Her grandson’s rare visit made his grandmother overjoyed. She immediately turned to head for the backyard, intending to catch their fattest hen and make soup.

Yang Qi quickly stopped her.

"Grandma, don’t worry about it. I have to head back this afternoon. Killing a chicken and making soup takes too long. A simple meal is fine. I’ll be happy with just some eggs."

"How could that be okay? You came all this way just to eat eggs..." His grandmother was still reluctant.

"Why not? Have you forgotten? When I was little, my favorite thing to eat was the sweet egg soup you used to make."

Yang Qi smiled, cajoling her. "Besides, chicken soup is too greasy. I have to drive this afternoon, and eating too much will make me sleepy, which isn’t safe. Let’s just have eggs and stir-fry a couple of fresh vegetables from the garden. That would be better than anything."

After a great deal of persuasion, he finally managed to talk his insistent grandmother out of killing the chicken.

The old woman turned and carefully selected seven or eight of the largest, most perfectly colored free-range eggs from a bamboo basket in the corner of the kitchen, weighing them in her hand.

"Fine, we’ll do it your way. These eggs look good. I’ll use two to make you some egg drop soup, and I’ll boil the rest for you to take on the road as a snack. You can peel one whenever you get hungry."

"Okay."

Yang Qi nodded and picked up an apron to start cooking, but his grandmother pushed him aside.

"Go on, go on. There’s no need for you to do anything. Just go watch the fire for me by the stove opening."

Yang Qi had no choice but to obediently sit on the small stool in front of the familiar earthen stove and light the fire.

The orange flames of the stove flickered across his face. The firewood CRACKLED, mingling with the SIZZLE of hot oil in the iron wok.

It was the most comforting and familiar sound from his memories.

Lunch was simple but filled with the taste of home: a plate of stir-fried cabbage, a large bowl of golden egg drop soup dotted with oil and scallions, a plate of stir-fried dried tofu with garlic scapes and cured meat, and a small dish of his grandmother’s own pickled, refreshingly crisp radishes.

Served with white rice, Yang Qi’s appetite was wide open, and his grandmother chuckled as she continuously put more food on his plate.

Xiaojiu ate cat food, while Ta Xue drank a special milk formula.

After the meal, the grandmother and grandson moved their small stools to sit under the old tree at the entrance to the main room.

His grandmother held Yang Qi’s hand, chattering on as she asked about his work, his life, and his living situation in the city. Then she’d talk about which village family had a son who got married, or whose child had gotten into a good school.

Yang Qi listened patiently, picking out things to say that would make the old woman happy.

Xiaojiu and Ta Xue sometimes lay beside them, and sometimes wandered around the front and back yards.

Just after two in the afternoon, his grandmother started ushering him out.

"It’s already two o’clock. You should get going. It’s a long way back to the city. Try to arrive before dark. Driving at night isn’t safe, and Grandma would worry."

As she spoke, she glanced at the black SUV parked on the concrete path outside and casually asked, "That big car looks pretty new. It must have cost a lot, right?"

Yang Qi’s expression didn’t change as he replied in a relaxed tone, "It was okay, a hundred thousand. The Good Samaritan award money from the city was just enough, so I figured I’d buy it to make things more convenient."

Hearing that he had used award money, and since "a hundred thousand"—while still a huge sum in her simple worldview—seemed much more "reasonable" than luxury cars costing several hundred thousand, she didn’t overthink it.

So, without another thought, she just took Yang Qi’s hand and reminded him again and again.

"You have to be extra careful when you drive. It’s okay to go a little slower. The most important thing is to get home safely."

"I will, Grandma. Don’t worry," Yang Qi replied, nodding repeatedly.

Before leaving, Yang Qi took out an object wrapped in red cloth from an inner compartment of his backpack.

He unwrapped the red cloth to reveal a small, exquisitely crafted, deep blue sachet. Embroidered on the front in gold thread was the character for "Ping’an."

Yang Qi placed the sachet into his grandmother’s calloused palm and said in a deliberately serious tone, "Grandma, please keep this safe. I made a special trip to Jinshan Temple a while ago to sincerely pray for this Body Protection Talisman. I heard it’s very effective. You must carry it with you at all times. Never be without it. It will keep you safe."

He leaned in closer and added in a hushed voice, "Also, about that medicinal wine—it’s very effective, but you should only have a small cup yourself each day. Don’t mention it to anyone else in the village. You shouldn’t flash your wealth, and the same goes for valuable things. It’s best to avoid unnecessary trouble."

His grandmother took the sachet, which had a faint scent of sandalwood, and gently traced the fine stitching with her finger. She looked up and chided him with a smile.

"You child. Now that you’re out working, you’ve become so thoughtful, even thinking about things like this. Don’t worry, Grandma knows what to do. I’ll keep the good stuff to myself."

She carefully tucked the sachet into a pocket of her innermost layer of clothing, patted it, and only then did she seem at ease.

Then, her tone shifted, and she started nagging again.

"Xiaoqi, your job is stable now, and you’re not getting any younger. It’s time to think about settling down. Have you met any girls in the city that you clicked with? If you find someone suitable, give it a try. Get married soon. Grandma is still waiting to hold her great-grandchild..."

Yang Qi was long accustomed to this kind of matchmaking pressure. He mumbled vague agreements, "Okay, okay, I’ll keep an eye out, I’ll try," then started the car and drove away under his grandmother’s reluctant gaze. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

...

By the time he returned to the Zoo, it was completely dark. The park was quiet, with only the dim yellow glow of the streetlights.

Yang Qi parked the car and called his grandmother to let her know he had arrived safely.

Afterward, he went inside, washed half a catty of Spirit Rice to make porridge, and ate it with the boiled eggs he’d brought back for dinner.

Xiaojiu and Ta Xue also happily lapped up the Spirit Rice Porridge, their tails wagging back and forth.

At midnight, the system settled its accounts right on schedule.

[Today’s work is complete. The host has fed a total of four types of Spirit Beasts. Contribution Points +20]

Yang Qi checked his remaining contribution points after the last lottery: 75.

’Just 5 more points and I can draw again.’

Averting his gaze, Yang Qi continued to circulate his energy, meditating to regulate his breathing.

「At the crack of dawn the next day」

He first fed the wolf pack and the little raccoons as usual, then took Ta Xue to the back mountain.

On previous trips to the back mountain, the mother clouded leopard would quickly appear after Ta Xue called out a few times.

But today, Ta Xue called out several times, and the mountain forest remained silent.

Yang Qi frowned slightly.

’Did something happen?’

He didn’t wait any longer. Executing the Spirit Crane Body Technique, his figure shot forward, carrying Ta Xue as he zipped through the mountain forest.

He crossed two mountain peaks in quick succession.

Suddenly, the frantic and panicked SQUEAKING of a monkey echoed from the valley ahead, mingled with the familiar low growl of a feline and the sound of branches and leaves being violently shaken.

Yang Qi’s heart tightened. He flew toward the sound.

Soon, Yang Qi saw a stout macaque scrambling pathetically between the branches of a tall, broad-leafed tree, trying to escape.

As it fled, it frantically plucked wild fruits and broke off thin branches, hurling them backward haphazardly.

Not far behind it, on another tree, a slender, agile, mottled figure was in hot pursuit, its sharp claws digging into the trunk as it leaped through the air.

It was the mother clouded leopard!

"Great Sage?"

Yang Qi recognized him at a glance. The macaque fleeing for its life was none other than the Monkey King from the Zoo’s Monkey Mountain!

’How did this guy end up on the back mountain?’

’And he picked a fight with the mother clouded leopard?’

[Mission triggered: "Eight-armed Vajra" has been detected escaping the sect and is currently battling "Lightning Leopard". The host is instructed to immediately stop the two Spirit Beasts, and either capture "Eight-armed Vajra" or recruit "Lightning Leopard" back to the sect.]