When Li Qian got home, it was already past 10:30 PM. Since he hadn't returned, his parents hadn't gone to bed. They were sitting in the living room, waiting for him.
Pushing the door open, Li Qian saw both his parents sitting on the living room sofa, clearly waiting for him. He said, a little sheepishly, "Dad, Mom, you're still up?"
Truthfully, Li Qian didn't want his parents to worry about him, but he had to go out to train Ah Fu to master the Climbing Waterfall Skill and to train Qizai to improve its Climbing Waterfall Skill Level.
"It's so late, and you still weren't back. How could we get any sleep?" his mother, Han Yuqing, said with concern as she beckoned for him to sit beside her.
"Mom, I'm fine," Li Qian said with a smile, then pointed toward the fish tank. "I took Ah Fu out. I have to train it and help it evolve."
As he said this, his tone grew a little somber. "Ah Fu is already very old. If it can't evolve soon, it probably won't live much longer."
"There's no problem with you going out to train Ah Fu, but don't stay out too late. You're still just a kid, and it's too dangerous for you to be out there," his father, Li Chengyang, began. "Setting aside bad people, there are still wild Pet Beasts outside the city. Some wild Pet Beasts will attack humans on sight."
"Dad, I'm eighteen. How am I still a kid?" Li Qian retorted. "Besides, I'm not going far—just to the Lingshui River in the West Suburb, by the hydropower station. There are management personnel stationed there all year round. It's not dangerous at all."
"The hydropower station, you say? It's not far, but it's still somewhat dangerous. How about this: starting tomorrow, after I get off work, I'll have the Land Bear go protect you. Then it can come back with you later." Li Chengyang was still uneasy, so he made an arrangement.
Han Yuqing rose from the sofa and headed for the kitchen, voicing her own thoughts. "Your Land Bear may be Tier Seven Elite, but it's a little slow. My Gray Bean Dove is only Tier Three Elite, but it can fly and is much faster than the Land Bear. It can handle most situations. So, after I get off work, I'll send the Gray Bean Dove to accompany Li Qian."
"That works too." Li Qian couldn't win against them, so he could only agree. At least this would set their minds at ease.
Besides, the Gray Bean Dove had no work duties after his mother finished her shift, so it wouldn't affect her job. It really was a solution that served both sides well.
The only pity was that, due to their family's limited means, neither his father, Li Chengyang, nor his mother, Han Yuqing, had formed a contract with a second Pet Beast. This was despite the fact that both had reached the Elite Level as Beast Masters, with his father being a Tier Seven Elite.
There was no helping it. Setting aside the cost of raising a second Pet Beast, the price of simply purchasing one was far beyond what their family could afford.
"Oh, right, you haven't eaten dinner yet, have you?" his mother, Han Yuqing, asked as she walked into the kitchen and lifted the lid off the pot of food she had been keeping warm.
Li Qian followed her into the kitchen. A glance at the food in the pot made his mouth water. "I brought a couple of pieces of bread to eat, but I'm actually a bit hungry now. It's mainly because your cooking is too delicious, Mom. Just looking at it gives me an appetite."
"If you have an appetite, then eat plenty. Just leave the bowl and chopsticks in the pot when you're finished," Han Yuqing instructed before leaving the kitchen.
Li Qian remained in the kitchen. He dished out the food, sat down at a small table there, and began to eat with great relish.
"That kid… do you think he's really researching the evolution of the Koi Carp?" Li Chengyang asked doubtfully when he saw Han Yuqing emerge from the kitchen.
"Whether he's researching Koi Carp evolution or just wants an early taste of being a Beast Master, it doesn't matter, as long as he's happy," Han Yuqing said gently. "We can't provide him with better circumstances, so we might as well let him grow freely."
"Our Li Qian has always been a sensible child. I trust he won't do anything reckless."
Hearing this, Li Chengyang nodded. "That's true."
Early the next morning, after eating breakfast, Li Qian first took a detour to the artificial waterfall to check on Qizai and Ah Fu, only then heading to school.
He had Breeder class that morning, and since Li Qian had some lingering questions he was hoping to get answered, he certainly wasn't going to miss it.
Besides, his teacher, Chu Xiran, was a great beauty, and being in the same room as a great beauty was always a pleasant experience.
After the class bell rang, Ms. Chu Xiran entered the classroom wearing a stylish office uniform.
With a slender figure and delicate features, she was the polar opposite of Ms. Zhu Bingqing. Her entire being exuded the graceful and gentle aura of a well-bred lady.
Coincidentally, her lecture today was also on the subject of potions.
"Our most important duty as Breeders is to use all available resources to help our Pet Beasts grow and reach greater heights," Ms. Chu Xiran said, her voice like a babbling brook. "And potions are an extremely important type of resource."
"You could say the general term 'potions' is comprised of two distinct types. The first is 'elixirs,' which refers to things like Elixir Pills, and the second is 'reagents'…"
Ms. Chu Xiran continued on, eloquently explaining many foundational concepts about potions. While it didn't give Li Qian any inspiration for his own research project, he still felt he had benefited immensely from the lecture.
The afternoon was dedicated to general academics—classes like language arts, math, and foreign languages. While these subjects were certainly useful, they weren't of great importance to Li Qian at the moment. So, he didn't pay much attention, focusing instead on the materials Gao Yaxin had given him.
In truth, he wasn't the only one; very few students paid close attention during the general academic classes.
The day flew by. The moment it was past five o'clock, Li Qian eagerly left the classroom, just as he had the day before.
Fatty An saw this and frowned slightly.
He knew, of course, what Li Qian was up to. But seeing him act with such urgency, as if racing against time, left Fatty An both puzzled and a little worried.
Besides Fatty An, one other person had also taken note of Li Qian's strange behavior over the past two days. This person was none other than the monitor of Senior Year Class 5, Tu Jiaojiao.
She watched Li Qian go, lost in thought for a moment. Then, a flicker of sympathy and pity flashed in her eyes.
'I heard Li Qian's family isn't very well-off,' she thought. 'With graduation so close, could he be going out to work a part-time job to earn money for a Spiritual Power Potion?'
'I'll watch him for a few more days,' she decided. 'If he keeps this up, I'll help him in whatever way I can.'