Climbing to the summit of Mt. Tianheng, Feng Yi summoned Shenhe from the Serenitea Pot.
After all, Mt. Tianheng could be considered Shenhe's ancestral home. It would be improper to visit without emerging from the Serenitea Pot.
"Mama Shenhe, is this your home? So many clouds, it's so beautiful!"
Yuan Bao gazed at the mystical, cloud-shrouded scenery, like a fairytale, filled with curiosity and joy.
"If Yuan Bao likes it, you can visit often!"
Shenhe smiled slightly. As the host, she naturally led the way.
With familiar ease, they arrived at the abode of Cloud Retainer, who was already waiting.
"Master..."
"Cloud Retainer..."
"Grandma He..."
Shenhe, Feng Yi, and Yuan Bao greeted Cloud Retainer simultaneously.
"Hahaha, this child has indeed hatched successfully! What a joyous occasion!"
Cloud Retainer chuckled heartily. It was Madame Ping who had sought her out to set up the formation to aid in the hatching of her old friend Phoenix's offspring.
Yuan Bao's appearance now signified the successful hatching.
"Cloud Retainer, don't just chat! The delicacies I brought will get cold and lose their flavor!"
After several encounters, Feng Yi and Cloud Retainer had become familiar, no longer needing to be as cautious as when they first met.
Feng Yi suggested they eat and chat.
Opening the bento boxes, she handed slime jelly milk tea to Yuan Bao and Shenhe, then arranged the remaining dishes before Cloud Retainer.
"Ah, yes, yes, nothing is more important than food! Feng Yi, your words resonate deeply with me!"
Cloud Retainer manipulated the wind to carry the delicacies to her mouth, her gaze fixed on Yuan Bao.
In Yuan Bao, she saw a reflection of her old friend Phoenix.
She and Phoenix had been great food companions in their youth.
Whatever flew in the sky, ran on the ground, or swam in the water, none escaped their culinary cravings.
But she hadn't seen her old friend in years and wondered if her culinary skills had waned.
"Yuan Bao, would you like to try this fish? It's fresh, fragrant, tender, and incredibly delicious!"
Cloud Retainer invited Yuan Bao to share the dish. Back then, she and Phoenix had been particularly fond of fish.
Sharing this dish with Yuan Bao now was a way to reminisce about their youth.
"It's very tasty!"
Yuan Bao alternated between sips of milk tea and bites of fish, finally letting out a comfortable burp.
Cloud Retainer watched with a smile, observing how Yuan Bao had inherited her mother's gourmand lineage.
She could already foresee that years later, Yuan Bao would become as dedicated a foodie as her mother.
"Cloud Retainer, do you happen to have any good wine here?" Feng Yi inquired.
Feng Yi's main purpose for this visit was to see if Cloud Retainer had any high-grade immortal wines to complete the ingredients for serpent gall wine.
"Feng Yi, did Madame Ping tell you about my fine wines? She's still fixated on the fruit wine I painstakingly brewed! All because I borrowed a box of her Clear Jade Teas last time I made tea eggs!"
Cloud Retainer pouted, muttering about Madame Ping's vengeful nature.
Didn't she share the finished tea eggs with her?
Why was she still holding a grudge?
"Cloud Retainer, you misunderstand. I've just acquired a precious serpent gall, and I plan to make serpent gall wine. I'm in dire need of a suitable fine wine. Considering you are a renowned culinary connoisseur, I thought you might have some exquisite vintages, which is why I came to ask..."
Cloud Retainer's earlier statement had genuinely shocked Feng Yi!
Who would have thought someone would actually use Clear Jade Tea to cook tea eggs!
How extravagant!
And just how gluttonous must Cloud Retainer be to do such a thing?
The title of seasoned foodie true monarch was indeed well-earned!
"Ah, I see... so that's how it is. I misunderstood! This serpent gall of yours... it looks familiar. It seems to be that fellow Ba Jiu's..."
Feng Yi retrieved the serpent gall from the Serenitea Pot, and Cloud Retainer immediately detected a familiar scent.
Wasn't this Ba Jiu, who was good at nothing but boasting of being number one?
Ba Jiu, accustomed to his rampages in the sea, had come to Liyue to stir up trouble, capsizing fishing boats and issuing challenges.
Ba Jiu: "I'm not targeting anyone, but all of you here are trash!"
Used to acting arrogantly in small sea areas, Ba Jiu was like an impetuous youth who had never experienced the harsh realities of life.
Cloud Retainer was about to teach him a lesson when, coincidentally, the Geo Archon, in a good mood that day, stepped in for a brief encounter.
And it was truly just a brief encounter!
Ba Jiu didn't even last until the Geo Archon used his third move!
The Geo Archon first conjured a stone whale for Ba Jiu to warm up.
Before he could even unleash his ultimate, he simply conjured a Geo spear and pinned the opponent in a deep sea trench.
'I wonder what sin Ba Jiu committed this time to provoke the Geo Archon into personally digging out his gall!'
Cloud Retainer mused.
Feng Yi: "I can't believe this serpent gall belongs to Ba Jiu?!"
This was a massive gain!
The gall of a fallen god was not something Mora could buy!
She absolutely had to find a high-grade wine to pair with it, worthy of Ba Jiu's divine status!
"Feng Yi, you might not know this, but the ingredients for my fruit wine are all century-old spiritual fruits that have absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, further refined and brewed using numerous formations. Its preciousness is beyond compare. Madame Ping has asked for it many times, but I haven't given it..."
Cloud Retainer explained the preciousness of her fruit wine. Just as Feng Yi thought the matter was impossible, Cloud Retainer's tone suddenly shifted.
"However, if Feng Yi is willing to give me half of the serpent gall wine once it's brewed, I might consider it!"
Cloud Retainer: She had been coveting Ba Jiu's gall for a long time!
If the Geo Archon hadn't been so quick last time, she might have already dug out Ba Jiu's gall and used it for wine!
"Deal!"
Since the serpent gall could be utilized continuously, sharing half was acceptable.
In the grand scheme of wine-making, this was equivalent to getting slightly less good wine!
Feng Yi knew the difference between slightly less good wine and no good wine at all.
"Wait here! I'll go get it for you!"
With a whisper carried by the wind, Cloud Retainer vanished instantly.
"Yuan Bao is full! Daddy, can Yuan Bao go out for a walk?"
Yuan Bao recalled the beautiful scenery of the cloud-shrouded peak and looked at Feng Yi expectantly.
"Of course!"
Yuan Bao wanted to stroll and digest, and Feng Yi had no reason to refuse. However, concerned for Yuan Bao's safety, he entrusted Shenhe to keep an eye on him.
After an incense stick's worth of time, Cloud Retainer returned with the wine.
At the same moment, Yuan Bao also returned from his walk, clutching the neck of a large green goose tightly in his hand.
"Daddy, this big goose was mean to Yuan Bao. Yuan Bao wants to eat goose stewed in an iron pot!"