Chapter 1209: Three Concubines Compete for Favor

Lin Lang reached out and picked a sand crabapple. The peel was slightly cool and melted in his hand.

He looked at the three of them, a smile in his eyes, and handed it to Zhou Mengyao: "Eat it, baby."

As soon as Zhou Mengyao's fingertips touched the sand pear, she felt a cool, warm sensation spreading along her fingertips.

The peel was incredibly smooth, as if coated with dew. A soft red light flowed gently in her palm, and the star-like patterns shimmered slightly with her touch, as if they were alive.

She held the fruit close to her nose; the sweet fragrance was even stronger than before, mixed with a hint of crisp, grassy scent, making her mouth water.

"Hmph, as expected, the school beauty and white moonlight who dotes on you the most~" Han Zaiyin leaned over and pouted, half-jokingly, "The first fruit you picked wasn't for me, honey, you're being unfair!"

Lin Lang was both amused and exasperated. He reached out and picked another ripe crabapple, quickly handing it to Han Zaiyin and gently stroking her nose with his fingertips: "You're vying for attention with this too? It was just a casual thing."

"It wasn't just a casual remark!" Han Zaiyin took the fruit, her fingertips touching its slightly cool texture, but she still deliberately snorted and said coquettishly, "This is your instinct to dote on Mengyao, I'm jealous!"

"Okay, okay, it's my fault, it's my fault~" Lin Lang laughed heartily at Han Zaiyin's antics, kissed her smooth cheek, and said in a doting voice, "Is that alright now?"

"Hmph...that's more like it." Han Zaiyin immediately lost her composure and smirked triumphantly.

Zhou Mengyao couldn't resist any longer and took a small bite of the crabapple.

The peel is so thin you can hardly feel it. The sweet juice bursts on your tongue instantly, without any sourness or astringency, only pure sweetness, with a faint touch of ethereal charm. It slides down your throat, leaving a warm feeling all the way.

The flesh is delicate and soft, melting in your mouth, as if you are holding a ball of flowing starlight. After swallowing, all the pent-up emotions in your chest dissipate, and even your breath becomes sweet and refreshing.

Her eyes lit up instantly, and she exclaimed indistinctly, "Wow...so delicious! It's even sweeter than a peach, I feel like I'm floating on air!"

Ma Yili watched from the side, swallowing hard. She quickly shook Lin Lang's arm and pleaded in a soft voice, "Honey, why am I the third one? You're favoring those two!"

"Grandmas, I really didn't show any favoritism!" Lin Lang smiled helplessly, then quickly picked a plump crabapple and handed it over. "The order doesn't matter, try it quickly, stop fooling around."

Ma Yili took the fruit, looked at the soft crimson light flowing in her palm, and immediately chuckled, but still couldn't help but complain, "Then why don't you kiss me too?"

Lin Lang had no choice but to lean down and plant a light kiss on Ma Yili's cheek, saying helplessly, "Is that alright now? You little glutton."

"Hehe, that's more like it!" Ma Yili smiled, her eyes crinkling, and took a big bite of the fruit without waiting.

The sweet juice instantly filled her mouth, even more delicious than she had imagined. The mellow taste lingered on her tongue and slid down her esophagus. A warm current rose faintly in her lower abdomen, and her whole body felt comfortable, as if every pore was breathing.

"Wow!" Ma Yili couldn't help but exclaim, "This taste is absolutely amazing! It's sweet but not cloying, and it even has a wonderful flavor. I feel so light and refreshed!"

Hearing their exclamations, Han Jae-in couldn't help but take a bite of the crabapple in her hand.

The juice is sweet and refreshing, the flesh is smooth and creamy, and its essence is even more gentle and nourishing than that of a flat peach. As it slides down the throat and into the stomach, it transforms into a warm current that flows throughout the body, making even the skin seem whiter and more translucent.

Her eyes lit up, and she couldn't resist any longer. She started eating in big mouthfuls, mumbling, "It's really delicious... even better than I imagined! This delicacy doesn't even have a pit!"

Lin Lang watched his three concubines eat with great satisfaction, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He reached out and picked a few more crabapples, saying, "Eat slowly, don't choke. There's plenty more!"

Three crimson fairy fruits lay in Lin Lang's palm, emitting a soft glow and a sweet, exotic fragrance.

Sunlight filtered through the golden leaves of the crabapple tree, casting dappled shadows that fell upon the four people. Accompanied by the babbling brook and the distant cry of a phoenix, the morning light on Kunlun Hill was filled with the sweet fragrance of fruit and joyful laughter.

Zhou Mengyao smiled sweetly, her eyes narrowed, and said, "Honey, you should eat too!"

"Okay, then I'll have a taste too." Lin Lang brought the crabapple in his hand to his lips and took a small bite.

The flesh is sweet and juicy, and upon entering the mouth, it transforms into a pure spiritual energy that slides down the throat into the stomach, instantly spreading to every part of the body.

He could clearly feel that the energy within his body was becoming longer and more profound, and the pores all over his body were opening up, as if he were merging with the spiritual energy of Kunlun Hill.

Lin Lang looked up at the three of them, his eyes becoming even clearer: "This sand pear absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and gathers the essence of the sun and moon. Its spiritual energy is extremely pure and it is definitely not an ordinary thing."

Han Jae-in only ate one crabapple, and its sweet taste filled her with joy, making her feel incredibly happy and satisfied.

Ma Yili slowly closed her eyes, savoring the crabapple slowly and carefully, feeling the spiritual energy surging within her body, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.

As the immortal fruit entered their bellies, three soft white lights rose from the three of them, intertwining with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

They could clearly feel their bodies becoming lighter and their minds becoming more peaceful and tranquil, and they had miraculously developed a constitution that prevented them from drowning.

While tasting the crabapple, Lin Lang said with a smile, "Li Bai's poem 'A boat with magnolia oars and crabapple branches' in 'Ode to the Rivers and Mountains' uses the image of a boat made of crabapple wood that will not sink to continue the mythical connotation of crabapple wood controlling water."

“Honey, you know what, Li Bai really knows how to show off.” Zhou Mengyao started eating her second crabapple.

Ma Yili asked curiously, "Honey, are there really boats made of sandalwood in the human world?"

Lin Lang replied, "The Southern Dynasty's 'Records of Strange Things' mentions that when Emperor Cheng of Han and Zhao Feiyan toured Taiye Pond, the boat they used was made of sandalwood."

"The exploration of mountains and river sources by successive regimes in ancient times has left many historical imprints related to the sand pear trees of Kunlun Mountain."

Han Zaiyin had just picked up the second crabapple from Lin Lang's hand, but before she could put it to her mouth, she noticed something unusual in the nearby forest.

Immediately afterwards, a beastly roar rang out, a hundred times more terrifying than a tiger's roar, deafeningly loud, which frightened Han Zaiyin so much that she hurriedly hid behind Lin Lang.

Zhou Mengyao turned around at the sound and saw a tiger-bodied, nine-headed Kaiming beast, about three zhang long from head to tail. All nine heads had human faces on them, and the beast was very fierce, roaring as it pounced.

"Oh my god! Honey, look what that monster is! It's lunging at us!" Zhou Mengyao was startled and quickly hid behind Lin Lang.

"My God! This monster won't eat people, will it?" Ma Yili was so frightened that she dropped the crabapple she hadn't finished eating on the ground, gasped, and hid behind Lin Lang.

The deafening roar of the beast still echoed in the valley. The Enlightened Beast, accompanied by a foul wind, rushed forward, its nine human faces baring its fangs, its sharp claws almost touching Lin Lang's clothes.

At this critical moment, a cold glint flashed in Lin Lang's eyes, and a pale golden wave of psychic energy emanated from his palm as he instantly activated the [Beast Taming Psychic Energy] skill!

An invisible force of thought surged toward the Enlightened Beast like a tidal wave, and the violent aura carrying the divinity of Kunlun suddenly froze.

Its massive body paused in mid-air, and its nine heads, which had been roaring menacingly, froze. The fierce look in its eyes quickly faded, replaced by complete docility and submission.

When its front paws landed, it retracted its sharp claws, and its three-zhang-long tiger body lay obediently on the ground. Its tail no longer swung, but instead swayed gently like a pleasing dog.

All nine heads lowered slightly, their gazes towards Lin Lang filled with awe, the previous ferocity completely gone.

Han Zaiyin hid behind Lin Lang, her heart pounding with fear from the danger she had just witnessed. She cautiously peeked out, her dark eyes wide open, staring at the Kaiming Beast that looked completely different from the real thing. Her voice trembled with disbelief.

"Honey, why did it stop? Look, it's wagging its tail at you! Wagging its tail obediently like a puppy!"

Ma Yili's fingertips were still trembling slightly, but she couldn't help but look at the divine beast lying on the ground with curiosity. She said with lingering fear, "With its imposing manner just now, I thought it was going to eat us!"

Lin Lang shielded his three concubines behind him, his tone both arrogant and indulgent: "My beloved concubines, don't be afraid. I have just used [Beast Taming Power] to completely control it."

"This tiger-bodied, nine-headed Kaiming Beast is the guardian deity of Kunlun Mountain, guarding the nine gates of Kunlun Hill, and is responsible for intimidating all spirits and protecting the peace of Kunlun. In its eyes, we are 'abnormal creatures' because we have entered the Kunlun Secret Realm, which is why it took the initiative to attack."

Zhou Mengyao peeked out from behind Lin Lang's arms, patting her chest to calm her fright. When she saw the appearance of the Kaiming Beast, her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Wow! Husband, you're amazing!"

"So this is the tiger-bodied, nine-headed Kaiming Beast described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas? It was so fierce just now, ready to eat people, but now it's so docile!"

Lin Lang said with a smile, "The nine heads are the Heavenly Eyes of the Enlightened Beast, used to distinguish between good and evil. Just now, it was these nine heads that detected that we had entered the Kunlun Secret Realm."

Hearing this, Han Zaiyin became bolder and even dared to take half a step forward. "No wonder it looks so strange. It turns out to be the guardian deity that protects Kunlun Mountain!"

The Enlightened Beast instantly switched to docile mode, letting out a low, gentle whimper. Its tail wagged even more enthusiastically, and it even stretched out one of its heads, carefully rubbing its nose against Lin Lang's trouser leg, looking affectionate and憨厚 (honest and simple).

Ma Yili said weakly, still shaken, "Honey, let's go quickly! My legs are still weak with fear."