After recovering her spirits, Ning'er rejoined the group accompanied by her good companions Xiǎo Xī and Ā Jùn. However, as they passed by the stables, something strange happened again...
The horses being led by stable master Tián Jì suddenly struggled stubbornly—it looked like they... how to put it, just didn't want to go home, and wanted to keep walking with everyone instead.
"Whoa~"
The horses' calls rose one after another... The next moment, Tián Jì seemed to understand something and voluntarily released the reins, granting them freedom—though of course, only for a while, since they were royal assets after all.
"Little Qiānlǐ!"
"Níng Shuāng..."
"Little Green Bean?"
Next, the freed horses began seeking out their respective friends—Little Qiānlǐ impulsively rushed to Ā Jùn's side first, circling and pacing around him, then nuzzling his face. The horse felt he was good, sensing a kind of kinship.
As for Níng Shuāng, being a goddess-level existence among the horses, it wasn't as impetuous as Little Qiānlǐ. Instead, it approached its new friend with elegant steps, then gently nuzzled, both feeling each other's warmth—in terms of appearance and temperament combined, Níng Shuāng was absolutely among the top tier of its kind.
—Honestly, even other species, even us humans, might become infatuated after seeing it and unable to walk away.
An ancient saying goes, "Fate brings people together across a thousand miles"—Ā Jùn and his friends, though just meeting these horses for the first time, seemed closer than old friends reunited.
—Wait... something seems missing?
Indeed, one was absent... Xiǎo Xī stood to the side in confusion—where was his partner! Actually, just moments ago, while Little Qiānlǐ was still searching for Ā Jùn, Xiǎo Xī had already locked eyes with his own partner.
The scene then: Green Bean eyes and squinting eyes recognized each other from afar, their gazes connecting and exchanging silent understanding—though no one knew what they were thinking, there was indeed a touching sense of intimacy.
—At that moment, silence spoke louder than words...
This made the onlookers begin anticipating the warmth to follow—and Xiǎo Xī, influenced by the atmosphere, unconsciously looked forward to that beautiful moment belonging to him and his partner.
"Haha... it's coming, yeah—huh? Wait... hey, where are you going?"
—It's coming, really coming... Xiǎo Xī, looks like you two have quite the bond...
At that moment, Little Green Bean walked toward its partner with utmost seriousness, everyone excited and imagining what would happen next—however, to everyone's dismay, after passing the stable master, the horse glanced at the chubby boy opposite, then coldly turned its gaze away, let out a long sigh, swished its tail, and finally... went home on its own...
The situation instantly reversed—no understanding, no communication, no warmth, leaving only Xiǎo Xī standing there, defending himself while self-deprecating: "Well done! Anyway, I... I didn't like that look anyway!"
—This child really does seem a bit pitiful... If one had to find a cause for this reversal, perhaps their feelings weren't as good as imagined, and the boy was being presumptuous... Of course, there's also the possibility that Xiǎo Xī's earlier attitude toward his old partner laid solid groundwork for this plot twist.
Either way, Xiǎo Xī had to take it. This little drama amused everyone greatly, and the little princess couldn't stop laughing.
Fortunately, Xiǎo Xī's psychological resilience was no joke—in the blink of an eye, the boy had completed his self-adjustment, rallied his spirits, mixed into the crowd, and even foolishly smiled while waiting for Ā Jùn and Ning'er, wanting to experience the warmth he'd missed all those years...
"Goodbye, Little Qiānlǐ!"
"Níng Shuāng..."
"Alright, aren't you hungry... Let's go!"
After a while, Xiǎo Xī finally couldn't stay put, having been wounded earlier after all—right now, the boy just wanted to heal with delicious food. So he kept hinting to his companions still lingering... Time to eat!
—Alright, children, dinner time!
Today's lunch was relatively low-key, not at yesterday's restaurant but at the Aviation Center's grand cafeteria—after all, the Imperial City was ridiculously large, this place was worlds away from Zuìxiān Tower! At least a somersault cloud away...
Fortunately, the buffet-style communal dining suited the children's preferences—free and relaxed, yet still luxurious in the royal fashion. Those rows of specialty gold-medal Peking ducks, glistening and fragrant, grabbing a piece of crispy skin with leg meat, dipping it in sweet bean sauce, adding some cucumber and scallions, then wrapping it all in a soft spring pancake and rolling it up—then elegantly taking a bite, mmm... absolutely delicious, the fragrance lingering on lips and teeth.
—Ah! That's it, let me try... Oh, this taste is indeed amazing, sweet, crispy, tender and juicy, so satisfying! Wish she could taste this too!
Besides that, in the grand cafeteria, food and drink, snacks and fruits, main dishes and sides, everything imaginable; salty and sweet, pan-fried, stir-fried, steamed, deep-fried, boiled—children could have whatever they wanted...
The key was what? Casual dining, and no need to pay—love what you want, take what you want, all you can eat. This made Xiǎo Xī so happy, feeling a bit like Xiǎo Zìfēi-lā wú kàng lì.
The little princess's mood also improved considerably... Though the earlier incident had eased relations with that boy somewhat, the knot in her heart remained unresolved. So now, not having assigned seating naturally made the girl feel much better.
—After lunch, the children would begin their New Year journey home...
In the Guardian world, the eve of the New Year was also peak travel season. Though Suǒluò Continent's population wasn't that large, many natural areas were strictly protected with limited transportation, so it was still crowded with people and horses, except the skies remained relatively clear. After all, ground transportation benefits were best then—free travel, who wouldn't love it!
Air travel during the New Year was different though. The situation of too many monks for too little porridge kept the bustling skies as peaceful and spacious as always—that clear blue sky, leisurely white clouds, freely soaring birds... were nature's original dream.
Of course, "too many monks for too little porridge" here referred to transportation vehicles—though technology had realized humanity's vision, on Suǒluò Continent, aircraft were banned! As for why, it should relate to Guardian philosophy.
In this advanced age, they maintained traditional lifestyles, avoiding conflict with the natural environment under necessary technological support—pollution, destruction, occupation... all strictly controlled.
Of course, violations occurred, but required considerable capability—only, no matter how powerful, ultimately none escaped the vast net of heaven. Punishments were first-rate too... starting with prison meals, staying put for good reflection!
Speaking of which, the prison system's food was decent—free, large portions, food and drink, specially managed, unlimited staple foods of wine-leavened mantou and rice each meal, paired with vegetables, light and delicious.
This wine-leavened mantou made by ancient methods was prison dining's exclusive delicacy—extremely fluffy fermentation, carrying peach blossom wine's fragrance, sweet with a hint of salt, full-bodied taste, soft but not sticky, slightly elastic, making one's teeth itch just thinking about it...
Therefore, some foodies deliberately took risks just to eat this, otherwise truly couldn't get it... Look, even the Duānmù family, such catering giants, drooled over it, having to find connections to bring some—but no matter how their experts researched and imitated, that familiar taste remained unique. After all, not everyone could provide the taste of memory!
Thus, the sizable prison was packed daily, and recently becoming increasingly exaggerated, almost like famous lodging—for this, the Alliance finally had to decree: wine-leavened mantou must be limited. Anyone harboring ulterior motives would lose exclusive qualification plus fines...
Therefore, such delicacies naturally sold year-round, highly praised, constantly trending in top three, with advertising slogans—"Want wine-leavened mantou? Trust Gǔliáng family, thousand-year ancient recipe, only to cleanse the soul's negativity!"
—Well... wine-leavened mantou has such miraculous effects, should let her eat some too, then could eliminate the misunderstanding between them...
This was naturally Xiǎo Xī's favorite bread... But right now, he was pondering suggesting the little princess try some—this girl was too rebellious, really couldn't stand it, how could Ā Jùn handle it... However, even the Imperial City's imitation always seemed to lack something. What was the secret recipe?
"Xiǎo Xī, what are you muttering about alone?"
"Ah... hey, don't look at me like that, nothing, just spacing out, haha!"
"Hm?"
"Hey, Ā Jùn, Ning'er, look quick... Wow, wonderful!"
"Look at what... is that a wildebeest?"
"—Such ignorance is truly frightening... Let me tell you, they are..."
"Hey, this person... really should eat some wine-leavened mantou!"
"Hmph, what are you saying?"
"—Wait, hornless but winged... Oh, I know... Xiǎo Xī, it's Tiānjiǎo Beasts!"
"Hey! You..."
An ancient saying goes, walking a hundred steps after eating is a healthy lifestyle—so Ā Jùn and the others followed the Saint Couple's footsteps, walking and chatting... However, only Xiǎo Xī alone fell behind, looking troubled, quite unusual...
After all, for the thick-nerved chubby boy, this was too taxing, but right now he was somewhat abnormal—Ā Jùn and Ning'er looked at their companion with surprise and concern.
However, Xiǎo Xī just smiled mysteriously, then suddenly pointed forward forcefully as if discovering treasure, shouting loudly, diverting attention...
Then, a group of peculiar-looking horses galloped joyfully in a field of peculiar green grass—at that moment, Ā Jùn discovered they were actually the renowned aerial passenger vessels, Tiānjiǎo Beasts.
The wildebeests from Huànlè Forest, upon reaching adulthood, generally evolved into a new form—their forehead horns gradually disappeared, then transformed into a pair of super wings to assist flight.
Therefore, they became the royal family's exclusive air transport captains, though the number available for requisition was limited, after all those two weren't easy to provoke.
"Brother Lǜ, remember our first flight mount..."
"Mm!"
"Go look together?"
"—Wow... jelly grass, why is it here too? Ah, growing so plump and tender, smells so good—hey, what are you doing..."
"Oh my—let's go!"
...
Just as Ā Jùn responded to Xiǎo Xī's call for everyone to view the herd from afar, the chubby boy suddenly wandered forward alone, beginning to study the horses' delicacies—this child's brain really was different... What he saw versus what Ā Jùn and the others saw, the difference was simply!
Even the little princess who originally wanted to pull Yǔwén Lǜ to see the Tiānjiǎo Beasts couldn't help turning back to mock him, then satisfiedly left the group.
Of course, jelly grass growing here wasn't strange, after all the horses loved it, couldn't walk without eating some daily—but what Xiǎo Xī was calculating now still differed from Ā Jùn. Since this grass was here too, why bother with all that trouble!
So he boldly made a request to the Saint—to pick grass. Sounded reasonable, reasonable enough to be considered volunteer work, truly a good child. But wanting to take such rare treasures really wasn't praiseworthy.
The Saint looked at the Saint Consort with difficulty, could only smile awkwardly, speechless. The Saint Consort's face was stern and resistant, her eyes already expressing it clearly.
"Alright then... great, thank you uncle—ah, this grass made into seasoning would definitely be a secret ingredient!"
"Um, this, child, are you serious—or, look over there..."
"Hey, Xiǎo Xī... stop looking, any later we'll miss the New Year's Eve dinner!"
"Ah... right, can't have that. Only at New Year's Eve dinner can we eat that master chef's Reunion Eight Treasure Rice—quick, quick... let's go, bro!"
—This child's brain, how does it work... Not only peculiar but extremely jumpy!
Fortunately, regarding food's temptation to a foodie, that was definitely greater than ingredients—with Ā Jùn's sudden reminder, Xiǎo Xī instantly awakened, immediately abandoning his current obsession, choosing his true love. This also relieved the awkward, speechless Saint considerably!
At this moment, not far from the children, a cluster of retro-styled modern buildings was faintly visible—that was the Imperial City's Aviation Center, Zǐjīng Dùlíng Airport.
Unlike common perception, the transportation here wasn't steel and iron mechanical equipment, but that group Ā Jùn just saw—Tiānjiǎo Beasts.
As for the airport's scale, everyone understood—huge! Inside, besides customer service centers, there were horse stables, command stations, all configured luxuriously... But what surprised Ā Jùn most was that there were actually duty-free collection stores selling local specialties here too.
After all, though the commanderies now seemed united, they still ultimately governed separately, so details like tariffs and taxes were inevitably unavoidable. The royal family's money didn't blow in on the wind either, had to generate income!
However, for Ā Jùn, he couldn't spare attention for these current affairs... Children, why think so complicatedly, duty-free was enough.
Right now, he was thinking about souvenirs for Lán'er... and his two sisters. Additionally, he needed to buy that delicacy he'd tasted earlier and mentioned in letters—specialty Zǐjīng roast duck.
Though he couldn't directly give it to that good friend, at least his family should taste it—Ā Jùn had been sensible since childhood. Whatever good things he had, he hoped to share with his family. Even extra school snacks, he couldn't bear to eat, only saving them to bring home to share with Big Sister, Big Brother-in-law, and Little Sister, even if sometimes the items were just that small.