Chapter 146: Riding Rabbits Through the Gardens

"Of course you can! Brother Chufeng, I was just about to invite you to visit our Matriarch Clan's plantations and beast-taming grounds in the Western Sea region!"

As Jinsheng spoke, she released two large, snow-white hares from her storage pouch.

These two large hares were clearly high-grade savage beasts, pure white all over like snow. They were surprisingly large, comparable in bulk to a white bear, likely weighing thousands of catties, with two snow-white ears more than a zhang in length.

"What are these?"

Chufeng asked with a smile, thinking that the young maiden Jinsheng always had a way of bringing pleasant surprises. She had arrived riding a pig, and now she produced two giant hares.

"These are Bounding Hares raised by Sister Yuzui. Riding them feels just like soaring through the clouds on a misty flight—it is simply exhilarating! You and Sister Yuzui can ride the Bounding Hares, while I stick to my Bounding Pig!" Jinsheng said.

"Oh? Sister Yuzui raises savage beasts as well?" Chufeng was somewhat surprised.

He wondered how large these Bounding Hares were at birth, but to be able to raise them to such a massive size, and with both hares looking so full of vitality, her methods for rearing savage beasts were clearly exceptional.

"Brother Chufeng flatters me!"

Yuzui smiled at Chufeng and said, "Among our Matriarch Clan, I am responsible for raising savage beasts, cultivating vegetation, and refining elixirs."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Chufeng felt a fresh wave of astonishment. He had previously assumed that Jinsheng was the expert proficient in alchemy and medicine, but it turned out to be Yuzui.

"Brother Chufeng, within our Matriarch Clan, Hengmei acts much like the grand steward of the family, making the final decisions on all major events, while the specific matters below are managed by the three of us."

"Sister Yuzui is in charge of raising savage beasts, cultivating plants, and refining elixirs. I manage the finances and handle external trade, and our fourth sister, Qingying, bears the heavy responsibility of training the clan's martial artists and enhancing the combat strength of the Matriarch Clan!"

Jinsheng explained very patiently.

"Haha, the four capable women of your clan truly live up to your reputations, each holding down her own domain within the clan. The four of you young maidens jointly shoulder the heavy responsibility of developing the Matriarch Clan, and Brother Chufeng has the utmost admiration for you!"

Chufeng nodded with a smile.

"Not at all; four younger sisters cannot compare to one elder brother! No matter how capable we four sisters are, when we desperately needed Ice Shell Gold Pearls, didn't we still rely on Brother Chufeng to help us through the crisis? Brother Chufeng, we four sisters truly admire you from the bottom of our hearts!" Jinsheng said with an expression of gratitude.

"Haha, you have such a way with words, little sister, you are truly endearing!"

Chufeng could not help but laugh heartily. "Alright then, let's go take a look at your Matriarch Clan's resources together!"

Thus, Jinsheng continued to ride her little snow-white pig, while Chufeng and Yuzui each mounted a Bounding Hare.

Chufeng was in the middle, flanked by the two maidens Yuzui and Jinsheng on his left and right, and the three of them set off together toward the Western Sea region of the Matriarch Clan.

As for Bai Naizhao, A'yan, and A'ying, they did not enjoy the same carefree freedom as Chufeng. All three of them had tasks assigned by their respective sects, and they had come here specifically to help the Matriarch Clan with some matters. Right now, they still needed to assist the Matriarch Clan's warriors in tallying the harvest of Ice Shell Gold Pearls, so they could not be as leisurely as Chufeng.

...

An hour later.

Deep within the Western Sea region.

Over the vast frozen sea, two enormous white hares leaped straight up into the sky, soaring high into the cloud layer before slowly drifting down to the ground. Their movements were as swift as lightning yet as gentle as clouds.

With each leap and descent of the Bounding Hares, countless afterimages trailed behind them.

Clearly, there were only two Bounding Hares, but viewed from a distance, the void was entirely filled with the phantom images left behind by the hares, making it look as though countless Bounding Hares were suspended across the sky.

This miraculous sight was enough to leave anyone dumbfounded and utterly awestruck.

At the very least, Chufeng had never imagined that these gigantic hares could be so fascinating, providing such a wonderful riding experience.

Whoosh!

When the Bounding Hares soared into the sky once more, Chufeng sat upon the hare's back, gripping its two huge ears with both hands. Through the thin layer of clouds, he saw the distant meeting point of sea and sky, where countless brilliant colors flooded his vision.

These Bounding Hares might have looked clumsy, but they were actually divine beasts for traveling, covering dozens of miles with a single bound. In the span of an hour, they had traversed thousands of miles without him even realizing it.

The sky here was exceptionally blue, and the great patches of clouds were as white as snow. The sea breeze blowing against his face carried a faint chill, yet it was no longer imbued with that knife-like freezing bite he had experienced while hunting the Ice-Nether Mother Shells.

As the Bounding Hares leaped and landed once again, Chufeng could not help but let out a cry of amazement at the scenery before him.

Chufeng felt as though he had suddenly leaped into a paradise untouched by the mortal world.

Before him was the place where the sea met the land.

The seawater lapped rhythmically against the shore, producing a crisp, tinkling sound that was exceptionally pleasant to the ear.

Along the vast coastline, an endless stretch of fiery red vegetation came into view, truly resembling a sea of fire as it greeted Chufeng's eyes.

Chufeng estimated that there were no fewer than several hundred thousand of these fiery red plants, and every single tree bore fist-sized fruits, though their names remained unknown to him.

Surrounding the fiery red vegetation was a vast expanse of lush greenery. Some plants towered dozens of zhang high, standing straight and tall like towering immortal trees, while others spread out like sprawling grapevines, covering the earth and sky, and they too bore nameless fruits.

Amidst this intertwining landscape of red and green, countless beasts of all shapes and sizes roamed freely. These creatures varied greatly in form: some flew through the air like giant eagles, while others sprinted swiftly across the ground, leaving trails of afterimages in their wake.

There were also large, unidentified fish from the sea that periodically leaped out of the water, flipped into the cloud layer, and then plunged heavily back into the sea, stirring up monstrous waves.

This place felt like a world painted in myriad colors, an untamed, pristine paradise free from worldly strife.

After the Bounding Hares touched down, Chufeng walked through this plantation. Rich fragrances washed over him from all directions, enveloped in a gentle mist, accompanied everywhere by the joyful cries of beasts and birds—it was truly like stepping into an immortal realm.

"Sister Yuzui, are both this plantation and the beast-taming grounds managed by you?" Chufeng asked with great surprise as he took in the sights.

"Indeed," Yuzui nodded.

"Brother Chufeng, how would you like me to treat you to a watermelon?"

"Hm? A watermelon here on the shores of the Ice-Nether Sea? What kind of watermelon could this be?" Chufeng asked, full of curiosity.

Although the air along the shores of the Ice-Nether Sea in this area was not as bone-chillingly cold as the waters where they had hunted the Ice-Nether Mother Shells, the surroundings still carried a biting chill; eating a watermelon here felt almost like piling frost upon snow.

Yuzui smiled somewhat mysteriously and said nothing. A sound escaped her delicate lips, and instantly, some beastly creature stirred within the nearby forest of red vegetation.

Awoo!

Not far away, a resonant, piercing ape cry echoed through the air.

Soon enough, a large, golden-furred ape was seen galloping out from the crimson forest toward them.

Aside from its entirely golden coat, this large ape possessed exceptionally nimble footwork. Along the way, it either vaulted forward by supporting itself on the ground with one hand or flipped through the air while stepping off the earth with a single foot, all the while clutching a gigantic watermelon in its arms and spinning it effortlessly with its paws.