Xiao Ji shook its feathers, looking spiritedly at Feng Yuan, enjoying the mist which it found very comfy, and with a smile, Feng Yuan rubbed Xiao Ji’s head and said,
"You little rascal, of course you’d feel different with the tiny amount of Death Series power in this mist."
He then scratched Xiao Ji’s neck and continued,
"Let’s call it a day . As for the space rift issue, just tell Agunas and Gitalien about it."
Swishing his tail, Agunas looked somewhat puzzledly at the Little Green Snake on Feng Yuan’s shoulder, wondering if he remembered correctly that Little Green Snake was also a Space Divine Beast, and besides, wasn’t it more adept at handling this stuff?
But with many people around now, Agunas felt it inappropriate to ask Feng Yuan directly. Lanadi looked at Feng Yuan with a smile and said,
"How about a warm hug between friends?"
With a speechless glance at Lanadi, Feng Yuan replied,
"Let’s not, and is that even really a custom?"
Seeing Feng Yuan look her way, Gladys thought for a moment and said with a smile,
"Sorry, but it really is a thing! However, it’s something usually done among close friends, especially with distinctions between genders."
"Yeah?", Feng Yuan scratched his head and said, somewhat embarrassed,
"Really, fussing so much doesn’t suit you."
Lanadi, with a resigned expression, stepped forward, hugged Feng Yuan, and whispered,
"Consider it a goodbye to the past... Can’t you be a bit more proactive?"
Startled for a moment, Feng Yuan, recalling something, copied Lanadi’s gesture and hugged her back. Watching them, Gladys whispered to Lanadi,
"Why? You aren’t even obligated to... Really, do you only feel happy making others feel guilty? That truly fits your nasty taste..."
After bidding farewell to Lanadi and Gladys, Feng Yuan and others made their way back to school. While waiting for the bus, Dou Yanlan looked curiously at the dispirited Feng Yuan and asked,
"What’s with you? Is there a problem with Lanadi?"
Glancing at Dou Yanlan, Feng Yuan smiled and replied,
"No, just... feeling a bit sad, even though we’ve only met a few times..."
"She’s just fulfilling her duties as a tribe leader. You really are..."
Agunas swept a glance at Feng Yuan and rolled his eyes, then Feng Yuan said in a low voice,
"I know, but being a tribe leader isn’t easy, with the weight of an entire tribe on your shoulders. Many personal interests have to be given up, and for the sake of your people, you might end up living as the person you least want to be."
"It was her choice, why fret so much? We don’t need to rely on anyone."
Dou Yanlan said calmly, glancing at Qi Chen as Feng Yuan smiled and replied,
"But you wouldn’t mind having someone supporting you by your side, right?"
"That’s true, it’d be quite nice to have someone stand before us."
Dou Yanlan hinted, and seeing Qi Chen’s loyalty, Feng Yuan stepped aside, not wanting to be a third wheel. Agunas asked puzzledly,
"What exactly do you think about Lanadi? Caring, or?"
"It’s meaningless, she has her own responsibilities, and I have mine. Moreover, her image is just endlessly beautified in memories. I believe she will eventually find someone who truly loves her."
Feng Yuan said with a smile, and Agunas shook his tail and asked,
"Are you sure you won’t regret?"
"There’s nothing to regret. I don’t believe in love at first sight, and besides, considering our age difference, after I graduate, I’m planning on adventuring everywhere, and she can’t leave the Thousand Stars Tribe. She knows this too."
"Then you better not eat that..."
Agunas looked speechlessly at Feng Yuan who was munching on snacks labeled ’dog food,’ clueless about where he could have gotten so much of it.
Hearing the crunching sounds, Qi Chen turned his head with a speechless look to see Feng Yuan holding a pack of ’dog food,’ eating while watching him and holding his forehead as he said,
"What are you doing now?"
"Hungry, just eating something."
"Didn’t we just eat?"
Knowing they had just had dinner at Shuichao Cave before coming out, Qi Chen was puzzled how this guy could be hungry again, glanced at the words "dog food" on the packaging bag, and said helplessly,
"So what exactly do you want?"
Dou Yanlan chuckled, pushing Qi Chen away and saying,
"Alright, stop messing around, you’re not falling for Ah Chen, are you?"
Looking at Qi Chen and Feng Yuan, who was eating dog food, he said,
"What if I am? Are you scared?"
Qi Chen shivered and said somewhat speechlessly, while Dou Yanlan stared at Feng Yuan for a while and said,
"You could actually try accepting other people, Lanadi... she actually..."
Although there seemed to be a significant age difference, maybe she was exactly what Feng Yuan needed? Shaking his head, Feng Yuan said,
"No way, do you think she could leave the Thousand Stars Tribe? Or do you think I could go back to the Thousand Stars Tribe with her?"
Feng Yuan’s response made Dou Yanlan realize, based on her understanding of him, that it naturally wouldn’t be possible. He did things on a whim and wouldn’t stick to one place, and as for Lanadi leaving the Thousand Stars Tribe? That was also unlikely. She knew very well people like Lanadi, who wouldn’t abandon their companions for personal feelings or make such a choice lightly.
"Seems there’s no hope."
Dou Yanlan said somewhat helplessly, and Feng Yuan, puzzled, looked at Dou Yanlan and asked,
"By the way, why do you all care so much about whether I have a girlfriend or not?"
"If you didn’t eat that stuff all the time in front of us, I wouldn’t care about it,"
Qi Chen pointed speechlessly at the dog food snacks in Feng Yuan’s hand. That guy seemed to have bought a whole box in bulk earlier, and it always felt strangely off when he saw him eating it.
"Can’t help it, they were on sale before, it would be a loss not to eat them,"
Feng Yuan crunched away as he spoke.
"It’s been a hassle these days—"
He patted Big Cat’s head and smiled while he spoke, having left Pomiti with Big Cat for caretaking because he was about to leave. Today, he had just come back from the Data Domain. Seeing the disheveled feathers on Big Cat, Feng Yuan grinned and carefully straightened them out.
Xiao Ji looked discontentedly at Feng Yuan, glanced at its own feathers, pecked at them a bit but somewhat reluctantly. Noticing Xiao Ji’s actions, Feng Yuan said with a hint of speechlessness,
"Don’t mess around, I don’t have any potion to make your feathers grow fast, just don’t cry if you go bald later."
Hearing Feng Yuan’s words, Xiao Ji paused, a vision of a bald eagle popping into its head. It shook its head vigorously to get rid of the frightening image, snuggled up to Feng Yuan’s arm looking pitifully at him, and Feng Yuan rubbed Xiao Ji’s head, saying speechlessly,
"You little rascal, can’t you see I’m busy? I’ll take care of your feathers later."
Just then, Qi Chen walked in with Ah Mu, seeing the messy-feathered Big Cat and said puzzledly,
"What did you do this time? Why are its feathers all messed up?"
"What does that have to do with me? It probably was Pomiti’s doing."
Feng Yuan spoke flatly, glancing at Pomiti lying on his bed asleep, lying on its back and occasionally scratching its belly. Veronia crawled out from under the bed, carefully looked around, and seeing Feng Yuan, happily trotted over.
"Are you done with your work?"
Feng Yuan smiled at Veronia and nodded. Veronia looked puzzledly at Big Cat, who was blissfully enjoying itself but didn’t understand why, after a few days’ absence, its feathers were in such a mess.
"Too bad you didn’t join us today, otherwise I could have introduced you to a new friend."
Veronia looked doubtfully at Feng Yuan, not quite grasping his meaning, "a new friend?" Qi Chen glanced at Feng Yuan and asked,
"You weren’t thinking of introducing Lanadi to it, were you?"
"How could that be, the Thousand Stars Tribe doesn’t have any fun spots, I was thinking of introducing Yu Xian’er to it."
"Tsk, I didn’t expect that Hong Zhi quietly got connected with Yu Xian’er."
Feng Yuan revealed a sly smile, and Qi Chen, speechlessly scanning Feng Yuan, said,
"Isn’t it normal for them to know each other? After all, they are always guarding and maintaining order in Maomu City, so it’s not unlikely for them to meet."
"Guarding Maomu City, huh?"
Veronia murmured, shaking her head,
"I’m not interested in that."