Little Beast

The group enjoyed a relaxing outing in the scenic countryside, laughing and joking with delight.

Qin Ming, however, was tense and unable to blend into the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

His defenses were on full display, as if he were suffering from paranoia, always feeling that there was a gaze in the shadows watching him with ill intent!

"Aww~" (Give me all the good food!)

A somewhat authoritative, but not loud, roar exploded in Qin Ming's ears.

Qin Ming quickly turned around and saw a small red beast, about the size of a cat, baring its teeth and claws, pouncing on him.

Even though he had already stepped aside to give way, the next second, Qin Ming's vision went black again.

"Don't scratch my face!"

Qin Ming covered his face with one hand and grabbed the back of the little beast's neck with the other, pulling it outward forcefully.

A moment later, Qin Ming, ignoring the red beast's frantic clawing, firmly restrained it.

The little red beast kept howling, probably hurling some pretty vulgar insults.

But Qin Ming, relying on the fact that he couldn't understand, didn't pay much attention.

Then he discovered that the little guy was quite round and chubby, and Qin Ming weighed him in his hand to make sure he wasn't just chubby.

Let me see what kind of spirit beast you are, how dare you be so bold!

Qin Ming took out his phone and started scanning.

[Searching... Search failed! Please try again later!]

Unconvinced, Qin Ming checked the signal and tested it on the large snake beside him. Finding no problem, he then scanned the small red beast again.

[…Search failed! Please try again later!]

Something's not right!

Qin Ming carefully examined the little beast. It had two short horns on its head, long hooves, and its body was covered with fine, golden-red scales that looked like burning flames in the sunlight.

Sigh~~

Why does this look so familiar?

Brother Qi!?

Even if he is his brother, it's unlikely!

The body shape is wrong, the color is wrong, nothing is right. How could I have thought of such a terrible thing?

He tentatively shook the little beast in his hand again.

Qin Ming, who had only scratched his skin after his impulsive action, immediately felt relieved.

Am I being far too paranoid? Where do so many legendary spirit beasts come from in this world?

After all, there are far too many animals that have four hooves on their backs and horns on their heads.

Maybe it's just a sheep that's gotten a little fatter, even though its bleating doesn't quite match.

"Come on, learn from me, meow~"

Qin Ming began to teach earnestly, using a high-pitched voice.

"Awoo~" Teaching failed.

"Let's try another one, moo~" Qin Ming continued his efforts!

"Awoo~" Teaching failed.

Qin Ming suddenly felt that the little beast in front of him looked a bit like the chubby orange cat on Earth, and a sudden thought came to mind.

"Let's try another one, meow~"

"Meow~"

The little beast's expression froze, its pupils trembling.

Qin Ming, however, was so happy with his remarkable teaching results that he cheered.

But when he wanted the little beast to cry out a few more times to reinforce its strength, it remained silent. Fine...

"Senior Brother, what usually means when a spirit beast can't retrieve information?"

Still a little uneasy, Qin Ming picked up the autistic little beast and came over to check on it.

"Only some extremely rare spirit beasts are not included in our database; you won't encounter them under normal circumstances," the senior brother patiently explained.

"Are there no exceptions?" Holding Qin Ming, who had already given up and accepted the reality of the little beast, his mentality became a little unstable again.

"You mean the one in your hand?" The senior brother understood immediately.

"There are also ordinary animals that are not spirit beasts at all, which cannot be detected by scanning."

"Because these animals reproduce and change too quickly, and they don't have much value, we generally don't include them in our research."

"I see." Qin Ming smiled with relief.

"What, you want to keep it as a pet?" The senior brother saw through Qin Ming's intentions, but he was not optimistic.

"You can't tame them, and all your effort is wasted!"

"It's okay, I feel like we're destined to be together!" Qin Ming smiled as he looked at the little beast that was pretending to sleep in his arms.

The more I look at it, the more I feel it resembles Brother Qi. I'll just consider it a memento.

Since using array formations to condense crystals to improve his life, Qin Ming, who has gradually become wealthy, is no longer worried that he will be unable to afford to raise an ordinary animal.

"What should I call you? Little Red? Little Meow? Little Mimi?" Qin Ming fell into deep thought. He felt there were too many good names to choose from.

"Awooo!" (You're doomed! Once I lift the restriction on Big Brother, I'll make you pay!!!)

"That's not how it's called, it's meow~" Qin Ming was still demonstrating seriously.

"..."

"The barbecue is ready, come and eat!"

"Here we go! Here we go!"

Qin Ming was given three skewers of grilled meat, which were super large skewers, each a meter long, the kind that would fill a normal person up after eating just one skewer.

Keda, one skewer for you, one skewer for me, and one more skewer... Little Fatty can't finish it all... Do you want some?

Qin Ming noticed that the little beast had stopped being withdrawn at some point, and its bright eyes were filled with a longing for meat.

Okay, I'll share some with you, but we can't waste it.

Qin Ming used a bamboo skewer to peel off a portion and tentatively handed it to the little beast.

The little beast wolfed down its food, making a whirlwind of movement, and performed a magic trick for Qin Ming, making the roasted meat disappear on the spot.

The key is the bamboo skewer; it just won't spit out.

Eating barbecue without spitting out the skewers? What kind of teeth and stomach do you have?!

Qin Ming looked at the bamboo skewer handle in his hand, which was now reduced to a small section, and then carefully examined the small beast's inconspicuous little teeth. He fell silent.

Being able to eat is a blessing!

Qin Ming tried to brainwash himself, and then continued feeding, because he needed to roughly know his pet's appetite.

The meter-long kebab was quickly reduced to half its original size.

Qin Ming touched the little beast's belly, which was already round and plump but hadn't gotten any rounder. He wondered where all the meat he had fed it had gone. Was it a bottomless pit?

Unconvinced, Qin Ming continued feeding the animal until the entire kebab was finished. Both Qin Ming and the little beast had much clearer and more innocent eyes.

"It's okay, Keda, you can keep eating."

Qin Ming stopped Keda from handing over the remaining skewers of grilled meat.

That's right, even Keda, a spirit beast, hasn't finished eating the whole skewer yet!

Qin Ming looked around and suddenly felt—

This pet,

It's not actually necessary to keep one!

With such a big appetite, the wild is where you truly belong!

Qin Ming changed his mind in less than the time it takes to eat a meal and decided to release the little beast back into the wild.

"Stop biting my clothes! Let go, let go of my claws! Holy crap, you're scratching my skin!"

"It is attainable, sweet and nourishing!"

A moment later, Qin Ming's body was as smooth as before, but his tattered clothes showed the injustice he had suffered.

"Kedas, now that you've eaten and drunk your fill, stretch your body and continue practicing your skills!"

Qin Ming, dressed in tattered beggar clothes, was full of fighting spirit today.

"Gah~" can elicit a positive response.

Although we had a bit of luck and managed to get ahead a little, regular training is still essential.

Changes achieved through persistence can eventually wear down even the hardest stone.

Seeing that Keda hadn't become complacent because of this, Qin Ming nodded in satisfaction.