Chapter 31

The wine jars looked no different from before.

He gently lifted the lid of one jar, and the aroma of berries and wine immediately wafted out.

It was rich and mellow.

The fragrance seemed to billow out, much like that of Elven Holy Wine.

Xie Juanhan marveled, "The blessing worked incredibly well!"

Telingewei was just as surprised. "Maybe because they really liked the little cakes and honey water this time, the power of their blessing was very strong."

The Companion Beasts beside them couldn't be bothered to get up. They merely wagged their tails and chirped smugly, "Chirp, chirp."

Xie Juanhan looked down and smiled. "Yes, and because you're friends, the Pixies gave their blessings very sincerely."

Telingewei said, "It's also because the wine was brewed well. The Pixies must have really liked these two jars of berry wine."

The Companion Beasts wagged their tails, delighted to hear Xie Juanhan praise them.

Halfway through, Telingewei brought the subject back to Xie Juanhan.

The little ones instantly huffed in annoyance.

Too lazy to raise their heads and bite Telingewei, they bumped their heads against his feet instead, making a series of thuds.

Telingewei looked down. "Stop bumping. You're already silly, and you'll only get sillier if you keep that up."

"Chirp?!" The Companion Beasts' eyes went wide. Finally roused from their laziness, they rolled over, scrambled to their feet, and bit Telingewei's ankles. "Chirp, chirp!"

Beside them, Xie Juanhan laughed and halfheartedly tried to break it up. "Stop playing. Let's carry the wine back first."

So they carried the wine back again.

As before, Xie Juanhan put the jars in a corner of the kitchen and applied a little cold, letting the wine ferment at a low temperature.

After a moment's thought, he also applied a little Dragon Power.

The microorganisms in the wine blessed by the Pixies must have been very well selected.

He fed a little Dragon Power to those selected microorganisms.

The wine should ferment better.

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

See you tonight!

Chapter 31: Chapter 31 [VIP]

"Chirp, chirp!"

The excited cries of the Companion Beasts shattered the peace of the early morning.

Xie Juanhan, who was crouching in the garden pulling weeds, looked up and saw the little ones charging out of the forest.

They ignored the open garden gate entirely, pushed off the ground with all four paws, and leaped straight over the fence, charging beneath the veranda.

Several of the little ones were going so fast that their paws slipped, and they had to brake with their butts, sliding a long way across the floor tiles.

Even watching from a distance, Xie Juanhan felt pain for their butts.

The little ones stood up as if nothing had happened and dashed into the kitchen, calling loudly, "Chirp, chirp."

When they saw Xie Juanhan wasn't in the kitchen, they didn't waste a second, turning straight toward the study and calling just as loudly, "Chirp, chirp!"

There was no one in the study.

They turned around and started to charge into Xie Juanhan's room. "Chiiirp-"

Xie Juanhan had to call out to the little ones with their rather poor eyesight, "I'm here."

The little ones turned their heads and finally spotted him crouching among the grass. "Chirp!"

"So excited this early in the morning?" Xie Juanhan walked over, took off his gloves, and scratched the chin of the Companion Beast in front. "Has something good happened?"

The little ones immediately began chirping.

They all talked at once, calling out quickly and loudly.

Xie Juanhan communicated directly with the little ones through his mental power, but he still couldn't make out a thing.

"Wait, what banshees, pond, summer?" Xie Juanhan had no choice but to raise a hand and interrupt their clamor. "I didn't understand."

The little ones exchanged glances, then all spoke up at once again. "Chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

It had to be said, this was the downside of being too in sync.

With all the little ones speaking at once, they couldn't get anything across.

One of the little ones grew anxious, scratched at the floor tiles with a paw, and turned to run.

When the others saw their companion run off, they immediately turned and ran too.

They left a thoroughly bewildered Xie Juanhan behind.

A little while later, they came back gripping Telingewei's trouser legs in their teeth and dragging him along.

Xie Juanhan finally understood what the little ones were trying to say. "The Water Demons' lake restaurant has opened, and you've made a reservation?"

Telingewei nodded. "Are you free? We can go have dinner together."

Xie Juanhan was very curious. "Which lake? Molten Gold Lake?"

"A little farther upstream," Telingewei said. "Deep in the forest, there's a Water Demon lake next to the river. The Water Demons open a restaurant there every summer, but only for a few days."

Xie Juanhan had no idea where it was. "That sounds magical. Do we just go there?"

The little ones clamored to speak from the side. "Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

Xie Juanhan said, "We also need to bring gold coins?"

The little ones nodded vigorously, all lowering their heads to pull shiny gold coins from their fur. They held them in their teeth and motioned for Xie Juanhan to look. "Chirp!"

The gold coins in the little ones' mouths seemed especially bright, gleaming in the morning sunlight.

Telingewei explained, "The Water Demons like gold coins, and their restaurant only accepts them. Once they receive the coins, they weave them into chains and wear them on their wrists, around their waists, and in their hair."

The little ones chimed in, their eyes sparkling. "Chirp, chirp!"

"That's right, the shinier they're polished, the better."

"If guests pay with brightly polished gold coins, the Water Demons give them an extra cup of Water Demon spring wine."

Xie Juanhan said, "Really? They sound like a very special kind of fairy."

Telingewei asked, "Want to go?"

Xie Juanhan nodded without hesitation. "Yes!"

With that, Xie Juanhan started toward the house to get some gold coins.

Telingewei stopped him. "No need. I've already prepared them."

Telingewei pulled two gold coins from his pocket and tossed them into the air, sending Dragon Flame from his hand after them.

The Dragon Flame enveloped the coins.

The old coins were immediately heated until they glowed a brilliant golden red.

As the coins fell, Xie Juanhan reached out and caught them before they landed in front of Telingewei.

Cold spread out in an instant.

He opened his hand toward Telingewei, revealing two gleaming gold coins in his palm.

Like a magic trick, they had effortlessly made the two gold coins look new again.

The little ones looked at one of them, then the other, and instantly grew dissatisfied with the gold coins in their mouths.

"Chirp, chirp."

The little ones fixed their eyes on Telingewei, asking him to heat their gold coins for them too.

Telingewei looked down at them. "Who were the petty little creatures who hid their gold coins and even kept their guard up in case I snatched them?"

The little ones refused to admit it. "Chirp!"

In the end, Telingewei heated the little ones' gold coins for them and made plans with Xie Juanhan to visit the Water Demons' lake restaurant that evening.

That night, Telingewei brought the little ones to pick up Xie Juanhan.

The moon was nearly full, and its light was bright.

They could see their surroundings clearly even without carrying torches.

The little ones were eagerly looking forward to the Water Demons' restaurant. As soon as they picked Xie Juanhan up, they ran ahead to lead the way, never once looking back.

Xie Juanhan rarely saw them look forward to anything so eagerly, and he couldn't help asking Telingewei in a low voice, "Is the Water Demons' food especially delicious?"

"No, it's just rather special," Telingewei said quietly. "Their restaurant serves magical creatures. When the Companion Beasts go to other restaurants with me, they're just accessories, but at the Water Demons' restaurant, they're actual guests."

Xie Juanhan understood. "No wonder the little ones are so excited."

They followed the river deep into the forest, leaving the main stream for a tributary. After walking a long way, they gradually began to see indistinct figures ahead.

They were all other guests coming to the lake restaurant.

As the number of guests increased, Xie Juanhan noticed more and more of the Water Demons' signature things around them.

For example, signposts decorated with water plants were nailed to the trees, and guiding lights flickered among the bushes.

When Xie Juanhan first saw the guiding lights, he didn't notice anything unusual.

Only after looking at them for a while longer did he realize they weren't ordinary lights at all, but fireflies wrapped in gauze.

The fireflies blinked inside the gauze, their faint green lights echoing the starlight overhead, gradually bringing the forest to life.

Following the guiding lights to the riverbank, Xie Juanhan discovered that a small boardwalk had been built there.

The boardwalk stretched on, extending into the lake beside the river.

A small restaurant made from a shelter stood open for business on the lake.

The Water Demons had hung firefly lanterns along the boardwalk.

The firefly lanterns reflected on the water, doubling the lights.

Wild fireflies also danced over the lake, and faint moonlight shone from the sky.

Hearing them approach, the Water Demons came out to welcome their guests.

They wore sparkling gold-coin bracelets, waist chains, necklaces, and hair ornaments.

The gold coins reflected the light, setting off the Water Demons' radiant smiles.

There was light everywhere.

And all of it was dim, delicate, and softly diffused.

Amid all that light, Xie Juanhan followed Telingewei, guided by the long-haired Water Demons to the restaurant on the water in the middle of the lake.

The Water Demons, who couldn't speak, came over with trays and gestured for them to sit.

Every creature had a place.

Every Companion Beast had a place reserved just for it too.

The Companion Beasts put on serious expressions on their furry faces. When a Water Demon held a tray out in front of them, they spat their gold coins onto it.

Their gold coins were noticeably brighter than the coins already on the tray.

The Water Demon smiled and gestured to the Companion Beasts, indicating that she would give them spring wine.

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei also pulled out gold coins and placed them on the tray.

The Water Demon's smile grew even brighter.

Soon, a Water Demon brought them spring wine.

Besides the spring wine, the Water Demon also brought Xie Juanhan a flower wreath.