Chapter 55

Ling Yue's breath hitched—this is a national treasure; the national treasure begs you to kiss, hug, and lift high!

How could she bear not to satisfy it!

Ling Yue immediately picked up Tuan Tuan; the soft fur felt especially nice, and she didn't notice Yuan Yuan beside her, eyes wide in shock—this is an adult panda weighing nearly a hundred jin; for her, it's not just a matter of hugging, even lifting a leg feels strenuous!

Ling Yue picked it up effortlessly, without the slightest hesitation.

Tuan Tuan let out a cry; the sudden weightlessness as it rose startled it, and it clung tightly to Ling Yue.

It cautiously opened its eyes to find itself held in the arms of the Great Demon King, and everything felt easy: 'Ooo~~'

"How high!"

Except for being held by keepers when it was young, it never had such a moment unless it climbed a tree—but climbing a tree is nowhere near as comfortable as being held by a human.

Next, Ling Yue checked Tuan Tuan's progress, pulled out the prepared tablet, and waved it at the panda beside her: 'Kung Fu Panda 2, wanna watch, Tuan Tuan?'

She hadn't forgotten her earlier promise.

Tuan Tuan happily slapped its paws, then suddenly, as if remembering something, shook its head: 'No way, the zoo director will chase away the Great Demon King!'

It said, waving its paw, its chubby body wobbling: 'Once I master martial arts, Tuan Tuan will help you get revenge!'

Seeing this, Ling Yue couldn't help but laugh.

She coughed twice, looked at Yuan Yuan, and asked: 'You say, who is the zoo director now?'

Yuan Yuan blinked, not understanding why she asked that, and replied: 'Huh? Isn't it you?'

Three seconds later, the adorable panda had only its butt aimed at Ling Yue, its chubby paws covering its face: 'Cheater! Big cheater!'

In the end, Ling Yue still played the movie to the finish and told Tuan Tuan that training could also happen during the day.

She placed the tablet with Tuan Tuan, opened the software, which were the martial arts streamers and coaches she had carefully selected, plus some live courses.

Tuan Tuan wasn't new to electronic devices, but the dazzling array of martial arts inside made its eyes swim; it retracted its paws, imitated Ling Yue's movements on the screen, and the large display switched at random, accidentally entering a live teaching stream.

A man with a sturdy, well-proportioned physique was teaching martial arts; compared to other streamers, his background was extremely clean, and every move was absolutely neat and crisp, his stance stable as a pillar planted on the ground.

Tuan Tuan was captivated; compared to flashy, muscle‑showing streams and those flashy but substance‑less rooms, his stream was plain yet efficient, and the panda eager to learn martial arts watched it intently.

Ling Yue glanced over; the stream had barely any viewers, the only comments being a few that looked like they came from relatives or robots.

【Master, keep it up!】

【Master is too strong; this punch alone has at least fifteen years of skill!】

【Ahhhh, another day of admiring the master; when will I be able to be like the master? (☆_☆)】

Visitors who had mistakenly clicked in just like Ling Yue burst out laughing: '【I say, you guys, as paid posters taking on jobs, at least be professional—you keep recycling the same few lines, and claim fifteen years of skill when I've got ten!】'

Ling Yue frowned, and even those few comments disappeared.

She scrolled through the history records, packed with training routines and teaching courses; as someone who possessed top‑tier martial arts, Ling Yue could naturally tell this person's skill was deep, but they were too serious, lacking the flashy moves that attract attention.

After seeing the venue behind him, her pupils contracted sharply.

This should be a training hall; a few simple tables were set up at the back, the space clean and spacious, but that didn't matter—what mattered were the few trophies and certificates on the table, not comparable to the shelves of trophies behind some streamers, yet Ling Yue knew that just that one could easily crush 99% of so‑called 'martial arts masters'.

That was a certificate of National Martial Hero Level martial arts athlete; Martial Hero Level is the highest rank for national martial arts athletes, dubbed the pinnacle of martial arts.

He has absolute strength!

"Hey! Ha! Ya ya ya!"

Looking over here, Tuan Tuan was already swinging its paws and legs, moving with vigorous vigor, albeit not entirely standard, but essentially the same—after all, it's a panda, not a person.

Ling Yue suddenly had an idea, she kneaded the panda's soft cheeks: 'Tuan Tuan, how about I get you a great teacher?'

Meanwhile, at the martial arts training hall.

Jiang Zhengping, who was struggling to stream in his spare time, paused mid‑movement upon seeing the unabashed mockery in the comments, his brows knotting into a shape like three short parallel lines.

Several disciples shuffled their feet, embarrassed, not daring to look up: 'Master, maybe we should just give up.'

'Streaming is too hard; basically no one watches, so we should focus offline and try to recruit a few more students.'

The third disciple also couldn't help but nod, recalling these days' mental journey, his face scrunched up.

On the first day, there were hardly any viewers; they could console themselves, thinking it was normal at the start, but it's been over two months now—aside from those few disciples, only a handful of fans, and the view count still hasn't broken a hundred.

Jiang Zhengping shook his head: 'Nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets their mind to it.'

Several disciples looked at each other, recalling their earlier suggestion, and seeing their master drenched in sweat, they all regretted it deeply.

But let's go back two months: Jiang Zhengping's martial arts hall in North Province Linzhou had a modest reputation, getting by just barely, when suddenly people from Great Harmony Country opened a karate dojo right across from it.

From the start, Jiang Zhengping knew this was aimed at him, but he didn't expect the opponent to launch such a swift offensive—karate's quick‑learning edge, plus heavy promotion, siphoned off most of the students, and in the end, even half of the martial arts hall's pupils were poached.

Now only a handful of people remain; with no students, the martial arts hall has no income to sustain itself and faces closure.

Thinking this over, the landlord showed up with a worried face: 'Jiang bro, look, this month's end is coming up—when are we supposed to pay the rent?'

Jiang Zhengping's face stiffened; he said bluntly, 'Give me a few more days' grace—I'll pay right away.'

Several disciples also pleaded, the landlord's senior disciple sighed as well, and the enthusiastic Lao San visibly wilted; Jiang Zhengping picked up his phone, opened the backend, and to his surprise, he could hardly believe his own eyes.

This was a genuine private message!

Jiang Zhengping opened it, saw clearly, his eyes widened in shock, his first reaction was to rub his eyes—could he be seeing things?

A disciple also wondered: 'What's up, Master?'

Jiang Zhengping clenched his jaw, expressionless, and said: 'You guys take a look.'

The disciples were startled by his appearance, nervously took the phone, their thoughts a jumble—could this be mockery? Their master had already worked so hard…

But the next moment, Lao San exclaimed excitedly: 'Master Jiang, would you accept a one‑on‑one lesson? I have a special student here; if you can teach it martial arts, I'll pay 100,000 per month—please reply after viewing.'

As soon as he finished speaking, the martial arts hall burst into shouts: '100,000!'

"What a big shot!!!"

That amount equals half a year's salary for some people in this first‑tier city, and for the martial arts hall now, it's truly a timely gift in the snow.

"Master!"

The disciples' eyes gleamed like wolves: 'Accept! We must definitely accept!'

"What a big shot, so rich, we must take it, we definitely have to take it, not taking it isn't human!"

Jiang Zhengping was also greatly moved, but when he heard his disciple's words, his cheek muscles twitched, he raised his eyes and looked at the several people: "What did you just say?"

The disciples: ⊙﹏⊙

"Master, we were wrong!" one disciple urgently said: "Master, hurry up and reply to the private message, no matter what special student it is, even if the other party is a dog, for the sake of this 100,000 yuan, we also have to train it into a martial-arts dog!"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Jiang Zhengping's eyebrows shot up, he gripped his phone and went to find a place to type.

At that moment the disciples didn't know that soon they would actually meet that special student, and would want to kick their past selves for talking nonsense, letting you spout nonsense, and now it's come true, right? QAQ

The phone vibrated; Director Ling Yue was training Tuan Tuan, didn't forget to open the backend, saw the reply, she continued sending messages, moved to WeChat to chat, and after receiving an affirmative answer from the other side, she smiled.

【Thank you, Master Jiang, for agreeing; I will reimburse your travel expenses.】

She directly gave the address of the Capital Zoo, then instructed Yuan Yuan: "During this time, pay attention; if a Master surnamed Jiang comes to see me, first take him to the office and immediately notify me. This person is my important guest."

Over there, hearing this, Tuan Tuan waddled over, cooing cutely.

"Great Demon King, who is it?"

Ling Yue rubbed its round little ears: "Master Jiang, you didn't say you like him the most?"

Hearing her words, the whole panda Tuan Tuan froze, then after reacting, it frolicked throughout the hall.

Yuan Yuan's gaze stayed fixed on Tuan Tuan, very worried: "Director, what's wrong with Tuan Tuan? Nothing bad will happen, right?"

Ling Yue shook her head: "Don't worry, it's just very happy, extremely happy."

Yuan Yuan blinked: "Happy?"

Ling Yue gave a mysterious smile: "Because its master is coming."

Tuan Tuan's master?

Unprecedented, Yuan Yuan felt a pang of confusion—she had personally gone to the panda base to pick up Tuan Tuan, so how had she never heard that Tuan Tuan even had a master? Could it be…… Yuan Yuan's eyes widened like a 500-watt lightbulb—could it be that the zoo is about to introduce another panda?!

That would be great!

One day later, Jiang Zhengping, the Panda Master, shouldered a woven bag and resolutely walked into the train station, with three reluctant disciples behind him waving at him.

Even the youngest third disciple chased to the ticket gate, his eye sockets red: "Master!"

Jiang Zhengping sighed: "You want to say something, as your master I already know; as your master I will certainly devote all my learning to ensure the other party is satisfied!"

The three disciples shook their heads vigorously: "No, Master, I want to say——"

Jiang Zhengping's ears felt hot, he clenched the woven bag, unconsciously glanced around at the coming and going crowd, thinking: "You're all grown up, why aren't you shy? Don't you know to find a secluded place to say such things, Master?"

The next moment, the three disciples gathered courage and said: "Master, you must absolutely remember to transfer the rent to the landlord after you get the money!"

Jiang Zhengping's heart turned cold in an instant.

"That's all you wanted to say?"

The three disciples, completely unaware, said: "What's wrong——Oh dear! Master, spare me! Master, don't hit me! Master, stop hitting! Master, I was wrong!"

Their voices echoed in the train station hall, lingering for a long time.

Jing Shi, the Ye family residence.

Ling Yue had been summoned by Ye Yilin via WeChat; upon arriving, she went straight to the kittens, while Gou Dan and Cui Hua led a group of little ones playing and roughhousing in the back garden, meanwhile teaching skills, nimbly climbing up and down the trees, quite delighted.

Ling Yue fell silent for a moment; this didn't look like something had happened, right?

Ye Yilin, having realized, silently covered her face: "Sister Ling Yue, I messaged you on WeChat not because of the kittens, but because of something else, qwq"

Ling Yue: ……

That's fine too.

Ye Yilin said, her heart burning with anxiety: "What on earth is wrong with my brother? He's late and hasn't returned; I don't know anything, what should I ask?"

For a moment, they could only stare at each other.

Fortunately there was still a Da Jin Mao; ever since Ling Yue entered, the Da Jin Mao baby had been overly active, constantly scratching at Ling Yue's feet.

Ye Yilin gripped the leash tightly: "Baby, you, you don't get so excited; this is my guest."

The Da Jin Mao, choked, rolled its eyes: "Uh…… woof, granddaughter, loosen your grip a bit, grandfather's going to be strangled by you!"

In the end, Ling Yue couldn't bear it; although this golden-haired dog was strange, constantly talking about grandfather and grandson, but considering it's a dog that doesn't understand human affairs, Ling Yue said: "Why don't you loosen your grip? I don't think it looks like it's about to pounce; maybe it just wants to play with me for a while."

Ye Yilin hesitantly looked at the chubby Da Jin Mao: "But…… but……"

"But, but what?" the Da Jin Mao plopped onto the ground, quieted down, turned its head and gave a soft chuckle; Ye Xulan turned his head, his own younger sister already laughing until she was all over the place, a sight to behold.

He too, it was the first time he had met such a unique girl.

Carefree and composed, her strength wasn't piled up from money, but a confidence radiating from within, making one think of the unyielding, independent kapok tree.

Ye Xulan chose to get straight to the point: "Miss Ling Yue, sorry, it was I who had my younger sister invite you over, and I also have something I wish to consult you about."

You?

Ling Yue looked at him dressed all in black, his aura like a rainbow, and couldn't help but frown: "I think I'm still young; you can just call me by my name, Ling Yue."

Another stifled laugh, Ye Yilin nearly burst her belly laughing: "Sister Ling Yue, my brother dresses like this on purpose; he looks old…… mature, but actually he's only fifteen, still young."

Ling Yue: ……

In the awkward silence, only the golden-haired dog whimpered sorrowfully: "Alas, not heeding the elders' words, you'll suffer loss right before your eyes!"

It sighed and shook its head: "I've said before, why dress yourself up so mature when you're young? You're clearly only fifteen, always wearing a suit and tie, and many girls standing beside you make it look like you're an uncle bringing his niece."

Ling Yue couldn't help but lower her gaze, looking at the chatty dog with suspicion.

This scene fell before Ye Xulan sitting opposite, prompting him to feel a hint of expectation; he adjusted his tie and asked softly: "May I ask, did you understand what it said?"

Ling Yue couldn't help but look doubtfully at Ye Yilin, who nodded; Ling Yue then spoke openly: "Yilin should have said before, I can communicate with animals, so sometimes I unconsciously listen to what they say."

Just as her words fell, unexpectedly Ye Xulan directly said: "Can you tell me what it just said? This is very important to me."

Ling Yue felt a faint suspicion rise, she repeated the Da Jin Mao's words verbatim; in an instant, the whole living room was left with only the sound of light breathing.

"Grandson, grandson?" Ye Yilin went dumbfounded, even looking shocked at the Da Jin Mao: "How could it say such words? This, this isn't the phrase my grandfather often mutters? I can recite it even with my eyes closed!"

"Could it be that the baby, having stayed long by grandfather's side, also learned it?"

Ye Xiu Lan's one sentence shattered her guess: "Perhaps the one saying this isn't the baby, but our grandfather."

His gaze fell on Da Jin Mao.

Hearing this, Da Jin Mao's body stiffened, and he began to sob: "My grandson, Grandfather, I haven't raised you in vain these past decades; you're reliable, grandson—I am your grandfather!"

Upon hearing this, Ling Yue instantly lost her voice.

She looked in astonishment at the golden-haired dog, tears streaming down its face.

Ling Yue took a deep breath, finally realizing what was wrong: this overly clever golden-haired dog was not merely human-like; rather, a human soul originally dwelled within its body!

It had been deliberately concealed, but when Ling Yue glanced again, she faintly saw the old man's soul wrapped within the golden-haired dog's body.

At this moment, Ye Yi Lin finally reacted, covering her mouth in shock, looking terrified at her brother: "Brother, is today April Fools' Day? You're not joking with me again, are you? Grandfather is clearly right here, right here—" the hospital!

She hadn't finished speaking when Ye Xiu Lan interrupted, frowning: "Do you think I look like I'm joking?"

As he said this, he looked at Ling Yue, earnestly: "This is the question I want to consult; I hope you can help— is it... my grandfather?"

Ling Yue noticed it wasn't a question but an affirmative tone; actually no need to ask— after seeing the soul on the golden-haired dog, she could already answer: "It is!"

"I saw Old Master Ye's soul on him."

These words truly shocked the Ye siblings; Ye Yi Lin stammered even more: "Did you... see? Sister Ling Yue, can you see my grandfather?"

Ling Yue nodded, mainly looking at Ye Yi Lin: "Aren't you curious why Song Xi was so respectful to me before? Because I once helped them resolve a trouble—I count as a member of the Mysterious Gate."

This was another field Ye Yi Lin had never ventured into; she listened with a bewildered expression.

As for Ye Xiu Lan, he had heard of it before, but he was never interested, actively refusing and even showing disgust; over time, no one dared to bring it up in front of him.

Until today, he finally faced it squarely.

He accepted it quickly; even though the malice of the great universe had smeared his face, he looked at Da Jin Mao and said: "Can you help me confirm again— is it really my grandfather?"

Upon hearing this, Da Jin Mao sprang up: "My great grandson, what more proof do you need for Grandfather? When you were three, you fell out of bed while sleeping; I and the steward didn't notice you in the morning, thinking you'd been kidnapped in a home invasion— little did we know the police had already come to the house, only then discovering you were sound asleep alone under the bed."

"At four, you wet the bed, and at such a young age you already knew shame, hiding the map‑drawn sheets in the basin— that was my washbasin, Grandfather's; I said, why was the basin so fragrant that day?"

"Is that enough?" it said, after finishing, squatting with hands on hips, looking at Ling Yue.