With the little matter of arranging a match settled, Su Xiaoxiao handed the Blazing Fox to Xu Ran. "Boss, I'll leave it to you!"
"Sure." Xu Ran took the eagerly expectant Blazing Fox and walked into the Grooming Room.
"Xiaoxiao, has your Blazing Fox sparred with the boss's contract beast before?" Gu Ling glanced curiously at Purple Cloud, then asked.
"Yep, a few days ago..." She briefly explained how their last match had come about, then clapped her hands together. "So Little Flame's rematch with the boss's cat is a showdown of destiny!"
Gu Ling: "..."
Watching her friend suddenly get so melodramatic, she was just about to say something when a rather lilting cry came from the Grooming Room.
"Yiiing~~~"
That sound was...
Gu Ling's eyes widened, and her cheeks warmed slightly as she gave Su Xiaoxiao a strange look. "Is your Blazing Fox okay?"
"Ahahaha~" Su Xiaoxiao's gaze shifted slightly. "It's fine. This is normal during grooming."
Was it really normal?
Listening to the strange sounds that kept coming from the Grooming Room and watching her close friend's increasingly evasive gaze, Gu Ling grew more suspicious.
Just as the atmosphere outside grew increasingly awkward because of the Blazing Fox's strange cries, Xu Ran emerged from the Grooming Room carrying the freshly groomed fox.
"All done. Next!"
A dazed look still lingered in the Blazing Fox's eyes. After jumping to the floor, it stumbled on weak legs before gradually coming to its senses and regaining its normal stride.
It walked elegantly over to Su Xiaoxiao and leaped into her arms, its expression still carrying a trace of lingering pleasure from the experience.
Beside her, Gu Ling had not taken her eyes off the Blazing Fox since it appeared. Seeing the stark contrast between its condition before and after grooming, she could not help looking astonished.
Grooming results like these...
No grooming service she had ever seen could compare!
"Well? I told you it was worth the money." Su Xiaoxiao winked at Gu Ling. "Your Dark-Scaled Dragon's turn!"
"Mm..." Gu Ling nodded, exchanged a glance with the Dark-Scaled Dragon behind her, then looked at Xu Ran. "I'll leave my contract beast to you!"
"No problem. Follow me." Xu Ran motioned for the Dark-Scaled Dragon to follow, then entered the Grooming Room again.
The thought of providing grooming services for a dragon made him a little nervous.
[To improve the results of this grooming session, the system will grant the host knowledge from "Basics of Dragon-Type Contract Beast Grooming" and "Basics of Dark-Type Contract Beast Grooming."]
As a flood of knowledge poured into his mind, Xu Ran picked up the showerhead, adjusted the bath solution infused with special resources and set the appropriate temperature, then sprayed it over the Dark-Scaled Dragon.
"Roar?!"
The Dark-Scaled Dragon, lying quietly on the grooming table, suddenly widened its eyes.
Gu Ling came from a very well-off family and was naturally generous with it.
Back in Cloud-Gathering City, it had frequently enjoyed the finest grooming services the city offered.
But those services had never given it such a unique sensation.
The water carried just the right warmth, slipping through the tiny gaps between its scales to touch the body hidden beneath its hard armor. As the various resources infused into the water took effect, currents of warmth seeped inward from every part of its body's surface.
The strange comfort made its body tremble uncontrollably.
[Happiness Points from the Dark-Scaled Dragon +5] [Happiness Points from the Dark-Scaled Dragon +5] [From...]
So much for the haughty beast from the big city. That's all it took?
Xu Ran glanced at the Dark-Scaled Dragon, which could no longer keep its composure, with a peculiar look in his eyes.
Without pausing, he moved straight on to the next step.
As the grooming proceeded step by step, the Dark-Scaled Dragon's comfort gradually reached its peak.
Its icy dragon eyes melted like ice exposed to fire, leaving only swirling, dazed pleasure.
A trembling, low sound squeezed laboriously out of the Dark-Scaled Dragon's throat.
"Roaar~~~"
[Happiness Points from the Dark-Scaled Dragon +20] [Happiness Points from the Dark-Scaled Dragon +20] [From...]
A hint of satisfaction appeared in Xu Ran's eyes.
He could sense the Dark-Scaled Dragon's inner struggle.
But you still enjoyed it, didn't you?
"This..."
Listening to the faint sounds coming from the Grooming Room, Gu Ling widened her eyes, her cheeks gradually growing hot.
How could her Dark-Scaled Dragon make such strange noises?!
"See! I told you this was normal." Holding the Blazing Fox, Su Xiaoxiao gave Gu Ling an "I told you so" look.
"I..."
Gu Ling's thoughts felt jumbled. She considered going inside to check what was happening in the Grooming Room, but she also worried she might see something she shouldn't.
While she hesitated, the Grooming Room's door opened.
Amid the mist billowing out, Xu Ran emerged with the freshly groomed Dark-Scaled Dragon.
Every scale shone like black crystal beneath the lights. Its sharp claws had been polished until a single glance sent a chill through her, and its pitch-black eyes were as fearsome as an abyss. Looking at the imposing Dark-Scaled Dragon, Gu Ling was utterly stunned.
Was this her Dark-Scaled Dragon?!
Even though she had just witnessed the Blazing Fox's transformation after grooming, seeing such a dramatic change in the companion she spent every day with still felt unbelievable.
"Thank you for your business. That'll be 26,666 yuan." Xu Ran smiled.
"Oh, right!" Gu Ling came back to her senses. Realizing she had not paid yet, she hurriedly scanned the code and transferred the money.
"Boss, boss, are we going to spar now?" Su Xiaoxiao asked with a grin. "My Little Flame can't wait!"
"Meow~"
Purple Cloud leaped lightly into Xu Ran's arms and turned to look at the Blazing Fox, eyes seemingly ablaze with fighting spirit.
"Looks like Purple Cloud can't wait either." Xu Ran glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's lunchtime anyway. Let's close up and go have our match."
"Oh? You two again?"
Inside Tianhong Arena, the familiar burly referee chuckled, recognizing the two contract beasts that had sparred just a few days earlier and their Beast Tamers. "What a coincidence. I'll be officiating for you again today."
"What's your surname, referee?" Xu Ran asked with a smile.
Running into the same referee twice in a row was a bit of fate in itself.
"Just Xu." The referee, Xu Long, picked up his whistle. "If you're both ready, shall we start?"
"Sure!" Xu Ran and Su Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance. Neither had any objections.
In the spectator stands, Gu Ling propped her chin on her hand and watched curiously as both sides took their stances in the arena. Beside her, the freshly groomed Dark-Scaled Dragon folded its forelegs across its chest, looking ready to watch attentively.
"That concludes the recap of the rules." After quickly going over the match rules again, Xu Long called out clearly, "Both sides are in position. The match begins after a countdown of three!"
"Three... two... one..."
Standing inside the designated circles on opposite sides of the arena, Purple Cloud and the Blazing Fox raised their heads together and looked at each other from afar.
The instant their battle-hungry gazes met, the tension in the arena reached its peak, only to be shattered by a shrill whistle.
Purple Cloud and the Blazing Fox's rematch had begun!
Before you continue