One large and one small, the two spirit beasts were calling out to each other, making Zhang Yang shake his head again.

A deep smile still lingered on his face.

It was a good thing he was alone here; if Mi Xue had been present, she would have probably laughed until her stomach hurt seeing this scene—the two little ones were simply too adorable.

Taking out a regular Ginseng Pill from his canvas bag, Zhang Yang tossed it towards Lightning.

Lightning snatched the pill with a paw, brought it close to its nose to sniff, but unlike before, it didn't immediately stuff it into its mouth.

A trace of hesitation remained on its little face. Under Zhang Yang's astonished gaze, Lightning slowly placed the pill on the table beside it, then slowly extended its paw again, still wearing that same goofy smile.

This was the gesture it used when asking Zhang Yang for pills; Zhang Yang usually gave it one every time.

Its appearance left Zhang Yang utterly exasperated. With the Immortal Fruit Pill available, the creature had actually become a picky eater; it wouldn't even touch the Ginseng Pill it usually loved.

The regular Ginseng Pill was rejected, but there was another one willing to accept it. The little Mountain Mouse immediately scampered over, sniffed the pill with its nose, and then, without any politeness, scooped it directly into its mouth, crunching away loudly.

In just a few bites, the Ginseng Pill was swallowed whole.

After eating its snack, the Mountain Mouse didn't spare Lightning a glance. It remained there, stretching out its paw; what it truly wanted was the Immortal Fruit Pill in Zhang Yang's hand.

This little fellow knew very well that the Ginseng Pill was just a snack; the Immortal Fruit Pill was the real treasure.

Having consumed the regular Ginseng Pill, the Mountain Mouse scratched its belly, then sat back down, mimicking Lightning by extending its paw. The two spirit beasts resumed their previous stance.

This time, Lightning didn't threaten the mouse but simply stared at Zhang Yang with pitiful eyes.

The sight of the two little ones gave Zhang Yang pause.

He had taken out an Immortal Fruit Pill just now, intending it for the Mountain Mouse. Zhang Yang had already decided that this small mouse was a Treasure-Seeking Mouse.

A Treasure-Seeking Mouse—it would be a lie to say Zhang Yang wasn't tempted. The greatest skill of a Treasure-Seeking Mouse was finding treasures, and these treasures included not just gold, silver, and jewels, but also rare natural materials.

If he could truly make this little creature follow him like Lightning did, the benefits for him would be immense.

Its utility even surpassed Lightning's. With a Treasure-Seeking Mouse, it meant he had a hope of continuously acquiring rare natural materials in the future, and he could keep crafting spiritual medicines, rather than relying only on what he currently possessed, which would eventually run out.

Biting his lip, Zhang Yang gently patted Lightning and whispered, "Little one, this isn't for you. When I have more excellent materials later and refine better spiritual medicines, you certainly won't be forgotten!"

With that, Zhang Yang offered the Immortal Fruit Pill in his hand to the Mountain Mouse.

Lightning had been swayed by a single Immortal Fruit Pill; now Zhang Yang could only hope this one could buy the Treasure-Seeking Mouse as well. The value of the Treasure-Seeking Mouse to Zhang Yang far exceeded the worth of one Immortal Fruit Pill.

This was precisely why he was willing to offer it.

Smelling the fragrance, the little mouse grew frantic and cried out again, its tiny claws constantly scraping the table. As soon as Zhang Yang's hand neared it, it snatched the pill and bit down immediately.

Watching the Immortal Fruit Pill disappear into the Treasure-Seeking Mouse, a slight reluctance surfaced in Zhang Yang's heart.

However, the moment he recalled the potential of the Treasure-Seeking Mouse, that reluctance vanished. If this single pill proved effective, then this expenditure was completely worthwhile.

If it didn't work, it would simply be a wasted Immortal Fruit Pill, and he would have to find other ways to utilize the Treasure-Seeking Mouse's abilities—even if he had to chain it up—to make it help him find treasures.

But doing so would certainly diminish the effectiveness of the Treasure-Seeking Mouse in finding rare natural materials.

One method was passive, the other active; the results achieved would definitely not be the same.

The Treasure-Seeking Mouse, having swallowed the Immortal Fruit Pill, soon lay down and fell asleep. The fur on its body gradually changed color again, blending perfectly with the color of the table; if one didn't look closely, one could easily overlook its presence.

Looking at it, Zhang Yang suddenly understood how this little guy had been caught.

Given its speed, it would be impossible for an ordinary person to capture it. This little creature probably fell asleep in an unguarded spot after eating something unknown.

And near it, there was likely a Mountain Mouse burrow. A Mountain Mouse emerged and approached it, causing it to take on the appearance of a Mountain Mouse.

Consequently, it had the misfortune of encountering someone gathering Mountain Mice on the mountain, who captured it along with the others and sold it to the Deyijiu Restaurant in Shanghai.

Of course, this was just Zhang Yang’s speculation; the actual events were likely only known to the little creature itself.

In any case, relying on people to catch it, even using traps, might not succeed. The intelligence of spirit beasts far surpassed human imagination; one only needed to observe Lightning’s behavior to understand this.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

Lightning suddenly chirped from the side. Lightning was staring blankly at the contentedly sleeping Treasure-Seeking Mouse, an indescribable sense of grievance on its face.

That spiritual medicine was what it wanted; why was it suddenly given to this captive?

Perhaps Lightning's intellect wasn't high enough to grasp the complexity of the situation, but it clearly understood that the spiritual medicine it had craved, the one that made its mouth water, was gone, consumed by this other creature.

Regardless of the reason, its respected master had not given the good thing to it but had instead given it to its captive.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

Lightning cried out again, even lying down on the table, burying its head in its chest, continuously squeaking in a low voice. Judging by its demeanor, it looked as though it was about to cry.

Zhang Yang looked at it in astonishment; he had never seen Lightning behave this way before.

Its appearance made Zhang Yang feel a pang of sympathy. After so many days together, Lightning was no longer just a spirit beast he had captured but had become his true companion. Especially its intelligence and cuteness, which had brought Zhang Yang much joy.

Furthermore, if it weren't for Lightning, Zhang Yang wouldn't have obtained the Three-Colored Fruit, and without Lightning, he certainly wouldn't have captured this Treasure-Seeking Mouse.

Relying on himself alone, even if he had inspected every animal in that room, he would never have discovered the Treasure-Seeking Mouse. In that scenario, the mouse would have faced only two possible outcomes.

One, it would have been killed directly in the cage, treated as an ordinary Mountain Mouse, cooked into a dish, and consumed by some unknown person.

Or, two, the cage door would be opened, it would suddenly escape, and return to the wild to live its free and easy life. Based on Zhang Yang's knowledge, the latter possibility was quite high, as the chefs there were accustomed to opening cages to retrieve the Mountain Mice before slaughtering them.

In either case, the Treasure-Seeking Mouse would have no further connection with Zhang Yang. Therefore, the main contributor to obtaining the Treasure-Seeking Mouse was undeniably Lightning.

But now, in front of Lightning, he had given the best thing to the other little fellow. The blow to Lightning must have been considerable.

Given its intelligence, Lightning wouldn't contemplate Zhang Yang's motives; it only felt Zhang Yang's favoritism, which caused its distress.

"Little one, I am defeated by you!"

Zhang Yang shook his head helplessly, retrieved the box from his canvas bag again, and took out another Immortal Fruit Pill.

The fragrance of the Immortal Fruit Pill instantly spread throughout the room. Lightning, which had been bowed low in dejection, instantly raised its head.

That goofy smile reappeared on its face. Its body straightened up, and it extended its paw towards Zhang Yang once more.

"This is your reward; take it carefully!"

Zhang Yang smiled faintly and tossed the Immortal Fruit Pill over. Lightning shot out a paw, caught the pill directly, first performed a small bow towards Zhang Yang, and only then put the pill into its mouth. It was far more polite than the Treasure-Seeking Mouse had been moments before.

After consuming the Immortal Fruit Pill, Lightning also collapsed onto the table and fell asleep. Watching the two spirit beasts snoring soundly, Zhang Yang gently shook his head.

Zhang Yang carefully picked up Lightning and placed it on the bed, allowing it to sleep more comfortably; the table was too hard to be a good sleeping spot.

Regarding how to handle the Treasure-Seeking Mouse, Zhang Yang hesitated again. He didn't know if one Immortal Fruit Pill would be enough to make the mouse follow him like Lightning did. After all, he had only just captured this Treasure-Seeking Mouse today; convincing a spirit beast to follow him actively with just one spiritual medicine was something even Zhang Yang lacked confidence in achieving.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yang decided to first place it into the glass cage that had previously held Lightning.

This glass cage was made of tempered glass, and the Treasure-Seeking Mouse would find it impossible to open with its strength. This way, even if it woke up while he wasn't paying attention, it couldn't escape.

Inside the glass cage, Zhang Yang laid down a small cotton pad to make the little one more comfortable. After making these arrangements, Zhang Yang returned to his room to meditate and rest.

Everyone stayed indoors that afternoon; they had drunk quite a bit at lunch. Su Zhantao and Wang Chen had both slept late, and with insufficient personnel, Long Cheng hadn't taken everyone to the auto show.

Zhang Yang remained in meditation, and by evening, his condition had returned to its peak.

Some residual effects from the spiritual medicine he had consumed were still circulating in his body, which he used this opportunity to absorb further.

Tidying himself up, he saw that both little creatures were still sleeping. Zhang Yang didn't disturb them; he locked the room, ensuring no gaps remained for escape, before finally heading out.

This way, even if Lightning woke up, it couldn't run out on its own. As long as it remained in the room, Zhang Yang felt secure.

In the dining hall, Long Cheng and the others were already seated. Su Zhantao was still squinting; he and Wang Chen had engaged in a drinking contest for some unknown reason at noon, resulting in both of them getting completely drunk.

"Zhang Yang, where is Lightning?"

Yang Ling smiled at Zhang Yang. It was she who had called Zhang Yang out for dinner; otherwise, he would have been meditating until Wu Yan and his granddaughter arrived.

"Having a lazy sleep; I didn't bring it along!"

Zhang Yang smiled, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Some cold appetizers were already laid out on the table.

"How about some liquor? I remember Sister Ling likes this kind!"

Li Ya suddenly remarked. Upon hearing the term "Sister Ling," Su Zhantao immediately perked up and readily agreed.

He proactively ordered two bottles. Unfortunately, after only a few sips, he sagged again. He and Wang Chen had been mutually defeated at noon, and they weren't even here yet. Chasing the white liquor with foreign spirits—the consequence was easy to imagine.

In the end, Su Zhantao and Wang Chen had to be escorted back to their rooms by waiters.

It seemed these two were destined rivals when it came to drinking; they had clashed at noon, and now they met again in the evening. The effects of the white liquor from noon were still present, and they had downed a lot of foreign spirits, resulting in both passing out completely.

……………………

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