Moonlight, like water, outlined the trees with its silvery-white glow. The distant mountains faded into the night, leaving only a deep, dark shadow.
A gentle breeze stirred, sending sparks flying, dancing in the vast night.
The crackling flames reflected in his eyes, Chen Yuan and the little ones worked together to prepare the Silver Snow Sturgeon.
After the resurgence of spiritual energy, the rule against open flames in the wild became a mere formality.
After all, fire-type pets often spewed flames. If it were strictly forbidden, all fire-type pets would probably be imprisoned.
Moreover, the reason for prohibiting open flames in the wild was that once a fire broke out, the continuous vegetation could easily burn into a large area, making firefighting difficult.
But now, there are various attribute pets in the wild, and they would all help to put out the fire if one occurred.
The mountains were not like home, and conditions were limited, so Chen Yuan had to resort to the most primitive cooking method—grilled fish.
When he was studying at Yu City University, he had eaten Sichuan-style grilled fish many times.
Sichuan-style grilled fish is distinctly different from traditional barbecue methods, using a unique "bake first, then stew" approach, combining the essence of both grilling and stewing techniques for a delicious flavor.
In Chen Yuan's opinion, a trip to Yu City must include a taste of Sichuan-style grilled fish.
But the conditions were limited at this time, so he could only skip the "stewing" step.
With Bear Dad's help, Chen Yuan first cleaned the Silver Snow Sturgeon, removing the silvery-white scales to reveal the ice-like, crystal-clear flesh.
A gentle touch revealed the fish meat to be exceptionally elastic, with an icy-cold sensation, very different from the fish he had eaten before.
"Knife."
Chen Yuan stretched out his right hand, and Cola came trotting up to him, carrying a small knife in its mouth.
Chen Yuan put in a lot of effort, making several cuts on the back of the Silver Snow Sturgeon, then sprinkled the brought salt, ginger powder, cooking wine, pepper, and other seasonings on the fish, reaching out with both hands to give it a full-body massage, allowing the seasonings to blend with its body.
These seasonings were all in small bottles for easy carrying.
Chen Yuan had considered that accidents were inevitable on the way into the mountains, and it would be great if he could improve his meals.
Just as marinating the Silver Snow Sturgeon required some time, Chen Yuan turned his head to look at Bear Dad, who had saliva dripping from his mouth, and said, "I need some honey."
Soy sauce and honey could be mixed into a sauce to make the fish more mellow.
"Roar, roar, roar!"
Bear Dad immediately understood, wiped the saliva from its mouth, grabbed Bear Cub, and ran towards the outside of the cave.
"Awoo, awoo!"
Cola wanted to go with them to find honey, but Chen Yuan stopped it: "Do you want to become a bee dog again?"
"The Fallen Meteor Horned Beast and Bear Dad are both big eaters."
Simply put, the Fallen Meteor Horned Beast's appetite was equivalent to all the little ones on the farm combined, except for Cola.
Cola's appetite was pretty good.
Runrun Duck belonged to the small and frequent meals type. It didn't eat much in one meal, but it would eat several meals a day: early breakfast, breakfast, lunch, afternoon meal, dinner, late dinner, midnight snack, a meal to reward hard work, a meal for unhappy cloudy days, a meal for happy sunny days...
Anyway, as long as it wanted to eat, there would always be a reason.
Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Chen Yuan said softly, "This spiritual fish is level three and can also use ice-type skills, which may be of great benefit to Frost Ice Fox."
"Awoo, awoo."
Cola first responded, then reluctantly glanced at the Silver Snow Sturgeon, its paws unable to move.
Chen Yuan saw through Cola's thoughts and said with a gentle smile, "Don't worry, we definitely won't eat before you come back."
Hearing this, Cola forced itself to look away, turned around, and ran towards where Flame Tail Fox lived.
However, it still looked back every three steps, and it took a long time to walk just a few meters.
Fortunately, Runrun Duck and Electric Flying Cat weren't here, otherwise, Cola wouldn't be able to relax.
"Awoo ~"
To get back as soon as possible, Cola unhesitatingly used [Wind Walk], a breeze rising under its feet, its light brown fur flying wildly, charging at the fastest speed.
It charged straight ahead, its ghostly figure passing through the dense forest, the breeze swirling around it blowing the golden leaves, the crisp sound ringing in its ears.
Along the way, some pets were gathered together, sharing food with each other like they did at Crescent Lake. Suddenly, a gust of wind howled, and the little ones were frightened, not even having time to take the food on the ground, and fled in panic.
"Awoo, awoo!"
The barking gradually faded away, and the little ones poked their heads out from various corners. After confirming that there was no danger, they gathered together again to enjoy dinner.
In some places, a fierce battle was taking place, one side being a ferocious and massive pet, and the other being a petite but agile little pet, the battle fierce, causing bursts of bombardment.
Cola ignored it, wrapped in a gust of wind, and roared past them.
Cola's powerful aura made both pets retreat at the same time, their suspicious eyes watching Cola quickly disappear, the fierce battle thus stagnating.
"Roar"
What a powerful fellow.
"Hiss"
Do you think so too?
The two originally fighting guys looked at each other, suddenly feeling a burst of boredom.
In the eyes of this powerful pet that just passed by, our fight must be very boring, otherwise it wouldn't have not stopped.
Under full speed running, it didn't take long for Cola to return to the Flame Fruit Tree.
"Awoo, awoo!"
Cola shouted twice, waiting for the two little ones to appear from behind the tree, it immediately explained its purpose.
"Ying?"
"Woo?"
Spiritual fish?
"Awoo, awoo!"
A very, very big spiritual fish!
"Ying?"
How big?
"Awoo, awoo!"
Bigger than the three of us combined!
Cola's description shocked the two little ones in an instant. They stretched out their paws and gestured for a long time, but they didn't know how big such a spiritual fish was.
Is it that big?
Or that big?
"Awoo!"
Cola suddenly remembered the business at hand, a trace of anxiety flashing in its eyes, urging the two little ones to set off quickly.
Hurry, hurry, hurry!
If it's late, the big fish will be eaten!
Under Cola's leadership, the two little ones, who had always been cautious in the forest, finally experienced the joy of traversing the mountains.
Whether it was passing pets, or groups of pets, when they saw the majestic Wind Hunting Hound, they would choose to avoid it from afar.
At the same time, they cast envious glances at the two little ones who were closely following behind Cola.
"Ying, ying."
Flame Tail Fox liked this feeling a bit, so it raised its head high, its fiery red fur fluttering in the wind, like a surging flame, very conspicuous in the dark night.
"Awoo, awoo."
Cola looked back at the two little ones, a sense of satisfaction surging in its heart, its fur flying freely.
Why don't you join the Paw Patrol?
Anyway, you are about the same as us.
Cola once heard its master say that foxes belong to the canine family, even if they evolve, they will still have some blood relationship with canine pets.
A simple conversion shows that Flame Tail Fox and Frost Ice Fox are actually canine pets.
Since they are canine pets, of course they can join the Paw Patrol.
"Awoo?"
Cola began to think about what other animals belong to the canine family, should it let them all join the Paw Patrol?
Thinking about it, a feeling of hunger came from its stomach, Cola shook its head, deciding to leave these things to think about later.
The top priority is to hurry back and eat fish.
At the same moment,
Bear Dad and Bear Cub found a beehive.
It's just that under the beehive, several Servant Bees were wandering, their scarlet eyes scanning the surroundings.
It was not easy to get this beehive.
Bear Dad thought seriously for a while, and suddenly had an idea: "Roar, roar, roar."
Bear Dad pointed at the Servant Bees, indicating that it would first attract their attention and lead them away, and then Bear Cub would take the opportunity to take the beehive.
"Roar, roar!"
Bear Cub nodded heavily, patted its chest, indicating that it would complete this arduous task.
"Roar ~"
Bear Dad was proud of its seamless plan, and then stepped forward, its huge body instantly appearing in front of the Servant Bees.
"Hiss beer."
The Servant Bees' eyes were cold, and they issued an expulsion order to Bear Dad.
Bear Dad ignored it and continued to move forward, walking straight into the Servant Bees' alert position.
"Hiss beer, hiss beer!"
Even though the Servant Bees issued a warning, Bear Dad still didn't care, finally one of the Servant Bees' eyes narrowed, the stinger at the end of its tail exuding a cold light, attacking Bear Dad!
"Roar!"
Papa Bear, fearless, stared straight ahead, resolutely raising both paws. A burst of sharp white light flashed as he slapped the attacking worker bee.
The powerful slap sent the worker bee flying, like a kite with a broken string, soaring backwards.
“Sbee!”
Papa Bear's action immediately enraged the other worker bees. Their thin wings fluttered frantically, buzzing incessantly as they swarmed towards Papa Bear!
Papa Bear revealed a "plan succeeded" smile, not engaging in battle, twisting his body to avoid the attacks while rapidly retreating.
Papa Bear fled, the worker bees pursued.
In the blink of an eye, Papa Bear and the worker bees disappeared into the dense forest.
“Roar?”
The bear cub didn't rush out. Instead, it carefully examined the surrounding environment, confirming no other worker bees were present, before taking off at top speed towards the hive.
Compared to last time, the bear cub's size and strength had undergone a qualitative leap. It no longer needed to laboriously ram into the tree, but instead hugged the trunk, using all four limbs to climb upwards.
Without a single error, it climbed straight to the top!
Soon,
the bear cub had reached the bottom of the hive, close enough to touch with an outstretched paw. Its eyes shone brightly, and it excitedly licked its lips.
“Sbee…”
However, the next moment, a familiar and chilling voice rang out beside its ear, like a thunderclap bombarding the bear cub's mind, startling it.
The bear cub's expression stiffened. It blankly raised its head and saw a worker bee hovering in front, its pair of scarlet eyes staring fixedly, devoid of any emotion.
Silence, utter silence.
After a long while, the bear cub forced a stiff smile onto its face and waved a paw at the worker bee nearby: “Roar~”
Hello there~
Have you eaten?
The only response was a cold, venomous stinger.
When Cola returned to the cave with the Flame-tailed Fox and the Ice-凝 Fox, they were met by Papa Bear carrying the hive.
“Awoo?”
Cola looked left and right, but couldn't find the bear cub, and couldn't help but look puzzled.
Where's my big bear cub?
“Roar.”
Papa Bear wore a strange smile on his face. He pawed behind him, and immediately dragged the bear cub out from hiding.
Forcibly dragged out.
The bear cub lowered its head, covering its cheeks with its paws, but Cola could clearly see the swelling on the bear cub's face. It was stunned for a moment, recalling a past scene—being chased by a group of worker bees, turning into a bee-stung puppy.
“Awoo awoo awoo awoo awoo awoo awoo!”
After the daze, a series of undisguised barks of laughter followed.
The bear cub angrily waved its paws, but suddenly realized that this action exposed its swollen face, so it covered its cheeks again.
“Ying?”
The Flame-tailed Fox tilted its head, looking puzzled.
Where's that little bear cub from before?
“Woo.”
The Ice-凝 Fox stared at the bear cub's swollen face for a while, decided it wasn't the same little bear cub from before, and shook its head.
“Roar…”
The bear cub lowered its head, letting out a mournful roar.
“Roar.”
Papa Bear grinned, reaching out a rough paw to pat the bear cub's head.
Although the bear cub was stung by a cunning worker bee, it managed to grab the hive at a crucial moment and successfully bring it back.
It had completed this mission perfectly.
The flames illuminated the cave. The crystal-clear Silver Snow Sturgeon was placed on a branch, with a crackling bonfire burning underneath.
The Silver Snow Sturgeon was large, and it would be difficult to roast it thoroughly in a short amount of time with just this bonfire, so Fireflower stood to the side, carefully controlling the flames, roasting it under Chen Yuan's direction.
Seeing the Flame-tailed Fox appear, Chen Yuan enthusiastically waved his hand: "You're here! Come help too."
The Flame-tailed Fox's expression froze. It knew that nothing good would come of this special trip!
But when it saw the gentle smile on Chen Yuan's face, its limbs disobeyed and walked forward, obediently squatting beside Chen Yuan.
“Roasting fish requires controlling the heat, so this is also a chance to practice your skill control. Come on, try it first,” Chen Yuan said slowly.
The Flame-tailed Fox obediently followed Chen Yuan's instructions, trying to breathe fire to roast the Silver Snow Sturgeon.
The night grew darker, and the evening breeze gently caressed the forest, the leaves rustling. Occasionally, a bird dove into the night, but was attracted by the light from the cave, landing on a branch and looking down.
Bright flames illuminated the cave. Chen Yuan leaned against the rock wall, occasionally flipping the Silver Snow Sturgeon.
Fireflower and the Flame-tailed Fox stood to the left and right, occasionally spewing flames, roasting the Silver Snow Sturgeon from all angles.
Spreading honey on the Silver Snow Sturgeon, the originally crystal-clear fish slices shimmered with a golden glow, constantly tempting the little guys in the cave.
Even though the roasted fish hadn't released its aroma yet, the already hungry little guys could smell the most enticing fragrance.
Papa Bear sat on the ground, staring intently at the Silver Snow Sturgeon. Every time Chen Yuan flipped the Silver Snow Sturgeon, it blinked and swallowed.
The bear cub lay in Papa Bear's arms, staring eagerly at the Silver Snow Sturgeon, occasionally touching its stomach.
So hungry~
Cola lay at the entrance of the cave, raising its head, the starry sky reflected in its eyes.
One star.
Two stars.
… …
Ten stars.
Cola blinked, a confused light flashing in its eyes.
It looked down at its two paws, then raised its paws again, looking back and forth several times.
What comes after ten?
“Awoo…”
Unable to find the answer, Cola simply stopped worrying about it. Its fluffy tail swayed, and it turned to look at Chen Yuan: “Awoo?”
Master, I'm starving.
Cola wasn't the only one starving. The Fallen Horned Beast had long been unable to bear the hunger and had to eat some rations to slightly suppress the feeling of hunger.
The Twin Flower Consort wasn't hungry. She just sat quietly on Chen Yuan's shoulder, her purple eyes staring at the dark night, but her mind was thinking about the scene when the Black-Veined Spider used its poison skill.
“Alright,”
The sudden sound made all the little guys raise their heads, seeing Chen Yuan smile slightly: “Sorry for the wait.”
“Awoo awoo.”
Cola was the first to rush to Chen Yuan's side, lying down, eagerly looking at the latter.
Chen Yuan cut off a piece of fish, raised his eyes and scanned every corner, his gaze finally landing on Papa Bear: "You're the hero, you eat first."
Papa Bear took the initiative to dive into the cold pool, attracting the Silver Snow Sturgeon to the surface, and entangled with it in close combat.
It could be said that if Papa Bear didn't eat, none of the little guys could touch the chopsticks.
Papa Bear unceremoniously took the fish and swallowed it in one bite under the gaze of all the little guys.
Gulp.
The cave was very quiet, only the sound of swallowing saliva continued to echo.
After a long while,
“Roar!”
Papa Bear's eyes lit up, a satisfied smile on his face.
Frankly speaking, due to limited conditions, the roasted fish actually tasted average, but the Silver Snow Sturgeon's meat quality itself was enough to compensate for this.
The fish itself was ice-cold, and the moment it was chewed, it was like drinking a bottle of ice water in the hot summer. The transparent and cool feeling spread throughout the body, and every pore expanded with it.
The second time, the roasted flavor filled the mouth, mixed with the sweet aroma of honey, intertwined and fused with the cold feeling, as if eating a steaming hot pot on a snowy winter day.
Hot summer and winter, coolness and heat, surged in the mouth.
In addition to the already hungry stomach, this bite of fish became the most delicious food in the world.
“Awoo awoo!”
Seeing Papa Bear's reaction, Cola bit Chen Yuan's trouser leg and shook its tail vigorously.
Master, hurry, hurry, hurry!
For a time, Chen Yuan was surrounded by a pair of expectant eyes. He touched Cola's head and said with a smile: “Don’t worry, everyone will get some.”
So Chen Yuan became a heartless meat-cutting machine, dividing the pieces of fish to each of the little guys.
Until Chen Yuan's stomach also grumbled, he simply let Papa Bear help divide the Silver Snow Sturgeon into several large pieces, allowing the little guys to hold them and gnaw directly.
Anyway, the Silver Snow Sturgeon was big enough for each of the little guys to eat their fill.
The night was deep, the gentle evening breeze blew through the cave, and the bright flames illuminated happy faces.
Chen Yuan and the little guys didn't speak, quietly eating the fish, for a time only the slight sound of chewing echoed in the cave.
They enjoyed this delicious meal, they enjoyed this quiet night.
Until Chen Yuan touched his slightly bulging stomach, a satisfied smile on his face: “I’m full.”
“What about you guys?” he asked.
Only the sound of the wind and a burst of snoring answered him.
“Good night.”
