Li Qian’s parents hadn’t tried to evolve the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon or the Frostfire Salamander. He was confused at first, but after hearing their explanation, it all made sense.
Li Qian thought it over and didn’t push the matter. It was good to let them do what they enjoyed.
As for the evolution work, it wasn’t a big deal for him to just come back every so often. With the VIP card from Li Sukuai, traveling between Shazhou City and Lingshui City wasn’t much of a hassle.
After watching his mother finish feeding the Koi Carp, Li Qian headed to the testing grounds again to check on the newborn Extreme Fierce Storm Eagle’s training.
He watched for a while and couldn’t help but frown. Progress was slow. The newborn Extreme Fierce Storm Eagle didn’t seem to have much Talent for it.
This made Li Qian wonder if it could even evolve into an Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle. He feared all this effort would be for nothing.
He watched for a moment longer, and just as he was about to offer some words of comfort, his phone suddenly rang.
The call was from his mother, Han Yuqing. She said they had guests and asked him to come and greet them.
Li Qian didn’t think much of it. After leaving a quick instruction, he headed straight back to Building One.
"Son, look who’s here!" Before Li Qian even got close, a familiar voice called out from the living room of Building One.
It was his mother, Han Yuqing.
Li Qian followed the sound of her voice and saw a familiar figure in the living room.
The moment he saw her, he couldn’t help but blurt out in astonishment, "Li Lanying!"
That’s right. The figure was none other than Li Qian’s old classmate... Li Lanying.
After a moment of surprise, he smiled and greeted her, "Long time no see."
Li Lanying smiled back radiantly. "It has been a while. Between you and me, I mean..."
"What do you mean?" Li Qian froze for a second, taken aback by her suggestive tone. The implication was pretty obvious.
Seeing the confusion on Li Qian’s face, Li Lanying glanced at Han Yuqing and explained, "Your mother and I, on the other hand, saw each other just a little while ago..."
Just then, his mother, Han Yuqing, chimed in, "Lan Ying is such a sweet girl. I’d be perfectly happy if I had a daughter just like her."
"Mom, you and Li Lanying...?" After their exchange, Li Qian was still completely lost.
Han Yuqing looked at Li Lanying, her eyes brimming with satisfaction. "Not long after you left, Lan Ying came to our Cultivation Base for an internship. She stayed for about a month in total and was a huge help to me."
"What?" Li Qian took a moment to process what his mother, Han Yuqing, had just said.
A moment later, he finally understood what his mother had said, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Something like that happened? Why didn’t you mention it on the phone?"
Li Lanying chimed in at the perfect moment. "I asked your mom not to say anything. I just wanted to intern here over the summer break and get some experience cultivating Pet Beasts. It’s no big deal."
Li Qian gave Li Lanying a strange look, suddenly remembering something his teacher, Chu Xiran, had once said.
If you don’t love her, please don’t hurt her!
’At this point, it’s not a question of me hurting her anymore,’ he thought. ’By the looks of it, I’m the potential victim here.’
’Li Lanying was already infiltrating his home base.’
’As for this whole "internship" thing, Li Qian didn’t buy it for a second.’
’A Beast Master who had awakened her Talent and contracted a Duomila before even graduating high school... her family background had to be extraordinary.’
’Even if she really wanted an internship, she had no reason to come to a small Cultivation Base like theirs.’
Just as Li Qian was getting a headache, unsure of what to say, his father, Li Chengyang’s, voice rang out. "Son, look who’s here!"
"Class President?" Seeing Tu Jiaojiao trailing timidly behind his father, Li Chengyang, Li Qian had to rub his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.
When Li Chengyang saw Li Lanying chatting with Li Qian and his wife, he froze. A moment later, he abruptly changed the subject.
"Well, you all chat. We’ve got something to do."
With that, the two exchanged a look and quickly excused themselves.
Li Qian looked between the two young women and forced a laugh before joking, "Haha, so, uh... what’s the special occasion?"
"Li Qian, I came over today to ask when you’re leaving for the Beast Taming University," Tu Jiaojiao said, getting straight to the point.
"When am I leaving?"
Li Qian thought for a moment before answering, "In a few days. Either September second or third. Why?"
"Let’s go together?" Tu Jiaojiao added. To Li Qian, her simple question felt loaded.
"What do you mean?" Li Qian was completely baffled by her words and immediately pressed for an explanation.
Tu Jiaojiao explained, "I also applied to Shazhou Beast Taming University. And I got in."
"Er..." Hearing this, Li Qian’s brain seemed to short-circuit.
"Me too!" Just as Li Qian’s head was spinning, Li Lanying calmly uttered the two words.
"Why are you joining in?" Li Qian shot her a helpless glance.
Li Lanying paid his comment no mind and continued, "I also applied to Shazhou Beast Taming University. And I got in, too."
Li Qian pressed his temples, still baffled. "What’s gotten into you two? Jiangnan Beast Taming University is a great school, and it’s close to home. Why wouldn’t you consider it?"
Tu Jiaojiao and Li Lanying spoke at almost the exact same time.
"I don’t like being too close to home."
"And I want to go somewhere farther away to see more of the world."
Both of them had offered such flimsy excuses. What could Li Qian say? He could only force a wry smile. "Well, that’s... quite a coincidence..."
The biggest problem was that they had both already been accepted by Shazhou Beast Taming University. It was practically impossible to change that now.
With a smile still fixed on his face, he laid out his own plans. "There’s just one thing... I probably can’t travel with you. You two should set out early. It’s a long way to Shazhou City from here, and you don’t want to be late for the start of the semester."
"Then what about you?" the two women asked, both looking confused.
Li Qian pointed in a certain direction, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I’m taking the Teleportation Array. I’ll get there the same day."
"Then I’ll take the Teleportation Array, too," Li Lanying said, her eyes lighting up.
Tu Jiaojiao chimed in as well. "I was already planning to take the Teleportation Array."
Li Qian offered a well-intentioned reminder, "Shouldn’t you two ask about the price first?"
Li Lanying waved her hand dismissively, and Tu Jiaojiao added nonchalantly, "It’s fine. My family can afford it."
’Two rich girls, for real!’ Li Qian couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.