Jinling's Rainbow Sky Dojo

Under General Ha's licking tongue, Sudden Death King soon came back from the dead again.

Because it didn't want to bathe in dog saliva.

General Ha, meanwhile, only wanted to know what that tingling sensation it felt upon touching Sudden Death King actually was...

"Lightning?"

Lu Ran pondered from the sidelines. If it was extremely close to becoming a leader species, it was perfectly normal for some signs to appear early.

When he had time... he could find an Attribute Stone and test it.

Lightning would be pretty good. After all, it was reputed to be the most destructive attribute.

At that moment, Sudden Death King felt very strange.

It felt an enormous power hidden within its body. But however strong that power was, its personality couldn't change so easily. It stared blankly at the human and dog before it, not daring to move.

Lizards weren't that unintelligent, either. After its evolution, Sudden Death King's eyes had become a little more expressive.

"Let's lay down some ground rules first."

Lu Ran looked at it, knowing he could no longer let it roam around unchecked.

Sudden Death King probably didn't even realize that its current combat strength already rivaled a lion's or tiger's.

It might be small, but if it unleashed its full strength and speed, it would be terrifying. Its tiny size made it far more dangerous than a lion or tiger, too. Anyone it targeted might die without even knowing what had killed them.

Sneaking into a house to assassinate someone... would be all too easy.

Of course, that was only an example. Given Sudden Death King's personality, aside from being a bit more proactive when hunting, it was usually quite peaceful...

"From now on, you're still only allowed to move around inside this home. Don't go outside without permission. I'll prepare your food, and you're not allowed to mess with anything in the house."

Previously, Sudden Death King could run around the house without causing any problems because it was so weak. Now, though, it probably wouldn't take long to wreck the place if it tried, and it could easily cause an accident, like a fire.

"Waka." Sudden Death King didn't understand. Hadn't it always lived that way?

"Remember it again. Behave and listen, or I'll make you drop dead for real," Lu Ran threatened. Sudden Death King's eyes widened in fright, and it played dead again.

When dealing with animals and pets, you couldn't treat them like people. Sometimes, making them understand that you had the stronger fist worked better than a heart-to-heart.

"Phew..." Lu Ran scratched his head. Well, this would do for now. With that, he called Fang Lan.

The call soon connected.

"You're out!!!" Fang Lan said in surprise. "A miracle! Our training fanatic still remembers to come home."

"Don't try to give me a nickname just because your own reputation in the Infinite City has gone downhill," Lu Ran said. "I was working hard and bettering myself!"

"Hmph."

"Are Godfather and Godmother home tonight?"

"They are."

"Want to go out for dinner together?" Lu Ran asked.

"Sure, I'll call them. What are we eating?"

"Sichuan or Hunan cuisine?" Lu Ran suggested. Eating alongside General Ha these past few days had left his diet a little bland.

"Okay, okay," Fang Lan said. "I'll pick the restaurant. See you there."

After hanging up, Lu Ran picked up Sudden Death King again and put it in his pocket. "You're coming out with me today so I can see how well you adapt to the outside environment. Tell me if anything makes you uncomfortable. If you adapt well, I'll gradually expand the area you're allowed to roam."

"Woof, woof, woof!" General Ha looked over from where it lay on the living room rug, playing with a toy. Why? Why couldn't its roaming area be expanded?

"You're too big. You'll scare elderly people and children. You can't go off on your own without me beside you. Behave," Lu Ran said.

Although General Ha had become very well-behaved after being tamed, Lu Ran still kept it on a leash whenever he walked it.

Was being big a crime, too?

General Ha froze, then looked at Sudden Death King, which had poked its head out of the pocket.

Tiny, and not cute at all.

It would remember this grudge.

Sudden Death King: ???

That evening, outside a Hunan restaurant.

Lu Ran arrived early. A little later, a yellow taxi pulled up at the curb.

A middle-aged man wearing glasses and a woman with a scholarly air were the first to get out.

Fang Lan followed closely behind, sporting an entirely new look.

Just as she'd said... she'd dyed her hair purple. Her loose side ponytail, the two strands framing her face, and her red, diamond-shaped earrings with their snakelike design gave her a distinctive charm.

On top of that, her fitted black ribbed turtleneck and belted black A-line skirt accentuated her figure. Her entire look had a distinctly dark air, perfectly fitting her username, Five Poisons Cult Saintess.

"Godfather, Godmother, Fang Lan, over here." Lu Ran greeted them when he saw them.

Hearing his voice, the three walked over.

"Ran, you've finally come out of the Infinite City. We were getting worried." Once she reached him, Fang Lan's mother, Su Ya, saw that Lu Ran looked the same as before, with all his limbs intact, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ha... ha... Sorry for worrying you." Lu Ran scratched his head sheepishly.

"It's understandable. You're at the age when you want to have fun. We can't keep Fang Lan under control, either." Fang Lan's father, Fang Yuhang, sighed, looking at her first.

When Fang Lan had transformed her appearance like this, he'd nearly had a heart attack. He'd almost considered having another child and starting over.

But after getting used to it, he found it wasn't so bad... His daughter really was beautiful.

Then he turned to Lu Ran. "Ran, what are your plans for the future? Have you decided to become a Beast Tamer?"

Now that the beast-taming era had begun, Beast Tamer was arguably the most popular profession. Countless teenagers aspired to it.

"Yes," Lu Ran said. "Godfather, Godmother, let's sit down inside and talk."

"I'm starving, I'm starving! Let's get inside and order." Fang Lan snickered beside them. Ha, it was finally Lu Ran's turn to get lectured today.

Fang Lan's parents were no ordinary people, either.

Both were graduates of Jinling University with doctoral degrees, and both had taught there. Fang Yuhang and Lu Ran's father had been extremely close friends.

These days, the couple ran the largest veterinary hospital in Green Sea City.

So, like Lu Ran, Fang Lan had a solid background for beast taming as the daughter of a veterinary family.

Once they were in their reserved private room, Su Ya laid her cards on the table. "Your father and I know we can't talk you two out of it. If this were a traditional field, our connections and influence could help you a little. But this happened so suddenly. No one knows what the future will bring."

"I told you, you don't need to worry about us." Fang Lan was exasperated. She was already doing quite well on her own.

"How could we not worry?" Fang Yuhang frowned. "We haven't told you yet, but your mother and I contacted our connections in Jinling. We've already started getting involved in pet beast pharmacology. Our hospital might transition into a pet beast hospital in the future."

"Your mother and I will also teach at Beast Taming University, studying and teaching the areas where pharmacology from the outside world overlaps with pet beast pharmacology."

"We just hope we'll be able to help more if your or Ran's pet beasts get injured."

"Huh???" Fang Lan froze. Beside her, Lu Ran, who had been enjoying the conversation as a spectator, was startled, too.

"What? You're going to teach at Beast Taming University???" Fang Lan stood up. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she could only sit back down helplessly. "Forget it. Do whatever you want."

Why couldn't she escape her parents even at Beast Taming University?

"Uh, thank you, Godfather, Godmother." Lu Ran rubbed his nose. He could appreciate their good intentions, but he and General Ha didn't seem to need a doctor.

No, that wasn't quite right. For now, the Divine Deer Pendant couldn't cure abnormal conditions such as poisoning. It could only heal physical injuries!

Looking at it that way, he still needed strong medical support.

"Ahem. Ran, Fang Lan, we're only ordinary people, though. Even if we get involved in pet beast pharmacology, I'm afraid we won't be able to research it very deeply. Could you two help ask around later and see whether there's a way to become a Beast Tamer quickly...?" Fang Yuhang suddenly cleared his throat and asked.

Fang Lan and Lu Ran were both promising rookie Beast Tamers in the Third Infinite City. They were bound to meet important figures in the future, such as Dr. Gu, and might gain access to more advanced information. That was why Fang Yuhang had made this request.

"Your father dreams of becoming a Beast Tamer every night now," Su Ya said disdainfully beside him. "At his age, he's still acting like a child."

"What do you know?" Fang Yuhang glared at her.

The two were about to start arguing. Lu Ran and Fang Lan both felt headaches coming on, and Fang Lan hurriedly interrupted. "By the way, it's my birthday next month. Have you all prepared my presents?"

"Birthday..."

Fang Lan's sudden interruption didn't provoke much reaction from her parents, but Lu Ran abruptly jolted.

"Hmm?" Fang Lan looked at his startled expression. "You didn't forget my birthday, did you?"

"Your birthday's still a while away. Wait, it's already mid-August, right...?" Lu Ran suddenly froze. "Oh no. I think I missed something important."

"What?" Fang Lan looked at him in confusion.

Lu Ran smiled bitterly. "I think my master's sixtieth birthday was a few days ago. I'd planned to visit him, since I haven't seen him in so long. But with all this Beast Tamer business, I completely forgot."

"My old master helped me a lot around the time my parents passed away, too."

Fang Yuhang asked, "Do you mean the master who taught you swordsmanship when you lived in Jinling as a child? I remember-it was called the Rainbow Sky Dojo, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Lu Ran scratched his head furiously. "No, I have to make a trip to Jinling in a couple of days and make up for it."

"You really should visit him. Explain what happened. Your old master will be happy just to see you," Su Ya said.

"Mm." Lu Ran nodded.

Beside him, Fang Lan said quietly, "Say, if your master finds out you taught the swordsmanship he passed down to you to a husky, do you think he'll expel you...?"

Lu Ran: ???

"Uh." Fang Yuhang and Su Ya also looked at Lu Ran. Was... was he still going?

The Rainbow Sky Dojo had a long history and enjoyed considerable renown in the Jiangnan region. Its current head, Jiang Dou, had begun visiting the major swordsmanship schools of Xia Country at fourteen, challenging their practitioners. At twenty-six, he had declared that no one in the country could defeat him and ventured abroad, returning at thirty.

The Rainbow Sky Dojo could now be considered a leading institution in the swordsmanship world, not merely in Jiangnan, but across the entire country.

Lu Ran had been interested in swordsmanship since childhood, so his parents had spent a great deal of money and called in favors to send him to the Rainbow Sky Dojo to study. Young Lu Ran hadn't disappointed them, either. He had demonstrated extraordinary talent, earning Master Jiang Dou's favor and personal instruction.

He had come very close to becoming Jiang Dou's final disciple.

But then the playful Lu Ran had become fascinated with shooting and asked his old master a devastating question:

"Master, if I had a gun and you had a sword, and we fought a duel, who would be stronger?"

That question had left his old master unsettled for a long time...

"Beyond seven paces, the gun is faster. Within seven paces..."

"The sword is faster?" young Lu Ran asked innocently.

"The gun is both fast and accurate," his old master replied.

So, with his answer in hand, Lu Ran had promptly abandoned his old master and gone off to learn shooting.

Recalling that past, Lu Ran felt helpless about his childhood "mischief." How could he have been so rotten...?

Fortunately, the old man wasn't rigid in his thinking. Although he regretted that Lu Ran hadn't continued down that path, he also understood that swordsmanship was obsolete and no longer suited to modern society.

What Lu Ran hadn't expected was that, after his parents passed away, the elderly Jiang Dou had somehow heard the news and come to visit him. He had even wanted to take Lu Ran back to the dojo to look after him, but by then, Lu Ran's mind had been even further from swordsmanship.

"Now I've ended up taking up swordsmanship again because of beast taming..."

After returning home that evening, Lu Ran booked a high-speed train ticket to Jinling, planning to leave the next morning.

"Hmm... Now that I've even developed Beast Sword Intent, the old man should be delighted! He'll definitely understand why I missed his big birthday... As for teaching swordsmanship to a husky... teaching should be open to all!"