4 AM, in the Ecological Park.
"Ring ring, ring ring...."
Ah Qing sat on a park bench, and while resting, suddenly heard a gentle ringing from her pocket.
"Hmm?"
Ah Qing pulled out her phone with a puzzled look, wondering who would call her at this hour. She looked at the screen: [Ah Qing's Data Number 1].
"Ah, this..."
Ah Qing's expression froze, her face showing a subtle nuance, as she answered the incoming call and, unsurprisingly, heard a burst of fox sounds coming through the receiver.
Ah Qing's data number was on her backup phone used as a hotspot for her livestream. She had two such numbers to prevent throttling of internet speed.
Card 1 was on the little fox's phone.
"Ah Qing! Where did you run off to at night—"
"Ah haha... Sorry, I saw you were sleeping and didn't want to wake you." Ah Qing said awkwardly to the little fox, "We're at the Ecological Park across the school, experimenting with the Spirit Particle Potion together!"
"..... Next time, leave a note when you go out. I thought you guys were abducted by aliens and taken to have your kidneys removed."
Having learned where Ah Qing and her friends were and that they were safe, Ansheng turned over and grumbled about Ah Qing's unreliability.
Running out at night without leaving a note? Who knows whether you went out to scavenge or were kidnapped.
"Well..... I'm sorry for worrying you." Hearing this, Ah Qing thought for a moment; as it turned out, Xiaolan really does always give a heads up when leaving and mentions when she'll be back.
"As long as you're okay. I'm going to sleep...."
Ansheng responded, face lined with exasperation, ready to hang up and snuggle back into her cozy bed.
"Xiaolan..."
Just as Ansheng was about to continue sleeping, Ah Qing suddenly called out, "Let's go shopping! Since you're already awake, aren't you?"
"Beep beep beep——"
Ansheng rolled her eyes and promptly hung up on Ah Qing.
Girl, do you think Chang'an is Xia Dong?
I don't even need to check the temperature outside; just seeing the little tea tree and the cockroach already in the dorm, I can tell the temperature outside is clearly below three degrees.
No need to be out walking in winter; there's nothing more exciting than a warm bed.
"Click——"
Just as Ansheng settled back down, the door lock of her dorm room clicked open suddenly.
"?"
Ansheng poked her head out of the covers, and Ah Qing's head also popped in from outside, looking at the little fox snuggled in bed with a playful smile.
"Xiaolan, let's go shopping!"
"No need."
"Come on!"
Ah Qing opened her down jacket, wrapped the little fox on the bed around her neck, tucking his little feet into her jacket collar, confidently saying:
"Look, this way you'll definitely stay warm; after we finish strolling the park, we can have breakfast together!"
Ah Qing zipped up her jacket, curiously looking at Xiaolan, asking, "Do foxes feel the cold?"
"I personally don't feel too cold, but cold and warm are subjective experiences."
Ansheng explained to Ah Qing.
His Physique is strong enough to swim in Rakshasa Country's winter and not be affected, but when the weather turns cold, he just subjectively feels lazy about washing up and going out shopping.
"Oh....."
Ah Qing mused, wandering along the academy's road towards the Ecological Park.
Passing by the cafeteria, they saw a long line of animals forming at the entrance.
The cafeteria auntie was sweating as she checked the members of the Spirit Beast brigade, each with a bowl in their mouths ready for their meal.
"Howl——"
Seeing Master Fuli emerge, the Spirit Beasts naturally called out to greet him.
"Early morning, hurry up and finish eating, then go back to sleep. You guys have an 8 AM class tomorrow."
Ansheng waved his hand, responding while reminding them to attend class the next day.
The Qinling Spirit Beasts that emerged from the mountain are now settled in the Qinling Ecological Base; the back of the mountain is not far from the school, and they all ran to the cafeteria for breakfast, having not yet had self-serve meals.
Bringing a bowl means food, without wasting energy on hunting...
Previously, life was so tough, Yang Xiao was worse than the predatory animals in the mountains.
A while later, after eating, go poop in his car.
"Xiaolan..."
Ah Qing looked at the changes around campus and thought about the experiences in the afternoon, somewhat nostalgically asking:
"You say..... never mind, forget it."
Ah Qing thought of the Medicine Spring Mountain Lord and Sister Ju; the transformation of Spirit Beasts is not just a theoretical concept, but there are examples.
The little fox is Physique Enhancement Type.
But that doesn't mean he can't transform; it's just a matter of time.
Ah Qing wanted to ask what plans the little fox might have for the future if indeed that time comes.
But just as the words were about to leave her lips, suddenly a pang surged in Ah Qing's heart, a complex flood of emotions arose, causing her to swallow the words.
What will the future be like, Ah Qing herself has no clear answer.
"Hmm? Is there something you can't say?" Ansheng teased Ah Qing: "If you do this, speak half and then don't, when you meet someone with a quick temper, you'll easily get beaten, you know?"
"Well... it's nothing really, I just wanted to ask about the Security Bureau, but I'm worried you'll leak information and get jailed." Ah Qing casually found a reason to divert the topic.
"There's nothing that can't be said about the Security Bureau, someday I'll take you to the Audit Team, if you encounter the Security Bureau, don't panic, give the Audit Team a call to complain about their bad attitude."
"Speaking of the Security Bureau, there's one thing I forgot to tell you, Ah Qing."
"Your second uncle, Yu Zhengxi's work seems related to Spirit Particle research; my Gravity Hammer might very well be crafted by someone in his circle..."
"Huh? Huh!"
Hearing this, Ah Qing froze, blinking as she pondered the little fox's words, letting out a cry of surprise when she came to and realized what he'd said.
...
Arriving at the Ecological Park across the academy, inside the park was empty, neither people nor park facilities could be seen, just an area where a gravel path was made through the wild land.
Though called a park, it is essentially just a supplementary facility for Phoenix City District's second phase.
The houses weren't all sold, so the park facilities naturally become an unfulfilled promise for the homeowners.
"Ha!"
Led by Ah Qing, winding through the wilderness, they came across an electric vehicle parked roadside, and there was Momo, now in a sports outfit, her face flushed red, hugging a big tree trying to pull it out.
"Momo, what is she doing..."
Ansheng was taken aback, glancing towards Ah Qing for an explanation.
Staying up late to hug a tree, it looks a bit odd, doesn't it?
"She's testing her physical limits." Ah Qing said, slightly troubled:
"I, Momo, Lingren, Youyou, all injected Spirit Particle Potion, but the effects are varied..."
"Momo is clearly way ahead....."
"Varied?" Ansheng stared blankly, a big question mark slowly emerging on his forehead.