Everyone in Kashida knew that General Lu Qi disliked feline beastkin.
To be more precise, he disliked all furry creatures, with feline beastkin being particularly loathsome to him.
As for the reason, there were various versions circulating online.
Some said it was because the General's parents had died due to a feline beastkin's betrayal.
Others claimed the General had once been hurt by a feline beastkin, suffering heartbreak.
Lu Qi always avoided discussing this topic.
No one knew that their brave and invincible General disliked feline beastkin because, as a young cub, his beast form had been mistaken for a flying insect in the garden by another feline cub and repeatedly tossed around and played with!
At that time, little Lu Qi already had a strong sense of self-esteem, and he would never tell anyone about such an embarrassing incident.
He only secretly found out, with tears of humiliation in his eyes, that the feline cub in the garden was from the Yunzheng Clan.
To make matters worse, while he was being played with by the cat and wishing for death, his parents had happily arranged a marriage agreement with the head of the Yunzheng Clan in front of the Emperor.
When Lu Qi heard this news, he blacked out, his entire snake body tying itself into a knot, continuously protesting to cancel the engagement.
But obviously, the protests were ineffective.
Because Lu Qi's parents were very close friends with the head of the Yunzheng Clan, they didn't care about their son's feelings at all.
As a result, Lu Qi grew to despise feline beastkin even more.
However, this engagement was left unresolved after Lu Qi's parents passed away.
It wasn't that the Yunzheng Clan was being opportunistic; the head of the Yunzheng Clan had always cared for Lu Qi genuinely and had never mentioned canceling the engagement.
It was just that Lu Qi didn't want to mate, let alone have a feline beastkin as a partner!
So the engagement was naturally postponed, and Lu Qi had almost forgotten about this ridiculous arrangement.
Apart from a few of Lu Qi's closest confidants, no one else knew about this ill-fated match.
Just as dawn was breaking, the Beastfiends lying in ambush in the distance had already gone into hiding.
Beastfiends disliked the sun.
Lu Xi placed a plate of medium-rare beef steak in front of Lu Qi and thoughtfully asked, "General, are you leaving for Lili Town soon?"
Lu Qi glared at him, roughly cutting the beef and stuffing it into his mouth.
Since the enemy was coming for him, there was no need for him to be a target on the front lines. The well-trained army could clean up the remaining Beastfiends.
He would go and resolve the situation in the affected Lili Town himself.
They were just feline beastkin after all. He wouldn't have to interact with them; he'd just defeat the Beastfiends and leave.
Although this was his plan, Lu Qi was visibly irritated.
Even his rarely-seen white jade tail was hanging behind him, tapping the floor with a crackling sound.
Lan Yuxiang was elegantly eating fried fish beside him, his blue pupils like a gentle sky. He looked at Lu Qi with slight concern.
"General, why don't I go instead? Is your mental power alright?"
Before Lu Qi could answer, Lu Xi proudly interjected, "We tested last night, and the General's mental power purity has maintained at 40%. The newly developed channeling agent is quite effective."
The Elf race had the highest mental power purity, averaging 70%. Almost all famous mental power channelers on the Lingyi Continent were Elves.
Kashida had very few mental power channelers, and for S-class high mental power beastkin like Lu Qi, channeling was not only difficult but also dangerous. They could only use channeling agents for relief.
Lu Qi's mental power purity had repeatedly dropped below 35% recently, which was very dangerous, but fortunately, it had stabilized now.
Hearing Lu Xi's words, Lan Yuxiang sighed in relief: "Thank the Beast God, it's under control. I hope the new channeling agent can be made available to the soldiers soon. Long-term exposure to Beastfiends easily leads to mental power disorder."
Lu Qi was propping up his head on the side, throwing the last piece of beef into his mouth, his expression indifferent, as if they weren't talking about him.
"Alright, I'm leaving."
"Colonel Lan, I'll temporarily leave the army to you. Lu Xi, assist him well."
Lan Yuxiang and Lu Xi stood up, saluting solemnly: "Yes, sir!"
Lu Qi transformed into his beast form on the terrace. The scales of the twenty-meter-long white snake gleamed like jade, flashing with sharp, cold light. Its belly was light red, with fire-red wings growing from its back, matching its ruby-like eyes, exuding a powerful and imposing aura.
No matter how many times he saw the General's beast form, Lu Xi was still fascinated by it.
As expected of Kashida's strongest combat force!
Look at the powerful waist of this beast form, capable of easily strangling enemies! Look at these thick scales, the best shield! Look at these sharp venomous fangs, capable of killing enemies with just a light bite!
The winged serpent had already flown westward under the first rays of the morning sun.
Lan Yuxiang glanced at the starry-eyed Deputy Lu Xi before turning away, casually saying, "Deputy Lu Xi, wipe your drool."
Lu Xi snapped his mouth shut, glaring angrily at Lan Yuxiang.
The gentle-looking young man asked, "Do you know what they call this behavior of yours on the internet?"
Lu Xi: ?
Lan Yuxiang transformed into a kingfisher over two meters tall, his blue-glowing feathers particularly beautiful.
He flapped his wings, flying towards the sky: "Your behavior is called 'pushing'. Deputy Lu Xi, you're a 'pusher', a Lu Qi pusher."
Watching the rapidly disappearing silhouette of the kingfisher, Lu Xi felt the urge to hit someone was particularly strong at this moment.
Who said the Colonel doesn't surf the internet? This Colonel must be surfing on 8G waves??
The weather in Kashida was still hot, with the sun hanging high in the sky, emitting dizzying light.
The "Perfect Sweets Shop" quietly opened in this summer day.
Yun Manman didn't make a big fuss, only putting up a promotional sign at the door that read: "New store opening! Buy one get one free on drinks from the 17th to the 19th, all desserts 20% off~"
No one could resist the temptation of buy one get one free!
As long as they came into the store, Yun Manman was confident she could make the beastkin buy a dessert to take away.
Over the past two days, Yun Manman had purchased cups, plates, and other packaging materials needed for business, and prepared the ingredients needed for operation.
After careful consideration, she prepared two types of drinks and three desserts.
Besides the initially decided watermelon soda, there was also pearl milk tea for drinks.
How could they not have milk tea!
In her previous life, Yun Manman was a big milk tea consumer, ordering it two to three times a week on average.
The desserts were pork floss buns, caramel pudding, and mango pancakes with a slight hint of regret.
Add milk to the brewed and fragrant black tea, add a little water and an appropriate amount of condensed milk, then add syrup to complete it.
The pearls are also prepared in advance. Add tapioca starch to cooked brown sugar, stir quickly, and when it cools slightly, roll it into small balls. Then throw them into boiling water, cook until they float, and scoop them out into cold water for later use.
This is a recipe she has tried n times at home, incredibly close to the taste of bubble tea shops, and very healthy.
The ovens on the Lingyi Continent are the kind used for roasting meat, but with super precise temperature control, which Yun Manman absolutely loves.
In her previous life, to save money, the oven at home was a cheap one for just over 200 yuan, with imprecise temperature control. Every time she baked something, she had to consider its temperament to set the temperature.
As for the egg beater, Yun Manman searched for a long time and found a high-speed mixer, which could be considered "high-end."
Making desserts isn't difficult for Yun Manman, a "skilled worker," but she never expected that the most challenging part of the process would be making pork floss.
In her previous life, she always bought ready-made pork floss, but now she has to make it herself.
The pork here is a bit different from her previous life, with an super chewy texture. Yun Manman had to stir-fry it several times before she could make fluffy pork floss.
On the morning of the opening day, Yun Manman stayed in the shop making desserts for sale today.
She didn't make a large quantity of desserts, considering it was a new shop opening and the beastmen's taste preferences.
It's definitely not because she's too lazy to make that much! Absolutely not!
Aunt Zhou is the first customer of the "Perfect Sweets Shop."
She came at noon.
As soon as she entered, she quickly closed the door behind her, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a tissue while complaining, "This dreadful weather is unbearable. Manman, you wouldn't believe it, I hung the dried fish on the rooftop, and it was done in just one day! It used to take at least three days!"
Yun Manman washed her hands clean and smiled as she led Aunt Zhou to sit down: "Right? It's super hot, I don't want to go out at all."
"Thankfully, the shop has air conditioning. I'm grateful that you came especially to support me, Auntie."
The shop had three sets of tables and chairs for customers to rest.
Aunt Zhou felt the coolness inside the shop and let out a sigh of relief: "No rush, have you eaten? If not, I have some jerky here?"
Yun Manman quickly waved her hands in refusal: "No need, I've already eaten."
She had been snacking on the trimmings while making desserts, and now her stomach was full.
"What would you like to eat or drink, Auntie? It's on me!"
Aunt Zhou looked at the menu on the display screen. Watermelon soda and pearl milk tea were 12 bu coins each, pork floss buns were 7 bu coins each, pudding was 6 bu coins each, and mango crepes were 14 bu coins each.
She thought for a moment and said, "You've already given me soda and pork floss buns before, so I'll have a pearl milk tea, a pudding, and a mango crepe."
Yun Manman agreed: "Alright, please wait a moment, Auntie."
Soon, she brought out a mango crepe and pudding on an exquisite ceramic plate decorated with small flowers, and placed a cup of pearl milk tea in front of Aunt Zhou.
Aunt Zhou first took a sip of the pearl milk tea, her eyes lighting up.
The fresh tea fragrance blended well with the rich milk flavor, the sweetness was just right, not cloying at all, and the pearls at the bottom were soft and chewy. It was the kind of drink that made you want to keep drinking.
"This is so delicious!" Aunt Zhou said while taking several more big sips.
Yun Manman also had a cup of milk tea and was chewing away: "Right? It's my favorite drink!"
After a few mouthfuls of iced milk tea, the heat dissipated from her body. Aunt Zhou contentedly picked up her fork and tasted the pudding and mango crepe.
The wobbly pudding was smooth and sweet, with a crispy caramel layer at the bottom; the mango crepe had a thin skin and was full of filling, with sweet but not greasy cream wrapping around plenty of mango chunks, light as if dancing on the lips and teeth.
"It's so delicious!"
Aunt Zhou was immediately impressed. She particularly liked the soft texture of the mango crepe: "Is this really only 14 bu coins? Isn't it too cheap?"
Although it was a small piece, the taste was truly superb. She felt it could easily sell for 20 bu coins.
Moreover, it was food she had never seen before! Manman said this kind of sweet food should be called dessert.
After eating, she couldn't help but feel cheerful.
Hearing this, Yun Manman waved her hand: "14 bu coins is about right, any more expensive and it wouldn't be worth it."
Aunt Zhou couldn't help but sigh, Manman was truly an honest and good businesswoman: "This dessert will definitely be popular with many beastmen!"
No chef dislikes seeing the satisfied smile of diners when they eat the food they've prepared.
Getting Aunt Zhou's approval, half of Yun Manman's worries were lifted.
It meant that beastmen could accept desserts.
"I don't know how you came up with these recipes, as expected of someone who went to university in the capital."
Yun Manman felt a bit guilty and laughed it off with a "Haha." Thankfully, Aunt Zhou had provided her with an excuse.
Aunt Zhou narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, her tail high behind her, clearly in a very good mood.
"It's a pity the weather is so hot, otherwise business would surely be good." She looked at the sun outside and said regretfully: "The weather forecast says it's 35 degrees Celsius outside."
Although beastmen don't have the same territorial instincts as pure animals, they still prefer to live with their own kind.
Just like in Siduo City, where furry beings are the majority, in Lili Town within Siduo City, cat-like beastmen are the main residents, while in the neighboring Gaofu Town, dog-like beastmen are the majority.
So, beastmen with thick fur are reluctant to go out during the day.
At this time, the streets of Lili Town are practically empty, with residents preferring to stroll out in the evening.
Yun Manman was mentally prepared for this: "It's okay, we'll wait for the sun to go down a bit. I didn't make too many portions anyway."
"I'm planning to get on a food delivery platform, which should help sales a bit."
Aunt Zhou nodded repeatedly: "That would be even better."
Then she could enjoy cool and delicious desserts at home without going out!
When Aunt Zhou left, she insisted on paying and even took several desserts and drinks to go, saying they were for her cubs at home.
No way! Manman, a young girl, was struggling to open her business, how could she let her lose money!
It wasn't until four or five in the afternoon that beastmen gradually became more active on the streets.
The wind chime hanging on the automatic door chimed crisply, and Yun Manman smiled, looking up towards the door: "Welcome..."
When she finally recognized who had arrived, Yun Manman's dimples instantly vanished. "Ah, it's you..."