Chapter 38: Sister Dan’s Mission

“Mom, Dad, I’m home!”
Shen Xin leapt down from the back of the Sky-Piercing Bird and called out loudly in the courtyard.

It was noon, and his parents, in the middle of lunch, hurried outside at the sound of his voice.

At the sight of her son, Shen’s mother smiled at first, but then her expression quickly fell as she complained, “Neither you nor your sister ever let us have a moment’s peace. Your sister could have gone to Imperial Capital University, but she only got into a top-tier school. So infuriating!”

Shen’s father, however, wasn’t paying attention to his son. He was curiously sizing up the Sky-Piercing Bird, marveling aloud, “What a huge bird! Son, where did you catch this bird? Take me with you next time so I can catch one too!”

Shen Xin felt a headache coming on and forced a bitter smile. “Dad, this is a Sky-Piercing Bird. I plan to leave it here for a while. Please help me take good care of it.”

Shen’s mother was immediately displeased. She circled the towering three-meter-tall bird a few times, asking with clear dissatisfaction, “How much does this thing eat in one sitting? Can we even afford to keep it?”

But Shen’s father beamed and agreed readily, “Don’t worry, son. I promise to take good care of it.”

Just then, Tang Ziran took off her backpack and handed it to Shen’s father, saying, “Uncle, don’t worry. There are over a hundred spirit pills in the backpack. The Sky-Piercing Bird only needs one a day to be full. If it gets really hungry, it’ll find food for itself.”

Hearing this, Shen’s mother finally relaxed. She smiled and said, “See? Ziran is always so thoughtful. Ziran, have you eaten yet? Are you adjusting well to life in the city?”

“Auntie, I ate before coming over. I’m quite used to the city.”

“That’s good. Shen Xin has always been reckless since he was little. With you by his side, I can rest easy.”

The more Shen’s mother looked at Tang Ziran, the more pleasing she found her. In contrast, she was beginning to find Yu Yanan less agreeable. In her heart, a daughter-in-law should be someone she could communicate with easily; otherwise, things felt awkward.

Shen’s father happily took the backpack, pulled out a spirit-feeding pill, and fed it to the Sky-Piercing Bird. Under Tang Ziran’s instructions, the Sky-Piercing Bird obediently swallowed the pill. Along the way, Tang Ziran had repeatedly told the bird to mind Shen Xin’s parents and protect them.

The Sky-Piercing Bird, after all, was over ten years old and a rare beast; its intelligence was about the level of a seven- or eight-year-old child, so it naturally understood Tang Ziran’s words. Now, it behaved very well around Shen’s parents.

Shen’s father stroked the bird’s feathers with delight, exclaiming, “What a fine bird! So obedient!”

Next, Tang Ziran taught them how to interact with the Sky-Piercing Bird and showed them how to ride it.

The elderly couple were so overjoyed that they couldn’t stop smiling.

Shen Xin didn’t stay home long. After dinner, he took a cab back to Ox City with Tang Ziran.

Back at the compound, Sister Dan told them she’d landed a major job and wanted them to take it.

“Sister Dan, what kind of big job is it?” Shen Xin couldn’t help but be curious about what she called a major task.

“Everyone’s heard of Tiger City, right?”

“Yes, we know it.”

Yuancheng Province had twelve main cities, each corresponding to one of the twelve zodiac animals. Tiger City was in the west, where the forests were thick and tigers had roamed since ancient times.

That’s how Tiger City got its name.

In fact, the cities of Yuancheng Province were not named at random; each had its corresponding zodiac animal, Dragon City included. Legend had it that real dragons were once seen in Dragon City, but now it was named for the Long River that ran through it.

Seeing everyone nod, Sister Dan smiled and said, “Spiritual treasures are usually guarded by monsters, and of all Yuancheng Province, Tiger City has the most formidable beasts. Our mission this time is to head to Tiger City and seize the Sacred Spirit Fruit.”

Chen Jiawang raised his hand to ask, “Sister Dan, what exactly is the Sacred Spirit Fruit? And are you joining us on this mission?”

Sister Dan nodded, “I’ll be going too, though I’ll join you a bit later. You all head out first, but don’t worry, I’ll catch up. As for the Sacred Spirit Fruit, I won’t go into too much detail—just watch this video.”

She cast a video from her phone onto the TV screen. In the video, a lush fruit tree over a meter tall bore more than a dozen golden fruits. At first glance, it looked like a kumquat tree, but the fruits were much larger—about the size of oranges.

After watching the video, Shen Xin asked in curiosity, “Sister Dan, why does the Sacred Spirit Fruit look just like an orange?”

“The video doesn’t do it justice. When you see it in person, you’ll appreciate its uniqueness. In the Holy City, one Sacred Spirit Fruit can fetch over a billion, and it’s still in short supply. This time, our goal is to grab at least one! Do you all have confidence?”

Chen Jiawang answered with fighting spirit, “Absolutely! With Sister Dan around, we’ve never failed!”

Old Mo nodded in agreement.

Shen Xin and Tang Ziran exchanged a glance, sharing their doubts, but both chose to remain silent.

The spirit of the working class: the boss points, I go.

“Excellent! This job alone is worth a conservative ten billion. If we pull this off, we can rest easy for the year. Oh, Shen Xin, bring Yu Yanan along too. More people, more power—and more to share in the spoils! Anyone object?”

Chen Jiawang looked surprised, but said nothing.

Old Mo approved at once.

Shen Xin didn’t want Yu Yanan to get involved. Though Sister Dan had always treated him well, business was business. He spoke up, “I really don’t think that’s necessary.”

“It’s very necessary, Shen Xin. Don’t underestimate Yu Yanan—she’s at least as strong as you, if not stronger. There are plenty of teams going after the Sacred Spirit Fruit. The more people, the better our chances.”

Shen Xin still shook his head, and Sister Dan, seeing his resolve, had no choice but to drop it.

She sent everyone the location and announced that they’d set off early the next morning.

That night, Shen Xin returned to his rented farmhouse—the two-story building.

He and Yu Yanan ate dinner together; the dishes were bought from Hualong Restaurant.

Yu Yanan had enrolled in a chef’s training course over the summer and had improved her cooking a great deal, though there was still a big gap between her and professional chefs.

So she specialized in soup. The soup on the table tonight was her own handiwork.

Shen Xin finished the soup to the last drop, belched contentedly, and said, “Yanan, I’m heading to Tiger City tomorrow. I’ll probably be gone a few days. Take good care of yourself.”

Yu Yanan nodded silently, focusing on her plate of river snails, popping one after another with practiced ease until the whole plate was gone.

In truth, Yu Yanan didn’t much like ordinary food. That was why she deliberately ate river snails—the meat was sparse, and it helped her practice her dexterity.

“By the way, are you stocked up on blood?”

“Yes, there are two packs left in the fridge—enough for a month.”

She rarely drank Shen Xin’s blood, but he always made sure there was plenty, afraid she might go hungry.

“Then I’m relieved!”

She chuckled, “Honestly, what is there to worry about? Your wife isn’t some fragile queen—who could bully me? Who’d dare?”

“Of course, of course!” Shen Xin nodded hastily. Yu Yanan’s progress was rapid; she was growing stronger by the day, clearly surpassing him, who relied solely on ocular arts.

“So, aren’t you going to surrender to your queen tonight?”

Feigning to wipe sweat from his brow, Shen Xin stammered, “Another time, maybe. I have a mission tomorrow.”

Yu Yanan nodded, a shy look in her eyes, “Another time is fine. Don’t go easy on me—just go for it. I can handle it.”

“Yanan, you’re getting naughty! I told you not to watch those racy videos, but you never listen. I’m full—I’ll sleep at the compound tonight!”

“Blame me? Your computer is full of that stuff! I’m alone every night—what am I supposed to watch?”

“I’m at fault! Just hang in there—patience is a virtue.”

“All right. You’re the iron-willed man, and I’m the steel-willed woman. I’d say we’re a good match!”

Watching Shen Xin scurry away, Yu Yanan heaved a deep sigh and muttered, “See you in Tiger City!”