Chapter 236: The Overthinking Emperor

Water Lulu Yana shot up into the sky like a column of water, tracing a graceful arc through the air.

However, this was Water Lulu Yana's first time having such an experience, and it failed to control its momentum. The water jet's direction suddenly plunged downward, and with a "whoosh" it dropped straight down from midair.

Water Lulu Yana's head plunged straight into the ground, leaving only most of its body and tail exposed outside.

"Lu Lu Lu!"

Water Lulu Yana struggled desperately.

"Ya Ya!"

Ya Bao ran over with an anxious expression.

Are you okay?!

Ya Bao was a little worried. This fellow was already an elderly pet beast, yet it still pulled a stunt like this—surely it hadn't knocked something loose!

Hearing Ya Bao's voice, Water Lulu Yana's body stiffened. Its tail went still, its limbs stopped struggling, and its head buried underground turned ashen.

To embarrass itself like this in front of the pet beast it liked—rather than come out and face it, it felt it might as well stay buried like this forever.

But before Water Lulu Yana could continue wallowing, Ya Bao reached out its claws and yanked it out of the ground like pulling a radish.

"Ya Ya!"

Ya Bao leaned in close, looking at Water Lulu Yana—its head covered in dirt—with concerned eyes.

"Lu Lu Lu......"

Seeing Ya Bao right in front of it, Water Lulu Yana's face flushed bright red in an instant. Forgetting to keep thinking, it turned and dove headfirst into the pool.

"Ya?"

Ya Bao tilted its head, its face full of question marks.

Inside the room.

Qiao Sang finished her meditation and slowly opened her eyes.

The moment she opened her eyes, she noticed Ya Bao crouching halfway down with a worried expression not far from the bed.

"Ya Ya!"

Seeing that her own beast master had woken up, Ya Bao's eyes lit up. It got up, went to Qiao Sang's side, and hurriedly told her what had just happened.

Qiao Sang was stunned: "Water Lulu Yana is staying in the water and won't come out?"

"Ya!"

Ya Bao nodded.

"Did something happen?" Qiao Sang asked.

"Ya Ya......"

Ya Bao explained with a helpless expression.

Qiao Sang was dumbfounded: "You're saying Water Lulu Yana successfully learned the water jet, but then fell midway and very likely smashed its head in?"

"Ya!"

Ya Bao nodded seriously.

It felt this was very possible.

How could this be allowed!

Water Lulu Yana was already old, and it had fallen from the air and hit its head—surely this would speed up its time to kick the bucket!

Qiao Sang jumped off the bed in a frenzy of worry, slipped on her slippers, and was about to head to the courtyard.

"Xun Xun~"

At that moment, Little Xun Bao Ghost suddenly appeared and blocked Qiao Sang's path.

Qiao Sang stepped left, Little Xun Bao Ghost stepped left.

Qiao Sang stepped right, Little Xun Bao Ghost stepped right.

"What's wrong?" Qiao Sang could only stop and ask.

"Xun Xun!"

Little Xun Bao Ghost raised its head, patted its chest, looking every bit like "trust me, I can't be wrong."

"You know what the problem with Water Lulu Yana is?" Qiao Sang was taken aback.

"Ya?" Ya Bao was also taken aback.

"Xun~" Little Xun Bao Ghost nodded proudly.

It had been watching from the side the whole time just now—absolutely no way it would guess wrong!

Qiao Sang: "......"

It just hit its head, didn't it? Besides a head problem, what other problem could there possibly be.

Before Qiao Sang could speak, Little Xun Bao Ghost suddenly pulled out a phone from who-knows-where and began operating it with practiced ease.

Quickly, it searched through the history and pulled up a video, holding it up in front of Qiao Sang.

This whole sequence of moves made Qiao Sang exclaim, "Goodness."

Playing the phone like a pro—knows the lock screen password, knows how to dig through the history......

Incredible.

Qiao Sang looked down at the phone, and Ya Bao also poked its head over curiously.

The video on the phone turned out to be a trailer for a recently released TV drama she had idly looked up online before school started.

Little Xun Bao Ghost had been hanging around beside her when she was scrolling through her phone at the time.

Qiao Sang watched the video playing on the phone in silence for a while. She remembered this TV drama's genre was romance and inspirational.

Because it was adapted, the plot had already been pretty thoroughly spoiled by netizens in the comments section.

It told the story of two beast masters who had disliked each other since childhood, but the Green Ke Meow Meow of one side had fallen for the Sakura Cotton of the other.

For the sake of her own beast master, Lüke Meow Meow restrained herself and dodged Cherry Wood Cotton, and then fell into depression.

Later, its beast master learned of this matter, and for the happiness of her own pet beast, took the initiative to ease relations with her rival.

After all kinds of chaotic events in between, the two became good friends, and even teamed up to participate in the beast master doubles competition, fighting their way from a small county town all the way to the regional beast master doubles tournament. In the end, the two pet beasts also got together — a standard perfect ending.

For a moment, Qiao Sang found it hard to connect the plot of this drama with Shui Lu Yana's situation.

The video's preview footage had already cut to the pet beasts' scene.

The two protagonists in the trailer were still in the hostile stage, having a beast master battle every time they met.

The Cherry Wood Cotton on the screen mercilessly used Leaf Blade, while Lüke Meow Meow deliberately angled her skill release slightly off, and the Leaf Blade struck Lüke Meow Meow's body.

After Lüke Meow Meow fell to the ground, Cherry Wood Cotton stepped forward wanting to help her up, but Lüke Meow Meow blushed, shook off Cherry Wood Cotton's paw, and ran away.

Before the preview could continue playing, Little Xunbao Ghost pressed pause.

Qiao Sang looked up, her face blank with confusion.

Like Ya Bao raised its head with the same dumbfounded expression.

What does this have to do with Shui Lu Yana's situation? Qiao Sang felt her brain couldn't quite keep up.

"Xunxun!"

"Xunxun."

"Xunxun..."

Apparently seeing that the confusion in her beast master's eyes was too obvious, Little Xunbao Ghost immediately played both roles by itself — sometimes acting as Like Ya Bao, sometimes as Shui Lu Yana — and reenacted what had just happened in the courtyard right in front of Qiao Sang.

Qiao Sang was silent for a moment: "You mean Shui Lu Yana likes Like Ya Bao."

"Xun!"

Little Xunbao Ghost nodded firmly with a resolute expression.

Qiao Sang turned her head to look at Like Ya Bao beside her, who still wore a blank, confused expression and couldn't figure out what was going on.

Shui Lu Yana likes Like Ya Bao? How is that possible?!

The two of them were clearly still fighting at the slightest disagreement just a while ago.

Besides, Like Ya Bao is so young — even rounding up, it's not even half a year old — while Shui Lu Yana is already an elderly pet beast. Could it be that Shui Lu Yana likes the old eating the young grass?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Even though she had watched countless dramas, she wouldn't dare to imagine such a plot... Qiao Sang lifted her leg and walked toward the door, evading: "I'll go check on Shui Lu Yana's head first..."

"Xun!"

Little Xunbao Ghost teleported in front of her, and with a sincere expression called out once, indicating it wanted Qiao Sang to trust it.

The corner of Qiao Sang's mouth twitched slightly, and she said helplessly: "Then let Like Ya Bao give it a try."

"Ya?"

Like Ya Bao tilted its head.

Try what?

Qiao Sang thought for a moment and said: "Just go over and ask Shui Lu Yana if she's willing to stay. If she stays, you two can be together forever, but the prerequisite is that she has to contract with me. After all, this way it'll be more convenient for us when we go to other places in the future."

After saying that, Qiao Sang turned to look at Little Xunbao Ghost: "Little Xunbao, Like Ya Bao just said Shui Lu Yana doesn't want to come out. Go help out while you're at it."

"Xun!" Little Xunbao Ghost's expression was excited.

"Ya..." Like Ya Bao, on the other hand, wore a face full of bewilderment.

After Like Ya Bao and Little Xunbao Ghost walked off, Qiao Sang sat on the bed and started reading a book.

She wasn't going to join in the fun, to avoid Shui Lu Yana spraying her in the face with another water gun.

Like Ya Bao's failure was inevitable, but this was a good opportunity to let Shui Lu Yana know that she had the intention of contracting it, and to see what Shui Lu Yana's current attitude was.

But then again, Shui Lu Yana's Water Jet actually released successfully. When Like Ya Bao and the others come back, she still has to go to the courtyard to check on Shui Lu Yana's head, and along the way have it perform Water Jet once...

"Lu Lu Lu..."

Just as Qiao Sang's thoughts were flying all over the place in her mind, a voice pulled her back to her senses.

Qiao Sang looked toward the source of the voice.

She saw Shui Lu Yana appear beside the bed, her face bright red, looking at her with a shy, awkward expression.

Beside her were also a dumbfounded Like Ya Bao and a Little Xunbao Ghost whose face was covered with "Praise me!"

"Lu Lu Lu~"

Qiao Sang: "???"