Seventeen fledglings chirped plaintively.

The world is vast, but nothing is greater than a meal.

First, a plate of roasted meat was served to Xuanxuan, Xiao Luo, Cui Lie, Wang Lin, Xia Kai, and the recovering Jiang Jie. Rong Xianxian immediately started cooking flatbread.

She scooped several ladles of broth and threw in two baby cabbages. There was no other choice; at home, only baby cabbages were plentiful, while the green leafy vegetables were nearly depleted. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to prepare something delicious— a clever housewife cannot cook without ingredients.

After placing the cooked rice and a large plate of roasted meat, she asked Wang Lin to deliver it to the neighbors. After lunch, the group gathered in Jiang Jie’s recovery room to analyze the battle.

“Sis, how did you manage to bring down the Big Black Bird? I didn’t even react. What kind of skill is that?” Cui Lie and Wang Lin had both been indiscriminately attacked by the Soul Calming Bell, so they were unclear about the fight’s details.

“Didn’t you notice that the Big Black Bird was already at its last gasp? Plus, the two of you were holding it down together. Well, I just had quicker reflexes, and a razor-sharp curved blade,” Rong Xianxian said, waving the weapon that looked like a baton in her hand.

They both looked skeptical but couldn’t think of any other explanation.

Jiang Jie asked, “Did you set any traps? How effective were they?”

Thinking about it, Rong Xianxian, Cui Lie, and Wang Lin felt a bit embarrassed. “We’re not in the wilderness—what kind of traps can you set on a platform? I put some anesthetic in the bait, but maybe the dose was too small for the Golden-winged Bird. After all, the dosage depends on body size, and I don’t have that much medicine at home.” Rong Xianxian was sure that Wang Lin and Cui Lie’s skills at setting traps were about the same as hers.

This was another oversight on Rong Xianxian’s part. Today’s lucky break was purely due to chance. The three birds they encountered were all large. Were there no smaller flying creatures?

“How do you know whether it worked?” Jiang Jie asked with some doubt. After all, they had won; how could they be sure it wasn’t the trap that made the difference?

“You didn’t see how brave the Golden-winged Bird was after eating the bait. It pushed the Big Black Bird back step by step, leaving it helpless to fight back,” Wang Lin said exaggeratedly.

“By the way, why did the Big Black Bird fight so desperately against the Golden-winged Bird? At first, the Golden-winged Bird only wanted to chase it away. They shouldn’t have any grudges. Yet the Big Black Bird risked its life knowing it was outmatched. It’s puzzling,” Rong Xianxian said, still trying to understand.

At that moment, Xiao Luo ran over like a gust of wind. “Mom, Mom, come quickly! There’s a little chick!”

They hurried to the storage room, where Xuanxuan held a fluffy little creature in her hands. Its tiny, sharp black beak and soft yellow down, eyes half-closed—it was clearly a newly hatched chick.

“Put it down carefully. Where did you find it?” Although the little creature seemed harmless, Rong Xianxian remained cautious.

“Under the Big Black Bird’s wing. My brother and I came looking for you and saw something moving beneath the wing. I didn’t touch the Big Black Bird; it came out on its own,” Xuanxuan said quickly, noticing Rong Xianxian’s wary expression.

Xuanxuan placed the chick on the ground. Rong Xianxian took her hand to check it over. Seeing no issues, she wiped it clean with a damp towel. The chick weakly chirped a few times before drooping onto the floor. Could the Big Black Bird’s desperate fight have been because of this chick? Parental love knows no bounds. It seemed that due to continuous rain, the chick had no food since birth and was already barely alive, forcing the Big Black Bird to take a gamble.

“Sis, here’s the meat you wanted.” Just as Rong Xianxian pondered whether to kill the chick—wondering if it might drop any treasure upon death—Xiao Luo eagerly brought over a small plate of roasted meat.

The chick on the ground seemed to catch the scent of the meat and opened its mouth. Xuanxuan hesitated, glanced at Rong Xianxian, then took the meat and tore off a tiny strip, feeding it into the chick’s open beak.

After chewing twice, it swallowed and opened its mouth again. Back and forth, before long, half the plate was gone. Just as Rong Xianxian wondered if it might overeat, the chick stopped opening its mouth, buried its head beneath its feathers, and appeared ready to sleep.

Xuanxuan and Xiao Luo excitedly circled the chick. “Mom, can I keep it?” Xuanxuan had always wanted a puppy, but Rong Xianxian had never agreed, saying that taking care of her and her brother was already exhausting enough.

“Mom, you don’t have to take care of it. I can feed it, bathe it, and look after it. I can even share my treats with it.” Afraid Rong Xianxian would refuse, Xuanxuan spoke quickly.

“When we had puppies and kittens before, we had to get them vaccinated to prevent their parasites from infecting you. Now we can’t even take this bird for shots. Aren’t you afraid it might have parasites?” Although it was a newborn chick, wild animals usually carried parasites, especially since this species wasn’t native to Earth. Rong Xianxian hesitated.

“I can give it baths, and that’ll get rid of the parasites,” Xuanxuan insisted.

Could they keep it? In her past life, she hadn’t even raised children well, let alone pets. But she recalled that in the Safe Zone of Heavy Water Town, there was a section about spiritual beasts. Could that mean creatures like this?

Maybe they could try raising it. Killing such a harmless little creature felt cruel. Who knows, maybe when it grew up, it could become a flying mount. Given the Big Black Bird’s size, it could surely carry a rider.

Still, hopes shouldn’t be too high. Who knew how long this species took to mature? If growth was slow, it would just be a pet.

“You can feed it, but don’t get close. No touching or bathing for now. Keep it in the birdcage on the balcony.” Even though Xuanxuan had practiced the Light Body Technique and eaten meat from creatures imbued with spiritual energy, and the air was thick with spiritual energy that improved the children’s physical constitution, Rong Xianxian didn’t want them to recklessly interact with the unknown.

“When can I touch it?” Xuanxuan pouted.

Is raising a pet only for cuddling?

“I’ll teach you a cultivation technique. Once you master it, you can approach it.” Since Xuanxuan could already recognize most of the main acupuncture points, Rong Xianxian thought she could start teaching her.

“Let’s start right now! I want to learn!” Xuanxuan exclaimed excitedly.

“No rush. First, let’s give the chick a name.” Rong Xianxian looked at the little creature curled into a ball, uncertain if they could tame it. In her past life, she had struggled to survive without ever raising a spiritual beast and had no experience, so she could only treat it like a pet.

“‘Ao Ao Dai Hu’—that means ‘crying for food.’ That’s exactly how it looks now. Let’s call it Ao Ao from now on!”

“Ao Ao sounds great. Mom, I’ll make a nest for Ao Ao in the cage.” Xuanxuan dashed to the balcony to get the cage.

Cui Lie took Xiao Luo to the training room to practice martial arts. Wang Lin, feeling uneasy, asked, “Do you think something like that can survive?”

The world is vast, but nothing is greater than a meal.