Chapter 23: Continued

"From the roots of the earth to the feet of the sky-"

Xie Juanhan stood beside the empty doorway, watching the lively dwarves as they departed, until they disappeared across the plains.

He turned and went back inside, admiring the house, which was like a work of art, once more.

He had a limited number of Demonic Cores, so he had built only three rooms.

A kitchen, a study that doubled as a reception room, and a bedroom with a combined bathroom and toilet.

Because Xie Juanhan had provided so much inspiration and help, the dwarves hadn't charged him for building the bathroom.

Xie Juanhan took a look around and was very pleased with his new house.

The doors and windows hadn't been installed yet; there were only empty frames.

Even so, the stone house was neat and beautiful.

The slate tiles on the roof looked just as he had first imagined, like a neatly laid layer of silver coins.

The sun was setting, and the tiles reflected the colors of the sunset and the evening light, making them shimmer.

If Xie Juanhan had been to Telingewei's cave, he would have noticed that the light dancing on the tiles was somewhat like the glimmer of gold.

He had never seen Telingewei's cave.

But he liked the glimmer of gold just as much.

In a cheerful mood, Xie Juanhan left the house and returned to his temporary shelter.

He couldn't live in the new house yet. He would have to wait until it was completely finished and furnished before he could move in.

It had been a clear, sunny day, with a brilliant sunset in the evening and serene moonlight at night.

In the middle of the night, Xie Juanhan, who had been fast asleep, suddenly heard a faint sound.

He woke with a start in the moonlight, opened his eyes, and turned his head to look into the distance.

In the darkness, a group of little creatures was running out of the forest.

Their tiny figures cast long shadows in the moonlight, as did the golden pots they were carrying with such effort in their mouths.

They were Dragon Companion Beasts.

The little creatures had actually come to deliver pots in the middle of the night!

Xie Juanhan quietly lifted his blanket, got up, and walked toward the house.

When he got closer, he saw that the two golden pots were the very deep pots he had used before.

One was large enough to hold a whole sheep.

The other was a little smaller but could still hold a whole fat chicken for stewing.

The little creatures looked around as they ran toward the house.

Working together, they carried the pots in their mouths, trying not to make a single sound.

The light was poor, and the place was still an unfinished construction site.

There were a few loose stones on the ground.

One of the little creatures accidentally stepped on a loose stone. Its paw slipped, and it stumbled on the spot.

It nearly fell, and because it was holding on to a pot, it nearly pulled its companions down with it.

"Chirp." The other Companion Beasts hissed angrily.

The little creature guiltily raised its head, sucked in its belly, and hurriedly stood straight again.

The little creatures were extremely fast. Even the near fall didn't slow them down.

They ran lightly to the house and went in through the doorway, where the door had yet to be installed.

The golden pots were a little too big.

A pot's rim struck the doorframe, leaving a dent with a clang.

The little creatures all froze at once, standing motionless with their ears pricked as they listened for sounds around them.

It was quiet all around. Apart from a few chirping insects, there wasn't a sound.

They breathed a sigh of relief and ran into the kitchen.

Xie Juanhan now understood what they were doing.

Without disturbing them, he quietly changed back into his dragon form and flew onto the roof. Then he resumed his human form and watched their movements through a window frame at an angle.

The little creatures divided into two groups.

One group jumped onto the stove, while the other crouched on the floor.

Once their companions on the stove had found their footing, the ones on the floor picked up the pots in their mouths and struggled to pass them up.

The little creatures on the stove gripped it tightly with their paws and, holding the pots in their mouths, worked together to lower them into the stove openings.

Soon, both golden pots were in place.

The little creatures looked at the pots, exchanged glances, and happily jumped down to the floor.

They quickly lined up and ran off with their tails held high.

Watching from the roof, Xie Juanhan was touched, though he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He watched the little creatures run off into the distance, then thought of jumping down and putting the two golden pots away in the kitchen.

He had made some improvements to his kitchen.

It now had two stoves.

One was connected to the counter. It was a traditional local cast-iron flat-top stove, convenient for boiling water, stewing food, and baking bread.

For the other, he had drawn up plans and asked the dwarves to build him a Chinese-style wood-burning stove, with a front burner for stir-frying and a rear one for boiling water.

The two golden pots the little creatures had brought were now sitting in the two openings of the wood-burning stove.

Because they weren't quite the right size,

both golden pots wobbled in the openings.

Only the little creatures thought they had installed them perfectly.

Xie Juanhan was about to jump down when he saw a tall figure emerge from the forest.

The figure happened to be carrying two large pots stacked together.

It was Telingewei.

Xie Juanhan watched him approach from a distance, muttering to himself.

As expected of a dragon and his Companion Beasts.

Such tacit understanding.

They even chose the same day to deliver pots.

And they all came over quietly in the middle of the night.

Xie Juanhan was in no hurry to go down anymore.

He curled up on the roof in his dragon form, quietly making himself a little smaller.

It was remarkably easy for a white dragon to hide in the moonlight.

Telingewei didn't notice him.

Carrying the two pots, Telingewei walked quietly into the kitchen, lifted out the golden pots, and put the ones he had brought in their place.

The two pots he had brought fit surprisingly well.

They sat snugly in the two stove openings.

After putting them in place, Telingewei stepped back twice and examined them carefully.

From his expression, he was clearly very pleased with the result.

Xie Juanhan rarely saw him looking even a little smug like this.

He said nothing and took a moment to admire the sight.

But it would have been rude to stare for too long.

Xie Juanhan flew down from the roof, intending to give Telingewei a silent scare.

To his surprise, halfway down, he saw the Companion Beasts come charging out of the forest again.

"Awooo!" The Companion Beasts reached the kitchen doorway in the blink of an eye and howled angrily at Telingewei.

Telingewei hadn't expected the Companion Beasts to block his way as soon as he turned around, either.

He lowered his voice. "Keep it down."

The little creatures said, "Awoo!"

Telingewei calmly pointed out, "I didn't steal the pots. You did."

"Awooo!"

"It's not that I couldn't bear to part with them. The golden pots you brought aren't suitable."

Holding the golden pots in one hand, Telingewei picked up the little creature in front of him with the other and gently tossed it away.

"Argue when we get back. Don't wake him up."

The Companion Beasts grew even angrier. After being tossed away, they charged back, lunged at Telingewei's feet, and sank their sharp little teeth through his pants.

"Awooo!"

"Let go!"

"Awooo!"

"Don't pull my pants!"

Halfway down, Xie Juanhan watched as Telingewei and the Companion Beasts began to fight.

The Companion Beasts scratched and bit.

The little creatures that couldn't squeeze into the center of the fight were so angry that they stood on their hind legs, reached out with both front paws, and jumped up to scratch Telingewei's butt.

In the blink of an eye, they were all fighting in a heap.

Xie Juanhan hovered in midair, unable to fly back up and hide, yet unable to fly down and break up the fight.

He froze there.

Telingewei caught sight of a flash of silver-white out of the corner of his eye and froze as well. "Xie Juanhan?"

Telingewei stopped fighting.

The little creatures turned their heads and looked up into the air, freezing too.

"Well," Xie Juanhan said. He should have felt awkward, but he couldn't help laughing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to spy on you fighting."

The tips of Telingewei's ears turned a little red. "We weren't fighting."

Before the words had quite left his mouth, he realized what had happened and continued, "And it wasn't because I couldn't bear to part with the pots that I came over secretly to replace the ones Harper and the others gave you."

Beside him, the little creatures chirped loudly, "Chirp, chirp!"

Telingewei gently pushed them away with his foot, looking even more embarrassed. "Shut up. I'm not a stingy dragon."

Telingewei explained to Xie Juanhan, "The golden pots they brought are too soft, and they're the wrong size. I replaced them with custom-made mithril pots."

"I originally planned to give them to you as a gift on the day your house was finished, but they were too impatient and secretly carried the pots over in the middle of the night."

"So I thought I'd come and switch them, so you wouldn't wake up tomorrow and see pots that didn't fit."

Xie Juanhan hadn't expected that to be the reason. He landed and returned to his human form. "The legendary mithril pots? You're too good to me."

"They're mithril pots."

Telingewei nodded, responding only to the first part.

"Like golden pots, mithril pots don't rust or corrode. They have no pores, don't leach metal, and are nonstick. They're often used as potion cauldrons, so they should be suitable for cooking too."

Xie Juanhan thanked him sincerely. "They sound very useful. Thank you for having these pots custom-made for me."

Telingewei said, "You're welcome."

Xie Juanhan turned to the little creatures. "Thank you too, for bringing me pots in the middle of the night."

The little creatures were a little shy and chirped softly, "Chirp, chirp."

Xie Juanhan thought they were so adorable that he couldn't resist. He bent down, scooped them all up with his long arms, and held them close.

"You even argued with Telingewei because of me. I'm so touched."

Xie Juanhan rubbed his chin against each of their heads in turn.

"Thank you. I appreciate the thought. Once the house is finished, I'll invite you all over for a meal."