Azure Phoenix glanced at the two of them, hesitated for a moment, and then moved her body to the front of the tent.
Yu Yixiang stepped forward, reached out her hand, and gently combed Azure Phoenix's feathers with practiced movements, as if she had done it countless times.
Azure Phoenix's expression slowly softened. Seeing Qian Duoduo in a daze, she opened her mouth and said, "Silly boy, why aren't you starting to roast yet?"
Qian Duoduo quickly agreed, opened the cauldron, and began to roast the Spirit Chicken legs. During the day, Qian Duoduo had thought that today's spicy flavor should be a bit stronger, which might make it more popular.
"Senior, these Devouring Gold Ants hide underground. It's really not easy to fight them," Yu Yixiang said softly as she flicked dust from Azure Phoenix's feathers.
"Little girl, you said you two would use strategy. Tell me how you plan to do it," Azure Phoenix glanced at Yu Yixiang. Yu Yixiang helping her comb her feathers, which had both dust and remnants of Devouring Gold Ants, made it easy to guess that Azure Phoenix had fought with the Devouring Gold Ants.
As a High-Level Profound Beast, she hadn't gained any advantage against the Devouring Gold Ants, which showed their strength.
Yu Yixiang pursed her lips and smiled, "That still depends on the situation. We need to see what the Devouring Gold Ants' nest is like, and then we can think of a strategy."
"You sly girl, you just want to know where the Devouring Gold Ants are, don't you? I'll take you to see them tomorrow." Azure Phoenix saw through Yu Yixiang's thoughts, but she didn't believe Yu Yixiang could come up with any solution.
While they chatted, Qian Duoduo was thinking about how to prepare today's barbecue. Besides making it spicier, what else could he do? Qian Duoduo suddenly wondered why Azure Phoenix was looking for trouble with the Devouring Gold Ants. Could it be that she also coveted the golden honey of the Devouring Gold Ant Queen? Since she wanted to eat golden honey, she certainly wouldn't refuse some Spiritual Bee honey.
Thinking of this, Qian Duoduo began to mix a new sauce. Items flew into the cauldron one by one, tightly encasing the Spiritual Qi to prevent any scent from escaping.
Azure Phoenix noticed Qian Duoduo's actions. Although she couldn't smell anything, her Spiritual Awareness detected that these items were non-toxic, so she didn't bother Qian Duoduo.
When they were eighty percent cooked, Qian Duoduo applied the new sauce, flipped the Spirit Chicken legs twice in the fire, quickly took one out, and handed it to Azure Phoenix.
"Senior, please."
At this point, the aroma wafted out, richer and more enticing than yesterday. The color was still a beautiful golden yellow, just slightly deeper.
Azure Phoenix was a little puzzled. She didn't understand what Qian Duoduo had just done, but she still used her Spiritual Qi to take the Spirit Chicken leg and put it in her mouth. This time, she didn't simply tilt her head back and swallow it directly; instead, she savored it carefully.
Just after the first bite, Azure Phoenix suddenly coughed lightly, startling Yu Yixiang, who retracted her hand from grooming the feathers. Azure Phoenix's eyes opened wide, and she looked at Qian Duoduo, "What new ingredients did you put in this?"
"Spiritual Bee honey and pepper. The chili was added in an extra layer."
Azure Phoenix nodded, "It tastes better than yesterday."
After she finished one, Qian Duoduo handed her another. After eating five or six in a row, Azure Phoenix looked up at Yu Yixiang, "You two eat too. Don't just let me eat."
Yu Yixiang shook her head, "We're not hungry right now. Senior, please enjoy first. It would feel even better if Senior enjoyed it inside the tent."
"Oh? Is that so?" Azure Phoenix took a couple of steps and entered the tent. The improved tent, which could accommodate the Seven-Colored Golden Bull and Purple-Forehead Golden Tiger, could naturally accommodate her as well.
"Senior, close your eyes and imagine the scene you most desire in your heart, then open your eyes," Yu Yixiang prompted.
Azure Phoenix closed her eyes as instructed, and after a while, she slowly opened them.
At this moment, inside the tent, the scene transformed into a clear blue sky, and a Luan Phoenix flew in. The Luan Phoenix had a robust body, profound green feathers, and a fiery red beak.
"Chirp!" A loud, melodious Phoenix cry resounded.
"Thud," Azure Phoenix stared blankly at the flying Luan Phoenix, and the Spirit Chicken leg she was eating dropped from her mouth.
This Luan Phoenix was Ping Yundan's companion beast.
The Spirit Chicken leg falling onto the tent floor startled Azure Phoenix awake. She quickly picked it up, swallowed it, and then hurriedly looked up again, gazing foolishly at the Luan Phoenix on the screen.
After finishing the first batch of roasted Spirit Chicken legs from Qian Duoduo, Azure Phoenix tilted her head and asked Qian Duoduo, "Who is he? Where is he?"
Qian Duoduo knew what she was asking, "He is a Luan Phoenix, and he is in the Refining Spirit Sect—in my Manor."
"You raised him?" Azure Phoenix frowned. For a Cultivator at the Qi Condensation Realm to raise a High-Level Profound Beast would be a huge joke.
"I haven't even reached the Foundation Establishment Realm yet, how could I possibly afford to raise him? He is my friend, a Senior friend like you. I have a Phoenix Garden in my Manor, so I often invite him to visit and play there."
Azure Phoenix's expression improved significantly. After a moment of hesitation, she asked again, "You have a Manor, and there's a Phoenix Garden in it. Are there many Phoenixes?"
Qian Duoduo shook his head, "The Phoenix Garden is empty; the Luan Phoenix is the only one."
"He's single, how pitiful," Yu Yixiang said quickly, lowering her head, and then sighed.
Azure Phoenix suddenly coughed a few times, "Boy, you put a bit too much chili in there."
Qian Duoduo quickly took out a bottle of Spirit Liquid, "Drink this; it'll relieve the spiciness."
Azure Phoenix sucked it down, finishing the Spirit Liquid, "This is also good. I still don't know the names of you two young friends."
"My name is Jin Buhuan, and her name is Yu Yixiang," Qian Duoduo replied, overjoyed. Azure Phoenix proactively asking for their names meant she had accepted them.
This friendship was forged.
Yu Yixiang gently patted Qian Duoduo, pointing at the cauldron and saying, "Remember to put less chili."
Qian Duoduo was about to say, "There are no Spirit Chicken legs in the cauldron," when he suddenly realized what Yu Yixiang meant. He quickly took out twenty Spirit Chicken legs, put them into the cauldron, "This time, watch me; I guarantee the spiciness will be just right."
Azure Phoenix quickly shook her head, "That level of spiciness just now is fine, as long as there's this Spirit Liquid to relieve it."
Looking at the large screen inside the tent, Azure Phoenix ate a full forty Spirit Chicken legs before reluctantly, yet contentedly, returning to the big tree to rest.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the Devouring Gold Ants' nest. Little girl, think about how to outsmart them."
Azure Phoenix instructed before closing her eyes.
"Alright!" Yu Yixiang replied, reaching out a hand to grasp Qian Duoduo's hand and shaking it vigorously.
Qian Duoduo turned his head and met her gaze. Both their hands were burning hot. Their eyes were both shining brightly.
Qian Duoduo understood Yu Yixiang's meaning. With these two excellent barbecue meals, they had persuaded Azure Phoenix to take them to the Devouring Gold Ants' nest. With her help, the hope of obtaining the Devouring Gold Ants' golden honey had greatly increased. It would be too difficult for just the two of them to deal with hundreds of thousands of Devouring Gold Ants.
Yu Yixiang also understood Qian Duoduo's meaning. Azure Phoenix was single, and the Luan Phoenix in the sect was also single. If they could establish a good relationship with her, perhaps they could invite her to the sect, to the Manor, to settle down, and then have a group of offspring with the Luan Phoenix. Wouldn't that mean the Purple Gold Manor would have a whole new group of Xuan Beasts?
Qian Duoduo, as the Great Manor Lord, would be incredible, he could truly soar to the heavens! With the Luan Phoenix and Azure Phoenix, what was soaring to the heavens even worth?
All this happiness couldn't be spoken aloud. If Azure Phoenix heard it, it wouldn't be good. If it were spoken, it would lose its meaning.
"Chirp!" A Phoenix cry sounded in Qian Duoduo's ear. He opened his eyes, and it was already dawn.
This was Azure Phoenix waking them up—today they were going to the Devouring Gold Ants' nest.
