"Miss Huang, changing your mind so abruptly doesn't seem quite right!" Zhang Yang said quietly, his tone flat, yet it clearly indicated his current stance; he did not agree with her sudden alteration of the agreed exchange terms.

"Mr. Zhang, I am truly sorry. As a practitioner of Neijin, you must understand our importance to an Neijin family. Please grant my request!" Huang Jing bit her lip, stood up, and bowed deeply to Zhang Yang.

In truth, her heart was torn. The allure of the Rejuvenation Pill for a young woman was immense. It wouldn't just preserve her appearance for twenty years; even after two decades, the aging process would be dramatically slowed. At her current age, even at sixty, she would look barely thirty. This effect extended beyond her face to her skin and bodily functions—what incredible temptation this was. Such a miraculous medicine was incomparable to the so-called high-end cosmetics on the market. Yet, she also understood that Neijin practitioners were paramount to the family’s survival, and for the sake of her lineage, she had to sacrifice and persuade Zhang Yang to agree to the revised terms.

"Miss Huang, I can understand your position. You don't need to do that!" Zhang Yang didn't rise, merely shaking his head.

A flicker of joy crossed Huang Jing's face, and she quickly pressed, "Does that mean you agree!"

Zhang Yang's lack of refusal was equivalent to agreement in her mind—a good sign. Her heart couldn't help but quicken its pace. Zhang Yang looked at her, offering a slight smile, but then shook his head.

"For me to agree, it depends on the value of what you are offering. To be frank, I have only heard your words and have not seen the items myself, so I cannot commit right now. If the value is sufficient, I can change the terms. If not, I will stick to the original agreement!" Zhang Yang spoke slowly. He wasn't cold-hearted, but neither was he so kind as to agree to anything said to him. This was a transaction, a business deal, and in this matter, he was nothing more than a businessman. Changing agreed terms wasn't impossible, but it hinged on how much he stood to gain. If the outcome didn't meet his expectations, he certainly wouldn't consent.

"I see. That's fine. I trust the items will be useful to you. I will have my family send them over, and they can bring our child along with the delivery," Huang Jing pondered for a moment before saying softly. She had absolute faith in her family's possessions. Though she didn't understand the items herself, anything continuously prioritized by her family and listed as top secret could not be ordinary. If the family hadn't declined, and were still a prominent Neijin house, these items would likely still be under tight secrecy.

"Then it's settled. I'll head back now. Contact me when the items arrive!" Zhang Yang stood up, left his phone number, and exited the private room immediately. He declined Huang Jing's invitation to stay for dinner. Mi Xue was waiting at home, and he also had Zhuifeng and Shandian expecting him. He was confident about Shandian and Wuying, but Zhuifeng caused him some worry. Zhuifeng was a powerful Spirit Beast, certainly, but it had only recently reached maturity and had spent little time in the city. Furthermore, unlike the small advantage held by Shandian and Wuying, Zhuifeng’s large size meant it had to remain indoors. While he was present, it was manageable, as it generally heeded his commands. Now that he was away, if its wild nature flared up and it harmed someone, it would be a major issue.

After greeting Zhu Daoqi, Zhang Yang drove away alone. Zhu Daoqi reminded him again to send the research materials as soon as possible, mentioning that he had already instructed the school to prepare space and personnel; as soon as the data arrived, these two projects would commence operation immediately. Naturally, Zhang Yang was also the head researcher for both projects. In fact, Zhu Daoqi was thrilled, caught up in hopeful anticipation for the future. The asthma research project had made the Third Hospital intensely jealous, and now, with two such crucial projects, they were no longer inferior to the Third Hospital. Unfortunately for Zhu Daoqi, he was completely unaware that the data for these two projects didn't actually exist yet. Zhang Yang planned to compile it upon his return. Both were projects he had managed in domestic hospitals during his previous life; they were fully solved, and all the data resided in his mind—he just needed to write it down.

"Bang! Bang!"

Before he even reached the villa gate, Zhang Yang's expression drastically changed; he heard sounds of a fight inside. He pressed the accelerator, and the moment the car stopped, Zhang Yang leaped out, not even bothering to take the key before jumping straight in. That’s right, he jumped into the villa grounds. The property had a courtyard and an outer gate, but the walls were solid, and the gate was locked. Concerned about the situation inside, he skipped the step of knocking. For a Fourth-Tier expert, flying everywhere was impossible, but leaping several zhang high was easily accomplished. Even falling from a height of several stories, as long as they managed their descent correctly, they would be fine. In this era, a Fourth-Tier expert represented the pinnacle of martial power, second only to the Great Perfection stage.

As he landed from his leap, a white shadow bolted toward him, immediately landing on his shoulder.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!" Wuying chirped incessantly, its small claws occasionally pointing at Zhuifeng, its face showing clear displeasure. Looking at the disarray in the courtyard, the disheveled and helplessly frustrated Long Feng, and the snarling Shandian, Zhang Yang couldn't help but let out a wry smile. The thing he feared most had happened. Zhuifeng didn't want to stay cooped up at home; it wanted to go out and play. Initially, Shandian and Wuying had persuaded it against it, knowing that letting it wander outside without Zhang Yang accompanying them would inevitably lead to disaster. Not disaster for the Spirit Beasts, but for outsiders. However, regardless of whose disaster it was, Zhang Yang would ultimately be the one cleaning up the mess. The two smaller beasts understood this and didn't want to cause Zhang Yang trouble, so they talked Zhuifeng down.

The morning had been calm, but in the afternoon, Mi Xue needed to buy some things, and Qu Meilan went with her. Gu Fang had left earlier on business. This left only Long Feng and the three Spirit Beasts at home. Now, Zhuifeng was demanding to go out again. Shandian and Wuying couldn't dissuade it, so they pulled Long Feng into the confrontation. Long Feng knew precisely what the outcome would be if Zhuifeng went out. He wasn't confident in his ability to restrain Zhuifeng, so he naturally refused its demand. The result was that Zhuifeng became enraged, and Long Feng, suffering silently, was thoroughly thrashed in the courtyard by Zhuifeng. Fortunately, Zhuifeng was only a Third-Tier expert, and with Shandian and Wuying joining in, Zhuifeng was facing three opponents and didn't have the clear upper hand. Moreover, all three held back their strength and avoided heavy blows, resulting in a prolonged standoff until Zhang Yang returned.

"You little brute, what did I tell you when I left!" Zhang Yang strode over and delivered a firm rap to the top of Zhuifeng’s head. Before leaving, he had explicitly commanded that none of them were to go out until he returned. After being struck, Zhuifeng immediately lowered its head, its hooves scraping restlessly on the ground, and a soft snort escaping its nostrils. It looked exactly like a naughty child caught red-handed by an adult. Still, it muttered a soft defense—it was bored, hated being constantly confined, the scenery outside looked nice, and it genuinely wanted to see the world outside. Seeing the deeply aggrieved Zhuifeng, Zhang Yang’s heart instantly softened.

"There's nothing important tomorrow. I'll take you all out to play, a proper outing!" Zhang Yang gently stroked the beautiful fur atop Zhuifeng’s head, whispering softly. Zhuifeng snapped its head up, its bright eyes shining with surprise. Shandian and Wuying, standing nearby, also perked up their ears, sharing a hint of excitement. They had tried to counsel Zhuifeng because they had been with Zhang Yang the longest and had learned many principles. But that didn't mean they didn't also yearn to run around outside. Spirit Beasts possess high intelligence but are also playful like children. Hearing Zhang Yang’s promise, the three Spirit Beasts instantly transformed, all becoming visibly excited.

"I'll go inside to change first!" Long Feng finally spoke softly, then headed inside. Long Feng had indeed endured a miserable day, and Zhang Yang couldn't help but smile. Long Feng’s strength was still somewhat lacking, making it difficult for him to manage the three Spirit Beasts. However, Long Feng’s progress was fast; after all, he didn't possess the 'cheat device' of the System that allowed Zhang Yang to rapidly enhance his power.

Thinking of the System, Zhang Yang moved his consciousness, and the three-dimensional projection immediately appeared before his eyes. After completing the previous mission, Zhang Yang’s level within the System had risen again to Level Four, and his various stats had seen significant increases. Stat enhancement was a good thing, and Zhang Yang had thoroughly felt the benefits these improvements brought. If nothing else, without the System bolstering his physical strength and speed, facing those two powerful Fourth-Tier Spirit Beasts wouldn't have been nearly as easy. It was a known fact that when a human and a Spirit Beast possessed the same power level, the human was usually no match for the beast unless they wielded exceptionally fine divine weapons.

"Mission!" Zhang Yang silently commanded in his mind, and the display instantly switched to the Mission tab. Missions were the only viable path to enhancing his abilities. Generally, if a mission appeared, Zhang Yang would accept it, completing simple ones immediately. After reaching Level Four, the System’s most convenient feature was that he no longer had to wait passively for missions; he could summon them proactively. The Mission tab was empty. Even System Missions weren't available daily; upon completion, one had to wait for a new one to manifest. If there were endless tasks, Zhang Yang wouldn't need to bother with compounding medicines, refining elixirs, or arduous cultivation; relying solely on missions to boost his Neijin data would accelerate his progress even faster.

"There are currently no active missions to accept, but there is a Hidden Mission available. Host, do you wish to activate it?" Zhang Yang felt a slight disappointment. He already knew that Hidden Missions were invisible on the Mission tab until activated. Furthermore, he understood that before a Hidden Mission was activated, neither its difficulty nor its specific content was known; these details would only appear upon activation. But once a Hidden Mission was activated, it was equivalent to accepting it—no matter how difficult, it had to be completed. (To be continued) RQ