Chapter 194
Taking advantage of his recent free time, Xie Juanhan readily agreed, seeing that Telingewei didn't object.
The result of their promise to go out mushroom picking and play was that they were treated to a door-scratching meal the very next morning.
Nine furry creatures scratched together.
The scratching sound on the door, "clack-clack," was rhythmic and more invigorating than any alarm clock.
Telingewei rolled over, threw back the covers, and the mattress shifted, clearly indicating he was going to deal with the group of furry creatures.
Xie Juanhan stretched out his arms and pulled Telingewei back into a hug, saying sleepily to the outside, "You guys are up too early."
Haxi and the others roared with full force, "Awoo!"
The furry little creatures have been looking forward to going out for mushroom picking and a picnic for a long time.
They even carried the baskets to Xie Juanhan's room, clearly waiting for the two dragons to get up so they could leave, not giving them any time to dawdle.
Xie Juanhan and Telingewei got up to wash up and changed into their outdoor clothes.
After tidying up, Xie Juanhan opened the door and saw the energetic, furry creatures and the small basket placed beside their paws. He raised an eyebrow.
"Getting up so early, aren't you going to eat breakfast?"
"Aww!"
"Go out to eat mushrooms? What if we can't find any mushrooms? Are we going to go hungry today?"
"Awoo!"
Haxi gently patted Xie Juanhan's shoe, without extending its claws, meaning that he should not talk nonsense.
Xie Juanhan smiled and said, "Alright, I won't talk nonsense. Wait a moment, we've made some sandwiches and brewed two pots of honey tea. Even if you don't eat them, we'll still have some."
Xie Juanhan and Telingewei went to the kitchen and made a quick breakfast.
The furry creatures originally planned to go outside and pick mushrooms for a picnic.
The aroma of breakfast made them salivate.
Nibote, in particular, was making a noticeable gulping sound as he swallowed, glancing into the kitchen with his big eyes as he did so.
Xie Juanhan walked out of the kitchen, stuffed a large piece of sandwich into Nibote's mouth, and let him hold it.
Nibote remained obedient and said nothing.
The Companion Beast's stomachs began to rumble, with Habei's stomach rumbling the loudest.
Telingewei came out with a basket, expressionless, and stuffed the sandwiches from the basket into the mouths of his Companion Beast one by one.
Harper and the others stopped chirping and obediently carried their sandwiches.
Xie Juanhan had just handed a large sandwich to Moli when he saw this scene and couldn't help but laugh.
After that little incident in the morning, the furry creatures stopped taking the lead and their mushroom-picking went much more smoothly.
Harper and his friends roam the Magic Forest year-round, knowing exactly where every mushroom grows.
It hasn't fully warmed up yet, and snow still lingers in the shade of the trees in the Magic Forest.
The weather is cold, so fewer mushrooms are growing.
The furry creatures excitedly ran from one mushroom growing area to another.
Mushrooms don't grow very well in most places.
The few mushroom patches that did grow mushrooms were either eaten by other creatures or only a few mushrooms remained.
Enraged, Haxi scratched at the soil with his paws, making a loud scrambling sound, wishing he could drag out the other guys who had picked the mushrooms and beat them up.
Unfortunately, even after digging through the fallen leaves and the dark humus, they couldn't find any mushrooms growing there.
The Demon Wolf were able to find so many mushrooms purely by luck.
Today, Xie Juanhan and his team seemed to have a bit of bad luck; after picking mushrooms for half the morning, they still hadn't managed to cover the bottom of their basket.
The sun rose higher and higher, and everyone was tired.
Xie Juanhan and Telingewei sat on the fallen dead tree with the furry creatures, and took out nectar water and snacks to give the little guys an extra meal.
The little ones were so frustrated their ears were practically glued to their heads, and they weren't enthusiastic about the snacks either.
They were nibbling on small snacks nearby, looking like they were grinding their teeth.
Xie Juanhan took out a gold coin, flipped it in his palm, and secretly performed a divination.
According to the divination, they may not have much success picking mushrooms in the forest today.
It's still too early. It's only March. The mushrooms will gradually appear when the berries in the Magic Forest are plentiful in April or May.
Seeing the furry creatures' dejected state, Xie Juanhan flipped through the gold coins with one hand, lost in thought.
Telingewei asked him with his eyes: What's wrong?
Xie Juanhan: There is a special mushroom field.
Xie Juanhan performed another divination and suddenly asked, "Do you want to go to heaven to pick mushrooms?"
None of the furry creatures understood, and they looked at him in confusion.
Xie Juanhan just had his fortune told.
If they fly into the sky and search carefully, there's a good chance they'll find Cloud Mushroom.
He put away the gold coins, pointed to the sky, and said, "In my hometown, there's a kind of mushroom that floats in the clouds deep in the sky, and it tastes quite good. I think there should be similar mushrooms here, since the sky here is the same as my hometown's."
The furry creatures understood immediately, their ears perked up, and their eyes sparkled. "Awoo?!"
Xie Juanhan: "Yes, right now."
Telingewei said nothing, transformed back into a dragon, and stood in the Magic Forest.
Harper and the others took a few running steps, then jumped up and landed on the dragon's back.
Xie Juanhan was the last to jump onto the dragon's back, pointing to the sky. "Come on, let's go pick mushrooms deep in the sky!"
Before he finished speaking, the giant dragon suddenly took flight, soaring into the sky at an almost vertical angle.
The furry creatures clung tightly to the dragon's scales with their claws, their mouths gripping the tail of the creature in front of them, while Harper, at the very front, was tugging at Xie Juanhan's clothes. "Awooo!"
Harper and her kind couldn't fly very high before; high altitudes and lack of oxygen were threats to them.
In the past two years, they have drunk a lot of magic wine and eaten a lot of Demonic Beast meat, so their physical condition is much better than before.
They can now fly to heights they previously dared not reach with relative ease.
Winter has just ended, and their thick fur hasn't been shed yet, so flying high in the sky is perfect for keeping them warm.
Xie Juanhan sat on the back of the giant dragon, stretching out his arms to guide it:
"There--"
"See those huge expanses of white clouds over there? Cloud Mushroom tend to grow in places like that."
"Watch out! Don't fly into the clouds, you might get electrocuted!"
"Don't be afraid, fly freely. There's nothing in the clouds, you won't crash into anything."
The furry creatures are usually carried into the sky by the dragon, but they have never flown to such a high place before.
Their eyes widened, their mouths agape, as they stared at everything before them.
As the giant dragon burst forth from the clouds, the wind ceased, and the surroundings fell silent.
The clouds were surprisingly calm, and the sun hung high in the sky, its rays dazzling.
The furry creatures were stunned.
Immediately afterwards, Xie Juanhan's voice broke their daze.
Xie Juanhan directed the giant dragon to fly downwards, his voice tinged with laughter. "It's down below, we're almost there. How many Cloud Mushroom we can gather today depends on everyone's luck."
The furry creatures. "Aww!"
==========Author's Note:=========
Eighty-eight small red envelopes will be given away in the comments section of this chapter!
Chapter 194 [VIP]
With a full back of fluffy fur on its back, Nibote leaped down and soared through the sea of clouds, flapping its enormous wings.
The sunlight shone on it, as if it were edged with gold, making its golden-red fur even brighter.
Its fluffy back, outlined by the sunlight, also looked quite extraordinary.
But Harper and the others clung tightly to Nibote's fur with their claws, squealing loudly in the wind, "Chirp--Chirp--"
Their cries are so loud you can almost hear their throats.
It doesn't look as sacred anymore.
Xie Juanhan watched them disappear from sight, a smile appearing on his face.
The dragon withdrew its gaze from the furry creatures, turning its back to him. "Does your hometown still have this tradition of mushroom picking?"
Xie Juanhan smiled and looked at the distant sky, "Yes, but it's usually Xiaolongcai."
Xie Juanhan recounted his childhood to Telingewei: "When I was little, I went to school with my clansmen. Actually, I was just as mischievous as Nibote and the others. To wear us down and pass the time, the teacher would send us to pick Cloud Mushroom."
The teacher who taught them a group of young dragons was an elder in the clan.
Elders, you know, they're often serious lecturers, but they're also often unserious.
Sometimes, when their teacher got hungry, he would send them to search high and low for all sorts of delicious ingredients to go with their drinks, ostensibly to train their skills.
A group of little dragons also love to play; as long as they don't have to study, they're happy to go anywhere.
Wherever the teacher told them to go, they went, but they always had to play around first.
If they tell you to play in the sky, then you can play in the sky; if they tell you to go to the sea, then you can go to the sea.
Often, not only did they fail to bring back the ingredients the Master wanted, but the Master also had to roll up his sleeves, transform back into human form, and go out and rescue them one by one.
However, that was a long time ago.
Their clan hasn't had any new baby dragons hatch for the past few hundred years. I wonder how they'll raise them when they do?
As human technology becomes more advanced, we may no longer be able to take to the skies and dive into the earth like we used to.
After listening to Xie Juanhan's account, the dragon's eyes gleamed with longing. "Your lives are more interesting."
Xie Juanhan: "It's genuinely interesting when it's fun, and genuinely tough when it's tough."
With a smile, Xie Juanhan patted the giant dragon and said, "When we get back, I'll take you to pick Cloud Mushroom from our area. I know several locations that the other dragons don't."
Dragon: "Just us?"
Xie Juanhan: "Right, just you and me, we're not even bringing Harper and the others—"
Before Xie Juanhan could finish speaking, Haxi's loud voice rang out from afar. "Chirp!!!"