"So pretty." Watching the little kitty poking its head out of the cardboard box, Siyu's eyes lit up.
"Indeed, very pretty." Jiang Hou was also a bit amazed, Qin Buyi looked proud, knowing his daughter would love it.
"Meow...~" The kitty softly meowed, in a baby voice, looking up at Jiang Hou, its small pink mouth slightly opened to make a light sound again.
"Meow!" Jiang Hou responded with a meow, his tone instinctively becoming gentle.
This is the advantage that comes with good looks, applicable to all creatures, especially humans.
For example, if a single woman is walking down the street, her reaction to a man approaching her will vary based on his appearance. If the person trying to chat is handsome, it usually turns into an enjoyable conversation.
As for the ugly ones, that's called harassment...
The kitty cautiously climbed out of the cardboard box, its body just slightly larger than a palm, sniffing close to Jiang Hou, then rubbing against his pant leg warmly.
"It's so cute, Jiang Hou, let me hold it." Siyu squatted down and reached out to pick up the kitty.
"Meow!!" The kitty, rubbing against Jiang Hou's pant leg, had its fur stand on end, tail straight, and made a 'fierce' sound at the approaching Siyu.
"Uh..." The three were taken aback.
Qin Buyi was somewhat surprised: "I thought the kitty would be closer to Yu, considering she's a girl. But I didn't expect it to prefer Hou."
Saying this, Qin Buyi comforted his daughter.
"Don't worry, Yu, it might just be shy now; you'll be able to hold it freely once it's familiar after a while."
"Alright." Siyu felt a bit annoyed but could only nod at the kitty that bared its teeth and appeared vigilant toward her.
Although the kitty is small and adorable, if hostile, its sharp claws can easily inflict wounds, and a bite can leave four bleeding holes.
Though these wounds aren't deadly, they hurt...
"By the way, this kitty doesn't have a name. What do you think would sound nice?" Qin Buyi shifted the topic.
"Xiaobai." Siyu was the first to speak.
Jiang Hou said indifferently: "Anything is fine."
"Xiaobai, that's too ordinary of a name." Qin Buyi shook his head in denial. For such a pretty cat, a simple name seems a bit perfunctory to him.
The girl tilted her head and thought: "Then let's call it Xiaohong, Doudou, Xiaomi?"
"Meow!!" This time, even before Qin Buyi could reject it, the kitty at Jiang Hou's feet had already made a 'stern' protest.
"Can it understand what we're saying?" Siyu looked a bit surprised.
Qin Buyi chuckled and shook his head: "It's not human, how could it understand human words? But cats are quite spiritual animals; perhaps it simply doesn't like the sound of these names."
At this moment, Jiang Hou pondered slightly: "Legend has it cats have nine lives; how about calling it Feitong."
Feitong, Qin Buyi, and Siyu thought this name sounded quite nice, but what does it have to do with the nine lives?
Meow~
The kitty that bared its teeth at Siyu earlier now purred softly, apparently satisfied with the name.
"Alright, since the little one is pleased, let's go with this name." Qin Buyi finally decided.
But by noon, after eating, Qin Buyi received a call from the company, and although he was supposed to have two days off, he hurried back to work.
"Jiang Hou, I'm planning to visit Rourou's place later; how about you?"
Jiang Hou turned while washing the dishes: "...That girl classmate's house? You go ahead; I have to head to school in the afternoon, might come back a bit late."
Though not attending school today, Jiang Ruochan had messaged in the group chat in the morning that she would bring the Divine Weapon Fragment to the activity room in the afternoon.
Speaking of this, Siyu curiously asked: "How does that boxing technique feel after two days of practice?"
"Pretty good, I feel much more refreshed, and it seems like my eight-pack abs are about to emerge."
"You're boasting again." The girl smiled slightly, not believing Jiang Hou's words at all, since even professional trainers take long to build abs.
"Hey Siyu, what people are at that classmate's house?"
"At Rourou's place, it's just her and her sister."
Just two girls, that should be fine. Jiang Hou nodded, casually saying: "By the way, the surname Divine Palace is quite rare; they're not locals, are they?"
The girl nodded: "Indeed they're not from Yidu; from what Rourou said, they moved here a few months ago."
"Her sister is a freshman at Yidu Nanda, so she transferred over here."
If the sister is attending university, why would the younger one transfer schools and cities with her? Don't they have anyone else at home? Jiang Hou found it a bit odd, but people's family matters aren't his business.
"Go ahead, call me if anything happens."
Due to being cute and pretty from a young age, Qin Buyi and Jiang Hou are quite concerned about Siyu's safety, especially when visiting classmates' homes.
If there were any men in Divine Palace Feirou's family, no way would Jiang Hou agree with Siyu going over.
Going to a public place like a coffee shop or dessert place is okay; but going to someone's home raises concerns about their family members' integrity.
Since the agreed meeting time with Jiang Ruochan was three in the afternoon, Jiang Hou settled by the window on the balcony when Siyu left.
Feeling the warmth of the sunlight on him, Jiang Hou felt a slight drowsiness creeping in, prompting a yawn.
Spring fatigue, autumn slumber, this time catching some midday sun for a nap would be perfect. Having this thought, Jiang Hou lay flat on the floor.
Meow~ The kitty jumped off the couch onto Jiang Hou, rubbing against his face.
"Hey, don't, it tickles." Jiang Hou patted the kitty on the head, gently pushing it away.
Meow~
The kitty softly meowed, leaping onto Jiang Hou, padding on his chest, facing his face, its little tail swaying back and forth.
Watching the kitty comfortably sunbathing on him, Jiang Hou shook his head with a chuckle, reaching out into the air to grasp at the sunlight pouring through.
Absorbing the warmth of light on his skin, Jiang Hou mused.
This time the beast form evolved, the bloodline was elevated, and life transitioned, having minimal impact on the human form, except for a slight increase in basic attributes.
As for the awakened Bloodline Power of Dominance Power, it hadn't emerged in the human form.
It seems human remains human, beast remains beast; the two are distinctly separate, only sharing a link in basic physique.
This has both positives and negatives for Jiang Hou.
The downside is evident, as the gap between human and beast form widens, the human form risks becoming his weakness.
Unless he forever stays in beast form, never reverting to human.
On the plus side, the clearer the separation, the higher his chance of successfully merging the Divine Weapon Fragment, potentially paving a path to divinity in human form too.
In pondering this, Jiang Hou was filled with admiration.
"Indeed, the Life Transformation Ceremony devised by the Ancient Era's powerhouses is remarkable, enabling me to switch between beast and human form at will."
Of course, Jiang Hou wasn't sure if it solely attributed to the Blood Array.
Anyway, boasting is the way to go.