Zhang Yang hurried to follow. The room wasn't large and was cluttered with various cages, making the path awkward.

The abnormality of Lightning also caught the attention of Wang Chen and Li Ya; the two followed closely. The young man called 'Xiao Niu' hesitated briefly before trailing after them.

Lightning had stopped in front of a small cage.

Inside the cage was a type of field mouse. These mice weren't particularly large, nor did they have appealing coloration, but they tasted quite good, a delicacy many people enjoyed. These were genuine field mice caught from the mountains.

Of course, they wouldn't be called 'field mice' here. Using a word with 'mouse' in it would instinctively make many people feel disgusted and unwilling to eat them. The dish made from this animal had a very pleasing name: Mountain Dragon. No one wanted to eat a 'mouse,' but a 'dragon' was different; everyone enjoyed a bite of dragon meat. This dish was frequently ordered at their proud establishment, so they stocked a large number of these field mice. Lightning was standing by one of the field mouse cages. There were several other cages holding field mice like this one.

“Lightning, what’s wrong?”

Zhang Yang asked in a low voice. Lightning possessed extremely high intelligence and could understand his meaning.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

Lightning cried out, its paw pointing towards the cage. Unfortunately, Zhang Yang couldn't understand the language of the sable, nor could he decipher the meaning behind its words.

However, his actions made it clear that the occupants inside were what had drawn its attention. Zhang Yang peered inside. There were six or seven field mice in this cage, some large, some small; the largest probably weighed a few ounces, there were one or two smaller ones, and one tiny one huddled at the very back.

Zhang Yang couldn't discern anything unusual about this particular cage of field mice.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

Seeing Zhang Yang’s confusion, Lightning called out urgently again. Unnoticed by anyone, as it squeaked, the smallest field mouse inside the cage unnaturally shuffled backward, its eyes filled with alarm.

“Boss, are you selling these?”

Zhang Yang looked up and asked the young man. He didn’t know what was happening, but Lightning wouldn’t act this way without reason. This wasn't the place to investigate, so he decided to buy them first and figure it out later.

“These are all for cooking!”

The young man’s eyes widened. Wang Chen suddenly walked over and stated directly, “This is simple enough. We’ll take this entire cage of ingredients; sell it to us at the dish price!” Wang Chen’s suggestion was met with agreement from Li Ya and Su Zhantao.

These few were all wealthy young masters. They tended to be somewhat careless in their actions. While inherently not bad people, having grown up in privileged conditions, their high standards sometimes led to a touch of arrogance. This kind of youthful swagger, however, did not translate into bullying others, so it wasn't considered a major flaw.

“This whole cage will cost about two thousand!”

The young man’s eyes darted around, and he quickly calculated the market value of this cage of field mice once prepared as a dish. Two thousand yuan was no small sum in this era. They had acquired this entire cage of mice for only six or seven hundred yuan—a three-fold profit just by turning them over. It was no wonder they engaged in such activities despite knowing it might be illegal; the profit margins were substantial. However, these field mice weren't protected by the state, so buying and selling them was permissible. Not all animals here were forbidden protected species; if it tasted good, they would sell it.

“Two thousand, here you go!”

Zhang Yang immediately pulled out a stack of cash from his canvas bag, counted out twenty notes, and handed them over. Observing Zhang Yang’s rather unremarkable canvas bag, and then witnessing the stack of cash—easily tens of thousands—the young man clicked his tongue discreetly. Truly, birds of a feather flock together. This young man didn't look like much and carried such an unstylish bag, yet he was clearly a big spender.

After taking the money, the cage of field mice officially belonged to Zhang Yang. The young man was generous enough to include the cage itself.

After glancing around the room a few more times, the group exited the small structure. Outside, Wang Chen kept sizing up Zhang Yang's canvas bag.

“Young Master Zhang, I might buy a bag just like this another day. That bag looks incredibly cool on you. Just imagine: pulling out handfuls of cash from such an inconspicuous bag—what a feeling that must be?”

Wang Chen said with a chuckle. Li Ya and Su Zhantao paused briefly, both focusing their attention on Zhang Yang’s canvas bag. Su Zhantao had often mentioned this bag to Zhang Yang before, urging him to switch to something nicer. But Zhang Yang was used to this bag; it was large and practical for storing his various items, so he always kept carrying it. He didn't even bother carrying a wallet inside this bag, which is why he always pulled out stacks of cash.

“The feeling must certainly be different. It looks natural on you, Young Master Zhang, but if I carried one, people would definitely say I was showing off!”

Li Ya commented with a smile. Wang Chen blinked in surprise, a flicker of annoyance instantly crossing his face. What did Li Ya mean by saying it looked natural on Zhang Yang but that he would be showing off? Fortunately, the common slang term used in later eras for 'showing off' hadn't permeated this time, or Li Ya certainly would have accused Wang Chen of pretentiousness.

The two quickly began to bicker, while Zhang Yang turned his attention back to the cage in his hand.

Upstairs in the courtyard, Long Cheng suddenly emerged and waved at them, signaling them to come up for dinner. Zhang Yang carried the cage, with Lightning perched atop it, and the group ascended to the room where Long Cheng, Huang Hai, and Yang Ling were already waiting. Zhang Yang set the cage aside, and Lightning remained seated on top. With Lightning there, none of the field mice inside dared to move.

These animals weren't highly intelligent, but their instinct for danger was sharp. The Fox-Tailed Sable was a spirit beast of heaven and earth, ranking far above them. Moreover, the Fox-Tailed Sable was one of the Ten Great Poisons; even a faint trace of its toxic aura could kill these creatures. Zhang Yang set the cage aside, realizing he wouldn't have a chance to investigate what was wrong with them immediately.

Soon, the dishes arrived—all wild game, genuinely delicious. Wang Chen had specifically ordered bear paw. Zhang Yang felt a twinge of guilt about eating protected wild animals, but that was beyond his jurisdiction. This kind of poaching, he knew, had never truly been stopped, neither now nor in the future. Furthermore, since he was accompanying others this time, he naturally didn't feel it was appropriate to say much. If he were alone, he certainly wouldn't have come here. Today, he could only follow local customs.

Because of the unease in his heart and the unresolved mystery of Lightning's agitation, Zhang Yang ate very little. The others drank a few bottles of wine. Long Cheng and Huang Hai both had good tolerance, and even Yang Ling managed to drink a bit. As it turned out, the person with the lowest tolerance among them was the financial prodigy Li Ya, yet even he managed to consume at least half a catty of wine.

After lunch, everyone drove back together. Since they had consumed some alcohol, they decided to rest in their rooms first, planning to visit the car exhibition in the afternoon if time permitted, or waiting until the next day if not. This car exhibition was scheduled to last a full week, so arriving a day or two late was no issue.

Even after entering his room, Lightning remained sprawled on the cage. To this day, Zhang Yang still couldn't comprehend why this particular cage of field mice had elicited such a strong reaction. Closing the door and returning to the living area, Zhang Yang carefully examined the field mice in the cage.

Zhang Yang was certain the Fox-Tailed Sable did not eat field mice. When he had experimented with feeding Lightning in the past, back in the mountains, he had once caught a small rat. The little rat hadn't dared to move in front of Lightning but was instead kicked aside with one paw. Lightning’s diet consisted of venomous snakes or other toxic creatures. Zhang Yang had given it some claws from the large spider; it would eat the claws of the Black Iron Spider, but it ignored any other type of spider. In short, if something didn't possess a certain level of toxicity, Lightning wouldn't pay it any mind. The field mice in this cage were clearly not poisonous, at least not in any way Zhang Yang had encountered. At most, they might carry parasites or germs. All the field mice huddled in the cage, motionless. They shared one distinct characteristic: a clear trace of terror in their small eyes as they looked towards the nearby Lightning. The pressure Lightning exerted on them was far from ordinary.

After observing closely for a while, the field mice genuinely appeared no different. Zhang Yang shook his head slightly; he truly couldn't spot any issue.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

Lightning suddenly cried out again, scratching lightly at the cage opening with its paw. Its demeanor clearly demanded that Zhang Yang open the cage. The cage had a lock, and Lightning was clever, but it hadn't yet reached the stage where it could pick a lock itself. The lock was closed, and there was no key. The young man had given them the cage, but he must have forgotten the key, something Zhang Yang hadn't paid attention to until now. No key was not an obstacle. Zhang Yang placed his hand on the lock and gave a light tug, forcing it open. For a master of internal arts, opening a simple lock with sheer strength was completely manageable.

As soon as the cage door swung open, a shadow darted out with incredible speed. This shadow was fast, but Lightning was faster, immediately giving chase and pouncing on the escaping silhouette. This sudden development momentarily stunned Zhang Yang. He rushed over and saw two small forms, one black and one white, rolling on the floor—one large, one tiny.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” “Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

The two tumbling little things were still making noise, which soon subsided. Zhang Yang stared in astonishment: Lightning was holding down a small field mouse with its two front paws, its face radiating smug satisfaction. The cage had been opened, but the other mice inside hadn't moved, remaining huddled within. After Lightning left, their bodies began to tremble—a residual effect of prolonged fear. It was fortunate they hadn't soiled themselves; otherwise, Zhang Yang would have thrown them directly out the window. This was the twentieth floor; dropping those mice would certainly result in them being shattered upon impact.

Held down by Lightning, the smaller mouse beneath it couldn't budge, only chirping frantically. Zhang Yang’s eyes suddenly widened. The fur of this chirping little mouse was actually beginning to change color. In a short while, it turned completely white, just like Lightning’s. Its pure white coat was in no way inferior to Lightning's.

A field mouse capable of changing color, and one that dared to flee in the presence of Lightning—even Zhang Yang, as foolish as he might be, now understood this was no ordinary field mouse. He began mentally reviewing the ancient family manuals he had studied. Within seconds, Zhang Yang’s expression shifted drastically again. He had finally remembered what this little mouse truly was.

Third update. Only a small margin separates this from the second one in terms of votes. The early bird catches the worm; the diligent Xiao Yu earns monthly tickets! There is more content coming. When the next chapter updates, can we close the gap in monthly votes to just over ten? Continuing to write. The next chapter will update around ten-thirty.