Carrying a bag of bread and mineral water, Shao Zifeng returned to his rented apartment.
"Meow~"
As soon as he closed the door, the white cat walked elegantly up to Shao Zifeng, raised its tail, and rubbed against his leg.
"Hey, you're all better." Shao Zifeng knelt down and rubbed the fluffy head of the house cat, observing its state. The light screen now showed it was only lightly injured.
Shao Zifeng sighed in relief but also felt a headache. He wasn't sure how to deal with the little guy. Sending it back directly might cause unnecessary trouble, so maybe one night he could just let the white cat stay at the "Ancient Chang'an Residence" neighborhood?
This seems reasonable! He silently gave himself a thumbs up.
Lost in thought, Shao Zifeng continued to pet the cat absentmindedly. The white cat, being sensible, half-closed its eyes and purred comfortably.
"Whine whine!" Seeing this scene, Qiuqiu didn't rush to find its Tang Dao but tugged at Shao Zifeng's sleeve, looking at him pitifully, as if since its Scale Armor grew, "Dandan" didn't love to pet it anymore.
So sad!
Looking down at its proud Scale Armor, Qiuqiu fell into a dilemma—should it take off the Scale Armor?
Thinking this, Qiuqiu suddenly shivered. No, too painful.
Feeling Qiuqiu's hurt emotions, Shao Zifeng snapped back, laughing as he picked up Qiuqiu, who took the opportunity to hug his neck with its little paws and lie on Shao Zifeng's shoulder, giving the white cat a smug expression.
Although the white cat was also a pet beast, it wasn't very intelligent. At Qiuqiu's provocation, it instantly became unhappy, its tail raised high, repeatedly rubbing against Shao Zifeng's leg.
"Meow meow~" The white cat tried its best to be cute, almost exposing its belly.
"Alright, alright, you guys go play. I have to pack." Shao Zifeng, a bit helpless, put Qiuqiu beside the white cat, turned, picked up the bread and travel bag, and started packing.
Qiuqiu sneakily glanced at Shao Zifeng, who had his back to them, then turned to the white cat with an evil smile... who knew how a lizard could make an evil smile, and then slapped the white cat's face with its paw.
The white cat, licking its paws, was startled, staring blankly at Qiuqiu.
Qiuqiu slapped the white cat's face again.
"Meow!!"
"Whine whine~~"
Shao Zifeng turned back to see the white cat's fur fluffing up, its tail puffed up, its two paws pressing onto Qiuqiu's... ball, struggling to bite Qiuqiu's Scale Armor with its teeth bared.
Qiuqiu curled up into a ball, showing a pitiful look, whimpering, as if suffering from great injustice.
Initially, Shao Zifeng was a bit angry, but seeing the white cat's messy fur and the hint of joy in Qiuqiu's emotions, he understood the whole story and helplessly consoled the fluffed-up white cat, holding Qiuqiu's ball in his hand.
"The white cat is a guest and will stay with us for a few days. You can't act like this anymore, understood?" Shao Zifeng held Qiuqiu up to his eyes, staring at it.
"Whine!"
Knowing it was exposed, Qiuqiu let out a stubborn whine, covering its eyes with its tail, avoiding Shao Zifeng's gaze.
"Qiuqiu!" Seeing Qiuqiu act like this, Shao Zifeng got really angry. Maybe because it had overcome its timid nature and grown up a bit, Qiuqiu had been getting a bit mischievous lately, like bullying the corn snake yesterday. Shao Zifeng didn't blame it because it was small.
But who knew it would escalate today? Shao Zifeng seriously looked at the ball in his hand, remaining silent.
For a moment, the room's atmosphere grew heavy.
A while later.
"Whine whine whine!" Sensing that Shao Zifeng was truly angry, Qiuqiu whined towards the white cat with a sob, then jumped from Shao Zifeng's hand, ran to the Tang Dao, hugged it tightly with one paw, and slashed in the air with the other. A translucent rift appeared, and Qiuqiu jumped in with the Tang Dao.
"Qiu..."
Watching the space rift gradually disappear, Shao Zifeng felt a sudden emptiness. He wondered if he had gone too far; this was the first time Qiuqiu had returned to the pet beast space, having always refused to go in before.
After a long silence, Shao Zifeng continued to pack in silence, and the white cat sat there in a daze, feeling a bit lost.
Tilting its head at the slightly desolated Shao Zifeng, the white cat opened its mouth and spat out a translucent water screen. Water elements gathered within the light screen, turning into a mist that filled the room.
Feeling the cool mist on his exposed skin, Shao Zifeng felt refreshed. The room, which had a slight odor from raising reptiles, suddenly became fresh again. Glancing at the obedient white cat, Shao Zifeng smiled and thanked it.
"Meow~" The white cat shook its head slightly, then jumped into the small nest Shao Zifeng had prepared for it, lying down and closing its eyes.
...
At two in the morning, Shao Zifeng opened his eyes, instinctively feeling the emptiness beside him, realizing Qiuqiu was still sulking. With a bitter smile, Shao Zifeng sent an apologetic thought to the pet beast space. After a long while... no response came.
He lay in bed, sighing, muttering, "Did I really go too hard on Qiuqiu? It's still just a child... although there's a saying, 'He's still a child, he must be strictly disciplined.'"
Glancing at his phone, it was almost time to meet. Shao Zifeng got up, dressed, refilled the water for the baby snakes in the snake tank, and left some food by the white cat, closing the door before heading to school.
...
In a vast unknown space, in an endless desert, several smoking volcanoes stood in the middle of a sea of sand. The thick smoke blotted out the sky, and the surroundings were filled with explosive fire elements.
At the center of the largest volcano, dense lava churned continually, occasionally bubbling and bursting, splashing lava everywhere.
At the center of the lava pool stood a lonely stone pillar, where Qiuqiu lay with its eyes closed, the Tang Dao beneath it.
Suddenly, it seemed to sense something, its eyes springing open with a flash of joy. It raised its little paw, about to slash down, then paused, lying back over the Tang Dao.
Its expression turned increasingly aggrieved, tears welling up in its eyes. It bit one of its little paws, trying hard not to cry out.
"Whine whine whine~"
Leaving Shao Zifeng for the first time this long, never having been scolded before, Qiuqiu now felt both hurt and hungry. Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, it covered its eyes with its tiny paws and cried out loud.
"Boom!"
The volcanoes, as if enraged, roared like thunder. Then, streams of lava shot out from the surrounding volcanoes, making it seem like a rain of lava in the whole space.
Qiuqiu stopped crying, dumbfounded by the apocalyptic scene, then waves of thick explosive fire elements surged towards it, encasing it in a burning red light egg.
Qiuqiu, initially panicked, flailed its tiny paws inside the light egg, like a drowning creature.
Gradually, the movements slowed down, and it slowly fell asleep.