Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Xu Lingguang was very quick and efficient at cooking. He hummed a song as he busied himself in the small kitchen, in a very good mood.

I had been thinking about getting a dog for company, but now that I have Muyun, I can temporarily give up that idea.

Despite its small size, Mu Yun has a huge appetite. At least half of the food Xu Lingguang cooks always ends up in Mu Yun's stomach, which gives Xu Lingguang a great sense of accomplishment and makes him even more interested in researching how to make modern dishes using ancient cooking utensils and seasonings.

In modern cooking, there are naturally pickled fish seasoning packets for making pickled fish, but there are no such convenient soup base packets now, so Xu Lingguang has to make the soup base himself.

He first cleaned the fish, sliced ​​it into thin fillets, and set them aside to marinate. Then he used the fish bones to make a broth. He fried the fish bones until golden brown, then added spices, chili peppers, and blanched pickled cabbage and stir-fried them together. In an instant, the sour and spicy aroma filled the entire yard.

Not only did the three little cubs hiding in the tree start drooling, but even Mu Yun, who was planning to take a nap, was woken up by the fragrance.

Mu Yun scrambled to its feet, climbed up Xu Lingguang's trouser leg to his shoulder, and peered into the pot. Afraid that it might fall in, Xu Lingguang quickly caught it and stuffed it into his clothes. He then poured hot water into the pot, picked out two pieces of firewood from the stove, and started simmering fish soup over medium heat.

Once the fish soup turns thick and white, you can start cooking the fish slices and adding side dishes.

Mu Yun stared longingly at the steaming pot, finally waiting for the sauerkraut fish to be served.

Xu Lingguang first scooped out two pieces of fish and placed them on a plate for him, then told him to be careful of the heat. After washing the pot and pouring in oil, he started frying the fish slices. The fish slices coated in flour slid into the oil and were fried until golden brown and crispy, with a fragrant aroma.

After frying a plate of fish fillets, the rice was also steamed, and it was time to eat.

Mu Yun stared longingly at the fried fish slices he brought over. As soon as Xu Lingguang put the plate down, it couldn't wait to drag a piece onto its own plate and began to eat with gusto.

It is round and chubby, with chubby cheeks that move very cutely, and it is very appetizing even when it is wolfed down.

Xu Lingguang watched it eat the fish, and leisurely poured himself a glass of fruit wine that had been chilled in the stream.

Mu Yun, who was busy eating fish, peeked out again: "What are you drinking?"

"Fruit wine, would you like a glass?" Xu Lingguang handed the glass to it, letting it smell the aroma.

Mu Yun sniffed the air, not really liking the smell of alcohol, but seeing Xu Lingguang enjoying his drink, she couldn't help but say, "I'll have a glass too."

Xu Lingguang suppressed a laugh and poured a cup for it as well.

Mu Yun had never drunk fruit wine before, and sure enough, after just one cup, she became dizzy and even revealed the details of her race, which she had been keeping secret all along. While stuffing her cheeks with fish slices, she drunkenly patted her chest and said to Xu Lingguang, "I am the most, most powerful treasure-hunting rat in the world. Following me... you've really hit the jackpot!"

Xu Lingguang raised an eyebrow. He knew what the Treasure-Seeking Rat did just from its name, not to mention he had read a lot of cultivation novels. So he very politely agreed, "Then you'll be supporting this family from now on."

Mu Yun swallowed the fish slice in her mouth, then buried her head in the cup and slurped up a mouthful of fruit wine: "I...I'll raise it!"

Xu Lingguang suppressed a laugh and pinched the back of its neck to lift it out of the cup.

The night breeze was gentle, and the wine was intoxicating.

Xu Lingguang got lazy and didn't bother to clean up the leftovers on the table. Instead, he slowly moved to a deck chair under the tree with his wine glass, swaying back and forth as he enjoyed the breeze and stargazing.

Mu Yun, who was lying on the table, realized he was gone. She raised her head and searched for a while in a daze. After finding him, she scrambled off the table and fell into the little nest next to Xu Lingguang, lying on her back with her legs in the air, and continued to sleep soundly.

Xu Lingguang reached out and poked its heaving belly, and then he too started to feel sleepy.

The little creatures, who had been patiently waiting in the tree for a long time, finally couldn't help themselves when they saw that the man and the mouse had finally fallen asleep. Yu Rong impatiently stomped around on the branches, shaking the leaves so that they rustled down: "They're asleep."

Yunfeng also stood up. She walked to the top of the branch and looked down. Right in front of her was a large pot of fragrant pickled fish. She couldn't resist: "Let's go down and take a look."

The two children, who rarely reached a consensus, didn't ask Zhaoling this time. They lightly jumped down from the tree branch and prepared to sneak into the courtyard.

They didn't expect that as soon as they touched the fence of the yard, they felt their claws being pricked, and then black vines covered with sharp thorns wrapped around their claws.

Yu Rong was startled and immediately began frantically shaking her claws, but she couldn't shake off the thorny vines no matter what she did.

He was terrified, but he still remembered Yunfeng and Zhaoling. He immediately turned around to look and saw that Yunfeng and Zhaoling were also entangled in the strange vines. Zhaoling was the weakest. Her whole body was entangled in the vines, with only her head showing pitifully, making chirping cries for help.

Yunfeng became anxious upon seeing this and tried to attack the vines with her teeth and claws, but for some reason, the more she struggled, the tighter the vines became. Finally, she became frightened and let out a helpless whimper.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here to save you!" Seeing that Yun Feng and Zhao Ling were entangled by vines, Yu Rong no longer cared about being afraid. His golden eyes widened, and he let out a threatening growl. Ignoring the vines wrapping around him, he desperately pounced on and scratched at the vines binding Yun Feng and Zhao Ling, not even caring that the vines were pricking his lips and drawing blood.

Upon seeing this, Yun Feng and Zhao Ling were so frightened that they burst into tears.

Xu Lingguang, still half-asleep, was awakened by a series of whimpering sounds. The sound was sharp, like a child crying or the cry of some wild beast. He rubbed his forehead and got up to find the source of the sound, only to realize belatedly that the defensive array seemed to have been activated.

He remembered the shopkeeper telling him that if an outsider broke in, the defensive magic circle would grow thorny vines to entangle the intruder.

Xu Lingguang realized that someone had broken in. He first took out the crossbow and held it in his hand. Then he grabbed Mu Yun, who was still fast asleep, and stuffed her into his clothes. Only then did he carefully take the lamp and go to check on the intruder who had been caught.

The moaning sounds were continuous and had a strong penetrating power.

Xu Lingguang mustered all his attention and cautiously approached. When he shone the lamp on them, he was stunned to find that what had been captured were three furry balls.

Xu Lingguang: ?

They appear to be just small animals from the mountains.

With the alarm lifted, Xu Lingguang moved closer to see what kind of animal they had caught. He saw the largest, a pale yellow furry ball, struggling to block the other two, baring its teeth at him and letting out a threatening growl.

Xu Lingguang initially thought it was just an ordinary little animal, but after the furry ball turned around, he realized it wasn't.

At first glance, it looks somewhat like a fox, but the creature in front of you has a pair of bright golden vertical pupils that are different from those of a fox. Those vertical pupils gleam in the darkness, giving off a chilling and sinister feeling.

Xu Lingguang was momentarily distracted. When his gaze returned to the heart-shaped marking on the other's forehead, the cold and fierce feeling vanished—clearly, these captured creatures were all immature cubs, their teeth not sharp enough and their claws not razor-sharp enough.

Xu Lingguang carefully examined the three chicks. The two larger ones were clearly of the same species, while the other was much smaller, with red downy feathers all over its body and a pale yellow beak and claws, making it impossible to tell what kind of bird it was.

He also noticed that the two larger cubs each had a pair of small horns on their backs.

Unlike dragon horns, those horns seemed to grow from the shoulder blades, extending backward like bone spurs. Only, they were more delicate and beautiful than bone spurs.

"Its shape resembles a fox..."

"It has horns on its back..."

Xu Lingguang was still a little tipsy, and his mind was working a bit slower. He vaguely felt that the two features looked very familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before, but he just couldn't remember where.

Just as he was desperately trying to think through his drowsy mind, Mu Yun in his arms was startled awake. She peeked out and saw her natural enemy standing in front of her, and immediately let out a terrified cry: "Cheng Huang!"

Xu Lingguang clapped his hands: "That's right! It's Chenghuang."

He had read in the Classic of Mountains and Seas that "Chenghuang looks like a fox, with a horn on its back, and riding it grants a lifespan of two thousand years."

Unlike Mu Yun, who was trembling with fear, Xu Lingguang had no fear of this legendary creature at heart; under the influence of alcohol, he only felt curious.

So he picked up Yu Rong, who was at the very front, and examined him closely.

Yu Rong had struggled for a long time, and the black vines had naturally wrapped him the tightest. Now he was unable to move, and he was in pain and scared. When Xu Lingguang lifted him up, he couldn't hold back his tears and let out a loud sobbing.

Xu Lingguang's ears went numb from the sound; it was incredibly penetrating.

He put Yu Rong back down, sat on the ground in confusion, and watched the two cubs tumbling and rolling around on the ground, whimpering. He asked, "Is this Chenghuang? Is this all?"