Comrade Lao Sun froze for a moment at Li Qian’s sarcastic words. He was in no mood for a verbal spat, however, and quickly walked over to Sun Ruirui.
Seeing Comrade Lao Sun about to touch Sun Ruirui, Li Qian spoke up, even though he knew the man meant well. "Ruirui is awakening her Beast Taming Talent. If I were you, I wouldn’t make a scene and disturb her."
Li Qian’s words had an immediate effect. Comrade Lao Sun instantly withdrew his outstretched hand.
Li Qian didn’t stop there, continuing in a tone that was half-sarcastic and half-explanatory, "Don’t you go shoving her back down after I went through all the trouble of pulling her back from death’s door."
If Li Qian’s previous words had left Comrade Lao Sun a bit confused, he was now utterly baffled.
He stared at Li Qian, a look of complete bewilderment on his face, and subconsciously blurted out, "Beast Taming Talent? What Beast Taming Talent?"
No one knew his niece’s Beast Taming Talent better than Comrade Lao Sun. Hearing this, he simply couldn’t believe it. It sounded like a fairytale.
Li Qian saw his reaction and, showing no sign of restraint, laid on the sarcasm again. "Heh, Comrade Lao Sun, you weren’t gone that long. How did you come back with dementia? Have you already forgotten what your own niece’s Beast Taming Talent is?"
He was purely mocking Comrade Lao Sun. He knew perfectly well it wasn’t that the old man didn’t know—it was that he didn’t dare to believe.
He couldn’t believe that the problem that had plagued him for so many years, the Nightmare that had haunted his heart, had been solved just like that. And by a mere high school graduate like Li Qian, no less. It was so bizarre that Comrade Lao Sun couldn’t help but be suspicious.
"You solved Ruirui’s Apocalypse Seer: Ocean Calamity problem?" Comrade Lao Sun finally processed the words, but the suspicion on his face didn’t lessen in the slightest.
"How did you solve it...?" He started to ask Li Qian what method he had used, but a casual glance quickly cut him short. He saw Jinfeng and Golden Rain standing nearby.
"Uh, two Tidal Sea Spirits!"
The moment he saw the two Tidal Sea Spirits, Comrade Lao Sun instantly understood what had happened. "You figured out the complete evolution path from Golden Pearl Bud to Tidal Sea Spirit?"
"I told you, I’m a prodigy at this. Finding and fixing the flaws in the evolution path from Golden Pearl Bud to Tidal Sea Spirit? It wasn’t hard for me at all." Li Qian boasted without a shred of modesty.
Well, strictly speaking, it wasn’t a boast. With the help of his Golden Finger, fixing the flaws in this evolution path was indeed a relatively easy task for Li Qian.
At least, that was the case for anything below the Emperor Level.
"Stop showing off in front of an old man like me. You probably just got lucky, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse." Comrade Lao Sun, who now had a rough idea of what had happened, was getting annoyed by all the sarcasm, and he retorted directly.
"Professor Sun, you’ve guessed wrong this time. Student Li Qian has indeed mastered the complete evolution path from Golden Pearl Bud to Tidal Sea Spirit." At that moment, Li Sukuai walked over from the side of the road, smiling as he spoke.
"How could you..." Old Sun subconsciously started to argue, but when he turned his head, he saw a familiar face. As soon as he recognized the newcomer, his tone immediately shifted, becoming respectful. "Li Saint!"
Li Sukuai ignored the change in Comrade Lao Sun’s attitude and continued, "In fact, from what I know, this isn’t the only Emperor Potential Level evolution path Li Qian has mastered."
"This..." Hearing Li Sukuai’s words, and knowing the man would never lie to him, Comrade Lao Sun’s expression became quite a sight to behold. His lips trembled, but he didn’t know what to say.
’A Saint Spirit Level expert is vouching for Li Qian. How can I possibly argue?’
"Li Saint, my Ruirui... is she?" Since he couldn’t argue, Comrade Lao Sun changed the subject. In truth, he was genuinely worried about Sun Ruirui. She showed no signs of waking, still standing there stock-still, like a wooden post.
Li Sukuai walked over and observed Sun Ruirui for a moment. A smile soon spread across his face. "Don’t worry, Professor Sun. Your niece will be fine."
He continued without a pause, "Not only will she be fine, her condition right now is outstanding. She has fully awakened the Ocean Calamity Beast Taming Talent. From now on, a truly meteoric rise awaits her."
At this, he turned and gave Li Qian a meaningful look. "So you really ought to properly thank Student Li Qian. Without him, your niece wouldn’t have lasted until your return."
Li Sukuai was a Saint Spirit Level expert; he wouldn’t lie. This left Comrade Lao Sun with a strange expression on his face. He wanted to thank Li Qian, but he didn’t know how to start, and his face was a mask of pure embarrassment.
Seeing Comrade Lao Sun’s awkward expression, Li Qian couldn’t resist another jab. "If it’s too difficult for you, just forget it. It’s not like we’ll be seeing each other in the future anyway. I wouldn’t dare get involved with you again. I’m afraid I’d get dragged into your mess and end up dead..."
"You brat! Did you eat gunpowder for breakfast or something? Every word out of your mouth is dripping with sarcasm!" Comrade Lao Sun couldn’t take it anymore and shot back.
Li Qian retorted just as sharply, "Eat gunpowder? I wish I could swallow a bomb and spray it right in your face!"
Comrade Lao Sun wasn’t an idiot. Hearing the resentment in Li Qian’s tone, he finally realized something was wrong. He immediately asked, "What else happened here?"
Li Qian didn’t answer. Instead, he walked over, hauled up Elder Liao—who was lying on the ground, beaten to a pulp—and tossed him in front of Comrade Lao Sun like a sack of trash.
Comrade Lao Sun stared at the figure, who barely looked human anymore. He froze, then quickly identified the man by his clothes and build. He cried out in surprise, "That’s Lao Liao! What in the world is going on?"
Li Qian chuckled, pointing at Elder Liao, who lay on the ground like a pile of sludge. "That’s right. This is your great butler, Elder Liao. He’s quite the character. Not only is he your head butler, but he’s also a Divine Envoy of the Ancient Divine Teachings!"