Chapter 53: Chapter 53: I’ll Get His Ass Too

’How weird. Why was I dreaming about Shao Ya... I’m a perfect gentleman, you know...’

’Huh? Wait a second...’

’Why is Shao Ya pouncing on me and licking me?’

In a hazy daze, Su Zhi felt a sliver of consciousness return, and the rough, wet sensation of being licked grew clearer.

Su Zhi opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Yu Bao’s big nose, followed by a tender pink tongue and two black eyes like buttons.

The little guy’s tail was wagging back and forth, full of energy just like every other morning.

"Woof! Woof!"

Time to eat! There are fried eggs and grilled sausages!

’Hm? Breakfast?’

Su Zhi glanced at his watch. Jeez, it was already seven o’clock.

Just then, Wang Sujuan’s head peeked in through the bedroom door. "Time for breakfast, Xiaoshu?"

"Mom, why didn’t you wake me up earlier?"

"Well, since you don’t have to go to school for now, I just... I wanted to let you rest a little longer..."

Wang Sujuan clearly hadn’t expected this to be her son’s first question upon waking. She immediately felt a pang of regret for making the decision on her own.

But Su Zhi just chuckled softly at his mother’s reaction, without a hint of blame.

"Come on, let’s go eat."

"Woof!"

When he walked into the kitchen, Su Mao was there in a little pink apron, holding a small spatula, his butt sticking out pertly as he hummed a tune and fried eggs.

A wonderful morning starts with a doting dad.

"Eggs are ready!"

·

After finishing his breakfast, Su Zhi let out a long, satisfied sigh.

"We’re heading out, Mom, Dad!"

"Woof!"

"Be careful."

Wang Sujuan and Su Mao watched Su Zhi leave the apartment, then listened to his footsteps as he exited the building.

Su Mao breathed a sigh of relief and smiled with gratification. "Good, the boy is pretty tough. It must be from me writing web novels. He inherited my mental fortitude!"

"Hmph, my Xiaoshu has always been this tough."

Wang Sujuan wrinkled her nose. "What a bullshit principal, blowing things way out of proportion just because Xiaoshu lost one match. We have to find a way to... get him back, hard!"

"Don’t worry, I’ve already reached out to my friends in the writers’ association. I also have readers in the Common Defense Alliance, the ones who handle internal affairs. That principal is in for a world of hurt."

"Tsk tsk, I never would have guessed. You’re always so smiley, but you’re ruthless when you make a move."

"Hey, he messed with my son. So I’m gonna mess with him."

"Well done. You get a reward—*muah*."

"Hehe, can I have another?"

"Wash the dishes."

"...As you command."

·

"Woof! Woof!"

Yu Bao darted around excitedly on the community lawn, sometimes activating Desert Concealment, sometimes summoning a Yellow Earth Wall, and sometimes practicing with his Sand Shadow Guard.

Being able to train freely so early in the morning was a treat that used to be reserved only for weekends.

Yu Bao was always most efficient when training on the weekends.

’Now that school is suspended, every day is the weekend! I can train however I want!’

Su Zhi sat in a nearby pavilion and watched, only offering small corrections when Yu Bao’s form was off.

The training session proceeded efficiently and was tightly packed.

Wudu New Village was quite peaceful in the early morning. Most of the residents were middle-aged or elderly, and the children were all at school at this hour.

Suddenly, Yu Bao stopped and looked curiously into the distance—

A massive, five-meter-tall, deer-like Pet Beast strolled leisurely by. It was snow-white, with a great red mane on its long, slender neck.

In its wake, cracked stones became whole again, withered and broken plants grew lush, and stained objects became clean.

Yu Bao was captivated by this magical Skill and stared, mesmerized.

"That’s a Red Pine Horse, a Wood Element High Level Elite Pet Beast. Its Skill, Forest Reconstruction, can slightly repair or restore surrounding objects."

"Many places keep a Red Pine Horse around. Our school actually has one too. Otherwise, how would the campus, which gets messy from all the sparring and training, magically restore itself every day?"

"Woof!" (*So that’s how it is!*)

Su Zhi’s gaze, however, fell on the old man riding the Red Pine Horse.

He recognized the old man. His name was Wu Enxiang, and he usually worked in the community center.

Su Zhi had only known him as a retired official; he never expected him to be a Beast Tamer of at least the Advanced Level!

When Wu Enxiang saw them, he chuckled. "Don’t mind us, Xiaosu. We’ll just come over after you’re done training."

"Ah, thank you, sir!"

Wu Enxiang and the Red Pine Horse moved on.

Yu Bao’s eyes, however, remained glued to the faint green energy field surrounding the Red Pine Horse, lost in thought.

’Forest Reconstruction... so magical...’

’I want to learn it!’

Just then, a taxi approached from the opposite direction of the Red Pine Horse’s path.

The car door opened, and a man—a little scruffy but still quite handsome—got out and walked toward Su Zhi.

"Brother Su, we’re here!"

"Thanks for coming, senior!"

"Hehe, no trouble. What can I say? You’re the hair-growth kids."

Liu Junpo snapped his fingers, and Wanzi emerged from a deep blue Beast Taming Light Array. "Alright, let’s get right to it."

"Chirp?" (*Are you ready, junior?*)

"Woof!" (*I’m ready!*)

"Chirp!" (*Show me what you’ve got!*)

With Wanzi’s cheap shot of a tackle on Yu Bao, the training officially began—

...

「Three hours later.」

Using his very last bit of Energy, Yu Bao unleashed a Tier Two Sandstorm behind himself.

This was his hidden trump card, one he had never shown before.

As expected, Wanzi didn’t anticipate the Tier Two Sandstorm and was blown off balance, wobbling unsteadily.

Seeing Wanzi waver, Yu Bao felt a flash of joyous surprise.

This was the first time he had ever seen Wanzi falter; it meant it could no longer maintain its Hardening.

Of course, Yu Bao was also at his absolute limit.

’Push through! Hold on for this last stretch!’

Wanzi wobbled as it charged toward Yu Bao.

Yu Bao dragged his leaden limbs, struggling to create even a little more distance.

Finally—

SPLAT.

Wanzi collided with Yu Bao, and the two little guys tumbled to the ground together.

Only this time, what Yu Bao felt against his backside wasn’t rock-hard, but a warm, soft, and springy sensation.

"Woof~"

Yu Bao was so happy he jumped right back to his feet.

’He’d won!’

Su Zhi clenched his fists. "Well done!"

"That was indeed well done! Yu Bao is improving so fast, it’s beyond my expectations. At this rate... you’re a shoo-in for the top four in the city league, and you might even be able to vie for the championship!"

Liu Junpo said with approval, then seemed to remember something and looked at Su Zhi. "You have a battle with your little girlfriend this afternoon, right? You might just win!"

Su Zhi smiled and waved his hand. "I’ll do my best. Xiaoyue is still a tough opponent for Yu Bao."

As for Liu Junpo’s insistence on calling Shao Ya his "little girlfriend," Su Zhi had already chosen to selectively ignore it.

’If anyone asked, his answer was just "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Their relationship was completely innocent anyway, so he’d let people say what they wanted.’

Liu Junpo glanced at his watch and stood up. "Alright. I’ve got to head back. You’ve been doing great lately, keep it up!"

Su Zhi held out a hand. "So, about skill progression plan 6.41..."

"Still not good enough. Keep working on it."

Su Zhi: "Shit."

"Later!"

Liu Junpo walked away. The midday sun was pleasant, and in the distance, Wu Enxiang and his Red Pine Horse could still be seen on their leisurely stroll.

Su Zhi smiled and sighed softly, then gestured to Yu Bao. "Yu Bao, let’s head back too! From now on, we can have Dad’s cooking for lunch."

"Woof."

Yu Bao responded with a casual bark. He clearly didn’t have lunch on his mind, but something else entirely.

’Forest Reconstruction... so cool, so cool!’

·

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