Later, the Eighth Prince, in order to apologize to the Seventh Princess, specifically had someone find a quiet restaurant and booked the entire top floor.
After the Eighth Prince treated them, and the Seventh Princess ate some delicious food, her mood finally improved a little.
Once the Seventh Princess was in high spirits, she began to tell everyone how beautiful the stars in the sky were, using the starry night outside the window as her backdrop.
The Seventh Princess spoke endlessly, describing the names of each star and the significance of their constellations.
Li Xuan listened for a while and realized that the Seventh Princess genuinely loved stargazing.
It seemed that among the Imperial children, not everyone cared so much about the throne.
There were also those like the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Princess, who were devoted to other things, even avoiding the throne.
Li Xuan could now somewhat understand why these two had not appeared in the previous Imperial Garden competitions.
If it weren't for this opportunity to leave the palace, they would probably still be cooped up in their palaces, studying their favorite subjects.
From this perspective, being born an Imperial Prince or Princess was not necessarily a perfect thing.
Their last day outside the palace drew to a close with the starry sky and the Seventh Princess's explanations.
...
Early the next morning.
Xingqing Palace had already prepared the carriages for their return to the palace.
The Imperial Princes and Princesses who were still outside the palace, even if they were reluctant to leave, could only embark on their journey back.
The Three Little Ones were naturally also among them.
They silently watched the scenery outside the carriage, inevitably recalling their experiences of the past seven days.
It had to be said that compared to life inside the palace, it was indeed more exciting outside.
All sorts of people and various events had given the Three Little Ones a lot to experience this time.
The grand Imperial City grew closer and closer until they passed through the city gates and entered the Imperial City, returning to the West Palace.
As soon as they returned to the palace, that desolate feeling could be clearly perceived.
Li Xuan couldn't help but look back at the Imperial City gate slowly closing.
At this moment, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of mood someone who had always lived outside the palace would feel the moment they stepped into the palace.
Li Xuan had lived in the palace since birth in this life, so he couldn't quite imagine such a feeling.
This place, which gathered all the power and wealth of the Daxing Dynasty, seemed to hold no great attraction for him.
Li Xuan turned to look at Princess Ankang and Yu'er, who, like him, were somewhat melancholic. The next moment, the corner of his mouth curved slightly, revealing his tiny teeth.
"As long as they are here, it's pretty much the same no matter where we are."
Li Xuan immediately let out a delicate meow, bumping his head against Princess Ankang's belly, rubbing back and forth, acting spoiled.
"Li Xuan, are you happy to be home?"
"You're so big, yet still so good at acting spoiled."
"Indeed, a Little Cat who knows how to act spoiled has a good life."
Princess Ankang and Yu'er were both drawn to Li Xuan, and their small hands restlessly stroked his body. Before long, the carriage was filled with cheerful laughter like silver bells.
Returning to Jingyang Palace after seven days, the Three Little Ones couldn't help but feel as if a lifetime had passed.
Although this was the Cold Palace, that familiar feeling brought them a comforting tranquility.
Perhaps this was the saying: a golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as one's own dog kennel.
The Flower-Clothed Eunuchs, who had accompanied them for seven days, bid their farewells after escorting the Three Little Ones back to Jingyang Palace.
"Your Highness, you and Li Xuan please sit outside for a while. I'll go tidy up the room."
Jingyang Palace had been unoccupied for seven days, so it must have accumulated a lot of dust.
So Yu'er planned to clean it thoroughly before they could continue to live there.
"Sister Yu'er, I'll help too."
"Anyway, I'm just sitting around."
Princess Ankang said, standing up from her wheelchair, twisting her slender waist, and then stretching her stiff body.
She had been sitting in the wheelchair for the past few days, which had made her quite uncomfortable.
When she used to stay only in Jingyang Palace, she could move freely, even doing somersaults and running around the courtyard without any problems.
But outside, the situation was different.
Because of many concerns, she had to continue sitting in the wheelchair, pretending to be very weak.
Anyone with experience would know that feigning illness is not an easy task, especially long-term feigning illness.
Sometimes, feigning illness for too long could even lead to genuinely feeling unwell.
"Your Highness, I can do it myself."
Yu'er originally wanted to persuade Princess Ankang to sit down and rest well, as their travels and play outside the palace for the past few days had accumulated a lot of fatigue.
Although they had taken a hot bath and rested well in the pleasure house, it was difficult to wash away all the fatigue of seven days.
But Princess Ankang had already started moving and refused to listen to Yu'er's advice, helping out as much as she could.
Seeing how enthusiastic they were, Li Xuan couldn't help but yawn, stretching a big lazy stretch on the table, preparing to nap on the table while the sun was bright today.
But then he remembered something and turned to look at a spot in the courtyard.
"That's not right, why does it feel like something's missing?"
Li Xuan couldn't help but tilt his head, thinking about what was missing.
"Huh, where's Golden Pig?"
Only then did Li Xuan notice that the water vat, which used to constantly emit steam in the courtyard, had completely quieted down, still and silent.
He quickly jumped onto the water vat, lifted the lid, and looked inside, only to find the vat empty. The water in the vat and the Golden Pig had all disappeared.
Discovering this, Li Xuan immediately started yelling at the top of his lungs, meowing endlessly.
Princess Ankang and Yu'er were immediately drawn to the sound.
"Li Xuan, what's wrong?"
"Did something happen? Why are you meowing so urgently?"
The two girls knew that Li Xuan was mischievous on ordinary days, but he wouldn't make such urgent meows for no reason.
They quickly put down their work and came to the courtyard to check.
When Princess Ankang and Yu'er saw Li Xuan standing on the water vat, meowing anxiously, they immediately realized what had happened.
Especially Yu'er, who seemed to have thought of something bad, quickly scurried over, asking anxiously:
"Li Xuan, did something happen to Golden Pig?"
"Did the water dry up?"
Yu'er had been worried about this when they were outside the palace, and she didn't expect it to actually happen.
In fact, when the Three Little Ones had just returned to Jingyang Palace, no one had remembered that there was a Golden Pig at home waiting to be cared for.
If Li Xuan hadn't been the first to notice something was off in the courtyard, they still wouldn't have realized Golden Pig was gone.
Amidst Li Xuan's urgent meows, the Three Little Ones gathered around the water vat.
Three round little heads looked inside the water vat, finding it empty, with only a small patch of black char at the bottom of the vat.
Looking at the outline, it was very similar to Golden Pig's size.
"Did this Golden Pig burn itself to ashes?"
Li Xuan blinked, couldn't help but think.
He had heard Chief Steward Shang say before that Golden Pig's hometown was a place called the Endless Sea of Fire.
Therefore, Li Xuan naturally thought that since Golden Pig could live in fire, it should be fine without water.
But now it seemed he had misunderstood.
The Endless Sea of Fire that Chief Steward Shang spoke of might not be a place that was actually on fire.
Thinking of such a possibility, Li Xuan couldn't help but mourn for Golden Pig in his heart.
"Poor big guy, did it burn itself to death?"
"What a stupid burnt fish."
Li Xuan looked at the black char at the bottom of the water vat and assumed it was the last trace Golden Pig left in the world.
Apparently, Princess Ankang and Yu'er also thought of such a possibility and immediately looked at each other uneasily.
"Sister Yu'er, you mean Golden Pig, it wouldn't be..."
Yu'er swallowed hard, somewhat unable to believe the truth before her eyes.
After a while, Yu'er said with a crying voice:
"Golden Pig!"
"It's my fault, sister—"
"Wuwuwu..."
Yu'er wiped away her tears, speaking very sadly.
Although their time together wasn't long, Golden Pig had brought much convenience to Jingyang Palace.
Twelve hours of uninterrupted hot water—anyone who had used it knew how comfortable it was.
But now it was gone, all gone.
Without Golden Pig in the future, Yu'er would have to personally add firewood and boil water again, which was not only troublesome but also very time-consuming.
Thinking of this, Yu'er couldn't help but cry even more sadly.
Princess Ankang gently patted Yu'er's shoulder, comforting her:
"Sister Yu'er, the dead fish cannot be revived. You should still accept it and move on."
The atmosphere in Jingyang Palace couldn't help but become subdued, occasionally accompanied by Yu'er's soft sobs.
Li Xuan also hadn't expected that the Golden Pig he had painstakingly caught from the Sun Moon Yin Yang Pond would just disappear like this.
"This is fate."
"Golden Pig, you can't burn yourself like this in your next life."
Li Xuan shook his head, sighing towards the sky.
But at that moment, a knocking sound came from outside the door of Jingyang Palace.
Yue'er immediately wiped away her tears, composed her sorrowful mood, and then walked towards the door to see who had come to visit.
The Three Little Ones had just returned, and immediately someone came to visit Jingyang Palace. It was unclear who was in such a hurry or what the matter was.
Li Xuan and Ankang Princess silently covered the water tank, hoping that Yue'er wouldn't be reminded of Golden Pig in the future and recall more sad memories.
When Yue'er opened the door and saw who it was, she was surprised, but immediately bowed respectfully and said,
"Zhao Feng, so it's you."
"Are you here to see the Princess?"
The person who came was indeed Zhao Feng, and he wasn't alone; many palace maids followed behind him.
Zhao Feng nodded and then said,
"I know Your Highness just returned today. Jingyang Palace hasn't been inhabited for the past few days, so it probably needs a good cleaning. I specifically brought people to help."
Chief Zhao said with a cheerful smile. Then, upon seeing Yue'er's expression, he frowned and couldn't help but ask,
"Yue'er, has something happened?"
With Zhao Feng's eyesight, he could naturally tell immediately that Yue'er had just been crying.
Zhao Feng had been diligently teaching Yue'er martial arts for the past few months and had long regarded her as one of his own, so he naturally wanted to find out what grievances she had suffered.
Moreover, Zhao Feng was also very clear about the relationship between the Three Little Ones and knew that there would be no conflicts between them on a daily basis.
Zhao Feng couldn't help but think the worst, assuming that the Three Little Ones had suffered some grievance outside the palace.
"It's nothing, Zhao Feng."
"Yue'er will take you to see Your Highness first."
Yue'er didn't feel comfortable talking about Golden Pig in front of so many people and planned to explain it to Zhao Feng in detail later when there were fewer people.
Zhao Feng didn't press further, merely nodding gently.
Chief Zhao followed Yue'er to meet Ankang Princess and then explained his purpose.
Naturally, the Three Little Ones welcomed the helpers Zhao Feng brought.
Otherwise, their Jingyang Palace was quite large, and if they had to clean it themselves, it would probably take them a whole day.
After receiving Ankang Princess's permission, Zhao Feng immediately dispatched the palace maids he brought to begin cleaning Jingyang Palace.
These palace maids were all skilled workers brought by Zhao Feng, and they cleaned Jingyang Palace quickly and efficiently.
Coupled with their ample manpower, Jingyang Palace began to become clean at a visible speed.
Meanwhile, the Three Little Ones and Zhao Feng sat by the stone table in the courtyard, leisurely drinking tea and chatting.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, they then informed Zhao Feng of Golden Pig's bad news.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng, surprisingly, burst into heartless laughter.
"Your Highness, that Golden Pig is being well cared for in my Internal Affairs Bureau."
"You were overthinking it."
After laughing, Zhao Feng explained the whole story.
It turned out that a few days ago, Golden Pig really did boil the water in the tank dry.
After boiling all the water in the tank dry, it thrashed around at the bottom of the tank. But as it continuously generated heat, it gradually started to stick to the tank.
Although the Three Little Ones were not in Jingyang Palace in the past few days, the two Flower-Clad Eunuchs responsible for standing guard at the entrance of Jingyang Palace were still there.
When they discovered white smoke suddenly rising from inside Jingyang Palace, they immediately reported it to the Internal Affairs Bureau and notified Zhao Feng.
Upon learning of this, Zhao Feng went directly into Jingyang Palace to investigate and immediately discovered Golden Pig, who was responsible for it all.
Seeing that it was nothing serious, Zhao Feng merely refilled the tank with water for Golden Pig that day and then left Jingyang Palace, thinking that he would come back every day to add some water.
After he returned, he told Chief Steward Shang about this matter.
As a result, Chief Steward Shang told him to take Golden Pig back to the Internal Affairs Bureau for two days.
Zhao Feng naturally followed his godfather's words without question, thinking he had some profound intention again.
But...
"Your Highness, Golden Pig is doing well in the Internal Affairs Bureau. If needed, this old servant will bring Golden Pig back tomorrow."
Zhao Feng said so.
Hearing that Golden Pig was safe and sound, Ankang Princess and Yue'er were naturally overjoyed.
After all, it was their second pet, and if it were gone, it would inevitably cause sadness.
They hadn't expected that Golden Pig had been taken by Zhao Feng to be looked after for a few days.
"So that's how it is. Then I'm truly troubling Zhao Feng."
Ankang Princess patted her chest, also letting out a sigh of relief.
Yue'er was so happy she cried, knowing that she wouldn't have to boil hot water herself anymore.
"Your Highness, from now on, you must remember not to leave Golden Pig at home alone."
"Although Golden Pig is a Golden Flame Fish from the Endless Sea of Fire and can survive without water, due to its self-heating characteristic, it always needs someone to look after it."
"Otherwise, it could easily cause a great disaster and invite criticism."
What Zhao Feng said was very reasonable. Golden Pig's self-heating characteristic was indeed very dangerous. If it were left anywhere unattended, it could easily cause a fire.
Especially in the Imperial Palace, causing a fire was no small offense.
"Ankang has noted it. Thank you, Zhao Feng, for the reminder."
Ankang Princess replied solemnly, indicating that she had taken these words to heart.
Zhao Feng nodded and did not say anything more.
The few of them drank tea and chatted, and Ankang Princess told Zhao Feng about what she had seen and heard outside the palace in recent days.
Of course, she did not go into detail about many things, especially regarding the deaths of Zhao Four and Third Young Master Hou.
Ankang Princess only narrated the matter as an observer and did not disclose the specific details of Li Xuan's involvement.
Although she was well aware that the Flower-Clad Eunuchs who had been guarding them for the past few days would also provide a report to Zhao Feng.
But how it would be stated in the Flower-Clad Eunuchs' report was beyond Ankang Princess's control.
Some things, once done, should never be admitted, especially when they involve the lives of the sons of two Vice Ministers.
Although Ankang Princess did not personally participate, she did, after all, instruct Li Xuan.
Hearing Ankang Princess mention this matter, Zhao Feng also said,
"The case of the murder of the sons of the Revenue Department Vice Minister and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel has also been causing a stir in the court recently."
"But now the culprit has already been apprehended, and the case has been thoroughly investigated based on the culprit's confession."
"Regarding this case, His Majesty has ordered all officials to take it as a warning, not to indulge their family members, act recklessly, or oppress the common people. If anyone reoffends, they will be severely punished without mercy."
"Zhao Jingcheng, the Revenue Department Vice Minister, and Hou Qingbo, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, were resented by many people before they even had a chance to complain."
"After such an incident happened in their families, many people were also dragged down with them."
"I heard that those families with dissolute sons have all confined their children, not allowing them to step out of the house."
"This should give the people of the capital a few days of peace."
After Zhao Feng finished speaking, he took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.
From his tone, it seemed he had no good feelings towards these officials.
Li Xuan also hadn't expected that the court had already reached a conclusion on this matter so quickly.
To say the case was concluded so quickly, it was probably also due to the immediate arrest of Xi Xi's uncle.
Coupled with Fang Muyang's already prepared series of incriminating evidence, and Aymu fanning the flames from the side, even if Xi Xi's uncle had a hundred mouths, he probably couldn't argue his way out.
But Xi Xi's uncle betrayed Xi Xi's family back then and later sold Xi Xi into Hu Yu House. Now, he was getting what he deserved and his death was not to be regretted.
After finishing this matter, Zhao Feng continued to ask,
"May I ask, Your Highness, how was the outcome of your palace trial this time?"
Ankang Princess knew that Zhao Feng was asking about her investigation, so she smiled immediately and replied,
"By a strange coincidence, the case was solved, but it took a long time, so I'm afraid I won't be able to win first place this time."
After all, Ankang Princess hadn't really focused on investigating from the beginning this time. Later, while helping Fang Muyang, Li Xuan unexpectedly discovered that the case in Ankang Princess's hands was related to Fang Muyang, which led to the case being solved incidentally.
This also caused Ankang Princess to solve the case in her hands only on the fourth day of her palace excursion.
Considering the seven-day deadline for solving the case, Ankang Princess's time was right in the middle, which was neither a bad nor a good result.
Of course, this was in comparison among the Imperial Princes and Princesses who had solved cases.
Ankang Princess also knew that many people didn't even think about solving the case, such as Yuan'an Princess, who played with her for seven days, and the Fifth Prince and Seventh Princess, who didn't care about the Imperial Garden competition, among others.
Zhao Feng, upon hearing that Ankang Princess only solved the case on the fourth day, did not show a disappointed expression. Instead, he comforted her, saying,
"Your Highness doesn't need to overthink it."
"This time, as long as the case is solved, it counts as completing the trial."
"At that time, His Majesty will bestow a reward."
"Of course, the quality of this reward will naturally depend on the performance during the case-solving process."
"With Your Highness's performance, getting a decent reward should not be a problem."
Hearing Zhao Feng say this, Ankang Princess smiled happily:
"I hope so."
They sat and chatted for a while longer, waiting for the palace maids to clean Jingyang Palace.
An hour later, Zhao Feng said his goodbyes and left with his people.
It must be said that the palace maids Zhao Feng brought were truly professional; in just one hour, they cleaned Xingqing Palace from top to bottom, leaving it spotless.
"Your Highness, this old servant will take his leave now."
"If you have any other needs, feel free to send someone to the Internal Affairs Bureau to inform this old servant."
Princess Ankang nodded, then thanked Chief Zhao:
"Thank you so much, Chief Zhao, for today."
After some polite exchanges, Princess Ankang had Yu'er escort Chief Zhao out.
Once Chief Zhao and his people left, Xingqing Palace became quiet again.
Only the Three Little Ones were in the vast Xingqing Palace, but they were already accustomed to such quiet, and in fact, only then did they feel at ease.
If it were like other places in the palace, bustling with people coming and going, they would probably feel uncomfortable instead.
Princess Ankang, after a long absence, returned to her room and lay down on her bed.
No matter where she slept, her own bed was always the most comfortable.
Princess Ankang stretched luxuriously on the bed, her hands and feet extending, stretching her body to its fullest.
A series of crackling sounds came from her body, and every joint in her body seemed to let out joyful cries.
"Mmm, so comfortable."
Princess Ankang mumbled indistinctly while lying on the bed.
Although it was still morning, Princess Ankang, lying on the bed, felt waves of drowsiness wash over her.
She blinked twice, feeling her eyelids grow heavier and heavier, and began to call out:
"Li Xuan, Li Xuan…"
Li Xuan heard the commotion and walked in from outside, only to see Princess Ankang lying on the bed, acting spoiled.
She was currently opening her arms, beckoning to Li Xuan repeatedly.
"Li Xuan, come quickly!"
"I have something good to show you."
Princess Ankang's eyes twinkled mischievously as she said slyly.
Every time she wanted to trick Li Xuan into bed, she had this expression.
Princess Ankang knew that at this time, Li Xuan was not sleepy at all; it was when he was full of energy, and some tricks were needed to get him to nap with her.
But Li Xuan always pretended not to know, deliberately falling for Princess Ankang's tricks.
"Meow~"
Li Xuan let out a bewildered meow, then wobbled onto Princess Ankang's bed.
The next moment, Princess Ankang pulled up the covers, enveloping Li Xuan's entire body in the quilt, followed by mischievous giggles from within the covers.
"Hehehe~"
"Such a simple Little Cat is born to be tricked by the Princess."
"Quickly say 'Princess, please go to sleep,' otherwise, I won't let you go."
Princess Ankang wantonly moved her hands up and down, playing with every inch of fur on Li Xuan's body, her mischievous giggles growing more triumphant.
Li Xuan let out unwilling meows, resisting weakly and powerlessly, ultimately unable to escape Princess Ankang's clutches.
…
Half an hour later, Li Xuan dragged his weary body out of the quilt.
He looked at Princess Ankang, who was sleeping soundly with her mouth slightly open, and couldn't help but shake his head and smile:
"Now, to coax children to sleep, one even has to play role-playing games; it's truly not easy."
Thinking this, Li Xuan used his tail to wipe the clear, glistening liquid from the corner of Princess Ankang's mouth.
"It seems she's really tired from playing; she has no princess-like sleeping posture at all."
Li Xuan tucked the quilt around Princess Ankang again, then came out and saw Yu'er already practicing martial arts in the courtyard.
During these past few days outside the palace, Yu'er could only secretly practice a bit when no outsiders were present, thus falling behind on her usual progress.
Upon returning to Xingqing Palace, Yu'er immediately resumed her diligent practice, striving to catch up on the progress she had missed these past few days.
Yu'er had finally managed to become a disciple of Zhao Feng, so she naturally didn't want to waste such a good opportunity.
Moreover, only by possessing greater strength could she better protect Princess Ankang and Li Xuan.
This was Yu'er's simple thought, which allowed her to tirelessly continue her efforts in what outsiders would consider extremely boring cultivation.
Seeing Li Xuan come out of the room, Yu'er said to him while cultivating:
"Li Xuan, if you have time today, can you go to the Internal Affairs Bureau to pick up Golden Pig?"
"It's already been a lot of trouble for Chief Zhao to take care of Golden Pig these past few days; it would be quite embarrassing to ask Chief Zhao to send Golden Pig back."
Li Xuan also understood Yu'er's meaning and immediately nodded, agreeing to the matter.
"That Golden Pig fellow really knows how to cause trouble for a cat."
Li Xuan grumbled inwardly, then climbed over the wall and left.
He had been out of the palace for a long time this time; he wondered how his cat brothers in the palace were doing.
Before Li Xuan left the palace, Cat Overlord and Fat Orange already showed faint signs of breakthrough, and he wondered if they had made further progress these past few days.
When Yu'er was in the palace, she would cook them some meat every day to ensure they had ample nutrition during their breakthrough.
Unfortunately, during the days the Three Little Ones were away, the Cat Cafeteria also had to temporarily close for a period.
"I don't expect them to break through; as long as they haven't starved, it's fine."
Li Xuan thought with some worry on his way to the Imperial Garden.
After a few days of good food and drink, they had to forage for themselves again, and he wondered if Cat Overlord and the others could eat their fill.
Li Xuan had also experienced this stage.
When breaking through the Ningxue Realm, the feeling of hunger would be magnified several times, as if one was so hungry that even one's own flesh and bones could be digested.
Before leaving the palace, Li Xuan and Yu'er had prepared some cooked and raw meat in advance and placed it in the kitchen of Xingqing Palace.
This way, Cat Overlord and the others could come to Xingqing Palace to eat themselves.
However, that meat could only be stored for at most two or three days before it would start to spoil, so not too much was prepared.
Moreover, Cat Overlord and Fat Orange said they also had their own solutions, which was why Li Xuan felt relieved to leave.
Upon arriving at the Imperial Garden, Li Xuan immediately spotted traces of many cats.
Some were sunbathing, some were playing, and some were sniffing catnip.
And beneath the Black Dragon Statue in the center of the Imperial Garden, three cat figures were particularly eye-catching: Cat Overlord and the other two.
Cat Overlord and Fat Orange were baring their fangs and claws, attacking the Black Dragon Statue.
Although their attacks couldn't leave marks on the Black Dragon Statue, unlike before, the statue's counter-shock no longer harmed them.
"Oh? Have they already learned to control their strength?"
Li Xuan felt a little surprised.
It should be known that Cat Overlord and Fat Orange's intelligence was far inferior to Li Xuan's.
Although Li Xuan could tell that the two of them had not yet broken through to the Ningxue Realm, such progress was enough to make a cat feel pleasantly surprised.
Li Xuan quietly approached the Black Dragon Statue, then elegantly stood to the side, coiling his body with his tail, silently watching Cat Overlord and the other two cultivate.
Cat Overlord and Fat Orange made extraordinary progress, while Niu Niu remained the same, listlessly slacking off to the side, clearly having been forced to come and cultivate.
However, Cat Overlord and Fat Orange's current attacks were already quite formidable; if they were to face the previous encirclement by those few sighthounds again, they could probably handle it easily themselves now.
Such progress was insignificant to Li Xuan, but for Cat Overlord and Fat Orange, it was of extraordinary significance.
After all, Li Xuan was a divine beast, a sign of auspiciousness from heaven, while Cat Overlord and Fat Orange were just ordinary stray cats in the Royal Family.
The fact that they could embark on the cultivation path of human martial artists through Li Xuan's guidance was a miracle in itself.
At the same time, a question also arose in Li Xuan's mind:
"Over so many years, there must have been many intelligent beast races; did none of them discover this secret?"
The beast race's innate physical talent combined with human martial arts.
In Li Xuan's opinion, this method of cultivation was the true king's path.
"Perhaps I am not the first to discover this secret."
Li Xuan dared not underestimate the heroes of the world.
At this moment, Cat Overlord and the other two also noticed Li Xuan's arrival.
The three cats, who were originally cultivating seriously, immediately let out excited meows, abandoning the Black Dragon Statue and heading straight for Li Xuan.
Upon reaching Li Xuan, they all meowed together.
Cat Overlord's personality was more introverted; he only meowed once as a greeting, then fell silent.
However, Fat Orange and Niu Niu were like two chatterboxes, meowing incessantly.
Listening to them recount their daily lives over the past few days, Li Xuan listened patiently, occasionally meowing in response.
Li Xuan suddenly felt that being surrounded by cats like this, acting as the Cat Overlord, seemed quite good.
Through a period of communication, Li Xuan discovered that Cat Overlord and the others had not gone hungry these past few days; it turned out they had already prepared some emergency food supplies themselves.
Li Xuan followed them to a rooftop near the Imperial Garden.
On this rooftop, neatly arranged were densely packed dried mice; he wondered who taught them, that they even learned to dry such things.
In response to Li Xuan's question, Fat Orange proudly puffed out his chest, clearly indicating it was his idea.
All these rats had their internal organs removed, were flattened, and after several days of sun exposure, their flesh would become crispy, allowing them to be preserved for a longer time.
This was an idea Fat Orange came up with after eating cured meat in Jingyang Palace previously.
Li Xuan was already accustomed to Fat Orange's intelligence.
However, looking at so many dried rats in front of him, it seemed the rats in the palace had suffered a catastrophic blow during this period.
If this continued, the pure-blooded Royal Rats in the palace might even go extinct.
In the future, only foreign rats from outside the palace would continue to reproduce and thrive in the Royal Palace, becoming the Cat Overlord's and its companions' next meal.
Li Xuan felt relieved when he saw that their daily lives and cultivation were not affected.
And during the period when the Three Little Ones were out of the palace, according to the Cat Overlord's and its companions' reports, nothing happened in the palace; it was quite peaceful.
Li Xuan chatted with the Cat Overlord and its companions for a while, then agreed for them to continue coming to Jingyang Palace for meat later.
With the Three Little Ones returning to Jingyang Palace, it meant the Cat Cafeteria was reopening.
After Li Xuan made arrangements with the Cat Overlord and its companions, he left the Imperial Garden.
The Cat Cafeteria still needed an important character to reopen.
After leaving the Imperial Garden, Li Xuan headed straight for the Internal Affairs Bureau.
He arrived at Chief Steward Shang's courtyard with familiarity and immediately spotted Golden Pig.
That's right, the Cat Cafeteria couldn't reopen without Golden Pig, its free furnace.
Li Xuan found that Golden Pig was also doing its old job in the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Golden Pig was currently placed inside a large glass cylinder filled with steaming hot water, bubbling continuously.
On top of the glass cylinder, a thick layer of tea leaves was spread.
The tea leaves were constantly being steamed by the rising vapor, and then this vapor, after steaming the tea leaves, was sent through the glass tubes above to another round glass cup, condensing into drops of transparent liquid with a hint of emerald green.
"What is this doing?"
Li Xuan tilted his head, beginning to seriously examine this strange device.
After watching for a while longer, he immediately understood what it was doing.
"This is steaming tea, and then using the steam from the tea to make tea soup."
Speaking of which, this scene was similar to the distillation experiments he had learned about in school.
Just as Li Xuan was studying this device, Chief Steward Shang walked out of the room, holding a large teapot.
"Li Xuan, you're back."
Chief Steward Shang greeted Li Xuan.
Li Xuan didn't stand on ceremony, jumping onto the table in a few leaps, then gesturing with his paw towards Golden Pig's location.
"Haha, you mean this?"
"This is my newly researched method of brewing tea."
"I call it the 'Steamed Tea Extraction Method'."
"I wanted to try it before, and I didn't expect the results to be quite good."
"Li Xuan, you should also have a couple sips and try it."
Chief Steward Shang said excitedly, then picked up a teacup, poured a full cup of tea from the large teapot, and offered it to Li Xuan.
Li Xuan curiously licked a sip and indeed found the tea had a unique flavor.
Compared to the tea Chief Steward Shang brewed before, this tea was noticeably sweeter.
Li Xuan could taste that the tea leaves were the same, but the flavor was slightly different.
The tea was good tea, but looking at the complicated vessels and the diligently burning Golden Pig, Li Xuan couldn't help but think, "Is this really necessary?"
Chief Steward Shang noticed Li Xuan's gaze and immediately asked with a smile:
"Li Xuan, are you here to take this fellow home?"
"My experiment is pretty much done anyway, so how about I help you take it out now?"
Li Xuan turned to look at Golden Pig.
Because the glass vessel was transparent, Golden Pig received maximum light exposure, so the heat it was currently emitting was especially strong, and the water was constantly bubbling, gurgling non-stop.
But Golden Pig didn't look very happy right now; instead, it seemed listless, its dead fish eyes full of resignation.
"Doesn't it like basking in the sun so much?"
"Why does it look so unhappy?"
Li Xuan gestured with his tail, asking Chief Steward Shang.
Chief Steward Shang smiled slightly, then used an analogy to explain:
"Li Xuan, no matter how much you like to eat dried fish, if you had to eat it for several days straight, wouldn't you eventually get tired of it?"
Hearing Chief Steward Shang say that, Li Xuan felt it made some sense.
But thinking about it, he couldn't help but find it a bit strange.
For Golden Pig, basking in the sun was like eating; could one get tired of eating too?
"Do you still remember the first time you saw Golden Pig?"
Chief Steward Shang continued to ask.
Li Xuan certainly remembered.
At that time, he had dived into the Sun Flame Pond and almost lost his life.
And Golden Pig was very arrogant back then, extremely defiant towards Li Xuan, headbutting Li Xuan several times with its big fat head.
If not for the di hong bone ring on Li Xuan's tail being harder, Golden Pig wouldn't have submitted so easily.
Seeing Li Xuan's expression, Chief Steward Shang knew he still remembered the circumstances of meeting Golden Pig.
Then, Chief Steward Shang continued to explain:
"Li Xuan, aren't you curious why it always stayed at the very bottom of the Sun Flame Pond instead of basking in the sun on top?"
Li Xuan immediately wagged his tail and replied:
"Isn't it because the bottom of the Sun Flame Pond is hotter?"
As soon as Li Xuan finished answering, he realized something.
In other words, compared to sunlight, if there were other heat sources, Golden Pig would actually prefer them more.
"Eating meals every day, but when you encounter a snack, you can't move? Is that what you mean?"
Li Xuan felt he was beginning to understand Chief Steward Shang's meaning.
Seeing him thoughtful, Chief Steward Shang said no more and went to put away his distillation equipment.
"Li Xuan, do you need me to prepare a wooden basin for you?"
Chief Steward Shang brought over the glass vessel containing Golden Pig.
This glass vessel was valuable, and Chief Steward Shang still had great use for it in the future, so he naturally wouldn't give it to Li Xuan.
Li Xuan decisively shook his head, then a mischievous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he directly stretched his tail into the scalding hot water.
The next moment, he directly used his tail to wrap around Golden Pig's fish tail.
Golden Pig suddenly left the hot water, immediately flapping its body and beginning to struggle.
Li Xuan didn't hold back, directly jumping to the ground, then swinging his tail and smashing it down hard.
Golden Pig's big fat head made intimate contact with the ground, emitting a loud thud, and immediately stopped struggling, though its dead fish eyes looking at Li Xuan were full of resentment.
"Are you well-behaved now?"
Li Xuan shook Golden Pig, thinking triumphantly.
However, Golden Pig's body was too large; even if Li Xuan tried his best to lift his tail high, the fellow's head almost dragged on the ground.
And if his tail was always held too high, Li Xuan would have an urge to poop.
"Li Xuan, can you do it?"
"How about I help you take it back?"
Originally, Chief Steward Shang had Zhao Feng bring Golden Pig to entertain himself and conduct small experiments.
Since he borrowed the item, he naturally had the obligation to return it.
But Li Xuan showed no fear of trouble, upholding the traditional virtue of respecting the old and loving the young, he refused Chief Steward Shang's kind offer, meowed a greeting, and then happily left the Internal Affairs Bureau directly.
Golden Pig's size was indeed a problem, but Li Xuan possessed extraordinary intelligence, so this small issue naturally wouldn't stump him.
Chief Steward Shang had initially been worried that Li Xuan would drag Golden Pig back and drag it to death halfway, but then he saw Li Xuan, who had jumped onto the wall, continuously waving his tail, swinging Golden Pig's body back and forth.
This way, Golden Pig's body had no chance of dragging on the ground, because it was constantly being swung by Li Xuan, keeping its body in mid-air.
However, Chief Steward Shang couldn't help but worry even more whether Golden Pig could make it back to Jingyang Palace alive.
"Alas, no matter what fish encounters a cat, it never ends well."
Chief Steward Shang sipped his tea and sighed, casually lamenting.
.