Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Warning! The Sect is Under Attack by a Horde of Demons

"Meow~"

Xiaojiu squinted comfortably and nudged Yang Qi’s palm with his head.

"Mrow?"

Ta Xue padded over, tilting her little head and looking at Yang Qi and Xiaojiu with curiosity.

Her keen Spiritual Sense seemed to detect that something had changed between the two of them.

"You wait... you’re the one after next."

Yang Qi stroked Ta Xue’s fluffy little head, his gaze shifting to Bai Wan, who was sitting quietly by the door, on guard duty.

Ta Xue was still young, and as a rare and fierce beast like a clouded leopard, she wasn’t quite ready for a contract just yet.

Bai Wan was different. He was a Chinese Rural Dog, a common sight in the city, and had already shown great loyalty and adaptability.

Most importantly, after forming the contract, his tracking and search abilities might be further enhanced, which would be even more helpful to Yang Qi.

...

That evening.

After eating some Spirit Rice Porridge and taking a Qi Condensing Pill to aid his recovery, Yang Qi waited until his Magical Power was seventy or eighty percent restored. Then, he sat down to meditate again and began to condense the second Spirit Seed.

He was a little more skilled this time. It took about the same amount of time, and the second milky-white Spirit Seed successfully formed.

Yang Qi planted the Spirit Seed into Bai Wan’s body.

The moment the contract was sealed, Yang Qi clearly sensed Bai Wan’s vigorous life force and unwavering, loyal will.

Bai Wan also seemed to understand something. He became even more affectionate and obedient toward Yang Qi, and the intelligence in his eyes appeared to deepen.

As for Bai Wan’s talent...

Bloodburn!

Burn one’s own blood to unleash combat power, amplifying it several times over. The more injured he became, the more powerful he would be, right until he collapsed completely.

It was a combat-oriented talent!

...

For the next few days, whenever Yang Qi had a spare moment, he immersed himself in cultivating the Great Derivation Spirit-Controlling Technique.

During this time, he also did three lottery draws.

The first draw yielded "Low-Grade Spirit Rice (five jin)," a standard supply.

The second draw was a "Tier One Middle-Grade Body Protection Talisman." He had given the last talisman he’d received to his grandmother, hidden in a scented sachet, so this was a welcome replenishment.

The third draw got him a "Low-grade Spirit Stone (Fire Attribute)."

This was the first time Yang Qi had drawn a Spirit Stone. Since it was fire-attributed, absorbing it directly would be troublesome.

’I’ll save it for now,’ he thought.

...

The news that Yang Qi’s position had been made permanent finally spread to the other staff at the zoo.

Chen Zela’s private little group chat immediately blew up.

[@Yang Qi Brother Qi! Congrats on becoming permanent!]

[For real? So soon?]

[Brother Qi is a badass!]

[Brother Qi becoming permanent was totally expected, okay? With his skills and contributions, it was only a matter of time, right?]

[Exactly! Mad respect!]

[But the timing is ridiculously fast... I heard a big zoo from the Provincial Capital tried to poach him, so our zoo fast-tracked his promotion to keep him?]

[That happened?]

[@Yang Qi Brother Qi, come out and tell us! Did a zoo from the Provincial Capital really try to poach you?]

[Brother Qi is mighty! Treat us, treat us!]

[Yeah! You have to treat us!]

...

The chat was instantly flooded with messages of congratulations, curiosity, and playful demands.

Yang Qi was tagged repeatedly, and his phone wouldn’t stop vibrating, forcing him to open the group chat.

[Yang Qi: I just became permanent. Thanks, everyone.]

He completely ignored the questions about being poached.

[Brother Qi is mighty!]

[We’re all convinced Brother Qi deserves to be permanent.]

[Anyone who isn’t convinced can try pulling Great King’s ’tooth’ themselves. /doge]

[Hahaha...]

The group was lively, and Yang Qi wasn’t stingy. He sent a red envelope that was neither too small nor too large.

[Brother Qi is so generous!]

[Thanks, boss!]

...

Another round of cheers erupted, and the atmosphere grew even more festive.

Just as Yang Qi was about to exit the group chat, his phone vibrated again. Someone had tagged him in the "Liudong Study Group" chat.

He clicked on it and saw that Song Wan had posted a short video link and a question.

[Song Wan: @Yang Qi Yang Qi, is the cat in this video Xiaojiu? It looks just like him! So full of spirit!]

Yang Qi opened the link. It was indeed the final cut of the cat food commercial from the Xianzi Group.

The editing was superb, the music heartwarming. On screen, Xiaojiu was elegant and nimble, perfectly embodying the brand’s image of "nobility," "intelligence," and "health." Several close-ups were both incredibly cute and commandingly charismatic.

[Yang Qi: That’s Xiaojiu.]

[Ye Haibing: I knew it was Xiaojiu. What ordinary housecat has his kind of gaze and presence? This commercial is really well-made.]

[Gao Zhenyue: Looks like Xiaojiu is breaking into the advertising world to become an animal star. Brother Qi, don’t forget your bros when you get rich.]

[Song Wan: Right, right. Yang Qi, my company has a project right now and we’re looking for a suitable animal actor. How about I recommend Xiaojiu?]

[Ye Haibing: Why even ask? Of course you should recommend him!]

Seeing this, Yang Qi quickly replied.

[Thanks, but there’s no need. I’m a permanent employee now, so taking on outside commercial work would be very troublesome.]

[Ye Haibing: So what if you’re permanent?]

[Qian Yu: You dummy. Yang Qi is talking about a permanent position at a public institution. For employees with that kind of tenure, taking on private work, especially commercial advertising like this, is heavily restricted. The procedures are a hassle, and you could easily violate regulations. Anyway, congrats Yang Qi, you’ve made it ashore so quickly.]

The group fell silent for a moment.

[Gao Zhenyue: Holy crap! Brother Qi is amazing, you’re permanent already!]

[Ye Haibing: ...]

[Ye Haibing: I forgot about that part. Awesome, Brother Qi, you’re set for life now!]

[Song Wan: Sorry, sorry, I didn’t think it through. I’m so envious, Brother Qi!]

[Yang Qi: Just luck, just luck.]

Yang Qi replied, then sent another red envelope into the group as usual, shutting everyone up.

[Ye Haibing: Thanks, boss]

[Gao Zhenyue: The boss is generous!]

Another round of cheers followed, and the topic was quickly derailed by the red envelope.

...

He thought that was the end of the advertising matter, but the next morning, while Yang Qi was cleaning the wolf enclosure, his phone rang.

It was an unknown local number.

Yang Qi stepped outside the enclosure to answer. "Hello, who is this?"

"Hello, may I ask if this is Mr. Yang?" a polite male voice asked from the other end.

"This is he. Who’s calling?"

"Hello, Mr. Yang. I’m a project director from the Holy Court Advertising Company. My surname is Zhou."

The man explained, "It’s like this: we heard about you and your black cat, Xiaojiu, from Director Wang. We were very impressed with Xiaojiu’s on-camera presence."

"Our company is currently preparing a project, and we feel that Xiaojiu’s temperament and image are a perfect fit. We’d like to invite Xiaojiu to be one of the main stars of our commercial."

"I was wondering if you might be interested? As for compensation, we can offer two hundred thousand."

’Holy Court Advertising?’

Yang Qi remembered—that was the company Song Wan worked for.

A payment of two hundred thousand was definitely a high price for an animal actor.

"Hello, Director Zhou. Thank you very much for your high opinion of Xiaojiu."

Yang Qi first thanked him politely before explaining, "However, I’m very sorry, but due to my employment, I am now a permanent staff member of a public institution. According to the relevant regulations, taking on this kind of commercial advertising would be rather problematic. So, I’m afraid we won’t be able to work together this time. I’m truly sorry."

Hearing this, Director Zhou on the other end of the line was stunned for a moment, and his tone then filled with obvious regret.

"I see... That’s a real shame. Xiaojiu is truly a rare talent among animal actors."

He paused, then switched to a congratulatory tone. "But still, congratulations, Mr. Yang!"

"Thank you."

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before ending the call.

Yang Qi put his phone away and went back to his cleaning work, his heart untroubled.

’Two hundred thousand is nice, but it’s just a grain of sand compared to cultivation.’

[Warning! Warning! The sect is under attack by a horde of demons! The Mountain Protection Array has been destroyed! Host, please lead your Guardian Beasts immediately to eliminate the invading demon horde and protect the sect’s foundation!]

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