Chapter 8

Xie Juanhan quickly lit the hearth, filled a large soup pot with stream water, and set it over the fire to boil.

The little ones helped watch the fire.

Before long, the water boiled.

Xie Juanhan put the palm-sized dumplings in to cook, adding a little salt to the water to keep their skins from splitting.

The dumplings had turned out even better than he had imagined.

When they came out of the pot, most of their skins were intact.

Xie Juanhan scooped out the dumplings and gave one to each little one.

Fresh from the pot, the dumplings were piping hot and still steaming.

When cooking other foods, Xie Juanhan would habitually release a little ice to deal with the heat.

With the dumplings, he did not use his dragon power.

Dumplings had to be eaten while they were still a little hot. Only then would the skins be tender and chewy, with the fragrance of wheat, and the filling fresh and juicy.

Xie Juanhan held up a dumpling to show the little ones. "Blow on it like this, then take small bites. Be careful, the juices inside are hot."

As he spoke, Xie Juanhan took a bite of his dumpling.

With that single bite, the tender, chewy skin split open, and the aroma of the piping-hot meat rushed out.

The fragrance of beef mingled with that of scallions. Tasting carefully, he could also make out the spice leaves' pungent aroma and the savory flavor of the fish sauce.

Best of all was the texture of the filling. The fried beef pieces were browned and fragrant, with a slight chew, while the minced beef mixed with flour was tender and juicy. Soaked in both, the chopped wild scallions had a tender crunch.

Xie Juanhan had been regretting that he had not found any suitable vinegar to buy.

After that taste, he instantly decided it was fine without vinegar.

It was delicious.

The little ones watched, their noses twitching and their eyes full of curiosity.

By the time Xie Juanhan finished his first bite, the impatient little ones were already pawing at the dumplings on their plates.

The dumplings were large and their mouths were small, so whenever they tried to bite, the dumplings slipped away.

The little ones tilted their heads, biting from the left and then the right, leaving tiny, pointed tooth marks on the dumpling skins.

Xie Juanhan ate his dumpling and watched them with a smile.

At long last, one little one bit through the skin and tasted the meat filling inside.

It froze for a moment, looked at the dumpling on its plate, then up at Xie Juanhan, its pupils slowly widening.

"Good, isn't it?"

"Chirp, chirp!"

"Eat slowly, don't rush!"

"Chirp!"

Seeing one of their companions succeed, the other little ones grew even more impatient.

Abandoning the dumplings on their own plates, they swarmed over to their companion's plate and opened their mouths to bite.

Xie Juanhan, who was watching them, said, "Huh?"

Xie Juanhan hurriedly reached out and moved the little ones aside one by one. "Don't fight over it. Go eat your own."

Some of the little ones were so excited that they were already using their paws, pressing soft paw prints into the edge of the dumpling skin. They were in no mood to listen to Xie Juanhan.

Xie Juanhan, who had hidden a secret in the dumplings, was speechless.

Xie Juanhan picked up one little one after another and firmly set them down in front of their own plates. "No fighting over food!"

One little one patted his wrist with its soft paw pads and protested, "Chirp, chirp!"

Hunting, making dumplings, and eating them had hardly fazed Xie Juanhan, but now he had worked up a light sweat.

He let out a breath and was about to say something.

"Chirp?!"

Soon, one little one raised its head, pressed a paw against its plate, and looked at Xie Juanhan. "Chirp, chirp!!!"

A translucent orange Demonic Core was embedded in the dumpling filling on its plate.

"You found a Demonic Core?" Xie Juanhan crouched down and stroked its head. "In my hometown, we have a custom of wrapping a special item inside a dumpling. Whoever finds it will have good luck."

The little one, its head tilted up, immediately brightened. "Chirp, chirp!"

The other little ones crowded over to look.

The little one that had found the Demonic Core held the orange core carefully in its mouth, licked it clean, and hid it in its mouth so the others could not see.

The little ones licked, jostled, and rubbed against it, pacing anxiously around it as they tried to see the Demonic Core. "Chirp, chirp!"

"I put Demonic Cores in several dumplings. You can try and see who's lucky enough to find one."

"Chirp?!"

The little ones immediately backed away, returned to their plates, and began chomping away.

Soon, a second little one found a Demonic Core.

It picked up the slippery Demonic Core in its mouth, only for it to fall back onto the plate with a clatter.

Seeing that a second companion had found a Demonic Core, the other little ones hurriedly ate even faster.

After finishing one dumpling each, they picked up their plates in their mouths and crowded around Xie Juanhan. "Chirp, chirp!"

Xie Juanhan scooped out more dumplings for them. "Don't rush, one at a time."

Xie Juanhan looked at the little ones and scooped up the dumplings he had marked, one by one.

Soon, another little one found a Demonic Core.

Clatter-

The Demonic Core struck the bottom of the plate.

The little one was so delighted that even the tips of its fur seemed to radiate joy.

It picked up the Demonic Core and rushed over to show Xie Juanhan. "Chirp, chirp."

Xie Juanhan smiled and stroked its head. "Very good. You'll have good luck from now on."

"Chirp!!!"

As the little ones ate their dumplings, they found Demonic Cores one after another.

They never realized that every dumpling Xie Juanhan gave them contained a Demonic Core.

They simply licked their dumplings excitedly, licked the Demonic Cores until they shone, then carried them over and nudged them into Xie Juanhan's palm, wanting to give them to him.

Xie Juanhan politely declined.

Watching the fluffy little ones, delighted from the tops of their heads to the tips of their tails by his little trick, Xie Juanhan smiled too.

He looked away and ate his dumplings with a smile.

Compared with the various stews, roasts, salads, and thick soups he had been eating lately, food like dumplings, with meat, vegetables, and carbohydrates, suited him better.

Especially when today's dumplings were so delicious.

The little ones did not eat much, and once they had finished, they rested nearby.

They played with the Demonic Cores they had licked clean, hiding the shiny cores under their bellies, pulling them out after a while to lick them, then hiding them again.

They were great fun to watch.

Smiling, Xie Juanhan washed the pots, bowls, and utensils, froze the remaining uncooked dumplings in the "refrigerator," and wrapped the dumplings he had cooked for the little ones' owner in a large leaf, intending to have them take the bundle back.

They were neighbors, and Xie Juanhan played with the dragon's pets every day, so he did not mind taking the opportunity to get on good terms with the local dragon.

Xie Juanhan tied the leaf-wrapped dumplings onto the little ones' backs.

The little one under his hands obediently let him work, then suddenly remembered something. "Chirp, chirp."

Xie Juanhan paused. "Telingewei invited me over?"

The other little ones also remembered Telingewei's instructions and chimed in to confirm it. "Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

==========Author's note:==========

See you tomorrow!

Thanks to Gulingjingguai Xiaoyatou for the grenade; thanks to Mangguo Dawang, Sun Shifu, Huangchao Zaishi, mgk993, Maimang, and Xiaosi Jiumei for the landmines.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

For any creature, visiting another powerful creature's private territory was something to approach with caution.

Especially for dragons like them.

Visiting the lair of a dragon he had only just met was rather presumptuous.

Various thoughts flashed through Xie Juanhan's mind.

For a moment, he did not answer.

The little ones sensed the change in his aura and looked up at him, their fluffy faces full of confusion.

"Chirp?"

Xie Juanhan looked down at them. "Visit Telingewei's lair?"

"Chirp?"

One little one said in confusion, "Chirp, chirp."

Xie Juanhan said, "In town?"

The little ones all nodded. "Chirp, chirp!"

They praised the food in town.

If it was in town, there was no problem.

Xie Juanhan readily agreed. "Ask Telingewei to set a time and place. I'll be there."

Xie Juanhan had originally thought it would be several days before he heard back from Telingewei.

Unexpectedly, that evening, just as he was preparing for bed, he saw a group of fluffy little ones racing out of the forest in the distance.

His stone house was not yet built, so he had put up a shelter nearby to keep watch over a pile of building materials.

Just as people in the old days had put up shelters in their fields to guard their watermelons.

The shelter was open on all four sides. Lying inside, Xie Juanhan could see the sky to one side and any movement around him.

He spotted the fluffy little ones as soon as they came running over.

He sat up.

Only when they drew near did he see that the one in front was carrying an envelope in its mouth.

The little one in the lead raced up, pushed the envelope into his hand, and lowered its head to nudge his wrist with its fluffy head, looking at him expectantly.

The letter was sealed with wax, so he could not see what was inside.

Xie Juanhan was not particularly expectant, though.

In this world, he communicated with others mainly through spiritual power, and he still knew little of its writing.

Urged on by the little ones, Xie Juanhan broke the wax seal and opened the letter anyway.

Before opening it, he had expected to find a sheet of writing paper inside.

But when he opened it, there was no paper. Instead, there was-

A gold rune plate containing sealed spiritual power?

Xie Juanhan smiled and read it carefully with his spiritual power.

Sure enough, Telingewei had invited him to dine in town. The message gave the exact time and place, as well as a general idea of the dishes.

"Chirp, chirp."

The little ones crowded around Xie Juanhan, looking up at him.

Their big, fluffy tails curled and swayed from left to right, then from right to left.

They urged Xie Juanhan to reply quickly.

The little ones' tails brushed against Xie Juanhan's face, tickling him all over.