Jealousy!
Niu Niu turned his head away, hiding in the corner to dust himself off.
Lin Chen coughed dryly; there's no time to explain now...
Touching beasts takes priority.
"No worries," Lee Zaiqing said nonchalantly.
Qin Hao also had a favorable impression of Lin Chen, but still said, "I understand Brother Lin's preference, but the Panlin Python has a cleanliness obsession."
The Panlin Python and Xiaobai turned their heads simultaneously...
The former looked at its filthy scales, wondering, since when did it have a cleanliness obsession?
It could even go a month without a bath; do I, the snake, look like I have a cleanliness obsession?
Xiaobai, however, was delighted; it seemed that Niu Niu wasn't the only beast with a cleanliness obsession in this world.
Lin Chen also doubted it, as it didn't really seem to have such a habit.
But he didn't force it; such things need mutual consent.
"So..." Unexpectedly, Qin Hao said, "It's gonna cost extra."
Lin Chen wiped his sweat, negotiating for a while before giving him twenty, leaving Lee Zaiqing puzzled.
Twenty counts as money?
He thought it must be a much higher amount.
But for Lin Chen, although it was expensive, he didn't want to miss the opportunity.
Both the Panlin Python and the Iron Palm Bear were injured and had blood, presenting a chance for a touch.
Moreover, Lin Chen knew that finding situations like picking Xiaobai for a bargain was rare, and getting close to spirit beasts with better bloodlines was very challenging.
Once the deal was done, Lin Chen stepped forward to touch the bear.
He didn't touch the bear's head, as he felt such an affectionate gesture should be reserved for Xiaobai...
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain.
After the Bloodline Golden Hand took effect, the data quickly appeared:
[Dominant Bloodline: Iron Palm Bear 38.8%, Profound Armor Bear 11.2%, Frost Bear 8.8%]
[Hidden Bloodline: 11.2%]
[Polluted Bloodline: 30%]
Lin Chen's eyes lit up; these values were a bit exaggerated, indeed proving that you get what you pay for.
Without much thought, he quickly slid a hand over the wound...
Ow, what are you doing?!
The Iron Palm Bear's wound was touched, causing it to widen its eyes in pain.
Hey, where are you touching?
Lin Chen swiftly retracted his right hand, then moved to the Panlin Python and began using his left hand...
Upon contact, he immediately felt a handful of dust.
Whew~~~
You call this cleanliness obsession?
Even the street dust can't compare to your scales in terms of dustiness.
Lin Chen gazed at the pitch-black scales, lost in thought, as the data flickered through his mind:
[Dominant Bloodline: Panlin Python 56.7%, Seven-Colored Scale 22.3%, Celestial Spirit Python 11%]
[Hidden Bloodline: None]
[Polluted Bloodline: 21%]
Lin Chen found this surprising; this python's future seemed destined only for evolution into the first two spirit beasts unless Qin Hao also had a Bloodline Golden Hand.
That was expected; Qin Hao's family conditions were merely average, so owning a combat pet was already commendable.
This time, he didn't touch the wound; seeing his dusty hand, he opted to wash one.
Afterwards, the three exchanged farewells courteously.
"Brother Lin, leave a contact address, so next time there's a task, I can find you for cooperation," Qin Hao offered.
As an ordinary person, he rarely got the chance to enter the academy, and he longed to interact with peers.
Lin Chen gave him his home address, and they bid farewell.
Watching Lin Chen leave, Qin Hao glanced back at the Panlin Python and said, "Perhaps I should give you some special training?"
The Panlin Python furrowed its brow.
"Look, you're not even as intimidating as a cow, where's your combat pet majesty?"
"...."
.....
"...Xiaobai, listen to me, it's not what you think."
"Everything I'm doing is for our family."
Lin Chen pondered for a long time on how to console the emotionally wounded Xiaobai.
"Moo~~"
Unexpectedly, Xiaobai mooed beside him, and when Lin Chen turned, Xiaobai sniffed with his cow nose and mooed a few more times.
Meaning:
Niu Niu knows that habits are hard to change, but try not to touch other spirit beasts' heads in the future.
Lin Chen was taken aback, then patted Xiaobai's head with his left hand.
Xiaobai didn't close his eyes comfortably but kept staring intently at Lin Chen's hand...
It had been watching in secret, knowing Lin Chen washed only one hand.
"The left hand, it's clean," Lin Chen said.
Only then did Xiaobai enjoyably let out a contented moo.
Upon reaching home, Lin Chen immediately took out a container to preserve the dried blood.
Xiaobai had recently purified his blood, and 11.2% was too high; with Xiaobai's cultivation, he wouldn't be able to handle it yet.
Moreover, Xiaobai only had nine successful endowments left.
Lin Chen also contemplated whether he could find items with higher hidden bloodlines in the future.
Actually, before leaving, Lin Chen wanted to remind Lee Zaiqing about how great the Iron Palm Bear was, but ultimately decided against it.
Beastmaster talents aren't generally discussed with outsiders; mentioning it could spark speculation, and with Lee Zaiqing's temperament, he surely wouldn't listen.
In the future, Lin Chen and Lee Zaiqing wouldn't likely be on the same path.
....
Lee Mansion
"What?! Lost to a cow?"
The Lee Family Patriarch, Lee Gao, looked at Lee Zaiqing incredulously.
"Father, did we get deceived?" Lee Zaiqing asked.
Lee Gao had spent 1.5 million for the store manager of a Lee Family-owned sales store to find this Iron Palm Bear.
The store manager had confidently asserted it was a premium combat pet.
Who would've thought it lost to a Plowhorn Beast today?
"I doubt he dared to trick me," Lee Gao pondered, but soon lifted his head, saying, "No matter, Qing'er, when the time is right, replace the spirit beast; the Iron Palm Bear's level is ordinary."
"The Beastmaster's strength is reflected in the quality of the spirit beast."
"Even if the Iron Palm Bear passes the next hurdle, and evolves, what about the next one?"
Hearing this, Lee Zaiqing found it reasonable, realizing they would definitely need to replace the Iron Palm Bear in the future.
"Is there any pressing matter at the city meeting today?" Lee Zaiqing inquired.
"Nothing urgent, but someone stirred up a fox den," Lee Gao explained.
In the lingo of spirit beast traders, "stirring up a fox den" was understood by Lee Zaiqing, as he'd grown up hearing it.
From the Late Taichu to the Celestial Beast Era, the Human-Demon War never ceased; although a treaty was later reached, Blue Star is vast, and humans occupy a mere thirty percent, with much of the remainder undeveloped or reserved for spirit beasts.
This was part of the human-demon treaty, so many places still had so-called "Demon Race Forbidden Zones".
"Is it big?" Lee Zaiqing asked.
"Quite significant," Lee Gao replied, "that Divine Fox was of Sacred Beast quality with six tails." He sighed, "Too bad I was late, someone else got ahead."
Lee Zaiqing was intrigued; a six-tailed Divine Fox was a supreme bloodline.
"With the den gone, the other little foxes escaped; Jiuxing City might face a small beast tide..."
As Lee Gao mentioned this, his eyes lit up.
To merchants, the current beast tide wasn't a threat; it spelled money.