This time, the Flying Ship finally made it without any further incidents, carrying Li Qian and Wu You safely to Zhonghai City.
Once the Flying Ship had docked securely at the Zhonghai City International Flying Ship Base, Li Qian checked his phone. It was a little past seven in the evening, and though it was summer, the sky had already grown quite dark.
At the exit of the Flying Ship Base, Wu You turned to Li Qian and invited him again. "It’s already this late. Are you sure you don’t want to come to my place and rest for the night?"
Li Qian smiled politely and tactfully declined. "There’s no need. I’ve already booked a hotel on my phone. You go on ahead, don’t waste your time on me."
’Go to Wu You’s house? I’m not that foolish.’
’With her violent temper, what if the rest of the Wing Race are the same? Going to her house would be like walking into a lion’s den.’
Seeing Li Qian’s firm refusal, Wu You didn’t press the matter. Instead, she continued, "Well, exchanging contact info shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
"Of course," Li Qian replied without hesitation.
’Refusing to even exchange contact info would be a bit cold.’
Li Qian really couldn’t find a reason to refuse.
The two exchanged their contact numbers. Then, with a wave, Li Qian took his leave from the Flying Ship Base.
"Youyou, what are you looking at?" Wu You hadn’t left right away, but was standing at the exit, staring into the distance. Just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" Wu You turned to see a young, beautiful woman who looked at least seventy or eighty percent like her. Seeing her mother, her voice was a mix of joy and surprise.
The beautiful young woman took Wu You’s hand, her tone full of concern. "Why wouldn’t I come? When I heard you were in an accident on the Flying Ship, you have no idea how worried I was!"
As she spoke, her gaze sharpened, and her aura surged. "Do you know which faction was behind this?"
"The Black Divine Teachings." Hearing her mother’s question, Wu You recalled the experience, and her expression turned grim as well.
Hearing the three words "Black Divine Teachings," the young woman couldn’t help but frown, her disgust palpable. "Hmph, those pests again!"
Silently committing those three words to memory, the young woman quickly changed the subject. "By the way, who was that boy just now?"
"A rather interesting person," Wu You said lightly after a moment of thought.
Seeing her daughter lost in thought, the beautiful young woman’s eyes flickered.
...
He took a taxi to the hotel he had booked on his phone, had a simple meal, and rested for the night. The next day, Li Qian set out for the address that Pink Memory had left on the Breeder website.
"Pink Memory, 18 Guyu Street. This must be the place." A little after nine in the morning, he finally arrived at his destination.
The address was in the eastern part of Zhonghai City, in a suburban area near the coast. It wasn’t too far from one of the Zhonghai Beast Taming University campuses.
For this reason, Li Qian provisionally decided to believe Pink Memory’s claim of being a professor at Zhonghai Beast Taming University’s Cultivation College.
He glanced around and was somewhat surprised to find that the location was actually a manor.
Without hesitating, he walked directly to the manor’s gate. The moment he drew near, a security guard approached him with a suspicious expression.
Li Qian explained his purpose for being there. The guard immediately went back to give notice; clearly, the master of the house had left instructions regarding the "Pink Memory" ID.
Before long, another guard hurried over, opened the gate for Li Qian, and led him into the manor.
Everything went smoothly—almost too smoothly for his liking. Then, about ten minutes later, the master of the house appeared before him.
"You’re Pink Memory?" Li Qian couldn’t help but ask in surprise as he looked at the middle-aged man before him—a man who was round as a ball, bald, with a head that shone like a beacon.
’Pink Memory... With such a cute ID, even if it wasn’t a beautiful female Breeder, it shouldn’t be a portly, greasy, middle-aged uncle, right?’
For a moment, Li Qian found it hard to process. However, the stout uncle quickly confirmed his suspicions with ironclad facts. "Hello. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sun Hongyi. My ID on the Breeder website is Pink Memory, and I am a professor at the Zhonghai Beast Taming University Cultivation College."
Hearing Professor Sun Hongyi’s introduction, Li Qian immediately reined in his disappointment and put on a socially appropriate smile. "Hello, my name is Li Qian."
Sun Hongyi took a second look at him after the introduction. "I know you. The once-in-a-century Breeder prodigy from Lingshui City. You’re not quite what I pictured a genius to be."
"Why is that?" Li Qian asked, his curiosity piqued.
"In my experience, when the heavens open a door for you, they tend to shut a window," Sun Hongyi said with great seriousness. "I’ve met many geniuses, whether they be Breeder geniuses or combat geniuses. Their physical appearance is often inversely proportional to their talent."
Li Qian’s mouth twitched. "In that respect, you certainly fit the image of a genius."
"Interesting, very interesting. Not many people dare to joke with me like that." At this, the interest in Sun Hongyi’s eyes deepened.
He looked Li Qian straight in the eye and asked, "Aren’t you worried?"
"Worried about what? I’m only here for an equal exchange of Breeder knowledge. It’s not like I’m begging you for a favor."
Li Qian shrugged, unconcerned. "And even if I were, what does that have to do with making a joke?"
"More importantly, I don’t think I was joking."
"Hahaha..."
Sun Hongyi let out a hearty laugh. "You’re an interesting kid. So, what did you want to discuss?"
Li Qian didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "I read the article you published on the Breeder website. I want to understand the evolution path from Golden Pearl Bud to Tidal Sea Spirit."
Seeing Li Qian get straight to the point, Sun Hongyi didn’t hold back either and told him the truth outright. "Since you’ve read the article, you should be aware that this evolution path is incomplete. It still has quite a few flaws."
Li Qian nodded, a confident smile spreading across his face. "I’m aware. But I don’t think the flaws are a big deal. At least, not for me."