"Chen Ming, do these shrimp taste good?"
Di Qiu'er pointed curiously at a black tiger shrimp and asked. After all, the little Auspicious Beast had lived in Star Dou Forest her whole life, and Star Dou Forest lay at the very center of the continent.
She'd never had seafood. Occasionally, she could find fish in the rivers, but raw fish brains weren't as tasty as the brains of Light- or Spirit-type Soul Beasts.
And brains weren't as tasty as cooked meat, so she was still curious about seafood.
"Hmm... Then let's buy a few. How much are these, boss?"
"A thousand Federal Credits per pound."
"I'll take a pound."
After buying a pound of shrimp, Chen Ming hung them on the outside of the cart. After all, there was a silver-haired cat sitting inside.
"Bro, crabs!"
"Buy them."
"Bro, crayfish!"
"Buy them."
"Oysters and abalone!"
"Those too."
Soon, they'd bought all kinds of seafood, and the cart was nearly covered. Next came the meat section.
Because of Di Qiu'er, the ranch raised all sorts of animals that provided plenty of meat: chickens, cattle, sheep, rabbits, pigs, and more. Whenever she had nothing to do, she'd go feed them and stock up on food.
"Bro! I don't think we've tried duck yet!"
Di Qiu'er quickly fixed her gaze on the ducks and pointed them out. Chen Ming gave a slight nod and bought two.
"Then we'll get two. I'll cook them for you when we get back."
They left the fresh-food section and entered the fruit and vegetable area. Di Qiu'er immediately lost interest.
"Let's get some vegetables. You've got plenty of meat there, so you need some vegetables too."
"No, no! I don't like vegetables!"
At the mention of vegetables, Di Qiu'er shook her head like a rattle, resisting the idea with all her might.
"Be good, okay? Otherwise, once we've bought the snacks, I'm confiscating them."
"What?! Bro, you're actually using snacks to blackmail me!"
"I'm doing this for your own good. Be good."
Under Chen Ming's tyrannical rule, Di Qiu'er could only give in. As compensation, though, he bought a whole box of watermelons and a whole box of milk oranges, and the cart was suddenly packed full.
Di Qiu'er had no choice but to climb down from her seat. At last, they reached the snack aisle she'd been looking forward to most.
As soon as they entered, Di Qiu'er perked up and looked around excitedly.
"You've only got a budget of thirty thousand."
Chen Ming reminded her. Di Qiu'er rubbed her hands together and prepared to go all out. Before long, she'd loaded a box of biscuits onto the cart, followed by a box of yogurt, a box of fizzy drinks, and a box of jelly.
"Bro, pick me up! I can't reach!"
Looking at the boxes piled up in the cart, Di Qiu'er realized she couldn't reach the top anymore and could only turn to Chen Ming for help.
"We're the same height. If you can't reach, neither can I."
Chen Ming spread his hands to show he couldn't help. Di Qiu'er's mind raced, and she soon thought of a solution.
"Bro, crouch down."
"What for?"
"So I can climb onto your back!"
Di Qiu'er sat right on Chen Ming's shoulders, wrapped her legs around his neck, and managed to put the box down.
"Bro, hurry, over there! We haven't looked over there yet."
Di Qiu'er tugged at Chen Ming's hair, signaling for him to go that way. He could only push the cart with one hand and steady her with the other as he headed over.
While the two of them shopped to their hearts' content, someone quietly watched them from behind, eyes filled with astonishment.
Meanwhile, Chen Ming lifted up a box of candy, and Di Qiu'er took it from him and stacked it on top.
The people around them stared in shock at the tower of snack boxes, which had reached two and a half meters. What the hell was wrong with them?!
"You're almost at your thirty-thousand budget."
"Okay."
After Chen Ming reminded her, Di Qiu'er finally stopped, still reluctant to call it quits. He soon pushed the cart toward the checkout, with Di Qiu'er sitting on his shoulders and steadying the tower of snacks.
"Bro, be careful! My snacks are about to fall!"
"Whose fault is it that you bought so much?"
As Chen Ming grumbled, he suddenly sensed something strange. He turned and met the gaze of a tall, silver-haired figure in the distance.
The silver-haired woman was tall and wore a white top and white pants with black knee-high boots. Like Di Qiu'er, she had bright, amethyst-colored eyes, and a face mask covered half her face.
"Bro, why'd you stop?"
Di Qiu'er noticed and followed his gaze. She, too, saw the figure and froze.
"It's nothing. Let's go. Don't just stand there."
Chen Ming looked away, pretending he hadn't seen anything. He patted Di Qiu'er's leg to bring her back to her senses.
"Oh..."
The little Auspicious Beast shrank back and fell silent. They reached the checkout area, where the cashier stared at them in disbelief. Seriously? Were they stocking a shop?
Di Qiu'er climbed down from Chen Ming's shoulders. Chen Ming pulled out his fishing rod and cast it sharply, hooking the topmost box of snacks. He reeled it down, caught it, and set it on the counter.
Di Qiu'er placed the seafood, meat, and vegetables hanging from the cart on the counter.
The final bill came to fifty thousand Federal Credits, thirty thousand of which had gone on snacks alone. Once he'd paid, Chen Ming put all the boxes away in his Inventory.
After buying all those snacks, Di Qiu'er felt refreshed and completely satisfied. Chen Ming looked at her expressionlessly.
She'd opened several divine artifacts for him, after all. It was only a few tens of thousands of Federal Credits. So be it.
Just as they were about to leave the supermarket, a familiar figure appeared again. Chen Ming's eye twitched. Why was she coming after them again?
Di Qiu'er stiffened, then ducked behind Chen Ming. With the other's memories, she knew exactly who it was: her own amnesiac Lord.
If she sees me looking like this, will she hit me? Di Qiu'er was still a little afraid.
But the exit was right in front of them, so they had no choice but to brace themselves and keep going. As they headed for the door, the silver-haired figure came up to meet them.
"Hi... You two, would you mind getting to know me?"
Gu Yuena approached slowly and asked gently. Chen Ming hesitated. Wasn't Tang Wulin supposed to be somewhere around here too? Had the two of them really not run into each other?
"Sorry, miss. I have to go home and cook for my little sister. We'll be going now."
As Chen Ming spoke, he took Di Qiu'er by the hand and led her away. Gu Yuena watched them leave, her gaze fixed on Di Qiu'er's face—identical to her own. The resonance of their bloodlines left her staring in a daze.
After they returned to Tiantou Technology Academy, Di Qiu'er took off first, hiding inside the Pokeball.
Chen Ming found an empty spot and entered My World, then let Di Qiu'er out.
"Phew... I can't believe we ran into Lord here. That scared me to death..."
The little Auspicious Beast sprawled across the sofa. Chen Ming, meanwhile, was sorting out the ingredients and getting ready to cook, but he added:
"She's no longer the Lord of Soul Beasts. Now that she's chosen this path, there's no going back. So..."
"The Silver Dragon King is dead. Long live the Auspicious Beast! Qiu'er, become the Lord of Soul Beasts!"
Chen Ming looked at Di Qiu'er seriously and held out his fist, urging her to become the new ruler of the Soul Beast Clan.
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