Chapter 58 Steamed Spicy Fish

Little Ancestor folded his arms with a loud huff. "You’re useless."

Han Luo laughed. "That’s the second time you’ve called me that this month."

Then he glanced at Lie Lang before smiling. "I think we should visit your Royal Concubine."

Lie Lang finally looked up from the report. "Why?"

Han Luo’s smile widened. "Because Little Ancestor has been talking about roasted rabbit ever since he tasted it."

Little Ancestor nodded so hard that both wolf ears bounced. "I want to eat what the human cooks."

"You already did." Lie Lang said.

"That was like three days ago." He held out four fingers.

Han Luo couldn’t resist joining in, ignoring the miscount. "To be fair..." He smiled innocently. "I’d also like another taste." He wriggled shamelessly at Lie Lang.

Lie Lang looked at the two of them without changing his expression. "So the two of you came here to beg for food."

Han Luo coughed awkwardly. "When you put it that way... it does sound a little embarrassing."

Before Lie Lang could reply, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the hall.

Several maidservants rushed inside so quickly that they almost tripped over one another. The moment they crossed the entrance, they dropped to their knees with loud thuds, their faces pale and their bodies trembling so badly they could barely stay upright.

Lie Lang immediately noticed something was wrong. "What happened?"

One of the maids opened her mouth, but no words came out. She simply lowered her head, trembling even harder.

Lie Lang frowned. "What happened?"

Still the maids couldn’t answer.

The frightened maid looked as though she wanted to speak, yet no sound came out.

The temperature in the hall seemed to drop.

"If none of you can answer..." Lie Lang’s voice became noticeably colder. "...then I’ll assume your tongues are no longer of any use."

The terrifying pressure pouring from his body instantly filled the entire hall. The maidservants’ faces turned deathly pale.

One of them hurriedly knocked her forehead against the floor. "A-Alpha..."

"What happened to the Royal Concubine?" Lie Lang’s eyes darkened, could it be that the elders had already started revealing their moves?

"S-She..."

"Speak." Lie Lang’s voice resonated through the walls.

The maid squeezed her eyes shut, gathered every bit of courage she had, and finally blurted out, "The Royal Concubine is cooking the Dragon Golden Fish!"

The hall fell completely silent. And the world seemed to stand for a while.

Even Han Luo’s smile disappeared from his face.

Lie Lang stared at the kneeling maid without saying a word.

Then... Crack.

The jade brush in his hand snapped into pieces. "...What?!" Veins popped out from his throat.

The maid nearly burst into tears. "S-She caught six of them..." she stammered. "...and... and she’s making steamed spicy fish."

A deep growl escaped Lie Lang’s throat. The terrifying sound echoed through the hall, making everyone present shiver.

Little Ancestor immediately hid behind Han Luo.

Even Han Luo’s expression changed. "...Six?"

He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Those weren’t ordinary spirit beasts.

Every Dragon Golden Fish carried an ancient bloodline. Once fully grown, they could transform beneath the moonlight into golden flood dragons. The clan had spent hundreds of years raising the fish living in the Alpha’s pond, treating them like treasured spiritual beasts.

And now... A human had caught six of them to make steamed spicy fish?

Without saying another word, Lie Lang disappeared from where he stood.

Boom!

The stone floor cracked beneath his feet as a powerful gust of wind swept through the hall. Before anyone could react, his figure had already vanished into the distance, heading straight for the eastern courtyard.

Han Luo stared blankly at the frightened maidservants before rubbing his forehead with a helpless sigh. "...I suddenly have a very bad feeling."

He reached over, grabbed the little prince by the back of his collar, and started walking toward the door.

"Come. We’d better hurry." He paused for a moment before correcting himself. "...Either we’ll save the fish..." He let out another sigh. "...or we’ll save the human."

The little prince blinked innocently. "...Can I still taste the fish?"

...

Xue Yao had no idea that her breakfast had already thrown half the royal palace into chaos.

Right now, the only thing on her mind was the delicious smell coming from the wok in front of her.

She happily stirred the spices as the garlic slowly turned golden in the hot oil. The sliced ginger softened, and the dried chilies released a rich, spicy fragrance that quickly filled the courtyard. Just smelling it made her stomach grumble.

She leaned over the wok, took another deep breath, and nodded with satisfaction. "Perfect."

She reached into the pot and picked up the largest Dragon Golden Fish. Even now, the poor thing was still flapping its tail as though it refused to accept its fate.

Xue Yao looked at it for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh.

"Don’t struggle anymore." She shook her head sympathetically. "You’re only making me hungrier."

The fish answered by slapping its tail, sending a splash of water straight onto her face.

Xue Yao slowly wiped the water from her cheek. "...Alright." She looked at the fish with a serious expression. "You brought this upon yourself."

With one clean strike, she knocked it unconscious.

"See?" She smiled in satisfaction. "That wasn’t so difficult."

She worked quickly after that. The scales came off cleanly beneath her knife, and after removing the insides, she washed the fish before making several neat cuts across both sides. Salt, crushed herbs, sliced ginger, and cooking wine were rubbed evenly into the flesh until every part was coated with seasoning.

"There." She admired her work before placing it neatly aside. "Marinate for a while."

Then she reached for the next fish. "This one’s Honghong’s."

After cleaning and seasoning it just as carefully, she moved on to the third. "And this one belongs to Tian Lan."

As she gently rubbed the herbs into the fish, the smile on her face softened.

"You two had better wake up soon. Otherwise..." She looked at the row of beautifully seasoned fish lined up in front of her and sighed dramatically. "All this delicious food will end up in my stomach instead."

One by one, she finished preparing all six fish before arranging them neatly inside a large steaming tray.