Chapter 60: Who the Hell Is the Gratitude Fox Here?!

「Mmm?」

An Sheng, who had been crouched outside the sunroom, eavesdropping on Lin Ying and Lin’s Grand Elder’s conversation, suddenly felt something and lifted his head, meeting Lin Ying’s gaze.

「Hahahaha」

An Sheng, face flushed with embarrassment, shifted from crawling on all fours to sitting cross-legged on the floor, waving at Lin Ying.

Uh… I guess I came at a bad time. Should I just join the line outside?

Outside the house, An Sheng had already suspected Lin Ying was doing something inside—something she couldn’t reveal—hence the long line of people standing outside as punishment.

But as a fox, what’s there to hide? Yu Xueqing never avoided me when changing clothes. What gossip could a cute little fox not hear?

「Grandnephew?」

On the video call, Lin’s Grand Elder sensed something off about Lin Ying’s gaze, cut off all talk related to spirit beasts, and frowned as he called out to her.

「.」

Lin Ying withdrew her gaze and turned back to the video screen, shaking her head gently: 「No issues. The ones outside are the comfort animals I fed during a recent low spell.」

「They sensed my sadness and wanted to come inside to soothe me.」

「Oh? Comfort dogs?」

Lin’s Grand Elder chuckled and said: 「You’d better snap out of it soon. We once treated a severely depressed comfort dog at our clinic in America.」

「The human’s depression got better, but the dog got depressed from being tortured by its owner.」

Lin Ying: 「.」

An Sheng, eavesdropping: 「.」

Lin’s Grand Elder, still smiling, continued: 「That’s enough for now. I’m about to have breakfast. You’ll figure out the rest yourself.」

Spirit beasts, designated as 「Spirit Beasts,」 possess human-like understanding.

But they remain wild beasts at their core; facing them without heavy weaponry is extremely dangerous and often fatal.

Moreover, 「Spirit Beasts」 are a strategic resource of Xia Nation.

The Lin Clan’s headquarters are overseas, and their business includes international shipping.

Avoiding suspicion is vital.

…………

After the video call ended, Lin Ying sat up from the sofa, unplugged every cable behind the TV, then walked over and opened the soundproof door to the sunroom, which had been locked.

The sunroom was originally built with soundproofing and insulation in mind.

Within the villa, the sunroom had the best soundproofing—any conversation held inside should be inaudible outside.

But… the little fox clearly didn’t count as normal.

「Come in.」

Lin Ying crouched down, picked up An Sheng, carried him into the sunroom, and placed the white fox on the table.

「You heard everything just now.」

Lin Ying sat on the sofa, gazing at An Sheng, and after a moment of silence, asked:

As she spoke, she placed her phone before An Sheng and continued:

「To be honest, I suspected the world might already be insane enough to produce miraculous creatures like Fu Li Lao Ye…」

「But I never imagined we humans were the ones who’d gone mad.」

A faint, bitter smile appeared on Lin Ying’s usually expressionless face.

What Lin’s Grand Elder had said and implied tonight shattered Lin Ying’s worldview.

Fu Li Lao Ye’s existence might not be a rare anomaly—it could be tied to classified protocols.

「Mmmmmm」

An Sheng also looked deeply thoughtful, letting out two soft mews—but Lin Ying had no idea what a fox was saying.

If Lin Ying could understand, even her stoic face would have been covered in black lines.

Lin Ying was talking about the world, the strategic landscape, and resources.

An Sheng was complaining that he’d probably misunderstood Chen Zhi’s management of the tea mountain.

That wild boar, resembling a mammoth with a tuft of blue hair on its head, was a spirit beast.

If he’d known earlier, he wouldn’t have castrated it.

Now An Sheng looked utterly regretful—sending a spirit beast to Chen Zhi for breeding would’ve been a fortune.

Those giant lizards charge ten thousand per mating; if a spirit beast did it, wouldn’t you make over a hundred thousand?

「Fu Li Lao Ye」

As An Sheng grumbled about heaven and earth and how small workshops needed drastic measures, Lin Ying shook her head to clear her thoughts and called out to the fox:

「Mmm?」

What? You trying to breed me? The little fox eyed Lin Ying warily.

But Lin Ying couldn’t catch his grumbling—she only looked solemnly at him and promised:

「As for your matter… I swear by the Lin Clan’s ancestors and Mazu that I will never reveal it.」

「The Lin Clan rose through ruthlessness and righteousness. Fu Li Lao Ye saved my life.」

「Mmmmmm—」

An Sheng waved dismissively, unconvinced—he was just an ordinary little fox. Why tell him all this?

「No! Listen to me…」 Seeing Fu Li Lao Ye gesture to stop, Lin Ying suddenly felt a warm surge in her chest, and even her slightly aching lower abdomen seemed to warm up.

「Grand Elder told me to halt the previous orders and wait for the right moment…」

「But I thought—better to keep going than to end it half-heartedly and invite suspicion. So I’ll continue, but change the goal: instead of searching for spirit beasts, I’ll build the best zoo in the country.」

Before this, Lin Ying had known nothing about some things—but she’d already spoken some words.

And because she’d been unaware, she hadn’t even named the new department she’d formed, nor given clear instructions.

Lin’s Grand Elder, as an insider, noticed the department proposal and grew suspicious—he called Lin Ying during her vacation to ask.

She got the entire process wrong—but somehow, the outcome was exactly right.

「Perfect. My daughter’s biggest wish was for me to take her to Long Dragon Zoo. Now, I’ll just build one right here in Jiule City.」

After speaking, Lin Ying looked at An Sheng and said:

「That way, if Fu Li Lao Ye’s uniqueness is ever exposed, you’ll have a safe, comfortable place to live…」

An Sheng’s face darkened. He typed on his phone:

【I’m just a little fox. Why are you telling me all this? Do I look like I understand?】

【Go away. Stop saying bad luck.】

Lin Ying stared at the message, momentarily silenced by Fu Li Lao Ye.

Right.

Fu Li Lao Ye deletes surveillance footage, browses Baidu for dramas, and asks for NSFW pics on QQ.

If he hadn’t been kind enough to save me, how would I ever have known about his supernatural abilities?

As Lin Ying fell silent,

An Sheng typed another line:

【If the spirit beasts your Grand Elder mentioned are weird-looking creatures, I know where some are—but】

「I understand!」

Lin Ying’s expression darkened. 「I’ll use Fu Li Lao Ye’s intel to fish for information!」

「I’ll uncover exactly how they handle and control spirit beasts—to ensure your safety, and repay your life-saving grace.」

An Sheng: 「.」

I was saying that crocodile’s huge—you’re too close, it’s dangerous!

How did you jump to a spy thriller?!

Who the hell is the gratitude fox here?!

(End of Chapter)