...
The slightly older young man that the elder brought along was named Bai Yan, with a trendy streak of white dyed into his hair.
That was his natural hair color.
The rest of the children were all of the White Tiger bloodline—older brothers and cousins of the little tiger cub from the palace.
The chatty, food-loving one was the little tiger cub's brother, born in the same litter. He had inherited the White Tiger bloodline from birth and loved fighting his brothers for food. Because of this, the Tiger King named him Bai Bu'e (literally "White Never-Hungry").
His younger brother, the little tiger cub living in the palace, was called Bai Baobao ("White Full-Full").
Since Baobao was always silly and never managed to grab much food, the Tiger King named him Baobao, hoping he would become a bit more competitive.
The other boys were Baobao's cousins, also bearing the White Tiger bloodline. They didn't share the same parents, but their parents were born from the same litter. Thanks to the White Tiger's high fertility rate—each birth yielding at least two cubs—the bloodline remained strong.
Bai Bu'e and Bai Baobao were the last litter of an aging Tiger Queen. They had at least eight or nine older brothers. The eldest three brothers were already married.
All the way there, Bai Bu'e kept eating and drinking. The elder doted on him, even though he was both talkative and the type who begged for a scolding.
"This drink is amazing! I've never had a celestial brew, but if it tastes like this, it must be divine!"
What Bai Bu'e was drinking was a newly launched milk tea.
The milk came from cow-horse beasts, and it was made using modern milk tea techniques.
The elder's nostrils flared with rage.
"You little cub! Have you no shame?!"
Yet he couldn't resist—grumpily, he ordered a cup of milk tea himself.
"I refuse to believe this stuff tastes better than our celestial brew!"
The moment the first sip hit his stomach, the elder nearly burst into tears.
It was just too delicious.
As everyone knows, tigers are mammals.
When the elder was young, he was smaller than the others and could never fight his way to his mother's milk, nor even food. His biggest lifelong regret was never tasting his mother's milk.
Though cow-horse milk wasn't the same, the familiar milky taste triggered deep, bittersweet emotions.
With tearful eyes, the elder finished his milk tea—and then promptly ordered another.
The boys exchanged bewildered glances.
"Didn't the elder say it wasn't good?"
Normally, the elder would've knocked them on the head for talking back. But today, he only wanted to fill the gap left by his childhood regrets.
Without realizing it, he drank six cups of milk tea.
The demoness selling the tea was delighted. An elder from another clan was so moved by her milk tea that he cried!
When the elder was finally too embarrassed to stay any longer, she gifted him a few more cups.
"Thank you for liking my milk tea! I'll keep creating even more flavors you'll love."
The elder's opinion of Black Dragon City skyrocketed.
From now on, anyone who dared badmouth Black Dragon City would have to face him!
Finally, the boys managed to drag the elder away from the milk tea stand. They still wanted to save room to eat other delicious things!
The stronger your cultivation, the more you can eat without getting full.
But they were still kids—just a few bites and they'd be stuffed.
Soon, the enticing aroma of food drifted over again, and the boys raced toward it.
"Brother, what's that?" one of them asked, licking his fingers, eyes fixed on the fryer.
A demon youth chuckled at their cuteness. "That's fried chicken. Want one?"
Bai Bu'e squeezed to the front. "I want one!"
The rest of the cousins shouted as well.
"We all want one!"
The demon youth quickly pulled the fried chicken from the oil.
"Careful, it's hot. Take your time eating."
This fried chicken was made from domesticated Gujiu beasts.
Adult Gujiu beasts grew to about the size of ostriches, though they had much shorter necks.
The elder, still lingering nearby, was also lured by the smell.
With his hands behind his back, he casually asked for a piece.
Seeing that the elder's cultivation was deep and unfathomable, the demon youth fried him a larger one and politely explained, "This fried chicken is very filling. Since the young ones are small, it's best they just have a taste—there's still lots of delicious food ahead."
The elder, surprisingly, said thank you.
After the milk tea incident, he completely changed his mind about Black Dragon City.
Just look—beautiful houses, smooth roads, tons of good food, and even the locals spoke so pleasantly.
Shamelessly, he thought, It almost feels like home here.
The cubs, full of fried chicken, moved on—and soon spotted a fruit tea stall across the way.
After all that milk tea, the elder found fruit tea a bit bland.
Sensing his lack of enthusiasm, the demon vendor recommended the elder try some fruit wine instead.
"Some traveling merchants don't like fruit tea, but they love our fruit wine. Both are great for cutting grease, but kids prefer tea."
The elder and Bai Yan crossed over to the fruit wine stall.
The moment the elder inhaled the scent, he felt like he had been transported into a wine cellar.
"This is it!"
Excited, he ordered several jars.
Seeing they were adults, the vendor served them a stronger, high-proof variety.
The elder guzzled half a jar in one go.
"Good wine!" he roared.
This fruit wine was just as good as the ones brewed by the Winged Tiger Tribe.
Ordinary wines and celestial brews were different things.
Celestial brew had miraculous properties—restoring flesh and bone, even reviving the dead.
Ordinary wine was simply fruit fermented into alcohol.
The Winged Tiger Tribe, blessed with a tropical homeland bursting with fruit, had long mastered the art of brewing. They were proud of it, though outsiders thought they were just farmers—a serious underestimation.
Finding such excellent wine here made the elder feel like he had found a kindred spirit.
Hugging a jar tightly, he mumbled drunkenly to himself, unaware he had completely passed out.
When the boys returned from buying seafood skewers, they found the elder slumped over the table.
Bai Yan, clutching a wine jar, silently wept.
"It's all my fault for not watching over the young master!"
Bai Bu'e, mischievous as ever, mimicked Bai Yan's tone.
One of the boys cried, "There he goes again!"
Bai Yan was Baobao's bodyguard. When Baobao had snuck off, Bai Yan had been summoned by the Tiger King. Although the King didn't blame him—and could always sense his children's locations—Bai Yan still felt guilty.
The group of little tigers rallied around Bai Bu'e, who led them with a grand wave of his hand.
"Let's keep exploring!"
After all, the elder and Bai Yan were grown-ups. They weren't likely to get stolen, right?
Carefree, the boys soon arrived at the amusement park.
A paradise for children—and just as thrilling for spirited young cubs.
They first tried out the Spinning Beast Ride.
Normally, they only saw beasts on the dinner table. But here, life-like creatures spun around as they climbed atop them for rides!
Riding ground beasts wasn't enough. They wanted to try the flying ones too!
After the Spinning Beasts, they dashed over to the roller coaster, screaming with delight.
Even the hesitant merchants watching them were tempted—after all, if kids could have so much fun, why not the adults?
This was the very first Food Exchange Festival. Who knew if it would happen again next year? Better to enjoy it while they could—dignity be damned!