When Lightning ate the Immortal Fruit Pill last time, it slept from ten in the morning until almost evening, so based on that timeline, it should still be sleeping for a while longer.

The Treasure Seeking Mouse possessed the special ability of treasure hunting and had likely consumed various heavenly materials and earthly treasures before, giving it a higher inherent resilience. However, this was a specially formulated pill designed to enhance its absorption, so it would probably take a while before it woke up too.

Checking the time, Zhang Yang quietly closed the door and headed out.

This hotel boasted over thirty stories, with presidential suites available on the thirty-second and thirty-sixth floors. Zhang Yang was staying on one of the lower floors, so he stepped into the elevator and directly pressed the button for the thirty-sixth.

Elder Wu and Wu Yan were already at the hotel, waiting for him upstairs.

To facilitate Zhang Yang's treatment of Wu Yan, Elder Wu had booked an entire presidential suite. Traveling from his residence to here usually took over an hour one way, which was indeed quite inconvenient.

“Brother Zhang Yang, you’re here!”

Wu Yan opened the door. The young girl possessed a more vibrant aura today than yesterday, appearing noticeably more lively.

Once a person holds onto hope, their entire spirit undergoes a significant improvement.

“Elder Wu, hello!”

Zhang Yang patted Wu Yan’s shoulder and smiled at Elder Wu inside. Elder Wu and the others had arrived earlier and were specifically waiting for him.

“Doctor Zhang, please come sit for a moment and have some tea!” Elder Wu greeted Zhang Yang as well.

“No thank you, we just finished eating. Let’s start the treatment first!”

Zhang Yang shook his head with a smile. Wu Yan’s treatment was not short, and the two little creatures in his room made him unable to relax completely.

“Very well, I’ll trouble you then!”

Elder Wu stopped being overly polite. Wu Yan’s illness was his greatest concern, and anything beneficial to her had his full approval and vigorous support.

Seeing Zhang Yang take out his needle case, Wu Yan obediently sat down on the chair. Elder Wu positioned himself far away, careful not to disturb them.

Wu Yan was no longer unfamiliar with Zhang Yang’s silver needles. When the set was inserted into her body yesterday, it brought an indescribable comfort, as if warm water was flowing through her veins. She had quickly drifted off to sleep then.

Part of Zhang Yang’s technique involved inducing sleep to facilitate the treatment.

When she awoke, she felt substantially lighter. The headache that plagued her daily had significantly lessened, leaving her feeling instantly relieved.

These changes were unprecedented for her. None of the previous doctors who treated her had achieved such rapid and evident results.

This fostered a certain yearning in her for Zhang Yang’s needles. She enjoyed his needling; it wasn't painful at all, but deeply soothing.

Zhang Yang carefully inserted the first needle into her head. This set of silver needles was borrowed from the hospital; using them was far inferior to the specialized set of weapons he possessed in his previous life.

After purchasing the car, he needed to use the holiday break to seriously consider forging a new, suitable set of needles. Having tools that fit his hand perfectly would make his treatments twice as effective and conserve some of his internal Neijing energy.

Soon, Wu Yan was covered in silver needles. Zhang Yang wiped the sweat from his brow and stepped aside to rest.

Elder Wu didn't disturb him, merely sitting quietly and observing Zhang Yang.

He had been fully briefed on everything Wu Yan experienced yesterday, and the old man immediately understood that Zhang Yang was an unfathomable master, an absolute hidden expert from another world.

What Wu Yan described bore a resemblance to tales he had heard about internal martial arts masters treating injuries.

Elder Wu once had a friend who sustained an injury. That friend had an acquaintance who cultivated Neijing energy, and in a critical moment, that friend used his Neijing to stabilize the injured man, allowing him to survive long enough for emergency surgery, narrowly saving his life.

That friend was very close to him and had once described the sensation of being treated by a Neijing master: feeling a constant flow of warmth inside the body, incredibly comfortable, with the painful areas ceasing to hurt. Afterward, the friend had marveled at the mystery of it all.

Through Wu Yan’s account, Elder Wu immediately guessed that Zhang Yang possessed Neijing.

This realization bolstered his hope for Zhang Yang. Someone with Neijing capabilities, coupled with respectable medical skills—such a person might genuinely save Wu Yan’s life. At least, he had never encountered such a doctor before; if he had, he would have sought him out long ago.

“Ding-dong!”

As Zhang Yang rested, a familiar sound suddenly rang in his mind. Zhang Yang paused slightly, then revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

The last time Lightning willingly chose to follow him, the system had popped up to notify him. Now that the system had surfaced again automatically, Zhang Yang wondered if the Treasure Seeking Mouse also wished to follow him, just like Lightning.

“New triggerable mission, ‘Subduing the Treasure Seeking Mouse,’ appears. Mission difficulty is Level Five. Does the Host accept this mission?”

The mechanical female voice sounded. Zhang Yang was slightly taken aback; it wasn't what he expected—it wasn't the mouse showing willingness to follow, but rather an inexplicable mission manifesting.

“Why is a mission appearing suddenly?” Zhang Yang silently questioned.

“The Host has the intention to take the Treasure Seeking Mouse as a pet, but the pet’s loyalty level has not yet met the requirement for following the Host. The Host may choose to accept the mission to cultivate the pet’s loyalty, thus making the pet willing to follow willingly!”

The mechanical voice spoke slowly. Zhang Yang felt a touch of surprise.

One Immortal Fruit Pill had not successfully bought the Treasure Seeking Mouse’s allegiance, which slightly disappointed Zhang Yang.

However, the Treasure Seeking Mouse’s situation was indeed different from the Vulpine Mink. Before subduing Lightning, Zhang Yang had fed it for a long time and interacted with it extensively, establishing some bond, one might say.

Even though it was caged, Zhang Yang at least ensured the Vulpine Mink’s basic needs were met. Moreover, in the Vulpine Mink’s simple consciousness, Zhang Yang was initially regarded as an enemy.

An enemy that was captured but not eaten, then fed delicious food daily, and finally given a potent spiritual medicine—only then did the Vulpine Mink agree to follow.

The Treasure Seeking Mouse was different; Zhang Yang had only captured it today, and it was a spirit beast caught using the Vulpine Mink.

Even though he offered a spiritual medicine, gaining the Treasure Seeking Mouse’s goodwill, that level of favor was insufficient for it to immediately acknowledge Zhang Yang and surrender its freedom to follow him.

After the system’s explanation, Zhang Yang finally understood the nuances. He could only accept this with a sense of resignation.

The Treasure Seeking Mouse was a spirit beast with its own will. Gaining its immediate favorable impression was already difficult enough. Besides, his chance to subdue it wasn't entirely lost.

“What is the Treasure Seeking Mouse’s current loyalty level?”

Zhang Yang asked casually. After Lightning followed him, Zhang Yang understood the utility of the loyalty numerical value.

Only when loyalty reached sixty or above could he confidently take such a pet anywhere; preferably seventy or higher for a more devoted companion that wouldn't flee.

Of course, eighty or ninety would be even better, but Lightning wasn’t that high yet, let alone the Treasure Seeking Mouse.

“I apologize, the Host has not yet accepted the mission, so the Treasure Seeking Mouse's loyalty level cannot be checked at this time!”

“Then accept the mission!”

After some thought, Zhang Yang decided to accept. Subduing the Treasure Seeking Mouse was his desire, and it would greatly assist him.

Regardless of the mission, he would have pursued this anyway. Now that there was a formal task, he would receive more detailed information, and the mission itself served to help him secure the pet.

“The Host accepts the mission ‘Subduing the Treasure Seeking Mouse.’ This mission is Level Five and has a time limit. The Host must complete it within three days, or it will be considered a failed mission!”

The mechanical voice sounded again. Zhang Yang’s eyes widened suddenly as he looked at the green virtual display before him.

This damned system hadn't mentioned the time constraint when he inquired earlier! The most outrageous part was that failure upon expiration meant punishment.

If his data were penalized, his entire existence would be ruined.

“Damn it, can I cancel this mission?”

Zhang Yang cursed internally. Had he known about the three-day time limit, he certainly wouldn’t have accepted it.

“I regret that all accepted missions cannot be withdrawn; the Host must execute it!”

The mechanical voice made Zhang Yang wish he could smash it a couple of times—provided he could reach it.

“Then accept it. How is the mission considered complete?”

Zhang Yang said weakly. He had only one thought: the system had tricked him; it had laid a trap, and he had stumbled right into it.

“The Host must first give the pet a name, register the pet, and then cultivate the pet’s loyalty. The mission is complete once the pet’s loyalty reaches sixty!”

The mechanical voice stated slowly. Reaching sixty loyalty meant the pet would truly follow him. Zhang Yang would have done this anyway, even without the system’s decree.

However, being cornered by the system and given a three-day limit made Zhang Yang profoundly irritated.

Unfortunately, dwelling on it now was useless. The priority was completing this mission. The Level Three mission, ‘The Peril of Mi Xue,’ had already caused him considerable anxiety; this was a Level Five mission.

“Let’s call it Shadowless!”

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yang settled on a new name for the Treasure Seeking Mouse. The creature had the ability to change color and blend into its surroundings, making ‘Shadowless’ a very fitting name.

Lightning, Shadowless—these were Zhang Yang’s two current pets, both spirit beasts.

In this aspect alone, even if he wasn't the first, he was likely unprecedented. Having two spirit beasts as pets was historically rare; Zhang Yang had never heard of anyone else accomplishing this.

“Pet Shadowless, registration successful. The Host may check its data at any time!”

As soon as the mechanical voice finished, Zhang Yang instinctively pulled up the pet management interface.

There were two animal icons. Lightning resembled a Vulpine Mink, its loyalty already raised to seventy-eight, just two points shy of the higher tier of eighty.

The Treasure Seeking Mouse, ‘Shadowless,’ only had a loyalty of forty-seven. It needed thirteen more points to reach the mission requirement of sixty. This gap wasn't vast, but it wasn't small either. Lightning had followed Zhang Yang for a long time, yet its loyalty only rose from sixty-eight initially to seventy-eight—a gain of only ten points.

Increasing Shadowless’s loyalty to sixty within three days would indeed be very difficult... Sixth update tonight. Thank you to all the friends for your support; we have finally secured the second position, a hard-earned step forward.

From four in the morning until now, yesterday’s six chapters have been posted, and tonight will bring today’s guaranteed content.

I want to especially thank the friend 'Poisoned by Novels' for their concern. Xiao Yu hasn't had the marrow replacement yet; the doctor said to return tomorrow for a dressing change and follow-up. Xiao Yu doesn't know what tomorrow will bring. (To be continued……RQ)