I Don't Want to Get Skunked Anymore

Late at night,

"Orange, I found some information related to cultivating Spiritual Plants." A familiar, cheerful voice sounded by his ear.

Judging by her tone, Jiang Wenning was still in high spirits.

"Thanks for your trouble," Chen Yuan said.

"It was nothing." Jiang Wenning giggled, then cleared her throat and said, "Spiritual Plants do not have particularly high requirements for soil, but they have fairly high requirements for water quality."

"Water quality?" Chen Yuan furrowed his brow slightly.

"Yes." Jiang Wenning nodded, her voice calm and measured. "It is best not to water them with tap water. You should use water sprayed out by a Water-type Contracted Beast."

"Such water can ensure and accelerate the growth of Spiritual Plants."

Chen Yuan nodded thoughtfully. "In other words, I should find a Water-type Contracted Beast to help with the watering."

Before he had even finished speaking, an idea suddenly struck Chen Yuan, and a white figure involuntarily came to mind.

That Elite Quality Moistening Duck seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

"That's right. It would be even better if you also had a Wood-type Contracted Beast. It could constantly nurture the Spiritual Plants with spiritual energy, making them grow faster and improving the cultivation results." Jiang Wenning's voice continued.

Chen Yuan shook his head.

Up to now, he had not seen a single Wood-type Contracted Beast.

"Thank you, Yuzu." The thought passed through his mind as Chen Yuan spoke sincerely.

This was the advantage of knowing people—he did not need to rack his brains searching for channels to look up information himself.

Li Junyue silently listened to their conversation without interrupting.

On one hand, he knew next to nothing about Spiritual Plants. On the other, he wanted to glean more information from their discussion.

"Watermelon, have you contracted your initial Contracted Beast?" To Li Junyue's surprise, Jiang Wenning abruptly changed the subject and turned it toward him.

Li Junyue's tone was low. "I have. It's an Ink Tree Spirit."

"Ink Tree Spirit—a Wood-type Contracted Beast evolved from an ordinary tree. Though quiet by nature, it is steadfast of heart and highly suited to becoming an initial Contracted Beast. Its naturally born rank falls between Ordinary and Elite." Jiang Wenning recited the relevant information about Ink Tree Spirits without hesitation.

"Naturally born?" Chen Yuan sharply caught a key phrase.

"Yes." Jiang Wenning nodded. "It's a theory recently proposed by a certain professor."

At those words, Chen Yuan and Li Junyue immediately straightened up.

"Based on research and analysis, this professor believes that the quality a Contracted Beast is naturally born with is fixed within a certain range. For example, Ink Tree Spirits range from Ordinary to Elite Quality, while my Nuomi ranges from Elite to Commander Quality."

"To put it simply, a naturally born Ink Tree Spirit might be Ordinary Quality, or it might be Elite Quality."

"Though that range is fixed, it can be raised through certain methods. You both know that already."

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and asked slowly, "Are there Contracted Beasts born at Commander Quality?"

"Of course there are." Jiang Wenning nodded decisively. "There are even ones of higher quality than Commander, though they are extremely rare in the early stages of the Spiritual Tide."

"There will be more and more of them in the future."

Quality higher than Commander.

Chen Yuan silently committed those words to memory but did not press further.

For him, aiming too high was no good. Better to keep his feet on the ground and improve bit by bit. Sooner or later, he would witness higher vistas.

The two discussed the matter for a while longer before Li Junyue suddenly spoke. "By the way, have you always communicated like this, without any set time?"

"You mean..." Chen Yuan trailed off.

"I suggest we agree on a time to talk. For example, we could set it for a certain time on a certain day. That should make our discussions more efficient." Li Junyue carefully chose his words as he voiced his idea.

Chen Yuan considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Good idea."

Jiang Wenning suddenly suggested, "Why don't we just exchange contact information? That would make communication even more efficient."

"This isn't some ancient era where exchanging information is difficult."

Without a second thought, Li Junyue shook his head. "Let's talk about that another time."

He never added unfamiliar "online friends" to his contacts. Besides, he still did not know enough about the two of them and was unwilling to expose his identity.

Jiang Wenning was not offended in the slightest, her voice still cheerful. "All right, then. I have plenty of free time on Wednesdays and weekends."

After a brief pause, she sighed again. "I have too many classes at other times, so I might not be free at night."

"I have time every day," Chen Yuan said. "After all, I'm an idle man."

"I have to work on weekdays," Li Junyue said, "but Wednesday nights should be fine."

Hearing that, Chen Yuan said, "Then let's tentatively set it for Wednesday and Saturday nights every week."

"Okay."

"Mm."

Monday, September 2.

Clear weather.

Chen Yuan slept until he woke naturally, then got up and washed up while waking Cola from his deep slumber.

"Strange. There used to be cicadas screeching their heads off and birds chirping every morning. Why is there nothing now?"

The mornings lately had been strangely quiet.

As he stepped out of the main hall, Chen Yuan subconsciously looked up. When he saw the five large golden characters glittering on the wooden plaque, a smile naturally spread across his face.

He had to admit, he quite liked this gift.

For Chen Yuan, who lived in Xuanhe Village, material rewards were practically useless. This sort of reward, on the other hand, delighted him and filled him with a sense of accomplishment.

After breakfast, a familiar screech rang out overhead.

This time, however, what fell from the sky was not a Spiritual Fish, but an utterly ordinary crucian carp.

And when the Gray Feather Falcon landed on the ground, it looked somewhat bedraggled—its feathers were disheveled, there were signs of impact on its body, and lingering anger still burned in its eyes.

It looked as though it had fought someone.

This time, the Gray Feather Falcon did not stay long, nor did it challenge Spark, the Flame Cloud Falcon. After setting down the crucian carp, it prepared to leave.

Chen Yuan hurriedly called out, "Stop bringing fish. We already have more than enough."

The Gray Feather Falcon did not look back. It simply spread its wings and soared away.

"You mustn't learn from that fellow in the future." Chen Yuan turned and glared at Cola, who immediately put on a bewildered and innocent expression.

"Being too stubborn isn't a good thing. You'll keep running into walls everywhere," Chen Yuan said earnestly.

Cola tilted its head. Though it did not understand Chen Yuan's words, it cooperatively put on an enlightened expression and nodded again.

"All right, drive. We're going fishing."

With nothing to do today, they would fish by the lake.

This time, Chen Yuan swore he would change his fate of getting skunked.

And abduct that Moistening Duck while he was at it.

At those words, Cola instantly grew excited. It dashed to the tricycle at top speed, plopped itself onto it, and its eyes shone with unprecedented light.

Its excitement even surpassed how it looked after winning a battle.

A short while later,

The tricycle slowly traveled along the country road. Spark did not perch on Chen Yuan's shoulder. Instead, it soared high in the sky, and flocks of birds scattered far away at the sight of it.

It was like a king patrolling its territory.

Before long,

One man and two Contracted Beasts arrived at Mingyu Lake.

Compared with the previous two times, there were now only a handful of anglers by the lake.

Chen Yuan secretly chuckled. "Looks like they're all skunked fishermen like me."

After finding a secluded corner, however, he heard Cola let out an urgent cry. "Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!"

Following Cola's gaze, he looked into the distance and saw a white figure sprawled atop a large rock nearby, its plump, round rear end filling his view.

The slightly sultry morning sunlight fell upon it. Bathed in the light, the figure appeared remarkably leisurely and content.

Chen Yuan froze. "I hadn't even gone looking for it, and it delivered itself right to my door?"