Chapter 196: Being a Guest, Welcome to the Mushroom House

After painting the bamboo, it still needed some time to dry.

With that, the house built for Dark Circles was tentatively finished.

Ning Fei gathered the leftover wood scraps scattered around. They were still useful and could be used for firewood.

It was already afternoon.

"Are you guys not busy at the Mushroom House? Did the production crew not set up any tasks?" Ning Fei asked as he sat down to rest. Zhang Xiaofeng took a seat next to him, and the two casually chatted.

"Not at all. We only really have things to do when it's time to cook. The rest of the time, we just chat, enjoy the scenery, and relax however we want," Zhang Xiaofeng replied with a smile.

"Is that so?" Ning Fei nodded. That was a bit unexpected.

"Ning Guan master, you haven't visited the Mushroom House yet, right? Let me take you for a tour," Zhang Xiaofeng offered, her eyes lighting up as she thought of the idea.

Ning Fei had been doing woodwork all day and felt a bit tired. He had originally planned to spend the rest of the day resting before starting on the wooden boat tomorrow.

Taking a stroll over to the neighboring Mushroom House during his downtime sounded like a nice idea.

"Is that convenient? Isn't it a filming location for a show? Can you just bring anyone in?" Ning Fei asked thoughtfully, worried that showing up out of the blue might be too intrusive.

"It's fine, let me ask Teacher Huang first."

With that, Zhang Xiaofeng gave Teacher Huang a call. After getting a thumbs-up, she excitedly led Ning Fei down the mountain.

The production crew was thrilled to see this unfold.

Ning Fei's current popularity was already threatening to surpass Yearning 6 itself.

One was an outdoor streamer, and the other was a massive variety show featuring Teacher He, Teacher Huang, and a slew of celebrities. Yet, surprisingly, Ning Fei was generating more online buzz.

Of course, due to the limitations of his streaming platform, Ning Fei's viewership still couldn't compare to the massive audience watching the Yearning 6 broadcast.

However, downloads for the Douniao Live app had skyrocketed recently. According to official statistics, almost all the new users during this period had specifically tuned in just to watch Ning Fei.

Douniao Live was making a killing. The platform practically treated Ning Fei like a priceless treasure now.

Ning Fei and Zhang Xiaofeng made their way down the mountain.

While he was out on the Grassland, he had heard the village chief mention that the production crew had changed their original location and ultimately chosen to build their set not far from Qingfeng Temple. Ning Fei hadn't thought much of it at the time.

He hadn't been paying it much attention, either.

But after Zhang Xiaofeng brought it up, he was actually quite curious to take a tour.

Outside the Mushroom House was a small country path paved with stones and lined with wild grass. It had a uniquely rustic charm.

Ning Fei followed the path and finally got a full view of the Mushroom House.

The place had been transformed into an antique-style courtyard. Most of the furniture outside was made of wood, arranged with various cushions, tables, and chairs. There wasn't a single trace of modern technology in sight.

It was obvious the production crew had put a lot of heart into it and truly understood rural life.

In truth, the show was already on its sixth season. The directors and planners had the layout and interior design down to a science, resulting in a phenomenal visual aesthetic.

The rural courtyard was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate seven or eight people without feeling crowded.

As soon as he walked through the gate, Ning Fei spotted a birdcage hanging by the entrance. Inside sat a green parrot.

The moment the parrot saw them, it squawked, "Welcome! Welcome!"

A faint smile touched Ning Fei's lips when he saw the bird.

The parrot was incredibly cute with a slightly goofy look to it. He certainly hadn't expected it to know a welcoming phrase.

"We call this parrot Little Jixiang. It's really smart, just a bit mischievous," Zhang Xiaofeng explained from the side.

"Little Jixiang," Ning Fei called out softly.

The moment he spoke, the parrot unexpectedly took flight and landed right on Ning Fei's shoulder.

Zhang Xiaofeng stared at the scene in absolute shock.

"Oh my god. Little Jixiang is usually terrified of people! It doesn't let anyone touch it. If you even try to grab it, it flies away immediately,"

Zhang Xiaofeng exclaimed in disbelief.

The viewers in the chat were just as stunned. The fans tuning in from the Yearning 6 broadcast were left practically speechless.

For the past two days, Peng Xiaochang had been desperately trying to catch the parrot, but he hadn't succeeded once, even with everyone else pitching in to help.

The moment the parrot saw anyone reaching for it, it would immediately take off.

Yet now, it had willingly flown straight to Ning Fei's shoulder.

"The son of the forest physique is confirmed!" Ning Fei's fans marveled in the chat.

"Little Jixiang actually flew to his shoulder on its own? Is that really the same mischievous parrot?"

"The Taoist priest has an insane amount of animal magnetism."

"It's a real thing! Some people just naturally give off a friendly vibe, and animals are naturally drawn to them."

"You guys should check out Ning Guan master's older videos in the forest. Even a South China tiger and sika deer willingly approached him."

"He's so cool."

Ning Fei turned his head to glance at the parrot. The bird had been quite popular online recently. It was one of the big draws for Yearning 6 and had been the source of many hilarious moments thanks to its interactions with the goofy Peng Xiaochang.

"Little Jixiang,"

Ning Fei called out again.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Little Jixiang chirped back. Compared to its usual frantic squawking, the parrot's voice was surprisingly soft this time.

The sudden shift in behavior caught the viewers completely off guard.

"Holy crap, since when was Little Jixiang this well-behaved?"

"I thought this bird was supposed to be a little menace that loved mocking people."

"Is this the legendary Daoist aura?"

Ning Fei guessed that the bird was drawn to him because he was wearing the Phoenix jade pendant.

Just then, Teacher He and the rest of the cast came out to greet him.

Zhou Xiaoxun and Chen Xiaokun were still there as well.

"Ning Guan master! Welcome!" Huang Sanshi greeted with a hearty chuckle.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Ning Fei replied politely.

When Peng Xiaochang noticed Little Jixiang perched comfortably on Ning Fei's shoulder, he was completely dumbfounded. His eyes went wide, refusing to believe what he was seeing.

"Hahaha, look at Pengpeng's face!"

The viewers found the reaction hilarious and instantly spammed the chat with laughter.

The layout of the Mushroom House was even better than Ning Fei had imagined. The overall aesthetic perfectly captured the rustic charm of rural living.

Of course, it was highly romanticized. It was a TV show, after all; they had to showcase an idealized version of country life to the audience.

"We're all neighbors now, so it's great that we can drop by each other's places like this! I was starting to feel embarrassed that we were the only ones always visiting you," Huang Sanshi added warmly.

"Mhm. Sounds good,"

Ning Fei replied with a light chuckle.

He had mostly come just to check out the animals at the Mushroom House. The village chief had mentioned that the production crew had bought some geese and chickens to raise, as well as a dairy cow.

More importantly, Ning Fei had heard they had brought in four purebred Shiba Inus.

The production crew had raised four dogs in a previous season, naming them Pot, Bowl, Ladle, and Basin, and they had been a massive hit online. Clearly, they wanted to recreate that magic this season.

This season, the four Shiba Inus were named Oil, Salt, Sauce, and Vinegar.

Ning Fei chatted with the group for a bit, though he spent most of his time playing with the little Shiba Inus, which he found incredibly endearing.

Afterward, he said his goodbyes and left without lingering too long.

It was normal for people in a village to frequently drop by their neighbors' homes. That was especially true whenever someone got a new animal; everyone in the village would go over to take a look.

Ning Fei had visited with exactly that mindset.

"Those four Shiba Inus were pretty cute, and that little parrot wasn't bad either,"

Ning Fei mused to himself as he walked back up the road.

As far as he was concerned, those five animals were the biggest attractions the Mushroom House had to offer.

By the time he returned to Qingfeng Temple, Ning Fei could already hear Little Dog barking before he even stepped through the door.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The pup's barks sounded remarkably indignant, as if he were lodging a complaint.

"What's going on?" Ning Fei wondered, feeling a bit puzzled.

He walked into the courtyard and found Little Dog standing on the ground, staring up at Little Fox. The white fox was currently draped lazily over a Luo Xiaohei Plush Toy.

Ning Fei had bought the toy on their journey back. The backseat of the car had been too hard, making it uncomfortable for Little Fox and Little Dog to sleep. So, when they had passed by a toy store, Ning Fei had gone out of his way to buy them a large plush toy.

Both of the little guys absolutely loved it.

From the looks of it, Little Fox had commandeered the Luo Xiaohei plush toy, and Little Dog was not happy about it.

"Woof!"

Spotting Ning Fei's return, Little Dog immediately turned and let out a low bark, as if demanding that Ning Fei serve as the judge.

Little Fox looked at him too, blinking her big, innocent eyes.

The viewers watching the stream instantly cracked up at the scene.

"Oh boy, Ning Guan master has a real dilemma on his hands. There's only one toy! Who's he gonna side with?"

"His beloved dog and his beloved white fox are fighting over a toy. This is a tough one."

"I really want to see who Ning Guan master chooses!"

"He's definitely going to let Little Fox have it."

"Little Dog, you're the older one now, you need to let your little sister have a turn."

"Little Dog is the little brother, okay? Little Fox is the older one."

The chat was buzzing with excitement. Everyone was more than happy to grab some popcorn and watch the drama unfold.

It was a tricky situation, but Ning Fei was clever. He simply picked up a tennis ball from the ground, shook it, and called out, "Little Dog, let's play a game."

Little Dog was a dog, after all. The moment he saw the tennis ball, he wagged his tail and bounded right over. His face was lit up with pure excitement, the fight over the plush toy instantly completely forgotten.

Little Fox sprawled comfortably over the Luo Xiaohei plush toy. She narrowed her eyes, a look of pure, satisfied bliss spreading across her face.

Seeing the masterstroke, the viewers immediately flooded the chat:

"Ning Guan master, you're a genius."