Chapter 1836: Competing to Feed Xiao Zaizai!
The Great Black Lion rubbed its rump with its tail, drooping its head, looking utterly defeated: "Got taken away by my grandpa."
"What! Taken away by the Great Elder!"
"It’s over, it’s over. I fear we won’t see our sister today. It’s rare for her to come back; those old geezers are too overbearing!"
"Shall we sneak to the Elder’s Court to see our sister?"
"No use, my grandpa set up a formation, we can’t get in at all."
"Darn it! Those old guys are too much!"
"They won’t even let us take a look, too much! Darn those old fogies!"
"Ah—" a miserable cry echoed through the valley.
The lion that bad-mouthed the old guys got its ear grabbed so hard it was nearly torn off.
"Ninth Elder, please go easy on me! My ear!"
"Hmph! Such disrespect, showing contempt for elders! You shall be punished!"
"I’m wrong, I truly know I’m wrong, ow ow ow, it hurts, it really hurts, my ear is going to fall off, it’s really going to fall off!"
The Ninth Elder let go, giving it a glare, "I’ve got my eye on you, first thing tomorrow morning, copy the sutras at my place!"
"Help! Ninth Elder, ancestor, please, I’m begging you, spare me!"
"There’s no room for negotiation!"
The pitiful lion covered its ear with its paw, sulking on the ground: "Alright, alright, as long as you can bear my scrawly writing, I’ll copy them."
The Ninth Elder glared: "If it’s ugly you’ll have to rewrite it!"
"Well, then you’re going to see me every day."
"You cheeky brat! You’re punished to stand here! Stand properly!"
"Ow ow ow, why do I have to learn to stand like a human on two legs, it’s so tiring, I want to lie down."
"Stand properly!"
The Ninth Elder’s cane was ready to swing at any moment.
The lion quickly steadied itself, shouting: "I’m standing properly, I’m standing properly, don’t hit, don’t hit! I finally understand why every elder has a cane! It’s just for conveniently hitting us!"
But the Ninth Elder’s cane still landed on its sturdy rump.
"Ow ow ow!"
The lion howled miserably.
"Shut up!" The Ninth Elder raised his cane as a threat.
The lion immediately shut its mouth, the large lion with spots on its face now had a big tabby cat-like face full of grievance, standing pathetically on two legs with nowhere to put its front paws but hug them to its chest, looking a bit silly and cute.
The Ninth Elder glanced at it with displeasure, its rump feeling cold, shivering a little.
The Ninth Elder found these brats more unpleasant the more he looked, if it weren’t for the treasured Zaizai wanting them, he wouldn’t bother to call them.
The Ninth Elder said coldly: "Take your rations and assemble at the Elder’s Court."
"To the Elder’s Court?"
"Really?"
"Can we go see our sister now?"
"Long live the Ninth Elder!"
The Ninth Elder swept his eyes over them coldly: "Quiet down!"
The lions humanly covered their mouths with their paws, staying as quiet as chickens.
"Look at all that unsightly fur on you, make sure none falls in the Elder’s Court, it’s a real pain to clean up! Turn into human form! Look decent, especially you, stop being such an eyesore!" The Ninth Elder pointed his cane at a gray big lion with a fat head and big ears, muscles bulging, looking very imposing.
In fact, this big lion wasn’t gray at all, but a white lion that didn’t like cleanliness, always being dirty, so its fur was gray.
Under the Ninth Elder’s stare, the gray lion began its transformation, turning into a burly, strong man, muscles bulging, with a wide waist, a square face, dark skin, and wild hair, somewhat resembling a black-faced Zhang Fei.
The Ninth Elder covered his eyes: "No, no, too ugly! Turn it into white skin immediately!"
The burly man muttered: "So fussy."
He muttered, but didn’t delay his actions, his big black face turned white, his small eyes rolling: "Is this better now?"
The Ninth Elder dropped his hand for a look, immediately covering his eyes again: "Was that lion the one with small eyes?"
"Small eyes are focused, just look, so spirited?"
"I won’t look! If I look at you one more time, I’ll feel like I’m shortening my life! Make your eyes bigger! Your nose smaller! Tuck in those big buck teeth! The square face is barely acceptable, fine, let’s leave the face shape, it’s really too shabby!"
"Oh oh oh..." The burly man answered impatiently, starting to change his face.
The small eyes grew bigger, the large garlic nose shrunk, the big buck teeth tucked in, rubbing his large square face, he breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully he didn’t have to change his face shape.
"Those bulging muscles, shrink them, shrink them, hurry up! We’re not sending you to scare people, why so big? Shrink down a bit!"
"Oh oh oh..."
His nearly three-meter tall figure began to shrink, proportionally reduced, and the bulging muscles no longer stuck out so much.
The Ninth Elder finally gave him a proper look, nodding in satisfaction: "Very good."
"I think it’s not good at all."
"You don’t need to think, as long as I’m satisfied, it’s very good."
The Ninth Elder waved his cane: "Let’s go, brats, don’t waste time anymore."
A group of handsome young men in human form all responded: "Alright!"
The handsome lads were dressed in silks and satin, yet carrying roasted whole lamb, roasted wild boar, roasted chicken, roasted fish... not carrying themselves with any image at all, a pity for those handsome faces.
The image-conscious Ninth Elder covered his eyes, turning his head elsewhere, thinking: it’s time to go and see Zaizai to clear the eyes, Zaizai is the cutest, the most beautiful, Zaizai’s smile is the most delightful!
The brothers arrived with their culinary specialties, and when Bai Bai the Little Beast saw everyone transformed into human form, it turned around in place, its appearance began to change, glazed light flashed, revealing a cute little girl with snow-like jade skin, black sparkling eyes, and delicate features.
The Ninth Elder stared intensely for a few moments, not willing to blink, thinking: finally, the eyes are cleansed! Zaizai is the cutest, Zaizai is the most beautiful!
"Sister, try my stir-fried noodles!"
"Sister, I made egg fried rice I just learned, it has lots of ingredients, shrimp, meat, mushrooms, cucumber, corn..."
"Move aside, move aside, all yours are no match for mine! Sister, come, eat a roasted chicken leg, it’s a free-range chicken from the Bamboo Forest, these two legs are full of strength, firm muscles, extremely delicious!"
"Those are mere snacks! This is a dish! Sister, have a roasted lamb leg!"
"Roasted lamb is nothing compared to my roasted wild boar! Come, sister, have a roasted pig’s trotter, sizzling with oil, look, how tempting!"
"These are all too greasy and unhealthy! Sister, try the stewed chicken with wild mountain mushrooms, fresh and reliable, the chicken is tender, nourishing and replenishing, nutritious and healthy!"
The elders grew more and more infuriated as they watched, each taking out their own canes.
"Ah—"
"Ah ah ah—"
"Help, the elders have gone mad!"
"Stop hitting, stop hitting, we’re in human form now, not in thick-skinned mode, it really hurts, too painful!"
The Great Elder saw the brats all run away after being beaten and brought out his stewed snow pear and white fungus soup, "Come, good girl, have a sip of sweet snow pear soup, it’s made by grandpa himself, the temperature is just right, not too hot."
Little Taotie behind the barrier watched the scene, covering her mouth and snickering, as the table before her also had similar stir-fried noodles, fried rice, roasted whole lamb, roasted pig’s trotter, stewed chicken with wild mountain mushrooms, and a bowl of sweet snow pear and white fungus soup.
The Little Girl in the Glazed Skirt hadn’t even started on the snow pear and white fungus soup when Little Taotie’s snow pear and white fungus soup had already been emptied. Little Taotie wiped her mouth, eyes curving into a crescent, smiling like a little greedy cat, sighing: "So sweet, so delicious! Best to have another bowl!"