Sang Luo said, "Don’t even think about arguing. Mommy saw everything."
Zhenzhen sharpened her claws on the ground and said in a small voice, "But Mommy never said I couldn’t use my Talent Ability."
"Your brother was just playing with you, not fighting to the death. Did you see him use his Talent Ability on you?"
"Even if he did, he couldn’t beat ," she retorted indignantly. "Anyway, I’m the strongest, the number one."
Sang Luo pressed her forehead, speechless. Zhenzhen was indeed the most talented child she had ever given birth to. The rfolk weren’t King Beasts with the blood of Divine Beasts, so the child she was currently carrying might not even match Zhenzhen’s talent.
’This child has been doted on and spoiled by Si Jing and the clansn since she was born, never hearing a single harsh word. Her personality is far too competitive and aggressive. No wonder Si Ye insisted on raising her himself.’
’She might suffer for this in the future.’
’Just scolding her would be counterproductive. I’ll have to raise her patiently.’
"Of course Mommy wants her precious daughter to be as outstanding as possible, and I encourage you to be the best at everything. But your brother is your family. Your Talent Ability isn’t for using on family; it’s for using against our enemies, understand?" Sang Luo softened her tone. "What if your brother had gotten hurt? He likes you so much and has given you so many toys. Do you really want him to get hurt?"
Zhenzhen shook her head. "I don’t want to hurt him. I just wanted to win. I didn’t think he’d get hurt."
"From now on, you must think before you act. Don’t be so impulsive."
"Okay, I understand, Mommy."
After returning to the City Lord Mansion, Zhenzhen leaped from her arms, pulled a small box out of her personal space, and went to find Little Stone to apologize.
"Dinner’s ready!" Lan Cang called out from the courtyard.
He had made over a dozen dishes: sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried pork with green peppers, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, fish-fragrant shredded pork... It was a well-balanced mix of at and vegetables, all looking, slling, and tasting delicious.
Sang Luo ate with gusto, alternating between bites of rice and the various dishes.
After all these years, his cooking was still her favorite. He had clearly put a lot of effort into studying her tastes.
"I should have Ah Ze co learn a thing or two from you soti!"
Lan Cang was warming a bottle for Little Zhenzhen. He looked over. "The Sea Emperor used to co here often to ask about your preferences."
"So that’s why! I was wondering how his cooking skills improved so dramatically." Sang Luo gently tapped Zhuizui’s outstretched paw with her chopsticks, then placed several large pieces of sweet and sour pork ribs into the cubs’ bowls. "Aren’t you afraid he’ll learn all your signature skills? It’s a classic case of the apprentice surpassing the master, leaving the master to starve."
"I have little ti to be by your side. If there’s one more person who can take good care of you, I can be at ease," Lan Cang said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "If you truly wanted to co back, you would, regardless of whether my cooking is good or not. But if you didn’t want to co back..."
"I want to co back!"
"Good. Whenever you want to co back, I’ll be here."
After dinner, the three little cubs took the initiative to clean up, which left Sang Luo feeling surprisingly flattered. "You all go out and play. Let Mommy and Daddy take care of this."
"Mommy and Daddy should go rest. This is easy, we can handle it." Little Zhi Xin wagged his tail, wiping the table until it was spotless.
Little Stone and Zhuizui cleared the table and washed the dishes, respectively.
The three cubs had a clear division of labor.
Sang Luo looked at Lan Cang and sighed with feeling. "These three cubs were the most mischievous when they were little. I never thought they’d beco so well-behaved and sensible as they grew up."
Lan Cang said, "The cub stage is the right ti to cultivate their character. Doing so chores within their ability helps them train themselves and learn patience. In the future, when they grow up, they’ll be more grounded and stable. They’ll know what they want and have the fortitude to strive for it."
Sang Luo nodded, then glanced at Little Zhenzhen, who had eaten and was now sleeping lazily in her arms. ’Different fathers really do raise different kinds of children.’
After the al, the cubs were all sleepy and went back to their rooms to sleep.
Lan Cang was originally going to prepare a separate room for Little Zhenzhen, but Sang Luo suggested letting her sleep with her three older siblings to foster their bond. So, Lan Cang carried Little Zhenzhen to the Wolf Pups’ room, where they all slept on one big bed.
The cubs were sleeping sprawled out in every direction. Zhi Xin’s hind paw was nearly inside Zhuizui’s mouth.
Sang Luo stroked the four cubs, a look of pure contentnt on her face. After turning off the light, she pulled Lan Cang along, quietly closed the door, and they returned to their own room to rest.
Lan Cang had her lie flat on the bed and carefully covered her with the blanket.
Sang Luo’s belly was very large now, so he didn’t dare hold her. He lay beside her, gazing at her tenderly, as if he could never get enough of the sight.
Sang Luo shifted slightly onto her side, took his long, broad hand, and gave it a squeeze. "I was video chatting with the children a while ago, and they ntioned that you and your team discovered Earth Core Fire while excavating."
"Yes, on a plain a hundred li from Ice-breaking City. The excavation wasn’t too difficult." Lan Cang explained the whole story in detail. "Originally, a team of Earth Elent Beastn were digging when they unexpectedly discovered fiery energy underground. They thought there might be Fire Attribute ore below, but as they continued to dig, they found that an Earth Core Fire Seed had escaped. If we can harness it, it might improve the environnt in parts of the North Continent."
Sang Luo was quite interested in this Earth Core Fire Seed. The next morning after breakfast, Lan Cang took her to the plain.
A layer of ice several ters thick had lted away, revealing dark brown, damp earth where faint green shoots of grass were sprouting.
Ahead was a giant, deep pit with no visible bottom, where over a thousand Beastn were hard at work mining.
Little Zhenzhen suddenly leaped from Sang Luo’s arms and jumped into the deep pit.
Sang Luo, Lan Cang, and the surrounding Beastn were all startled.
She used her spiritual power to see that the giant pit was incredibly deep—visibly over ten thousand ters—and the temperature at the bottom was extrely high, with molten lava churning below.
It turned out to be a dormant subterranean volcano.
Beastn who weren’t of the Fire Elent couldn’t get close and could only use special excavation tools.
Little Zhenzhen, however, was soaking in the lava, looking surprisingly comfortable.
Sang Luo let out a sigh of relief, then asked in confusion, "That’s strange. Little Zhenzhen isn’t a Fire Elent Beastman. How is she completely fine?"
Lan Cang thought for a mont. "Is her father a Fire Elent Beastman?"
"I suppose so. He has a Dual Beast Body, and one of his beast forms is a Fire Phoenix."
"That must be it. Zhenzhen didn’t awaken a Fire Talent at birth, but she carries a Hidden Fire Talent Gene from her father’s Phoenix Body. There’s a chance it could be activated by the environnt later on... This might be a fortuitous opportunity for Little Zhenzhen."
Sang Luo had been about to retrieve her child, but after hearing Lan Cang’s explanation, she wasn’t in a hurry anymore. "Then let’s let her soak for a while. We can co back in a few days to check on her."
Lan Cang nodded and took out a Qiankun Bag, handing it to Sang Luo. "I went through the accounts last night. These are the Beast Crystals I’ve earned over the past two years, after accounting for my own and the children’s Cultivation, as well as the city’s expenses. All the remaining Beast Crystals are here. Raising this child will cost even more Beast Crystals than Little Stone did... Besides this, there’s not much else I can help you with."
Sang Luo accepted the Qiankun Bag and kissed him on the cheek. "Cangcang, you’ll always be my pillar of support."
"Then stay a few more days," he said in a low voice.
"Okay. I ca back this ti to spend ti with you and the children anyway."
She said she would stay for a few days, but Little Zhenzhen never ca out, so Sang Luo ended up staying at the City Lord Mansion for a whole month.
One morning, she finally ca running back.
Her appearance had changed drastically.
Sang Luo almost didn’t recognize her.
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