"Patter..."
After finishing their late-night snack in the cafeteria, although the head skeleton looked reluctant, it still grudgingly acknowledged Master Fuli's saying that one needs energy from food to work.
Master Fuli found a large cardboard box, placed the roommates inside it, and then put it on a trolley.
The head skeleton set two of its antennae on the ground, three antennae to keep the skull fixed in place, and two more wrapped around the trolley's handlebar, pushing a cart full of "drunkards" back to the dormitory.
"Zzz?"
The black cockroach and the young tea tree, who had been waiting for their meal, looked utterly puzzled as they saw people lying around and seemingly a new head skeleton, making an inquisitive query.
"It was dug out of an ancient tomb. Its origins and identity are currently unknown. However, it seems capable of producing fruits with special effects for Ah Qing..."
"Just consider it as a roommate! From now on, you all will live on the same balcony."
Ansheng lifted its leg, sprinkled a yellow spray in the young tea tree's pot, shivered, then headed to the bathroom to transform into a child form and start showering with the electric heater on.
After bathing, it turned back into a fox upon exiting, shook its fur, and burrowed into the dryer.
Ansheng lay in its nest, propped up the tablet Ah Qing used for taking notes, and began grooming its fur.
"Patter?"
The head skeleton timidly peeked over, glanced at the two powerful spirit beasts, then curiously stretched out a hand, touching the root area of the young tea tree, picking up a bit of fox-style secret formula and smacking its mouth.
"Slap!"
The head skeleton excitedly trembled, reached out, wanting to get more of it back.
The young tea tree was utterly shocked, stood up immediately, hoisted its pot, flipped off the balcony, strolled to the flower bed, put down the pot, and dove back into it.
Head skeleton: "....."
This... is it what those spirit beasts outside the cafeteria window called food-guarding?
To be honest, their description was pretty vivid.
......
After Ansheng finished its shower, it lay down a couple of blankets on the wool carpet on the floor, placed its roommates on them, turned the heater up by two degrees, and then returned to bed to sleep.
As a fox, knowing the way home and being able to drag everyone back, Ansheng felt it had done an excellent job.
Helping them with washing and such, that's already beyond what a fox can handle by fivefold.
Lin Ying certainly has a say in this matter.
The following day.
"Ah—It's here!"
A shriek from a girl broke the quiet ambiance of the girls' dormitory in the early morning.
Ansheng poked its head from its top bunk, only to see Momo scrambling in a panic, almost doing a handstand to dash quickly into the bathroom.
"Eeek?"
Just waking up, Ansheng's face was full of question marks, exchanged a glance with Ah Qing who just woke up, and they both ended up throwing each other questioning looks.
"Sis', lend me a [sanitary] pad for a transition." Momo's voice came from the bathroom, shouting into the dorm room.
"Oh..."
Ah Qing suddenly realized, fumbled inside her down jacket, and passed something through the bathroom door crack.
People in the dormitory gradually woke up, with confused expressions, trying to recall what happened last night. Weren't they having late-night snacks in the cafeteria? How did they end up back in the dormitory?
"Was it you who dragged us back last night?"
Having washed her face, Ah Qing tiptoed to look at the little fox lying on the bed, and asked curiously.
In the dormitory, only the Physique Enhancement Type little fox had such capability.
"Yes, I, with a cardboard box and trolley, along with the head skeleton, pushed you guys back, took the elevator, and ensured none of your heads hit the ground on the way."
Ansheng sat up, slightly puffing out its chest and lifting its head with a smirk of pride.
After boasting about recognizing the way home, Ansheng curiously looked at Ah Qing and asked:
"By the way... did your body change after eating the mushrooms last night?"
Life evolution doesn't happen overnight, and despite the mystical powers of Spiritual Particles, they still require time to catalyze.
Evolution→Adaptation→Further evolution.
After consuming the mushrooms, Ah Qing must have experienced some unknown changes in her body.
It's just unclear what kind of enhancement it was.
"Me?"
Ah Qing pondered for a while, pinched her own arm, squeezed her cheeks, rolled up her pant legs to inspect herself, and said:
"I don't feel any different? The only thing I notice is a bit of hunger."
Ah Qing didn't sense any of the evolution the little fox mentioned, just a feeling of hunger and a craving for scallion pancakes and a cup of iced cola.
"Isn't it supposed to be different?"
Ansheng, puzzled, jumped onto Ah Qing's shoulder to investigate, but couldn't find anything abnormal.
The evolution path of the Second Epoch is extremely secretive, unlike the First Epoch path which is more straightforward and visible.
"Should we poke Ah Qing's butt with a needle to test it?" Tang You, sitting on the sofa, suggested with curiosity, wondering if the mushrooms could promote a gene awakening for Ah Qing who showed no sign of turning into Fuli after injections.
"Hmm... maybe we shouldn't?"
Ah Qing hesitantly took out a Spirit Particle Potion, an expression of indecision and embarrassment on her face.
Injecting Spirit Particle Potion wasn't a big deal. During the few days Xiaolan was away, everyone in the dormitory had a fair share of needles in their butts, almost turning them into sieves. Pouring water and lifting their butts, they could water flowers.
What made Ah Qing hesitate was if she hasn't awakened anything yet, wouldn't it be a waste?
Seeing Ah Qing's doubtful expression, Ansheng immediately put on a determined fox face and encouraged Ah Qing, "Ah Qing, get me an iron rod..."
"I will go and pry open the head skeleton's skull now, how dare this wretched thing make false claims about us, I'm going to deal with it!"
"Slap?"
Sitting comfortably on the edge of the balcony, sunbathing with a look of leisure, the head skeleton looked on in shock, threading its silk-like entity to peek inside at Master Fuli.
No way... what's this false claim about? What exactly do you intend to do looking so serious? I didn't provoke you guys at all!
"Hey?"
Seeing the little fox actually jumping off the shoulder and rummaging around in the dormitory for stick-like objects, seemingly really intending to end the head skeleton's life, Ah Qing hurriedly intervened to persuade.
"We have no grievances with it. It probably wouldn't deliberately trick us either..."
"Put down the electric heating rod first, you see, there really is a change now."
After eating the mushrooms Master Black cultivated last night and planning to eliminate Master Black's life today, Ah Qing felt this was impolite.
She jabbed the Spirit Particle Potion into her own arm, saying to the little fox, "Look, I'm transforming... hmm!?"
As the potion injected into her body, Ah Qing's expression froze, feeling a peculiar sensation within her.
Or maybe... her brain felt warm, like figuring out some high-intensity mental problem.
"I've understood!" Ah Qing suddenly declared, patting her own head.
"Huh? Understood what?" Ansheng was taken aback and asked.
"The power technique of the Big Swing Fist, and the combined application of You Shen Bagua Palm," Ah Qing replied seriously, "Now, if I were to take the physical test for the college entrance exam, I feel I could score full marks..."
"I think, my brain feels especially bright now."
Ansheng: "......"
This brightness... is it employed in the right place?