At sixteen, he became a fisherman once more.

After the three of them slunk down from the rooftop, Rong Xianxian quickly closed the window she had opened for ventilation in the living room and drew the curtains. She glanced into the kitchen; the aroma of roasting meat had not yet wafted out—it would take a little longer.

This batch of roasted meat wouldn’t be enough for so many people. She planned to start cooking a big pot of pancakes next. With more people around, even a large pot wouldn’t suffice. Meat was the priority, so she intended to reserve more of the roast for themselves; after all, insiders deserved better treatment.

However, to avoid stirring up conflict too early, she needed to coordinate with Wang Lin and the others to keep a consistent story and not reveal anything prematurely. Just as she was about to light the fire, Wang Lin came rushing over excitedly, shouting, “Sister, they’re fighting!”

Rong Xianxian was bewildered. “What fight? Who’s fighting whom?” Seeing Wang Lin’s eager expression, she felt a bit lost.

“The two monsters are fighting! Hurry, let’s see if we can take advantage,” Wang Lin said as he dashed upstairs. From the eighteenth floor down was a slide, modified for Xuanxuan’s play. The stairs from the seventeenth to eighteenth floor were narrow and steep, and from the eighteenth floor to the rooftop was a straight, hanging ladder, about a meter above the ground to prevent children from climbing onto the roof. But for adults, the ladder was quite convenient.

Wang Lin and Cui Lie squeezed onto the ladder, peering through the slanted glass skylight.

“Big Black, bite it! Come on, get up!” Wang Lin clenched his fists, cheering on the black bird, almost ready to climb up and help himself.

Rong Xianxian tugged at Cui Lie, who was engrossed in watching. When he turned to her, he didn’t come down but nudged Wang Lin instead. The two slid sideways, making room for her between them.

She sighed and climbed up. The ladder was narrow, and the three of them crowded together. If not for the two men pressing closely against the walls, she would have suspected they were trying to take advantage.

No time for awkwardness. From here, they had a clear view of the fierce battle outside, blood splattered everywhere, two passionate and fiery giant birds locked in combat. The golden-winged bird had arrived earlier and had already eaten nearly half of the wolf monster’s flesh. The black bird, eyeing the remaining half, was visibly enraged.

It seemed the two monsters had been fighting for some time, feathers strewn all over the ground.

No wonder Wang Lin was anxious earlier. Judging by the situation, the black bird was clearly losing, completely overwhelmed by the golden-winged bird.

“Caw!” The black bird let out a coarse cry, refusing to give up as it launched another attack on the golden-winged bird trying to snatch the meat.

The golden-winged bird was thoroughly provoked. If it weren’t so focused on guarding the meat and avoiding unnecessary conflict, that ugly creature would have been taken down long ago.

Rong Xianxian seemed to perceive the contempt and anger in the golden-winged bird’s eyes.

The golden-winged bird was about to unleash a powerful move—how would the black bird respond?

“Pft!” The golden-winged bird opened its beak and released an invisible gust of air aimed directly at the black bird’s head. The black bird leapt diagonally upward, lightning-fast, dodging the attack. Simultaneously, a black feather shot like an arrow toward the golden-winged bird’s neck.

“Clang!” The golden-winged bird, having narrowly dodged, inadvertently struck something with its attack, which then hit the glass window they were peeking through. Fortunately, the glass was reinforced tempered glass with laminated layers, very sturdy. Only a few tiny cracks appeared, with no shards flying. Otherwise, their eyes would have been in serious danger.

Startled, the three of them recoiled, exchanging uneasy glances.

Wang Lin whispered, “Did you see if the golden-winged bird was hit?”

Surprised at the black bird’s skill and incredible speed, and the perfect timing of the strike, they realized the black feather was no ordinary plume and must be very important to the black bird. Using it likely had a significant impact on it.

If the golden-winged bird had dodged, the black bird would have been finished.

Rong Xianxian cautiously peeked again.

“Chirp!” The sharp, sorrowful cry, tinged with anger, unwillingness, and a hint of bluffing, came from the golden-winged bird.

“It hit,” they exchanged looks. Wang Lin reached to open the window, but Rong Xianxian stopped him.

“Don’t underestimate the black bird’s strength. Let’s go out the safety door.” The three armed themselves and climbed back onto the rooftop.

On the rooftop, the golden-winged bird lay dead, a black feather still embedded in the center of its neck. Facing the safety door, its body lay motionless with a glowing orb floating above it.

The black bird wasn’t in great shape either, wings folded and head bowed, resting nearby.

Rong Xianxian was considering how to proceed when Wang Lin suddenly raised his wolf tooth club and swung it toward the big bird’s head.

“Clang!” The club struck the hard concrete rooftop with such force that it cracked the surface, creating a hole. Wang Lin stumbled backward from the recoil, nearly dropping his weapon.

The big black bird dodged Wang Lin’s blow, turned, spread its wings low, and lunged with sharp, gleaming talons aimed at Wang Lin’s head. Had it connected, Wang Lin’s head would have been riddled with claw marks.

Rong Xianxian swung her curved blade straight for the black bird’s eyes.

At the same time, Cui Lie lifted his wolf tooth club and struck the bird’s wing from behind.

“Ding-ling-ling,” Rong Xianxian didn’t dare slacken, swinging her blade while activating the Soul-Calming Bell tied as a hair ornament.

The curved blade was long and narrow, piercing the eyes straight through. The black bird emitted a short, deep cry before collapsing heavily to the ground.

Wang Lin and Cui Lie, seemingly affected by the Soul-Calming Bell’s power, had just recovered their senses and looked at Rong Xianxian with a strange expression, seeing her take down the big black bird with a single stroke.

Rong Xianxian nervously watched the direction where the black bird fell. From its body, a gentle glow slowly detached, expanding into the shape of a weapon.

Excited, she grabbed the light orb—it was a large broadsword over half a meter long. Wang Lin had already claimed another orb, which turned out to be a small, delicate red bow with three red arrows.

Seeing the red bow in his hands, which looked like a child’s toy, Rong Xianxian’s heart raced.

Another rare treasure! No time to examine it closely, she called the other two to gather the spoils, including the bird carcasses and remaining bait.

Together, they dragged the golden-winged bird and black crow bird monsters to the storage room next to the ice room piled high with ice blocks.

After tossing the carcasses inside, the three examined their newfound treasures.

“The classic case of the clam and the snipe fighting while the fisherman benefits. Being the fisherman feels fantastic!” Wang Lin hugged the broadsword, utterly enchanted.

“This bow is so small yet quite heavy. Looks like it’s meant for women and children. Even I struggle to draw it; the design seems a bit flawed,” Cui Lie said, struggling with the bowstring.

Seeing his puzzled expression, Rong Xianxian felt a secret joy—it was as if this weapon was tailor-made for Xiao Luo. She called out to the study, “Xuanxuan, Xiao Luo.”

Xiao Luo came running happily, eager to boast, “Mom, sister is teaching me to recognize words.”

Xuanxuan pouted, unwilling to let him off, “Mom, Xiao Luo just ran upstairs to watch you guys fight the monsters.”

Xiao Luo turned, aggrieved, “Sister, you said tattling is wrong.”

Rong Xianxian was exasperated. She quickly took the bow from Cui Lie and motioned for Xiao Luo to try drawing it.

After a simple demonstration from Cui Lie on how to hold the bow, Xiao Luo gripped the bow with one hand and pulled the string with the other. Although the bow was still a bit large for his height and arm length, Cui Lie’s eyes widened in surprise after seeing Xiao Luo try it himself.

“My son was naturally strong, but he’s too small to practice Qi cultivation. I was wondering if you could find time to teach him martial arts,” Rong Xianxian tentatively asked Cui Lie.

“Of course!” Cui Lie’s eyes shone warmly as he looked at Xiao Luo, agreeing without hesitation.

“As for these two spoils, I’ll take the bow. The sword and any weapons we find next time can be yours, okay?” Rong Xianxian proposed.

“We didn’t contribute much, so no need to split the loot. It was agreed you’d pick first and then distribute based on merit. We can talk about it next time,” Cui Lie waved off the suggestion.

“How could you say you didn’t help? Without you two giving me courage, I wouldn’t have dared to go up to the rooftop alone,” Wang Lin said. He seemed quite fond of the sword and nudged Cui Lie, “We’re all on the same side, no need to be polite. Next time, if we get something that Sister Rong likes, we’ll give it to her.”

Cui Lie smiled and said nothing further, tacitly agreeing.

The aroma of roasted meat drifted from the kitchen. Xiao Luo rubbed his belly, “Mom, I’m hungry.”