God of Pets-Chapter 449: Breaking the Cocoon, Becoming a Butterfly
Seeing her struggling so much, Chen Guan took an elixir he’d bought from an alchemist, crushed it into powder, and sprinkled it on her face.
Chen Guan had used this elixir himself before; it worked wonders for healing wounds, providing a cool sensation that eased pain and quickly soothed the itch of scabbing.
Sure enough, once the powder was applied, Fujimura Reiko immediately felt as if she was liberated and let out a long breath of relief.
"Thank you," Fujimura Reiko said sincerely to Chen Guan.
"Once your face is healed, would you consider working with me?" Chen Guan proposed as he looked at Fujimura Reiko.
The reason for his keen interest in Fujimura Reiko wasn’t just to compensate her for taking half of her inner core; there was another motive.
Besides her identity as the military flower, Fujimura Reiko had another identity.
Her maternal grandfather, Lian Sanshan, was a key figure in the Celestial Court Army.
Though not as influential as the Xiu and Ji families in the Celestial Court Army, Lian Sanshan commanded the Five Peaks Corps with more than a hundred thousand troops within the Grotto Heaven—top-tier Pocket World Army—and his influence there was formidable.
No one knew of Fujimura Reiko’s other identity until later. It turned out Fujimura Reiko’s mother insisted on marrying someone Lian Sanshan disapproved of, causing a fallout. After marrying, she ceased contact with the Lian family.
Perhaps even Fujimura Reiko herself didn’t know she had such a powerful grandfather.
But after Fujimura Reiko’s death, her mother, unwilling to believe it was a mere accident, returned to the Lian family and pleaded with Lian Sanshan.
Lian Sanshan dispatched people to investigate Fujimura Reiko’s death, resulting in unknown outcomes. However, it was said that many high-ranking officers inexplicably ended up either jailed or sentenced to death at the time.
If he could secure Lian Sanshan’s assistance, Ji Nanhong’s future bid to lead the Celestial Court Army would likely be much smoother.
Chen Guan wanted to pull Fujimura Reiko to his side, hoping to influence Lian Sanshan indirectly, or at least ensure he didn’t side with the Xiu family.
Given that the Xiu and Ji families were cooperating now, there was no guarantee that they could coexist peacefully in the future.
Ji Nanhong’s path was fraught with challenges, and since Chen Guan was already united with her in marriage, he naturally had to consider for her sake.
Moreover, if Ji Nanhong could control the Celestial Court Army, Chen Guan would access more resources in the future. Without such resources, simply sustaining the Secret Technique of One would cap his achievements at the Grotto Heaven level, and he might even get stuck at the Fourth Awakening.
At the Fourth Awakening, the amount of primordial energy needed to level up was astronomical, making even a single level ascent as difficult as reaching the heavens, requiring ample resources to break through.
"Even the Emperor Ancestor probably didn’t expect anyone would actually practice the Secret Technique of One, right? With such a demand for primordial energy, advancing in later stages is nearly impossible," Chen Guan mused, feeling somewhat troubled.
He had calculated that when he reached Level 30, his limit for primordial energy reached into the billions; breaking through to the Fourth Awakening was perhaps his cap.
Advancing further would require resources comparable to what a corps needed for a breakthrough, becoming more daunting the further he progressed.
Chen Guan was even a little unsure if he’d be able to level up post-Fourth Awakening or even make it to Fourth Awakening.
If it came to it, he’d have to abandon the Secret Technique and adopt an easier-to-advance secret technique.
Fortunately, humans had no restriction on which secret technique they cultivated. They could switch techniques at any time, using a new one to continue cultivation based on their original foundation.
Chen Guan didn’t want to give up on the Secret Technique of One, but if a time came when he had no choice, he’d have to switch.
Fujimura Reiko felt a mix of emotions, not responding immediately.
Chen Guan continued, "As for the Eight Great Royals and Shang Qingtian, you don’t need to worry; I can handle them on your behalf."
"Let’s talk after my face has healed," Fujimura Reiko, still proud, responded. If her face wasn’t restored, she’d rather stay at the Eight Great Royal Halls, accepting death as a form of peace.
"Alright," Chen Guan agreed verbally, while in his heart he wondered what to do if Mao Mao couldn’t thoroughly cleanse her facial toxins to win Fujimura Reiko over.
In any case, he had to help her get past Shang Qingtian first, then he could return and extract her from the Eight Great Royals.
Shang Qingtian would be easy enough to handle; worst-case scenario, they’d make off with Fujimura Reiko.
But requisitioning someone from the Eight Great Royals wouldn’t be so simple.
The Eight Great Royals possessed unfathomable strength, beyond that of typical Third Awakening Secret Spirits, demonstrated by their ability to guard the Nether Spring—a testament to their fearsome power.
Moreover, Fujimura Reiko’s life was in the hands of the Eight Great Royals, and should they choose mutual destruction, that certainly wasn’t Chen Guan’s intent.
"Perhaps I’d better deliver that letter," Chen Guan was plotting when he suddenly heard something tearing.
Turning his head, he saw the strands of light enveloping Mao Mao splitting open, making a sound like the ripping of cloth, both soothing and unsettling.
As the light strands tore, a curled-up figure appeared before Chen Guan.
The original colorful caterpillar vanished, replaced by a human-like Secret Spirit with a paired set of dreamlike, colorful butterfly wings on her back.
As her butterfly wings unfolded, the Secret Spirit girl gradually stretched her body, and the light strands danced around her, weaving into ribbons that soon transformed into a colorful Immortal Robe.
Chen Guan was dumbstruck, watching the previously frightening caterpillar transform into a fairy-like butterfly girl.
Ten Thousand Poison Insect Emperor (Unparalleled): Level 11 Spirit Pet.
Ten Thousand Poison Primordial Energy: 21 points.
Growth Rate: 2.0
Lifebound Talent: Poisonous Insect Emperor (Unparalleled).
Secret Technique: Ten Thousand Poison True Solution (Unparalleled)
Secret Skill: Unsolvable Poison (Unparalleled)
Secret Treasure: None.
The Ten Thousand Poison Insect Emperor had taken the form of a butterfly girl, resembling a human, but with two antenna-like tendrils atop her head; her stature slightly shorter than an average human woman, standing under one meter sixty.
Yet, with wings, she floated off the ground, appearing taller than average human women.
Her figure also played a role; the butterfly girl naturally had long legs, giving her a proportion that normal human women found hard to achieve, visually heightening her appearance.
"She needs a proper name; ’Mao Mao’ isn’t befitting. It’s suitable as a nickname, but she needs a real name," Chen Guan pondered, considering a new name for the butterfly girl.
Where Chen Guan once thought ’Mao Mao’ was fine, now, he was contemplating anew.
As he mused, noises from Fujimura Reiko’s side drew his attention. Turning to look, he saw the charred scabs on Fujimura Reiko’s face falling away, shedding like the peeling paint on a wall.
The areas where blackened crust had shed revealed a fresh, reddish-white skin, with no trace of the previous scars.
Soon the charred scabs mostly fell away, leaving only a few scattered patches that hadn’t completely detached.
At this moment, Fujimura Reiko’s true face began to emerge.
She was indeed a great beauty with a dignified face, traditionally suitable for playing the lead roles—not the beauty of a dainty, delicate young girl.
