Wait a minute, where is my master?

Upon seeing this scene,

Jin Xu slapped his forehead.

Little White had a look that said, "Master, I'm sensible, aren't I?" and turned to the little Taoist.

Jin Xu moved his hand from his forehead to the husky's head, patted him, and softly said, "Little White, you're acting strange today. Tell me, have you caused some trouble again?"

The last time the husky was so attentive was when the little Taoist punished her by not allowing her to eat.

"Not at all, Master. Haven't I always been this sensible? Miss Fu Ling, if there aren't enough ice cubes, just tell me."

Little White first blinked innocently at Jin Xu and then turned to the barefoot girl next to him to strike up a conversation.

"Enough... enough. Thank you."

Miss Fu Ling, enjoying the ice and fire sensation, replied weakly.

Seeing his demon pet deny any mischief and still eager to add ice cubes for others, the little Taoist slightly curled his middle and index fingers and gently tapped on Little White's head.

"Tap, tap, tap~~"

A series of crisp sounds arose, as if coming from a wooden fish.

Accompanied by this rhythmic sound, Jin Xu began to think quickly in his mind.

"Although my two treasures are not always trouble-free, they have never lied to me. Now that Little White says she hasn't caused any trouble, it must be true.

But her behavior today is indeed abnormal.

Not to mention how she unexpectedly came out to meet me at the entrance of the manor and this business of handing out ice cubes.

Just the fact she could resist eating meat first and waited for me to return before eating is very unusual.

So, there must be something up with Little White today.

Yes, I'll try asking in a different way."

Even though the little Taoist subconsciously thought his demon pet had gotten into trouble again, he chose to trust her denial and started considering other possibilities.

"Tap, tap."

The sound of the wooden fish abruptly ceased, and the little Taoist stopped his tapping and changed his question for the still grinning but unflinching husky: "Little White, is there something you want to tell me today?"

Upon hearing her master's question, the husky chuckled, grinning and said, "Yes, Master, how did you know?"

"You've practically written the word 'unusual' across your face, how could I not know?"

Jin Xu muttered to himself inwardly and rubbed Little White's head with his palm.

"Go back to your seat, and we can talk while eating."

The husky obediently ran back to her place.

Facing the bubbling, rolling slices of meat exuding tantalizing scent in the copper pot, she unusually did not start eating but instead spoke directly to the little Taoist.

"Master, didn't you take Little Hong out for some air last night?

I chatted with it for a bit, and it seemed to really miss home. Master, do you think we should take some time to send it back first?"

During their leisurely time in Shangjing City, the Age Chicken, previously confined in the storage treasure beads to avoid trouble, also had more freedom to move around.

"Little Hong, missing home?"

The little Taoist paused slightly upon hearing this.

He quickly responded.

"It's quite possible for the Age Chicken to miss home, as nobody likes staying in a storage artifact all the time, even if it's stocked with Spiritual Liquid and Spirit Stones.

However, it's probably more about Little White missing the taste and exquisite texture of the rare beasts from the Age Chicken's homeland."

With a bit of contemplation, Jin Xu figured out the underlying reasons.

No wonder Little White managed to wait for me to return today to eat the hotpot; she's been holding out to go for a big feast there.

"I still have some matters to handle in Shangjing, but indeed, it's time to send Little Hong back.

How about this: once we wrap up things in Shangjing City, we'll head to the Secret Realm where Little Hong was originally taken from, and send it home.

While we're there, we might as well try some local specialties."

The Taoist spoke as he picked up a few slices of meat from the pot, dipped them into his prepared sauce, and planned to eat leisurely.

Meanwhile, with a love for good food, he had already begun to fantasize. He wondered what kinds of delicious and rare creatures could be found in Little Hong's hometown.

"Should we invite Brother Jiang on this trip? After all, having ingredients without a chef wouldn't do.

Hissss, no, wait, if we invite Brother Jiang, we might not get to eat anything at all."

Jin Xu put a piece of meat loaded with seasoning into his mouth, dispersing the thoughts in his mind.

On the other side of the round table.

Yu Yaoer, holding a bowl of seasonings, walked over and said to Little White, "I told you the young master would definitely agree. But Little White, what was that tap-tap sound coming from your head just now? It was quite pleasant!"

As she spoke, she curiously stretched her little hand toward the top of the husky's head, her eyes gleaming with excitement about her discovery.

"Dong, dong, dong..."

A sound emerged, not as crisp and loud as before, but still reminiscent of a wooden fish being struck.

"You two, stop messing around.

Hurry up and eat."

Jin Xu gently scolded them and casually took away the ice cube that Miss Fu Ling was awkwardly holding in her hand.

...

Two hours passed.

The five of them finished the hotpot meal with great satisfaction.

All present were cultivators and had consumed a considerable amount of food.

Yu Yaoer and Little White go without saying.

Xia Yunzhao alone had consumed dozens of pounds of meat slices and various delicious snacks.

In her words, she would never eat this kind of hotpot alone on a regular day in the palace. Today she had the rare opportunity to enjoy a lively meal.

So naturally, she ate till she was utterly content.

Then came Miss Fu Ling, who was initially shy.

But with the warm invitation from the three ladies, she gradually loosened up a lot, consuming at least dozens of plates of meat slices by herself.

What was unexpected was that despite her soft and delicate appearance, she greatly favored spicy hotpot.

Midway, in order to fully enjoy the taste of the spicy broth hotpot, she even temporarily sealed some of her meridians, which made her lips turn bright red and slightly swollen now.

Under the eaves in the mansion's backyard.

After having their fill, all five chose to sit here, basking under the stars and watching the moon.

"Miss Fu Ling, now you can tell me what kinds of Gu worms were in your body before. In a moment I'll have Little Black help you nurture them."

The Taoist held a cup of Spirit Fruit juice with ice, and spoke across Xia Yunzhao to the barefooted young lady sitting on the edge.

He had already asked the little black bug on his shoulder earlier, and it had said that this was all a trivial matter.

"Ah..."

With her lips red from the spice, Miss Fu Ling, after finishing the hotpot, seemed to revert back to her easily shy nature.

Upon hearing Jin Xu's question, she sprang up like a startled deer.

As if knowing she had overreacted, the barefooted young lady hopped up and sheepishly stuck out her tongue.

She first let out a series of hissing sounds and then began counting off on her fingers for the Taoist.

"Hiss~hah~hiss~hah, in my body previously there was one Golden Silkworm Gu, five Plague Cicada Gu, and twelve Poisonous Mosquito Gu. Let's forget about the Snake Gu and the stone poison, those I had recently integrated into my body, I'll refine them anew later.

Oh, and the most important one... that love poison.

It concerns my future companion."

Hearing Miss Fu Ling finish, Jin Xu sized up her slender frame.

He thought to himself how this young lady seemed so petite and slight.

Yet she really could hold a lot.