Chapter 85

Ignoring the group of furry creatures that were making his scalp tingle, Telingewei said only to Xie Juanhan, "Let's take them for a bath first. Otherwise, the house will be dirty when we get home."

Xie Juanhan looked down at the Demon Wolf forehead even had bloodstains. "It needs a wash."

So, the first thing the two dragons did upon returning home was not to give the furry creatures gifts or to cook them a big meal, but to take them to the hot spring and give them a thorough wash.

"Awooooo!"

Each of the fluffy creatures looked completely bewildered after being rubbed.

Each one is solid and fluffy; after rubbing, the Changmao lie flat against the skin with almost no shrinkage.

After Xie Juanhan finished rubbing the happiest Habi, he gently patted its head, rinsed it off in the spring water, and then gestured for it to stay in the hot spring.

Habi licked Xie Juanhan's wrist and obediently went to the hot spring to soak with Haxi and the others.

After washing the mud and blood off the little guys, Xie Juanhan and Telingewei also took a quick shower, put on their undershirts, and soaked in the largest hot spring with the furry creatures.

Xie Juanhan turned to look at the obedient, fluffy creatures.

The Griffin, in particular, twitched its round ears to flick water, and despite not liking water much, it still soaked in it with everyone else.

Xie Juanhan reached out and pinched the Griffin's round, thin ears, saying, "Shouldn't we give it a name?"

The Griffin followed them back, and they always called it "Little Griffin," just like he called his kitten "Mimi" back home.

Everyone knows it's called Griffin, but it's not a specific name.

Xie Juanhan had thought about it before, but couldn't come up with a suitable name.

Watching the Griffin soaking in the hot spring today, he suddenly had an idea.

Telingewei: "What should we call it?"

The Griffin looked up, glancing at this and that, its eyes filled with anticipation. "Meow?"

Xie Juanhan: "How is Nibote?"

"Nibote" sounds similar to a local type of meatball, and it is also the name of a hero in mythology.

Xie Juanhan looked at the Griffin and couldn't help but think of a lion's head.

When it's soaking in the hot spring after a bath, it looks even more like a "clear soup lion's head".

Choosing the name "Nibote" was one of Xie Juanhan's little quirks.

"That sounds nice." Telingewei pinched the Griffin's other ear. "How about we name it Nibote?"

The Griffin exclaimed joyfully, "Meow!"

Xie Juanhan stretched out his other hand and rubbed the Griffin's cheek. "Nibote!"

Nibote: "Awooo!"

Thinking of meatballs, Xie Juanhan felt a little hungry.

He stood up from the hot spring. "Hot pot today? Let me see if the Star Berry have sprouted nearby?"

If it grows, you can squeeze a pitcher of chilled berry juice and eat it with hot pot.

The little ones knew the nearby food like the back of their hand, and upon hearing this, they immediately cried out, "Aww!"

Xie Juanhan: "Are there ripe berries?"

Moli puffed out his chest. "Awooo!"

It came every day to chase away the Demon Bird, and the berries grew very well.

Xie Juanhan ashore, gathered the water off his body into a ball, threw it back into the hot spring, and took out his robe to put it on.

Telingewei also came ashore, Xie Juanhan similarly washed away the water off him.

The furry creatures followed and climbed up, begging Xie Juanhan to help dry their fur.

Soon, everyone was dry, warm, and comfortable as they went to pick Star Berry.

When Xie Juanhan transplanted the Star Berry, he felt that the hillside surrounded by snow-capped mountains had a spring-like atmosphere all year round. He judged that these delicate berries might not be able to withstand the severe cold, so he transplanted them to the hot spring area.

Now that everything is frozen, they are indeed growing very well here at the hot spring.

Xie Juanhan parted the dense leaves, revealing a series of translucent, yellow berries that smelled sweet and fragrant.

He picked one, the heavy fruit rolling in his hand, looking no different from the berries growing on the hillside.

"It's a level two plant; the quality didn't decline after transplanting," Xie Juanhan said. "It's also possible that it had flower buds with it when we transplanted it."

Telingewei: "It's not so much about the flower buds. The main thing is that the overall quality of the plant hasn't declined. Otherwise, even if it had flower buds when it was transplanted, it wouldn't have grown very large."

Xie Juanhan: "Possibly."

Xie Juanhan gave one berry to Telingewei, and seeing the furry creatures looking on longingly, he picked ten more berries and gave them to the furry creatures.

They had just soaked in the hot springs and were still warm; eating some sweet, juicy, and fragrant second-grade berries was incredibly comforting.

After the little ones finished eating, they licked their lips and immediately looked up at Xie Juanhan, indicating that they wanted more.

Xie Juanhan nudged the little ones away with his elbow. "You can't eat anymore. Save some to make juice when we get back. We're having hot pot later too."

The little ones immediately cried out, "Aww!"

Xie Juanhan a lot of meat, and had previously made many meatballs, fish balls, sausages, shrimp paste, etc.

The weather was cold, and the food was well preserved in the ice outside his hut.

If you want to eat hot pot, just pick some vegetables.

They were only gone for a few days in total.

The vegetables in the fields are growing very well; once the thick, glistening snow is parted, the lush green vegetables are revealed.

Local radishes, cabbages, potatoes, Orange Sweet Shoot all grow underneath.

After being exposed to frost and snow, they become even sweeter and crisper.

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei picked a basketful.

Xie Juanhan: "I've noticed that winter vegetables are a bit better than those from other seasons. They grow very well, taste great, and there are no other insects or animals to steal them."

Moli puffed out his chest. "Awooo!"

Xie Juanhan patted the head of his large wolf subordinate. "Well done."

With Moli around, no foolish Demon Bird would dare to steal their vegetables.

Moli's sense of smell is too keen.

If the Demon Bird steals from you even once, Moli will follow its scent and catch it when it rests.

Over time, no Demon Bird dared to come near.

It was only because the allure of the Star Berry, a level-two magical plant, was too great for the Demon Bird a few of them persisted in trying to steal it.

After picking the vegetables, we can go back and have hot pot.

The hot pot base is ready-made. Xie Juanhan had previously stir-fried a spicy hot pot base with butter and Spicy Clam, so it was ready to use.

Thaw some bones and meat, then simmer them to make a soup base – that's the perfect hot pot broth.

Once the broth was ready, Xie Juanhan and Telingewei sat down facing each other and began cooking the hot pot.

Xie Juanhan added various shrimp pastes and meatballs, while Telingewei cut the frozen meat into perfect meat rolls.

The hot pot smelled so strong that they moved the pot out into the yard to cook and eat at the same time.

The little ones' plates were placed on either side.

Once the meat and vegetables in the hot pot were cooked, Xie Juanhan used serving chopsticks to distribute them to the little ones.

Eating in the courtyard, on such a cold day, saves us the trouble of waiting for the food to cool down.

The little ones each picked out their favorite dishes, dipped them in the sauce on their plates, and ate with slurping sounds, their eyes involuntarily squinting.

Looking at the little ones, Xie Juanhan said, "Have you been craving something lately?"

The little ones all cried out, with Haxi yelling the loudest, "Awooo!"

Xie Juanhan: "We bought some particularly fragrant tea leaves on this trip. We'll make you milk tea tomorrow."

The little ones. "Aww!"

Xie Juanhan thought for a moment, then asked, "I wonder how the Tata Fish are doing lately? How about we go visit Tata Fish tomorrow?"

The milk of Tata Fish is particularly rich and creamy, with a much higher fat content than cow's milk.

It would be absolutely amazing to use it to make milk tea.

Xie Juanhan spoke, he himself became interested.

He hadn't had authentic milk tea in a long time. Tomorrow he'd make a local version of tapioca pearls, and then go to the sea to ask the Tata Fish for some fish milk. Making tapioca milk tea with it would definitely be amazing.

As for failure, Xie Juanhan never even considered it.

The surrounding waters are their territory, and they have formed a good cooperative relationship with the Tata Fish.

They want to exchange fish milk, and the Tata Fish certainly won't disagree.

Xie Juanhan picked up his juice, smiled, and made a toasting gesture. "It's been a while since we went out together, how about we go out for fun tomorrow? We can have a picnic, make milk tea outside, and have a barbecue."

These words made the little ones' eyes light up even more, and they cheered enthusiastically. "Awooo!"

==========Author's Note:=========

See you tonight!

Thanks to Nanzhi for the grenade; thanks to Ancient Spirit (*2), Feioubuxia, and Fulili for the landmine.

Chapter 85 [VIP]

"Over there!"

Xie Juanhan sat on the back of the giant dragon and soon spotted a small, familiar fish fin on the sea surface.

The furry creatures behind him swarmed forward, crowding around him and staring wide-eyed at the grey-blue sea.

They stared at it for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out. "Huh?"

Unable to bear the sweltering heat behind him, Xie Juanhan pushed the group of furry creatures aside one by one. "You'll see soon enough."

The dragon flew in the direction he pointed.

Not long after they started flying, a group of Tata Fish swimming swiftly beneath the surface of the sea came into view.

"Awoo--" Moli cried out excitedly.

"Click, click!" The Tata Fish beneath the surface responded immediately.

Several Tata Fish even leaped out of the water to greet them high above, "Click--"

Xie Juanhan hugged the dragon's neck. "Long time no see, we've come to exchange fish milk with you."

The Tata Fish looked even happier. "Crunch!"

The giant dragon landed on the sea and hovered above it.

The Tata Fish immediately swarmed around, staring longingly at Xie Juanhan.

Xie Juanhan dragged the cloth bag from the dragon's back over. "We brought you radishes, Orange Sweet Shoot, cabbage, and dried meat. Is that alright?"