Qi Nian's spirits immediately lifted upon hearing they were going to the demon realm. To fulfill her role as host, she immediately sent word back, instructing all the spider spirits to prepare their most outstanding embroidered works.
Whoever's work was deemed the best would be responsible for creating the costumes for the Evergreen Sect.
Unlike the freedom in the human world, in the demon realm, everyone obeyed the leader.
Therefore, even though some spider spirits were not particularly enthusiastic about participating, as soon as Qi Nian, who was in charge, gave the order, they all began to prepare.
Qi Yu was not in a hurry. She planned to enjoy the scenery along the way as they sailed to the demon territory.
Everyone heard this and thought it was a good idea; no one was in a rush anyway.
So, to ensure everyone had a good time on this trip, Qi Nian specially procured a super-sized cargo ship.
This ship was much taller than ordinary ones and had several private rooms inside. The deck in the center was very spacious.
The captain raised the sails, preparing to set off.
After Qi Yu and the others boarded, they each went to find rooms that felt comfortable. They put down their luggage and then went to the ship's deck to prepare the food for later that evening.
"Although I'm not very hungry, in this atmosphere, drinking and eating meat while composing poetry would surely be magnificent," Ming Lou said as he spread a thick blanket on the deck and then sat on the edge, rolling around.
"As expected of a tiger, all you think about is meat. Besides eating meat, you can't think of anything else," Sui You said with a look of disdain at Ming Lou. "Haven't you noticed that ever since you recovered, you've been drinking and eating meat every day, and you've gained three or four sizes?"
His once agile body had now become fluffy and plump.
He even had flabby bits on his belly!
Sui You cleared his throat.
Although he also found Ming Lou's belly flab quite fun to pinch, and it was very stress-relieving each time, he had to admit it might be affecting his health.
"I'm not as exaggerated as you say. Besides, don't you know that fur is nourished by flesh?" Ming Lou said as he transformed back into his original form, circling the ground.
He even tried to use magic to conjure a bronze mirror to see his current physique.
Qi Yu, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, couldn't help but cover her face and reach out to rub Ming Lou's belly.
Ming Lou, who was intently studying his weight gain in the mirror, was startled when he felt someone pinch his belly. He jumped up, his fur bristling, and turned to roar.
Qi Yu held down his dog's, no, tiger's head.
Seeing that it was Qi Yu, Ming Lou breathed a sigh of relief, then flopped down softly, exposing his belly. "Qi Yu, you scared me to death. I was wondering who suddenly pinched my belly."
"No need to wonder, you must have assumed it was me, right?" Sui You sneered at Ming Lou. "I'm telling you, tigers shouldn't be too petty. Being too petty can lead to trouble."
"Trouble my foot! You bird are the one who loves pinching my belly the most!" Ming Lou spat at Sui You.
Yue Zhiyin stood in the middle, helpless and amused, acting as a peacemaker. "It's not a big deal. Sui You, don't always bully Ming Lou. Ming Lou is still young..."
Ming Lou nodded. "Winged tigers only reach adulthood after shedding their fur three times. I still have one more to go. I'm still young!"
Qi Yu's face showed surprise, and she blinked at Ming Lou in disbelief. "You're still young? You're not young anymore. How long has it been? You still haven't shed your third coat of fur?"
Ming Lou pursed his lips. "The third shedding period is determined by maturity."
In other words, Ming Lou's current mental maturity was nowhere near the standard.
"Oh, so you're still too childish," Sui You declared, sealing the verdict.
Ming Lou pounced with a roar.
Yue Zhiyin found that he couldn't stop their antics, so he simply stopped trying and sat nearby, blowing on a leaf.
The seemingly thin, ordinary leaf produced a melodious sound in his hands.
Qi Yu stood by the railing, closed her eyes, and sighed, "It sounds so nice."
But before she could finish speaking, she saw Ming Lou beside her, with a fierce expression, pouncing at Sui You.
In the end, Sui You, who had transformed back into his original form, pecked him hard on the head.
Sui You tried to peck Ming Lou's belly.
Ming Lou kicked out with all four paws, turned, and ran.
Si Qing, who had been watching the commotion for a long time, couldn't help but tease Ming Lou when he saw him being no match for Sui You and running to hide behind the eldest brother.
"Senior Ming Lou, it's no fun to hide behind the eldest brother when you can't win. Come out and bite him!"
Sui You tidied his feathers, flapped his wings, and flew high up to circle once before landing gracefully.
Ming Lou curled his lips at Si Qing. "I won't. Do you think I'm stupid? If I injured him, any bird I met from now on would peck me..."
"Are you getting too smug? Do you think you can win against me?" Sui You looked at Ming Lou with suspicion in his eyes. The wind and rain on his forehead slightly perked up, giving the impression that he was angry enough to peck Ming Lou to death.
Ming Lou quickly hid his head behind Yue Zhiyin, only his tail showing.
Sui You let out a scornful laugh. "What a coward."
He then continued to sit in his spot and watch the scenery.
Qi Yu had initially just been watching their playful squabble. When she turned her head, she noticed that Sui You hadn't transformed back after returning to his original form. Instead, he was sitting on the ship's cabin roof, watching the scenery in a round shape, which made her feel a pang of affection.
She stealthily climbed up from behind.
She squatted behind Sui You, rubbing her hands together.
Si Qing watched his childish elder sister and sighed helplessly.
Sui You had sensed Qi Yu climbing up from the moment she started, but he had remained still.
Not only did he remain still, but he even deliberately closed his eyes and pretended to be napping.
Qi Yu stealthily reached out towards Sui You.
And then...
She rubbed the back of Sui You's neck.
Sui You arched his neck, enjoying it immensely, swaying left and right. He then changed his posture and patiently instructed, "A little to the left, a little higher. A bit more pressure. Yes, yes, just like that."
Qi Yu initially thought she had been completely undetected, but upon hearing him speak, she felt deflated. She then hugged Sui You's neck. "When did you find out?"
"Sister, he found out long ago. He was just pretending, waiting for you to go and scratch him," Si Qing exposed Sui You's true intentions.
Sui You was not worried or nervous at all. Despite being exposed, he shamelessly buried his small head in Qi Yu's embrace and then spread one wing, gesturing for her to scratch it.
Qi Yu stroked Sui You's wing, which was smooth and glossy, making her heart melt with tenderness.
Sui You rested his chin on Qi Yu's lap, thoroughly enjoying himself.
The man and the bird were in perfect harmony.
Beside them, Yan Hua was stroking Chen Xi's dragon horns.
Yue Zhiyin was stroking Ming Lou's tail.
Shao Feng looked at them and finally couldn't help but twitch his lips. "Everyone, we're about to reach the demon territory. Can you please pay attention to your image? Treating your companions like pets to be petted, what kind of behavior is this!"
Chen Xi, Sui You, and Ming Lou, who were being treated like pets, all looked up and said, "...None of your business!"