Feeding
Lu Congxing felt that this was the most outrageous thing he had seen all year—on par with the shock he had experienced when he first transformed into a cub and realized he wasn’t human.
He found it hard to believe that He Zhouyan and this little furball could possibly be the same being—their temperaments were completely mismatched.
But the pale markings on the furball’s head and the two small horns hidden within its fluffy fur made it clear—this was definitely not an ordinary puppy!
[This way, my spiritual energy will be minimized as much as possible.]
The small Bai Ze spoke seriously through telepathy, his voice directly transmitting into Lu Congxing’s mind.
At the same time, he lightly leaped toward him. Lu Congxing instinctively reached out and caught him, holding him in his arms.
Despite the change in appearance, the transmitted voice remained deep and magnetic, carrying straight into his mind with an almost imperceptible electric current.
Feeling slightly unsettled, Lu Congxing shook his head and rubbed his inexplicably warm ears.
Fortunately, the moment he held Bai Ze, his spiritual energy stabilized, preventing the situation he feared most—two little furballs tumbling around together.
With an ancient divine beast in his arms, Lu Congxing found himself unable to continue deeper into the mountains. Checking his watch, he had no choice but to turn back.
[This is the third time you’ve passed this tree.]
Bai Ze flicked his tail leisurely, his tone casual as he pointed it out.
Lu Congxing frowned slightly. He was, without a doubt, hopeless with directions. Normally, it would take him quite a while to realize he was trapped in a ghost wall—a supernatural loop. If not for the small Bai Ze reminder, he wouldn’t have noticed so soon.
This ghost wall wasn’t the work of actual ghosts but rather a result of the mountain’s dense, ominous energy. His spiritual constitution made him a magnet for such disturbances, only making things worse.
[Do you need my help?] Bai Ze brushed his fluffy tail against Lu Congxing’s arm.
Because he had shrunk and concealed his presence, the ominous energy no longer avoided him. For Bai Ze, an ancient divine beast known for repelling evil, this was actually the first time he had been caught in a ghost wall, and he found the experience rather novel.
“No need.” As soon as Lu Congxing spoke, a ghostly blue flame flickered to life in his palm.
The small flame curiously circled Bai Ze’s nose, as if trying to make sense of what he was.
Then, all at once, it flared upward and exploded into countless shimmering blue sparks, shattering the invisible barrier in the air.
With the ghost wall effortlessly broken, Lu Congxing remained standing, unmoving.
He Zhouyan twitched his ears and looked up at him with pale vertical pupils, silently asking: What’s wrong?
Lu Congxing’s expression was blank. “I’m lost.”
The guiding thread he had been following was disrupted by the ghost wall. Now, when he looked around, all he saw were endless identical trees.
A thought struck him. Lifting the fluffy puppy in his arms, he met Bai Ze’s gaze. “You should be able to track human scents, right?”
He Zhouyan: …
As an ancient divine beast that knew all things, Bai Ze didn’t need to rely on something as primitive as scent to find his way.
But before he could explain, he was met with the wide, expectant gaze of a cub.
He swallowed them back.
Silently, He Zhouyan lifted a small, round paw and pointed toward a path. At the same time, he discreetly released a bit of spiritual energy, ensuring that no mosquitoes or bugs dared to come near the cub.
Since he had chosen the shortest route, Lu Congxing made it back just in time for the crew’s mealtime.
The rich aroma of scrambled eggs with tomatoes filled the air, tantalizing and irresistible.
“Hey, where did you go? You vanished the entire morning after the ceremony!” Di Jiang waved him over, grabbing an extra bowl for him.
Lunch was being served in large communal pots, with everyone lining up to get their food.
The villagers greeted the guests warmly, encouraging them to eat their fill.
Di Jiang listed off the menu: “Tomato scrambled eggs, stir-fried spinach, and chicken—wait, where’d you pick up that puppy?”
Curious, he reached out to touch the little furball, only to nearly get bitten. He yanked his hand back in shock.
“Found it in the mountains.” Lu Congxing didn’t feel like explaining further and obediently took his bowl, finding a quiet corner to sit.
But before long, the once-empty table was surrounded.
With a slight sigh, Lu Congxing rubbed his forehead. It seemed like no matter where he went, things always ended up bustling—whether it was demons or humans, they all instinctively gathered around him.
Gu Hanyin glanced at his bowl. “Even actresses on a strict diet eat more than you do.”
Beside him, Wen Yi, who had been happily stuffing her steamed bun with dried meat, suddenly slowed down, feeling personally attacked.
He Zhouyan lightly tapped Lu Congxing’s leg with his paw, expressing his agreement. This little cub truly ate too little. But what was with this human? The cub’s meals were none of their concern.
Positioning himself as the responsible guardian, he reached out and tapped the table with his paw, signaling for Lu Congxing to eat more.
But Lu Congxing completely misunderstood.
He thought Bai Ze was asking for food.
So, even the mighty ancient divine beast Bai Ze could be tempted by a good meal.
He pursed his lips, picked up an empty bowl, and scooped a spoonful of chicken into it. To be honest, the villagers’ cooking was pretty average—overly salty, even. But given the circumstances, most people had no complaints. He was even less picky; as long as it wasn’t mushrooms, which he hated, he could eat anything.
This action caught Wen Yi’s attention, and she exclaimed in delight, “So cute! Can I pet it?”
Lu Congxing glanced down and exchanged a look with He Zhouyan. Despite his fluffy face, He Zhouyan somehow managed to convey an expression of indifference.
“No.” After a moment of thought, Lu Congxing added, “It’s fierce and will bite.”
Right on cue, Xiao Baize let out a small “awoo” and bared its tiny fangs, playing along perfectly.
It took a bite of the chicken Lu Congxing had given it and almost spat it out. But after considering that this was food offered by the cub, it reluctantly swallowed.
Too salty. How could the cub eat this?
[Stop eating. I have food in my Qiankun space.] He Zhouyan pushed the dishes on the table away.
Lu Congxing patted him as if comforting a puppy. “Don’t make a fuss.”
His eyes curved into a smile, amused at the idea of teasing an ancient divine beast.
“Hey! How can you let a dog near the food?!” Chen Xiangxiang approached with her bowl in hand, just in time to witness the scene. She had initially targeted Gu Hanyin, but upon seeing He Zhouyan in Lu Congxing’s arms, she hesitated and stopped in her tracks.
Instead, she stood there and ordered Lu Congxing to take the dog away.
Noisy human.
A flicker of displeasure flashed through He Zhouyan’s pale vertical pupils—he didn’t like seeing someone bossing the cub around.
Sensing his mood, Lu Congxing reached out and smoothed his fur.
He assumed He Zhouyan was upset because Chen Xiangxiang had called him a dog.
Lowering his voice, Lu Congxing whispered, “No eating people, okay?” He was a little worried that the proud, untamed ancient divine beast might lose its temper here.
He Zhouyan scoffed in his mind: [I don’t eat filthy things.]
Yet, as the cub continued to pet him, the violent urges within him gradually faded.
Seeing that she was being ignored—and that Lu Congxing was even petting the “dog” more blatantly—Chen Xiangxiang grew even more frustrated.
Before she could say anything else, however, Di Jiang spoke first.
“Miss Chen, Xing Cub deliberately picked an empty corner to sit in so he wouldn’t disturb anyone’s meal. The others came later and were fine with it. If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to sit here. There are plenty of open seats—why insist on squeezing in where you don’t like the little dog?”
Although he usually wore a cheerful smile, at his core, he was still a protective demon. At this moment, his gaze turned cold, just short of directly exposing Chen Xiangxiang’s little schemes.
Chen Xiangxiang was furious—she never expected to be confronted by an unknown supporting actor. At the same time, she was in complete disbelief.
She never would have imagined that the director, assistant director, and Gu Hanyin had actually chosen to eat here in the corner on their own. She instinctively assumed that Lu Congxing had forced his way in with his dog.
To her, there was no way this delicate-looking young man could be a real exorcist. He was probably just trying to get noticed by the director, hoping to seize an opportunity to stir up some publicity and debut.
What she didn’t know was that Lu Congxing had already turned down an offer from the director.
He only wanted to focus on exorcising ghosts.
The director had seen this kind of scene countless times before. Besides, Chen Xiangxiang wasn’t even his first choice for the role. If it weren’t for the investors’ insistence, she wouldn’t have been cast at all—especially since the originally chosen lead actress, Hu Jiujiu, had been unable to make it. He frowned and said, “Xiangxiang, if you don’t like dogs, you can eat at another table. We don’t have any space here anyway.”
His words, though seemingly diplomatic, left little room for negotiation and were a clear rejection.
With the director saying that, Chen Xiangxiang had no choice but to awkwardly tuck her hair behind her ear. “Alright then.”
After thinking for a moment, Lu Congxing took the initiative to pick up Bai Ze. “I’ll just eat inside. I’ll be around later this afternoon to keep an eye on things during filming.”
The scene they were shooting later had a strong supernatural presence—he needed to be there to stabilize the situation.
The director looked a little regretful. “Don’t take it to heart.” He genuinely enjoyed being around this pure-hearted young man.
Perhaps it was because he sensed in Lu Congxing something that the murky entertainment industry lacked.
Still, Lu Congxing carried Bai Ze away. Di Jiang wanted to follow, but he stopped him.
He knew how much Di Jiang wanted to pursue his dream, and this was the perfect opportunity. After all, nothing strengthened workplace camaraderie more than sharing a meal together.
As he passed by Chen Xiangxiang, he noticed her scolding a villager who had been delivering meals.
Her complaint? The food was too salty.
The burly villager, clearly frustrated, retorted, “It’s not the food—it’s just that you prefer bland flavors. We always taste the food before serving it.”
Lu Congxing initially wanted to step in and remind her not to pick fights with the villagers, but before he could, the village chief arrived.
With a friendly smile, the chief immediately apologized to Chen Xiangxiang. Since people generally don’t lash out at those who remain polite, she only managed a few more sharp remarks before falling silent.
However, she still muttered under her breath with an ugly expression, “What a lousy place. The food’s bad, the accommodations are awful—it’s infuriating.”
And just like that, the minor dispute passed, barely drawing anyone’s attention.
When He Zhouyan’s cold, silvery eyes swept over the crowd, there was not a trace of emotion in them. He spoke telepathically with detached indifference: [Let’s go.]
His large tail flicked, silently urging the young man forward.
“Mm.”
Lu Congxing led him back to the room and took out a bottle of milk from his storage.
Just milk? That wasn’t nearly enough. He Zhouyan frowned and retrieved some Bi Ling fruits from his own Qiankun space.
These spiritual fruits were even rarer than Lingya rice. The trees that bore them were hard to find, and even then, they only produced a single fruit once every hundred years.
There was even a legend that if an ordinary animal ate a Bi Ling fruit, it would instantly gain intelligence and transcend the realm of mortals.
Yet, as if it were nothing more than a common snack, He Zhouyan used his paw to push several of them toward Lu Congxing.
“For me?” Lu Congxing picked up one and bit into it, and in an instant, his mouth was flooded with rich, sweet juice.
Spiritual energy surged wildly into the dantian, circulating rapidly.
The already soft and rosy lips became even more moist, evoking an irresistible urge to take a bite.
Having successfully fed the cub, He Zhouyan wagged his tail contentedly and lay down beside him.
This was what a cub should be eating.
Author’s Note:
From this moment on, President He would dominate the path of feeding the cub.