Big Eater

The freshly grilled steak on the plate before Bao'er gave off an enticing aroma.

Seared on the outside, tender and juicy within, it had been drizzled with sauce and cut into strips for her age.

Together with the macaroni and fried egg beside it, it made for a delicious lunch.

The little girl had long been hungry, yet faced with the fragrant steak meal before her, she hesitated to pick up her fork.

She swallowed and could not help turning to look at the floor.

A-Tai was crouching beside the dining table, looking up at her pitifully. Its big watery eyes seemed to say, "Little Master, I want to eat. I really, really want to eat. Please give me some more!"

Seeing Bao'er look at it, it immediately bared its teeth in an incomparably fawning grin. Its little tail, which had been drooping on the floor, wagged like an electric fan, while it let out soft, coquettish whimpers.

The little girl was defeated in an instant.

After hesitating for a moment, she picked up the plate with both hands and placed it before A-Tai. "Eat."

She said it very quietly, afraid that Dad in the kitchen would hear.

It felt like she was doing something bad, but A-Tai looked so pitiful. How could she bear to eat by herself and ignore it?

At that moment, Bao'er had completely forgotten that Taike had just stolen a huge piece of steak.

Wagging its tail, A-Tai immediately buried its head in the plate. "Nom, nom, nom..."

Though it was tiny, less than a foot long, it ate like a whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, it had devoured the steak, macaroni, and fried egg without leaving a single scrap. It did not even spare the broccoli and sauce!

Bao'er stared in shock, then asked worriedly, "Y-you won't get a stomachache, will you?"

A-Tai lifted its head from the spotless plate. Quite a bit of sauce still clung to its mouth as it gave Bao'er a fawning grin.

What it really wanted to say was, I can still eat. I can eat, eat, eat!

Feeling guilty, Bao'er stroked its head, hurriedly took a napkin to wipe its mouth clean, then took back the empty plate.

Like a thief.

Just then, Zuo Yi came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup. Seeing the plate in front of the little girl polished clean enough to reflect light, he asked in surprise, "Sweetheart, you finished so quickly?"

Grr~

Before Bao'er could answer, her little tummy answered for her.

The little girl immediately raised her hands to cover her face—so embarrassing!

A-Tai barked at Zuo Yi, looking every inch the loyal lackey protecting its master.

Zuo Yi understood and said with a laugh, "You gave your steak to A-Tai too?"

Bao'er lowered her hands, her cheeks red as she stammered, "A-Tai, it looked like it was still very hungry, so I, I..."

"It's fine."

Zuo Yi put down the soup bowl and ruffled her hair. Smiling, he said, "Dad will make you another serving. But you have to eat this one yourself. You can't give it to A-Tai again."

Bao'er nodded like a pecking chick. "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm."

Then she could not help asking, "Dad, A-Tai ate so much. It won't get a stomachache, will it?"

"It won't."

Zuo Yi reassured her, "A-Tai isn't an ordinary dog. It can eat a lot, so it won't get a stomachache."

The Abyssal Cerberus possessed the Devouring talent and had extremely powerful digestive abilities. Its stomach was like a black hole; anything it swallowed could be digested down to nothing. So despite A-Tai's small size, its appetite was astonishing. There was no chance of it eating itself sick.

With Zuo Yi's assurance, Bao'er finally relaxed. "Then... can you make another serving for it too?"

It did not look full at all.

A-Tai, beside her, was so moved that its eyes grew watery. It nuzzled Bao'er's foot with its head—its little master was just too good!

In the end, Zuo Yi ate one steak for lunch, Bao'er ate one steak, and A-Tai polished off another five.

It was not that it could only eat five; there were simply only that many ingredients stocked in the refrigerator!

After summoning Agu to clear the table, Zuo Yi poured himself a cup of black tea and sat weakly in a chair by the door, unable to stop himself from complaining.

He had originally unsealed the Abyssal Cerberus pup to keep Bao'er company, only to discover that he had dug himself into a hole.

A-Tai was a born big eater. With how much Bao'er doted on it, how much food would Zuo Yi have to buy in the future to fill its stomach? He had truly brought this upon himself!

Over the past few days since returning, his already meager savings, including the money he had received from selling the Law Coin, had nearly been used up. With another mouth to feed at home, he was really going bankrupt.

He had to find a way to make more money!

Zuo Yi rubbed his chin and looked toward the yard in front of him.

In the yard, Bao'er was chasing A-Tai around.

After wolfing down five steaks, A-Tai was full of energy. Its short little legs moved at lightning speed, and in an instant it had run to a corner of the yard, lifted a hind leg, and watered the wall.

Bao'er was shocked. "A-Tai, how can you pee anywhere you want?"

She wanted to stop Taike's uncivilized behavior, but the moment A-Tai finished watering that spot, it ran off to continue at another corner.

Unable to catch it, Bao'er stamped her foot. "A-Tai!"

"Sweetheart, leave it alone."

Zuo Yi could not help laughing. "And you should stop running too. You can't run around right after eating."

Bao'er obediently returned to the living room and complained to her father, somewhat aggrieved. "Look, A-Tai won't listen. It's peeing everywhere!"

"It's fine."

Zuo Yi comforted her. "It's just its habit. It won't do this every day in the future."

Taike was actually marking its territory, a natural instinct shared by magical beasts.

If its mother had been with it, it definitely would not have done this, but here, it was all alone.

Marking territory was also a magical beast's instinctive form of self-protection.

Woof, woof!

After running a circle around the yard, A-Tai finally stopped beneath the camphor tree.

Instead of urinating to leave its scent as it had before, it raised its head and barked at the canopy above. Woof! Woof! Woof!

Aguai the Gargoyle, crouched in the canopy, opened its eyes. Its pupils were a field of blood-red.

Screech~

It lifted its wings slightly, looked down at A-Tai, which was provoking it from the ground, and let out a piercing cry.

I'm warning you, don't court death!

A-Tai instantly cowered.

After one look into its eyes, it knew this was a monster it could not afford to provoke. Time to run!

It immediately spun around and raced back into the living room, throwing itself into Bao'er's arms and whining adorably as it begged for affection.

Bao'er's heart ached for it. While comforting it, she complained to her father again. "Dad, Aguai scared A-Tai."

(Aguai fainted from crying in the tree canopy again.)

Zuo Yi was at a loss for words.

He was deeply grateful that he did not uphold the virtue of "fairness." Otherwise, what was he supposed to do in a situation like this?

Ring, ring~

The sudden ringing of his phone helped Zuo Yi out of his predicament. He quickly said to Bao'er, "Go play with A-Tai. Dad needs to answer a call."

"Okay."

Bao'er carried A-Tai upstairs. "I'll take it to my room."

Zuo Yi waved his hand, then answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mr. Zuo Yi?"

The number was unfamiliar, but the voice sounded somewhat familiar. Zuo Yi asked, "Yes. May I ask who this is?"

The other party smiled. "Hello, Mr. Zuo. Do you remember selling a gold coin at our Gold Jade Fortune Jewelry store a few days ago? I'm the manager of that branch. My name is Guan Zhishang."

Of course Zuo Yi remembered. The man's appearance immediately surfaced in his mind.

He frowned and asked in a low voice, "How did you get my number?"

After selling the Law Coin, Zuo Yi had left right away without leaving any identification or contact information.

It had been a one-off transaction. If he had not urgently needed the money, he would never have sold the Law Coin.

Yet they had somehow managed to track him down!

"Well..."

Guan Zhishang was very tactful. Rather than answer Zuo Yi's question directly, he said, "Mr. Zuo, do you happen to have any more coins like that? We are willing to purchase them at a high price!"

"A high price?"

Zuo Yi replied calmly, "How high?"

Thinking he had successfully changed the subject, Guan Zhishang hurriedly answered, "Triple. We'll pay triple the price!"

"Not selling."

Zuo Yi answered decisively.

Not selling?

Guan Zhishang had thought his offer was sincere enough, yet Zuo Yi had refused so readily.

After hesitating, he probed, "Then how about you name a price?"

Zuo Yi smiled. "You want me to name a price? Fine. Five hundred thousand, take it or leave it."