisely chose the one rolling around and acting cute.

Dark Sky Tiger: "...MMP."

"Brother Zimo, why don't you name these two cubs?" Lin Ruhu suggested.

"As descendants of Imperial Lineage demonic beasts, they are destined to bear the glory of their ancestors. One day, their names will spread across the four seas, shake the eternal heavens, and sweep through the eight wildernesses. So they must have imposing names," Xu Zimo said solemnly as he gazed toward the horizon. "From today onward, your names shall be...

Zhuge Cuihua, Situ Goudan!

Lin Ruhu: ...

Liao Ruyan: ...

The two Dark Sky Tigers: ?????

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Lin Ruhu froze for a moment, then suddenly clapped and praised, "Though these names contain only a few words, their grammar is rigorous, their wording neat, their structure ingenious, and they roll off the tongue.

"They perfectly express the namer's blessings for these little animals and deep, bone-carved emotions. They are concise yet profound; every word is worth a thousand gold, each word seizes the heartstrings, each word brings tears to the eyes.

"This fully displays the namer's solid literary foundation, effortless writing technique, and utterly inhuman creativity. I am truly in awe, truly in awe!

"And ending with an exclamation mark is truly the finishing touch—the brush gives birth to flowers, the artistic conception is far-reaching, it echoes the preceding text and elevates the theme, expressing the namer's emotions to the fullest.

"It gives one boundless emotion and melancholy, with the feeling of something wrought by heaven itself. It is truly the pinnacle of names, the crowning masterpiece of blessings."

After Lin Ruhu finished, he saw everyone staring at him as if they had eaten dog shit and asked, "Was I wrong?"

Xu Zimo now deeply understood what it meant when they said, "A shameless person is invincible beneath heaven."

"Right, you're right," the others replied helplessly, caught between laughter and tears.

By then, the Medicinal Dao Sacred Chicken on the rack had roasted to a golden color, crackling and popping.

Droplets of oil rolled down from it, and Xu Zimo hurriedly sprinkled on the seasonings.

An especially tempting fragrance drifted through the air, and all four of them subconsciously licked their lips.

"Oh, right, Sister Ruyan, do you feel better now?" Xu Zimo asked.

"Much better," Liao Ruyan said, staring at the roast chicken as her stomach rumbled.

"Then if you have nothing else to do, you should leave first. We're busy here, so we won't entertain you," Lin Ruhu said with a dry laugh.

"I have nothing to do anyway. Being idle is being idle, and going back would be boring," Liao Ruyan said indifferently. "I haven't eaten yet, either. You don't mind if I mooch a meal, do you?"

"Are we that close?" Lin Ruhu said with a curl of his lip.

"If you don't let me eat, I'll go report you to Second Elder," Liao Ruyan snorted coldly. "Don't think I didn't notice. Those branches you're burning are from the Seven Star Sky Radiance Tree, a Heavenly Tier spirit tree. Only that kind of tree produces bursting sparks like stars when it burns."

"Oh, my little temper," Xu Zimo said, rising to his feet. "I'm someone who yields to softness, not hardness. If you begged me properly, I might have agreed.

"You're threatening me? Ruhu, close the door. Release Goudan and Cuihua."