Chapter 38: I’ve Attracted the Little City Lord’s Attention for You, No Need to Thank Me

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: I’ve Attracted the Little City Lord’s Attention for You, No Need to Thank Me

The City Lord Mansion occupied an entire building. The two hundred-meter-tall high-rise had only twenty floors, and its interior was incredibly luxurious, built to simulate a natural environment.

There were only three masters living within: the City Lord, the Lady of the City, and the recently returned Little City Lord.

The estate was vast.

Aside from the formal breakfast and dinner where the family would gather to eat, the Green Bull Clan had enormous appetites, so they all ate separately at other times.

Bai Dan received the roasted meat and stewed meat with pickled cabbage that Bai Sha had brought back, and took them to the Little City Lord’s floor.

She and Bai Qi were kitchen helpers in the Little City Lord’s personal kitchen.

There were five sub-females in the kitchen. The one in charge of purchasing, a position from which one could skim some coins, was the head cook’s sister. The one stoking the stove, a role that allowed one to learn the craft up close, was the head cook’s daughter.

Because of this, of the two newcomers, Bai Dan and Bai Qi, Bai Qi was assigned the position of a server. Her job was simply to place the finished food on a large platter and deliver it to the Little City Lord’s Maid sub-female.

She and Bai Dan had long since made a plan: they would use this opportunity to serve the food to mix in the two dishes they had bought from Feng Si’s stall and bring them up.

The two watched as the day’s lunch was carried away, then waited with anxious hearts.

In a vast, meticulously manicured courtyard of green grass, the Little City Lord, Niu Dou, put away his long Bone Spear after his morning exercises. Wiping the heavy sweat from his forehead, he strode toward the house, and a kneeling, rabbit-eared sub-female Maid immediately offered him a clean, soft towel. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The eaves blocked the sunlight, leaving the house’s interior cool and refreshing. Niu Dou walked past the Maid without a glance, continuing straight ahead. Inside the open-air room was a small, crystal-clear pool about the size of a swimming pool.

The mottled shadows of leaves danced upon the water’s surface. Niu Dou set down his Bone Spear, walked to the edge of the pool, and sat, letting out a sigh of comfort.

’It’s good to be home.’

A large tree with lush green leaves grew by the water, its spreading branches providing the pool with shade.

Niu Dou closed his eyes to rest. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he snapped his eyes open and looked toward the doorway.

The rabbit-eared sub-female guarding the doorway shrank back behind the door in fear.

The wind bent the tall grass of the lawn to one side. A black and white goat leaped nimbly over the wall, landing lightly on the grass. At the sight of its massive, fierce body and curved, sharp horns, the rabbit-eared sub-female felt as if she couldn’t breathe.

Niu Dou did not look pleased to see his subordinate vice-captain, Yang Junran, who had opted to climb the wall and jump in rather than use the door.

His arm rested casually, the bronze muscles of his shoulders and biceps bulging. He called to the Maid outside, "I’m hungry. Bring over the roasted meat that was prepared."

"Yes, Little City Lord." The rabbit-eared sub-female lowered her head and immediately fled.

Behind the fleeing sub-female, the behemoth on the lawn transformed into a naked, burly man. Since no one else was around, Yang Junran shamelessly walked to the edge of the pool, sat down, looked at Niu Dou, and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Sigh. I don’t care who is ultimately crowned the New Beast King, but postponing the banquet for adult females? That’s going too far!"

Yang Junran scratched his head in frustration, sharing this shocking news—a bolt from the blue that he had learned upon returning to the city—and all its associated stress with his good captain, Niu Dou.

A vein throbbed on Niu Dou’s forehead. He stretched out a leg and kicked at Yang Junran, who was trying to sit closer. "Don’t forget whose subordinate you are! ’Don’t care my ass!’"

"The Young Master hasn’t summoned us. He must have a plan; it’s not our place to worry." Yang Junran moved a little further away, grabbed the towel from the poolside, and wrapped it around his lower half.

’A sub-female will be here soon. They don’t get to see his body for free.’

Yang Junran glanced at Niu Dou.

’They were both single male beasts. They had endured several years on a brutal battlefield together. Only they knew for sure whether their Spiritual Domains were on the verge of collapse.’

’He desperately needed the soothing presence of a female, now!!’

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I earned my military honors by chopping off the heads of so many Northern Barbarian Beastmen. I was hoping to use this chance to go to Pantian City and get a date with an Intermediate Female at the very least!"

"An Intermediate Female?" Niu Dou thought of his mother’s expenses and shook his head. "I’m afraid the coins you have won’t be enough."

"Two million coins isn’t enough?" Yang Junran asked dismissively, tying the towel in a tight knot around his waist.

’This Niu Dou fellow might look honest with his big, simple eyes, but I didn’t think he was so rotten on the inside.’

’Females were rare, and high-ranking ones were even rarer. You could fight tooth and nail for one and still not win her favor.’

’And now, Niu Dou was subtly putting up barriers with his words, trying to make him give up on finding an Intermediate Female in Pantian City?’

Just then, two Earless Sub-females arrived carrying a dining table. On it was a large platter of tender, sliced meat piled high on a bed of green vegetables. Next to it, two palm-sized white plates holding just a few slices of meat looked utterly ridiculous.

Niu Dou’s expression darkened.

Seeing Niu Dou’s displeased face, Yang Junran glanced at the table and understood at once. ’How dare they serve food that isn’t fresh? Don’t they know the Little City Lord has high standards for what he eats?’

The rabbit-eared sub-female placed the table by the edge of the pool and said timidly, "This is the food the kitchen just prepared..."

’This is all the fault of the sub-females in the kitchen.’ The rabbit-eared sub-female saw her young master’s foul expression, and his glare alone made her legs so weak she could barely stand. ’I absolutely cannot let the young master blame this on me.’

"D-do you wish for me to have them bring new food, Young Master? I will be sure to convey your dissatisfaction to the cooks." ’The Young Master shows no mercy when he kills sub-females. It’s terrifying.’ The rabbit-eared sub-female’s eyes were red. She quickly knelt, not even daring to wipe away her tears.

"You—" ’How audacious! You dare to fob me off like this? I’ll have all your heads chopped off and fed to the Thick-horned Beasts!’

Niu Dou’s face was grim. He was just about to give an order to the men stationed outside the stairway when, suddenly, a peculiar, meaty aroma wafted into his nose.

The words caught in his throat.

Even Yang Junran, who was beside him, sat up straight, tilted his head back, and began sniffing the air intently.

"You’ve done well with the food today. A reward of one hundred coins for each of you," Niu Dou declared with a wave of his hand, his expression still stern.

"What is that? It smells amazing! The scent alone is making me hungry. Let me have a taste." Yang Junran reached out a hand, but it came back empty.

Niu Dou was faster, snatching the two miniature plates away. "No. If you want to eat, go home."

Yang Junran protested, "I’ve followed you into battle for years, and you’d begrudge me a single bite of meat?"

Niu Dou paid him no mind. He tilted his head back, opened his mouth wide, and dumped the entire contents of the plate in. He closed his eyes in enjoyment as he chewed slowly. He had to admit, for a dish that looked "stale," once cooked with meat, it was a delicacy he had never tasted before.

’There’s just too little of it.’

’He’d only had one mouthful, and it was already gone.’

"That little bit of meat isn’t even enough to fill the gaps between your teeth! Why don’t you have them make more so we can both eat our fill!" Yang Junran said from the side, practically drooling as he smacked his lips.

’As expected of my vice-captain. His words spoke directly to my heart.’

Chewing on the last piece of pickled cabbage, he turned to the sub-female kneeling by the pool. "Take all this meat away and replace it with the kind that was on the small plates. And bring it quickly."