CHAPTER 471: CHAPTER 458 HOT SPRING INVITATION

After feeding Little Shui with some regular fish, Han Qiwu placed it back in its nest, stood up, and got ready to look for the Little Prince.

He looked around the yard.

But there was no sign of the Little Prince whatsoever.

"Sleeping this early already?"

Han Qiwu ran over to check near the Little Prince’s burrow.

Weird, it wasn’t there either.

"Little Prince!" Han Qiwu shouted out toward the yard.

"Roar!"

A giant bear head suddenly popped out at the entrance of the cellar nearby and responded with a grunt.

"Digging out the cellar again? What’s so fun about that?" Han Qiwu frowned and walked over, curious to see what kind of masterpiece the Little Prince had been working on for so long.

Seeing its owner approaching, the Little Prince became ecstatic, scrambling up out of the ground on all fours, rushing over to greet Han Qiwu.

"Thud, thud, thud."

The massive bear paws pounded on the ground.

"Stop, stop!"

As soon as Han Qiwu got closer, he hastily stopped the charging Little Prince in its tracks.

"Boom!"

The Little Prince stood to attention right on the spot.

At that moment, Han Qiwu suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet give way.

"Damn it, could it be the Little Prince dug too shallow?!"

"Crash, crash!"

The surrounding dirt came pouring down, landing on both Han Qiwu and the Little Prince who had fallen into the cellar.

Little Shui, witnessing this scene, dropped its little fish jerky in shock.

Where’d the owner go all of a sudden?

After steadying himself, Han Qiwu stood up to assess the situation.

Fortunately, it was only a two-meter drop.

Judging from the surroundings, this spot shouldn’t be where the actual cellar is—he estimated it to be near the entrance.

It must’ve been from the Little Prince going in and out of the entrance repeatedly, loosening the ground.

"Well done, setting up a trap for me, huh? You really got me this time." Han Qiwu twisted the Little Prince’s ear and asked.

"Roar, roar, roar!"

The Little Prince immediately got up on its tippy toes, waving its paws in denial, trying to explain it was all just an accident. After its explanation, it even proudly gestured toward the right side, as if inviting Han Qiwu to see something.

"Wait, why do you look so smug about it?" Han Qiwu, puzzled, took out a torch. With its light, he looked in the direction the Little Prince had gestured.

"Oh my god..."

Under the torchlight, a massive, dual-level cellar with an area of over a hundred square meters appeared before Han Qiwu.

The soil of the cellar looked solid, with numerous bear paw markings all over the walls and floor. The height was about three meters, not cramped at all.

It was called dual-level because Han Qiwu noticed a small mud staircase in one corner!

"Impressive, my Little Prince!" Han Qiwu exclaimed as he climbed into the cellar, jumping up and down hard to test it.

Not a single creak.

It seemed he had indeed wronged the Little Prince earlier.

The cellar was built solidly; the loosened ground near the entrance wasn’t technically the Little Prince’s fault.

After scanning the area, Han Qiwu couldn’t wait to head down the small mud staircase to check out the lower level.

Another cellar level!

However, this level was still incomplete, with some soil at the far end yet to be solidified.

After inspecting everything, Han Qiwu didn’t immediately start showering the Little Prince with praise. Instead, he climbed up and down the cellar twice, estimating its dimensions.

Once he finished his calculations, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thankfully, you didn’t dig into my house or the animal shelters. That would’ve brought the whole place down."

No wonder there’d been whispers about the Little Prince hiding secrets recently.

Turns out, those rumors about secrets were right.

Not bad at all.

Han Qiwu stretched an arm around the Little Prince beside him and spoke earnestly, "Not bad, good work. I’ll reward you with three jars of honey later, but you can’t eat them all at once. I don’t know if Bear Clan members have anything like diabetes, but too many sweets aren’t good. Moderation is key, even in what you do."

Seeing the Little Prince nod in agreement, Han Qiwu added, "For example, digging cellars—this is as far as you need to go. This size is perfect and good enough."

"Roar!"

The Little Prince happily agreed.

Sure, digging cellars was kind of fun, but if not for the honey reward, why on earth would it dig so much?

Three jars of honey!

Oh, yeah!

Seeing that the Little Prince had agreed, Han Qiwu let out a sigh of relief.

The current cellar was already quite large, and the height the Little Prince had dug was more than enough.

Roughly estimating, it could easily fit around a hundred pieces of equipment, no problem at all.

No need to keep digging.

For the remaining details, he planned to visit Xiao Huo Lang tomorrow to take a look before deciding what to do next.

After leaving the cellar, Han Qiwu brought over the promised honey and handed it to the Little Prince, then turned around and headed back into the house for a bath.

The moment the Little Prince got its honey, it wiggled its butt in delight.

Triumphant bear!

After his bath, Han Qiwu came back out and brought the blue firebird a Fire Crystal.

"Go ahead and spit fire to your heart’s content. If you’re hungry or thirsty, just let me know. And if anyone bullies you, tell me—I’ll turn them into roasted chicken," Han Qiwu said with a grin as he stroked the blue firebird’s head.

The firebird glanced at him, unimpressed.

Clearly, those words were directed more at the plump chicken nearby.

Seriously, owner, think about it—who would dare bully a bird that can spit fire?

Glancing at the time, Han Qiwu decided to skip his training for the day.

Too exhausting.

Just before entering the house, he tossed all the egg yolk paste he’d been stockpiling into the selling box.

Tomorrow was the day Xiao Huo Lang came by.

No money means no way forward.

Back inside, as soon as Han Qiwu lay down on his bed, he received a video call invitation from Mr. Tang.

Han Qiwu blinked in surprise, quickly picked up his phone, used the screen as a mirror to fix his hair and adjust his pajama collar before answering the call.

On the other end, Tang Qingying sat on a small stool, wearing her pajamas, soaking her hands in a bowl of hot water. Seeing the video connect, she looked up and asked, "Your hair’s still wet? Were you just showering? Shouldn’t you dry it first? I can hardly type today—lab work had my hands completely worn out."

Feeling slightly self-conscious, Han Qiwu ran a hand through his damp hair and replied, "It’s been a while since I finished showering. I’ll be fine—it’ll dry on its own. What about your hands? Are they okay? Maybe tomorrow you should take a cab over instead of driving yourself."

Tang Qingying lifted her delicate hands from the water, wiggling her fingers as she said, "It’s nothing major. After soaking them in warm water and resting overnight, they should be good as new. I still find driving myself more convenient, though. Anyway, take care not to catch a cold. It’s been getting chilly these past couple of days—I’ve even started feeling a bit of a sore throat."

"Yeah, it has been cold," Han Qiwu frowned. After thinking for a moment, he suggested, "Oh, by the way, I found a hot spring a couple of days ago. It’s really safe. Wanna try it out? Hot springs can chase away the cold in spring."

It was only because of her mention of the cold that Han Qiwu remembered his hot spring—perfect for relieving hand fatigue and staying warm.

Tang Qingying’s eyes lit up with joy as she exclaimed, "You’ve got a hot spring? That’s fantastic! I’ll bring some clothes over tomorrow—and hey, wouldn’t it be great if we could enjoy some hot spring-boiled eggs with a bit of wine?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll have all the hot spring snacks ready," Han Qiwu said with a laugh.

Rest assured, there’d definitely be plenty of hot spring eggs at his place.