Chapter 54: Chapter 52: Three-tailed Ox and Green Peacock

Ah Fu’s evolution provided the Jiaoyang Cultivation Base with a formidable new guardian.

The Cultivation Base was in the suburbs, not far from the city, in what was considered the urban-rural fringe.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t encounter any danger, since the Public Security Bureau could respond quickly.

And now, with Qizai, Ah Fu, his father’s Land Bear, and his mother’s Gray Bean Dove, their security had increased yet again.

Even a Commander Level Pet Beast wouldn’t stand much of a chance if it showed up at the base.

Of course, when you added the guards the An Family had posted at the base, it was as secure as a fortress.

Li Qian knew full well that he had mastered the evolution method from Koi Carp to Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon. Although the news hadn’t spread yet, it was only a matter of time before people found out.

After all, if they wanted to profit from this evolution method, it would be impossible to keep the news under wraps. Neither Li Qian nor the An Family had any intention of concealing it forever.

When the time came for him to attend Jiangnan Beast Taming University, his parents would be left behind at the Cultivation Base. It was entirely possible that someone, unable to resist temptation, would take a dangerous risk.

Having a few Pet Beasts stolen would be a minor issue. But if his parents were implicated and got hurt, or if an even more serious accident occurred, Li Qian would regret it for the rest of his life.

Besides, although Gao Yaxin had publicly announced she’d taken the Demon Core—possibly drawing the Black Divine Teachings’ attention with her—that was just speculation.

If the Black Divine Teachings still had Cultists lingering in Lingshui City, or if they decided to seek revenge on him, it would be a huge problem.

Therefore, Li Qian had already made up his mind. He would use the next three-plus months before leaving for the Beast Taming University to rapidly increase the strength of his father, Li Chengyang, and his mother, Han Yuqing.

His mother, Han Yuqing, had already contracted Ah Fu, which meant she couldn’t contract a third Pet Beast anytime soon.

For her, the only way to increase her strength was through evolution—by evolving her Gray Bean Dove. However, even if it evolved into a Storm Eagle, its Potential would just barely reach the Commander Level.

It would be an improvement, to be sure, but not a significant one. So he wanted to see if he could find a more promising evolution method for it, perhaps one that could also apply to his father Li Chengyang’s Land Bear.

In addition, he needed to start preparing his father Li Chengyang’s second Pet Beast. He had made a promise, and he would certainly keep his word.

Amidst all the busy preparations, a new weekend arrived. Li Qian handed over the task of training the five Koi Carp to his mother, Han Yuqing.

His mother, Han Yuqing, was more than happy to take on the task. After all, to her, every successfully evolved Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon meant an income of at least one hundred million.

For this reason, she and his father, Li Chengyang, had made countless trips to the Pet Beast Market to see if they could purchase more Koi Carp with high Potential.

Koi Carp were extremely common Pet Beasts with a massive population. Even ordinary people without a Contracted Pet Beast could occasionally catch a few with a fishing rod, so there was no shortage of them at the Pet Beast Market.

After running back and forth so many times, his father, Li Chengyang, and mother, Han Yuqing, naturally had something to show for it. The Central Pond now housed more than a dozen new Koi Carp with decent Potential.

To distinguish them from the original five Koi Carp, which included Ah Long, his mother, Han Yuqing, called the new ones "Koi Carp Generation Two."

As for Qizai and Ah Fu, they were of course the veteran Pet Beasts. They were the kind of existence let out occasionally for the lesser fish to gaze upon in awe.

He didn’t need to give her any instructions. Having worked at the Cultivation Base for over a decade, his mother, Han Yuqing, knew how to run it far better than he did.

So when she learned that Li Qian had a class reunion that day, she immediately shooed him out the door. "Go on, hurry up! Don’t keep your classmates waiting."

Then, as if a sudden thought struck her, she blinked strangely. "You’re about to graduate, son. If there’s a girl you like, be bold and tell her how you feel. Don’t leave yourself with any regrets."

Li Qian nearly stumbled and fell flat on his face. He seriously suspected his mother had come down with the "marriage-pushing fever" that seemed to afflict most elders.

’But I’m only eighteen!’ he thought. ’I haven’t even graduated from high school yet. Does she have to be so ridiculously intense about it?’

"Mom, you’re overthinking things. Lately, my mind has been completely focused on my studies. I haven’t had time to even think about that stuff." Li Qian wiped non-existent sweat from his brow, offered a weak explanation, and then beat a hasty retreat.

Outside the Cultivation Base, Fatty An was already waiting for him, parked in his flashy red sports car.

Li Qian walked straight over, opened the door without a word, and got in. A single glance was all it took for the corner of his mouth to twitch uncontrollably.

In the car, Fatty An was wedged into the driver’s seat like a lump of lard. Of course, that wasn’t the important part. The important part was that today, he was what you might call "dressed to the nines."

He wore an oversized, burgundy suit with matching trousers, a plaid tie, and his hair was slicked back, gleaming with product.

Li Qian stared at Fatty An’s over-the-top getup and couldn’t stop himself from asking, "We’re going to a reunion, not a matchmaking session. Dressed like that, you look like a Three-tailed Ox in heat. Isn’t that a bit much?"

Fatty An shot Li Qian a sidelong glance, looking extremely pleased with himself. "What do you mean, ’a Three-tailed Ox in heat’? You have no taste. This is the hottest look for high-society types right now!"

"Oh, please. Your ’taste’... tsk, tsk, tsk..." Li Qian looked him up and down, then covered his face with his hand. He was already wondering if he should walk in separately from this guy when they arrived.

Otherwise, he was afraid people would start giving him weird looks, too.

As it turned out, Li Qian had been worrying for nothing. When they arrived at Taoyuan Villa, he discovered that Fatty An wasn’t the only "Three-tailed Ox" in attendance.

At the entrance to the villa, there was no shortage of classmates who were "dressed to the nines," and that included many of the girls.

Of course, using the phrase "dressed to the nines" to describe the girls was perhaps inappropriate. "Dolled up" would be a more accurate description.

He couldn’t help but rub his eyes. ’Am I the one who’s out of touch?’ Li Qian wondered. ’Have I failed to keep up with the times?’

It was only when he saw that Tu Jiaojiao, Li Lanying, and Liang Yumei—a few of the more attractive girls with good Beast Taming potential—were only wearing light makeup that he began to understand what was going on.

This event was billed as a class reunion, but with graduation right around the corner and many students yet to awaken their Beast Taming Space, it had taken on a different, more significant meaning.

To put it bluntly, the reason so many of his classmates had chosen to dress up like Three-tailed Oxen and Green Peacocks today wasn’t just for show. A few were simply showing off or had other motives—Fatty An, for example, was almost certainly trying to get Tu Jiaojiao’s attention, however clumsily. But for the most part, they were paving the way for their futures and trying to build connections.

As expected, on an occasion like this, students like him who were destined for a Beast Taming University and had promising futures would become the center of attention.

The thought made Li Qian sigh with emotion. They hadn’t even graduated yet, but people were already being sorted into a pecking order.

It seemed some things never changed. It was true in the bustling metropolises of his past life, and it was true in this life—in a Beast Taming World where personal power was everything.