Chapter 352: Chapter 351: Hunkering Down for Winter

A fist-sized flame packed quite a punch, warming up the entire cave.

Sweet Ring hissed happily, “Are you mine?”

The flame tilted its head and, imitating her, spat out a fingernail-sized flame. WHOOSH. ’Little worm, you summoned me, so I guess I am, right?’

Si Shuo and the others only heard a whooshing sound like a bellows, but Sweet Ring understood what it meant.

Sweet Ring was a female Snake Beast and wasn’t fond of the harsh winter. It was a good thing she was carrying the Warm Jade; otherwise, she would have either been frozen solid or would have dug a hole with her brother to hibernate.

She adored the little flame. “So, will you burn me?”

The flame’s triangular eyes rolled upward as it whooshed weakly. ’Is that head on your shoulders just for decoration? Have you ever seen a river drown a fish? I’m not some low-level fire that burns everything it touches!’

The two little ones went back and forth for a quarter of an hour. The flame even formed a small hand and waved. WHOOSH. ’Little worm, you still need to practice. Your Storage Spirit is too low, not even enough for me to come out for a walk and get some fresh air.’

After the flame disappeared, Sweet Ring smiled and explained everything to her family. “My Curse Superpower is pretty special; it’s a type of summoning, and that’s how I called the little flame. It’s a nearby Earth Fire Spirit. Once I summoned it, it automatically bound itself to me as… my spirit pet, I suppose. It’s just that my abilities are limited. I can only keep it out for a quarter of an hour before I can’t sustain it anymore.

“I can summon it a maximum of five times a day…”

No wonder that flame was so powerful. It had beaten the Level 15 Zhu Bang until he was crying for his mommy.

Now, Zhu Bang’s Dantian had been scorched, destroying most of his cultivation. He was left with only Level 6 cultivation, and he would never be able to improve again!

For the Eagle Clan, a Sixth Level Beastman who couldn’t fly was an outcast. Even survival would become a struggle for him.

“Shuo, let’s go home tomorrow, alright?” Yin Jiang took Si Shuo’s hand and chuckled. “We can come back next year when it’s warmer. Then I’ll take you flying over the grasslands.”

Si Shuo hummed in agreement. “Maybe we’ll even get to witness Wei Cang being driven from power! The look on his family’s faces would be a sight to see.”

“I’ll let Ren Qiu know, then. I’ll have him inform us promptly,” Yin Jiang said with a smile, pulling her into his arms. All their hardships would fade away along with the harsh winter.

「The next day, before dawn」

Yin Jiang said his goodbyes to the members of the Eagle Falcon Clan. As for all the spoils from his hunt, he simply stated that he had borrowed a Storage Ring from the Iron-eating Beast Clan.

The Iron-eating Beast Clan had an ancient lineage, so it wasn’t surprising that they possessed a Storage Ring. Moreover, his Couple Brother was the son of their Clan Leader.

Yuanyuan and the Little Golden Eagle tearfully bid each other farewell.

“Brother Bo, you won’t forget me, will you?” Yuanyuan, wearing a hat and bundled in thick Beast Skins, looked like a fluffy ball that could roll away. Her lips trembled as big, fat tears welled in her eyes.

Li Bo’s eyes were also red. He patted her head like a little grown-up. “I won’t forget. When spring comes next year, I’ll be bigger. I’ll be able to fly to Guangshou City with the uncles from the clan to come play with you.”

“You have to come, then! I’ll be waiting for you!” Yuanyuan held out her pinky to make a promise with Li Bo.

Li Bo nodded vigorously. “I’ll definitely come! I’ll even bring lots of delicious food. You’re my little female, so it’s my responsibility to feed you, too.”

Si Shuo listened from the side, amused. ’Childhood sweethearts are so much fun.’

After the goodbyes were over, Yin Jiang flew toward Guangshou City with Si Shuo and Yuanyuan. As soon as they were out of sight, however, Si Shuo used her Teleportation and took Yin Jiang and Yuanyuan to Tuanzi, who had already returned to the valley.

The males had already finished cleaning the cave. Sweet Ring had also summoned her flame to warm the interior, making it toasty and exceptionally comfortable.

“Ah, home sweet home,” Si Shuo sighed, flopping onto the wooden sofa in the living room, which was draped with thick Beast Skins. The cubs also found their own spots to roll around on.

Xue Zhu had also brought the Snowy Owl along. In this new place, the curious owl darted all over the cave, poking its head around one corner before flying into another cavern to investigate. One moment it would swoop into the valley, the next it would zip back into the cave. ’It really is the husky of the owl world!’

After her meal, Si Shuo fell into a deep sleep. When she woke, she found that a heavy snow, with flakes as large as goose feathers, was falling outside. A group of the cubs stood at the cave entrance, unfazed by the cold, tugging on the males’ sleeves and whispering about something.

“What are you all talking about?” Si Shuo asked, having wrapped herself up so tightly that only her eyes were visible, with just enough room for her nose and mouth to breathe.

Ji Liang, holding her in his arms, also came out to see what the commotion was about.

“Mother,” Xuyou said with a smile, “I was just telling the Fathers that we should take this chance while it’s snowing to pack down all the snow in the valley. Then we can go ice skating and make ice sculptures!”

“We can’t seriously stay cooped up in the cave all winter, right? That’s not good for your health or your spirits.”

Si Shuo’s eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly with a smile. “That’s a great idea! We’ll have your Father Xiao Cheng form some ice blades, and we can all go skating.”

“We could play curling…”

“Go sledding…”

“And make ice sculptures! We could build a maze, or a playground…”

The males listened with smiles on their faces, watching their little female and the cubs chatter away excitedly.

’When others mentioned the harsh winter, their faces held only endless bitterness and resignation. But their little female and their cubs saw the snowy days as a different kind of treat.’

’Suddenly, they were starting to like the harsh winter a bit, too. Every season had its unique charm. Of course, with the Sumeru Space and a Storage Ring, they could perfectly preserve everything they hunted without worrying about meat spoiling. Plus, they had acquired a large amount of Spiritual Beast Meat during the Beast Tide in Puchang City.’

’With no worries about food or clothing, and plenty of firewood to keep warm, there was nothing to be anxious about. Naturally, everyone was much more relaxed and cheerful.’

’After being so busy for so long, they could finally get a proper rest!’

Every morning, each of them had their own schedule for studying and Cultivation. Beyond that, their time was spent either figuring out what to eat for their three meals a day or coming up with new ways to have fun.

Si Shuo became completely addicted to playing Dou Dizhu. However, the males and the cubs were all savvier than the last, so she was always the one with the most penalty strips stuck to her face.

「One day, when Wei Ce was on patrol」

He made a quick trip back to his clan. To his surprise, he found out his Father was still as vigorous as ever—his Mother, Song Ying, was pregnant with a cub.

Upon hearing the news, Si Shuo immediately prayed to the Beast God, asking for Mother Song Ying to have fraternal twins.

“Mother Song Ying is pregnant, so she can’t eat too much salted jerky,” Si Shuo said as she rummaged through her space, pulling out dried fruit, honey, milk powder, and various homemade meat jerkies. “Brother Ce, take these to them. Good nutrition is important for the cubs to be born healthy and with good potential.”

“This is some of the stuff you found for me that I haven’t finished eating. It’s perfect as a little gesture from you, the new big brother.”

Wei Ce chuckled in agreement. “Once spring arrives, I’ll stock up on even more tasty food for you, Shuo!”

The family spent their days at home, eating, drinking, and playing in a lively atmosphere, and time flew by. Si Shuo was sensitive to the cold and wore so many layers inside the cave that her baby bump was barely visible. If the males hadn’t kept such a close eye on her, she would have forgotten she was a pregnant female and would have been causing all sorts of trouble.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep