Chapter 35 (continued)

With it around, not even a Demon Bird can land.

Not to mention small and medium-sized Demonic Beast like the Demon Rabbit and Magic Deer.

The farmland was well protected, and the small animals in the vicinity knew it was the territory of the Demon Wolf and rarely came over.

The little Demon Wolf's food supply suddenly dwindled.

Xie Juanhan was worried that it wasn't very good at hunting, so he observed its condition carefully, provided it with Demonic Beast meat every day, and asked its Companion Beast to play with it.

They're all little ones.

The Companion Beast and the little Demon Wolf quickly became acquainted.

That day, Xie Juanhan went to the farmland and saw the Companion Beast playing with the little Demon Wolf again.

They ran across the fields.

One of the little Companion Beast, running along, couldn't go any further and called out to the little Demon Wolf, "Chirp?"

Without hesitation, the little Demon Wolf ran forward and carried its Companion Beast on its back. "Awoo!"

Xie Juanhan: "Habu! How can someone as big as you ride someone else?"

Upon hearing the sound, both the Companion Beast and the little Demon Wolf shrank back.

Turning its head and seeing Xie Juanhan, the Companion Beast quickly jumped off the little Demon Wolf's back, pushed off the ground, and ran away.

The little Demon Wolf quickly followed behind it, running off with a "clattering" sound.

The Companion Beast turned the little Demon Wolf into a follower.

They run around together every day, always playing near the farmland.

Xie Juanhan gradually discovered that not only were there no Demonic Beast or Demon Bird ravaging his farmland, but even the insects had disappeared.

The little Demon Wolf seems to have a slight obsessive-compulsive disorder; it really dislikes any living thing harming crops, even tiny insects, which it will bite off with its mouth.

Life gradually settled down, and Xie Juanhan wasn't so busy anymore.

Besides hunting, gathering, and farming, Xie Juanhan also spends a considerable amount of time at home.

When he is at home, he usually reads in his study.

Dragons have incredibly keen hearing.

Even if he stayed in the study, he could hear everything that was happening in the kitchen.

He knew they were his Companion Beast and originally wanted to turn a blind eye, but the kitchen kept making rustling and tapping sounds.

The sound continued unabated.

Anyone who didn't know better would think the little ones had cooked three dishes and a soup in the kitchen.

Xie Juanhan held back.

The rustling sounds were really annoying.

He closed his eyes and opened them again, finally pushing open the window and peering out towards the kitchen. "Harper, what are you doing?"

The cupboard was opened, and the Companion Beast, who had been rummaging around with their paws inside, hurriedly turned their heads to look around. "Chirp?!"

Xie Juanhan rolled up a piece of paper, tossed it lightly, and landed accurately on the head of the little guy who was rummaging through the cupboard.

The little guy shrank back and finally saw Xie Juanhan.

Xie Juanhan: "Aren't you full?"

The Companion Beast dared not utter a sound, quickly retracted their claws, and tried to run away.

In their panic, one of the little creatures slipped and tilted to one side.

Xie Juanhan then noticed the little Demon Wolf hiding behind it.

--The Companion Beast have come to steal food with their little Demon Wolf.

No wonder the little Demon Wolf became the loyal follower of the Companion Beast.

Xie Juanhan covered his face; it seemed he would have to give the little Demon Wolf an extra meal.

What kind of situation is this?

The little ones squeezed out of the kitchen doorway and were about to run far away.

Xie Juanhan and asked loudly, "Where did Telingewei go today?"

The sounds of their Companion Beast drifted from afar. "Chirp, chirp."

Have no idea?

Xie Juanhan was somewhat puzzled.

Telingewei had been coming over every day during this period, and it was rare for him to be absent even on a single day. His Companion Beast didn't even know where he went?

Xie Juanhan was a little uncomfortable.

Xie Juanhan stood at the window for a moment, stunned, before coming to his senses and sitting down to continue reading.

In the evening, Xie Juanhan finished dinner and was watering the garden.

Telingewei's figure appeared outside the fence.

Xie Juanhan caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye, and even before he could see his face clearly, he already knew it was him.

"Telingewei?" Xie Juanhan released the moisture he had caught, turned to look at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes, "Why did you come so late?"

Telingewei: "Harper and the others said you were looking for me? What happened?"

"No." Xie Juanhan coughed lightly, "I was just a little surprised not to see you today, so I asked."

Xie Juanhan invited him in. "Would you like some honey syrup?"

"Of course." Telingewei casually straightened the gloves that had fallen from the corridor onto the open space. "Are you really okay to tell me nothing?"

"No, I just thought of you when I was looking at the encyclopedia."

What kind of encyclopedia are you looking at?

"A picture book about marine life," Xie Juanhan added. "Just a regular picture book, not a magic one. It has Tata Fish in it."

"Has someone documented the Tata Fish?"

"Yes, the guidebook also says that they are actually omnivores, and they especially like to eat a certain type of nectar-like algae."

Xie Juanhan brought out honey water and a crystal glass, then went to the study to retrieve the illustrated guide he had looked at during the day, turning to the page on the Tata Fish.

Telingewei examined them carefully and said, "I'm not very familiar with their habits."

Xie Juanhan: "Haven't you two been dealing with each other for many years?"

Telingewei nodded. "Yes, but from the very beginning, they would either resist or run away whenever I approached them."

Xie Juanhan smiled, "Is that so?"

Telingewei nodded, indicating that was indeed the case. "Very few creatures are able to approach and understand them."

Xie Juanhan: "So, do you think it's true that they have a sweet tooth?"

Telingewei thought about it carefully, "It should be. I've seen their food scraps, and I've definitely seen a lot of honey algae."

Xie Juanhan: "Then I have a guess."

Xie Juanhan said, "Every time we went to milk the cows before, we had to feed them fish that had been soaked in alcohol first—"

Telingewei nodded. "Yes."

Xie Juanhan met his gaze. "I'm wondering, do they prefer the taste of wine, or the taste of sweetness? Fish soaked in wine must be sweet, right?"

Telingewei recalled, "Most of the time, and only occasionally, if I didn't have my usual wine, I'd switch to another ordinary one."

Xie Juanhan gestured for him to continue.

Telingewei: "If it were other wines, they certainly wouldn't be as enthusiastic."

Xie Juanhan: "If they really do have a sweet tooth, that means feeding them fish and wine isn't necessary, but sweets are. I'm thinking, could we exchange sweets for milking?"

Telingewei: "Give them powdered sugar?"

Xie Juanhan: "Powdered sugar is too expensive, and they're quite large, so feeding them directly probably won't save on costs."

Telingewei: "What is that?"

Xie Juanhan: "The Cold Melon in my field are ripe. I'm considering whether I can trade Cold Melon for them."

Xie Juanhan's eyes lit up. "If this method works, maybe we can exchange Tata Fish milk for a long time."

After more than two months of growth, the crops in Xie Juanhan's field are all growing very well.

He has already eaten one batch of vegetables, and now fruits and melons can be harvested one after another, including a sweet fruit called "Cold Melon".

Xie Juanhan specially picked Cold Melon for Telingewei and his Companion Beast to try.

Cold Melon was also one of the seeds sent by the planting fairies.

They come from other counties; they're not native to this area.

The Companion Beast had never seen such a round melon, bigger than their heads, before.

Xie Juanhan lightly touched the melon rind with the knife in his hand, and the Cold Melon cracked open, revealing the white jade-like flesh inside.

The unique, fresh aroma of melons wafted out.

The little ones pawed at the counter to stand up, and their eyes widened at the aroma of melons.

Xie Juanhan knew they were anxious, so he gave them a reassuring look, cut the Cold Melon into several pieces, gave one piece to each of the Companion Beast, and gave the last piece to the little Demon Wolf that was waiting in the back, whimpering anxiously.

After the little ones started munching on it, Xie Juanhan cut another piece, handed one slice to Telingewei, and tasted the other slice himself.

The Cold Melon have already formed and are growing bigger every day.

Xie Juanhan tasted it several times during the process of taking care of it.

The first few times I used Cold Melon, it was a bit bland and not sweet enough.

The Cold Melon finally turned sweet today; it's sweet, juicy, and has a refreshing aroma.

The little ones quickly finished one and stared longingly at Xie Juanhan.

They clearly really like this fruit.

Xie Juanhan then cut another one for them.

After cutting the melon, Xie Juanhan turned around and saw Telingewei standing beside him, holding the slice of Cold Melon, lost in thought.

Xie Juanhan knew what he was thinking and explained, "The planting fairies wrote that Cold Melon need to be planted in places with large temperature differences between day and night. The temperature difference between day and night here is average, so I tried going over at night to release the cold air, and the planting results were very good afterward."

Telingewei: "Won't this hurt the Cold Melon?"

"Absolutely not. I figured it out through trial and error, in small batches." Xie Juanhan slightly raised his chin. "You don't need to release a lot of cold air. Just let them get slightly frosty, even if it's only for a short while, and the vegetables and fruits you grow will be exceptionally different."

After praising his own planting skills, Xie Juanhan also praised Little Demon Wolf: "We can enjoy such delicious Cold Melon thanks to Little Moli."

When the little Demon Wolf heard its name called, it immediately sat up straight and cried out, "Awoo--"

Xie Juanhan looked at the little Demon Wolf and laughed, "Little Moli did a great job guarding the melon patch; not a single melon was lost, not even a single bug."

The Companion Beast immediately showed expressions of admiration.

"Chirp chirp." Harvey suddenly stretched out his paw and touched the little Demon Wolf with his front paw.

The other Companion Beast, in perfect unison, extended their paws and pressed them against the little Demon Wolf, pleading, "Chirp!"