Chapter 76

After purchasing the 680-yuan company registration package, Ye Chen and the divine beasts racked their brains to come up with eight company names to submit to the agent. Considering the future scope of business and the target clientele, elegant and poetic names seemed out of place. They decided to go for names that were as catchy and down-to-earth as possible, resulting in options like Kangletang, Longhu Health, Yuyoutang, and Kanglijian. However, all of these were rejected due to duplicate names.

In the end, it was Ye Chen’s haphazard suggestion, “Chenfeng Health Co., Ltd.,” that passed the review.

When Ye Chen received the progress report from the agent, he didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried.

On the bright side, “Chenfeng” sounded better than names like “Longhu Health,” but on the downside, the company name sounded overly romantic…

However, he hadn’t expected that all the other seven names would be rejected!

“Doesn’t his boyfriend’s name have a ‘Feng’ in it?” Li Li was sitting on a bench in the yard, cracking sunflower seeds, and gossiping cheerfully with the other divine beasts in his booming voice. “So he just went with ‘Chenfeng’—even naming the company couldn’t go without a nod to his boyfriend.”

“Uncle Li, you’re overthinking it,” Ye Chen fibbed without batting an eye. “This ‘Feng’ refers to ‘rising with the wind like a Roc,’ symbolizing that the company can soar high like a great bird, not Shen Mofeng’s ‘Feng.’”

“What’s the difference in spelling or pronunciation between the two Fengs then?” Li Li snapped sunflower seeds with a head full of questions.

“…” Ye Chen cleared his throat. “There’s no difference.”

“Still trying to hide it,” Li Li chuckled, turning back to gossip with the dragon cubs. “Those two are always stuck together. We’re all old and still single, and Little Ye is already with someone…”

Ye Chen interjected, “Uncle Li!”

Li Li put his thumbs together. “Like this.”

Ye Chen sighed, “Please, stop talking…”

How could someone over a thousand years old be so gossipy?!

Bi An’an and Ya Zi were relatively calm, but the other dragon cubs, who had spent decades sleeping in remote mountains and suddenly entered the modern world, found everything fresh and exciting. Their eyes were glued to the gossip, and a few of the bolder ones even egged on to see a photo of Shen Mofeng. Bi An’an, always enthusiastic, opened Shen Mofeng’s Weibo and browsed through his photo album.

“So, is he handsome or what?” Bi An’an asked, “He’s more popular than me and Chenchen combined.”

A small phone was passed from hand to hand among the eager divine beasts, each face lit with keen curiosity and smiles, enjoying their idle time.

“Hey, you all…” Ye Chen covered his face.

The dragon cubs clicked their tongues in amazement.

“It’s rare for a mortal to look like that—must be one in ten thousand. Xiao Ye has good taste.”

“Our Xiao Ye is also one in ten thousand, no worse than him.”

“Isn’t he kind of like the Phoenix before it fell? Look…yeah, that vibe, he resembles it. But the Phoenix was even more punchable.”

Huang Huang, who was attempting to build a nest on Ye Chen’s head, chirped, “Chiu?”

How did Huang Huang and Fengfeng-gege end up being punchable?

Ye Chen thought for a moment and said, “It’s because people are jealous of your beauty, so they want to punch you.”

Huang Huang used the tip of its wing to brush its head feathers. “Chiu.”

Huang Huang knew it all along.

The divine beasts continued to chatter about Shen Mofeng, and as Ye Chen listened and watched, he felt an inexplicable sense of his elders scrutinizing a future daughter-in-law. Feeling utterly embarrassed, he quickly said, “Uh, you all keep chatting. I’ll go check on the newly planted cloud pines on the mountain.”

With that, he escaped into the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Currently, the farmland within the realm had expanded several times, and with the increased scale, proper planning was essential. The expanded sections were planted according to Ye Chen’s specifications, with neat and uniform rows, each crop variety clearly delineated. Riding a divine beast and viewing from above, Ye Chen could see that after some concentrated reorganization, the crops on the ground had formed straight-edged, vividly colored rectangles: orange and yellow for countless corn stalks, bright red for chili peppers, and vibrant green for water spinach. It was a sight that would bring extreme satisfaction to anyone with obsessive tendencies.

To the east of the farmland were rows of clean and well-built Youtan wood chicken coops, and the fish in the swirling water swam freely, presenting a serene pastoral scene. Just ten meters from the time-space connection point between the Mountain and Sea Realm and the present world stood the pigpen meticulously constructed by Li Li.

The design of the pigpen was as grand and impressive as the chicken coop. It consisted of a spacious, intricately carved wooden house and a large open area enclosed by a fence, with a total area exceeding 200 square meters. About half of the open space had been modified by Li Li to maintain a permanent mud pit, allowing the pigs to roll around and play whenever they pleased. Floating in the mud pit were plastic toys, including little yellow ducks and hippos, for the pigs’ entertainment. Across from the mud pit was a feeding trough wide enough to fit two Ye Chens lying side by side. Inside the wooden house, there were pig beds specially designed with pig ergonomics in mind, said to help sows produce more piglets after a year of restful sleep. Not only that, but from the windows of the wooden pigpen, you could see the Woshu river, making it a true luxury waterfront residence.

Ye Chen suspected that Li Li’s dedication to the pigpen was because he felt a kinship with pigs. Ye Chen was even hesitant about raising pigs, worried that slaughtering them for meat might hurt Li Li’s feelings. However, Li Li had no qualms about gnawing on ribs, confidently asserting that the reason he had made the pigpen so perfect was to relax the pigs’ spirits, soothe their souls, and help them face the butcher’s knife with a smile, willingly heading to the pot.

Thus, Ye Chen decisively bought twenty piglets. After being accustomed to eating food enriched with spiritual energy, Ye Chen and the divine beasts had become picky. The pork sold on the market lacked flavor no matter how it was cooked. When a pot of braised pork with potatoes was finished, everyone fought over the tender, flavorful, spirit-filled potatoes that had soaked up the broth, while the braised pork itself drew little interest.

Ya Zi was in charge of feeding the piglets, though there was little else he needed to worry about because Ye Chen had released the two Dang Kangs stored by Jing Lingand raised them with the piglets in the pen. The Dang Kang is a rather disappointing spirit beast. According to the records of Jing Ling, its meat is dry, slightly bitter, sour, and extremely cold, causing diarrhea if consumed.

Though not tasty, the Dang Kang possessed intelligence that ranked at the top among spirit beasts. It had a certain level of wisdom and could command the pigs. Additionally, the Dang Kang’s spiritual energy had a beneficial effect on productivity. Without draining Ye Chen’s Fuxi divine power, it helped the piglets grow faster and fatter, essentially serving as the pigpen’s high-ranking supervisor.

Ye Chen entered the Mountain and Sea Realm and approached the pigpen closest to the entrance.

Inside the pigpen, twenty adolescent pigs were running laps around the pig house in a line, tail to snout. One Dang Kang boss, carrying a tree branch in its mouth like a cigar, lay on its back in the mud pit, enjoying life, while the other Dang Kang boss stood outside the line, shouting commands.

Dang Kang boss: “Huff huff! Huff huff! One two one, one two one! Move it!”

To make pork taste good, the pigs needed proper exercise, and the Dang Kangs understood this.

Ye Chen knocked on the fence, opened the gate, and beckoned to the Dang Kang.

The Dang Kang directing the pigs turned its head, “Huff?”

“Take me up the mountain,” Ye Chen ordered.

The Dang Kang trotted over and lay down in front of Ye Chen.

Ye Chen mounted the pig, patted its rump, and said, “Giddy up!”

The Dang Kang took off at full speed, carrying Ye Chen toward the top of Diao Shu Tong Mountain Cave…

Which is why Li Li had purposefully built the pigpen just ten meters from the entrance of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

As the realm’s farming area expanded, with vegetable fields, spirit wood forests, and mountains, it became increasingly exhausting for Ye Chen, an ordinary human, to travel around. Riding a bike on dirt roads was slow and bumpy. The Dang Kang ran as fast as a cheetah, with smooth, steady steps that didn’t jostle the rider, and its plump body provided a comfortable seat. It was an exceptionally cost-effective mode of transportation. Li Li had deliberately placed the pigpen by the entrance so that wherever Ye Chen needed to go, he could hop on a pig and be on his way—convenient and efficient.

As they passed by the newly expanded area of trees from the mortal world, Ye Chen gently tapped Dang Kang’s belly with his ankle and said, “Whoa—”

Dang Kang immediately came to a stop.

Ye Chen dismounted and began inspecting the growth of the trees. With more people helping now, Ye Chen had introduced many new saplings from the mortal realm. Leading the way were the ten original apple trees and ten pear trees, followed by neatly arranged rows of peach, persimmon, pomegranate, walnut, and chestnut trees—there were both fruit and nut varieties.

The trees from the mortal realm were growing well. The persimmon trees had already started bearing fruit, with branches weighed down by the heavy, orange-yellow persimmons. Ye Chen plucked two soft ones, wiped them on his sleeve, and popped one into Dang Kang’s mouth while eating the other himself. Normally, Ye Chen liked to cut open the top of a fully ripe persimmon and scoop out its juicy flesh with a small spoon, but since he had no tools on hand, he bit into the slightly astringent thick skin, using his lips to suck out the sweet, cool pulp and juice inside. The sweetness was almost overwhelming. Once he’d sucked out all the good stuff, Ye Chen split open the now shriveled persimmon and ate the chewy layer around the seeds, commonly referred to as the “little tongue.”

Leisurely finishing off the persimmon, Ye Chen noticed that Dang Kang had already reached the top of Bird-Mouse Mountain. He walked over to the edge of the Wei River, squatted down to wash his hands, and observed the growth of the Yun Pines.

The task of restoring the mountain’s ecosystem had been assigned to Bixi and Fuxi, who had started planting from the top down. Yun Pines were planted in circles along the riverbank. Most were still in the seedling stage, some even just pine cones that had yet to sprout, but four of the earliest plantings had already grown into full-fledged trees. True to their name, the branches of the Yun Pine were cloud-white, and its needles were particularly strange—appearing as soft, snowy mist rather than solid objects. Hundreds of misty white pine needles gathered on each branch, forming a cotton-like cloud that lazily rested on the limbs. If the wind blew hard, the needles would disperse and disappear, only to regrow a few days later.

From a distance, it looked as if the entire tree had been carved from a large cloud plucked from the sky.

These cloud-like pine needles were said to have a lung-clearing effect. The tiny, delicate needles could scrape away accumulated impurities, toxins, and diseased cells from the lungs. Ye Chen raised his hand and swirled a cluster of the needles, as if stirring a cloud. He could hardly feel anything on his hand, but suddenly, a fresh forest scent filled his nose. His chest instantly felt clear and refreshed, and the air he exhaled faintly carried a hint of industrial fumes. However, after a few deep breaths, the air he exhaled became just as fresh as what he was breathing in.

“It really does feel like it’s cleansing the bad stuff…” Ye Chen thought.

Dang Kang, aware that the cloud-like needles were beneficial, was frantically flaring his pig nostrils, breathing deeply.

There were farming tools at the mountaintop. Ye Chen watered and fertilized the saplings, confirmed that the divine power had been properly infused, and was thinking about planting a few more trees while he had time when his phone suddenly chimed with a WeChat notification. It was from Zhou Buchu.

Zhou Buchu: “We found Bai Ze. I’ll bring him over to you in a bit.”

Ye Chen: “Thanks, Uncle Zhou! I’ll slaughter a pig for you tonight!”

Satisfied, Zhou Buchu put away his phone.

Standing next to him was a divine beast, completely snow-white, resembling a horse but with a horn. Its eyes were ice-blue, and its long mane hung down like flowing tassels. With each step, its hooves left behind a fleeting lotus flower in its wake. Bai Ze carried an elderly man with a simple appearance on its back. Behind the old man was an old, rather worn-out… bicycle.

Zhou Buchu: “…”

Zhang Zhaoqian looked even older and more gaunt than his photos online. The differences in his hair and clothing from those photos made him even harder to recognize. Zhou Buchu had caught sight of him twice over the past few days, but Zhang Zhaoqian looked so different from the national treasure-level academician Zhou had imagined—surrounded by bodyguards, chauffeured around, and dressed impeccably. Who could have guessed that such a highly esteemed academician would live so frugally, riding an old, beat-up bicycle to work every day, without even a single bodyguard?

Zhou Buchu had seen Zhang Zhaoqian twice but hadn’t recognized him. It wasn’t until the third time, when he saw the old man standing next to Bai Ze, that he finally realized who it was.

The author has something to say:

Galloping pigs! ╰(°▽°)╯

Chen Chen: Fast, stable, and environmentally friendly! What’s wrong? What’s wrong!?

Chen Chen’s company has a name now [doge]

Chen Chen: It’s just a random name I came up with…

Shen Mofeng: He loves me.

The divine beasts are looking at Shen Ge’s photos now, hhhhhh. In the future, Chen Chen will only have to face Shen Dad and Shen Mom, and Shen Dad is just waiting for him to plant the Immortal Tree, which is super easy to deal with. But Shen Ge? Shen Ge has to face a bunch of ancient divine beasts that have lived for thousands of years, hhhhh……

Bi An An: With your lewdness, how can I trust you to take care of Chen Chen…

Li Li: If you dare to bully my little brother, I’ll knock your head off.

Zhou Bu Chu: You think you can take little Ye away without giving Uncle Zhou a huge red envelope? Uncle Zhou doesn’t agree.

Bai Ze: blabla……

Qi Lin: blabla……

All the dragon children: blabla……

Di Ting: Enough already! Teaming up to bully a child who’s almost thirty, don’t you have any shame?

Only Di Ting is Shen Ge’s family; it’s too tragic……