Chapter 407 - 219: The River God Has Manifested
Chapter 407: Chapter 219: The River God Has Manifested
After preparing some extra Spirit Rice Porridge and a few Beast Spirit Pills for the Guardian Beasts at home, Yang Qi changed into light, casual clothes and headed out with Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Leopard, Hu Zi, and Liu Fu.
As usual, Liu Fu camouflaged itself as a pattern on his backpack strap, making it impossible to spot without a close look.
Ta Xue and Qi Zai remained at Cangshan; one needed the freedom of the mountain forests, and the other to soar through the sky. Neither was suited for crowded places.
He drove out of the Zoo’s main gate and merged into the leisurely flow of Sunday morning traffic.
About an hour later, he arrived at the parking lot of Vortex Bay Wetland Park.
After parking the car, Yang Qi walked toward the designated meeting spot—a large banyan tree at the park entrance—with the dogs on their leashes and Xiaojiu perched on his shoulder.
From a distance, he could see Ye Haibing eagerly looking out for him, while Gao Zhenyue was leaning against his ride-share car, smoking a cigarette.
Qian Yu was in civilian clothes, but their posture was still bolt upright.
Song Wan was crouching on the ground and organizing a pet carrier. A Bengal Leopard Cat with gorgeous, distinctly spotted fur and intelligent eyes poked its head out of the bag, looking around curiously. It was none other than Overlord.
"Brother Qi, over here!" Ye Haibing, sharp-eyed, shouted while waving.
Yang Qi smiled and walked over, greeting everyone one by one.
"Brother Qi, looks like you brought the whole crew," Gao Zhenyue said, stubbing out his cigarette with a grin as he sized up Xiaojiu and the three dogs.
Qian Yu smiled and nodded in agreement. "Xiaojiu and Bai Wan are looking better and better. Truly magnificent creatures."
Song Wan picked up Overlord and said to Yang Qi with a smile.
"When Overlord heard he was going to see your cat and dogs today, he was excited all morning."
As if to prove her point, the moment Overlord saw Yang Qi’s Guardian Beasts, he wriggled free from Song Wan’s arms. He landed nimbly and dashed over to the leashed Bai Wan, Leopard, and Hu Zi. With his tail held high, he spun in excited circles, letting out a series of happy meows.
’Boss, Brother Wan, Brother Bao, Brother Hu! I missed you guys like crazy!’
The uncontained joy in his voice resounded clearly in Yang Qi’s mind.
Bai Wan and Leopard lowered their heads to sniff Overlord, letting out friendly whines.
The more stoic Hu Zi gave a steady wag of his tail.
Perched on Yang Qi’s shoulder, Xiaojiu lazily lifted its eyelids. Its gaze swept over Overlord for a moment—a silent acknowledgment.
"MEOW~"
’Boss, you seem to have gotten stronger.’
Overlord meowed at Xiaojiu on Yang Qi’s shoulder.
"MEOW~"
’You’ve got a good eye.’
Xiaojiu replied calmly, the tip of its tail giving an elegant twitch.
"WOOF~!"
’Overlord, have you gotten fatter?’
Leopard panted, his mouth open in what looked like a grin.
"WOOF WOOF~"
’Definitely fatter. His belly’s rounder than the last time we saw him.’
Bai Wan chimed in.
Hu Zi remained his stoic self, merely letting out a huff of agreement.
"MEOW MEOW MEOW~"
’Impossible! Absolutely impossible!’
’How could I be fat?’
Overlord’s fur bristled. He hopped on the spot, trying to show off his nimble physique.
’This cat is just sturdy!’
’It’s muscle! It’s power! You wouldn’t get it.’
Having made his case, he dashed over to the other side of Yang Qi and meowed questioningly.
"MEOW?"
’Two-legged Beast, are you hiding something?’
MEOW~
’That’s our new companion.’
Xiaojiu leaped gracefully from Yang Qi’s shoulder. It padded over to Overlord’s side, the tip of its tail casually brushing against Yang Qi’s pant leg.
’You just can’t see this new companion.’
"MEOW MEOW?"
’What? Can’t see them?’
Overlord paused, tilting his head in confusion. He crept closer to Yang Qi and sniffed him carefully.
’For real?’
’Boss, you’re not messing with me, are you?’
Xiaojiu offered no further explanation. It simply began to walk ahead with a confident stride, tossing a final comment over its shoulder: ’Just follow and you’ll see.’
Dubious but intrigued, Overlord trotted to keep pace with Xiaojiu, occasionally glancing up at Yang Qi’s seemingly empty right shoulder, his feline face a mask of curiosity.
The lively ’conversation’ between the little critters deepened the smile on Yang Qi’s face, but he didn’t interfere.
With the "invisible" Liu Fu on his right shoulder—its body heat and scent perfectly concealed—he walked deeper into the park with Ye Haibing and the others.
The group found a spacious, grassy spot by the water, where they spread out a picnic blanket and sat down.
The autumn sun warmed them, and a pleasant river breeze, humid with mist, brushed against their faces.
Once settled, they all started chatting casually.
The cats and dogs roamed freely on the grass and by the water’s edge nearby.
Xiaojiu led Overlord on an "expedition," Bai Wan and Leopard chased a dragonfly, and Hu Zi stood faithful guard a short distance away.
「At noon.」
Yang Qi and his friends rented one of the park’s barbecue stations and started grilling.
Gao Zhenyue volunteered to be head chef, with Ye Haibing assisting and Qian Yu in charge of putting food on skewers.
Song Wan and Yang Qi had a more relaxed role, mainly keeping an eye on the furry kids to make sure they didn’t get too close to the flames.
The air filled with the aroma of roasting meat, cheerful voices, and laughter.
Even Overlord got a piece of plain, unseasoned grilled chicken breast, which he ate with his eyes narrowed in bliss.
In the afternoon, the sun was pleasant and the breeze was gentle.
The group decided to go boating.
They rented an electric boat that could hold six or seven people and slowly steered out into the wide bay of the Vortex River.
The river water was clear, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and the autumn scenery on both banks.
Water birds skimmed across the surface or came to rest among the reeds.
Song Wan’s professional habits kicked in. She had Overlord pose at the bow of the boat for a video—striking various looks like "gazing into the distance" and "contemplating the meaning of cat-life"—claiming it was all for "material."
Overlord was cooperative at first, but he grew impatient after a few takes. He leaped back into the main part of the boat and sidled up to Xiaojiu and the others. While grooming himself, he began to complain to his "big brothers."
"MEOW MEOW~"
’The female Two-legged Beast is so high-maintenance.’
’She keeps making me pose.’
’I’m clearly a majestic creature, but she insists on filming me in some angsty, artsy-fartsy style...’