Congratulations! You received Rooster ×1, Hens ×99!

The notification on the check-in panel instantly sent a surge of excitement through Lin Zhe.

It felt just like buying a lottery ticket and clutching his phone as he waited for the winning numbers.

Nervous, yet full of anticipation!

Whether he would keep slaving away or live a life of luxury all came down to this moment!

What reward would he get from this check-in?

Lin Zhe had no way of guessing. The whole thing seemed completely random.

Ever since binding the check-in panel, he had yet to discover any pattern.

About five more seconds passed before the check-in reward appeared on the panel.

[Congratulations! You received Rooster ×1, Hens ×99!]

"What... the heck? A rooster? Hens?"

At the sight of his check-in reward, Lin Zhe froze on the spot, dumbfounded!

Compared with the miraculous "Cleansing Talisman" he had received from checking in at the Three Pure Ones Palace last time...

This reward was just... beyond words!

"There has to be some mistake! Don't mess with me! I spent days looking forward to this, and you're fobbing me off with a hundred chickens?"

The more excited and expectant Lin Zhe had been a moment ago, the more disappointed he was now!

"Fox Nibbling Chicken... Fox Nibbling Chicken. You really gave me chickens!"

Lin Zhe looked up at the Fox Nibbling Chicken rock formation atop the distant peak. He felt that even a hundred foxes would have been better than a hundred chickens!

"Forget it. I didn't pay anything. It's free stuff-why ask for more?"

"If there's nothing wrong with these hens, giving them to Mom and Dad for some nourishing meals wouldn't be bad. They'd last quite a while."

With that thought, Lin Zhe lost all interest in wandering around the mountain and immediately started briskly down the trail.

Going down was much faster than going up. In about half an hour, Lin Zhe was already at the entrance to the Fortunate Inn.

At this hour of the morning, most guests were checking out, with very few checking in.

Lin Xiaomeng had already started work and was checking out several guests.

Compared with a couple of days ago, the guests checking out these days all left with smiles on their faces. Nobody cursed or threatened to file a complaint anymore.

"We hope you'll both visit the Fortunate Inn again. Have a smooth trip and get home safely."

As Lin Zhe walked in, he said goodbye to a couple who had just finished checking out and were about to leave.

The woman said, "Of course, boss. Your inn is wonderfully clean.

"The next time we visit Mount Sanqing, we'll stay here again. If any friends come to Mount Sanqing, I'll recommend your place to them too."

Lin Zhe smiled. "Then let me thank you in advance. Next time you come, I'll give you ten percent off your room."

"Great! You promised, boss. I'll remember that."

"Yes, I promised. We look forward to seeing you again."

"We'll stay here every time! Come on, honey. Goodbye, boss! Goodbye, pretty girl!"

The woman clearly had an outgoing personality. After saying goodbye to Lin Zhe and Lin Xiaomeng, she took her husband's hand and headed out.

"Xiaomeng, carry on here. I'm going out back."

"Okay, Zhe. Go ahead. I've got the front covered!"

Business at the inn had improved over the past two days, which meant more work, but instead of complaining, Lin Xiaomeng worked with even more enthusiasm!

She was eager for the inn's business to keep improving too. That would give her a better chance of getting a raise!

The Fortunate Inn's backyard was completely separate from the small wooden inn building out front, with a bamboo grove between them.

After walking through the little bamboo grove, Lin Zhe reached the backyard.

The layout was simple. There was only a makeshift kitchen built from steel and corrugated metal roofing, and nothing else.

This was where Lin Zhe and Lin Xiaomeng had their meals.

With the little bamboo grove screening it, the backyard was quite secluded.

Once he reached the backyard, Lin Zhe eagerly began using the panel.

[Retrieve Hen ×1?]

A blue notification appeared about a meter in front of Lin Zhe.

"Yes!"

With a thought, Lin Zhe issued the command.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck..."

The moment Lin Zhe gave the retrieval command, a speckled brown hen appeared in the empty space before him, clucking away.

A stat box floated above the hen's head: [Hen: Intelligence +1, Flavor +1, Nutrition +2]

"Flavor +1, Nutrition +2! I knew these chickens had to be special!"

Seeing the information floating above the hen's head, Lin Zhe excitedly thumped his right fist into his left palm.

On his way down the mountain, he had been wondering about that. Since these chickens were rewards from the check-in panel, surely they had to be different from ordinary chickens?

Sure enough, Lin Zhe had guessed right. This chicken really was special, not an ordinary chicken!

"Come here!"

Lin Zhe beckoned, and the hen walked over to him, clucking as though she understood his command. She even laid an egg in the sandy hollow beside his feet!

"You can lay eggs too! Huh? There's information on this egg as well!"

Sharp-eyed, Lin Zhe spotted a line of small text on the egg the hen had just laid.

He bent down and picked the egg up from the ground. Sure enough, it read: [Egg: Flavor +1, Nutrition +2]

"What would an egg with Flavor +1 and Nutrition +2 taste like...?"

Looking at the special egg in his hand, Lin Zhe swallowed hungrily. He wanted to fry it up and eat it right away.

One egg was clearly too little, so Lin Zhe immediately retrieved another hen!

[Hen: Flavor +1, Nutrition +1]

Without "Intelligence +1," this chicken was much like an ordinary one and clearly less clever than the first. As soon as she appeared, she spread her wings and ran toward the bamboo grove.

Then Lin Zhe decided he might as well go all the way and retrieved all ninety-nine hens and the one rooster he had just received from checking in at the Fox Nibbling Chicken attraction!

Without exception, every one of these chickens had attributes.

Some had three attributes, just like the first one Lin Zhe had retrieved.

Others had only two, like the second.

Cluck, cluck, cluck~

Coo, coo, coo...

The usually silent backyard suddenly became lively with the addition of a hundred chickens.

"Everyone, come here!"

Lin Zhe waved like a commander, and dozens of hens rushed over to him.

Each chicken stood tall with her head held high, like a well-trained soldier.

Clearly, all the chickens that understood Lin Zhe's command had the "Intelligence" attribute.

Another twenty or so chickens stayed in the bamboo grove, refusing to come out. Those were the ones without the "Intelligence" attribute.

"Start laying eggs!"

Lin Zhe had no idea whether this would work. He was simply giving it a try.

Cluck, cluck, cluck...

At his command, the dozens of hens before Lin Zhe erupted into a flurry of clucking. They really did start laying eggs on the spot!

The laying lasted four or five minutes. After the dozens of chickens moved away, they left a broad expanse of white eggs in the sandy hollow!

As he collected the eggs, Lin Zhe began to identify a few patterns.

First, all these eggs had two attributes as well.

"Flavor +1, Nutrition +1" was the most common, followed by eggs with +2 in one attribute. Some had +2 in both attributes, while those with an attribute at +3 were the rarest.