"Shall I go out and come back in?" Bai Ye smiled slyly and leaped from the rooftop to the balcony. He walked to the railing and gazed at the verdant scenery of the Imperial Palace.
"The scenery here is indeed beautiful! But..."
"It's still not as good as my ranch!"
For a moment, Bai Ye couldn't help but miss home. He wondered how Gou Dan and Xiao Fan Tuan were doing. Had they gotten into trouble in the few days he'd been gone? He also wondered if the 'glucose' he left for them was enough.
Bai Ye pondered if he had left them too little of the potion.
"Oh?" Sensing a strange emotion from Bai Ye, Prince Hōō Sakurai beside him looked somewhat surprised.
"Of all the places on this island, only the Imperial Palace has a better environment. Since you mention it, I am curious to see your ranch."
"It's fine if you want to visit," Bai Ye turned to Prince Hōō Sakurai, with a hint of warning in his voice, "but don't scare my little animals."
"Little animals? Hahaha..." Prince Hōō Sakurai chuckled, a rare sound.
"That's right! They're all cute little animals," Bai Ye asserted confidently. Stout wild boars, cute little rabbits, fiery pheasants, and spicy little sausages—aren't they all cute and delicious?
Prince Hōō Sakurai shook his head, then his eyes narrowed slightly. "Then, you came to my territory and stirred up such a mess, how should that be accounted for?"
Not my fault! Bai Ye wanted to evade the question, but seeing Prince Hōō Sakurai's luminous eyes, it was clear he already suspected Bai Ye was behind the commotion in R Country.
Fortunately, Bai Ye waved his hand and said, "Actually! I was just helping you clear out some pests, to make your 'ranch' more peaceful. Just like my ranch, most of the little animals are very cute, but there's always one that causes trouble, and a good lesson fixes it."
"Don't worry. I'm a professional at this," Bai Ye became more fluent and sounded quite justified. "If you don't believe me, come and visit my ranch when you have time, and you'll understand."
"Is that so?" Prince Hōō Sakurai's gaze softened, and he returned to his relaxed and elegant smile, as if he had no intention of holding Bai Ye accountable.
"Of course. Removing these pests makes things more hassle-free, doesn't it?" Bai Ye said earnestly. "This way, it's more conducive to our pursuit of art, isn't it?"
Prince Hōō Sakurai listened, deep in thought.
Bai Ye smiled slightly and changed the subject, "Ahem~ I actually have some good news to tell you today."
"Oh? Tell me!" Prince Hōō Sakurai immediately became interested. He wouldn't believe just anyone's good news, but Bai Ye's was different. After all, they were of the same caliber, even somewhat kindred spirits.
Bai Ye said, "I've been listening to your music recently, and I've had some inspiration during my stay in R Country. So, I've decided to release a new song and hold a concert."
"I've heard that in R Country's music scene, you are unrivaled. Well, now, I am here."
"Your new song? Are you challenging my music? Interesting." Prince Hōō Sakurai narrowed his eyes and smiled, then added, "Do you want me to participate in your concert?"
"Yes!" Bai Ye smiled back, not denying it.
"I've never been very interested in concerts..." Prince Hōō Sakurai replied, "However, I can accept your challenge. Coincidentally, I also have a new song to release..."
Bai Ye's eyes lit up slightly. He hadn't expected Prince Hōō Sakurai to agree so readily.
"It's a deal!"
Prince Hōō Sakurai smiled and said, "There's a music room downstairs. Are you interested in exchanging some ideas?"
"Alright."
As soon as the words left his mouth, their figures vanished from the balcony.
Great Xia, Modu, on the beach of the Wolong Mountains.
"Woof woof woof!"
A flying white python, a little panda, and a pack of large dogs excitedly cheered around a large whale being roasted over a fire.
Lydia flicked her tail, flipping the great whale over to reveal its golden-brown, aromatic side. It was evident that various exotic herbs had been added, further enhancing the fish's fragrance.
The combination was excellent, clearly not their first time doing this.
"Woof woof woof!!!"
"Awooo!!"
"Roaring!!!"
Xiao Fan Tuan, Gou Dan, and a large group of others pounced excitedly, tearing into the meat with large bites.
"Awooooo! (Delicious! Delicious!)"
"Woof woof woof woof! (Sister Lydia's roasted fish, though not as good as Boss's, is still very tasty!!!)"
This was Gou Dan speaking. It continued to eat with gusto, even taking some choice pieces to feed to Xiao Bai.
Sister! Lydia glanced at it, suppressing the urge to swat it away with her tail, and smiled.
A moment later, Gou Dan ran to the side, a small blue medicine bottle in its mouth. It took one bottle for itself, gave one to Xiao Bai, and several to Quan Yi and the others.
There was one bottle left, which it tossed to Lydia.
"Woof woof woof! (Sister Lydia, this is for you.)"
Lydia's eyes immediately lit up. "Roaring! (Thank you, Gou Dan!!)"
Gou Dan suddenly barked, "Woof woof woof! (By the way, don't tell Boss it was me who gave it to you when he gets back!)"
"Huh???" Lydia let out a puzzled sound.
Gou Dan looked around and whispered, "Woof woof woof! (Boss said he can't give it to you yet. But, Sister Lydia is so good to us, Boss won't be angry.)"
"Awoooo!!" Xiao Fan Tuan, on the side, also took out a small bottle of 'glucose' from somewhere, took a sip, and nodded.
"Roar roar roar! (Is that so? Alright! Thank you all!)" Lydia's face broke into a smile, but a hint of resentment brewed within her. ╰༼⋋‸⋌༽╯Hmph! Master is too mean!!