After a brief, amicable chat with Elder Liao, Li Qian did just as he’d promised and unabashedly stayed.
Elder Liao was resentful, but there was nothing he could do.
He was only the steward of Hongqiao Manor. To put it bluntly, they simply had an employer-employee relationship. He had neither the right nor the ability to control Li Qian.
Especially since Sun Ruirui, the owner of the manor, had gladly given her consent.
Ignoring Elder Liao’s sour expression, Li Qian was in high spirits. He spent a comfortable and pleasant day in the manor, reading through materials, observing the Pet Beasts, and chatting with Sun Ruirui...
Soon, evening arrived.
When night fell, Li Qian arrived right on time at the small bay in the northeast corner.
As soon as he reached the bay, the Tidal Sea Spirit, Ah Hai, emerged from the water.
"You’re here." Ah Hai looked at Li Qian, his voice once again sounding like that of a young boy.
"Yeah." Li Qian nodded, then scanned the area.
Ah Hai knew what he was looking for and let out a soft call.
As the call faded, SPLASH, SPLASH, two sounds of water followed one another. Then, under Li Qian’s scrutinizing gaze, two Golden Pearl Buds surfaced from the water as well.
Ah Hai glanced at the two Golden Pearl Buds that had appeared together, then fixed his gaze on Li Qian. "I’m leaving these two little ones with you!"
"I hope you..."
It continued to speak, but Li Qian cut it off with a wave of his hand. "Don’t worry. I’m just going to discuss a few things with them. I won’t do anything to them. Besides, my current strength wouldn’t even allow me to if I wanted to."
With that, he wasted no more time, taking out two Beast Taming Balls and tossing them forward.
A red light flashed, and the two Golden Pearl Buds were drawn into the Beast Taming Balls.
Once that was done, he waved his hand again. "I’m off. Wait for my word."
Ah Hai watched Li Qian’s retreating back as he walked away and muttered to himself, ’Sigh, I wonder if trusting a kid like you was the wrong decision...’
’I hope you don’t betray my trust.’
As it mused, its gaze drifted unconsciously in a certain direction. ’After all these years, Ruirui has endured so much. It’s time she was set free.’
...
After taking in Ah Hai’s two underlings, Li Qian left Hongqiao Manor early the next morning and returned to the Sky Realm Cultivation Base.
Although Shi Gui Fang’s facility was named the Sky Realm Cultivation Base, it didn’t exclusively house Flying-type Pet Beasts; there were other types as well.
In fact, to increase the diversity of Pet Beasts at the facility, Shi Gui Fang had recently had a pond dug, intending to use it to raise Water-type Pet Beasts.
But before she could even begin raising any Water-type Pet Beasts, the pond became a temporary home for Jinfeng and Golden Rain.
Upon returning to the Sky Realm Cultivation Base, Li Qian released the two into the pond. He then squatted by the water’s edge and began to communicate with them.
The base’s manager, a woman in her thirties who handled all the miscellaneous affairs, saw this and asked Shi Gui Fang beside her in confusion, "What’s he doing?"
"Why is he tinkering with Water-type Pet Beasts now?"
Shi Gui Fang was also watching. "It’s probably for some new research," she guessed.
The two women murmured to each other from a distance while, up close by the pond, Li Qian was communicating with Jinfeng and Golden Rain.
"Zhu Zhu... Zhu Zhu..."
"KREEE... KREEE..."
The sounds Jinfeng and Golden Rain were making left Li Qian completely bewildered. He had no choice but to resort to his usual trick.
He summoned Qizai to act as a translator.
Unfortunately, perhaps because the difference in species was too great, Qizai could only understand bits and pieces this time.
Just when Li Qian was starting to think this was getting troublesome, Shi Gui Fang’s voice suddenly sounded from behind him. "Are you trying to speak with these Golden Pearl Buds? Perhaps I can help."
As she spoke, she held out her hand, revealing a headset in her palm.
"What’s this?" Li Qian asked, unfamiliar with the device.
Handing the headset to Li Qian, Shi Gui Fang immediately explained, "It’s the latest Pet Beast Translation Device. Why don’t you try it on?"
Li Qian didn’t hesitate, immediately putting on the Pet Beast Translation Device, which looked just like a regular pair of headphones.
Once he put it on, the "Zhu Zhu... Zhu Zhu..." sound came through again, but after being processed by the Pet Beast Translation Device, it was converted into human language that Li Qian could understand.
"This thing is pretty good." A hint of delight appeared on Li Qian’s face after he understood what the two Golden Pearl Buds were saying.
Seeing that Li Qian liked it, Shi Gui Fang didn’t hesitate to offer it as a gift. "Then it’s yours, Master Li."
"Oh, I couldn’t possibly accept." Li Qian chuckled. Despite his words, he showed no intention of actually refusing.
Shi Gui Fang gave a faint smile and a few words of praise, having proven her usefulness. A moment later, she left him with a final sentence and departed from the pond, taking the base manager who was watching from afar with her. "In that case, I won’t disturb your research, Master Li."
’He was conducting Pet Beast research, after all. It would be awkward if she were mistaken for spying on his secrets.’
Once he saw that Shi Gui Fang and the base manager were both gone, Li Qian immediately focused his attention on the two Golden Pearl Buds. "Do you want to evolve into a Tidal Sea Spirit, just like Ah Hai?"
Jinfeng spoke, and through the translation device, Li Qian understood its meaning. "It’s no use. Our leader Ah Hai’s Beast Master has already tried many times, and it was a failure every time. And after each failure, one of our kind was harmed."
"Just because your leader Ah Hai’s Beast Master couldn’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t."
Li Qian chuckled and released Xiaohui to serve as an example. "See this? Not long ago, it was just a plain, unremarkable Gray Bean Dove. Now, it’s an Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle with Emperor Level Potential."
As he spoke, he issued a direct command. "Oh, right. You probably don’t know what a Gray Bean Dove is. No matter. Xiaohui, go catch one and show them."
Xiaohui received the command and didn’t hesitate for a second. It moved like a bolt of lightning, vanishing in the blink of an eye. A few moments later, it returned.
Seeing the panicked Gray Bean Dove clutched in its talons, Li Qian said calmly, "See? The difference is like night and day."
"If you choose to trust me, I will have one of you evolve into a Tidal Sea Spirit in three days, at most. Of course, you’re also aware of the price. The other Golden Pearl Bud will lose its Golden Pearl."
"However, I can promise that in the future, once the one that lost its Golden Pearl manages to form another, I will help it evolve into a Tidal Sea Spirit as well."
After laying out his conditions, Li Qian paid them no more mind and also left the pond’s edge. "You can start discussing it now. Who wants to evolve into a Tidal Sea Spirit, and who will be the one to offer up their Golden Pearl..."
’By letting the two of them discuss it themselves, no matter the outcome, their acceptance of it would surely be higher. Then, when it came to the one sacrificing its pearl, after a bit of PUA—no, *persuasion*—it should become ’willing.’’
’Besides, Li Qian was holding back an ultimate move for this very situation. He was just waiting for the right moment to unleash it and test its power!’