Chapter 479 - 297: Battle of the Duck and the Chicken
Chapter 479: Chapter 297: Battle of the Duck and the Chicken
"..." Su Zhi took the cup, at a loss for words.
’Why do I get the strange feeling that he’s the master of the house and I’m the outsider here?’
"Not bad. Shengfa sent someone just to check on me? He’s a stand-up guy!"
’He probably figured that since I’m always dragging Liu Yuhang back here, he’s already familiar with the place.’
Su Zhi rubbed his hands together eagerly. "So, did Shengfa have you bring any gifts for me?"
"Of course!" Liu Yuhang pulled out a thick stack of worksheets and piled them in front of him.
"...I appreciate Teacher Zhou’s kind sentiment." Su Zhi’s smile froze as he pushed the worksheets back.
As if expecting this, Liu Yuhang placed Xue Li in front of Su Zhi. "Teacher Zhou said if you don’t want to do the worksheets, you have to spar with Xue Li, record it, and post it to the Joyful Beast Taming app."
"...So what he really wants is to see how much I’ve improved?"
"Exactly!"
Su Zhi: "..."
’Zhou Shengfa could have just ordered Liu Yuhang to spar with me. But to respect his student’s wishes, he even provided two options.’
’He’s so considerate it makes me want to cry.’
"Alright, fine. I was just thinking I should check if Xue Li is developing normally anyway."
Su Zhi said half-jokingly, scanning Xue Li with his phone.
[Pet Beast: Xue Li (Wave-Riding Duck)
Attribute: Water Element, Wind Element
Race: High Level Elite
Real-time Energy Value: 4999]
"Not bad... That’s some fast improvement!" Su Zhi’s eyes widened.
’If I remember correctly, the last time I saw her, Xue Li’s Energy Value was only around three or four thousand.’
Reaching the equivalent of a Two-star level in just a few days was already incredible. Besides, the Wave-Riding Duck was a pure burst-type Pet Beast. Its Energy Value might not look impressive, but in a real fight, it could ignore tiers and instantly kill many other Pet Beasts.
"Xue Li has always improved quickly. I’m the one holding her back," Liu Yuhang said with a wry smile. "My Beast Taming Space has been stuck at Tier Two for a long time. Teacher Zhou says breaking through to Tier Three shouldn’t be a problem in the near future, but Tier Four is a distant dream."
"That’s already amazing..." Su Zhi patted his shoulder.
’Tier Four is Alliance Member level. Among all Beast Tamers, that’s a tiny minority, you know?’
’Has the standard for being strong now become reaching a Tier Four Beast Taming Space before the college entrance exams? The competition is insane. Which asshole started this trend...’
’Oh wait, it was me. Never mind then...’
"But I will give it my all."
Liu Yuhang grasped Su Zhi’s hand solemnly. "Sorry, Brother Shu. You just got back, I should be letting you rest. But as a Beast Tamer, it’s my style to not hold anything back."
Su Zhi smiled lightly and placed his own hand over Liu Yuhang’s. "Bring it on. Don’t hold back."
’It’s not like I’m the one who has to fight, anyway...’
CREAK— The door opened. Su Mao and Wang Sujuan stood in the doorway, laden with shopping bags, waving excitedly at Su Zhi.
Shao Ya poked her head out like a curious cat, her eyes fixed on their clasped hands. "Oh, what game are you two playing?" she asked, intrigued.
"Ah."
Liu Yuhang hastily let go, his face flushing red. "Uh, Uncle, Auntie, I’m not usually like this..."
"It’s okay, we understand."
Wang Sujuan and Su Mao each patted one of Liu Yuhang’s shoulders.
Then, their gazes fell upon Su Zhi, and their eyes welled up with tears.
"Xiaoshu! I saw the lights were on and just knew you were back! I missed you so, so much!" Wang Sujuan was a mess of tears.
Su Zhi’s own nose stung, and he quickly comforted her, "Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m doing great."
"Xiaoshu! You’re finally back! I can finally use you as an excuse to take time off work again! Life without you was worse than jail!" Su Mao also cried tears of joy.
Su Zhi: "..."
’Yeah, forget it. I should just ship him off to Peng Kai to be dealt with.’
For a moment, the two adults and three youths gathered in the living room, making the small home feel exceptionally lively. ’This is that homey, bustling feeling,’ Su Zhi thought, a wave of nostalgia washing over him.
"I heard from Yuhang that you two have a test to do, right?"
As she spoke, Wang Sujuan had already tied on her apron. "You two go get busy! I’ll call you when dinner’s ready."
Shao Ya carried the fish to the sink. "Auntie, let me help you! I’ve got nothing better to do anyway."
Wang Sujuan beamed. "Oh, yes. Xiaoya, you’re so thoughtful~"
Su Mao also snuck into the kitchen. "Juanjuan, I’ll help you out too. It’s not like I have anything better to do..."
Wang Sujuan replied expressionlessly, "Have you updated your novel today?"
"N-Not yet."
"Then go update it."
"Yes..."
·
As Su Mao tearfully returned to his study to write, Liu Yuhang and Su Zhi went to an empty lot outside the building, taking positions on opposite sides as if in a formal ring.
Hearing there was a fight to be had as soon as he got back, the three Treasures in his Beast Taming Space grew excited, all scrambling to be the first one to go out.
’Is this some kind of chore?’
’Heck no! These are all opportunities to get stronger!’
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Su Zhi calmed his three Treasures down. After a moment’s thought, he summoned Shan Bao.
Wu Bao and Yu Bao both had Energy Values nearly two thousand higher than Xue Li’s. Not to mention, Wu Bao had a countering Attribute, so a match with such a power gap wouldn’t be fair.
Yu Bao, on the other hand, was countered by Xue Li, but the problem was that Yu Bao could just switch its form. Besides, they knew each other inside and out. Yu Bao’s Skills were extremely diverse; handling Xue Li would be all too easy...
All things considered, Shan Bao’s progress was the slowest. The gap between it and Xue Li wasn’t large, making it the fairest match-up, relatively speaking.
"CHIRP!" Shan Bao leaped out of the Beast Taming Space and ran a circle around Xue Li with a PITTER-PATTER of its feet.
’Auntie Xue Li! Long time no see!’
"Quack, quack." Xue Li nodded with the air of an elder. ’It’s been a while. This kid’s grown quite a bit.’
’Wait a minute... I’m not an auntie!’
Liu Yuhang, however, was staring at the deep blue Beast Taming Light Array, his eyes wide. "Brother Shu, your Beast Taming Space is already Tier Five?"
"It’s like the old saying goes: after surviving a great disaster, good fortune is sure to follow."