In that atmosphere where a storm was about to come, life returned to peace again.

Xuanyu and the Winter God's departure also took away Lu Qingjiu's chill, making the winter less difficult for him. He no longer felt like he was being nailed to the warm kang like before. Now, Lu Qingjiu only needed to wear a little more clothing and could go play in the snow without worrying about catching a fever or a cold.

The snowfall is no longer as continuous as before, and there are more sunny days.

Bai Yuehu began to bring back some fresh ingredients from outside every day. At first, they were poultry and beasts that tasted better, but later he became addicted to fresh seafood.

Unlike seafood from the human world, the seafood White Moon Fox brought back from the other world was large and fresh. For example, the shrimp, which looked similar to those from the human world, were as big as human calves. They were still alive and kicking when White Moon Fox carried them back in bunches, looking incredibly tempting. Lu Qingjiu also felt that the other world wasn't that bad after all. At least for humans who lived for food, the other world was filled with a certain indescribable charm.

There are many more ways to cook fresh shrimp than frozen shrimp. After steaming, it is delicious enough to be dipped in soy sauce. It can also be mashed into a paste and made into shrimp paste for soup or hot pot. In short, there are many ways to eat shrimp, but the only thing they have in common is that they all taste good.

Lu Qingjiu made a shrimp ball soup, steaming a few and stir-frying a few. Although the shrimp were large, their meat was very tender, not at all old or tough. After Bai Yuehu's introduction, Lu Qingjiu realized that these shrimp were actually newborns. Adults are as big as a person, but they were a bit too old back then and didn't taste as good as they do now.

Lu Qingjiu was still wondering how big a shrimp as big as a human could be...

In addition to shrimp, other seafood is also included, such as crabs, lobsters, abalone and sea cucumbers. In short, almost all the food that can be seen in the human world is also available in the alien world, and substitutes can be found for all of them.

Lu Qingjiu stewed soup with abalone. Drinking it in the cold winter is not only delicious but also can dispel the coldness in the body. It can be said that he likes it very much.

But before they could enjoy this happy life for just a few days, someone couldn't stand it anymore.

Lu Qingjiu didn't expect that Ao Run would come directly to his door and fight with Bai Yuehu on the spot.

The fight took place in the courtyard at the entrance. When Lu Qingjiu first saw the two of them collide, he worried that their fight might destroy the entire house. But his concern was ultimately unfounded. Neither Bai Yuehu nor Ao Run used any significant strength; their fight was purely physical, with no intention of destroying the entire house. Even so, the courtyard was a mess, with a large section of the wall collapsed and the original chicken coop flattened.

Ao Run's expression was filled with hatred, and Bai Yuehu wasn't to be outdone. The two dragons fought like two humans, using no magic, just unleashing punches and blows. Lu Qingjiu was watching with a mixture of laughter and tears. He wanted to step forward to stop them, but seeing how engrossed they were in the fight, he was afraid of getting hurt accidentally, so he could only stand by and worry.

Yin Xun, who was enjoying the fun, took out two roasted sweet potatoes from the house, handed them to Lu Qingjiu and said, "Let's try eating them. Don't catch a cold."

Lu Qingjiu originally wanted to refuse, but seeing that Bai Yuehu and Ao Run had no intention of stopping, he took it and started to eat it while warming his hands.

What Lu Qingjiu hadn't expected was that while Bai Yuehu and Ao Run were fighting, he actually heard them arguing. Ao Run was cursing Bai Yuehu for being heartless and ungrateful, while Bai Yuehu was yelling at Ao Run for meddling in other people's business. When Lu Qingjiu first heard the quarrel, his expression froze for a moment, because he had only heard the red-haired Ao Run's voice before, and he hadn't expected the black-haired grandfather to be able to speak.

"They were arguing so loudly." Lu Qingjiu said.

"Noisy? What's noisy about?" Yin Xun looked confused. "Are they talking?"

Lu Qingjiu said: "...Can't you hear?"

Yin Xun shook his head, indicating that he hadn't heard anything. Lu Qingjiu observed more carefully and realized, to his disbelief, that Ao Run and Bai Yuehu had indeed remained silent. Both of them had their lips pressed together in a straight line, and the sounds of their quarrel seemed to be transmitted directly into Lu Qingjiu's mind.

"Ao Yue, you actually refused to let Lu Qingjiu go—don't you know he'll die if he stays here?" Ao Run was still roaring, "Do you really consider him your lover?"

"Why does my lover need you to interfere?" Bai Yuehu retorted coldly, "If he wants to stay, I respect his opinion. Unlike you, you are always so arbitrary and don't care whether the person you are giving to wants it or not!"

The two of them were arguing heatedly, but Lu Qingjiu felt a little worried. It was almost lunchtime, and he wondered how long these two would continue to argue. He tentatively called out in his mind, "Hey, can you hear me?"

Bai Yuehu and Ao Run stopped their movements instantly, and both turned their heads at the same time, looking at Lu Qingjiu with surprised expressions.

"Can you hear me?" Lu Qingjiu continued to shout in his mind, "How long are you going to fight?"

Ao Run immediately released Bai Yuehu. He climbed up from the snow, brushed off the snow hanging on his clothes, and regained his gentle appearance. He walked towards Lu Qingjiu with a gentle smile: "Jiu, can you hear us?"

Lu Qingjiu said, "Yeah... I just heard it." He glanced at Yin Xun, who was a little confused, and asked, "Can't others hear it?"

Ao Run explained, "This is a sound that only dragons can hear." He had tried to communicate with Lu Qingjiu this way before, but Lu Qingjiu didn't react at all. He had no choice but to communicate with Lu Qingjiu by writing. Although this method was common among dragons, Lu Qingjiu was only one-quarter dragon, so it was normal that he couldn't hear it. However, today, Lu Qingjiu actually captured the content of his conversation with Bai Yuehu. But then again, wouldn't he have heard him swearing?

Ao Run thought of this and glared at Bai Yuehu coldly again.

Bai Yuehu gnashed his teeth in anger, thinking bitterly that if it weren't for Lu Qingjiu's face, he would have to fight Ao Run to a victory.

"Jiu'er." The voice that came from Ao Run's mind was not much different from the red-haired Ao Run. He walked to Lu Qingjiu's side, stretched out his hand and gently brushed the snowflakes off his head. "Hurry up and go inside. It's cold outside."

"Grandpa, I'm fine." Lu Qingjiu said, "Don't fight with Bai Yuehu..."

Ao Run said, "I just didn't expect him to be so selfish." He was still a little unhappy, "You have a cold in your body, how can you stay in Shuifu Village? I even paved the way for you before, just wanting you to leave early..."

Lu Qingjiu said: "There is no coldness in my body now."

Ao Run frowned upon hearing this. He had frozen Lu Qingjiu to force Bai Yuehu to send her away. Regardless of Bai Yuehu's willingness, Lu Qingjiu's body would not be able to withstand staying in Shuifu Village. Therefore, Lu Qingjiu would have to leave to avoid what was about to happen. Ao Run had thought his plan was flawless, but he hadn't expected to find Lu Qingjiu still at home when he returned several days later, looking very energetic.

"The Winter God helped me drive away the coldness in my body." Lu Qingjiu said, "I don't need to leave anymore."

Ao Run had a complicated expression when he heard this, and he seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

Bai Yuehu walked up to Lu Qingjiu, took Lu Qingjiu's hand and said, "Jiu'er, I'm hungry." He raised his chin provocatively.

Seeing this, Ao Run was so angry that he almost rolled up his sleeves and attacked Bai Yuehu.

Lu Qingjiu quickly persuaded the two of them, saying, "Can we continue after lunch? It's almost ten o'clock now, and if we continue fighting we won't have anything to eat."

Under the temptation of food, Bai Yuehu and Ao Run finally chose to cease fighting, but the two still disliked each other and provoked each other with words.

The most confused person throughout the whole process was Yin Xun. He stood there stupidly chewing his roasted sweet potato, not understanding how this group of people could reach a consensus without saying a word and even amicably decide to make lunch. What on earth did they say behind his back...

It was the first time that Lu Qingjiu invited Ao Run into his home and invited him to have lunch.

Ao Run was obviously very surprised by Lu Qingjiu's invitation. Although he didn't like Bai Yuehu, he suppressed his inner irritability and restored his gentle appearance. Bai Yuehu also endured it and gave Ao Run face. Although he didn't like Ao Run's self-willedness, after all, Ao Run was Lu Qingjiu's grandfather, and it didn't seem that Lu Qingjiu meant to blame him.

"Why don't you go?" Ao Run was in the kitchen, lowering his head to help Lu Qingjiu process the fresh vegetables that Bai Yuehu brought back from outside yesterday. "If you want, I can clear the way for you again..."

Lu Qingjiu shook his head and said firmly: “No, I won’t leave.”

Ao Run said: "But you will die."

Lu Qingjiu asked, "Will you definitely do that?"

Ao Run frowned slightly and did not answer the question.

Lu Qingjiu was chopping the meat into stuffing, planning to make it into meatballs and then fry them in a pan. As he chopped the meat, he said, "But if I leave, Bai Yuehu will die, right?" He remembered what Xuan Yu said.

Ao Run continued to remain silent.

"Grandpa, do you know what will happen next?" Lu Qingjiu asked, "Can you tell me?"

Ao Run sighed and said, "The Four Seasons God is dead. What follows is the fusion of the two worlds..."

"Then do you hope that the two worlds will merge?" Lu Qingjiu asked.

Ao Run looked up, his eyes closed, but he seemed to be staring at Lu Qingjiu's face. He said, "I don't care about the two worlds, I only care about you." Lu Qingjiu was her descendant and the only human with dragon blood. Naturally, he wanted to do everything he could to keep him alive, but now it seems that Lu Qingjiu himself gave up his last chance.

"You still have one last chance," Ao Run said. "Even if you stay, you may not be able to save the White Moon Fox. But if you leave, you will definitely survive. After the two worlds merge, I can protect you and find you the Dharma books that were once practiced by powerful people in the human world. Then..."

Listening to what he said, Lu Qingjiu looked at Bai Yuehu. When he was talking to Ao Run, Bai Yuehu had remained quiet, as if all his attention was on the dish in front of him. However, the mess of dishes in the dish caused by Bai Yuehu showed that he was not as calm as he appeared. Lu Qingjiu suspected that if Bai Yuehu showed his furry ears at this moment, those ears would definitely stand up cautiously.

"Well, I know." Lu Qingjiu said, "Thank you, Grandpa, but I know what I want."

Ao Run said: "Do you really know?"

Lu Qingjiu said, "I know. My parents died in an accident at that time, and I wanted to take my grandma out, but she refused. She said that Shuifu Village was her roots and there were people here she wanted to protect. I didn't understand it at the time, but I do now." He laughed, "If grandma were still here, she would definitely stay."

When mentioning grandma, Ao Run's expression revealed a subtle pain. He had a lot to say to Lu Qingjiu, but these words eventually turned into a low sigh: "Okay, I respect your choice."

Lu Qingjiu felt relieved, knowing that Ao Run would not deliberately stop him again.

Even so, the atmosphere in the kitchen was still very strange. Yin Xun was sitting in the living room and really didn't dare to come in. When Lu Qingjiu took the dishes out, he asked him what was wrong. He said, "Nothing. Any other creature would be unable to bear it if they found out that there were two and a quarter dragons in the house."

Lu Qingjiu: “…” Your counting is too precise.

Because grandpa stayed for lunch, Lu Qingjiu specially prepared a sumptuous lunch today, including stewed tomato meatballs, steamed fish with fermented black beans, braised pig's trotters, pickled cabbage and pork vermicelli soup, as well as a vegetarian dish and a cold dish. Each dish was very generous in portion, filling up a large plate on the table.

When Ao Run came to the table, he seemed a little reserved, as if he hadn't had a proper meal in a long time. But when he opened his mouth, Lu Qingjiu noticed his empty mouth, and a pang of pain still lingered inside. It was reasonable to say that Lu Qingjiu's mother had been swallowed by Ao Run himself, but he couldn't feel any blame towards Ao Run. Throughout their time together, he hadn't sensed any ill will from Ao Run, only a deep sense of protection.

Ao Run ate very seriously. He chewed each mouthful of rice for a long time and then swallowed it slowly. He was very similar to the way Bai Yuehu looked when he was first brought into the house.

When Lu Qingjiu looked at him, he thought of the hungry Baiyue Fox, and felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't show it. He just quietly helped Ao Run add rice.

Today, Bai Yuehu was unusually unguarded, even putting down her bowl after just one, saying she was full and had something else to do, and then she got up and left. Yin Xun was also clever for once, finishing her bowl and saying she would go help Bai Yuehu clean up the yard, leaving the meal and some time alone to Lu Qingjiu and Ao Run.

Ao Runze accepted their kindness and while eating, he spoke to Lu Qingjiu slowly in the unique way of the dragon clan. He talked about many past events and talked about his first meeting with his grandmother.

"Your grandma isn't very good at cooking," Ao Run said. "Before I moved in, she ate pickled vegetables and rice every day. She was incredibly thin."

Lu Qingjiu listened. In fact, after he was born, his grandmother had already mastered the art of controlling the heat to make delicious food. By then, Ao Run had been away from his lover for many years, and she had been forced to learn to live alone. However, the sadness hidden in these few simple words was difficult to describe.

"She likes everything I make," Ao Run said. "She eats a lot of everything." As he talked about the past, his expression showed a nostalgia and tenderness that Lu Qingjiu had never seen before. "But even though she eats a lot, she doesn't look fat at all. I don't know where all the food went."

Lu Qingjiu said, "Grandma was very thin." Until she left this world, she was a frail old lady. Other elderly people in the village tended to gain weight as they got older, but she was still skinny, which made people feel distressed.

"Yeah." Ao Run said, "Everything was fine then, until I was contaminated."

This was the first time Ao Run talked about pollution, and Lu Qingjiu felt a little nervous when he heard it.

But Ao Run did not say much about this matter, and it seemed that even he himself did not understand why it was contaminated. However, he told Lu Qingjiu a detail, that is, dragons who fall in love with humans will be more easily contaminated. As for why, he did not explain, perhaps even he himself did not understand it.

Ao Run talked a lot about grandma's youth, about their love, separation, and the birth of their children.

"I was forced to leave. When I came back, your mother was already three years old." Ao Run said this with a smile. "Humans look like this when they are young, completely different from dragons..."

"Can't dragons transform when they are young?" Lu Qingjiu asked.

Ao Run said, "Yes, when the dragons are young, they look like little dragons. They have to wait until they reach adulthood and shed their horns before they can transform into human form... The little dragon chief looks almost like a snake, not cute at all."

Unexpectedly, Ao Run was so straightforward. Lu Qingjiu immediately thought of the White Moon Fox that he had hurt. Hmm... From this point of view, it seemed understandable that the White Moon Fox was disliked by the children.

"Humans are different." Ao Run seemed to be in a good mood and talked a lot. "They are soft and small. They fall down when you push them. When they fall down, they cry, and their noses are red from crying..."

Lu Qingjiu strongly suspected that Ao Run had bullied his daughter behind his grandmother's back, otherwise why would he describe it in such detail.

"But it's okay if she cries," Ao Run said. "Just put some candy in her mouth and she'll be fine. She'll be easy to comfort."

Lu Qingjiu asked suspiciously, “Grandpa…you don’t do this often, do you?”

Ao Run: “No.”

Lu Qingjiu: "Really?"

Ao Run said calmly, "I only did it once or twice."

Lu Qingjiu: “…”

Ao Run suddenly remembered something and said, "Jiu'er, are your young dragon horns still there?"

Lu Qingjiu said, "Yes." The young dragon's horn was extremely sensitive. Normally, he didn't dare to show it at all. Only when he was forced to do so by the White Moon Fox would he be forced to show it. However, the consequences after showing it seemed to be a little more miserable. Thinking of this, Lu Qingjiu couldn't help blushing, but fortunately, Ao Run closed his eyes and seemed unable to see it.

"What's wrong, Grandpa?" Lu Qingjiu wanted to change the subject.

Who knew that after he asked this question, Ao Run, whose emotions had almost calmed down, exploded again, and said angrily that Bai Yuehu was really not a good dragon. Lu Qingjiu, the young dragon, had not yet shed its horns and was still just a pitiful, weak and helpless young dragon, but he actually attacked him!

Lu Qingjiu said in horror: “But grandpa, I’m already twenty-seven.”

Ao Run said, "Twenty-seven? You're only twenty-seven? Dragons are just white eggs at twenty-seven. How dare he lay hands on an egg?"

Lu Qingjiu: "..." Grandpa, calm down a little. Look at me, I have healthy limbs, I don't look like a white egg at all.

Ao Run was obviously upset that Bai Yuehu, the pig, had taken advantage of his little cabbage. If Lu Qingjiu hadn't stopped him, he would have rushed out and had another fight with Bai Yuehu.

Lu Qingjiu could only try his best to persuade him, saying that he really couldn't use the dragon clan's standards. If he was really allowed to fall in love based on the dragon clan's lifespan, wouldn't he be considered premature at the age of 200? It would still be a question whether he would be around by then. He couldn't let Bai Yuehu hug a pile of bones and call him dear.

"And I remember my grandma was only eighteen when she fell in love, nine years younger than me." Lu Qingjiu thought of this while talking, "Grandpa...you..."

Ao Run was silent for a moment, decided to skip this topic, and said that today's food was really delicious.

Lu Qingjiu thought that Grandpa's change of topic was too abrupt.

Lu Qingjiu chatted with Ao Run for a while, then suddenly remembered something. He went back to the bedroom and took out a pair of woolen earmuffs. He handed them to Ao Run, saying that he had knitted them himself and that wearing them on the ears would keep the ears warm. It wasn't that he didn't want to give Ao Run something else, but the others weren't ready yet, so only the earmuffs would work. He knitted them according to the proportions of the White Moon Fox's ears.

"The New Year is coming soon, I wish Grandpa a happy new year in advance." Lu Qingjiu smiled.

Ao Run carefully took the earmuffs and tried them on his own ears, but found that they were upright and could not be put on the sides. Lu Qingjiu explained that they were earmuffs prepared for dragon ears. Ao Run then showed his own upright dragon ears. Lu Qingjiu noticed that the ears were also furry and moved, which made his hands itch. However, considering his junior status, he could only restrain himself. However, he still asked politely if he needed help to put them on.

Ao Run nodded in agreement.

Lu Qingjiu was slightly surprised. After picking up the earmuffs, he carefully helped Ao Run put them on. Ao Run's ears felt similar to those of the White Moon Fox, except that the fur was a little thicker, but still just as soft and furry. Lu Qingjiu couldn't help laughing when he saw Ao Run wearing the earmuffs.

Ao Run tilted his head and asked, "Does it look good?"

Lu Qingjiu smiled and said it looked good.

"Then I'll keep it." Ao Run said gently, "It's getting late, I'll leave first."

Lu Qingjiu said, "Won't you stay for dinner?"

"No." Ao Run said, "I still have some things to deal with."

Lu Qingjiu hesitated to speak.

But just as he was hesitating, Ao Run had already stood up and walked out. When Lu Qingjiu rushed to the door, he was no longer there. He felt a little disappointed. Bai Yuehu, who had been repairing the yard with Yin Xun, walked up to him and asked, "Why is he wearing earmuffs?"

"Oh, I thought it was New Year's Eve, so I gave it to him as a New Year's gift." Lu Qingjiu asked curiously, "Don't you dislike earmuffs?"

Bai Yuehu said unhappily, "Who said I don't like it?" He even twitched his ears and said, "It's cold."

Seeing Bai Yuehu's jealous look, Lu Qingjiu couldn't help but reach out and hold Bai Yuehu's furry ears. This time, he didn't hesitate and gave her a big kiss after holding them. "It's okay. I'll knit you a new pair. No, I'll knit you many, many pairs."