The family of three sat around the dining table, and as the head of the family, Li Yi raised his glass first.
"Come! To celebrate Xiao Xing's release from the hospital and the start of a new life, let's have a toast!"
Li Xing raised her own pinkish drink, which looked like strawberry milk, and the three glasses clinked together.
"Thank you, Uncle Li, thank you, Aunt Anna!"
"Thank you for what!" Li Yi downed his drink in one go and laughed, "I'm a simple man, and I'm not good at saying sentimental things, nor am I comfortable with it. Anyway, just remember, from now on, this is your home. As long as you don't make Na Na sad, you can do whatever you want. If anyone dares to bully you, just tell me, and I'll take care of them!"
Li Xing looked at Li Yi and said earnestly:
"I won't make her sad. I'll protect Aunt Anna. I'm still young and can't contribute to this family yet, but I can help with the housework. When I grow up and start earning money, I'll repay you both."
Hearing Li Xing's words, both Li Yi and Anna fell silent. Happy people heal their life with childhood, but unfortunate people spend a lifetime healing their childhood. Who knows what this child has been through in the past, being so precocious and sensible that it's heartbreaking. Anna's tears welled up in her eyes, trying hard not to let them fall, and Li Yi also felt a lump in his throat.
"Xiao Xing, since we've decided to adopt you, Na Na and I will treat you as our own daughter. It's only right for parents to care for and nurture their children. Our efforts are entirely voluntary; you shouldn't feel any pressure or need for equivalent exchange. Just accept it at ease. We can talk about earning money after you graduate from college!"
Anna chimed in, "Exactly! Xiao Xing, I'm truly happy that you've come to our family. You know, these past few days knowing you have been the happiest days of my life. Thank you, thank you for letting us be your parents..."
Anna's voice was choked with emotion. Li Yi held his wife's hand to comfort her, and after she calmed down, he said mournfully:
"Na Na, I always thought the happiest day of your life was marrying me. How quickly things change!"
Anna broke into a smile through her tears and gave Li Yi a playful pinch on his side, making him grimace exaggeratedly.
Li Yi and Anna have been married for ten years but have never had children. Doctors said Anna was weak and had difficulty conceiving. Li Yi believed that children are a fateful bond for parents. Maybe he and Anna's chance for children hasn't come yet. They're still young, with plenty of opportunities ahead. Even if they never have children, it doesn't matter as long as they can be together forever.
But Anna didn't see it that way. As a traditionally-minded Qianyuan woman, she felt guilty and self-critical every day for not being able to give Li Yi a complete family.
Watching his wife grow increasingly silent and withdrawn, even contemplating divorce, Li Yi was both angry and heartbroken.
"A heart ailment requires heart medicine," he thought. If they had a child, Anna's absurd thoughts would naturally disappear.
Fortunately, fate brought Li Xing to him — a child with a pitiful background but clever and lively. Since she was around, light returned to Anna's eyes.
On the surface, adopting Li Xing seemed like an act of kindness towards her, but in truth, Li Yi felt grateful to her. Without her arrival, Anna's awkward and introverted nature would have eventually turned them into a resentful couple, even if they didn't divorce. Li Xing was the benefactor who saved the rest of their lives.
"Look at me, getting teary-eyed when I'm happy. What if I scare Xiao Xing... Enough talk, let's eat!"
Anna picked up a carving knife and cut a large piece of the most tender chicken breast, placing it on the plate in front of Li Xing.
Li Yi: "Xiao Xing, eat up. Your Aunt Anna's roasted Fire Crown Chicken is unbeatable. I guarantee once you try it, you'll want more!" He then waited for his wife to serve him food.
Anna, however, did not continue cutting the chicken. She picked up a serving spoon and scooped out a generous portion of Flower Skin Taro, soaked in the roast chicken juices from the chicken's belly, placing it in Li Xing's plate, and then scooped some for herself. She didn't glance at him the whole time.
Li Yi sighed in resignation, his favor was gone, and his status in the house plummeted. He'd have to fend for himself.
Li Xing had been starving and started eating heartily. The piece of chicken was gleaming white, with a crispy golden skin, salty and fragrant with a hint of sweetness.
Mmm~ It's so delicious! Not only does it taste great, but it also contains rich spiritual energy. Although it couldn't be stored in the Dantian, the energy traveled along the meridians, nourishing the muscles and bones and cleansing the body.
"Is the Fire Crown Chicken delicious, did Auntie raise it herself?"
After cutting a chicken wing for his wife, Li Yi replied while placing meat on his plate, "The Fire Crown Chicken is a Star Beast; it can't be raised. We caught it in the Star Beast Forest."
So this is the Star Beast Li Yi and Anna mentioned all the time?
To practice the Eternal Green Technique, one needs to consume a large amount of Demon Beast meat to enhance their physique and improve cultivation effects. The spiritual energy contained in this Fire Crown Chicken meat is not less than that of Demon Beast flesh. In that case, can't she replace Demon Beast meat with Star Beast meat?
"Can't young ones be raised?"
Li Yi shook his head, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said, "Different types of Star Beasts might coexist, but once they see humans, they inexplicably become ferocious and restless, as if encountering a mortal enemy, fighting to the death. Some people tried taming Star Beasts by capturing many young ones, but never succeeded. Instead, the younglings would call their mother beasts, attracting herds and leading to many deaths."
That's a shame. If they could be tamed, Star Beasts could become a major force like spirit beasts that recognize their master.
"Xiao Xing, if you like eating it, have more. Our family's conditions might be average, but Uncle Li can ensure you have meat in every meal!"
"Mhm!" Li Xing nodded heavily.
There are too many Star Beasts on the Qianyuan Continent. Every so often, the government had to send troops to slaughter them; otherwise, a beast tide would form, threatening the safety of towns and cities.
The government also encourages capable civilians to hunt Star Beasts. Star Beast meat is the main source of protein for the Qianyuan people; the hide, fur, and bones are raw materials for various living and production tools, and Crystal Stone is an important energy source and currency.
Thus, martial prowess is abundant on the Qianyuan Continent, with almost every household capable of hunting. Li Yi, as the captain of the Datang City Guard Team, was a skilled Star Beast hunter.
Since practicing the Eternal Green Technique, Li Xing found her appetite increasing. She never ate as much as she does now, even before her fasting state.
After the meal, Li Xing intended to help clean up, but Anna sent her upstairs to rest. In the kitchen, as Li Yi and Anna washed the dishes and looked at the roast chicken, now reduced to bones, Li Yi sucked his teeth, his face looking like he was constipated.
"... Na Na, do you think this child eats too much?"
"What's wrong with a good appetite?" Anna glared at him, "Xiao Xing is so skinny; she should eat more and be chubby and cute. What, you're feeling sorry already?"
"It's not that I'm sorry; I'm afraid she'll overeat! Didn't you see her stomach bulging like a ball?"
Upon hearing Li Yi's words, Anna's expression grew more serious. Usually, a roast chicken of that size was enough for two meals, but today it was all gone in one meal. That means Li Xing alone ate as much as two adults.
"This isn't right! You better go upstairs and check. If necessary, give her some digestive medicine. She just got out of the hospital; let's not let her go back in!"
"Okay! I'm going right now!"
Watching Anna's hurried back, Li Yi let out a long sigh; this kid, no matter how much you enjoy food, you can't risk your life eating it. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong, as her small body can't handle repeated hospitalizations. But if this kid has a naturally large appetite, he'll have to work twice as hard to hunt Star Beasts in the future.
Sigh, raising a child is a sweet burden indeed.
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