Thank you, quayA, for the ko-fi~
“Let’s not talk about me.”
Feng Qi had no interest in idle chatter. He glanced at Bai Ze and said, “Call more people out.”
Bai Ze: “Alright.”
Bai Ze: “I need some time.”
Having just emerged himself, Bai Ze could summon others, but the process required considerable effort.
“Fine, go ahead.”
Feng Qi didn’t mind the wait.
After all, the one who should be feeling troubled right now wasn’t them, but Qiong Qi.
Feng Qi’s prediction was correct.
Qiong Qi, who had been carrying both the human and the cub in his mouth, stopped midway.
Feng Yuan had vomited.
Having eaten too much earlier, his little belly was swollen like a ball and couldn’t handle being jostled.
And Qiong Qi’s method of carrying him back had clearly been too rough.
The little guy had tried hard to hold it in for half the journey but ultimately failed.
When Qiong Qi stopped still some distance from the ground, he considered simply dropping both the cub and the human.
Yu Yi sensed his intention and turned pale instantly.
“Don’t drop us!”
“I have an egg inside me. I’m about to lay them!”
At his words, Qiong Qi, who had just opened his mouth, closed it again.
With a grim expression, he placed the cub and the human on the ground.
They had no idea where they were, but a small mountain spring flowed before them.
Yu Yi took the cub to the springside to clean him up.
Feng Yuan had thrown up everything he’d eaten.
His eyes were teary from vomiting, and he complained about the smell.
If Yu Yi hadn’t stopped him in time, he would have tried to jump into the spring for a bath after rinsing his mouth.
Once cleaned up at the spring, the cub, before Qiong Qi could pick him up again, wiped his tears and walked over to Qiong Qi himself.
He reached out his chubby little hand and tugged at Qiong Qi’s fur.
“Uncle, don’t carry Yuan Yuan in your mouth.”
“Yuan Yuan wants to ride on your back.”
Qiong Qi: “…”
Qiong Qi glared coldly at him. “You, a little fatty, dare to make demands? Do you believe I’ll eat you in one bite?”
Being called “little fatty” transformed the cub’s physical discomfort into sheer indignation.
“Bad uncle!”
“Yuan Yuan is not a little fatty!”
Feng Yuan couldn’t stand such an unpleasant nickname.
Angrily, he stomped his chubby foot on Qiong Qi’s paw.
Qiong Qi: “?”
Qiong Qi’s paw pads were thick, and he felt no pain at all.
Wasting no more time, he opened his mouth and picked up Feng Yuan again.
He intended to leave Yu Yi behind.
After all, he had never been his target.
But Yu Yi grabbed his fur and climbed onto his back before he could take off.
Having ridden on the black dragon’s back many times, he was accustomed to it. Qiong Qi’s back was no different.
Seeing his insistence on following, Qiong Qi decided to take them both.
Qiong Qi’s teeth were sharp.
Feng Yuan, held in his mouth, carefully kept his chubby body still, afraid of getting injured by those teeth.
Yet, even while being carried in a mouth, the cub felt little fear.
He began counting Qiong Qi’s teeth and checking for any cavities.
Qiong Qi’s teeth were pristine white and sturdy.
Not a single one was decayed.
This made the chubby cub envious.
They were both beasts. Why did others not have bad teeth?
“We’re here.”
After an unknown length of time, Qiong Qi stopped again.
He had brought both the adult and the cub back to his den.
Qiong Qi’s den was nestled within an illusionary realm, inaccessible to humans.
Due to his size, the den was exceptionally large.
The illusion where Qiong Qi’s den was located simulated a scene from the World of Mountains and Seas.
For Feng Yuan, arriving in this illusion felt like returning to his hometown.
“Wow, a Feifei!”
Feng Yuan spotted the Feifei, a creature shaped like a fox with a white tail.
Wherever the Feifei appeared, it could dispel sorrow and worries.
Raising a Feifei could lift one’s spirits and bring joy.
Upon seeing the Feifei, Feng Yuan immediately started chasing after it.
He wanted to catch the Feifei and let his godfather hold it.
The Feifei was agile and swift, making it difficult for Feng Yuan to catch.
As they ran—one chasing, the other fleeing—Feng Yuan eventually transformed back into a chubby little chick. Flapping his wings and scurrying on his tiny claws, he dashed forward at full speed.
Yu Yi leaned against a tree and sat down.
He had been feeling somewhat unwell along the way.
Qiong Qi looked at Yu Yi, who had his eyes closed as he rested against the tree. His beastly expression turned grim.
“Are you about to give birth?”
“No.”
Yu Yi was only resting with his eyes closed, not actually asleep.
His voice sounded weak: “I’m just too tired. I’ve reached the egg-laying period, but my egg hasn’t come out yet.”
As he spoke, Yu Yi slightly lifted his eyelids.
Half-opening his eyes, he looked at Qiong Qi and asked, “You’re a divine beast. Do you know what I should do in this situation?”
Qiong Qi snorted coldly, “I don’t do midwifery.”
Helping others lay eggs was something Bai Ze excelled at.
“Go inside and rest.”
Qiong Qi pointed to the newly built wooden hut next to the main house.
Such small wooden huts were quite common in the World of Mountains and Seas.
Feng Yuan had lived in one before.
Inside the hut, there was a bed and a table. It was far better than sitting outside like Yu Yi was.
Yu Yi supported himself against the tree as he stood up, thanked Qiong Qi, and entered the small wooden hut.
Though the hut appeared plain and unremarkable, it was actually constructed from Fusang wood.
The kettle on the table was filled with sweet spring water.
After drinking some water, Yu Yi lay down on the bed and covered himself with a quilt made of snow mountain silkworm silk.
The fatigue in his body gradually eased.
Yu Yi, who had been too anxious to sleep well for a long time, fell asleep within seconds of lying down under the covers.
He slept soundly and peacefully, with a look of contentment on his face.
While Yu Yi slept inside the small hut, Feng Yuan was outside chasing the Feifei.
In ancient times, the Feifei was kept as a pet by royal families and nobility. Because it could dispel worries, its appearance was considered an auspicious sign.
The royals adored it dearly.
The little Feifei that Feng Yuan was trying to catch was one that had been pampered and doted on in the royal court.
Raised with pride, the little Feifei assumed that Feng Yuan wanted to capture it and keep it as a pet.
The little Feifei was utterly exasperated by the energetic little phoenix chasing after it.
In its desperate attempt to escape, the little Feifei even jumped into a mud puddle.
After a frantic chase, the grimy little phoenix returned empty-handed.
He scurried over to Qiong Qi, covered in dirt.
Qiong Qi glanced at him and immediately averted his gaze.
“Chirp, chirp!”
Give me a bath!
Feng Yuan wasn’t afraid of Qiong Qi. Waving his short, chubby wings, he urged Qiong Qi to bathe him.
But Qiong Qi had no intention of doing so.
Seeing that Qiong Qi refused, the little chick put on a serious face and chirped insistently, reasoning with him.
“You carried me here!”
“Now you have to take care of me!”
“I’m still little!”
Feng Yuan delivered this argument with absolute confidence.
Back when the dragon uncles carried him away, they treated him like a baby and raised him.
Now that Qiong Qi had carried him here too, Qiong Qi should also raise him!
“Chirp chirp.”
If you don’t take good care of me, Uncle Bai Ze will beat you!
Feng Yuan even brought up his Uncle Bai Ze.
It would have been better if he hadn’t mentioned him. The moment he did, Qiong Qi’s eyes grew even more hostile.
“I would never raise Bai Ze’s son.”
“Little fatty, I won’t show you any mercy.”
“I brought you back to torment you.”
Feng Yuan tilted his head. “Chirp.”
But we still need to take a bath first!
Feng Yuan usually didn’t like bathing, but now he was covered in mud. Not washing would be uncomfortable.
Under Feng Yuan’s incessant chirping, Qiong Qi felt his ears were about to go deaf.
Impatiently, he tossed Feng Yuan into the hot spring.
In this environment of the World of Mountains and Seas, there were also hot springs.
Feng Yuan was a bit traumatized by hot springs.
He had just been frozen twice in a row. Now, he was afraid to enter the hot spring.
“Chirp chirp.”
The little chubby ball by the hot spring rolled his eyes and came up with an idea.
He asked Qiong Qi to join him in the hot spring.
He could sit on Qiong Qi and scrub himself.
To convince Qiong Qi to enter, Feng Yuan pretended to be drowning and unable to get out after jumping into the hot spring.
He flapped his little wings, deliberately sinking into the water.
The hot spring wasn’t deep.
But Feng Yuan, being such a small chubby ball, was just too tiny.
Even a small basin of water could drown him.
Watching the little chubby ball about to sink to the bottom, sure enough, Qiong Qi couldn’t stay on the shore any longer.
He jumped in, too.
The moment he jumped in, the little chubby ball in the water precisely stretched out his claws and grabbed him.
Holding onto Qiong Qi’s fur, the little ball swiftly swam up to his shoulder and popped his little head out.
After emerging, he chirped and laughed twice.
Realizing he had been tricked, Qiong Qi was furious.
“You’re just as deceitful as Bai Ze!”
This little phoenix was definitely Bai Ze’s kid!
Feng Yuan paid no mind to Qiong Qi’s anger and diligently cleaned his fur.
Although his fur wasn’t as fluffy as Rong Rong’s, it was still hard to wash.
After washing his fur for a while, he transformed into a chubby toddler and continued washing.
When Feng Yuan was taken away, he was only wearing a set of bath clothes.
His other clothes were gone.
Although the illusory world was warm, Feng Yuan didn’t want to go bare-bottomed.
He asked Qiong Qi for clothes.
Qiong Qi refused to get him any.
The chubby toddler was quite good at reading expressions. Seeing that Qiong Qi was still angry, he patted Qiong Qi’s head like he would with a big dog.
“Don’t be upset. I’ll help you take a bath too, okay?”
As he said this, Feng Yuan diligently began cleaning Qiong Qi’s fur as well.
The two of them, one big and one small, spent a long time messing around in the hot spring.
When they finally came out, Feng Yuan was given a clean, treated little animal hide to wear.
He put on the little hide and looked at his reflection in the water.
“Yuan Yuan is so pretty!”
Feng Yuan had never worn this kind of animal hide clothing before.
It was his first time wearing it. He found it both novel and beautiful.
Now that he had clothes, Feng Yuan became even more unrestrained in his playfulness.
It was still daytime, not yet time for lunch.
Feng Yuan, being a little one, was full of energy.
His playfulness revolved entirely around Qiong Qi.
He climbed all over Qiong Qi. Just as Qiong Qi was about to lose his temper, Feng Yuan would pucker his lips and give him two smacking kisses.
Qiong Qi was utterly annoyed.
The little guy was both hyperactive and a chatterbox. Even though he had never played with Qiong Qi before, he had an endless stream of things to say to him.
After pestering Qiong Qi all morning, Feng Yuan finally quieted down for a while.
He slid down from Qiong Qi’s back as if riding a slide, swooshing down in an instant.
“I’m going to find food to cook for you.”
The little guy, who loved both eating and cooking, waved his small hand at Qiong Qi, who was lying on the ground.
Qiong Qi had placed prey within the illusionary realm.
The prey he had gathered were all beasts that had not yet gained spiritual intelligence.
These beasts were enormous in size and extremely ferocious in nature.
By hunting them, Qiong Qi could both vent his savage instincts through tearing and devouring them and fill his stomach—a perfect two-for-one.
There were many of these beasts.
They had all been collected by Qiong Qi and raised here.
At first, the number of these beasts was not large.
It took Qiong Qi a long time to raise them to their current scale.
Feng Yuan, unaware that the illusionary realm was teeming with large beasts, wove himself a small basket and set out with it slung over his arm.
Humming a tune as he walked, he picked small flowers along the way and decorated his basket with them.
Qiong Qi had excellent eyesight.
Even when Feng Yuan had wandered far away, he could still see him with a single glance.
In the vast illusionary world, a little cub clad in animal skin, carrying a flower-adorned basket, hopped and skipped along, humming a song as he searched for food.
The scene was actually quite pleasing to the eye.
Feng Yuan wandered around, hoping to find some meat to roast or perhaps to make into soup.
But after searching for a long time, he found nothing.
Unable to find meat, he decided to look for fruit.
As Feng Yuan thought about fruit, he looked up and indeed spotted a tree laden with fruit.
The bright red little fruits looked like tiny lanterns.
Feng Yuan could even smell their sweet fragrance.
Drool glistened at the corner of his mouth. He could hardly wait to eat the fruit right away.
“Here I come!”
With his basket in hand, Feng Yuan was about to dash forward.
However, a beast moved faster than he did. The herbivorous creature leaped lightly and landed in the tree.
Just as the beast was about to eat the fruit, the tree, which had been covered in red fruit, suddenly moved.
Using its fruit-laden branches, the tree entangled the beast.
The beast let out a mournful cry.
Feng Yuan watched in horror as it died.
The terrifying scene frightened the little guy, who had been drooling just moments before, so much that he fell backward onto the ground.
He watched as the tree, after strangling the beast with its branches, began to digest it right then and there.
The tree’s feeding process was swift.
In just a few minutes, the beast had completely disappeared.
Satiated, the tree shook its branches and stretched them out once more.
The red fruits hanging from its branches now looked even more vibrant in color.
And the sweet fragrance emanating from the fruit grew even stronger.
Feng Yuan swallowed his saliva, scrambled up from the ground, grabbed his little basket, and hurried away without looking back.
Just as Feng Yuan fled, the tree let out a burp and spoke slowly.
“Ah, so it’s the little phoenix.”
“Why did you run away?”
“Come back. Grandpa will pick some fruit for you to eat.”
The tree was a demon who had lived for many, many years.
He recognized phoenixes.
And he recognized this little phoenix.
Watching the little phoenix run away without a backward glance, the tree sighed. “I held you when you were little.”
The phoenix had once rested beneath his branches.
He had reached out with his branches and carefully cradled the little phoenix from the phoenix’s embrace.
It had been a long time since he had seen them.
The little phoenix that once nestled in the phoenix’s embrace had grown so much.
How adorable.
This little phoenix is still as chubby as ever.
The slow, drawn-out call from the big tree went unheard by the little guy who had already fled in fright.
The little guy had run nearly two miles before daring to stop.
He couldn’t find any meat, nor could he pick any fruit.
This left him utterly disheartened.
While he struggled to find food, other beasts saw him as a tasty snack.
The fierce beasts raised by Qiong Qi had already silently locked their gaze on him.
These beasts lived in groups.
They stealthily surrounded Feng Yuan.
Feng Yuan was small. He was not even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.
But his flesh was tender, and his scent was enticing.
They wanted to eat him.
“Help!”
Realizing he was surrounded by such large beasts with no way to escape, Feng Yuan could only scream at the top of his lungs, calling out to Qiong Qi for rescue.
“Uncle, save Yuan Yuan!”
Just as the beasts’ drool was about to drip onto him, Feng Yuan burst into tears, terrified.
Amid his sobs, the beasts that had been drooling over him suddenly let out pained howls.
Feng Yuan, who could barely open his eyes from crying, wiped his tears and looked up.
At the sight, his sobs choked in his throat.
Qiong Qi had arrived.
As soon as he appeared, Qiong Qi bit a chunk of flesh right off one of the beasts.
Feng Yuan covered his eyes, too scared to watch the brutal fight among the beasts.
But Qiong Qi coldly commanded, “Little fatty, open your eyes!”
“Watch closely! This is how a beast attacks and hunts!”
Seeing the cub covering his eyes, Qiong Qi thought he was far too sheltered. Too fragile!
While scolding, Qiong Qi stepped aside, urging Feng Yuan to launch an attack as well.
With Qiong Qi by his side, Feng Yuan felt a sliver of security.
Transforming into a fierce little battle chick, he charged forward, spitting small flames.
He didn’t even mind the blood dripping onto his feathers.
Mimicking Qiong Qi, he pecked fiercely at the beasts that had wanted to eat him with his tender little beak.
Together, they took down all three beasts.
After the fight, the chubby little chick perched right on top of Qiong Qi’s head.
Spreading his tiny wings, he struck a pose of arrogant dominance, as if surveying the world.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp.”
He chirped solemnly, as if delivering a speech from the great King Yuan Yuan.
With the little chubby ball perched on his head, Qiong Qi remained unfazed as he devoured one and a half of the three beasts.
The remaining half was carried back in his mouth.
The last beast was left behind. It wasn’t long before other creatures came to feast on it.
It seemed that bonds were forged more easily in battle.
After fighting alongside Qiong Qi, Feng Yuan felt even closer to him.
Together, they bathed once more in the hot springs.
Freshly cleaned from head to toe, Feng Yuan planted two kisses on Qiong Qi before heading off to cook.
Qiong Qi had already eaten, but he and his godfather hadn’t.
He wanted to prepare meat for his godfather to replenish his strength!
Feng Yuan cooked with surprising skill, asking Qiong Qi where to find herbs for seasoning.
He gathered some flavor-enhancing herbs, crushed them with a stone, and smeared the juice onto the meat.
Besides the herb juice, he also used honey.
In short, Feng Yuan was incredibly busy.
After finishing the meal, he even tidied up Qiong Qi’s nest.
He cleaned it thoroughly and decorated it with lots of little flowers.
Uncle Bai Ze and his father hadn’t come to pick him up yet.
For the time being, he would definitely be sharing the nest with Qiong Qi.
This lovely little nest was half his, after all!
“Godfather, come out and eat!”
After Feng Yuan tidied up, he woke Yu Yi to have a meal.
Although Yu Yi had little appetite, he ended up eating two large pieces of the roasted meat Feng Yuan had prepared.
“It’s delicious.”
Yu Yi gave his approval of Feng Yuan’s cooking skills.
He truly hadn’t expected that after trying to stew himself once, the little guy had actually unlocked his culinary talents.
Feng Yuan himself also found the meat he had cooked to be fragrant and delicious.
“Uncle Qiong Qi, here, try some.”
Feng Yuan knew Qiong Qi had already eaten, but he still shared his roasted meat with him.
With his chubby little hand, he directly fed the meat to Qiong Qi’s mouth.
Qiong Qi chewed it and found the taste quite acceptable.
After eating and drinking their fill, the human, the beast, and the little guy all began to rest.
Feng Yuan lay down on Qiong Qi’s belly and closed his eyes to sleep.
For a fierce beast like Qiong Qi, the belly is the softest and most vulnerable part, not something to be casually exposed.
But this overly familiar little guy didn’t consider any of that.
He only knew that sleeping here was the warmest and most comfortable.
The surroundings seemed to grow quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects serving as sporadic embellishments.
Inside the small wooden cabin, Yu Yi had a very pleasant dream.
Feng Yuan also dreamed.
In his dream, all the kindergartens suddenly closed down.
His dad held his hand, standing at the kindergarten entrance, and asked him with a worried expression, “Yuan Yuan, what will you do if you can’t go to school anymore?”
Tilting his little face upward, he giggled and told his dad he could collect scrap for a living.
The little guy, smiling in his dream, also smiled in reality.
As he smiled, his small body inevitably shifted slightly.
Qiong Qi, a light sleeper, noticed the movement and opened his eyes.
Lowering his gaze, Qiong Qi looked at the little guy, who had his eyes closed and was grinning, and fell into deep thought.
This little guy wasn’t entirely without redeeming qualities.
If Bai Ze came to beg him, perhaps he might mercifully spare the little fellow.
The thought of Bai Ze begging him lifted Qiong Qi’s spirits immensely.
This time, he was determined to teach Bai Ze a lesson!
Wasn’t Bai Ze the best at playing dead?!
Didn’t Bai Ze even look down on him, Qiong Qi?
This time, Bai Ze must be regretting it deeply.
Just imagining Bai Ze’s current state of mind filled Qiong Qi with satisfaction.
His daydreaming lasted so long that he didn’t even notice when Feng Yuan woke up.
Feng Yuan hadn’t napped for long.
With his “five minutes of charging, energy for a whole day” physique, he didn’t need a long nap.
Now awake, he was staring intently at Qiong Qi’s face.
He found Uncle Qiong Qi’s expressions rich and amusing.
Feng Yuan watched Uncle Qiong Qi without even blinking.
After finishing his reverie, Qiong Qi’s gaze returned to the little guy.
This time, he locked eyes with the little guy directly.
“When did you wake up?”
“A long time ago.”
Feng Yuan’s chubby face wore a gossipy expression. “Uncle Qiong Qi, were you thinking about my Uncle Bai Ze? I heard you say his name.”
Earlier, lost in his thoughts, Qiong Qi had unconsciously murmured Bai Ze’s name.
Feng Yuan, with his perked-up little ears, had caught it clearly.
“I was thinking about him.”
“I was thinking about how he must be feeling right now.”
Qiong Qi narrowed his eyes and said without hesitation, “I captured you. As your father, his heart must be aching like it’s being cut by a knife.”
Feng Yuan: “?”
Feng Yuan: “Wait a moment.”
Feng Yuan’s juicy gossip ended up turning on him.
He sat up on Qiong Qi’s stomach.
“Uncle Qiong Qi.”
Feng Yuan sat up, his chubby face looking very serious. “You can’t just say things like that! Yuan Yuan doesn’t have many dads.”
Counting his godfather, he already had three dads now.
He certainly didn’t lack dads.
“Yuan Yuan has a Phoenix Dad, a Big Dad, and a Godfather who’s going to lay eggs.”
“Bai Ze is not Yuan Yuan’s dad.”
Feng Yuan’s explanation didn’t convince Qiong Qi.
Qiong Qi snorted and told Feng Yuan, “You are the child born from Phoenix and Bai Ze. Bai Ze is your other biological father.”
Feng Yuan shook his little head vigorously.
He clarified, “No, no, I have a biological father named Li Sheng!”
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152