After having enough fun, the family returned home.
Huanhuan sat by the fire with hot soup in her hands. She smiled and said, “If I can go to the hot spring now, I’ll have no regrets in life!”
Shuang Yun asked, “What’s a hot spring?”
“It’s a kind
Sang Ye asked, “Don’t you smell something strange?”
Shuang Yun sniffed. “No!”
In the cold wind, there was no smell other than cold air.
When Sang Ye took another sniff, the faint fishy smell disappeared.
Was he really hallucinating just now?
When Sang Ye saw that everyone had stopped to wait for him, he quickly shook off his imagination. He wagged his tail and quickly slither over.
Facing Shuang Yun’s puzzled gaze, Sang Ye casually said, “I must’ve been mistaken. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
The group sped up and finally arrived at the foot of the volcano before dark.
The mountain was already covered in snow. It stretched for thousands of miles and was quite a spectacular sight.
The objects outside of the mine were tossed by the snake beasts back then, and they were still there. It was covered in dried branches, leaves, and snow.
Xue Ling swept away the obstacles and shouted into the mine.
“Chang Gu! We’re here to play with you. Come out and welcome us!”
Before long, a sharp head poked out of the mine.
When the huge pangolin saw the people in front, he said in a deep voice, “So it’s you guys.”
Huanhuan stuck her head out of the hood and smiled sweetly. “Long time no see, Mr. Chang Gu.”
“Long time no see,” the pangolin said to her, extending his large claws. “Come.”
Huanhuan slid down the wolf’s tail and landed in the pangolin’s claws.
She looked up and leaned closer to see that the pangolin was even larger than she had imagined. Standing in his claws, she looked like a dwarf who had stumbled into a giant country. She was so small that she was almost invisible.
The pangolin said to the others, “Come in, guests.”
Then, he carried Huanhuan back into the mine and crawled down the long tunnel. Bai Di, Shuang Yun, and Sang Ye followed. The wolf cubs followed closely behind, and Xue Ling retracted his wings and entered the cave.
It was very dark in the tunnel, but the beasts’ eyes could see in the dark. This darkness was not a problem for them.
Only Huanhuan couldn’t see anything. She sat obediently in the claws of the pangolin.
After about 20 minutes, Huanhuan could make out the things in her surroundings.
She was immediately stunned by the scenery in front of her.
In the spacious cave, the stone walls were filled with dense black crystals. They emitted a faint light in the night.
The pangolin lowered his claws to the ground. “This is where I live. It’s simple. Please forgive me.”
Huanhuan jumped down and turned to him. “Thank you.”
Due to the magma below, the temperature in the cave was relatively high. Huanhuan slowly took off her cloak.
The ground was covered in thick plants. They were soft to step on. She looked down and realized that these plants looked very much like succulents. Their leaves were very fat, and their surface was covered in thin, short white hair.
Huanhuan had seen this plant in the sheepskin illustrated book. It was called crystal leaf. From the name, she could tell that it grew in high-grade crystal mines. It was a relatively rare plant.
They could be used as medicine to cool down one’s body heat. If they were mashed and applied to the face, they could also beautify the face.
This plant was really great!
Huanhuan asked expectantly, “Mr. Chang Gu, can I pick some crystal leaves?”
The pangolin said, “Of course. After all, there aren’t many beasts who know about crystal leaves. You know a lot. As expected of the female chosen by the Divine Wood seed.”
Huanhuan quickly squatted down and dug for crystal leaves.
Shuang Yun and Sang Ye also came over to help dig. Bai Di said to the pangolin, “Sorry, our family disturbed your hibernation.”
“This is the first time so many guests have come to visit me. I’m glad.”
Bai Di took out fruit wine and dried meat. “These are made by us. They’re not worth much. I hope you don’t mind.”
The pangolin extended his claws and took the gift. “Thank you.”
