"Superstition," Lin Yuan's first-meeting gift

Lin Yuan clicked on the thread.

He discovered that it had actually been created five years ago.

The original poster's opening post read: Extra, extra! Huang Tao, owner of [Yellow Crane Tower Shop] and the richest businessman in our city, actually contracted a Fortune Dog almost twenty years old after becoming a four-star Beast Tamer.

A picture was attached below. It showed the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a branch the shop had opened in another district. Standing beside Huang Tao was a somewhat elderly-looking yellow dog. It looked like an ordinary village dog, except that the tip of its tail seemed to curl into the outline of a gold ingot.

Most of the replies that followed were full of bewilderment, such as:

[Has he gone mad?! He's a four-star Beast Tamer, and he contracted an Ordinary Mid-Grade beast? I remember Fortune Dogs only live twenty-five years at most. Is he trying to destroy his own future?]

Of course, Lin Yuan also found some fairly important clues in a few replies.

[Word on the street is that he brings this dog along to almost every new store opening, major signing event, and even some business negotiations. He's closer to it than to his three contracted beasts.]

[I've got an even more obscure scoop. Ever since he took over the shop, this dog has appeared alongside him at all kinds of events, big and small. Everyone says he's superstitious. Because the dog's name has "fortune" in it, he takes it along to every important event.]

[Even if he's superstitious, surely he wouldn't destroy his own future. I don't buy it.]

[Some people say he contracted it because a contract with a four-star Beast Tamer can extend a beast's lifespan.]

After that, the thread seemed to turn into an ongoing record of collaborations between [Yellow Crane Tower Shop] and various other businesses.

Most of the posts showed Huang Tao and the yellow dog at ribbon-cutting ceremonies and launch events.

Over the past year, Lin Yuan had heard classmates mention that Huang Zixuan's father was "superstitious," but he had never been one for gossip, so he had assumed it was just a joke.

It seemed this was where that information had come from.

Lin Yuan continued reading the replies below, but found no further information.

Still, he had reached his own conclusions.

First, he didn't believe the claim that Huang Tao was "superstitious." Even in those grainy photos, he could faintly make out the bond between the man and his beast.

Even taking a step back, if he really was "superstitious," this [Fortune Dog] should still provide a way in.

If Lin Yuan could see it during their meeting the day after tomorrow, that would mean Huang Tao truly attached great importance to this deal.

Lin Yuan spent another two hours researching at his computer.

He committed all the basic information he could gather to memory, then wrote down some questions to ask when he visited Liu Xing's home tomorrow.

The next day.

Early that morning, Lin Yuan applied ointment to Linghuan and fed it [Spirit Dew].

He also spent two hours doing coordination training with Baishi—basic exercises for building rapport between a Beast Tamer and their beast.

After collecting that day's products, tending to the beast food shop for a while, and giving Qin Bailing a few instructions, he headed to Liu Xing's home.

Liu Xing lived in a villa estate in central Lin Hua City.

It actually wasn't far from the Breeding Center.

The same route, the same means of transportation, yet to Lin Yuan, it felt entirely different from the journey he had taken three days ago to choose his first beast.

Zilan had evolved, [Spirit Dew] was in stock, Baishi had become his contracted beast, and Linghuan was gradually recovering. Now, he was also working toward a better future for the beast food shop.

Even the breeze blowing through the bus window seemed livelier now.

Along the way, he could see [Courier Birds] flying toward their destinations.

That reminded him of the novel he had caught up on yesterday, [Grandma and the Courier Bird]. It showed one unread chapter.

Satisfied, he tapped it open...

This time, he had prepared thoroughly.

Lin Yuan arrived at his destination twenty minutes early.

He had to admit that only after seeing Liu Xing's home did he realize just how wealthy his Lineage was.

This entire estate of villas belonged to the Liu Family.

The building at its very center resembled a small fortress, surrounded by clusters of smaller, detached villas.

Lin Yuan had searched online yesterday. Liu Xing's Lineage was one of the largest in Lin Hua City, and the only one renowned for its Beast Breeders.

Not only that, it ranked among the top three Beast Breeder Lineages in the entire Chenlong Kingdom.

It could be said that every member of their Lineage was raised with the goal of becoming an outstanding Beast Breeder.

Although their main business wasn't selling goods the way [Yellow Crane Tower Shop]'s was.

Their Lineage was actually the wealthiest in all of Lin Hua City.

The reason was simple—Beast Breeders enjoyed an unparalleled advantage when it came to evolving beasts. In the later stages, evolving high-quality, high-level beasts was simply impossible without their help.

As Liu Xing put it, his family no longer lacked money. What they lacked were the many things money couldn't buy.

Lin Yuan sent Liu Xing a message, and he soon came out cheerfully to greet him.

"Lin Yuan, over here!" Liu Xing waved from a side gate about fifty meters from the main entrance.

Lin Yuan walked over and took an exquisitely crafted wreath woven from [Purple Star Vines] out of his backpack.

"Oh-ho! Didn't I say you only needed to bring yourself? Why'd you bring a gift?" Despite his words, Liu Xing's hand reached out quite honestly.

He could tell it wasn't expensive; it was a token of Lin Yuan's goodwill. Besides, if he put this wreath in Zizi's home, it would probably suit her quite well.

Linghuan had woven these wreaths.

It possessed the [Crafty Heart] trait, and besides taking care of everyday household chores, it also had a talent for handicrafts.

His mother had taught it how to weave long ago, but it had stopped doing so after evolving.

Now that its condition was improving, Linghuan had more freedom to spend its time doing what it liked.

When Lin Yuan got up that morning, quite a few finished wreaths had appeared around the house, along with various flower arrangements and scented fragrances.

These were all little touches his mother had once taught Linghuan to improve their quality of life.

"My Housekeeping Beast, Linghuan, made it. You picked out quite a few [Purple Star Vines] yesterday, so I figured you liked them and brought one over," Lin Yuan explained.

"Hehe, you're a real brother!" Liu Xing rubbed his head. "The last time someone treated me this well was... the last time."

"We've still got twenty minutes before your appointment. Come on, interested in checking out my own little breeding facility? Zizi and Jinjin are both there. I'll introduce you to my beasts."

Lin Yuan checked the time and nodded. "Sure."

Liu Xing was a Two-Star Beast Breeder, after all. He was also curious about how the "skin-and-bones" [Mist-Hiding Spider] and that rather looks-obsessed [Illusion Dream Butterfly] he had seen a few days ago were doing now.

Inside Liu Xing's private breeding facility.

As soon as Lin Yuan entered, he noticed all the scratches across the floor, which left the place looking rather worse for wear.

Then he heard a squeaking sound, and Jinjin had already "skated" over to them.

This metal-attribute spider seemed to have grown more adept at applying its metal power to its body. Apparently, the scratches on the floor were its handiwork.

A few days ago, this [Mist-Hiding Spider] had hidden motionless in a corner, as if the world had nothing to do with it. Now, it was actually this lively.

However, once it realized that Liu Xing hadn't come alone and had brought someone unfamiliar, it froze in confusion.

Then it scuttled back toward its nest with a pitter-patter, nearly slipping over when it failed to control its metal-attribute ability.

Lin Yuan instinctively checked its panel and saw:

[Personality]: Timid, simplehearted, wary of strangers

[Status]: After arriving in a suitable environment, it has let its natural instincts emerge. Its diet has been overly rich these past few days, requiring it to release large amounts of metal-attribute power to maintain a dynamic balance within its body. As a result, it has remained highly excitable, only reining in its emotions when it sees strangers.

Lin Yuan couldn't help smiling. He turned to Liu Xing. "Liu Xing, have you been feeding it too well these past few days?"

"Hehe, you noticed too? It's even gotten stronger." Liu Xing looked proud.

"You need to learn to rein in its diet a little. A weakened body can't handle too much nourishment. Its previous home wasn't suitable for it, and it probably ate poorly too. Ordinary breeding methods probably won't suit it."

"Maybe if you feed it fewer rich foods, it'll stop scraping up the floor."

Liu Xing pondered Lin Yuan's words.

As a Two-Star Beast Breeder, beast feeding had always been his weak point—it couldn't be helped. His family was so rich that his beasts could eat whatever they wanted.

His parents had also told him to improve in this area. Raising beasts wasn't a matter of feeding them the most expensive food possible.

Lin Yuan had spotted the problem after just a few glances.

But Liu Xing wasn't surprised. Lin Yuan's sensitivity to and understanding of beasts surpassed that of ordinary people. He had sensed that on the very first day they met.

"I might've fallen back into my old habits. I really should consider its original condition." Liu Xing scratched his head, then thought of something and asked, "Then could you take a look at Zizi for me too? Have I been feeding her wrong these past few days? It feels like she barely pays any attention to me..."