Lighting Lanterns in the Mountains and Seas

Miao Dingyi noticed his unusual reaction and realized that Shi Chun's arrival was no surprise to him, meaning he was aware that Shi Chun had come to the Nanshan Royal City.

But it wasn't hard to understand, given Shi Chun's brazen behavior.

"In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a prisoner to a commander sitting in a dominant position, tsk tsk." Lan Qiaoyan sized him up and teased, "You all don't know how bad he smelled in the Life Prison."

Everyone laughed heartily, and Miao Yilan sincerely congratulated him, "Shi Chun, congratulations."

For someone to achieve such a spectacular transformation from his earlier status was truly surprising to her.

Shi Chun humbly replied, "Luck, sheer luck."

Then, everyone's gaze shifted towards the chick cradled by Shi Chun, and Miao Yilan found it endlessly charming as it shook its head and stared with big shiny eyes, truly adorable.

Even her mother, Lan Qiaoyan, couldn't hide the affection in her eyes.

It seemed the irresistible cuteness of this chick was hard for any normal woman to deny.

Shi Chun directly extended the little guy to Miao Yilan, smiling, "Yilan, a small gift, don't find it beneath you."

Such a cute gift made Miao Yilan's eyes light up, but she instinctively glanced at Gong Shaoci's reaction, hesitating slightly about accepting it.

Unexpectedly, the little creature, unable to find footing, protested uncomfortably, "Sister..."

The baby talk was layers of cuteness, instantly igniting the gaze of everyone present, not even Miao Dingyi and Gong Shaoci were exceptions.

Who could resist such extreme innocence? Miao Yilan immediately shed her restraint, noticed the little guy's discomfort, and quickly reached to hug it protectively, saying to Shi Chun, "Thank you."

Truth be told, this was the most heartfelt gift Shi Chun had ever given her, truly liked from the heart.

Miao Dingyi and Lan Qiaoyan were already used to it, knowing that every time Shi Chun met Miao Yilan, he would gift something, and at this rate, she'd need a separate storeroom for Shi Chun's gifts.

The chick, falling into the arms of a stranger, showed a bit of resistance and protested at Miao Yilan with a nodding head, "Sister, sister, sister..."

The adorable manner nearly melted Miao Yilan's heart, prompting her to nod and respond, "Sister is here, sister is here, be good." Saying this, she even brought her lips forward to kiss the little one's fluffy head.

Lan Qiaoyan was also overwhelmed by the cuteness, reaching out to pet the little guy.

Miao Dingyi was scrutinizing the little creature, trying to identify what kind of bird it was, growing more puzzled the more he looked.

Not only did he not recognize it, but even Qilin A San didn't know, having to wait for the little one to grow to identify it.

Seeing how much the Miao family cherished Shi Chun's gift, Gong Shaoci, who also regularly gifted Miao Yilan, felt outmatched, realizing for the first time that he was clueless about gift-giving.

Especially when he saw Shi Chun's gift nestling and squirming in Miao Yilan's ample bosom, it left him feeling more out of sorts, casting a sideways glance at Shi Chun, realizing indeed this guy was scheming to please the Miao family.

So he smiled and said, "Teaching it to call 'sister' must have cost Brother Chun a lot of time, right?"

Shi Chun quickly waved his hand, "I didn't teach it; this is just its natural call. Precisely because its call was unusual, I chose it as a gift."

His words were easily verifiable, as the little creature couldn't make any other sound.

Discovering it was a naturally sister-calling rarity, Miao Yilan hugged it even more fondly, while Lan Qiaoyan also couldn't help teasing it with her fingers, unable to hold back her laughter.

After observing for a while, Miao Dingyi spoke up, "Shi Chun, this should be some kind of Spirit Birds, right?"

"Should be." Shi Chun nodded, with an open-handed gesture, "But I don't know what kind it is; I discovered it in a nest in the Extreme Abyss, didn't see its mother, so I have no idea what it'll look like when grown. By the way, the little guy almost starved to death before; it won't eat anything else, and after trying everything, I found out it only eats meats of spirit beasts and spirit birds, feeding should be something to keep in mind."

He had realized earlier that the little one was likely something ordinary households couldn't afford to keep.

For the Miao family, naturally, there was no such concern.

Miao Dingyi acknowledged with an 'oh,' realizing it was a creature from the Extreme Abyss, knowing it must be special, growing more curious, and personally took the little one from Miao Yilan's hands, inspecting it thoroughly, prying open its beak, checking its feathers and paws, yet ultimately couldn't recognize the bird, making the little guy uncomfortable.

So Miao Yilan sympathetically took it back to comfort.

After everyone had discussed the little creature for a bit, the servants prepared the dinner banquet.

Before stepping up to dine, Miao Yilan handed the little guy to the servants, carefully instructing them to be cautious, fearing the slightest discomfort to it.

Gong Shaoci had never seen his gifts receive such attention from Miao Yilan, not even halfway, especially with Lan Qiaoyan also instructing and supplementing concerns to the servants, making him feel a sharp pang in his heart. Luckily, due to his family background, he was used to 'cultivating' in such situations, maintaining a seemingly calm and graceful smile.

Once the guests were seated for dining, Miao Dingyi broached the serious topic, "Shi Chun, I heard when you participated in the Battle of Great Pardon, as soon as you entered, the forces directed by East Victory, Nanshan, and Beiju Central Hub pursued to kill you. Do you know why? Logically, having just exited a twenty-year imprisonment, it's unlikely."

Upon this statement, Gong Shaoci's corner of the eye twitched slightly.

Shi Chun smiled wryly, "It's quite a mystery to me, though I somewhat understand why East Victory and Nanshan sent people after me; the reason was laughably ridiculous and hard to explain. As for why Nanshan sent people, I'm still investigating; Commander Ming Chaofeng might know something, and my relationship with his junior Li Hongjiu is good. I've already asked Li Hongjiu to find out. I happened to go visit Yanbao Sect while out, so I can inquire about this."

Before the Miao family, he spoke candidly; the reason Beiju pursued stemmed from Xiang Laner's man jealousy, truly hard to put into words; East Victory's reason he had roughly gathered from Young Master Nan, but he was quite puzzled why the Nanshan Team wanted to kill him from the start.

Though he was not surprised, given he had offended the Great Sect back when there were still members from Nanshan.

Upon hearing he had a way to uncover the truth, Gong Shaoci's gaze darkened, concealing his tightening lips behind his wine glass.

Then naturally the talk shifted to the matter of population introduction to Heavenly Domain, which led Shi Chun to say his intention, "Mr. Miao, since we're speaking of this, I actually have a somewhat awkward request — establishing a city requires starting anew; the existence of foundational places is a key to attracting population. Could Bowan Building help lay the groundwork on my territory?"

Miao Dingyi: "Your area is barren. Pouring resources there now would be wasteful..."

Shi Chun hurriedly said, "Mr. Miao, the thing is, if Bowan Building goes now, it can choose the best spots; whatever location you want, feel free to ask. There's definitely no problem."

Miao Dingyi smiled faintly, "For Bowan Building, there's no need to hurry; whenever Bowan Building goes, wherever it chooses to settle, where Bowan Building lands, that place becomes a prime location."

Before Shi Chun could press further, he raised his hand to stop him, "I'm responsible for Nanshan this side, while Heavenly Court's jurisdiction isn't mine, but it's not a big problem. Taking early advantage makes sense; I'll give my colleagues over at Heavenly Court a heads-up, letting them prioritize launching on your controlled territory, while pressuring those not under your control."

Such words were openly about providing assistance, even to the point of suppressing others.

Lan Qiaoyan and her daughter were both taken aback, aware there were outsiders present, yet he spoke so bluntly.

Upon hearing this, Shi Chun was filled with joy, immediately getting up to toast in gratitude.

He then reached out to Gong Shaoci for population acquisition, regardless of how much help it provides, every little bit counts.

Facing the Miao family, Gong Shaoci found it hard to refuse, merely claiming limited ability, promising to gather a population of ten thousand.

After the meal ended and guests began to leave, Miao Dingyi called Shi Chun back again, causing Gong Shaoci to choke, but he could only take his leave.

Once there was no outsider, Miao Dingyi quietly advised Shi Chun at the main entrance outside, "I couldn't say with Gong Shaoci here earlier, but Heavenly Domain has become a piece of meat; I've caught rumors that neither you nor Manxi might hold your positions stably; a change might occur in a month, best to plan ahead."