Chapter 249: New Year's Eve at the Heart of Wood, Illuminating the New Catalog

Chapter 249: New Year's Eve at the Heart of Wood, Illuminating the New Catalog

"Son, Happy New Year!"

Early in the morning, Su Ping answered the phone in a daze, and Su Anyong's voice came through the receiver.

"Yeah, Happy New Year."

Su Ping mumbled sleepily in response.

"Your dad is wishing you a Happy New Year! Hurry up and get up!"

Su Anyong's voice suddenly boomed from the other end of the phone.

Su Ping's drowsiness instantly vanished.

"You little brat, I've been waiting all morning for you to wish me a Happy New Year, and you let me call you instead?"

Su Ping was slightly annoyed and yawned before replying into the phone:

"Su Anyong, I know you feel bad, and you're feeling guilty because you can't come back for the New Year this year. But first of all, the New Year's greetings are after the New Year's Eve, and it only starts tomorrow on the first day of the New Year and the following days.

Secondly, I'm not blaming you for not being able to come back this year. Can't I just have a good sleep?"

Su Anyong was stunned by Su Ping's words, but this stinky brat was right.

He spat:

"Are you my dad, or am I your dad? I'm just reminding you not to forget to light a stick of incense for your grandpa and mom's memorial tablet after midnight tonight."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Is that all?"

"That's it. Damn it, I shouldn't have called you."

The call ended, and Su Ping looked disdainfully at the contact name of Su Anyong on the other end.

If you feel guilty, just say so. Why bring up all these irrelevant things?

However, after being woken up by Su Anyong's call, Su Ping no longer felt sleepy.

It was the eve of the New Year, and although it was the first time he was spending the New Year alone at home, it seemed that Su Anyong's presence or absence didn't really make a difference compared to previous years.

Perhaps this year would be even more lively?

He suddenly stood up and stretched lazily.

After getting dressed and washing up, Su Ping finally arrived in his living room.

The living room was already empty.

Even the entire Heart of Wood, the entire base of the Heart of All Spirits, was devoid of anyone except for Su Ping.

All the employees had already gone on vacation.

This included Li Shu, Old Guan, and Guan Lilili.

Although they didn't want to leave, Su Ping had chased them away.

If they didn't leave, how could he carry out his New Year's plans?

Moreover, on the eve of the New Year, every family wanted to gather together.

Su Ping sighed and soon, in the empty living room, the first figure appeared.

"Old Sha!"

"Woof!"

Old Sha, who had received Su Ping's order earlier, perked up his ears.

"Pass on the message, all the companion beasts of the Heart of All Spirits, gather at the Heart of Wood for task assignments! Today is the New Year, and it's a celebration and a memorable occasion for me and these little guys!"

"Woof!"

Old Sha agreed and quickly ran out of the Heart of Wood.

He began to convey Su Ping's orders.

Meanwhile, Su Ping started his preparations.

The most important task, without a doubt, was to put up the couplets.

However, during this busy period, Su Ping hadn't had time to buy any couplets, and although Guan Qianshan had purchased some, Su Ping didn't plan to use them.

This was Su Ping's first time spending the New Year alone, and it was also the year he became a Beastmaster.

The significance of this was extraordinary, so Su Ping waved his hand and decided to write the couplets himself!

Two pieces of red paper were neatly cut by the paper man Qianyi, who was skilled in this art.

The two little guys stood by, eagerly anticipating Su Ping's actions.

Fatty spun around, providing Su Ping with a search for other couplets to compare and appreciate.

Su Ping hummed and prepared himself for this task.

As he was about to dip the brush in ink, he paused and stood still for a moment.

Ordinary couplets seemed a bit boring.

Although these were just for good luck and tradition, Su Ping had never been one to follow conventions blindly.

So, with the brush in his mouth, Su Ping began to think.

Then, he remembered the mysterious Fire Phoenix's voice from before.

The phrase 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to Phoenix' was spoken in Ancient Serpent Script, allowing it to be directly perceived by spiritual senses.

Such couplets would fit Su Ping's idea!

Without further ado, he began writing in Ancient Serpent Script, which was tedious, but after studying the Five Elements Chronicle during this period, Su Ping had improved his understanding of the script.

This was a special script infused with psychic energy at the tip of the brush.

It was also a manifestation of psychic power.

However, Su Ping only vaguely knew the script from the Chronicle, so he had to search for the right words from thousands of characters.

After slightly adjusting the wording (glancing at Fatty's prompt), Su Ping began writing.

The ink-dipped brush moved, and Su Ping's psychic energy, not overwhelming but rather pure, slowly wrote on the red paper.

'Four Seasons, Howling Celestial Wolf'

He wrote it in one go.

The seven characters directly consumed half of Su Ping's psychic energy.

The difficulty of writing in Ancient Serpent Script was evident.

However, this task required momentum, so Su Ping didn't waste time and continued to stimulate his psychic energy, writing the bottom couplet on another piece of red paper:

'Nine Provinces, Divine Dragon Soars'

It was somewhat neat, and Su Ping proudly turned to Qianyi beside him: "How's that?"

"Woof?"

Qianyi: [_?]



Then, the little guy's 2D face suddenly changed:

【？？？？？？】

Su Ping looked disdainfully at this little thing.

Just a paper man who couldn't read.

How could he understand Su Ping's calligraphy and literary prowess?

Although he had borrowed a little from the internet,

it didn't diminish the talent and demeanor of Su Ping, the Beastmaster.

Extremely satisfied, Su Ping nodded and waved to Xiao Qing on the side:

"Come, follow me to put up the couplets!"

"Woof!"

"Woof!"

Rarely riding on Xiao Qing, they arrived at the entrance of the Heart of All Spirits. Qianyi spat out two mouthfuls of paper paste onto both sides of the gate.

Su Ping then neatly pasted the couplets on both sides of the gate.

Although they looked like gibberish at first glance,

if anyone questioned them, Su Ping could tell them that the couplets were written in Ancient Serpent Script, which was of high caliber.

Thinking of this, Su Ping smiled and nodded in satisfaction.

After confirming everything was secure, Su Ping returned to the Heart of Wood with the two little guys, feeling content.

At this moment, both of the little ones had reached the tenth stage of the Elite rank.

During this period, Qing Xiao had been diligently cultivating with both Wood and Poison resources, and her progress was no slower than that of the Paper Man.

After some time, they would surely break through the racial limit and reach the Overlord rank, which was no longer a problem.

When they returned to the Heart of Wood, it was clear that Old Sha had been very efficient in his tasks.

In just this short while,

Numerous Wood Wolves of various sizes were already waiting in the clearing within the Heart of Wood.

At the same time, in the Heart of Wood, the Life Ancient Tree was surrounded by other Plant-type Companion Beasts, and various sizes of them also emerged.

Of course, only the Overlord-ranked Plant Companion Beasts were present, as the remaining Common and Elite-ranked ones were too numerous to move without causing inconvenience.

"Woof!"

Old Sha squatted in front of the trees in the Heart of Wood, his tail swaying as he awaited Su Ping's instructions.

The other Companion Beasts, including the numerous Plant Companion Beasts, were also waiting, unsure of what Su Ping had in store for them.

Su Ping looked at these Companion Beasts with a smile on his lips.

Fifty Wood Wolves, eleven Plant-type Companion Beasts, Old Sha, numerous Paper Men, the recently joined Xiao Wuya, and the barely noticeable Xiao Hai Xin Ling Turtle.

These were all the Companion Beasts of the Heart of All Spirits at present.

They were the true Companion Beasts with a sense of belonging and wisdom, belonging to the Heart of All Spirits.

They were not the fish kept in the Heart of Water.

Of course, there were also the remaining Plant-type Companion Beasts and some of the Common-ranked Paper Men who had not yet arrived.

The number of Companion Beasts present was not excessive, but it was certainly not small! However, for Su Ping's goals, this was still not enough!

He had only taken over the Heart of All Spirits for half a year, and in that time, he had achieved such a level.

Su Ping believed that after a year, on the next New Year's Eve, this number would be even greater! However, he kept these ambitions to himself and only smiled as he looked at all the 'little ones' before him, finally revealing his purpose:

"Today is New Year's Eve, the last day of the year. This is your first time joining the big family of the Heart of Wood, but I'm sure there's still a lot you don't know about it! To promote harmony and mutual understanding, especially during the Spring Festival, every Companion Beast must perform a program on stage! You can perform individually or in groups! But you must put your heart into it, and after the performance, I will reward you. At the stroke of midnight, we will have a New Year's Red Packet lottery!"

"Woof!"

"Wow!"

"Swoosh..."

"Gaga?"

"Woof?"

Various sounds of questioning echoed.

Su Ping had no choice but to respond:

"In any case, if you don't perform, you won't be eligible for the lottery tonight! But you can take your time to think about it! I'll go and prepare the New Year's Eve dinner for the Heart of All Spirits! At 6 p.m., the performances will officially begin!"

Su Ping's words immediately stirred up all the Companion Beasts present.

Performances? What kind of performances? What could these Companion Beasts possibly perform? But at this moment, one of the little ones who had been overlooked by everyone finally stood up.

His plump body quickly spun on the table, and his voice, communicated through psychic energy, rang out:

"Fellow companions, if you have any questions, come to me. I may not know how to arrange your performances, but I can search online for various pet performance programs! However, if you want my help, I'll need to examine your bodies~"

The tempting voice of the plump Companion Beast echoed.

This examination of the body was not of an indecent nature.

It was purely to obtain information about the true Companion Beasts within the Heart of Dreams, to perfect their growth and nurturing.

Upon hearing this, some of the Companion Beasts, including Old Sha, quickly approached the mechanical ball.

Over there, preparations were underway, and Su Ping headed to the kitchen, not wasting any time.

On New Year's Eve, preparing the New Year's Eve dinner was undoubtedly interesting.

However, the meal he was preparing was not for himself, but for the various Companion Beasts.

First, there were the Wood Wolves.

For the ordinary Wood Wolves, Su Ping's main dish was naturally a tree fruit salad.

The unedited version is available at 69 Book Bar! 6=9, the first to publish this novel.

After a year of hard work and training, it was only right to have some delicious food for the New Year.

So, Su Ping asked for plenty of tree fruits from the Peach Blossom and the Fruit Heart's fruit trees, and he also purchased over ten tree fruits that had reached the Overlord rank, including one of the Sovereign rank.

These would be served as additional dishes.

Additionally, he caught some fish from the Heart of Water, such as the Snow Gunfish that Su Ping and Xiao Hai Xin Ling Turtle loved, and the Yellow-spotted Electric Carp with slightly numbing flesh.

The Snow Gunfish could be eaten as sashimi, while the others required some light cooking.

The Wood Wolves were also meat-eating Companion Beasts, so preparing the fish meat didn't need to be too complicated. He simply made fish paste with some side dishes and ingredients, which was sufficient.

It seemed simple.

But with so many wolves, it was a lot of work!

Su Ping's ingredient preparation was quite thorough.

However, it would indeed take some time to cook for everyone.

Aside from the Wood Wolves, Su Ping also paid special attention to Xiao Wuya's food.

After all, Xiao Wuya had just joined the Heart of All Spirits, and Su Ping planned to create a habitat for birds there.

The Fire Crow, as its name suggested, needed a straightforward diet.

So, the most obvious food choice was the Flame Fruit produced in Su Ping's Beast Taming Space.

However, Su Ping was speechless as he had also accumulated quite a few Flame Fruits during this time.

In the Beast Taming Space.

But for some reason, perhaps due to the Flame Nurturing Domain's spatial characteristics absorbing Flame-type objects, the Flame Fruits would disappear if stored for more than a day.

This left Su Ping perplexed.

In the end, he could only attribute it to the spatial characteristics of the Flame Nurturing Domain.

Fortunately, after he took out the condensed Flame Fruits, they no longer disappeared.

Aside from the Flame Fruit platter, there were also some grains and meats specifically for Xiao Wuya.

And as for the Sea Core Spirit Turtle, who had only joined the Heart of All Spirits a month ago and thus had a low sense of presence, it was easier to handle. There were plenty of fish and shrimp caught from the Heart of Water, and Su Ping searched for some cooking methods while also considering the Sea Core Spirit Turtle's preferences and tastes.

Fortunately, Su Ping had an unreliable old man for a father. In this situation, aside from ordering takeout, most of the food was indeed prepared by him.

Now, it was somewhat presentable.

The slightly tricky part was the plant-type companion beasts.

Plant-type companion beasts were different from other animal-type companion beasts.

Most of the food could not be shared with plant-type companion beasts.

The 'food' for plant-type companion beasts, aside from sunlight and air, was mostly Spirit Water and soil! So, Su Ping put in some effort in this aspect.

Various Spirit Water mixed with Spirit Soil resources were used to create a series of 'New Year's Eve dinners', which were finally ready.

As for the Paper Man, there wasn't much to say; various paper resources were used.

It took a whole day of busy work.

Finally, the sky transitioned from dawn to sunset.

It was six o'clock.

Su Ping appeared right in front of the forest, as scheduled.

From the tree branches and the sky-reaching vines in front of the house, large fire-red lanterns lit up the already dark night sky.

"Dinner's ready!"

There were no tables or chairs, no bowls or chopsticks.

On this large lawn, Su Ping sat directly on the mat that had been laid out earlier.

The nervous companion beasts on the side finally came over.

However, at this moment, they were not at all tempted by the delicacies that Su Ping had laid out on the large mat.

Well, some were still tempted.

For example, at this moment, the little Paper Man Qianyi, crouching there and drooling at the sight of various paper resources soaked in the Five Elements:

(﹃)



Su Ping glanced at the little guy:

"Have you decided what performance you want to put on?"

The little guy immediately regained his composure and patted his chest: "Wow!"

(｀ω)



Full of confidence!

From the little guy's 2D expression, Su Ping could see those four words.

In fact, it was indeed the case.

Under the solemn expressions of countless companion beasts, including the Life Ancient Tree, this unique performance evening for the Heart of All Spirits' first companion beast performance began!

And the first to take the stage was the confident little Paper Man Qianyi.

Qianyi walked towards the stage, which was temporarily built with wood.

Su Ping explained from the side:

"This is my Soul Contract companion beast, Paper Man Qianyi. Elite Tier 10!"

The purpose of the performance was to increase the bond and communication among the companion beasts of the Heart of All Spirits.

This segment was very necessary.

Qianyi let out a 'wow' and then drew out the paper sword made of folded paper from behind his back.

It was a fiery red sword of flames.

At this moment, the air seemed to become scorching hot due to the appearance of this sword.

Su Ping was slightly startled, and before he could react, Qianyi's face instantly turned into a square piece of paper!

The next moment, it was as if a phoenix's cry echoed!

The fiery sword, with its dazzling energy, had already transformed into a phoenix spreading its wings, flying towards Qianyi's body.

This sword strike was indescribably dazzling and beautiful.

However, it contained a terrifying temperature and danger.

Was this the Paper Man's new sword technique?

Like a blazing phoenix setting the world ablaze, like a white rainbow piercing the sun.

The next moment, the fire sword was sheathed, and the little Paper Man let out a long breath:

"Wow... (A fire that flickers and disappears in an instant, yet never goes extinct, this is my sword...)"

"Wow... (This sword technique shall be named 'Qianyi Fire Sword'...)"

Su Ping opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the name of the sword technique was already decided, obviously a technique that the little guy had already comprehended.

It wasn't his fault; how could he have known that Qianyi would comprehend a fire-type sword technique after seeing the Fire Phoenix?

So, following 'Qianyi Whirlwind', Qianyi once again named his own sword technique, adding 'Qianyi Fire Sword'.

However, it must be said that Qianyi set a good example for all the companion beasts.

With Qianyi's performance, the companion beasts took to the stage one by one.

They showcased the performances they had prepared.

Some were comical, some were interesting, and some were awe-inspiring, like Xiao Qing's planting skills and Old Sha's self-illuminating ability.

Notably, there was the Sea Core Spirit Turtle.

The little guy was young and didn't seem to understand what talent shows were.

So, he performed a recently learned trick.

It wasn't a skill.

It was a special ability.

The Sea Core Spirit Turtle lay on the stage and then performed a backflip and a carp jump.

It was well known that a soft-shelled turtle turning over was always a challenge.

And at this moment, the Sea Core Spirit Turtle's performance left Su Ping momentarily speechless and amused.

Aside from that, there was also Xiao Wuya.

Xiao Wuya's specialty, the talent she displayed, was also beyond Su Ping's expectations.

It was bathing in flames.

At this moment, Xiao Wuya was in the midst of burning flames, seemingly enjoying a bath, completely at ease.

It wasn't particularly impressive, but it amused many of the other companion beasts.

Even the Flame Trumpet Vine actively wrapped around her, and the two, a bird and a flower, 'chatted' happily.

At this moment, the trace of sorrow that enveloped Xiao Wuya's body completely disappeared, and she fully accepted the Heart of All Spirits as her new home.

'This is my new home!'

'Everyone here is family!!'

At this moment, on the All Spirits Record in Su Ping's soul, a record that he had never seen before slowly lit up.

It was the record of the Fire Crow.

[Record of 'Fire Crow' lit up. Current Record Level: 1. Obtain Origin Reward: Levitation!]



Finally, it was lit up! Su Ping was overjoyed, as he now had his first bird companion beast with a lit-up record. Just as he was about to examine the ability of Levitation, he suddenly froze.

Because, in the next moment, another record in the All Spirits Record also lit up.

This time, it was the Sea Core Spirit Turtle.

[Record of 'Sea Core Spirit Turtle' lit up. Current Record Level: 1. Obtain Origin Reward: Underwater Breathing!]



One million words, one million words in two months after going online, it's not too much to ask for a monthly ticket?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end