However, Bai Maomao completely ignored him, his heart and eyes filled only with this stupid goose that had invaded his territory and even dared to provoke him.
Such behavior must not be tolerated!
Bai Maomao spread his wings, narrowed his eyes, and took the initiative to meet the challenge.
The big goose, seeing him coming aggressively, also had its eyes turn red and charged forward with a shrill cry.
Soon, the two geese were wrestling together.
Bai Maomao was a size smaller, but he was much stronger; with a flap of his wing, he flipped the big goose onto the ground, then quickly pressed forward and bit down on the goose’s long neck.
The big goose, with its neck restrained, did not yield.
Instead, it struggled even more fiercely, flapping its wings wildly at Bai Maomao while its thick legs kicked at him whenever they could.
Bai Maomao was infuriated by the stupid goose’s resistance.
He slammed its neck hard to the ground, and before it could react, he leaped onto its back and pinned it down.
The big goose was crushed and could not move, only its long neck twisting back, its beak wide open and teeth sharp.
Bai Maomao snorted coldly, bit precisely below its head, and forced the foolish challenger’s face down into the dirt.
He smugly flapped his wings, satisfied, but his mouth was still occupied, so he shot Lang Junxian a meaningful look: Hurry and grab it.
“…………”
Lang Junxian walked over speechlessly and helped him catch the big goose.
Freed up at last, Bai Maomao turned back into his human form, his excited face flushed, eyes bright and moist, looking at Lang Junxian with a face full of expectation, seeking praise.
Lang Junxian’s feelings were complicated.
He really didn’t know how to express himself, so he cleverly changed the subject, pointing behind Bai Maomao, “There are two more.”
Bai Maomao turned around and saw the other two geese—a big and a small one—that had just come ashore, staring at him menacingly.
Bai Maomao: Forgot this was a family of three.
To truly uproot the problem, Bai Maomao quickly caught the remaining two geese.
He tied up all three stupid geese together, patted his hands, and circled them maliciously.
“What should we do with them?”
How dare they compete with their ancestor for territory.
The bound big goose was still unyielding, its beady black eyes shining fiercely as it stretched its beak toward Bai Maomao.
“You’ve got guts. You haven’t lost the pride of our warrior race.”
Bai Maomao nodded approvingly.
Lang Junxian: ……
I really don’t get your warrior race.
Thanks to Bai Maomao’s appreciation, the three-member family of white geese narrowly escaped the fate of becoming roast goose.
Bai Maomao tossed them into the Space.
Although they were just three ordinary geese without spiritual intelligence, their courage was commendable, so Bai Maomao decided to let them guard his home in the Space.
The Maoxiang Ranch was soon sorted out as well.
Lang Junxian hired experts in poultry farming at a high price to manage the place, and the rest of the staff were quickly recruited.
The boss was generous, and the workers were happy to put in the effort.
In less than three days, the ranch was cleaned up, new chicks were brought in, and the farming business began to flourish.
Although Zheng, who was in charge of management, found the boss’s requirement to deliver a hundred poultry to the northern suburbs every other day rather odd, he wisely didn’t ask any questions, knowing this must be the boss’s secret.
He simply did as he was told.
Lang Junxian was very satisfied with his subordinate’s tactfulness.
In this way, the food problem for Xiao Teng was finally solved.
Bai Maomao’s long-neglected Space was finally being put to good use.
After throwing the three big white geese inside, and with the ranch running, Bai Maomao fenced off an area in the Space just in case, and tossed in a bunch of chickens and ducks as well.
The chickens and ducks raised in the Space, nourished by spiritual energy, would certainly taste better than those raised outside.
They’d be perfect for supplementing Xiao Teng’s meals.
Bai Maomao licked his lips—if they tasted good, he could even ask Xiao Hei to make roast chicken and beer-braised duck for him.
The Ling Field in front of the bamboo house was also put to use.
Bai Maomao planted many rare spiritual herb seeds there, mixing Xirang into the field.
With one day in the Space equaling a year outside, if he took good care of the herbs, their age would increase quickly and greatly benefit their future cultivation.
Once the ranch matters were settled, life returned to normal.
Bai Maomao continued to be supervised by Yan Miao in his studies.
Yan Miao analyzed Bai Maomao’s test questions, carefully marked the key points, and started earnestly advising him to study hard.
Bai Maomao’s head ached from being nagged, but when he saw Xiao Tu Ji’s delicate little figure, he really couldn’t bring himself to vent his frustrations, so he could only go back to his room and pummel the sandbag after each tutoring session.
Lang Junxian felt sorry for him, but with the makeup exams coming right after the winter break, failing meant no credits, and without enough credits, he’d have to retake the course—or worse, repeat the year.
Lang Junxian couldn’t indulge him either, so he made Bai Maomao different delicious foods every day.
As a result, before the Spring Festival even arrived, both Yan Miao and Lang Junxian had grown rounder, while only Bai Maomao’s small face grew even thinner.
Time passed in a flurry of chaos.
In the blink of an eye, it was the Spring Festival.
The three of them prepared the New Year’s goods and dishes early.
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, they got up to clean and decorate the house.
Yan Miao and Lang Junxian were both good cooks.
Yan Miao specialized in the Eight Great Cuisines, while Lang Junxian, thanks to Bai Maomao’s sweet tooth, was even better at making all sorts of desserts.
The two of them combined Chinese and Western styles, busying themselves to create a huge feast.
To show his presence, Bai Maomao volunteered to put up the Spring Festival Couplets.
He pasted the Spring Festival Couplets on both sides of the main door, and an upside-down Fu Character in the middle.
Clapping his hands, Bai Maomao looked at his handiwork with satisfaction.
Fu Characters were also pasted on the doors and walls of the rooms, and the tablecloth on the dining table was specially changed to a festive red.
Looking at the two busy in the kitchen, Bai Maomao thought of his mother, who still hadn’t come home, and felt a sour ache in his heart.
Lang Junxian brought the last dish to the table, only to see Bai Maomao sitting listlessly on the sofa, all the earlier excitement gone.
“What’s wrong?”
Bai Maomao pouted, “I miss Ah Mu.”
Thinking of when his Ah Mu would finally return, Lang Junxian grew worried too.
He pulled Bai Maomao into his arms and said, “Let’s video call Ah Mu.”
“Video call?”
“Yeah.”
Lang Junxian took out his phone, opened WeChat, and made a video call.
The call rang for a long time before it was answered.
Su Yao’s gentle but slightly haggard face appeared on the small screen.
“Ah Mu!”
Bai Maomao stared at the video, his face blossoming into a huge smile.
Su Yao tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled too.
“Maomao, Xiao Hei, are you two alright?”
“Mm, we’re good.”
Lang Junxian nodded steadily, and Bai Maomao nodded along.
Su Yao was finally a little relieved.
She really couldn’t rest easy leaving two cubs out there, but Rong Xiao…
Thinking of Rong Xiao’s disappearance, Su Yao’s expression dimmed.
“Ah Mu, it’s New Year’s Eve today. Did you prepare a New Year’s dinner?”
“It’s already New Year’s Eve…”
Su Yao murmured.
Seeing Bai Maomao’s happy face, she forced a smile.
“I ate. Did you all eat?”
Bai Maomao immediately moved aside to show off the dining table behind him, proudly saying, “Look, Xiao Hei and Xiao Tu Ji made all this.”
Su Yao saw the big feast behind him and finally felt a bit more at ease.
Even if she wasn’t there, they could take good care of themselves.
The three of them chatted on the video call for a short while.
Then, on Su Yao’s end, perhaps due to a poor signal, the call suddenly disconnected.
When they tried to call back, it just kept ringing with no answer.
Bai Maomao was a little worried, but thinking that his Ah Mu was so powerful, she probably wasn’t in any danger.
He quickly focused on the delicious food.
Yan Miao watched Lang Junxian constantly feeding Bai Maomao and couldn’t help but feel a little envious.
“You two have such a good relationship.”
Lang Junxian replied with a soft “mm,” focusing on peeling shrimp for Bai Maomao.
However, things on Su Yao’s side were not as optimistic as Bai Maomao imagined.
She had been searching all the way southwest, spotting figures that resembled Rong Xiao several times.
But just when she managed to catch up, he would disappear again.
After this happened a few times, Su Yao began to sense that someone was deliberately leading her on.
But she didn’t feel any danger.
On the contrary, just as she was worrying about her two cubs and considering heading back, she suddenly felt a resonance—the White Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant that Rong Xiao had always worn and had later given her as a betrothal gift was growing faintly warm.
Thinking of Qian Jizi’s words, Su Yao dared not be careless.
She forced down her worries and continued to follow her senses.
This search led her to Pan Yun City.
Pan Yun City was in the southwest, bigger than Guangshi Shi.
Most importantly, Rain Marsh Mountain belonged to Pan Yun City.
It was only a few hours’ drive from here to Rain Marsh Mountain.
Su Yao felt something was wrong, but the strong sense of foreboding left her no time for other thoughts.