Chapter 1871 - 335: 8

Even Lin Shuyou, once hailed as a genius of the Official General Lineage, didn't think he could have grown this far without Brother Xiao Yuan's arrangements and planning.

Ah You's biggest dream used to be becoming an excellent Official General Chief Divination Child, taking over his master's post and becoming a qualified temple master.

Yet just a while back, when he was home, he could easily chase down three divinating temple masters all by himself and beat them up.

Gaining progress through your own hard work is certainly full of satisfaction, but if just waiting for Brother Xiao Yuan to "feed" you could push you far beyond the previous limit, then they'd rather choose the latter.

Tonight wrapped up quickly, and Li Zhiyuan didn't plan to give himself any extra drills. The young man walked to the corner and took Xiao Hei by the hand.

Xiao Hei was a bit unused to it. Tonight was actually ending this fast—he didn't have to watch "that one" appear again?

Li Zhiyuan: "Order some late-night snacks."

Lin Shuyou: "Uh..."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiao Yuan, that Big White Rat seems to have gone missing lately. The Bai family town has no idea where it went either."

Li Zhiyuan: "The Bai family town should know where it went, but they don't dare say."

That Big White Rat had always been under the Bai Family's Ladies' surveillance; after all, it used to constantly think about escaping Nantong. So even if the Bai family town didn't know what exactly happened to it in the end, they definitely know where it ultimately went.

Tan Wenbin: "Is it here with us?"

There was only one place the Bai family town wouldn't dare mention, and that was Si Yuan Village.

They were afraid this was internal infighting within the Dragon King's Court and didn't dare get involved.

Tan Wenbin: "That rat wouldn't have taken it upon itself to ride a bike into the village, right?"

Lin Shuyou: "Aunt Liu recently sun-dried a new batch of cured meat..."

"Since there's no late-night snack, then you all should turn in early. Wake up and have breakfast—haven't had breakfast in days myself."

Li Zhiyuan didn't go upstairs to the second floor, instead he walked out of the open yard toward Big Beard's house.

Xiao Yingying had gone to bed with Beng Beng.

Old Tian had set up a "melon-guarding shack" in the herb garden and slept there every night, saying it was to protect the herb garden.

In truth, the old man also couldn't quite take that pair who tilled the land all night, every night.

At his age it wasn't like his blood would surge, it was mainly that they were noisy!

Li Zhiyuan stepped into the Peach Forest.

Soon, the young man caught a strong aroma of cooking.

He walked to the edge of the pool and saw Qing'an and Su Luo, one singing out loud, the other playing the zither. On the table in front of them, dishes and bowls were spread out everywhere.

On the other side of the pool was a big offering table, with a pair of white wax candles lit.

Behind the offering table, there was a Big White Rat, "snorting and huffing" as it stir-fried and cooked. Every time it finished a dish, it would carry it over to the offering table in front; before long, matching offerings would appear on the table in front of Qing'an.

The Big White Rat had gone all black.

It was terrified; its paws were still trembling while flipping the wok.

As the saying goes, in a bad year, craftspeople don't starve. Even a rat, as long as it has a skill to rely on, can be spared a rat's life in front of a terror of this level.

It's just that the gap in lifestyle was a bit much. Back when it cooked for that group of young people, Merit would "clatter down" in torrents. Several patches of its fur had already shed; especially last time when it cooked a meal for that young man, its whole head had gone bald!

Those days really felt like they had a future—you'd wish they could eat thirty meals a day, and you'd still have endless drive to keep coming up with new dishes for them.

But now?

Cooking was just to serve this terrifying lord, terrified that if a single dish didn't satisfy him, he'd turn it straight into fertilizer for the Peach Forest.

The Big White Rat saw the young man's figure, and its whole body shuddered. Then tears welled up in its eyes, blurring its vision—rat eyes see only inches ahead.

Qing'an set down his wine cup and said with self-mockery:

"Heh, here to ask me for a cook, are you?"

Li Zhiyuan: "No. You've suffered long enough; you should get to enjoy yourself for once. Besides, its ingredients come from sacrificial offerings at temples and ancestral halls all over. You guard this whole Domain from Evil influences; these offerings rightly should enter your mouth and be enjoyed by you."

Qing'an: "Then what are you here for?"

Li Zhiyuan: "Food cooked in trembling fear is definitely not as tasty as food cooked in good cheer."

Qing'an: "So?"

Li Zhiyuan walked up to the Big White Rat.

The Big White Rat's face was full of grievance.

Li Zhiyuan looked at the Big White Rat, his eyes serious, and said in a deep voice:

"These days, the meals you've cooked here have all been very good."

"Hiss..."

The Big White Rat suddenly felt an itch ripple across its body. Large patches of fur fell off, and even its tail shrank by half.

Merit, Merit!

The Big White Rat was so excited it practically started "squeaking" aloud.

Li Zhiyuan turned around to face Qing'an and gave a small smile.

Qing'an toyed with his wine cup, let out a cold snort, and said:

"Hmph, I don't eat your free meals."

What Li Zhiyuan had just done was, in effect, a kind of "formal bestowal," helping Qing'an settle the bill for this stretch of days' food.

Snatching a sacrificial rat to cook for himself, that wasn't much of a thing. The Bai Family's Ladies could catch something like this—how could Qing'an possibly not?

But having a kid pay your tab for your own meals, that wouldn't sit right.

Still, whatever the case, the Merit had been handed out, and this favor now counted as owed.

In Qing'an's eyes, Li Zhiyuan was a person, someone qualified to talk favors and debts with him.

Li Zhiyuan: "What's wrong with treating you to a few meals? Didn't you treat me to boiled prawns back then?"

Qing'an: "Still want to eat them?"

Li Zhiyuan: "My stomach's full right now; can't fit anything for the moment. When I get hungry, I'll come find you again."

Qing'an waved his hand, indicating the young man could go.

That counted as settled: he owed him one favor.

Li Zhiyuan walked out, leaving behind the Big White Rat, lit by the furnace fire, excitedly stir-frying away.