Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Xu Lingguang thought this to himself, but when he met the cubs' wide, expectant eyes, he swallowed back the words of refusal that were on the tip of his tongue.

The cub genuinely wanted to give him a birthday present, so it took out all of its most valuable and favorite toys.

He can't be the spoilsport parent.

So Xu Lingguang patted each of the little ones' heads, smiled and said, "You're giving me all of these? What will you play with then?"

Yun Feng raised her chin and said, "Big Brother and Youyu will buy us new ones!"

Yu Rong, who had been somewhat wavering after Xu Lingguang's words, immediately chimed in after hearing Yun Feng's suggestion: "That's right! I'll buy a new one and give it to you!"

Zhaoling rolled around in the pile of gifts, shook off her downy feathers, and chirped, "Buy new ones!"

Xu Lingguang suppressed a laugh, not daring to imagine Lan Jian's expression when she heard the cubs' words. He pretended to think for a moment and said, "But there are so many, I can't play with them all by myself. How about we put them away now and play together later?"

The cubs immediately thought it was a great idea and wanted to play with Brother Lingguang.

And so it was agreed. Xu Lingguang put all the valuable toys on the ground into his storage ring, bent down and picked up the three cubs, saying, "Let's go, let's find out where Youyu went, and then we'll eat first, otherwise the food will get cold."

"After we finish eating, I'll take you all to make a cake together."

The cubs didn't know what a cake was, but Xu Lingguang had mentioned it—a fragrant, soft, and sweet little pastry—and they immediately became excited: "Make a cake! Make a cake!"

Xu Lingguang carried the chattering cub to the front yard, where he saw Youyu, who had disappeared somewhere before, return. Youyu was carrying a box in his hands. When he saw Xu Lingguang, he walked over and handed it to him, pursed his lips, and whispered, "Birthday present."

Xu Lingguang glanced at him in surprise, placed the cubs on the chair, took the box, and asked, "Shall I open it and take a look?"

He muttered to himself, "Did the cubs all learn this from you?"

They racked their brains to come up with birthday gifts.

Youyu didn't speak, but stared at him intently. Because of nervousness, his usually well-hidden ears popped out uncontrollably, standing straight up above his head without him noticing.

Xu Lingguang opened the box and found that it contained the Cloud Piercing Crossbow that he had seen before.

He looked up in surprise: "This is too expensive—"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Youyu's ears twitching on the top of his head.

The ears were covered in pure black down, about the length of a palm, with pointed tips, standing upright, but would twitch from time to time, revealing the owner's nervousness.

Xu Lingguang: !!!

So cute.

He stared intently at Youyu's ears, and saw that the ears were twitching faster and faster, and even began to tuck back.

Xu Lingguang: Pfft.

Yu asked, puzzled and nervous, "You...you don't like it?"

Manager Zhao clearly said that Xu Lingguang had only seen this crossbow among the items in the shop, and that Xu Lingguang usually used a bow and arrow when hunting.

Seeing that his little face was turning red with anxiety, Xu Lingguang quickly waved his hand: "No, no, I like it very much, it's just too expensive. Where did you get so much money?"

Youyu was relieved, and his ears stopped twitching and perked up again: "I have money."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "If you're short of spirit stones, I can give you some."

He oversees many of his elder brother's businesses and receives a share of the profits every year. He has nowhere to use those spirit stones but can only use them to buy toys for the cubs.

Xu Lingguang: "..."

He glanced at Youyu silently, feeling utterly dazzled.

So he accepted the gift with a clear conscience and called the cubs to eat.

As he passed by Youyu, he deliberately pointed to the ears on the top of Youyu's head and said in surprise, "Oh, your ears are sticking out."

Youyu was startled and subconsciously reached out to touch it, and sure enough, he touched a pair of furry ears. His fair face immediately turned red, and he pulled the ears back. When he sat down at the table, the blush on his face had not yet faded.

Xu Lingguang suppressed a laugh, pretending not to notice, and distributed small bowls to the cubs.

Lan Jian, watching the harmonious scene in the courtyard, paced back and forth.

To go in or not to go in?

He said he had something to do yesterday, but now he's showing up uninvited. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?

But if I don't go...

Lan Jian peeked into the courtyard again. Everyone had given gifts, and it seemed inappropriate for him not to.

And he had everything prepared!

Wouldn't it be a waste not to send it away?

Lan Jian hesitated for a long time, and seeing that it was almost time to eat, she slowly walked in.

The dining table was set up in the courtyard. Xu Lingguang's seat was with his back to the courtyard gate. The cubs were the first to see Lan Jian and excitedly called out, "Big Brother!"

Xu Lingguang turned around and saw Lan Jian. He immediately looked surprised. Didn't he say he was too busy to come over?

Lan Jian nodded to the cubs, then looked at Xu Lingguang, placed the box in front of him, and said in a calm tone, "This is a birthday gift for you."

Xu Lingguang was even more flattered. He hurriedly went to add stools and bowls and chopsticks, but Lan Jian stopped him: "No need to rush. Take a look at the birthday gifts. I have things to do and I'll be leaving soon."

"Oh, so fast? Won't you stay for a meal?" Xu Lingguang took the box and saw a small corner inside.

The little horn was only about the length of a finger joint, and its color was like crystal, but it felt very smooth and soft to the touch, and even the sharp tip of the horn was not sharp.

It feels warm and smooth in the palm of your hand, very comfortable.

"What is this?" Xu Lingguang asked.

Although I can't recognize it, the texture of this thing is definitely not ordinary.

Lan Jian looked away somewhat awkwardly: "This is the horn that I shed when I was young. It's useless to keep it, so I'm giving it to you. I've added a blessing to the horn, so it will be more effective than the Jade Unicorn Toe."

He paused, then added, "Also, this corner is connected to me. If you encounter any danger to your life, you can use it to contact me by channeling your spiritual energy into it. If I have the time, I might be able to save your life."

Xu Lingguang's mouth dropped open; he never expected Lan Jian to give him such a valuable gift.

It turned out to be riding the yellow horn.

Wu Yao had previously said that the Yellow Horn was a life-extending divine object. At the time, he thought that the Yellow Horn was like a fantasy. Even after he met Lan Jian, he never dared to dream of the Yellow Horn.

Unexpectedly, Lan Jian was given to him so easily.

Xu Lingguang felt a lump in his throat, a mix of tenderness and a stuffy nose.

He blinked, suppressed the stinging sensation in his nose, and said, "Thank you. This gift is very useful to me. I will take good care of it."

Remembering how thoughtfully Lan Jian had prepared the gift for him, while he had only casually invited him to dinner before, which was far too perfunctory. Now that Lan Jian had arrived, he hadn't even prepared a chair for him. Xu Lingguang's ears burned with guilt and self-reproach, and he earnestly invited Lan Jian to stay for dinner.

Lan Jian felt that his eyes were bright and sparkling, as if they had been washed with water. Being stared at by those eyes, he actually felt a rare sense of panic. A burning sensation spread from his chest to the tips of his ears. He didn't dare to look Xu Lingguang in the eye anymore. He left with the words, "I have something to do, I'm leaving first," and ran away without looking back.

He tried to run away, but Xu Lingguang couldn't stop him. The huge yellow horse disappeared like a gust of wind.

Xu Lingguang sat back down helplessly and asked the cubs, "What is Chief Lan busy with?"

How come they don't even have time to eat a meal?

The cubs stared blankly at him, then shook their heads in unison, saying, "We don't know."