"Hello!"
The sudden appearance of Lin Hao and his group made Yu Xueqing feel a bit scared and nervous.
Their attire was really bizarre, given that in August the temperature in the Xia Dong Region can reach up to forty degrees.
Yet Lin Hao and his five henchmen were all dressed in suits, with Lin Hao wearing a burgundy shirt, dress pants, and leather shoes, while the others were uniformly in black shirts and slacks.
There was an aura about them that instinctively made Ah Qing feel very uncomfortable, a certain fierceness.
"What do you want to do?"
Ah Qing gently patted the little fox's belly, scanned the people surrounding her with caution and warning, and directly said, "This is Changxi Town, our village!"
Although Ah Qing was a bit scared, she wasn't particularly terrified.
Because this was Changxi Town, even if they flaunted their power outside, in a village where everyone was connected by family ties, as long as Ah Qing cried loudly enough, these fierce-looking thugs in front of her would have to face the collective justice of the villagers.
"......."
Lin Hao looked at Ah Qing without speaking, waiting until the hedgehog grandma on the chopping board exchanged greetings with the ferocious Master Fox opposite before he looked at Ah Qing and began to speak:
"Hello! I'm Lin Hao. My dad is a local from Hao Village in Xia Dong, and my mom is from Snow Village in Xia Dong. What I'm holding now is our household guardian [White Spirit]."
Lin Hao said with a subtle expression, "Our family's White Spirit is an old acquaintance of your family's Master Fox."
Ah Qing supported the little fox on her shoulder, her gaze shifting to the hairless hedgehog lying on the board, then side-eyeing the little An on her shoulder: "Do you know them?"
"Whimper..."
Ansheng nodded slightly, glaring at the gold-rimmed hedgehog, signaling it to keep its mouth shut and not say anything inappropriate beside Ah Qing.
He may roam wild outside, but he won't bring outside matters back home.
"Chirp chirp chirp..."
Grandma Hedgehog lifted her head, pointed at the nearby tea table, and said something to Lin Hao.
Although Lin Hao didn't understand Grandma Hedgehog's speech, there was a certain tacit understanding between the two.
Lin Hao placed the chopping board and the small nest on the empty tea table nearby. Ansheng leapt onto the tea table, maintaining a crouching posture, the two of them staring at each other.
"Our White Spirit encountered your family's Master Fox when they were washing their feet not long ago." Lin Hao smiled at Yu Xueqing, drawing her attention:
"Originally, it was just an unintended encounter, but who would have thought we could meet again here? It seems our White Spirit really likes your Master Fox."
"Can a hedgehog and a fox become friends?" Ah Qing showed a confused expression, feeling something was amiss, remembering something about a fox's diet...
"They're both intelligent mammals, so why can't they become friends?"
Lin Hao sat in the chair, and as he did so, the imposing aura and height difference that naturally emanated from him gradually dissipated. The two of them unknowingly started chatting because of their adorable pets.
Except.
Ah Qing raises cute pets.
While Lin Hao has a mount.
...
As the hedgehog and Master Fox took their seats, Lin Hao's henchman quickly walked to the tea table, set up an umbrella, and shielded Grandma Hedgehog from the sunlight and others' gaze.
"Ding—"
When Grandma Hedgehog extended her hand, the henchman promptly handed her a handcrafted cigarette, taking out a gold and silver lighter to light the cigarette for her. The henchman took out a disposable ash bag from his pocket to catch the ash.
"Speak! Why did you come to us? Didn't Ah Bai make it clear to you?"
Ansheng squatted on the table, casually displaying his three tails because of the umbrella the grandma's henchmen were holding, and asked the hedgehog:
You better have a reason for blocking my doorstep!
Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless, sending you to live in the research center's dormitory, reading biology books every day.
"Why are you staring at me like that! I don't dare pry into where you live. Last time, at the secluded parking lot, I have experienced your might."
Grandma Hedgehog flicked the ash and outright denied she ever sought out Master Fox, continuing:
"I'm only here as a sponsor, invited by the official organizers of the tea fighting competition. Spending hundreds of thousands each year to advertise locally with the official name is quite cost-effective business, isn't it?"
Grandma Hedgehog's words were logical and well-founded.
Their New Crown Entertainment Group indeed invests in some well-known tea fighting competitions.
However, Grandma Hedgehog typically wouldn't attend those meaningless lectures.
It was knowing Ansheng was here that she made the special trip accompanied by Lin Hao.
"Just happened to run into you here, let me tell you, the safe hammer you wanted, we had a master forge it on Treasure Island, when will you go pick it up?" Grandma Hedgehog stubbed out the cigarette butt into the ash bag, sitting up straight:
"Though I don't know what you want that thing for, as someone who's been through it, I still want to give you a piece of advice."
"In human cities, petty thefts might be overlooked."
"Humans don't care, nor do they want to make a fuss over minor matters, but they don't want the realm of Spirit Beasts to be widely known. Your current hoarding of forces is just like dancing on the line for humans."
"Why not stop now? I can introduce you to some paths to enjoy wealth in Xia Dong and abroad forever."
Grandma Hedgehog had sat up from her nest, her eyes wary as she looked at Master Fox, her body, originally relaxed muscles, now tensing.
She awaited Master Fox's answer, also remaining cautious of the inherently fierce and cunning Master Fox.
Master Fox's presence and actions made Grandma Hedgehog vaguely uneasy.
Combined with Ah Bai's repetitive behavior, it forced her to personally take the risk to come here.
"I... hoarding forces?"
Ansheng was taken aback by this comment, clearly sensing the gold-rimmed hedgehog's apparent fear of humans. He couldn't help but ask the gold-rimmed hedgehog, "Have you seen something? Your expression changed."
"Grandma is a hedgehog born in Western Xia; I've witnessed nuclear explosions and missile bombardments firsthand." Grandma Hedgehog waved her hand dismissively: "Though it's old history, that's the outcome for Spirit Beasts razing villages."
"With the advancement of human technology, what was once deemed forbidden nuclear contamination is now becoming more environmentally friendly; you may not understand nuclear explosions, but you can simply think of it as the sun falling to earth, a flash of light, wherever the light reaches, everything turns to nothing."
"Do you... remember what year that was?"
"1983, perhaps?"
Ansheng: "......"
Friend, what you described seems possibly similar to something called a hydrogen bomb.
"......I suddenly feel, having money in the future, it's really necessary to buy a house in the city."
Ansheng pondered for a moment and couldn't help but comment on the events described by the gold-rimmed hedgehog:
"Damn, living in the mountains, having to face nuclear explosions."
"Can't I just buy a house? Do you have to be like this?"