He patiently waited for her to think of a name as he sat down and started to write instructions on how to care for the lynx and how to train it.
'Hopefully she can take good care of it and doesn't just pawn off the work to her maids. I will have to order them to say no should she ask. Although the lynx should be pretty self-sufficient as I have put a seal on it and implanted all the knowledge it needs to hunt for itself, take itself to the toilet and even how best to protect and be a friend for little Caihong.
I was pretty lucky to have found that baby snow lynx as it was in the inner mountain region filled with rank 3 beasts. I had the shadows out to protect me but for the most part I used it as practice for staying hidden in the shadows.
The mother and father of that snow lynx had just left to hunt but the moment they left another male snow lynx seemed to have entered the cave they lived in and was trying to kill the new born. Pretty shitty situation but was perfect for me as I had the shadows kill the snow lynx while I kidnapped the baby and set it up like the snow lynx ate the baby before dying to something.
I didn't bother to see the aftermath as I'm sure it was a shit show, that female snow lynx who is the mother of this baby was almost a rank 4 beast and was an overlord of sorts in the area. Too bad she was dumb and even if I didn't come and take the baby lynx it still would have died to that other one. Though she was only a beast, so can't expect much in terms of forward thinking, oh well at least little Caihong is happy with her tame.
I should also give mother and father their pets and I guess my brothers and sister when they get back, though I doubt it will be useful for them considering they live on the other continent which is many times more powerful than here.'
Once he finished writing down the information, he turned around to see Caihong already looking at him with a pleased expression with the lynx in her arms.
"Smirnoff. Her name will be Smirnoff."
His eyes had a brief show of shock at her naming the lynx after a word from his past life. He wants to check if its just a word she came up with or if she knows something about where the word came from.
"Smirnoff? Do you know what is means?
She looked at him with confused and innocent expression as she replied. "No brother, it is just a word I heard you say one time as I walked past your room. I have no idea what it means but I like the word and thought it was a good fit to call her."
He relaxed a bit at how it was only coincidence that she came to know of the word. "Ok, well Smirnoff is a type of alcoholic drink, similar to wine except a lot stronger and has a much different taste. Your guess at it being associated with the snow I guess isn't wrong as the alcoholic drink is mostly associated with cold weather. It is my one of the new products I plan to sell soon, which is why you heard me saying the name before I left."
"Stronger than even wine? Really? I've seen just a glass of wine before turn father into a funny mess, and this is stronger. I wanna try some. Gimmie some."
He patted her head and gave a serious but playful look towards her. "No, you are not allowed alcohol till you are at least 16, and for Smirnoff not till your 18. Besides you wouldn't like it as it requires normally something to mix with due to its strong and unique taste. Now you said father got drunk from just a sip of wine before, you wouldn't happen to remember which wine from his collection it was by chance? I might just happen to have another treat if you remember."
Her eyes brighten in innocence over to prospect of another treat and instantly starts to go through her memories.
"It was in an old wooden bottle which was hidden within the silver bottle. I remember him pulling out the silver bottle that sparkled under the light, then he some how split the bottle in half without cracking it and inside it was a wooden bottle that looked very old and dirty."
He smirks with now knowing the location of his fathers prised wine. He has been looking for it for a while as before he left his father got drunk the night before, and he could smell the wine all the way from his room. It made him crave some and want to taste it, maybe even replicate it. He searched his fathers' room the morning before he left but couldn't find it.
Now due to his father's carelessness of letting his daughter who he assumed wouldn't know anything about it, he found the location.
He gave her a big pat on the head and a small kiss before pulling out one last thing before leaving.
"This is a bar of chocolate. Peel of the wrapper and eat the chocolate, eat it slow and savour it as they are still hard to make at this time. Also, I will reward you similar treats if you are able to tell me in the future any other secret or weird things out parents do. Ok."
After saying her good byes she goes to play with Smirnoff while curiously looking at the purple wrapped bar in her hand.
Going to his father's office he checks around the palace to see the changes that has happened due to his input using his knowledge from modern day life. The floors are now heated using pipes and water allowing the whole palace to be much cosier during the winter. The glass is double glazed and reinforced for better insulation and protection. The Qi within the whole palace is also at least 3 times higher than outside compared to the normal 1.5 times higher. While the training rooms specifically for faster cultivation are up to 5 time from the 3 times before.
'I bet father must have spent quite a lot of time getting these inscriptions for making the Qi higher installed, though thanks to them using my designs they are much cheaper and more efficient that the ones before. I believe mother is a rank 3 inscription master. She should be nearing rank 4 with all the knowledge I gave her, I guess her cultivation is the limiting factor here.'
He soon reached his fathers office and entered. Inside was his mother and father doing empire business.
They smile and put down the work they are doing since they know their son probably has some things to talk about.
"Darling why are you here. We assumed that Caihong would be stealing you away for the rest of the day."
"I left her to get to know her new pet I got for her as a gift."
"A new pet you say. I wonder what type of pet it is?"
"It's a new born Obsidian Clawed Snow Lynx. I found it while training and thought it would make a great companion for Caihong due to how cute it is and its future potential. I should hopefully grow up with her in both age and power, allowing her a lifetime companion. Well hopefully at least."
"An Obsidian Clawed Snow Lynx! Those are rank 3 creatures, what where you doing anywhere near therm."
His mother kept on berating him about how reckless it was to venture into a rank 3 beasts' nest and taking its baby.
"It's okay mother, I had the shadows out and I was using it as practice for stealth and hiding my presence. I was perfectly safe; I wouldn't be stupid like that and just wonder into a rank 3 beast cave without backups and precautions."
She started to calm down after he explained the precautions he had in place. "I know I should just trust you to be safe but as your mother it still worries me. I guess I should accept that you have grown up and unlike your reckless brothers you are a lot more cautious which is good."
"That's right mother, I'm not dumb enough to recklessly charge in for no reason, I will always have precautions and don't forget at the end of the day no matter who I am against I can just enter my master's personal realm to escape. I am perfectly safe, all the time."
Her then gave her a hug to calm her down, while his father also relaxed his eyes as he has had similar worries about his son.
"Now the reason I am here is to give you guys a few things I got from my journey. The first is a present I got for both of you."
He pulls out 3 metal cages covered by sheets preventing them from seeing in.
"Ok mother the pink one is yours and fathers is the blue one, I also have one for Wang Zao which is the black one."
They each go to their presents and even the elusive Wang Zao materialised out from Fen Zungs shadow to check out his present. His father let his mother go first since he is chivalrous and believes in women go first.
She removes the pink cloth that covered the cage that is around the size of a chest. Her eyes sparkle the moment she sees the creature underneath.
Beneath is a beautiful pure white dove that is elegantly sitting there looking at her. Seeing her looking like a little kid Fen Chang and Fen Zung laugh give a small giggle causing her to look at them with almost murderous eyes.
"Ahem, Mother. This is a Snow Falling Dove that I have personally trained for you. It is currently a rank 3 low beast but due to having faint traces of ice phoenix blood its potential can go beyond even rank 5. In the future I should be able to purify its blood little by little allowing it to go even more beyond that.
It is trained to follow your command and even knows strategies. It knows how to use its claws to write and produces certain noises as signals. It is a great mount of flying around and due to a special pill I used to allow it to get smaller it is also very good for reconnaissance."
She expresses her thanks and instantly starts to pet her new bird.
Next up was Fen Zung. He removes the cloth and a small smile forms when looking at the creature. It was a snow-white looking horse the size of the average small pony. It radiated a royal type aura and looked proudly around the room.
"Father this is a Snow Galloping Horse. It is currently a middle rank 3, and has the bloodline of the Hell Runner Steed meaning it could go all the way up to a rank 6 if given the correct resources. It was also given a similar power to change its size at will so this isn't its actual size. Its actual size is around the same of a small building."
"This is incredible son, thank you. I was in need of a mount as normally I use the palaces standard wind running horses, which are only high rank 2 which is also its max potential. This one, just looking into its eyes I can sense a kindred spirit. This is perfect, as a thank you, you are free to ask for something."
The moment he said this he suddenly felt a sense of dread with the look his son was giving him. "In that case father, I would like to have one of your many wines on that rack over there. You wouldn't mind right?"
"Of course not, help yourself to one of the bottles."
Right now, he was panicking thinking his son may know of his secret stash, but he soon calmed down thinking it was impossible since he has been out for a while.
Smirking at his father relaxing, he walked over towards the lined-up wine racks. There where hundreds of wine bottles that covered the racks. Some made of glass, some of stone, metal or pottery and a few even of wood.
He instantly went towards the shiny silver one and under the gaze of his father's tearful eyes he stores the bottle in his ring. He turns around and smiles as his father before signalling for Wang Zao to check his gift.
Taking the cloth that was covering the very small cage revealed a very weird creature. Its size was no bigger than a hand and looked like a black spikey furball.
They all looked at the creature with wonder at the oddity of something like that existing.
His mother seeming more interested than the other two asked about its origins. "Son what is this creature. I have seen almost every creature on this continent and read book about many more yet I have never heard of this creature before. Its so bazar looking."
"Well mother this is a creature that normally dwells in the shadow realm which I doubt you have heard of.
All their expressions get serious with a hint of curiosity at the mention of a realm they have never heard of.
"No need to be so worried it didn't come from a portal of any kind nor is it a hostile realm. This is the only creature within the shadow realm that under specific circumstances can travel between ours and their realms. It is called a Sprite and they have no actual attacking capabilities, instead they have a natural connection to the shadows.
When a bond is formed with this creature it allows the master to have a deeper connection to the shadows and should they get a high enough proficiency with shadows even enter the shadow realm which is rich with Shadow Dao, or at least that is what my master knows of the realm. I thought it would make a good companion for Wang Zao since he seems to have shadows as his main element and protect my father."