He twisted his ears. 'Tough!' He bent his fingers and flicked them back and forth for a long time. 'Is this still an ear?'
He stroked its mane. It was as smooth and silky as silk. Thankfully, it didn't feel like steel!
'Hoof!' Miao Yi squatted down and carefully examined it. Faint patterns could be seen on its shiny black hooves, giving off a mysterious feeling. He couldn't tell what they looked like. As he tilted his head to the left and right, he could clearly see the strange luster of the patterns under the refraction of light. It gave off the feeling that Charcoal's hooves were treading on clouds.
Miao Yi was a little speechless as he looked at Charcoal's abdomen, which was rising and falling as it breathed. He had to invoke his arts to find the slightest bit of elasticity, yet Charcoal could breathe as he pleased.
Just how strong did his nerves have to be to be able to move his iron-like body so freely?! Miao Yi wondered if Charcoal would still be able to run after waking up. Just how many cores did Charcoal eat to turn himself into this state …
Qian'Er and Xue'Er walked together on the stone bridge that connected to the isolated island. They didn't seem any different from usual, but the excitement in their eyes was obvious. As soon as they crossed the bridge and entered the forest on the isolated island, the two of them couldn't wait any longer. They lifted their skirts and ran into the courtyard on the island.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Miao Yi squatting in front of Charcoal, observing them. Miao Yi turned around at the sound and saw the two of them smiling as he stood up.
It had been so many years since they last met, and they had always kept in touch through letters.
The two of them walked to the bottom of the stairs and bowed excitedly. "Milord!"
"No need for such formalities!" Miao Yi reached out to help them up, then carefully examined the two of them. Even after so many years, the two of them had changed somewhat. Their temperament and charm had matured, and they no longer had the demeanor of a little girl who had to rely on him. Their eyes had also become more mature. It seemed like their years as Raincloud Manor's Patriarch hadn't been for nothing after all.
Miao Yi walked up the stairs with his hands behind his back, then turned around to examine the two of them, causing them to feel a little embarrassed. He returned to face them. He smiled and said, "Qian'Er, Xue'Er. You've grown even prettier."
"Milord, you're still as graceful as ever!" The two of them returned his greeting. Their words and actions had become more reserved, and they could be described as steady. He had the reserved aura of a superior.
Miao Yi opened his arms to the two of them, and the two girls shyly embraced him from both sides. They were filled with longing, worry, and worry, but at this moment, they all transformed into a sense of contentment.
While Miao Yi was caressing their backs, Yao Ruoxian's cold snort could be heard coming from the tightly shut hall. "You think I don't exist? Don't talk about love in front of my house! "
The two girls were startled. Only then did they remember that there was someone else in the room. Their faces flushed red as they quickly retreated from Miao Yi's embrace.
Miao Yi gave the two of them a look, and they immediately understood. They were all too familiar with that look. Together, they climbed up the steps and pushed open the door to the hall.
Yao Ruoxian was sitting cross-legged on a horizontal couch. Qian 'Er stepped forward and reminded him, "Father! My lord is back. "
"So what if you're back …" He opened his eyes wide and saw that Miao Yi had already walked in with his hands behind his back without permission. He immediately shouted, "Who allowed you to come in?"
Miao Yi raised his hand and tossed. A sparkling and translucent crystal ball flew towards Yao Ruoxian, and the temperature in the room instantly dropped by quite a bit.
Yao Ruoxian caught it and held it in his palm. It was even slightly bigger than a person's head! His eyes instantly lit up, "Ice Soul! Where did you get such a big Ice Soul from? "
"I got it from the Antarctic Ice Palace," Miao Yi casually replied, then walked up to him with a smile, "It's pretty good, isn't it?"
"Not bad, not bad!" Yao Ruoxian nodded repeatedly. It had always been like this. Now that there was something he was interested in, he immediately forgot about his displeasure towards Miao Yi, "Kid, weren't you in Flowing Clouds Dune Sea? Why did you go to the Antarctic Ice Palace? These two places are so far apart. "
"It's not like there's a rule that I can only stay in Flowing Clouds Dune Sea and not go anywhere, is there? I've been following people around to many places these past few years, and I've learned quite a lot."
"Kid, why are you always so lucky? You'll always find something good when you go out. Looks like you'll have to go out more often in the future. I'll leave this place to the two girls. "
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Qian'Er and Xue'Er staring at him coldly. Yao Ruoxian chuckled dryly. He knew that the two girls missed their man a lot. If he were to tell this kid to leave as soon as he came back, it would be a taboo for the two girls. He might just end up being hated by them.
"Old monster, refine this Ice Soul into another transcendent artifact for me!"
"Eh! Isn't this the present you gave me? "Yao Ruoxian immediately put the Ice Soul away.
"This thing should be a good formation core for a transcendent artifact. Refine it into something similar to the Blazing Qilin Spear."
Yao Ruoxian snorted and sneered.
Miao Yi couldn't be bothered to argue with him. He didn't have the time. If he wanted something, he could just ask Qian'Er and Xue'Er to deal with him later. He raised his head to look at the roof beam, and his eyes were instantly filled with shock.
'Oh my!' The group of praying mantises on the roof beam had already shrunk to the size of dogs. The larger they grew, the more ferocious their faces became. Their bodies were covered with strange metallic patterns, and there were a total of seventy of them on top of the roof beam. Because of their large size, it was a frightening sight to behold.
Yao Ruoxian had already discovered a way to control these things. He knew that these praying mantises couldn't leave Miao Yi's side for too long when they were awake, so he fed them with Cores. As soon as the tiny praying mantises woke up, he fed them Cores, and they quickly went back to refining the Cores.
Miao Yi waved his hand and summoned the fifteen tiny praying mantises he'd brought with him. Each of them was only the size of two fists, and they buzzed around. Compared to the ones on the roof beam, they paled in comparison. They were hatched from the same batch, but there was already such a huge difference.
Yao Ruoxian's eyes widened. He let out a strange cry and jumped down. He pointed at Miao Yi and angrily asked, "How did you raise them?"
Miao Yi was a little embarrassed. He didn't spend any effort to care for them. He only brought them with him when he needed to use them. So the tiny praying mantises came back the same way they were when he brought them away. They hadn't changed at all after so many years. He laughed dryly and ordered the fifteen tiny praying mantises to hang on Yao Ruoxian's body. "Uhh, old monster, I'll leave them to you."
Yao Ruoxian was burning with rage. However, he quickly thought of something and chuckled, "We're all one family. Let's not talk like that. I'll take care of such a small matter for you. But raising these things costs a lot, not to mention raising so many of them at once. You must've made a fortune this time. You should fork out some money. "
Miao Yi's face darkened. "Don't tell me you've already spent all the things I gave you last time."
Yao Ruoxian laughed dryly. "I've indeed spent all of them. One Charcoal and seventy praying mantises. The expenses are too high."
"Are you kidding me? A First Grade Core is worth a hundred low-grade Orbs of Will. I gave you a total of five hundred thousand First Grade Cores, which is worth more than fifty million low-grade Orbs of Will. I even left you three hundred sets of Second Grade Armor Artifacts worth more than sixty million low-grade Orbs of Will. That's not even counting the miscellaneous stuff. Before I left, I left you something worth more than a hundred million low-grade Orbs of Will. You've already spent it all? "
"I've really spent it all. I'm not kidding. If you don't believe me, you can ask the two girls."
Miao Yi quickly turned to look at the two girls. They nodded. Qian'Er said, "I haven't spent it all, but it won't last long. Charcoal now consumes two Second Grade Cores every month. The seventy praying mantises also consume eight each month. Every month, they spend as much as a hundred thousand low-grade Orbs of Will on them. That's one million and two hundred thousand per year. And this is only the current trend. Judging from the rate at which they're being consumed, if we keep raising them, it will definitely be more than this. "
'More than this?' Miao Yi was already shocked. Based on the current rate of consumption, it would cost one hundred and twenty million in a hundred years. How much would it cost if it continued to increase? It wasn't like he was a bottomless pit. He couldn't provide for these creatures to consume endlessly.
Miao Yi sucked in a breath of cold air. He knew that it would cost money to raise these things, but he never imagined that it would cost so much!
"From now on, stop feeding the Cores!" Miao Yi said solemnly, "I'm done. I can't afford to raise them anymore!"
"You're not raising them anymore?" Yao Ruoxian chuckled. He waved his hand and pointed at the snoring area outside the door, then pointed at the ones lying on the roof beams. "Kid, you haven't seen how terrifying these things are now. You can look forward to their future! Any one of them would be treated as a treasure by others. If you see how powerful these guys are, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear to not raise them. "
Miao Yi was a little confused. He turned to look at the two girls.
Xue'Er nodded. She pointed at the roof beams and said, "Milord, these praying mantises are indeed terrifying. They have sharp teeth and can cut through metal like it's mud. Their bodies are almost impervious to weapons, and they can fly at an incredible speed. My sister and I have tried it before. We are no match for any one of them. Most importantly, they are very difficult to kill. We had to use a Second Grade transcendent artifact to have a chance of breaking through their carapace defense. "
Miao Yi was shocked. These two girls had broken through to Blue Lotus First Grade. They had told him about the good news through their transmissions. A Blue Lotus First Grade cultivator couldn't even defeat a praying mantis?
Yao Ruoxian smiled proudly and said, "This is because you have been gone for too long. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to control them, so I didn't dare to let them stay awake for too long. I could only feed them Cores so that they can maintain a state of refining Cores. This way, they won't have the time to devour crystal coins to extract the things they need to grow. Otherwise, their carapaces would be even more resilient. I'm afraid that even a Second Grade transcendent artifact wouldn't be able to break through their carapace defense. I reckon that cultivators below the Red Lotus realm won't be able to kill them. "
Miao Yi was skeptical of his words. He turned to look at the two girls again.
The two girls nodded. Qian'Er replied, "Milord, what Father said should be true. We have observed them carefully. It's very likely that what Father said is true."
Miao Yi raised his head in disbelief and looked at the savage creatures lying quietly on the roof beams.
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