Fate Brought Them Together, and Color Upon Color

There was no wind or moon that night. The sky beyond the window was a vast black cloth dotted with a few stars.

By the time Lin Yuan placed his order, it was already ten thirty at night.

Of the three materials, the Transcendent Quality [Lionbright Fruit] grew only in northern Chenlong Kingdom, relatively far from Lin Hua City. It would probably arrive tomorrow afternoon.

But [Red Spirit Tail] and [Spirit Red Bright Liquid] were available within Lin Hua City.

Lin Yuan chose the earliest delivery slot tomorrow morning: seven o'clock.

He was already beginning to look forward to it.

On Linghuan's panel, the status section listed more than just the materials needed to treat Linghuan's illness. It also detailed how to use and process them, and in what proportions.

The course of treatment would last fifteen days. Starting tomorrow, Linghuan could slowly recover. The diligent, considerate Linghuan of three years ago should soon be able to shed the cold "mask" Linghuan had been forced to wear.

Still, as the owner of a pet food shop, he generally shouldn't ignore customers' questions and feedback.

It was just that this was his first time having customers scramble to get their hands on his product.

He needed to assess the situation before replying. That was better than making promises he couldn't back up.

Zilan could probably produce twenty drops of [Spirit Dew] each day by eight in the morning.

He had already considered it today: he needed to keep at least two or three drops daily.

[Spirit Dew] was remarkably effective for Baishi's conflicting bloodlines and Linghuan's lingering ailment from an incomplete evolution.

Given today's customer feedback, he thought giving it to them every day might speed up their recovery.

He sold products to make money, but ultimately, that was so his family and pet beasts could live better.

Since he already had an effective medicinal floral dew at home, he would meet his own needs before considering sales.

Besides, he still intended to list a fixed amount of [Spirit Dew] every day.

Today had proved the product's ability to open doors. He wasn't going to abandon the official channel—the one with the widest reach—just because a few customers wanted to negotiate directly.

That channel was also his biggest advertising space.

The more people across the country used it, and the fiercer the competition for it, the louder that knock on the door would be.

As for partnerships with merchants, a fixed supply would be the foundation: a hundred drops a week, for example, or three hundred a month.

Anything less wouldn't amount to a commercial partnership.

He also needed to keep some in reserve for unexpected needs. If someone came to the shop in person, he might be able to barter for a product that interested him.

Once he did the math, Lin Yuan suddenly felt that twenty drops a day really weren't enough!

His urgent money shortage was solved, but there was still a great deal to plan if he wanted the pet food shop to flourish.

It was time to hire more professional staff.

He would be going to school, and he couldn't leave Qin Bailing to handle everything.

After recording these ideas in a document, he opened his phone.

He had focused entirely on [Spirit Dew] today and had barely checked the messages people had sent him.

When he opened them, he found messages from three people.

The earliest were from Liu Xing—eight messages in all.

Lin Yuan tapped to read them.

[Junior Lin Yuan, I found a treasure today!]

[A Transcendent Quality floral dew product called "Spirit Dew." The effects are incredible! After Zizi drank it, she even looked at me a few extra times. Jinjin was something else entirely. He won't leave my side now, and his eyes are full of longing.]

[This dew isn't just good for insect pet beasts. I read the appraisal report. It's also a huge help in treating hidden ailments, including poor development.]

[It'll definitely work for that little Still Spirit Cat of yours!]

[Didn't I promise yesterday to recommend some materials suited to your pet beasts? Lucky me, I found one today.]

[I'm going to talk to the shop owner tomorrow and order more. You can buy some directly from me then.]

[It's cheap—ten drops for just ten thousand Alliance Coins. I'll make it 9,999 for you, a friendship price.]

[Wait for my good news!]

Lin Yuan couldn't help smiling as he read.

Ever since they had exchanged contact information yesterday, Liu Xing's messages had hardly stopped.

He was a chatterbox through and through.

He had shared everything, from how he'd chosen names for his two pet beasts to his suspicion that he was acting a bit like a lovesick puppy. He held nothing back.

As Liu Xing put it, Lin Yuan had helped him grasp the true meaning of "fate."

So he and Lin Yuan were fated to meet!

People brought together by fate ought to talk more.

Lin Yuan had been a teacher in his previous life. Liu Xing reminded him of the most outgoing students he'd taught: noisy, certainly, but a lot of fun.

Now Lin Yuan was one hundred percent sure that [Handsome Liu Xing] was Liu Xing himself.

Even Lin Yuan was starting to believe they might genuinely have been brought together by fate—

They had met yesterday, bought pet beasts from the Breeding Center separately on the same day, and of the mere six customers who had bought [Spirit Dew], one was Liu Xing.

Though Liu Xing certainly had a talent for overlooking things.

He had read the appraisal report. If he had clicked the shop information beside it and checked the owner's identity, he would have discovered it was Lin Yuan.

Still, Liu Xing was undeniably generous—and wealthy.

Ten drops of [Spirit Dew] clearly cost thirty thousand Alliance Coins, but somehow he had turned that into ten thousand.

Lin Yuan smiled and replied, "That's great, Senior Liu Xing. Thank you! I'll wait for your good news! Excited.jpg"

Then he opened the second person's messages.

They were from Huang Zixuan.

Lin Yuan admired this class monitor, too.

Where Liu Xing was outgoing and enthusiastic, Huang Zixuan was his complete opposite: quiet, reserved, and unassuming.

His conversations with Lin Yuan were usually about schoolwork.

To Lin Yuan, he resembled the students he'd taught who loved studying most: their notes were always meticulous, and their thirst for knowledge never ran dry.

This time, though, he had written about more than that.

[Brother Yuan, good evening. Sorry to bother you.]

[My dad bought "Spirit Dew" from your shop today. He said he's already requested a meeting with you through the official Alliance channel.]

[But I'd told him about your shop, and since we're classmates, he thought contacting you through me might be more efficient.]

[I told my dad that if you agree to meet, he can't put too much pressure on you. I'll be there too.]

[If you have time and you're interested, just send me a time that works. My dad said he'll make sure he's available.]

[Oh, I also have a question. I contracted a "Wonderstar Grass" today. After I fed it one drop of "Spirit Dew," it couldn't eat anything else. It's dizzy now, almost like it's drunk. Do you know what happened? Was the dew too nourishing for it to digest?]

When Lin Yuan saw the question, he instinctively searched his mind for an answer.

Soon, his fingers were tapping across the phone screen.

[Although Wonderstar Grass is a Wood Element pet beast, the energy in its body leans toward yang. Spirit Dew is a floral dew from a Wood-Element Herb that leans toward yin. Even within the same element, yin and yang can sometimes clash.]

[But that's normal. A newly contracted pet beast usually isn't high-level. Take it outside to get some sun tomorrow and it'll be fine. That'll also help it absorb the dew faster.]

[As for meeting in person, I still have a few details to arrange. I'll message you once I've sorted them out.]

When Lin Yuan had seen [Linhua Yellow Crane Tower Shop] earlier, he had known the message came from a shop belonging to Huang Zixuan's father.

What surprised him was that the man had reached him through Huang Zixuan as well.

[Linhua Yellow Crane Tower Shop] carried all kinds of goods, including plenty of Commander Quality and Monarch-quality products.

As the owner of such a large shop, why did he place so much importance on a Transcendent Quality product?

Lin Yuan rubbed his right thumb and thought, Looks like I underestimated the value of [Spirit Dew]. I really am short on business experience.

But rather than feeling discouraged, excitement burned in his chest.

He felt he was about to step into a much wider world.

The last unread messages, unexpectedly, were from Chen Xuanbai.

Lin Yuan smiled despite himself as he read them.

[Lin Yuan, you mentioned in class that you'd read about the Shadow Witch Cat's unusual temperament and preferences in a paper.]

[These past two days, I followed your advice and tried buying mine... buying it eighteen female cats.]

[Tonight it suddenly changed color. I mean its actual color changed.]

[It's in good condition overall, but it seems even more restless...]

[Did the paper you read mention anything like this?]

Reading the messages, Lin Yuan could picture Chen Xuanbai's expression as he typed.

Especially the part about "buying it eighteen female cats."

The "paper" was, of course, something he had made up in class last time.

He had drawn that conclusion from the [Shadow Witch Cat]'s panel.

Back then, he hadn't been able to see the detailed analysis under [Status] or the [Evolution Path].

From what Chen Xuanbai described, the color change and the cat's altered condition were clearly connected to how it had been living lately.

A lustful cat changing color—lust upon lust...

Lin Yuan thought for a moment, then wrote:

[Teacher, I can come to your home tomorrow morning to take a look. Or you could bring the Shadow Witch Cat to my pet food shop.]

[I'm not entirely sure. The paper mainly covered behavioral analysis and chain reactions. We'll need to examine this specific case to know.]

To his surprise, Chen Xuanbai replied instantly.

[I'll come to your shop. Things are a little chaotic at home right now. Would nine thirty tomorrow morning work?]

[Yes, Teacher.]

Lin Yuan sent his reply.

Meanwhile.

At Chen Xuanbai's home.

He looked at the little house he had only just repaired for Xiao Ying yesterday. Xiao Ying had already ravaged it into a heap of broken walls, and his nose stung without warning.

In the end, this old father's love was no match for the joy eighteen female cats could bring.

Xiao Ying had gone wild with delight!

Today, Chen Xuanbai had posted questions on various professional pet beast forums and consulted feline pet beast experts, but none of their suggestions had solved the problem.

Someone had even told him to buy more female cats.

If he hadn't listened to the "nonsense" those forum users had spouted earlier, Xiao Ying wouldn't have changed color!

In the end, he had to turn back to Lin Yuan, the one who had first pointed out what made his pet beast unusual.

For now, he would let Xiao Ying "calm down" in the Pet Beast Space...

Hopefully, tomorrow he would find a way to help...