Chapter 146

Who is it?

Ling Yue was also dazed; for a moment she even thought she saw another Jun Jun, but this strange creature comparable to Jun Jun was obviously different from Jun Jun.

It had a big tiger's head, yet on its head grew a pair of warm, moist long antlers reminiscent of a snowfield's elk, except that it had a lustre like jade. The hair on its head was red, its limbs were slender, and its tail was also long.

After seeing her, the unknown creature turned its head; such a strange combination nevertheless appeared unusually harmonious.

"Hello, I am Bai Ze."

Ling Yue stared at it in astonishment, its clear, moist voice extremely intoxicating; moreover, Ling Yue clearly realized it was speaking in a human voice.

So it was Bai Ze…… Bai Ze?!

The Classic of Mountains and Seas records: 'On East-Viewing Mountain there is a beast named Bai Ze, capable of speech. When a ruler possesses virtue and his brightness illuminates the remote, it will come.'

Other ancient texts also record: 'The Bai Ze beast has a tiger's head, red hair, and horns, with a dragon's body.' Various versions exist, differing from what she saw but not by much—for example, the dragon body is absent; it is clearly a big, furry head.

Before Ling Yue could react, Jun Jun was already stomping her feet in anger, the furry big tiger demanding: 'You say, where did you get this little monster from, you're making me furious!'

Ling Yue blinked, then after reacting she wanted to protest her innocence—how could she possibly have silently brought a divine beast home? She didn't have that kind of guts.

At that moment, Bai Ze suddenly explained: 'You forgot, the egg you obtained from the Dragon Palace earlier was me.'

Hearing this, Ling Yue hurried to the display case; sure enough, the large egg had completely vanished, but— is Bai Ze an oviparous creature?

Ling Yue looked at it; it twitched its ears: 'I was sealed inside; thank you for releasing me.'

Ling Yue nodded, not knowing why she felt it still had more to say; indeed, Bai Ze continued: 'Although I am unsealed, my magical power is completely gone; may I stay here for a while?'

Ling Yue hesitated; she wasn't a soft-hearted pushover who would agree to anything, but taking in an ordinary kitten versus a divine beast were entirely different matters.

Moreover, a divine beast that has existed since ancient times must be quite old, right?

Ling Yue was about to say something when she saw the figure walk toward her; she couldn't help but step back half a pace: 'You——'

Before she could finish speaking, the divine beast before her suddenly transformed into a living person—a young man in a white embroidered robe gazing at her, his pair of jade-green eyes like bottomless abysses, yet his demeanor was gentle and warm, like spring rain.

Ling Yue silently nodded; no wonder it is the king of beasts.

At their first meeting, he slightly bowed: 'I can offer work in exchange.'

Ling Yue was dazed by his captivating eyes, involuntarily giving a light cough; hearing the word 'work' instantly cleared her mind, her ears perked up—work, what kind of work?

Meanwhile, the completely ignored Jun Jun, the whole tiger, was furious and couldn't help but let out a roar.

It didn't know why, but it simply disliked this man—after all, it could also transform!

It could even turn into the little plush that Yue Yue likes most.

The treasure‑hunting mouse hiding on the second floor to watch the drama couldn't help but pat its chest: 'Scared the mouse to death; if I hadn't run fast, I'd surely have been caught in the crossfire.'

The Xuan Cat Queen beside it stepped on its tiny tail: 'Coward!'

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo: 'QWQ'

"Mice are naturally timid, but with the wife‑in‑charge around, I fear nothing!"

Xuan Cat Queen: '……'

Is this not the legendary 'a tree without bark will surely die, a mouse without shame is invincible under heaven'?

While they were talking, the shura‑field below, cough cough, the dispute continued; in the end Ling Yue still agreed to take him in, after all, a divine beast with no magical power might at any moment fail to maintain its human form and revert to its true shape……

——If someone were to snap a photo and post it online, it would surely cause an uproar, possibly even lead to being caught and put in a zoo as a rare exotic beast to be gawked at and photographed—that would be too tragic.

All of the above were Ling Yue's original words.

Bai Ze was a bit confused upon hearing this for the first time, but he said nothing.

Having been sealed for several thousand years, the world today is no longer familiar to him.

Bai Ze was not initially discovered by Jun Jun; he had hidden in the cabinet for a while, watching the various paper figures play out on that square big box, seeing all sorts of strange things, and finally couldn't help but become excited, leaking his aura, which alerted the watchful Jun Jun to find him.

As for the aftermath of taking in Bai Ze, Ling Yue mainly had to placate Jun Jun; the big tiger, when angry, wouldn't even watch its favorite cartoons.

Ling Yue agreed to a series of unequal treaties in succession before it calmed down.

Ling Yue also realized it wasn't mere dislike; although they had only spent one evening together, Jun Jun was so angry because of Bai Ze that it didn't even want dinner.

Bai Ze held his chopsticks, silently withdrawing his gaze; he also disliked Jun Jun, because……

"Aren't you hungry?" Ling Yue's voice interrupted his thoughts; Bai Ze nodded, his motion not slow at all, yet he appeared extremely elegant.

Ling Yue looked at herself again, attributing it to the accumulation of years; just as if she lived tens of thousands of years like Bai Ze, she would surely be as elegant as him.

But for now, let's hurry and eat.

The next morning, Ling Yue received a call from Cen Ming reminding her of the afternoon anniversary celebration; she nodded: 'Of course I remember—I've been going to the venue every day these past few days to rehearse the program; how could I forget?'

"The start time is five p. m., right?"

Cen Ming gave a firm affirmation, then Ling Yue hung up and immediately looked toward a certain closed room upstairs: 'Bai Ze? Are you ready?'

Yes, the work-for-board-and-lodging arrangement promised yesterday, Ling Yue set up for him today.

"Click——"

The tightly shut door upstairs was pushed open; a young man in casual clothes descended the stairs, wearing a pair of plain glasses that slightly obscured his outstanding appearance, more notably his striking eyes that exerted great pressure.

His overall style evoked only one word: warm and smooth like jade.

Ling Yue brought him to the pet consultation shop; along the way she had already given a brief introduction—Bai Ze has an excellent memory, retaining everything she said after hearing it once, and with this assistant, Ling Yue instantly felt much more at ease.

Um, more accurately speaking, she had become a hands‑off manager.

Previously she had to handle miscellaneous chores like tidying up, opening and closing doors, maintaining order—now she needn't worry about any of it.

In the blink of an eye, ten customers had been served.

But she never expected there would be an extra question.

Ling Yue had Bai Ze tidy the shop, then she went next door to buy two cups of yangzhi ganlu; as she returned carrying them, she saw the pet store owner at the end of the street, her face ashen, standing in the shop; the moment she saw Ling Yue, it was as if she beheld a savior: 'Ling Yue, you've finally come back—save me!'

Ling Yue blinked, wondering what was happening.

She casually handed Bai Ze a cup of yangzhi ganlu: 'This fruit tea is delicious; try sipping it through the straw.'

"By the way, you're not allergic to mango—" she said, then suddenly paused, wondering, 'Can a divine beast have allergies?'

Ling Yue pretended nothing had happened, turned to look at the pet shop owner: "Calm down first, what exactly happened?"

The pet shop owner seemed to think of something, instantly trembling like a sieve, her speech stuttering: "I, I saw a ghost!"

Her heart raced, chills surging up her chest; with Ling Yue here, thinking of her miraculous ability, she finally came to her senses and continued: "A few days ago, business at my shop was booming, I stayed open until midnight before preparing to close, just turned off the lights inside and hadn't even stepped out—Mom!"

She suddenly screamed; not only did Ling Yue jump in fright, even Bai Ze, squinting his eyes while drinking fruit tea, froze.

The pet shop owner's face turned deathly pale; in an instant, her hair stood on end: "Through the glass door, I saw a plump, fuzzy human-shaped figure—should be a person, right? He knelt on the ground, pounding his head against the floor outside my shop, bang bang bang, while wailing and howling like a ghost, which scared me to tears, waa waa waa~"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but burst into tears, but Ling Yue looked at her carefully: "Isn't that a person? Why do you say it's a ghost?"

The owner looked at her resentfully: "Sis, I haven't finished yet."

"I was startled at the time and also thought it was a person, but he kept kowtowing with papapa sounds for half an hour, half an hour! The noise was deafening, like smashing a watermelon—you'd think the watermelon would be turned to scraps? He didn't, he even got up and floated away!"

"He didn't lift his legs, his feet were just a few centimeters off the ground, and he floated away directly!"

The pet shop owner said this, her gaze starting to drift.

Ling Yue: Ah this...

Indeed very suspicious; she examined the pet shop owner more closely, and indeed there was a faint trace of yin energy on her, likely picked up unintentionally.

But what exactly does this kowtowing ghost want to do?

Not harming people, just kowtowing?

Ling Yue pondered, pursing her lips: "Besides that, do you have any other discoveries?"

If she hadn't spoken, it would've been better, but the shop owner burst out again: "I was so scared I ran home right away, never expecting to see a pool of black, grimy blood at the shop entrance the next day. I worked late again yesterday, had no choice, needed to earn money to survive. I didn't expect to encounter it again!"

"This time, he lay flat on our glass door and kowtowed, whimpering in his mouth; I was so scared I hid under the table, waited until the sound disappeared, then looked up—he was right beside my counter!"

"What do you say, what is he doing?"

Her expression was visibly collapsing: "I've never done anything against my conscience, I often take in stray animals, give them deworming, medicine, and look for their owners—I'm really not a bad person, I've never done anything bad either, waa waa waa waa waa~"

The pet shop owner covered her face, sobbing in spasms; Ling Yue had read her physiognomy, believed she truly hadn't incurred any major karma, and nodded involuntarily: "Don't rush with this matter, you said it yourself—that thing comes every day; how about tonight I help you check it out?"

The pet shop owner was overcome with excitement: "Thank you, sis! Thank you, sis!"

"This is the compensation; there are 100,000 yuan in the card. I know it's definitely not enough—could we do installments? My family supports two kids; I really can't come up with the money right away."

Ling Yue: "... No need, donate 50,000 to a welfare organization, and keep the remaining 50,000 for yourself."

She wouldn't refuse money, nor could she accept it; Ling Yue estimated it probably wasn't some evil spirit, otherwise it wouldn't have let her go unharmed until today.

After making an appointment with the shop owner, Ling Yue watched the person leave, hadn't even turned her head when Bai Ze's voice came from behind: "Why not take money?"

He seemed somewhat puzzled, having returned to the human realm, seeing that what humans value most is money; why is she different?

Ling Yue smiled faintly: "Because I have more money than they do!"

Bai Ze: "……"

Truly an unexpected answer.

Ling Yue: "Right, said it's work to offset debt, but I can't let you work for free; a monthly salary of 3,500, you'll be my assistant—aside from work hours, you can arrange your own time."

Ling Yue suddenly thought of something: "Be honest, when did you fall into slumber?"

Bai Ze: "I saw a barbarian riding a black-and-white patterned animal, seemingly called an Iron-Eating Beast, fighting in battle; I also saw a man in all-black robes unifying the lands, and then I began to slumber."

As he spoke, his long eyelids slightly lowered.

Ling Yue: "!!!"

Chiyou? Qin Shi Huang?!

One sleep lasted thousands of years—she's dug up some ancient antique!

Ling Yue lightly coughed a few times: "Looking at it this way, you still have gaps; can't hire a tutor, I'll help you organize some documentaries and textbooks—you're so smart, you'll definitely learn to read; by the way, if you don't understand something, you can ask the animals at home, Jun Jun——"

Ling Yue suddenly hit a snag, but according to common sense, Jun Jun is indeed the fastest learner among the animals, almost finished with university-level courses; next is the Black Cat Queen, then the Feng Shui Turtle, and so on.

However, given Jun Jun's aversion level, Ling Yue downgraded the suggestion: "You can consult the Black Cat Queen—that's that cool, super pretty black cat."

Bai Ze hesitated slightly for a moment, then nodded.

Ling Yue was stopped by the neighbor shop owner: "Um, Ling Yue, don't forget, this year's pet cat competition starts this week."

Ling Yue blinked, took a while to drag this memory from the depths—really, it's been ages; she had already finished the classes she signed up for the Black Cat Queen, and only just prepared to start?

The aquarium shop owner, seeing her silent look, assumed she also knew about the recent uproar, suddenly shouted: "Come on! Ling Yue, I and the neighbors all believe in you!"

Ling Yue: "???"

What's going on now?

Before she could ask, the aquarium shop owner already said: "We all know there's news that a pet cat champion who has won first place in the adult cat category for three consecutive seasons is entering the competition; after hearing that you'd feel great pressure, but we believe in you, and we're not insisting you must win the championship—just aim for silver or bronze."

"Come on come on come on!"

Ling Yue instantly understood, she gave a light smile: "If we're competing, we'll go for first!"

Moreover, even if she lacked confidence in herself, she wouldn't lack confidence in the Black Cat Queen—after all, that's the queen!

Afterward, Ling Yue brought Bai Ze to buy some everyday clothes and study supplies; when paying by card, she always felt the cashier's gaze was somewhat significant.

Ling Yue shook her head, she also bought a phone, and when handing it to Bai Ze she stared at him intently.

Bai Ze: "Anything?"

Ling Yue: "To be returned."

The man nodded, very understanding.

4:40 p. m.

Ling Yue first went to the formal wear shop, then a dedicated car sent her to the entrance of Constant Trust Building; before five o'clock, a crowd of reporters had already gathered, holding long and short guns, stationed on both sides.

Above, a huge LED display screen was entirely serving as publicity, occasionally flashing a photo; Ling Yue's arrival was timely—the picture on the LCD screen happened to be of her.

The car door opened, Ling Yue stepped out, a clamor of reporters surged forward; her expression unchanged, she suddenly recalled Cen Ming's words—reporters might be a bit many, after all, the company had spent a lot of money on publicity for this celebration.

Ling Yue thought, "This isn't just a few extra people—it's clearly swarms upon swarms!"

It was like being besieged by zombies.

Winter had already arrived, the sky darkened quickly; by this time the holiday lights were already on. The reporters' cameras flashed, Ling Yue frowned slightly, glancing over.

The frenzied reporters: «!!! »

I don't know why, but her body started acting up, trembling like chaff in a sieve; wherever Ling Yue passed, it was like Moses parting the sea, and the crowd made way.

Others would love to live on the red carpet, but she is different—taking an extra step could cost her life.

Cen Ming, who usually watched from backstage, saw her walk steadily into the building and slapped his thigh in regret.

What a great opportunity—she didn't even bother with styling, just walked straight in. But if Ling Yue truly wanted to live on the red carpet like other streamers, she wouldn't be herself.

After entering the venue, Ling Yue saw many streamers, some of whom were old acquaintances—for example, the office-worker sister who used to tell fortunes in her livestream. She now looked radiant, with no trace of her former fatigue.

The office-worker sister felt her gaze; even from afar, she smiled and waved, her smile tinged with a bit of shyness, like a blooming daisy.

Ling Yue returned the smile.

But she wasn't idle for long before fans caught her.

«Streamer! Yueyue Streamer is here! »

Ling Yue glanced around—goodness, that shout drew dozens of people from all directions to look at her, their eyes flashing with a greedy green light.

Ling Yue: «Don't come over. JPG»

Her plan was that after the ceremony ended, there would still be tonight and tomorrow; after all, the Orca Platform's anniversary celebration actually lasted two days: the first day featured performances by all the major streamers, a formal celebration; the second day was for streamer‑fan interaction, just casual fun.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, before she could be surrounded by fans, Cen Ming caught her backstage: «Hey, what are you doing here? The show's about to start—if you keep running around, who'll take the finale? »

Ling Yue: QWQ

Fine. Seeing him help her out of the predicament, Ling Yue said nothing.

Now, however, Cen Ming started to feel uncomfortable; since that exorcism incident, he and Ling Yue had kept in touch decently and were considered friends.

Ling Yue is not that obedient a person.

If Ling Yue knew what he thought, she would surely shout back, «Slander, it's all slander! »—how rebellious would she have to be to give him that impression?

It's just that her streaming time is a bit less, she's a bit opinionated… okay, it's a tiny bit.

As a trusted confidant of the big boss, Cen Ming didn't dare linger even though he cared about Ling Yue, lest his subordinates see him and accuse him of favoritism.

But that's not how it is at all!

Ling Yue, a streamer with over a hundred million fans still growing, they can't even keep up with praising her—let alone talk of favoritism, there's no chance for that.

Ling Yue has real talent; even if she's not on Orca Live, but on Baleen Whale Live or Blue Whale Live, she can still shine—it's the Orca Live streamers who can't do without her.

However, even if Cen Ming were more careful, someone saw his interaction with Ling Yue; behind the concealing curtain, streamer Qiyiguo tiptoed furtively, covering her mouth in shock.

Her eyes widened as she suddenly recalled the sisters' group she'd joined, where many streamers had declared——

【The current top streamers of Orca are definitely being propped up by the platform!】

【What kind of pet‑consultation livestream could possibly have so much happening, with a bombshell every few days—impossible! The platform must be pulling out all the stops to hype it!】

【Just wait—maybe there's some shady deal with the higher‑ups; there's definitely inside information!】

Back then, Qiyiguo was also a member of the «Sour‑Sulky» legion, but as time passed, Ling Yue became someone she could hardly hope to catch up to.

Whether it's real or fake doesn't matter—as long as there's traffic to make money, nothing is shabby!

She had long lamented having no chance to meet that person, sparing no effort to join the anniversary celebration—most of the reason was to see Ling Yue—and she never expected to witness this scene.

Feeling the person leave, Qiyiguo thumped her chest, let out a long breath, and cheered herself on: «This time I'll definitely get along with her! »

Fortunately, she was also fully prepared.

Thinking that, her gaze unintentionally fell on a nearby quiet cage.,,.