Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Xu Lingguang enjoyed a delicious hot pot meal and drank a few cups of fruit wine. Feeling a little dizzy, he sat down under a tree.

The fire in the small stove had gone out, and only one candle was lit in the courtyard. The faint light danced in the night breeze, and the moonlight, like shimmering water, gently draped over Xu Lingguang's hair and shoulders.

He stared blankly at the moon, suddenly overwhelmed by a profound sense of loneliness.

Although life is not bad when you are the only one who has enough to eat, it is still a bit sad to live in this remote mountain forest. There is no one to share the delicious food you make, and no one to share the joy when you make money. Looking at the uneaten meat on the table, it is still a bit sad.

Xu Lingguang, feeling dizzy, caught a chicken and held it in his arms. He gently stroked its wings with his slender fingers and coaxed it, "Squeak once."

The pheasant clucked in dissatisfaction, flapped its wings and gave him a good wrestling match, then strutting down to its nest with its head held high.

Xu Lingguang: "..."

He turned to look at the little donkey, but the donkey ignored him. He pouted, got up, and wobbled into the house, muttering, "Maybe I should get a dog someday."

If you get a dog, the dog will always pay attention to you.

With that thought in mind, Xu Lingguang calmed himself down and went to bed.

The embers in the courtyard were still warm, and the moonlight was as clear as if it had been washed.

Lan Jian arrived silently on the wind, and a small, simple courtyard, no bigger than the palm of his hand, lay at his feet. The owner of the courtyard was clearly unaware and was already fast asleep. Lan Jian first walked around the courtyard, and frowned uncomfortably when he smelled the lingering smell of hot pot.

He patiently examined the simple copper pot and its contents. Although it was slightly different from the ones he had seen before, Lan Jian still recognized it as a hot pot.

When he went to Fufeng City before, the manager of Qianjinlou arranged a hot pot for him, but he complained that the smell was too strong and didn't eat it.

How could such a small thing make these three kids so hungry?

Lan Jian couldn't understand it. He waved his sleeve to wipe away the smell and then strolled into the house.

Although the cabin had been cleaned, there was still dust in the mountain forest. Lan Jian frowned deeply and only after casting a dust-repelling spell did she walk in with a displeased expression.

The owner of the house was sleeping on the floor like that, without even a bed.

Lan Jian: "..."

He sized the man up from head to toe, recalling that Youyu had said this was the cultivator who had been chased and wandered into Ailao Mountain last time. He had mercifully spared the man's life last time, but he hadn't expected this man to be so audacious as to return.

Lan Jian was not known for his good temper, and he wouldn't tolerate outsiders running rampant on his own territory. A dark glint flashed in his eyes, and he already harbored murderous intent.

Just as he was about to make his move, he was suddenly struck by a familiar aura.

His eyes paused for a moment, then he raised his hand and pulled out an inconspicuous horseshoe-shaped pendant from the air.

The pendant was casually strung on a rope and hung around the young man's neck.

If it were an outsider, they would not recognize it and would think it was just an ordinary stone, but Lan Jian was very familiar with it and recognized it at a glance.

"Jade Lin Toe?"

This Jade Unicorn Toe is a talisman of the Qilin clan, made from the scales shed from the Qilin. Because it retains the aura of the Qilin, and the Qilin clan priests have specially prayed for it, adding to its blessing power, it is usually given to humans who are on good terms with the Qilin clan.

Because it comes from the Qilin clan and its shape resembles a horse's hoof, it is called "Jade Qilin Hoof".

There weren't many Jade Qilin Toes. If he remembered correctly, the last Jade Qilin Toe was given by the dying Qilin clan after the collapse of the Mountain and Sea Realm, as a token of gratitude to the humans who had helped them. However, at that time, the Qilin clan was almost extinct, and the High Priest had already perished. Although it was blessed with the power of blessing, the effect of this Jade Qilin Toe was actually not as good as before.

Judging from its aura and form, Lan Jian guessed that this should be the last jade unicorn to be given away.

He recalled that the person who had helped the Qilin clan was surnamed "Xu" and belonged to the Qingyu Sect, which was located near Ailao Mountain. At that time, the Qilin clan had asked him to look after them to repay their kindness.

Many years passed, and the Qilin clan ultimately could not escape the fate of extermination. The Qingyu Sect, after many ups and downs, eventually disbanded.

He remembered that Manager Zhao had mentioned not long ago that the sect leader of the Qingyu Sect had died.

But now the Jade Unicorn's Toe has reappeared, and he clearly remembers that when he asked Manager Zhao before, Manager Zhao said that this person's surname was Xu.

Could it be that he didn't die after all?

Lan Jian's expression shifted, and after pondering for a long while, he finally left quietly.

He recalled how his good friend Si Yuan had specially brought wine to find him years ago and said, "The sect leader of Qingyu Sect did me a great favor, and I gave him the Jade Unicorn Hoof, but I haven't finished repaying that favor. Since Qingyu Sect is close to your Ailao Mountain, I'd like to ask you to look after it for a while."

He was reluctant at first, finding it troublesome, but Si Yuan brought over all his best wines, so he finally agreed.

Little did they know that it would be the last time they drank together.

Fine, if he really is a member of the Xu family, then let him off the hook for Si Yuan's sake. As long as he doesn't overstep his bounds, let him be.

*

Xu Lingguang slept soundly after getting drunk, and was lively and energetic again the next day.

He first cleaned up the leftovers from yesterday, then fed the chickens and the donkey, before carrying a hoe and excitedly going to the backyard to dig the foundation.

He used to be dirt poor and didn't know how many days he had left, so he felt fortunate to have such a small house to live in. But now that he has money, he's thinking about expanding the house and making the vegetable garden bigger.

Fortunately, the land he chose from the beginning was large and flat enough, so there's no worry about not having enough space for expansion now.

While the sun was still low, he cut down trees and dug foundations, working with great enthusiasm, completely forgetting his melancholy from the previous night.

Because he wasn't in a hurry to move in, he didn't rush his work. When the sun was high in the sky, he carried his hoe home, took a bath by the stream on the way, and then carried home the watermelon that was soaking in the cool stream water.

Xu Lingguang hadn't finished the hotpot left over from yesterday, so he ate the leftovers for lunch. After taking a nap in the afternoon to regain his energy, he finally had the energy to think about what to have for dinner.

He remembered that he had bought fresh lotus leaves, so he decided to make lotus leaf roasted chicken.

First, marinate the young chicken, stuff its belly with spices, then wrap it in cooked and dried lotus leaves, then cover it tightly with a layer of mud and stuff it into the stove to simmer slowly over low heat until cooked.

The young chicken meat is tender, making it perfect for roasting, but the chickens aren't very big. Xu Lingguang calculated his appetite and roasted three.

After stuffing the three chickens, covered in mud, into the stove, Xu Lingguang picked up his hoe and went out again.

By the time he finishes his work and comes back, it will be almost time to eat.

After he was sure he was gone, two furry heads popped out of the grass.

Yu Rong couldn't wait to squeeze into the yard through the gap in the fence, eagerly approached the stove, tilted his head and stared inside, his ears twitching as if he was about to reach out and pry them out.

Yun Feng, who came in later, swatted away his eager paws, thinking more carefully: "It was just put in, so it's definitely not safe to eat yet."

Zhaoling squatted on her head, curled up into a red ball of fluff, and repeated like an echoing insect: "It was just put in, so it's definitely not ready to eat yet."

Yu Rong was a little impatient, but surprisingly, she didn't argue with her. She whined while biting her paw, "How long do we have to wait?"

Yun Feng didn't know either, but she was quick-witted and instructed Yu Rong, "Go and keep an eye on that human cultivator. See when he comes back. Once he's back, things should be better soon!"

Yu Rong thought it made a lot of sense and was about to go keep watch, but after running a few steps, he stopped in confusion and looked at Yun Feng with a puzzled expression: "Why me?"

Yun Feng flicked her big tail, raised her head and said, "Because this is my idea, of course you have to listen to me."

Yu Rong's furry face scrunched up, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that what she said made sense, so he reluctantly went to keep watch.

After seeing him leave, Yun Feng hopped onto the stone bench under the shade of a tree, lay down comfortably, and licked Zhao Ling's fur while saying, "Yu Rong is so clumsy."