If the System could read other people's thoughts, it could certainly read his. This was something Zhang Yang found incredibly hard to accept, and he suspected anyone else would feel the same. If his mind could be laid bare for others to see, wouldn't he be standing there completely exposed, like a man with no clothes on? Having what he thought about scrutinized felt even worse to Zhang Yang than standing naked in the street.

"The host's thoughts cannot be accessed. The System can only monitor the host's pets. Once a pet formally recognizes its master, it establishes a connection with the System, allowing the System limited access to some of its data!" The mechanical female voice sounded blandly, and Zhang Yang immediately felt a slight easing of tension. Only pets—that was manageable. He glanced over at Little Lightning, feeling a twinge of pity for the little creature for a few seconds. The terror it had displayed earlier must have been a premonition of something. The little thing was certainly clever, but compared to this System, which even he couldn't fully comprehend or explain, it was hopelessly outmatched. Zhang Yang posed a few more questions before the System finally faded away. He also reviewed his latest status. After the forced upgrade, all his attributes had improved, with noticeable enhancements to his hearing, vision, and sense of smell. However, what concerned him most were his Skill Points. He had specifically checked his current Skill Points earlier: his Medical Arts had increased by 2 points, reaching 42, while the value for Zhang Family Qigong had risen to 35, a full point higher than before. His progress over the last few days had been excellent. Coupled with the benefits of the System upgrade, he was truly not far from his previous peak condition. The current Zhang Yang would certainly not find himself in such a desperate situation if he encountered the Fox-Tailed Marten again.

Looking at the Fox-Tailed Marten, which was gazing at him foolishly from inside the glass cage, Zhang Yang hesitated slightly. The System had explicitly told him its loyalty was at 68. This Fox-Tailed Marten was definitively obedient to him now; letting it out posed no danger. The Fox-Tailed Marten would absolutely not attack him again. Unfortunately, having experienced the beast's power firsthand, Zhang Yang remained cautious. After some thought, he locked all the doors and windows, sealed every gap, found a sturdy nylon rope, and only then prepared to open the cage. He wanted to let the Fox-Tailed Marten stretch its legs and, concurrently, test whether it had truly submitted to him. He had already prepared an antidote concocted using the Fox-Tailed Marten's saliva—just in case the absolute worst happened. With all preparations complete, Zhang Yang carefully unlocked the cage.

The moment the cage door opened, the Fox-Tailed Marten shot out with incredible speed, faster than when Zhang Yang had last seen it. Its trajectory was directly toward him. Zhang Yang flinched, startled by the sudden burst of speed. By the time he reacted, it was too late to dodge; they were far too close. Little Lightning, the Fox-Tailed Marten, leaped onto him, gripping his collar and licking his face. The Marten was light, and its tail swept across Zhang Yang's arm, giving him a tingly, slightly itchy sensation. Its teeth were venomous, but the lick of saliva brought a cool, comforting relief instead.

"Alright, stop scratching, it tickles!" Zhang Yang chuckled, patting its body lightly. Little Lightning obediently hopped onto his shoulder, settling there, fluffy and adorable. This struck Zhang Yang as strange. The Fox-Tailed Marten hadn't been bathed in days, yet its fur looked immaculately clean, devoid of any dirt. At this point, Zhang Yang finally believed the System completely. This Fox-Tailed Marten genuinely wanted to follow him. The Fox-Tailed Marten, one of the world's most venomous creatures and also a Celestial Beast, would be an enormous asset if it stayed with him—a massive advantage. No one would ever suspect that such a cute little animal possessed such lethal power. To win the sincere allegiance of the Fox-Tailed Marten was a gain Zhang Yang hadn't anticipated before preparing the medicine. This creature was no less valuable than a heavenly treasure; used correctly, it could be even more effective.

As he finished tidying up, Mi Xue returned from work. She gasped when she first saw the released Fox-Tailed Marten. She was well aware of the creature's ferocity. When she saw it resting quietly in Zhang Yang's hands, Mi Xue’s eyes widened in disbelief. With Mi Xue home, Zhang Yang finally felt completely at ease. The System had been absolutely right; Lightning listened to him. Without an order from Zhang Yang, it wouldn't attack anyone arbitrarily. Zhang Yang had given the little creature many commands just moments ago. Seeing the little one out and about raised Mi Xue's spirits considerably. Forgetting to tell Zhang Yang about the interesting things she'd seen at the supermarket, she began carefully coaxing the little marten. Lightning seemed to recognize Mi Xue too, and soon they were playfully wrestling. Its soft, pliant tail slid repeatedly over Mi Xue's arm, causing her to giggle incessantly. When Zhang Yang and Mi Xue ate dinner, Lightning sat beside them, watching intently. It didn't eat their food, but it was fascinated by the movements of Zhang Yang and Mi Xue eating, staring so intently that it made them both lose their appetites. In the end, Zhang Yang took out a Ginseng Pill for it. Lightning took the pill with its small paws, sniffed it, then happily popped it into its mouth before scampering into Zhang Yang's embrace to sleep. The pill Zhang Yang gave it was, of course, a pill made from Thousand-Year Ginseng. Zhang Yang certainly wouldn't be stingy with a pet that was so obedient. He only wished he had more Immortal Fruit Pills; he would have gladly given it a few more such spiritual elixirs. Lightning slept for just over an hour. When it woke, it licked Zhang Yang’s face vigorously, its demeanor toward him growing even more intimate. It only played with Mi Xue at most, and even then, it constantly looked to Zhang Yang for cues. If Zhang Yang moved away, the creature would immediately follow him. This caused Mi Xue a tiny pang of jealousy—not directed at the Fox-Tailed Marten itself, but at Zhang Yang. Mi Xue had long wanted to pick up such a cute little thing, but hadn't dared before. Now that she had the chance, the creature clung only to Zhang Yang, seemingly going through the motions with her. Even when she mustered the courage to bring over the snake cage, it made no difference. Poisonous snakes were mere sustenance, clearly unable to compete with the allure of spiritual medicine. This little creature was smart; it knew Zhang Yang possessed many of these small pills and understood that to get more in the future, it had to stay by his side. What surprised Zhang Yang most was that this single small Ginseng Pill had boosted the Fox-Tailed Marten's loyalty to 73, an increase of a full 5 points. Once loyalty surpassed seventy, there was no need to worry about it declining or the pet leaving. Zhang Yang hadn't expected the creature to be so easily satisfied; a little good food earned him undying devotion. But then again, only Zhang Yang could achieve this. Others lacked such abundant spiritual medicines. Without them, the Fox-Tailed Marten had no reason to stay; it would be good if it didn't bite them instead.

The next day, having nothing else to do, Zhang Yang stayed home and brewed another batch of Ginseng Pills. He had about a third of his Thousand-Year Ginseng remaining, which he set aside as a reserve, not planning to use it for immediate concoctions. The Thousand-Year Ginseng might be needed someday for formulating other medicines. While the Thousand-Year Ginseng was far less effective than the Tri-Colored Fruit at increasing internal energy, it had its own advantages. For treating many ailments, especially common ones, the Thousand-Year Ginseng was more potent than the Tri-Colored Fruit; the two heavenly treasures served different purposes. Zhang Yang did not give this batch of medicine to Lightning. This made the Marten look at him pitifully, constantly rubbing its paws together in a gesture that tugged at the heartstrings. Zhang Yang could only shake his head helplessly at its display. The creature was too smart, using cuteness to beg for things. But today, no matter what, Zhang Yang wouldn't give it any. It had only recently consumed an Immortal Fruit Pill and a Ginseng Pill; the medicinal effects hadn't fully absorbed yet. Giving it more now would be pure waste. Zhang Yang didn't have so many spiritual elixirs that he could treat them like snacks for the pet.

Time passed quickly. Mi Xue gradually settled into her supermarket job, working diligently every day and returning to tell Zhang Yang about the day's interesting events. During this period, Zhang Yang also made secret trips to observe her. After watching for two days, Zhang Yang was completely reassured. Mi Xue was doing very well at the supermarket. Her main role was advising customers on toiletries and cosmetics, and most of the clientele were women. This indicated her supervisor was taking care of her. Otherwise, given her looks, if she were advising on alcohol or other products, she would undoubtedly attract a horde of male customers. More attention meant more trouble, and Mi Xue wasn't known for having an easy temper; such a situation would inevitably lead to problems sooner or later. In the last few days, Zhang Yang had also contacted Hu Tao once, asking him to keep an eye out for news of Zhou Yichen. Zhang Yang had never mentioned the prior fight to Su Zhantao, which made Hu Tao even more grateful to him. Furthermore, Hu Tao was doing well under Su Zhantao now, and Young Master Su intended to promote him. Knowing the connection between Young Master Su and Zhang Yang, Hu Tao carried out Zhang Yang's requests without question. According to the information Hu Tao gathered, Zhou Yichen had been having a very rough time lately. Hu Tao reported that he didn't know who he had offended, but now he was hiding at home, afraid to step outside. Even so, his front door had been splattered with chicken blood, accompanied by the message: 'Debts Must Be Paid.' Apparently, Zhou Yichen owed someone hundreds of thousands of yuan through some unknown means, and the creditor held an IOU, demanding repayment. Zhou Yichen clearly didn't have that kind of money, and his uncle was refusing to help him. According to Hu Tao, Zhou Yichen was close to despair. Zhang Yang merely smiled at this news. He understood exactly where the debt of hundreds of thousands came from. Those young thugs weren't fools; knowing Zhou Yichen was broke, they made him sign an IOU and then used that document to press for payment. Zhou Yichen couldn't possibly repay the money, and he dared not call the police, so he remained hidden. Zhang Yang couldn't guess how long he would stay that way, nor did he care to investigate further. A person like that needed a profound lesson, or he would continue to be a nuisance in the future.

PS: A quick explanation regarding the late update (word count for this section does not count toward the official tally). A couple of days ago, Xiao Yu’s tooth was aching slightly, which I dismissed as simple inflammation. However, last night the pain suddenly became agonizing, keeping me awake; I could only ease it slightly by holding water in my mouth. Today, I rushed to the hospital. They diagnosed inflammation requiring a root canal. The doctor drilled a hole in the tooth, a process that took up half the morning. I felt a little better upon returning, but the pain persisted, making it impossible to concentrate on writing. I didn't sleep well last night and overslept this morning, waking up late. Xiao Yu quickly typed up one chapter, but friends, rest assured, regardless of the reason, I will keep my promises. It's unlikely I’ll hit one hundred monthly tickets today, but could friends please grant me just five more votes? With five more, our total monthly tickets will surpass one thousand, a significant step up from third place toward second, and it would secure a spot on the honor roll. If monthly tickets hit one thousand, and daily tickets reach seventy, I will deliver nine chapters—how about that? I humbly ask for your support!