Don't Discriminate Against Species

Chapter 99 - Pet

A major event like successfully passing the Nine Hearts’ Tribulation wasn’t even more important than whether or not his original form was that of a rabbit?

The Kunpeng turned his head, shooting a glance at Gong Fu. With a wave of his hands, all the things in the room were restored to their original condition. Then, he took out a carpet from his Qiankun pouch, laid it out on the floor, and sat down cross-legged. “There’s no use asking me about this sort of thing. Ask Gong Fu.”

Seeing that Fu Li was going to get down from his embrace, Zhuang Qing hesitated for a moment, and then mimicked the Kunpeng, sitting cross-legged on the carpet without releasing his grip on Fu Li. Seemingly very used to being carried, Fu Li soon found a comfortable position in Zhuang Qing’s arms to nest in.

Zhuang Qing gently stroked the fur on Fu Li’s back and couldn’t help wondering who exactly had carried Fu Li so frequently for him to be so used to someone else’s hug. Was it those yao cultivators on Reflecting Mist Mountain, or... the human that Fu Li called his pet?

Gong Fu walked into the room. Seeing the exceptional color of Fu Li’s fur, he couldn’t stop himself from extending a hand.

“Gong Fu daren,” Zhuang Qing’s outstretched hand blocked Gong Fu. “Fu Li is a yao cultivator with intelligence. These actions of yours may be a little inappropriate.”

“It’s called ‘caressing’ when an elder helps a junior stroke their fur. How is that inappropriate?” Gong Fu pretended not to have understood Zhuang Qing’s words. He was going to pat Fu Li’s head, but Zhuang Qing directly covered Fu Li with his arms, his speed unexpectedly even faster than Gong Fu.

Gong Fu sighed and sat down beside the Kunpeng. “The young yao nowadays have less and less respect for their seniors.”

Zhuang Qing had long heard Fu Li making such complaints. When he looked down at Fu Li, Fu Li’s head was turned towards the wall, looking entirely like he hadn’t heard anything. Unable to help himself, Zhuang Qing pinched his ear, and then... pinched it another time.

Because the soft feel of it was way too good.

The other yao in the entire building didn’t dare to sleep soundly after the sudden movement. They waited for a very long time with their eyes fixed on the empty windows, but heard no other sound. They shook their blankets, sending the shards of glass on the blankets to the ground, and then flipped over, continuing to sleep.

They were all inhabitants of the cultivation world; a few glass fragments on the bed wasn’t much of an issue.

The four yao were seated in the shape of a triangle. Fu Li took out four drink cans from his Qiankun pouch, used his claws to push two cans opposite him, and split the remaining two cans between him and Zhuang Qing. The Kunpeng watched Zhuang Qing help Fu Li to pull open the tab on the can, even sticking a straw in. He couldn’t help muttering in his heart to Gong Fu, “Truly the life of a young master. Zhuang Qing is such a serious dragon, yet he still has the patience to do this.”

Gong Fu pulled open the tab of the drink can and took a sip from it, ignoring the Kunpeng. Instead, he asked once again about the course of events and details of Fu Li’s tribulation experience. After hearing about the process of Fu Li’s dispute with the ‘fake Heart of Dao’, he suddenly felt joyful.

“Don’t listen to the Kunpeng and think that the tribulation you passed was very easy,” Gong Fu placed his drink can down, solemnity all over his handsome face. “Greed is pretty much the instinct of all life forms, just that the degree of it varies. The fact that you could effortlessly pass the tribulation wasn’t because of good luck, but because you have a simple and unyielding heart. For instance, that cultivation method that can revive a life form – to many creatures, this is an enormous temptation. Who has not missed the deceased? Who has not had the thought that ‘if only he was still alive, everything would be good’?”

Fu Li had been pampered and raised from childhood. Now that he was on his own outside, did he not miss his close friends?

Moreover, his close relatives had appeared at the tribulation of the eighth heart. To Fu Li, this was akin to the most delicious bait. If he did not have a firm Heart of Dao, he might have long sunk deeply into this beautiful illusion, never to leave.

The first eight tribulations weren’t considered much. In reality, the truly dangerous one was the ninth tribulation. If even an iota of instability were to appear in his heart when he chose the immortal palace’s door and argued with the Heart of Dao, he would sink into a nightmare that could never be awoken from. Eventually, his physical self would die and his Dao would vanish.

Every tribulation appeared simple but carried immense danger. In fact, Gong Fu couldn’t help thinking that if Fu Li hadn’t encountered the yao cultivators who had brought him up, he might have become a great yao worshipped by countless yao. But the way things were now was even better – he had friends, a livelihood, and even a small thought of becoming a civil servant. What was so good about becoming a great yao? Those who managed to live right underneath the eyes of heavenly law were either discrete or had little courage. The previous glory of the yao world had long disappeared. Even those who became great yao would perhaps ultimately die at the hands of heavenly law.

“You... are indeed not an ordinary rabbit,” Gong Fu smiled. His smile was very gentle. “When I had yet to become a great yao, I lived in my father’s Azure Dragon Palace. He once told me about a creature in the world called the Hou, a primordial spirit formed from the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth. Its body is made of five-colored stone. When it first takes form, it is as small as a pika. If it attains a heavenly chance and grows to adulthood, its appearance will be similar to a rabbit and dog. With endless power, it will become a region’s overlord.”

“But five-colored stone is extremely hard to come by, and how much spiritual qi is there to form a primordial spirit? Which is why there is only one of you since the time the world took form,” Gong Fu’s smile warmed even further. “According to the current sayings, you are a rare animal in the cultivation world.”

He stretched his hand towards Fu Li’s head once more, and was once again blocked by Zhuang Qing.

The smile on Gong Fu’s face stiffened. He had already tossed out such an important piece of information, so why couldn’t this dragon forget about this matter out of shock?

“There seems to be something wrong about this,” Fu Li bit on the straw, taking a few sips of his drink. “Since there wasn’t any creature like me who was born at that time, how did Dragon God daren know that a life form like me is called a Hou? Or is it to say that as the protector god of one of the world’s directions, Dragon God daren can calculate approximately when a new life form will be born, and thus randomly give it a name in advance?”

Gong Fu: ...

He hadn’t considered this question before, though he was in inexplicable agreement with Fu Li’s words. But how could he let his father’s dignity collapse in front of a junior? “Of course not. The birth of all living things in the world is accompanied by a certain heavenly chance. The term of address for a race naturally also carries Heaven and Earth’s opportunity. How can it be so random? You were born late and are still young, so it’s normal for you not to know about these.”

Fu Li nodded blankly. So there were also many things to pay attention to when it came to the names of the races of yao cultivators. He looked at his furry front claws and then hung his head all of a sudden. Zhuang Qing, whose attention had always been on him, hurriedly stroked his fur upon seeing his sudden loss of spirit. “What’s wrong?”

Fu Li glanced at Zhuang Qing. Covering his face with both claws, he asked with some embarrassment, “T-Then, is the Hou an auspicious beast or fiend?”

Gong Fu stared blankly. Fu Li asking this question had been out of his expectations. He had thought that Fu Li would ask how a Hou cultivated and which aspects it was strong in for it to become the master of a region. Who would have expected the eventual question to be this one.

“Why ask this?” Gong Fu laughed. All his facial features relaxed, as if he had encountered a happy occasion of great significance in his life as a yao.

Gong Fu’s smile made Fu Li even more bashful. Feeling that this question of his was really too childish, he buried his face into the crook of Zhuang Qing’s arm. “According to the cultivation world’s rules, those who are fiends by nature cannot participate in the human world’s exam for civil servants, no matter how good their results are.”

The sound of Gong Fu’s laughter became even louder. Only when Zhuang Qing reached the end of his patience and shot Gong Fu a glare did he hold his laughter back. He said with a smile, “Of course you’re an auspicious beast, an auspicious beast that couldn’t be any better.”

Fu Li blinked. He smiled with a satisfied heart. “That’s good then.”

He would have to continue studying and preparing to become a civil servant.

“You’ve just undergone a tribulation, have a good rest. I’ll leave with the amphibian first, we won’t disturb you,” Gong Fu pulled on the Kunpeng’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”

The Kunpeng had wanted to sit with Fu Li a while longer, yet Gong Fu didn’t give him even the slightest bit of face and dragged him out like he was a dead fish in front of a junior. Angered, he yelled continuously, “Don’t pull, don’t pull. This is my new shirt.”

The both of them were now freeloading elders without income who were dependent on their juniors to raise them. They already squandered a lot when it came to eating, so it would be better for them to be a bit more frugal when it came to clothing.

“Can’t we give two young yao some alone time at this happy moment?” Gong Fu flung the Kunpeng to the side, sending the Kunpeng rolling on the ground. With a pat of his buttocks, the Kunpeng climbed up.

“When a junior succeeds in passing a tribulation, we as elders should instruct them a bit more or at least take out a few congratulatory gifts. Did you drag me out because you wanted to save on a congratulatory gift?” The Kunpeng was not at all afraid to speculate about Gong Fu harboring the most malicious of intentions.

“There aren’t more than a few strands of hair on your head, aren’t you scared your head will blind them?” Gong Fu manifested a fan in his hand, which he slammed down on the Kunpeng’s head. “Look at how enthusiastically that little dragon protects Fu Li, you still don’t get it?”

“Those two are together.”

Creak.

The door behind the two of them opened and Song Yu stretched his head out with a face full of awkwardness. “Daren, do you want to come in for a cup of tea?”

The Kunpeng and Gong Fu stared blankly for a moment. Then, they realized that their rooms were on the floor above Fu Li’s and not the floor below. The Kunpeng straightened his clothes and coughed dryly. “No need, we should be going back to rest.”

“Then... take care?” Song Yu was genuinely scared that these two bosses would start fighting outside his door.

The Kunpeng glanced at the trembling Song Yu. With a jeer, he turned and headed upstairs. He really didn’t want to admit that this Suanyu was also a yao who had lived through the ancient times. His guts weren’t much larger than the point of a needle.

The Kunpeng pulled Gong Fu into his room and then cast a soundproofing spell. “You lied to him.”

“Lied to who?” Gong Fu lay down on the carpet lazily.

“Fu little Li, that rabbit.” The Kunpeng said resolutely, “Although I’m not sure exactly what kind of yao beast a Hou is, he definitely isn’t an auspicious beast by nature. In the past, didn’t you also...”

“So what if he’s an auspicious beast or fiend?” Gong Fu responded carelessly. “I’ve gotten over it already. Whether one is auspicious or a fiend is nothing more than a skill given to one by nature. Fiends may not necessarily be completely evil, and auspicious beasts may also not necessarily be honorable. Since Fu little Li is happy that he’s an auspicious beast, then he will be an auspicious beast. Do you have any objections?”

The Kunpeng: “None, you said it very well.”

This inferior brand of a dragon finally spoke decent yao speech.

After the Kunpeng and Gong Fu left, Song Yu heaved a huge sigh of relief, and then thought about the words he had heard while eavesdropping. He felt like his entire yao body wasn’t in a very good state. His boss Fu Li had gotten together with a golden dragon?

There were a total of three yao living on Song Yu’s floor. After a certain door was closed tightly, a certain chatgroup started becoming very lively.

Exceptionally Good Sword: Everyone, don’t sleep, don’t sleep. Fu ge and the boss’ romantic love has even been acknowledged by the ancient yao, Gong Fu daren.

Female Emperor’s Exclusive Hairpin: Don’t kick up a fuss in the middle of the night.

World’s Number One Fish. I... heard it too.

This matter had originally been a half-true and half-false joke among everyone. But after hearing Gong Fu daren say such a thing, they dared to be one hundred percent certain that the boss had truly gotten together with Fu ge.

Handsome Ke: It’s a happy occasion. Maybe the boss will become generous after getting together with Fu ge.

Devastatingly Beautiful: Hehe, you’re thinking too much. Generally speaking, stingy men will become even more stingy after settling down, because they have to save even more money to support their lover.

Exceptionally Good Sword: You two human cultivators aren’t sleeping either?

Devastatingly Beautiful: I couldn’t sleep after such a big racket.

Female Emperor’s Exclusive Hairpin: Just nice. Since you can’t sleep, I have snacks here. I’ll find you later on.

Devastatingly Beautiful: Okay. I bought a few new lipsticks, quickly come over and test out the colors.

Chao Yun pushed open her room door, and saw that all the lights along the corridor had been broken by the shockwave. The finish on the walls was also coming off. She was inwardly amazed. There was a defense magic formation in this building, so even if a yao cultivator’s spiritual qi went into a riot, the most that would happen was destruction of the things in their room. It was impossible to render the entire building in such a state.

She glanced at the corridor ahead. Cracking sounds could be heard as her feet stepped onto glass shards. She looked down at her feet before turning and walking towards Xu Yuan’s room.

At the empty window, Fu Li discovered that magic would not restore the broken glass. He glanced at Zhuang Qing guiltily without uttering a word.

“There aren’t any magic formations on the glass, so they can’t be restored to their former condition after being broken,” Even if the other party had a rabbit’s face at the moment, Zhuang Qing could still discern his inner thoughts. “I will let the finance department calculate the amount of glass that was broken and deduct the damage from your salary.”

“Oh,” Fu Li wondered which year and month he would receive his wages if it continued to be deducted in this manner.

“But all the magic formations are set up by me, so I won’t take the labor cost from you,” Zhuang Qing carried Fu Li and stood up. “It’s not convenient to live in a place without windows, I’ll bring you over to my place to stay for the time being. You can move back after the windows have been installed.”

“Then what about the colleagues who live in the building?” Fu Li felt even more guilty.

“They each have their own accommodation, don’t worry.”

Fu Li then realized that all his colleagues in the bureau had their own property, and that it was only him who didn’t. At this moment, he unconsciously forgot about the two dependents, Gong Fu and the Kunpeng.

“Let’s walk back,” Zhuang Qing made his way out of the management bureau. Gazing up at the moon in the sky, he asked Fu Li, “Do you mind?”

“No, it’s fine as long as you’re happy,” Fu Li shook his tail. It wasn’t like he was walking anyway.

After walking in silence for a while, Zhuang Qing blew out a long breath of air. “ I don’t know what I should say, but still, congratulations on advancing greatly in your cultivation.”

“Thank you,” Fu Li rested his head on Zhuang Qing’s shoulder. “My premonitions are pretty accurate, turns out I’m really not a rabbit but a Hou. Have you read any stories about the Hou?”

“No, I’ve only heard of a type of yao beast called the Golden-Haired Hou. It’s not the same as you.” The wind was a bit chilly. Zhuang Qing held Fu Li a little tighter. “You’re more powerful than that kind of yao beast.”

“I think so too.”

Zhuang Qing broke into a smile at Fu Li’s shameless attitude. He didn’t smile often, but when he did, it was also done in a very reserved way, with a kind of self-restrained allure. But Fu Li did not see this smile, and even if he did, he probably wouldn’t understand this type of beauty.

“I’m a great yao now. If some other yao runs over to cause trouble in the future, you mustn’t stand in front of me. You’re a perfectly good golden dragon, don’t become a bald dragon,” Fu Li gently patted Zhuang Qing’s shoulder with his claws. “You have the right to rest and be lazy sometimes. The heavy burdens of the cultivation world should not be shouldered by you.”

“If I don’t shoulder them, how will there be places where the cultivation world’s little yao can fit in? Who knows how many thoughtless yao will come out to cause trouble?” Zhuang Qing propped up Fu Li’s butt with his hand. “I have no cares, having things to do can add some meaning to my life.”

“It’s fine, I’ll shoulder them with you in the future,” Fu Li started patting Zhuang Qing’s shoulder with his claws again. “I’m a great yao now, I can cover for you if anything happens in the future. I won’t make you bored.”

Zhuang Qing’s feet came to a halt. “Really?”

“Really.”

“You’ll keep me company all the time?”

Fu Li said, “Am I that kind of yao who will lie to juniors?”

Zhuang Qing let out a low laugh. He didn’t remind Fu Li that he himself had also just reached adulthood. “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks, is there a need for us to distinguish between what’s yours and mine?”

“Yup, we...” Zhuang Qing stroked Fu Li’s fluffy back. “We won’t distinguish between what’s yours and mine.”

“Ai, brother.” Two young men were passing by Zhuang Qing on their motorbikes when they came to a stop along the roadside and shouted loudly, “You treat your pet too well, aren’t you tired carrying it?”

“It’s cold during winter and the ground’s dirty. He gets sleepy very often, so carrying him is more convenient,” Zhuang Qing answered the strangers’ boring question in a very good mood.

“You’re really pampering him,” The young men flashed Zhuang Qing a thumbs-up.

“No choice. I cherish him, so I can’t bear to see him suffering,” Zhuang Qing revealed a smile.

When the young men left on their motorbikes, Fu Li harrumphed. “Those two humans have no eyes, am I that sort of pet who needs to be raised by people?”

“We don’t have to lower ourselves to the level of such ignorant humans.”

Fu Li leaned his head forward again. After the excitement just now, he really was feeling a bit sleepy now. Zhuang little dragon’s embrace was very warm and steady. If not for the fact that he had promised his human pet to never raise another pet, he would want to raise Zhuang little dragon now.

Elder White Ape once said that a friend who couldn’t bear for him to suffer would definitely be a good friend.

“Fu Li...”

“Fu Li?”

Zhuang Qing patted Fu Li, who had already fallen asleep on him. He shook his head with a helpless smile. He had really fallen asleep just like that. It seemed like passing the Nine Hearts’ Tribulation had only increased his cultivation, his brain was still the same old thing.

For him to have lived so many years with this degree of stupidity, he must have relied entirely on luck.

Ilyz: they make me so soft 🥺