The five Corpse Transformation Talismans he had won from the lottery lay quietly in a corner of the Hundred Pouches Belt’s space.
Yang Qi had never had a chance to use them, nor did he want to.
The best fate for such sinister things was to rot away in his "storage," never to see the light of day.
But last night, as he escorted Xiaoxu at the back of the group, he had seriously considered it for the first time.
’If I had gone into the mountains alone and run into scum like that—’
’I probably would have had to use a Corpse Transformation Talisman.’
It wasn’t out of anger or bloodlust, but a calm, almost cruel, realization.
’Someone like that... their death would be no loss.’
And making someone like that "disappear completely" was undoubtedly the best way to avoid endless trouble down the line.
Of course, the thought only lingered for a moment before he suppressed it.
"Forget it."
Pushing the thoughts aside, Yang Qi soothed several of his furry kids who had gathered around him affectionately. He then walked into the kitchen, took out some Spirit Rice, and started making porridge.
The fresh fragrance of the Spirit Rice soon filled the air.
While waiting for the porridge to cook, he went upstairs to take a shower. He changed into a clean set of house clothes, and by the time he came back down, the porridge was ready.
His Guardian Beasts were already squatting in front of their food bowls, waiting eagerly.
Yang Qi served them one by one, then ladled out a bowl for himself.
Man and beasts ate their Spirit Rice Porridge in silence.
Outside the window, the morning light was bright, and the chirping of birds was crisp and clear.
After finishing the porridge, Xiaojiu started licking its paws to wash its face. Bai Wan and Leopard lay down for a nap. Hu Zi stood guard steadfastly by the door, while Liu Fu climbed back onto its shelf, adjusting its color to blend in with the window frame.
Yang Qi went upstairs and entered the Cultivation Chamber.
The Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array operated slowly, suffusing the room with a five-colored Spiritual Light. He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his energy.
Magical Power flowed through his meridians, and the Dantian Spiritual Liquid swirled gently, replenishing the Magical Power he had consumed last night, bit by bit.
「Noon.」
Yang Qi went downstairs, prepared lunch for his furry kids, and had a simple meal himself.
Then he turned on the TV to watch the news.
There was no mention of Cangshan or the poachers on the news.
The world carried on as usual.
After watching for a while, Yang Qi turned off the TV and went back to his homework—the assigned reading of *Introduction to Mammalian Behavior* from Song Chunfang. He picked up where he had left off.
He didn’t leave the house all day.
In the evening, his grandmother called. She rambled on, asking if he was eating his meals on time while he was away and if he knew to put on more clothes now that the weather was getting colder.
Yang Qi answered each of her questions, not mentioning what had happened in the mountains, only saying that everything was fine.
Around eight o’clock that night, his phone rang.
The caller ID read: Teacher Song.
Yang Qi answered, greeting her, "Teacher."
"Xiaoqi, are you alright? I heard about what happened at Cangshan."
Song Chunfang’s voice came through the receiver, her speech carrying the typical slowness of an older person, but the concern in her tone was clear.
"I’m fine, Teacher."
Yang Qi replied, "It was just a false alarm. They’ve already caught the person."
He didn’t ask how his teacher had found out.
Given Song Chunfang’s status and position, there were plenty of people in the Donghua City Forestry System, the Provincial Forestry Bureau, and even the police department who would proactively report to her.
"A false alarm?"
Song Chunfang’s voice rose slightly, laced with dissatisfaction. "What is going on with the White Tower District’s forestry department? They’re always calling on you. You’re a zookeeper at the Zoo. Just because you have some skills, does that mean you should be sent on so many missions? Don’t they have their own people?"
"Teacher, I..."
"You don’t need to speak up for them."
Song Chunfang cut him off, her tone firm and decisive. "You got lucky this time, but what about next time? A dagger laced with cyanide—that was meant to kill you! Their screening was inadequate, allowing someone from a poaching ring to infiltrate the scientific expedition team. How can they possibly justify that?"
Yang Qi held his phone, momentarily at a loss for words.
Song Chunfang was extremely strict with her academic standards; she would send back a thesis for revision even for a single misplaced punctuation mark.
But Fang Rong and Yang Fan had said in private that Teacher Song was also famous for being protective of her own. She could scold her students as much as she wanted, but she wouldn’t let anyone else lay a single finger on them.
"Don’t you worry about this. I’ll have a word with some people."
Before Yang Qi could respond, Song Chunfang’s tone softened. "Get some proper rest. Don’t take any outside jobs for the next few days, and try to let others share the workload at the zoo. Restoring your energy is more important than anything."
"Thank you, Teacher," Yang Qi said sincerely.
"What’s there to thank me for? You’re my student."
The call ended.
Yang Qi stood in the living room for a while, clutching his slightly warm phone.
Knowing Song Chunfang’s character, her saying she would "have a word with some people" was definitely not just a casual remark.
...
「Two days later.」
「A little after nine in the morning.」
Yang Qi, dressed in his work uniform and wearing rubber gloves, was holding a pressure washer, giving the raccoon family’s enclosure its weekly deep clean.
The stream of water blasted over the artificial rockery, washing away food scraps and droppings from the corners.
Huan University and Huan the Second clung to the other side of the glass wall, their shiny black eyes fixed on Yang Qi. Huan the Second chittered from time to time, pawing at the glass and leaving wet streaks.
Suddenly, the phone in his work pants pocket vibrated.
Yang Qi turned off the pressure washer, pulled off one glove, and took out his phone.
The caller ID read: Jiang Kai.
"Xiao Yang, are you busy? If not, come to the administration building right away."
Jiang Kai’s voice was a bit hushed, and the voices of more than one person could be faintly heard in the background.
"Okay, I’ll be right there."
Yang Qi hung up and quickly put away his tools.
He coiled the pressure washer’s hose and stored it on the cleaning cart.
He took off the rubber gloves and threw them into a designated trash bin.
He took off his work jacket and hung it on a hook outside the enclosure, revealing a gray short-sleeved T-shirt underneath.
He jogged across the zoo’s main path.
At this hour, the Zoo had just opened, so there weren’t many visitors yet. They were scattered in small groups in front of the various enclosures.
The administration building was in the southeast corner of the zoo grounds.