Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Xu Lingguang didn't really celebrate his birthday much before. In college, he would go out for meals and karaoke with his roommates. But after starting work, everyone is scattered all over the country, and the opportunities to get together have become fewer.

When he's not busy, Xu Lingguang will invite two or three friends over for a meal and drinks. When he's busy, he works overtime from morning till night. By the time he gets home from the company, he's too tired to even move his fingers, let alone go out to celebrate his birthday.

If I think back, the last time I had a big, fun birthday celebration with friends was the year I graduated from university.

Xu Lingguang thought to himself, if he hadn't inexplicably traveled to this place, he would probably still be busy looking for a new job, or he might have finally found a new job and be trying to adapt and build good relationships with his new colleagues and leaders. In any case, he probably wouldn't have had the energy or time to celebrate his birthday.

Now that I've transmigrated here, while it's not exactly great, at least I don't have to spend all my time working and making money the moment I open or close my eyes.

You have time to cook a delicious meal yourself and have a happy birthday with your friends, without worrying about being called back to work by your boss halfway through the meal.

As Xu Lingguang tossed the wok to stir-fry the vegetables, he glanced back at the cubs lurking around in the yard, whispering amongst themselves, and couldn't help but smile.

Aside from the thorny issues he faced when he first arrived, he felt he was growing to like this place more and more.

Or to be more precise, it's about liking the Ailao Mountains and the cubs.

After the last dish was cooked, Xu Lingguang carried it into the yard and saw the cubs, who were huddled together and whispering to each other, all raising their heads and staring at him with their round eyes.

Xu Lingguang placed the dishes on the table, bent down, and pinched each of their soft, furry ears: "The food is ready, we can eat now." He then looked around, puzzled: "Where's Youyu? Someone go and call him."

Normally, he wouldn't even need to call them; the cubs would already be sitting in their places, eagerly waiting for their meal.

I don't know what they were discussing today; they didn't even bother to eat.

Youyu was the same; he was here just a moment ago, but then he disappeared without a trace.

Xu Lingguang took off his apron and washed his hands. He noticed that the cubs hadn't sat down at the table yet. When they saw him coming, they all crowded around him.

Xu Lingguang squatted down and poked Mu Yun's soft, bulging belly at the front: "What are you doing sneaking around like that? Just say what you want to say."

As a result, Mu Yun huffed and puffed and acted shy.

Xu Lingguang: ?

He then poked him again: "What did you do wrong? Tell me what you did first, and then I'll consider whether to help you or not."

Mu Yun: !!!

He glared angrily at Xu Lingguang and said, "When have I ever done anything wrong?"

Xu Lingguang coaxed him, "Okay, okay, I didn't do it."

Mu Yun reluctantly tried to appease him, remembering it was his birthday, and convinced herself to forgive him generously. She then reluctantly took a small, milky-white, tooth-shaped stone from her pocket and handed it to Xu Lingguang: "This is a birthday present for you!"

Xu Lingguang took it: "What's this? Your baby tooth?"

But then I thought, that doesn't make sense. Mu Yun's teeth aren't even that big now. It's the size of a fingernail, with a pearl-like texture and a very lustrous color.

Seeing that he didn't recognize its value, Mu Yun snorted and said, "This is the soul pearl that came with the Treasure-Seeking Rat. It was in my Qiankun bag when it was born. Grandpa said he'd keep it and give it to the person I like when I meet him. With this, you're now a member of our Treasure-Seeking Rat clan. If you encounter danger in the future, you can use the soul pearl to call me, and I'll come to save you!"

"Also, if you encounter other treasure-hunting rats outside, they will help you if they smell the Soul Pearl!"

Mu Yun tilted his head back, his beard twitching, clearly very proud.

Xu Lingguang hesitated and asked, "Such a precious soul bead shouldn't be given away so easily, right?"

Mu Yun glared at him again, clearly a little embarrassed, but still huffed and puffed, "Didn't I just say it was for someone I like?"

His voice softened, and his tail curled up shyly behind him: "I like you!"

Xu Lingguang laughed, picked him up and rubbed him in his palm, and said with a smile, "But I think the 'like' your grandfather has is definitely different from the 'like' you have."

This soul bead sounds like a token of love from the treasure-hunting rat clan.

Mu Yun, purring softly as he rubbed her, grumbled, "What's the difference!"

Grandpa said he was giving it to a mouse he liked, but he didn't have a mouse he liked, so giving it to a human he liked would be the same.

Xu Lingguang carefully placed the Soul Pearl into his Sumeru Ring and said, "Thank you for your gift. I'll keep it for now. When you find someone you truly like in the future... uh, or a rat, you can come back and exchange it for me."

Mu Yuncai wouldn't listen; he felt he liked Xu Lingguang and wanted to give him the Soul Pearl.

Seeing this, the other three cubs waiting nearby grew impatient. Yu Rong and Yun Feng stood up, while one of the cubs hugged Xu Lingguang's leg and urged, "It's my turn! It's my turn! I also prepared a gift!"

Zhao Ling chirped and flew up, grabbing Xu Lingguang's sleeve and pulling him in another direction.

Xu Lingguang, both amused and exasperated, picked up Muyun and followed the three little ones to see the gifts: "What did you prepare?"

Yu Rong glanced at Mu Yun, who was crouching in Xu Lingguang's arms, and said in a very competitive tone, "It's definitely better than Mu Yun's!"

Mu Yun was displeased upon hearing this and retorted, "Grandpa said that the Treasure-Seeking Rat is a treasure from head to toe, but the Soul Pearl is the most precious. Many humans want it but don't have it!"

Yu Rong didn't argue with him. She pulled Xu Lingguang to the backyard and excitedly pointed to the boxes and baskets that were almost piled up like a small mountain, saying, "Look, our gifts!"

Yun Feng said shyly, "These are toys that my older brother and Youyu bought for us. I'm giving them all to you."

As soon as she finished speaking, the haphazardly piled-up hill tilted and fell over, the top box overturned, and colorful gems rolled all over the ground.

Xu Lingguang squatted down and picked up the gems that had rolled all over the ground, putting them into a box. He discovered that in addition to these gems, there were all sorts of novel and interesting ornaments. For example, he had seen a small horse pulling a cart ornament at Qianjinlou. It was carved entirely from lustrous white jade, with exquisite craftsmanship, and was so lifelike that it seemed to be alive.

He casually asked a question, and Manager Zhao said it was a ritual object ordered by a customer.

After being infused with spiritual power, the jade horse can transform into a real horse pulling a carriage and travel ten thousand miles a day. It is a magical artifact that is both beautiful and practical, and costs ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

But now this magic artifact, worth 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones, is just piled up with other toys, all of which have been given to him by the cubs.

Xu Lingguang was both touched and couldn't help but think, "What kind of spendthrift brats are these?"

Lan Jian doesn't know how she raised her son; he gave away all these valuable things without a second thought.