Chapter 928: Cave Rat and Leaf Stone (two in one)

“Let’s go.” Seeing that Dark Eye Bird’s injuries had recovered, Qiao Sang didn’t want to linger.

She wasn’t that kind-hearted; she just thought of Steel Treasure, who was injured before they formed a contract, when she saw Dark Eye Bird.

With that, she turned and walked in the direction they had originally decided upon.

After taking two steps, she suddenly remembered something, turned back, pointed in the direction where the Dark Luck Birds had flown, and said, “When I came, I saw your flock flying in that direction.”

“Dark Eye.”

Dark Eye Bird looked deeply at the human in front of it, chirped once in thanks, then flapped its wings and flew in the indicated direction.

“Xiao Xunbao…”

Xiao Xunbao floated to the side and let out a sigh-like cry, indicating that it was a pity to let it go, and that it should have been allowed to help find that seed.

One more High-level Dark Eye Bird wouldn’t be of much use in this vast secret realm. To find Lele Seed, they mainly had to rely on Guo Ruiqi. Besides, if wild Pets were that easy to communicate with and help, I would have saved every injured one I saw long ago… To avoid speaking her thoughts aloud, Qiao Sang pretended not to hear anything and continued along the route.

At the top of a towering tree, the Dark Eye Bird, which had flown away earlier, looked down at the disappearing figures of the group.

…

The three of them moved through the stuffy, dense forest, and by unspoken agreement, no one spoke first.

After an unknown amount of time, the three of them crossed two hills, and ahead was a wide mountain hollow, where the view instantly opened up considerably.

By now, night had fallen. Under the bright moonlight, everything was silent. A few wild Pets, which Qiao Sang had never seen before in the secret realm, passed by. Qiao Sang immediately realized that she must have reached another area.

She then thought of something and looked at Xiao Xunbao, asking, “Do you want Ya Bao to recognize you as its boss?”

Ya Bao, who was vigilantly observing its surroundings, immediately looked over.

“Xun!”

Xiao Xunbao’s heart first stirred, then feeling Elder Ya Bao’s gaze, it quickly waved its paws.

It had never thought that way!

Ya Bao continued to vigilantly observe its surroundings.

Good, it seems the Shiyan Flower’s effect has worn off… Qiao Sang relaxed, then turned to Guo Ruiqi and asked, “Do you need to rest?”

“I really do…” Guo Ruiqi said weakly, “I need to…”

Although he really wanted to continue searching for Lele Seed without stopping, he was truly willing but unable.

Qiao Sang looked around and said, “Then let’s rest right here.”

The surroundings were all flat ground with sparse vegetation, making it a good place to rest. Even if a wild Pet suddenly appeared, they would see it immediately.

Guo Ruiqi immediately found a spot, too tired to even unroll his sleeping bag, and collapsed into sleep.

Qiao Sang looked at Xu Gehong, and just as she was about to speak, she saw Xu Gehong, the moment their eyes met, quickly pull out her sleeping bag from her bag, lie down, and close her eyes.

“…”

Qiao Sang walked to the sleeping bag, squatted down, and said, “Don’t sleep yet, I have something to say.”

I’m sleeping precisely because I know you have something to say… Mi Jiala closed her eyes, pretending to be very tired, and mumbled drowsily, “Something… wait until I wake up to talk…”

Qiao Sang silently looked at the sleeping bag.

This Yu Beast Master named Xu Gehong clearly concealed a lot, whether it was the tung corpse crystal or the Shiyan Flower, she was the first to recognize them.

She clearly had extensive knowledge, but would such a B-level Beast Tamer really be so afraid and helpless under the influence of nightmare energy?

And that sound, “Pen,” clearly didn’t come from Hidden Turtle Shield.

It was quite similar to Teacher Mi Jiala’s Pen Jiami.

To be honest, if she hadn’t seen Xu Gehong’s red star array when they set off, she would have seriously suspected that the person in front of her was Teacher Mi Jiala herself.

But no matter how powerful a Yu Beast Master was, they couldn’t change the color of their star array.

Qiao Sang stared at the sleeping bag for a while, then sat down cross-legged.

Suddenly, a rat-like Pet, mostly yellow in color, burrowed out of the ground, only one centimeter away.

Dong Xing Rat, a Ground-type Beginner Pet, likes to burrow, often pokes its head out of the ground, and has a friendly nature… Qiao Sang’s mind flashed with information about the Pet in front of her as she took out a snack that Ya Bao and the others usually liked from her pocket and offered it.

“Dong Xing!”

Dong Xing Rat was startled and burrowed back into its hole.

After about two seconds, it cautiously poked its head out again.

Qiao Sang held out the candy in her hand further.

“Dong Xing?”

Dong Xing Rat pointed at itself with its paw.

Qiao Sang nodded.

“Dong Xing…”

Dong Xing Rat hesitated for a moment, took the candy, and quickly burrowed back into its hole.

Qiao Sang’s ears twitched, hearing a faint “crunch, crunch” sound of chewing from underground.

“Dong Xing!”

Once the sound disappeared, Dong Xing Rat burrowed out of the ground, its eyes shining.

It really is friendly… Qiao Sang smiled and said, “Do you want more?”

“Dong Xing!”

Dong Xing Rat nodded repeatedly.

“How about you stay with me and help me scout the way underground? I’ll give you food every day?” Qiao Sang tempted.

As she spoke, she took out another candy and offered it.

“Dong Xing!”

Dong Xing Rat stared at the candy, swallowed, then nodded, took the candy, and instead of burrowing underground, began to chew on it right there.

Seeing this, Qiao Sang showed a satisfied smile.

Steel Treasure and Sleepy Bird can be responsible for movements above, Ya Bao and Xiao Xunbao can be vigilant of the surroundings, only Pets underground cannot be seen. Unless they are close enough to detect movement, it’s hard to guard against them. Now that there’s a Dong Xing Rat that likes to burrow and can move underground, the journey ahead should be much safer…

“Xiao Xunbao~”

Xiao Xunbao witnessed this scene and showed an expression of admiration.

Qiao Sang gave it a “keep it low-key” look.

“Qing Qing?”

Qing Bao chirped from the side, asking why that dark fellow from the daytime wasn’t helping too?

Because its level is low and it’s a Flying-type Pet, it’s not very useful… Qiao Sang understood that Qing Bao was referring to Dark Eye Bird and explained, “That’s an Evil-type Pet, not as friendly as Dong Xing Rat. Dealing with it carries risks, unlike with Dong Xing Rat.”

She said this specifically for Dong Xing Rat to hear.

“Dong Xing!”

As expected, Dong Xing Rat, after hearing it, showed an expression of “someone actually understands me so well,” and immediately patted its chest, indicating that it would definitely scout the way well.

“Dong Xing.”

After a pause, it added, as long as it gets delicious food.

“Xiao Xunbao~”

Xiao Xunbao translated synchronously.

It feels so good when the Shiyan Flower’s effect wears off… Qiao Sang once again showed a satisfied expression.

“Ya Ya…”

Ya Bao was propping its eyelids open, not daring to sleep.

The Tomb Corpse Spirit incident made it realize that this secret realm was far more dangerous than it had imagined.

In a blink of an eye, it was daytime, and the temperature soared.

“Let’s go.” Seeing that Xu Gehong and Guo Ruiqi were both awake, Qiao Sang stood up and said.

“Dong Xing!”

Dong Xing Rat burrowed out of the ground, chirped once, then burrowed back into its hole.

Mi Jiala was not surprised.

When Qiao Sang made the deal with Dong Xing Rat last night, she hadn’t been asleep and had heard the entire conversation.

Guo Ruiqi was first startled when he saw the Dong Xing Rat burrow out, then seeing it burrow back, he just assumed it was a Pet that happened to burrow out of the ground and didn’t pay too much attention.

However, when he saw this Dong Xing Rat burrow out on the path ahead every few minutes, turning back and chirping “Dong Xing,” “Dong Xing,” he finally realized something was amiss.

“Senior Qiao, this Dong Xing Rat is…?” Guo Ruiqi tentatively asked.

“I met it last night. It will be with us from now on, helping us scout the way,” Qiao Sang said.

Upon hearing this, Guo Ruiqi was stunned for a moment, then showed an expression of “I’ve learned something.”

So, in a secret realm, you could also find wild Pets to help.

However, this kind of thing probably only powerful Yu Beast Masters dared to do…

…

Time flew by, with alternating cold and warmth.

Time passed bit by bit.

The search locations ranged from mountain hollows to dense forests, to caves, valleys, through continuous mountain ridges, and then to the base of steep cliffs, but there was no trace of Lele Seed.

Qiao Sang’s heart also grew colder little by little.

“How long has it been?” Mi Jiala issued a command for Sleepy Bird to deal with a few attacking Flying-type Pets, then asked.

Qiao Sang said without thinking, “43 days.”

She had been keeping track of the time.

After a pause, she thought of something and added, “The task I posted only said to team up and help in the secret realm, it didn’t specify a time.”

The implication was, don’t think you can demand extra compensation just because you’ve been in the secret realm for a long time.

Mi Jiala’s mouth twitched, and she said, “I didn’t mean that.”

Good if she didn’t… Qiao Sang was somewhat displeased with her now.

43 days!

A full 43 days!

Mostly Sleepy Bird was the one acting!

The only time another Pet was used was when they encountered a flock of hundreds of High-level Pets, a dozen General-level Pets, and one King-level Pet. They had no choice but to let the Pet named “Pen” participate in the battle while invisible.

Occasionally, when she felt that having this teammate made no difference, the other party would recognize some rare resources and Pets that she didn’t know, preventing her from missing out on certain things without realizing it.

Overall, the other party’s effort was far below her expectations, giving her a feeling of carrying two others.

“Do you not have other urgent matters to attend to outside?” Mi Jiala asked casually, pretending not to be intentional.

“I do.” Qiao Sang sighed inwardly and said, “But right now, finding Lele Seed is the most important thing.”

If she couldn’t find Lele Seed, her task would be incomplete, and if the task was incomplete, she wouldn’t be able to participate in the Regional Competition. Forget about future plans, the past six months would have been wasted.

“Qing Qing…”

At this moment, Qiao Sang saw Qing Bao occasionally transforming into Wind Transformation to scout the way in mid-air, paused, and retracted her previous words.

Actually, even if the task wasn’t completed in the end and she couldn’t participate in the Regional Competition, it wouldn’t be a complete waste. At least she contracted Qing Qing Ni…

“Dong Xing!”

About ten meters ahead, Dong Xing Rat burrowed out of the ground, turned its head, and chirped, indicating that the path ahead was safe.

“Ya!”

Ya Bao translated synchronously.

“Do you sense anything?” Qiao Sang asked Guo Ruiqi, who was beside her.

Guo Ruiqi shook his head: “No.”

At this moment, he was much darker and appeared much more composed than 43 days ago.

This won’t do, honestly, Xu Gehong’s words really made her feel the urgency of time… Qiao Sang thought as she continued forward.

Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, “Do you think Lele Seed is free to move after it’s captured and brought in?”

Mi Jiala thought for a moment and said, “If it was a Dumb-headed Swallow that brought it in, then it should be free.”

Guo Ruiqi asked with anticipation in his eyes, “Senior Qiao, have you thought of something?”

Qiao Sang said, “I just think that if Lele Seed is free to move, it might be attracted to a certain item.”

Guo Ruiqi’s sensing range for Lele Seed was about a hundred meters, and Lele Seed’s sensing distance for its Yu Beast Master was also the same. But what if it wasn’t based on the sensing between a Yu Beast Master and a Pet, but on another item?

Thinking of this, she stopped and looked at Xiao Xunbao, asking, “I remember buying a bunch of evolution stones when I stocked up last time. Is there a leaf stone among them?”

leaf stone has an absolute attraction to Grass-type Pets, even if the Grass-type Pet is far from the point of evolving.

“Xiao Xunbao~”

Xiao Xunbao chirped, indicating that it would check.

It then took off its ring, enlarged it, and put its head inside.

“Xun!”

After about half a minute, Xiao Xunbao took out a green crystal and chirped excitedly, indicating that it had found it.

Mi Jiala understood and said, “You’re planning to use the leaf stone to attract Grass-type Pets?”

Qiao Sang hummed: “The leaf stone’s attraction to Lele Seed should exceed a hundred meters.”

Guo Ruiqi was first startled, then overjoyed.

In this way, the hope of finding Lele Seed would be much greater!

As expected of Senior Qiao, to be able to come up with such a brilliant idea!

Mi Jiala pondered for a moment and said, “But if a Grass-type Pet that is about to evolve touches the leaf stone first, the leaf stone will be absorbed.”

Guo Ruiqi’s overjoyed expression vanished, replaced by worry.

What should be done about this…

Qiao Sang had already thought of this and looked up at Steel Treasure circling above, saying, “Split this leaf stone.”

“Steel Sword.”

Steel Treasure didn’t even ask why. With a flap of its wings, a feather imbued with purple light, like a blade, struck and directly split the leaf stone into two halves.

This, this… Guo Ruiqi was dumbfounded.

Qiao Sang slowly said, “A broken leaf stone cannot be absorbed by Grass-type Pets.”

Mi Jiala nodded slightly: “Not only that, but the energy contained within it can still attract Grass-type Pets.”

After a pause, she added, “It’s just a pity for this leaf stone.”

Guo Ruiqi finally understood what was going on and immediately said, “When we get out, I will definitely buy a leaf stone to return to you!”

“Everything depends on finding Lele Seed first,” Qiao Sang said, then placed the two halves of the leaf stone on the ground and called out, “Qing Bao.”

“Qing Qing.”

Qing Bao appeared.

Qiao Sang said, “Spread some of this leaf stone’s energy around.”

A complete leaf stone’s energy is relatively contained, but a leaf stone that has just been split in half will continuously leak energy from its cut surfaces. Over time, as the energy within it is lost, its effect will also diminish.

“Qing Qing~”

Qing Bao chirped, then transformed into Wind Transformation and circled above the two halves of the leaf stone, gradually expanding the wind.

Green energy continuously dispersed with the wind.

“Ya Bao, shrink,” Qiao Sang said.

“Ya!”

Ya Bao chirped, then slowly shrank.

Qiao Sang picked up Ya Bao and looked at Xiao Xunbao: “To the tree.”

“Xiao Xunbao~”

Xiao Xunbao’s eyes glowed blue.

The next second, the group arrived on a branch of the giant tree nearby.

Before long, one Grass-type Pet after another began to approach.

Guo Ruiqi stared intently, afraid of missing Lele Seed.

Soon, more and more Grass-type Pets gathered, but there was no sign of Lele Seed.

Qiao Sang watched the activity below, thinking that it would be great if Qing Bao could make the wind blow further…

Standing on this giant tree, the view was expansive, and it wasn’t hard to estimate that the furthest distance the attracted wild Pets were from here was only a little over 500 meters.

If Qing Bao could make the wind blow the green energy further…

Speaking of which, Qing Bao’s evolution time seems to be tonight…