Lu Fei sighed, thinking that what was meant to come would come eventually...
He had already guessed what the young lady was going to ask.
He could only hum and nod in agreement.
"Why can the Three-headed Hound shoot flames!" the young lady, being straightforward, asked directly.
Lu Fei had already prepared his response and said with a smile, "It's your contracted beast, shouldn't you be asking it?" He paused and then praised, "I think it must be because you, Sister Zhou, are exceptionally talented."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shuyi's face revealed an unconcealable smile. The young girl couldn't resist praise, and she found it very pleasing.
But soon, the smile on her face stopped.
"No, no!" Zhou Shuyi shook her head repeatedly. "After I went home last time, I tried it, and the Three-headed Hound couldn't shoot flames at all." She looked at Lu Fei, "It only does it when you're around!"
Lu Fei was stunned, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. The Three-headed Hound could use [Flame Shot] entirely because it was influenced by the [Unstable Evolution Talent], he was clear about that.
But according to Zhou Shuyi, the Three-headed Hound couldn't use this specially generated skill after leaving him?
That's not right... Lu Fei fell into confusion. The owner of the Three-headed Hound was still Zhou Shuyi, not him, so why could the Three-headed Hound use [Flame Shot] now?
Lu Fei himself didn't have much understanding of the [Unstable Evolution Talent]; he was constantly exploring its patterns through practice.
"Haha..." Lu Fei gave an embarrassed laugh, then found a plausible excuse and said seriously, "Well... could it be because your Beastmaster level isn't high enough, so you can't guarantee the Three-headed Hound will use this skill one hundred percent?"
Zhou Shuyi fell into thought, then immediately refuted, "But your Beastmaster level isn't high either! Why does it use [Flame Shot] when you tell it to!" she pouted, "Clearly, I'm its owner!"
Huh? So she was jealous... No wonder she suddenly became so smart, heh, women... Lu Fei muttered to himself.
"Ahem..." Lu Fei coughed twice, opportunely changing the subject. "I don't know why this is happening, but we can observe it further." He looked up at the sky. "It's getting late, and we need to find a relatively suitable place to set up temporary shelter. Otherwise, spending the night in the dense forest is too dangerous."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Tang Ao bid farewell to the Mighty Monkey King, and they made a year-long agreement. Tang Ao promised that he would definitely become an Intermediate Beastmaster in a year's time and possess the absolute ability to control the Mighty Monkey King!
Zhou Shuyi no longer dwelled on why the Three-headed Hound could breathe fire. She felt that what Lu Fei said made sense; it must have been her own extraordinary talent that affected the Three-headed Hound, which was why her contracted beast mutated!
Thinking of this, her little head held higher, and she looked at people with her nostrils.
Lu Fei's thoughts remained on the new skills the Foolish Snake had learned. After the initial excitement, he began to rationally consider the current situation.
Take the encounter with Fang Lin, for example. If it weren't for his intelligence and luck, they would probably all be suffering in silence and be forced to withdraw from the competition. They were no match for them in terms of raw strength.
He disliked this feeling of always being crushed by the natives of the Beastmaster Continent.
It was frustrating!
But carefully reviewing his current combat strength, he only had Brother Chicken and the Foolish Snake. Brother Chicken's combat power was negligible. As for the Foolish Snake...
Lu Fei found that its path had gone completely astray.
The growth direction of a contracted beast is determined by five attribute values: [Physical Attack], [Magical Attack], [Support], [Defense], and [Speed].
For example, contracted beasts like the Shadowless Cat and the Mighty Monkey King excel in [Physical Attack] and [Speed], while contracted beasts like the Silver Willow Eagle excel in [Magical Attack]. Theoretically, all contracted beasts have their own offensive methods.
But the Foolish Snake was different. When it reached level 10, its attribute panel underwent a drastic change.
Its current attributes were:
Physical Attack: 1
Magical Attack: 1
Support: 30
Defense: 5
Speed: 5
In other words, this was a benevolent contracted beast, completely lacking in combat ability!
If it were a one-on-one fight, the Foolish Snake could continuously cast "Divine Heal." In the end, there would be only two outcomes: either you die of exhaustion, or I do!
"Let's keep hiding..." Lu Fei resigned himself.
Since he couldn't resist, he might as well enjoy it...
As night fell, under Lu Fei's guidance, the group arrived by a stream and set up camp.
The area was in a low-lying zone, at the downstream position of the water flow. The stream was clear to the bottom, and some fish were swimming happily...
Before long, they were being roasted over a fire...
"Mmm! It's so fragrant! I've never eaten such delicious grilled fish!" The young lady ate two in one go and reached out to Lu Fei for a third.
Isn't that obvious? You've never eaten cumin-flavored grilled fish... Lu Fei handed the newly grilled fish to Zhou Shuyi. He had developed the cumin himself before setting off. The flavor might be slightly different from the cumin they had tasted before, but the classic taste was a perfect match.
Ke Xin had a smaller appetite. After eating her fill, she took the grilled fish and fed it to the Shadowless Cat. She looked at Lu Fei and asked, "Lu Fei, which mission should we carry out first tomorrow?"
Lu Fei continued to grill the fish and replied, "We are very close to the territory of the Otter Beast. If we follow the stream for another 10 kilometers, we'll be there."
"Then tomorrow, you'll have to show off your skills!" Sisi chimed in.
Lu Fei was slightly startled. He then remembered that he had said something like that.
He glanced at Brother Chicken, who was sleeping soundly, and thought: The stage belongs to Brother Chicken, everyone else just needs to cheer!
He rubbed his temples and nodded in silence.
Late at night.
Everyone was fast asleep.
Suddenly, Lu Fei felt a rustling movement beside him.
Years of wilderness survival experience had made him extremely sensitive to danger.
He instantly opened his eyes.
"Foolish Snake?"
Lu Fei looked at the scene before him with some bewilderment, not understanding why the Foolish Snake had somehow emerged from the beast scroll on its own.
"Foolish Snake, what are you doing?" Lu Fei called out softly.
But the Foolish Snake acted as if it hadn't heard him, walking into the dense forest on its own.
Lu Fei quickly followed, running ahead of the Foolish Snake.
When he saw the Foolish Snake's current state, he was stunned.
Its eyes were actually closed!
"Sleepwalking?" Lu Fei's mind naturally thought of this word.
He knew that people who sleepwalk should not be woken up casually, as it could stimulate the brain and cause irreversible damage.
So, he silently followed behind the Foolish Snake, walking in with it.
After about ten minutes, the Foolish Snake stopped on a clear cliff face.
Above was a full moon, with stars filling the sky and clouds drifting by.
The moonlight shone on the cliff face, adding a sense of depth and silence.
Lu Fei looked around and felt a chill run down his spine.
On this clear cliff face, it was crowded with various kinds of contracted beasts!
There were no less than a thousand of them!
Their state was the same as the Foolish Snake, their eyes closed as if sleepwalking.
But their bodies were all facing the same direction!
As if in worship!
In that direction was a moon-shaped stone.
A person was standing on the stone!
He had long, silver-white hair cascading down!
Wearing a black robe with his hands clasped behind his back!
Resembling a ghost!