The night was gentle, and the stars filled the sky.
The ancient peach tree atop the Dengxian Pavilion was ablaze with color, its petals glistening as if they had fallen into an eternal dream, a breathtaking sight.
Under the tree was a pot, a very large pot, carved entirely from a hard crystal, with twelve compartments inside, each containing a different color of soup base.
The bubbling broth of the hot pot, along with the refraction of crystal, creates a magical array of colors, especially beautiful under the dark night sky.
The sight of it makes even the ingredients in the pot seem especially tempting.
When Da Mei saw it, she was overjoyed.
This was also something Xiao Xuan deliberately had made, with runes inscribed inside the crystal, and even the twelve kinds of soup base ingredients inside were different in color and flavor.
"Wow, your pot is so beautiful!"
Da Mei circled around the crystal pot.
"This is for Sister Damei. We'll pack it up and give it to her to take back with her when we get back to the mountain."
Xiao Xuan smiled as he added the cleaned and delicious food to the pot.
Today, there are more than twenty kinds of meat alone, weighing thousands of kilograms. Most importantly, these are all meats from rare and magical beasts. Not only is the meat delicious, but it also contains the power that cultivators dream of.
"Thank you, Siwu!"
Da Mei happily clasped her little hands together.
"Four no's, four no's, you'd better prepare a big black pot for me too."
Little Fatty is jealous. Her older sister has a big black pot, and she wants a piece of it too.
"Okay, I'll have a small crystal pot made for you tomorrow."
"No, I want a bigger one too."
"Little Fatty, you look so cute carrying that sparkly little crystal pot! From now on, you'll be the most dazzling little one on Turtle Mountain."
"Ah! Yes, yes! Siwu, you're so kind!"
Little Fatty opened his clear, big eyes. One second his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and the next second they lit up with light and anticipation.
"Junior Sister, would you like one?" Xiao Xuan looked at Yi Cheng and smiled, "How about I have someone make a crystal pot for you too?"
"No way! The goose has a big black pot to boil over."
Yi Cheng glanced at the vegetables rolling around in the compartment in front of her, then looked away with a look of disgust. She stared at the fresh and tender meat rolling around in the compartment in front of Xiao Pang, her mouth watering.
The next moment, he pointed to the sky and exclaimed, "Little Fatty, look! What a huge star!"
"Where? Where?"
Little Fatty looked up.
Yi Cheng quietly stretched out her little finger and turned the hot pot.
"It's not very big! Aren't all stars that small?"
Little Fatty pouted and grumbled, thinking that Yi Cheng was making a fuss over nothing.
"Oh, the goose must have made a mistake, hehe."
"Ah—Yi Cheng, where did all the meat in my compartment go? How come it all turned into vegetables? Did you turn the crystal pot while I was looking up?" Little Fatty immediately shouted angrily, "I know! It was a feint! You attracted my attention with a despicable lie, and then you turned the crystal pot to move the food in front of you to me!"
"Yi Cheng, let me tell you, I, the King of Koi, am incredibly smart now. It's not just you who's well-versed in military strategy; I've read it too. And not only that, I recite it every night before I go to sleep!"
The chubby boy stood with his hands on his hips, looking very smug.
In the past, Yi Cheng followed Xiao Duanzi and learned many military strategies, which he used to tease himself. But today is different. I, the King of Koi, am now a cunning and scheming King of Koi.
"No, little fatso, you're talking nonsense. Don't make baseless accusations."
Yi Cheng fiercely defended herself.
When it comes to food, a foodie's rule is to never give an inch and never admit defeat.
"Yi Cheng, you're talking nonsense! I didn't smear you with blood. If you don't believe me, let Si Wu see for himself—there's no blood in my mouth!"
Little Fatty also got angry, feeling that Yi Cheng was now lying to her face. With so many people watching, what kind of talk was this? Wasn't this just bullying her intelligence as the Koi King?
"Hehehe, little fatty, just admit you're stupid."
Yi Cheng suddenly squinted her little eyes and laughed, "Let me tell you, what I mean by 'spitting blood' doesn't mean there's blood in your mouth, it means you're talking nonsense."
"You...you...Hmph, you win today!"
Little Fatty lost and switched places with Big Beauty.
"Sister, please sit here. You like vegetables."
Da Mei: ? ? ? ? ? You're such a good sister!
My sister's claim that I like eating vegetables is a lie; it's because you like eating meat.
"Okay, little sister, you can sit here with me. I have so much meat on me."
"Yes, thank you, sister."
After a brief argument, everyone gathered around the hot pot, holding bowls and small bamboo chopsticks, their eyes fixed on the ingredients inside, waiting for them to be cooked through.
After a while, the spiritual energy and the aroma of hot pot wafted under the peach trees, traveling hundreds of miles and lingering in the sky above the imperial city.
"This is real hot pot!"
Qin Shou chuckled, then slowly reached into the pot with his chopsticks, picked up a piece of tender spirit beast meat, and put it in his mouth.
"Master, are you familiar with it yet?"
"Master, may I eat now?"
"Squeak, squeak—"
Upon seeing this, all the little ones turned their gazes toward Qin Beast.
"Hmm, not bad, the meat is indeed top-notch."
Qin Shou tasted it for a moment and nodded in satisfaction.
Then, meeting the expectant gazes of the children, he nodded and smiled, "It's ripe."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In an instant, chopsticks flew everywhere.
All you could see were strands of duck intestines, tripe, and many other unidentified pieces of meat cut into strips and chunks, appearing in the hot pot. Then, regardless of whether they were hot or not, they were put into your mouth.
"Slurp~, smells so good!"
"Ouch, it's so hot!"
......
"Junior sister, eat slowly. I prepared a lot today; there's plenty to eat."
Xiao Xuan spoke.
"Thank you, Siwu. Why are you suddenly being so nice to me, Siwu?"
Yi Cheng blinked her little eyes and asked.
There was still meat in his mouth, and oil was dripping from the corners of his mouth.
"Haha, was I bad to you before?" Xiao Xuan retorted.
"Okay, okay~"
"That's it then."
"But I think today seems even better."
"Is it just because they added 'all you can eat' today?!"
"Aww~~, that's right, goose goose goose....."
Yi Cheng chuckled twice and then started fighting over food with Xiao Pang and Black Rabbit.
"Junior sister, you did a great job today, so I'll make sure you're well-fed."
"Huh? What did the goose do?"
Yi Cheng looked up, her face blank.
"Hit that old man!"
Xiao Xuan chuckled and explained, "That old fellow indulges his offspring's evil deeds and frequently submits memorials to stir up trouble, saying this is unacceptable and that is unacceptable. I've wanted to give him a good beating for a long time."
"Clam! "
Yi Cheng immediately perked up, "Si Wu, how about we go beat him up again tomorrow?"
"No, a beating is enough. After all, this happened in the imperial court. A few more beatings would be bad for the image. Besides, after the beating you gave him yesterday, this old guy probably won't be able to get out of bed for months, hahaha."
Xiao Xuan readily agreed. Becoming an emperor always brings more constraints. There are indeed many old men in the court who are quite talkative, but unfortunately, they are indeed somewhat useful.
"It's okay, Siwu, the goose can go to his house and beat him up."
Yi Cheng wiped her mouth, conjured two small golden hammers, stood up with a "clatter, clatter, clatter," and was about to rush downstairs.
"Four no's, where's his house? Just point in the direction, and the goose will hop right there."
"Oh, no need, Senior Sister, really, no need."
Xiao Xuan quickly stopped Yi Cheng.
"Quickly, hot pot has to be eaten while it's hot, otherwise the ingredients won't be as flavorful."
"well. "
Yi Cheng sat down again, eating as she spoke, "Si Wu, how about you find a few more old men to beat up the goose? One old man in exchange for a super-sized hot pot."
"Junior Sister, here's what you do: from now on, you should often go to the capital. If you encounter any spoiled brats, bullies, or wicked people, just grab them and beat them up."
When his father impeaches you in court, I'll call you over. First, you take out the Three Character Classic and reason with him, then give him a good beating.
Remember, don't kill anyone.
Wait until I send you a telepathic message, then you can stop.
Then I will step in to mediate and handle the matter according to its severity.
Junior sister, if you handle it well, you can also take the opportunity to go to his house and ask for some compensation for emotional distress.
After all, you are a powerful figure with immense influence. It's understandable that you're angry and need some compensation after they impeached you.
Next, Xiao Xuan gave a detailed explanation that lasted for half an hour.
Let Yicheng know and understand more clearly.
"Haha, it's about time we dealt with those disobedient, nagging old fogies."
Xiao Xuan stretched and laughed loudly.
"Yes, yes, Four-No Goose understands. Goose will go searching the streets tomorrow."
Yi Cheng's little eyes sparkled.
"The geese on patrol understand the way of patrolling the streets, just like they do when they patrol the mountains. If a goose encounters a bully, it can just bully them instead."
Hehe, when the time comes, Goose will definitely take Little Fatty and Black Rabbit to those big mansions and take all their food!
Yi Cheng was imagining things beautifully.
"Siwu, the Treasure Gathering General Token you gave me is too small. I need a bigger one."
At this moment, Little Fatty suddenly remembered the scene from yesterday when Yi Cheng was holding up the big ace in the brothel and being worshipped by those people. It was so impressive and enviable.
But she didn't know that whether someone is worshipped has nothing to do with the size of the token in their hand, but rather with the person themselves.
"Huh? What do you need the big token for?"
"Little Fatty, your little token is so cute, just as cute as you."
Xiao Xuan has started CPU again.
But this time, Little Fatty didn't fall for it.
"I don't want it. The token is too small and not impressive enough. Everyone else kneels before Yi Cheng, not me."
"Oh, that's it, Little Fatty. They kneel before Junior Sister because she single-handedly charged into an army camp of millions, terrifying all the demons and monsters."
Xiao Xuan stroked his chin, pondering, and said, "But Little Fatty, if you also want to show off in front of others, then Si Wu will help you this once and throw you into an army of millions. How about you fight them all by yourself?"
"When the time comes, I'll forge you a token as big as your junior sister's. You can carry it around the streets, and everyone who sees it will regard you as a hero of the dynasty."
"Ah! We have to fight so many people!"
Little Fatty frowned, his sparse eyebrows furrowed in distress, and asked, "Siwu, what if I can't beat them?"
"Then you'll become a grilled fish and be eaten by those bad guys. Of course, it's also possible you'll be put into a hot pot."
Little Fatty glanced at the hot pot in front of him and immediately took several steps back in fear.
"Forget it, forget it. I suddenly think the little token is kind of cute. I'd rather not have the big token."
Little Fatty shook his head decisively. Suddenly, he didn't even want to eat hot pot anymore. His mind was filled with the scene of being thrown into the hot pot and boiled, with a group of strange, dark-skinned people next to him holding bowls and chopsticks, drooling over his own image in the pot.
"Wow~~, sister, this is so scary, waaaaaah~~~~"
As Little Fatty was thinking, he scared himself into tears. Da Mei had to comfort him again, but this time it was different from before; she couldn't calm him down even after a long time.
Seeing this, Qin Shou grabbed Little Fatty and threw her off the building. With a splash, she fell into the Fish-Calling Lake inside the palace.
"Look, these are your underlings. Train them well."
"Ha~"
The koi wiped away its tears and began leading its many followers to swim under the moonlight. Soon, it was immersed in a feeling of complete satisfaction.
......
Five days later.
The sky was just breaking through the dawn, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
The coming-of-age ceremony for the princes of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty has officially begun.
On the Vermilion Bird Platform.
The civil and military officials were arranged in two rows.
The soldiers, clad in golden armor, stood solemnly and imposingly beneath the Vermilion Bird Terrace, awaiting the commencement of their prince's coming-of-age ceremony.
A prince, sixteen years old.
During the coming-of-age ceremony, elders will personally place the cap on him three times, which means that from this day forward he will have the right to govern people, serve the country, and participate in sacrificial rites.
This also means that their Vermilion Bird Dynasty has welcomed a leader who is a true prince.
"The coming-of-age ceremony begins!"
As a sharp eunuch's voice rang out, the grand procession began to chant.
Xiao Yu, the first prince of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty, walked solemnly onto the crowning platform.
In front of him was a large cauldron, on which was painted a vermilion bird, the totem of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty.
Xiao Yu stepped forward, lit two incense sticks, inserted them into the large cauldron in front of him, and then kowtowed to it.
"Please, elders, bestow the cap!"
A voice rang out and then fell.
Qin Shou's figure appeared out of thin air on the Vermilion Bird Platform. His body was hazy and indistinct, and the people below the platform could not see his face clearly.
"Master."
Xiao Yu called out softly.
"Um. "
Qin Shou smiled and nodded in response.
He then took the hairpin and crown handed to him by a eunuch and began to tie up Xiao Yu's hair and put on the crown.
The first crown blessing said: "On the auspicious day of the month, I will start to add Yuanfu, abandon your young character, follow you and become virtuous. The longevity test is only Qi, and I will introduce you to Jingfu. "
It was further said: "On this auspicious month and day, may your blessings be bestowed, may you uphold your dignity, and be virtuous and cautious. May you receive ten thousand years of good fortune and eternal blessings."
The Three Additions stated: "In accordance with the proper time of the year and the decree of the month, all are dressed in mourning. Brothers are all present, thus fulfilling their virtues. May the virtues of Huangdi and Laozi be boundless, and may they receive the blessings of Heaven."
"The ceremony is complete!"
"Please, elders, bestow upon me a name!"
"Yuanbao, today your master bestows upon you the name 'Shi'an'."
Qin Shou smiled gently.
"What imperial power and wealth, what world domination..."
"Your master hopes for your safety throughout your life, and for safety in every lifetime."
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