The Forest Stand-In skill allowed its user to swap their body with a plant ahead of time, then reform themselves from any other plant.

Secretly delighted, Xiaoyue locked his gaze onto the bewildered Yu Bao.

All’s fair in war, as they say. Even after being tricked once, the silly dog still hadn’t learned his lesson.

He was a little more cautious this time, but not by much.

"TAP!"

A vine suddenly twitched.

Yu Bao tensed, arching his back and cautiously turning toward the sound. In doing so, he exposed his back to Xiaoyue, who was lying in wait.

’This is my chance!’

"MROW!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Xiaoyue shot out and viciously swiped a paw at Yu Bao.

’It’s over!’

He had studied Feline Pet Beast Fighting, so his close-quarters combat was actually no weaker than Yu Bao’s.

Of course, that wasn’t the deciding factor. The real key was that he had successfully lured the silly dog into his trap.

In a flash, the match was decided!

"THWACK."

Xiaoyue landed a solid punch on Yu Bao’s rear, sending him flying out of the ring.

As he watched Yu Bao plummet, however, Xiaoyue felt a nagging doubt. The impact on his paw hadn’t felt right—it was too light.

Suddenly, a chilling thought occurred to Xiaoyue.

’The silly dog has Sandstorm, Furious Sand Blade, and he can even use Quicksand Shield for a counter-attack. He has so many ways to fight back. Why did he just keep dodging instead of using his Skills against me?’

’The only explanation is...’

’He knew all along that I was using Forest Stand-In to bait him.’

’Not good! He predicted my prediction!’

Xiaoyue’s confidence evaporated. He frantically scanned the area, searching for Yu Bao.

The Cultivation Cat turned his head, only to find his vision completely filled by the face of a Dog.

Yu Bao smiled and raised his paws: ⌓‿⌓​

"SMACK!"

"MREOWWAAAAAAH!"

Screeching indecorously, the noble Cultivation Cat flailed about as the silly dog gently nudged him out of the ring.

"WHOA—"

"CRASH!"

The attendant instinctively dropped his mug. The last half of his second coffee of the day spilled all over his pants.

This time, the mug shattered.

...

...

"That was amazing, Yu Bao! You fought really well!"

After the spar, Shao Ya beamed and patted Yu Bao’s head.

Yu Bao closed his eyes, savoring the touch. He just loved it when she pet him.

While praising Su Zhi’s little companion, Shao Ya didn’t forget to also quietly praise her own through their Beast Taming Space:

"That was some great acting, Xiaoyue. It was so convincing, I almost thought Yu Bao really beat you!"

Xiaoyue was crouched nearby, his head lowered and feet together, sulking in silence.

’Looks like my status as the big bro is in jeopardy.’

’Damn it, I don’t want to be the silly dog’s lackey... He’d probably make me do all sorts of horrible things, right? But what can I do...’

Su Zhi chimed in, "So, what’s next? Heading home?"

But Shao Ya, uncharacteristically, pouted. "Why go home..."

"Uh, excuse me! Sorry to interrupt!"

The attendant came running over, a look of reverence on his face, holding a thick, green-covered book.

"You two were absolutely brilliant! Could I please get your autographs?"

It was a small request, so Shao Ya and Su Zhi both signed their names.

Shao Ya’s handwriting was graceful and elegant, clearly the script of a cultured young woman.

Su Zhi’s, on the other hand, was rather sloppy and crooked... After all, he hadn’t handwritten anything in ages, always using a keyboard.

The attendant carefully put the book away, treating it like a treasure.

’Shao Ya’s handwriting was just like her—both were beautiful.’

’And Su Zhi was no slouch either. Even his handwriting was so full of personality!’

"Also, your match today was automatically recorded. Would you be okay with us making it public? Or you can choose a confidentiality level, and we’ll archive it."

All Battle Halls strictly prohibited outside recording devices in the fighting zones, since some Skills were part of a Beast Tamer’s core competitive edge.

The venue handled all recordings and would then ask the participants whether they wanted the footage made public, archived confidentially, or deleted.

Su Zhi considered it for a moment. "Level two confidentiality is fine."

Level two confidentiality meant only authorized personnel in charge of the recordings could view it, and sharing it externally was strictly forbidden.

Level one, by contrast, meant the footage would be deleted immediately.

"Of course, of course... Thank you! Please come again often!"

Su Zhi stuck his hands in his pockets. "Sure thing."

’They were thanking *him* for using their facilities. It was a little embarrassing.’

"Well, we’ll be going now. Bye."

"Take care, you two!" The attendant respectfully escorted the two high schoolers—both several years his junior—to the exit...

·

The sky darkened. Neon lights began to glow across the city, painting the night with shifting blues and purples.

Su Zhi and his Envoy’s Pet followed Shao Ya through the food street next to the Battle Hall.

The two of them and their two pets would meander, then jog, walking for a bit before stopping to eat.

"Here!"

The girl handed Su Zhi a helping of grilled cold noodles, still steaming hot from the stall she’d just waited in line for.

The vendor had been a little overzealous when squeezing the Thousand Island dressing, getting a good dollop on her index finger.

Su Zhi took the food. "Thanks."

Shao Ya eagerly licked the dressing off her finger.

As Su Zhi watched her lick it off, his own mouth moved almost imperceptibly.

Shao Ya grinned, holding her finger out to him. "You want a taste? I can share."

Su Zhi scoffed and started eating his noodles. "That’s nothing. If you’ve really got guts, get some on your foot and let me have a go."

"Oh really? I’m not against the idea."

"I always underestimate how much of a weirdo you are..."

Xiaoyue watched his master and Su Zhi banter back and forth, his expression calm. He looked like someone who had seen it all.

But when he saw Yu Bao trotting over, all happy and sparkly, Xiaoyue lost his composure and whipped his head away.

’Now that the silly dog’s the big bro, what kind of awful things is he going to make me do? It had better not be too bad... or I’ll get mad for real!’

"Woof? Woof?"

Yu Bao nuzzled his head against Xiaoyue’s cheek.

*Big bro, big bro, you let me win on purpose, didn’t you?*

Xiaoyue froze for a moment, silent.

Then, he nodded.

"Woof~"

*Thanks, big bro! I had a great time!*

"Meow."

Xiaoyue patted Yu Bao’s head, the corners of his mouth curling upward almost imperceptibly.

’Honestly. How could a silly dog possibly be the big bro?’

’It’s better if I just keep being the big bro.’

Su Zhi finished his noodles and waited for Shao Ya to do the same. After hesitating a few times, he finally asked:

"Why the sudden urge to hang out? It’s not a holiday or anything."

"I... wanted to help you take your mind off things."

The girl clasped her hands behind her back, her head slightly bowed, pretending to look off into the distance.

"You always act so nonchalant about everything, all cool and zen... but I know you’re actually a really competitive person. Super competitive."

"Getting disciplined like that for no reason... there’s no way anyone would be completely unfazed. I thought it would be good to get you out for a walk, so... I just went ahead and did it."

Shao Ya said it all in a rush, then nervously snuck a glance at Su Zhi to gauge his reaction.

She expected him to put on a cool front and stay quiet for a bit, but instead, she saw a smile in his eyes—an incredibly gentle one.

"Yeah. This is nice." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Su Zhi’s lips curved into a small smile. "I feel a lot better now. Thanks."

"Good! As long as Su Baby is okay, Mama can rest easy!"

Shao Ya gave Su Zhi’s shoulder a hearty pat.

"Oof..." Su Zhi nearly choked.

"Come on, let’s walk around some more!"

"Huh? We still have to keep going even though I’m fine now?"

"Come on. The street isn’t that long anyway, we might as well finish it..."

As they were chatting, Cao Mingyu suddenly shot out from the crowd ahead.

The two of them and their pets stopped in their tracks, momentarily stunned.

Cao Mingyu’s eyes darted between the two of them. He nodded, a knowing smile spreading across his face.

"Excellent. I understand everything now."

With that, Cao Mingyu fixed an... indescribable gaze upon the white-haired girl...

·

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