Chapter 62: Xi Xi, Su Xi Xi~

Xixi~ Xixi xixi~

Inside the simple stone hut, a faint campfire was lit.

On the fire sat a stone pot. As Su Qi added the ingredients he had brought from the Cangyou Wildcat Team into the pot one by one, a rich aroma soon filled the stone chamber, making mouths water.

Perhaps it was the wonderful smell of the food, or maybe it was Su Qi cooking with the spatula—an image overlapping with the little Saint Ash Rabbit’s memories.

As the food in the pot began to boil, releasing wave after wave of fragrant steam, the little creature originally cradled in Su Qi’s arms grew restless and jumped down.

It tugged at Su Qi’s skirt hem, standing up adorably while glancing repeatedly at the pot.

Crystal-clear tears welled up at the corners of its mouth, giving it a clumsy yet endearing expression.

The tiny thing kept calling out, “Xixi~ Xixi xixi~” excitedly and cutely.

“Su Boss, you better be careful not to let this gluttonous little nose jump into the pot,”

Brother Hao teased as he returned to the stone room after Lin Xue had called him back.

Perhaps annoyed for not catching the little one earlier, he couldn’t help but joke right away.

‘Xixi~’

Hearing Brother Hao’s teasing, the little Saint Ash Rabbit, seemingly displeased with being called “little nose,” suddenly bared its tiny white teeth at him.

After this little show, it timidly dove under Su Qi’s skirt and looked up at Brother Hao with one big round eye.

Su Qi, still cooking, noticed the little one’s shy retreat under his skirt.

Though the Saint Ash Rabbit was small and appeared to be a female, the similarity to Lin Xue’s earlier behavior caused a faint blush to rise on Su Qi’s face.

Shaking his head to refocus, he moved his attention from under the skirt back to the steaming pot.

Su Qi found it quite amazing.

When he had first grabbed the clan leader’s spatula, that old, battered tool could have been called the Broken Spatula of Tetanus—it made him worry if cooking with it might cause an accident.

But after acquiring it, it transformed as if by some game-like special effect, becoming brand new.

This experience was magical to Su Qi.

What surprised him even more was the spatula’s effect.

The braised pork he was making now was cooked with the exact same seasonings and order as before, but both its color and taste were noticeably better, with a comforting warmth in every bite.

“Su Boss, it’s strange. I was full just now, but smelling this makes me hungry again! Why don’t we cook some more?”

Big Mountain, who had entered with Lin Xue and was savoring the aroma in the stone hut, chuckled softly and confirmed Su Qi’s hunch through his actions.

After a short wait, unlike gas or electric stoves in modern cities, cooking over a wood fire in the Saint Ruins made the braised pork’s flavor more robust and naturally fragrant.

Soon, the savory scent of the finished braised pork wafted out from the pot.

“Su… Su Boss, um, let me take care of the little Grey Rabbit. You’re still weak; I’ll feed it for you. You just focus on eating.”

Seeing Su Qi’s pale cheeks and knowing it was all her fault, Lin Xue silently reached out her hand to the little Grey Rabbit.

At first, the three-year-old-appearing Saint Ash Rabbit was a bit scared.

But after Su Qi personally handed it over to Lin Xue’s arms, and realizing no one in Su Qi’s group meant harm, the little one stopped struggling.

Its large eyes locked onto the delicious braised pork Lin Xue offered with a silent plea.

Ahwu~

After taking a big bite, the little creature’s eyes shimmered with ripples of joy.

“Xixi~~”

It happily called twice before transforming into a ravenous little eater—a sure sign it had been starving.

Watching the little one devour its food, Su Qi, feeling weak himself, served a bowl of rice.

Gently picking up a piece of the richly sauced braised pork, he coated the pure white, fragrant rice with a savory sheen that made the dish look incredibly appetizing.

Taking a bite of the pork, the combination of rich meat juices and fragrant rice filled Su Qi with happiness, causing him to close his eyes in bliss.

At the same time, he felt his weakened body begin to fill with a faint energy.

While Su Qi marveled at the spatula’s magical effects, the members of the Cangyou Wildcat Team eating with him also spoke up, and even the little Grey Rabbit joined in.

“Su Boss, the attributes of your cooking have improved a lot more than before.”
“Eating this meal, why do I feel so warm inside?”
“Xixi~”

After eating, although Su Qi still felt somewhat weak, he was much better than when he was nearly bleeding out.

The little Saint Ash Rabbit’s previously sunken belly was now round and plump like a small ball.

Seeing Su Qi finish eating, the little one dashed away from Lin Xue and returned to Su Qi’s arms, happily squinting its eyes in contentment.

Su Qi lightly bounced the little one and roughly estimated it had gained about half a jin (roughly 250 grams).

Feeling touched by how adorable and hungry the little creature was, Su Qi turned to the Cangyou Wildcat Team, pondering an important question.

Today, as the team leader, Lin Xue had taken on the task of capturing a Saint Ash Rabbit.

But the little one now relied so much on him. No, in some sense, it had already accepted him as its clan leader.

Though bringing the little one out of the Saint Ruins would complete the Adventurer’s Guild task and earn a large reward,

Su Qi had no idea what the Guild would do with the Saint Ash Rabbit after the mission was submitted. It was likely that he would never see the little one again.

That was clearly unfair to the little creature, and as the inheritor of the old Grey Rabbit clan leader’s will, Su Qi felt he couldn’t bear it.

As for not submitting the task and secretly bringing the little one back to the city—Su Qi had thought about it.

Though the little one seemed weak and harmless,

Su Qi knew that bringing a contracted spirit beast from the Saint Ruins into reality involved signing countless agreements.

Of course, Su Qi felt he could handle the agreements and risks.

His greatest worry was that if other adventurers discovered he had a Saint Ash Rabbit,

with his weak Su Wife Ability, protecting this A-level spirit beast would be very difficult!

Thinking it over, letting the little one continue living inside the Saint Ruins after the expedition seemed like the best option.

However, feeling the little creature nuzzle warmly against his chest and seeing its tiny rabbit lips curl into a happy smile from its full belly,

Su Qi felt a pang of guilt.

Just as Su Qi held the tiny Saint Ash Rabbit, his brow furrowed in worry over what was best for the little one,

the warm aura and nervousness surrounding him caught the attention of the Cangyou Wildcat Team, who slowly gathered around.

“Su Su Sister, this little Grey Rabbit is way too skinny. How about we don’t submit this mission and just keep it with the Wildcat Team? I think it’s so cute!”

“Hehe, Lily Sister, your head is finally back to normal. That’s a great idea. I want to pet this little nose too.”

“Su… Su Boss, leave the application to the Guild to me.”

“Hey, you guys, come over here and help clean up the dishes. Don’t avoid work.”

“Brother Hao, don’t call it ‘little nose.’ When you say that, I can’t sleep. Su Boss, you’ve got to give the little one a name. I think with this little guy around, I’ll sleep even better.”

Seeing several teammates from the Cangyou Wildcat Team approach and hearing their fond acceptance of the Saint Ash Rabbit, Su Qi felt a warm glow in his heart.

After all, if the little one stayed at the Cangyou Wildcat Team’s base, safety would be guaranteed!

Moved, Su Qi pondered Wei Mian’s suggestion as he looked at the cute little creature now asleep after a full meal in his arms.

What should he name it?

Xixi~ Xixi

Hearing the little one’s unique “xixi” purring sound again and again, Su Qi’s eyes brightened and he suggested,

“How about we call it Xixi?”

Upon hearing Su Qi’s suggestion, An Xiaoling’s eyes also lit up.

“Xixi, Su Xixi—that name sounds pretty nice!”