The city greenery in Shanghai was quite decent; at least the area Zhang Yang was walking through was rather nice. This narrow two-lane path was lined with mature plane trees, their canopies lush and dense.

Even though it was the peak of a summer noon, the shade beneath them offered no hint of heat. Zhang Yang had no particular destination; he was simply meandering along, his pace naturally slow.

Little Lightning was clearly enjoying the stroll too. It perched on Zhang Yang’s shoulder, ceaselessly pointing ahead with its tiny claws, issuing soft ‘zizhi’ chirps.

Zhang Yang seemed to sense what it meant. Lightning was telling him: This place is lovely, but it still lacks the quiet of the mountains; the mountains hold the true wilderness.

Ever since Lightning’s loyalty rating increased, Zhang Yang often felt as if he could understand every word Lightning uttered, every feeling it conveyed. It wasn't exactly mind-reading, but it was close; at least, whenever he responded based on his understanding, Lightning would always offer an affirmative acknowledgment.

On Zhang Yang’s other shoulder rested Shadowless. It was even smaller, practically unnoticeable when nestled there.

But precisely because it was small, it rested more securely; if it weren’t for its occasional soft ‘jiji’ responding to Zhang Yang and Lightning, one might easily assume it was asleep. Zhang Yang didn't possess the same profound connection to Shadowless’s calls.

Perhaps it was due to the loyalty factor—high loyalty could forge a mental link between owner and pet, allowing them to intuit each other’s thoughts. Unfortunately, the System was currently unavailable, a question he’d have to save for later.

Zhang Yang walked slowly, but his head-turning rate was far from low, certainly not inferior to any scantily clad beauty. The biggest draw, naturally, was the pair of little creatures on his shoulders.

One couldn't be sure if it was from spending so much time with Lightning, but Shadowless’s fur remained pure white, exactly like Lightning’s. Anyone who saw such two adorable little beings couldn't help but stare a moment longer.

Zhang Yang had long grown accustomed to this. Thankfully, this path was quiet, and he was currently relishing this rare tranquility, enjoying the sensation of walking his own path slowly in an unfamiliar place.

A red sports car zipped past Zhang Yang. It wasn't moving fast; it stopped not far ahead, then immediately began reversing until it pulled right up alongside him.

“What an absolutely gorgeous little marten!” The window rolled down, revealing a girl of about seventeen or eighteen in the driver's seat, her eyes wide as she looked at Zhang Yang’s shoulder. Zhang Yang gave a slight smile, nodded, and continued walking forward.

Several people had said similar things along his route; he had smiled and greeted them all without stopping. However, this was the first time someone had deliberately reversed just to get a closer look.

“Hey, why are you walking so fast? Where did you buy a white little marten like that?

I can’t find one anywhere!” The car pulled up alongside him again as the girl shouted at Zhang Yang, incessantly honking the horn. Zhang Yang frowned slightly, paused, and said softly, “I didn’t buy it; you can’t buy one.

Sorry, I’m busy!” With that, Zhang Yang gently lifted Lightning from his shoulder and continued walking, cradling the creature in his arms. Tss!

Behind Zhang Yang, the sports car suddenly gunned its engine and screeched to a halt directly in front of him. The girl jumped out, carrying something she retrieved from the passenger seat.

Zhang Yang looked closely and realized she was holding another small marten—but this was just a common pet marten. This slightly surprised Zhang Yang.

Not many people kept martens these days; the idea of a pet marten was still nascent in the public mind, as most hadn't accepted this exotic pet. This was the first time Zhang Yang had encountered someone keeping a pet marten, especially a young girl.

“Don’t be so stingy! Don’t act like you’re the only one who has one.

I want a white one. I’ve been to several places and couldn’t find one.

Just tell me where you bought your white little marten!” The girl walked right up to Zhang Yang, speaking with obvious displeasure. As she talked, she continually stroked the pet marten in her arms.

It was a gray and white creature, quite cute, and clearly well-groomed, its fur meticulously clean. Unfortunately, no matter how clean it was, it couldn't compare to Lightning, who was a spirit beast, utterly beyond the realm of common pet martens.

The tragedy was that the young girl failed to notice that her pet marten instantly froze stiff the moment it sensed Lightning’s presence, its fur practically standing on end. “I already said, this one wasn't bought.

I don’t know where they sell them either!” Zhang Yang shook his head slightly. The girl was young, but her looks were rather plain, certainly not as striking as Nannan or Xiao Dai.

Apart from a somewhat fiery figure, there was nothing remarkable about her. If there was anything noteworthy, it was her expensive Ferrari parked behind her.

In a later era, she’d be called Bai Fumei (White, Rich, Beautiful), though the ‘Beautiful’ part was slightly lacking here. “Why are you being so boring?

If you didn’t buy it, did it just run up to you on its own?” The girl seemed furious, pouting. Her pout was somewhat endearing, like a girl next door, though some facial blemishes slightly detracted from the effect.

Zhang Yang chuckled and said, “You’re not wrong this time. It ran to me on its own!” The girl froze for a moment, then her face quickly shifted back to anger.

She assumed Zhang Yang was deliberately messing with her, teasing her. Anyone would cherish and protect such a beautiful creature; no one would let it run away.

Even if it did run off, they would search the world for it, perhaps even report it to the police. Someone who found it wouldn't brazenly walk around with it.

At this moment, the girl interpreted Zhang Yang’s words to mean that he had found Lightning as a stray. “Fox, bite him!” Biting her lip, the girl suddenly tossed the pet marten in her arms toward Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang shifted his body slightly, and the tossed pet marten landed squarely on the ground. “Zizizizhi!” After hitting the ground, the pet marten did not obey its owner’s command to bite Zhang Yang; instead, it bolted rapidly in the opposite direction, disappearing from sight in an instant.

This sight left the young girl completely dumbfounded, frozen where she stood. She had no idea that her pet marten had been paralyzed with terror upon sensing Lightning’s aura.

It had been too frightened to move when she threw it, showing no reaction whatsoever, let alone its usual agility. Normally, her pet marten was extremely quick-witted.

Even if thrown, it could land on its feet, land on a person, and immediately latch on, and if the girl commanded, it could even rake a few bloody marks onto someone. That was precisely the girl’s intention when she threw the pet marten—otherwise, why would she toss it?

The result was the opposite of her wishes. Not only did the pet marten show no agility, but after falling, it abandoned its owner and fled.

However, she didn't know that the fall was what jarred her pet marten slightly out of its instinctual terror of Lightning. Upon regaining some clarity, its most natural reaction was simply to flee, to get as far away from Lightning as possible.

All other thoughts had vanished from its mind. “Unstable!” Zhang Yang shook his head lightly, ignoring the stunned girl, and walked past her.

This one was clearly spoiled and sheltered. Zhang Yang didn't much care for her temperament, though he wasn't sure if she was even an adult.

A girl who resorts to commanding her pet to bite someone over a minor disagreement would sooner or later suffer greatly because of that attitude. After standing stunned for a moment, the girl finally came to her senses.

She gave up on Zhang Yang, quickly hopped back into her car, and sped off in the direction the pet marten had run. After a few steps, Zhang Yang suddenly stopped, looking thoughtfully at Lightning.

Zhang Yang knew very well why the girl’s pet marten had run: Lightning and it were not in the same league. In the world of martens, Lightning was the absolute king; every other marten would fear it upon sight.

What he pondered was the reaction of the pet marten just now. The fact that the pet marten was so afraid of Lightning that it abandoned its owner and fled spoke of instinct, but it also revealed something else: its loyalty to its owner was insufficient.

Unlike that creature, Zhang Yang trusted that Lightning would never flee from ordinary threats. However, Lightning’s loyalty was not yet at eighty.

According to the System’s explanations, only pets with loyalty levels above eighty would absolutely refuse to leave their masters when facing danger, even sacrificing themselves if necessary. Zhang Yang didn't need Lightning to sacrifice itself, but he harbored the selfish human desire not to see Lightning perish pointlessly either.

Of course, if truly unavoidable danger arose, and Lightning had a chance to leave, Zhang Yang would instruct it to do so, unwilling to see it waste its life needlessly. As for Shadowless, its loyalty was not high enough yet.

Facing mortal danger, its reaction would probably be similar to that pet marten. These reflections dampened Zhang Yang’s desire to keep walking.

He stopped by the roadside, intending to flag down a taxi back to the hotel. Soon, a taxi approached in the distance.

Zhang Yang raised his hand to hail it, but a moment later, his brows knitted together in frustration. This taxi was driving incredibly fast; even with his hand raised, it showed no sign of stopping.

Whoosh! Zhang Yang swiftly leaped backward a step, watching the speeding taxi in shock.

The car actually accelerated as it flew past. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, it might have hit him.

Boom! While still reeling from the shock, the taxi suddenly swerved into another intersection ahead, immediately followed by a loud crash.

An accident—that was Zhang Yang’s fastest assessment. Driving that fast, especially with a sharp turn, how could it not crash?

Zhang Yang’s pace quickened as he headed toward the intersection. Whatever urgent business the taxi driver had, since an accident occurred, he needed to check it out.

Whether in his past life or this one, he was a physician. Even if he wasn't currently practicing in a hospital, saving lives and treating the injured was fundamentally a doctor’s duty.

He had just changed his medication yesterday, but his tooth started aching again today; Xiao Yu would be heading to the hospital soon, the pain was becoming unbearable.