Chapter 149

This guy is practically telling Xie Juanhan that he can give him a bonus!

Xie Juanhan looked at the slightly disheveled Telingewei, then at the messy bed. "Yes, it's hatched."

"But—" Xie Juanhan said quietly, "Among so many chicks, who hatched this strongest chick? And who hatched the second strongest chick?"

"In other words," Xie Juanhan looked up at them, "Who will get the ten gold coins prize, and who will get the six gold coins prize?"

The furry creatures blinked, dumbfounded.

Harper was the first to react. "Chirp chirp chirp!"

Xie Juanhan: "Yes, you marked the eggshells, but can you still tell which chick hatched from which egg?"

The fluffy creatures looked at the broken eggshells, then at the anxiously huddled baby birds.

How could they possibly know?!

Nibote meowed loudly, indicating that it had the largest egg and that it had incubated two eggs, so the best chicks would definitely hatch from its eggs.

Haxi, unconvinced, loudly chirped that its chicks were the strongest.

Apart from Moli, the fluffy creatures all believed that the best Demon Bird was the one they had hatched.

They immediately started howling and howling, and a chaotic battle ensued.

Moli pressed one after another, like trying to press down a gourd in water, but she couldn't press down any of them.

Enraged, it also joined the battle.

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei moved the baby birds to a pre-prepared nest and took them to the study.

They also lit a fireplace in the study to keep the baby birds warm.

After they finished their work, they even made the beds.

The battle among the furry creatures is not over yet.

Xie Juanhan separated them and said in a cool voice, "Since we can't tell them apart, let's all calculate the gold coins based on the guaranteed reward."

"Four gold coins, plus your refunded deposits, five gold coins for each of Harper's Companion Beast, and ten gold coins for each of Moli and Nibote's."

The furry creatures tried to protest.

Harper whispered, "Chirp."

This means that the gold coins for the first and second place winners can also be given to them, and they can divide them among themselves.

"Want to split the gold coins?" Xie Juanhan glanced at them. "I haven't even mentioned that you cheated by having Telingewei hatch your eggs. If we go by that, you should each get at least one Telingewei out of the four gold coins."

"If we calculate it that way, excluding the deposit, Harper, your actual reward is only three gold coins each, and Moli and Nibote's is six."

Even though they don't usually shed tears when fighting, these fluffy creatures really did seem a little teary-eyed when they heard Xie Juanhan's method of calculation.

When Telingewei saw their eyes glistening with tears under the lamplight, his heart softened, and he was about to plead for them.

The fluffy creatures looked up at Xie Juanhan with teary eyes and shouted, "We don't care about the gold coins, we want to eat that big Tuonai'er Demon Bird!"

"Awoo!"

-If we don't eat it soon, the Demon Bird will get thin!

Telingewei: "..."

There's no need to pity these guys.

Xie Juanhan: "Okay, the weather's getting colder, let's have a nice meal."

Fearing that Xie Juanhan might change his mind, the furry creatures demanded that the Tuonai'er Demon Bird be eaten the next day.

The next day, they got up early again and came over to scratch at Xie Juanhan and Telingewei's door.

Telingewei restrained himself and actually went out to beat them up, but that didn't quell their eagerness to eat the Tuonai'er Demon Bird.

That noon, the whole family prepared to eat stewed Tuonai'er Demon Bird.

Xie Juanhan used a thick Mithril pot to stew it, and added several kinds of magical herbs specifically for stewing.

As it simmered, a rich aroma wafted out, directly dispelling the heavy chill from the small house.

The furry creatures didn't go anywhere; they just squatted in the corridor, waiting to eat the stewed Demon Bird for lunch.

Xie Juanhan called to Telingewei to taste the soup.

In the heavy pot, the broth thickened and reduced until only small, bubbling bubbles remained.

Xie Juanhan picked up a piece of stewed, bright red Demon Bird, placed it on a plate, and brought it to Telingewei's lips.

Upon tasting it, Telingewei found the Demon Bird to be soft and tender, falling off the bone, yet still retaining a whole piece of delicate bird meat.

Upon first bite, you'll feel the stimulating spiciness of the Spicy Clam powder coating on the Demon Bird meat and the bright aroma of the fresh spices that enhance the flavor. Then, you'll taste the rich and delicious flavor of the Demon Bird meat itself.

It's plump and juicy enough that when Telingewei eats it, you can taste the rich, fatty flavor of the meat.

After finishing the meal, Telingewei felt that even the aftertaste was delicious.

The best part is that its gelatinous substance melts completely into the rich broth, making it slightly sticky. But when you eat it, this stickiness helps the meat to hold its shape and completely envelops the flavor.

After finishing one piece, Telingewei was still not satisfied.

Xie Juanhan asked with his eyes: How is it?

"It's delicious," Telingewei said. "It has a complex umami flavor, layer upon layer. From the first taste to the last, it's incredibly fragrant."

The furry creatures waiting outside were already drooling, and hearing his description made them even more eager to eat.

"Awoo," Nibote whispered, urging Xie Juanhan.

Xie Juanhan took a bite of the meat, made sure it was flavorful, and said, "Eat, eat, eat now!"

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei divided the stewed Demon Bird into the furry creatures' food bowls.

Xie Juanhan deliberately picked out a large bird leg and put it into Habu's food bowl in front of the furry creature, saying, "Habu got bitten, he needs to eat a bird leg to recover."

Habu's eyes sparkled, and its thick, bushy tail wagged involuntarily. "Chirp!"

The other furry creatures knew that a large tuft of its feathers had been plucked by the Demon Bird, so they had no objection to this distribution method.

They could only whine softly from their throats and noses, urging the two dragons to hurry up.

Finally, when the two dragons placed the food bowl in front of them, they immediately plunged their heads into the bowl and began to eat with a "plop, plop" sound.

Delicious!

The meat is delicious!

The bones smell so good!

Harper and the others were gnawing on the bone there with their tiny, sharp teeth.

If they can't chew them on the left, they move to the right; if they can't chew them on the right, they move to the left again.

Their furry heads turned back and forth, as if they wouldn't give up until they tasted the marrow inside.

Xie Juanhan squatted down in front of them and asked, "Is the Demon Bird meat delicious?"

Harper and the others were engrossed in gnawing on the bone, too lazy to speak, only making soft noises in their throats and giving a perfunctory reply.

Xie Juanhan pointed to the study and said, "Next, we're going to raise little Demon Bird. If we succeed, we'll have Demon Bird meat to eat every year."

The most greedy Habei immediately raised its head, associating the delicious treat in its mouth with being raised. "Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan: "Yes, as long as we succeed in raising them in the first year and breed a Demon Bird, we can eat bird eggs or bird meat whenever we want."

Now, not only Habei was persuaded, but the other furry creatures, while munching on the meat, also felt a surge of enthusiasm.

"Awooo!" Several fluffy creatures cried out in unison, indicating that they would take good care of the Demon Bird.

Definitely! Awoo!

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

See you tonight!

Thanks to the Ancient Spirit little girl (*2), I want to go with wine in all seasons, and the landmines of Nanzhi.

Chapter 149 [VIP]

The baby birds in my house are growing bigger every day. They eat and poop a lot, and they even spit out a corrosive mucus.

Unable to bear the destruction of his study, Xie Juanhan braved the heavy snow and, together with Telingewei, found suitable dead wood in the forest to build a birdhouse for the chicks in the yard.

It was quite windy and the temperature was low in the yard.

Xie Juanhan specially made a bird's nest that wasn't very drafty, and lined it with a thick layer of dry grass.

Harper and the others watched from the sidelines, all looking on with suspicion. "Chirp?"

Xie Juanhan: "No problem at all, they live like this in the wild too."

Harper and the others persisted. "Chirp."

Xie Juanhan: "It's warmer for wild Tuonai'er Demon Bird to live in the tunnels, but the Demon Bird at home have the Magic Wand Tree."

Xie Juanhan reached out and touched the Magic Wand Tree beside him.

This Magic Wand Tree that spews lava keeps you warm even in the dead of winter.

Xie Juanhan gestured for Harper and the others to gently touch the Magic Wand Tree with their paws. "The Little Tree will emit warmth, so the Demon Bird won't get cold here."

Harper and the others pressed the pads of their paws against the Magic Wand Tree and looked up at it.

The Magic Wand Tree gently swayed its not-so-dense canopy.

It lost many leaves in winter, and even absorbing Dragon Power Crystal couldn't make up for it.

It may be due to the physiological characteristics of trees.

Xie Juanhan said, "I wasn't lying to you, it's really warm here. Besides, we don't close the aviary door, so if they get cold, they can just go to the Little Tree to warm up."

Upon hearing this, Harper and the others began another round of anxiety. "Chirp?!"

"What if the baby birds run away? -- Don't worry, they won't escape. Aren't they already marked with the Dragon Power? If they do run away, we'll find them again."

Xie Juanhan rubbed Harper's temples. "Don't worry, we'll release them to roam freely in the fields next spring. There's no point in keeping them caged now."

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei have decided to follow the human practice and release these Demon Bird into the farmland after spring.

They will set up designated feeding points there.

Once the Demon Bird get used to eating at fixed times and places, they shouldn't get lost.

Even if they lose it, it's okay, they can go find it again.

Harper and the others were really worried about the Demon Bird they had hatched themselves.

Xie Juanhan said there was no need to worry.

They couldn't understand it at all, and continued to paw at the bird shed with their two front paws, looking inside with worry.