"Go get a clay pot and some soil, then roll back to your fungal form. I’ll grant you a fortuitous encounter."

Ansheng said to the Parasitic Beast, face full of speechless exasperation.

Who would’ve thought that among all the Spirit Beasts he knew, aside from that pervy freak-fish that loves watching fry, the one infamous outlaw, the Parasitic Beast, would be the first to start dating.

It even brought its wife along—what else could you say?

Ansheng could only wrap up a big red envelope for the Parasitic Beast.

"A clay pot and soil?"

The Parasitic Beast froze, a bit confused, but still listened to Master Fuli and hurried out to shop.

In less than half an hour, it came back with the items Master Fuli had specified.

Ansheng signaled for it to put the pot in the room next door.

"Alright, you can go in now....." Ansheng shuddered, stepped out, then turned back and signaled for the Fungal Parasitic Beast to go in, turn into fungus, and absorb some farmyard fertilizer.

"Got it!"

The Parasitic Beast walked into the room, face full of confusion, and then a series of "gugu" sounds came from inside, along with terrified insect screeches from the parasites shouting loudly: the fungus had gone berserk.

"Tsk tsk tsk....."

"If Little Tea Tree and Skullcap were both here, the three of them could brawl for two hours straight."

Ansheng clicked his tongue in amazement, shook his head, went back into the suite, flopped into Lingren’s arms, and very interestedly scrolled through Notestream along with Lingren.

In terms of recommendation accuracy on Notestream, out of the four-person dorm, Lingren’s feed had the best content.

The pretty big sisters in the videos just kept coming.

"Oh right, Ah Qing, our schedule for today might change a bit....."

After watching the big sister in the black bikini finish a bright, cheerful dance, Ansheng finally remembered and said to Ah Qing and the others, "We need to make a trip to Third Bureau. Later I’ll take you to watch a Spirit Beast territory battle."

"As for checking out the new place, going this afternoon isn’t too late. We’ll still visit Second Uncle tonight as usual."

"If things go well, you can even ride a living biological land-battle vehicle....."

According to the Fungal Parasitic Beast’s explanation, that land tortoise occupying the reservoir and the mountains was a giant sulcata tortoise, famous in tortoise circles for its size.

Even without Spiritualization, its final body weight could reach a hundred kilograms.

After Spiritualization, its tonnage was basically no different from a car.

However, the sulcata tortoise didn’t like people. You could tell from the name alone that it wasn’t a native species of Xia Country.

When the Security Bureau found it, they had already questioned and investigated it. The reason the sulcata tortoise lived in the reservoir in Miyun District all stemmed from some morally bankrupt "release life" enthusiast over a decade ago.

That guy released the tortoise into the reservoir and almost drowned the sulcata to death.

The sulcata clawed its way back from the brink, but from then on kept a respectful distance from humans, that species of brainless creature.

No matter how much the Security Bureau tried to lure it with benefits, it had no intention of joining and just holed up in its own territory.

Being able to crush the Fungal Parasitic Beast into a QR code, among Guardian Level Spirit Beasts, it ranked at least mid-upper tier.

Unfortunately, because of the shadow cast over its turtlehood, it simply didn’t dare trust humans as a group.

"A tortoise.....and we can ride it?" Ah Qing froze, eyes lighting up as she looked at the little fox.

At the mention of tortoises, Ah Qing immediately thought of those scenes from foreign documentaries where divers grabbed onto sea turtles and cruised through the seabed.

"Alright, I’ll go get my swimsuit ready right now. This winter swim is mine!" Ah Qing clenched her fists, as if she’d made some kind of solemn decision.

"....What are you getting a swimsuit for? It’s a land tortoise. You want to go winter swimming, but it doesn’t!"

"Oh....." Ah Qing answered, face full of disappointment.

Time slipped by, and with no sign of the Parasitic Beast coming out of the next room, the group ordered a hotel breakfast to tide themselves over. It wasn’t until ten in the morning that a brisk knock came from outside the door.

"Godfather, I’m ready for revenge!" The Fungal Parasitic Beast said, face overflowing with confidence.

"Alright, then let’s go."

Ansheng nodded slightly, took Ah Qing and the others down to the hotel entrance, and followed the Parasitic Beast’s lead toward a stretch Phantom with embassy plates.

"A Rolls?" Ansheng saw the embassy plates and the absurdly expensive Rolls, and looked at the Parasitic Beast in surprise.

This car’s spec.....probably wasn’t actually an embassy car, but a foreign business vehicle with embassy plates.

"I borrowed it. I’ve got something on them." The Parasitic Beast explained to Master Fuli.

"The routes in the Imperial Capital are complicated, and I don’t have plates. Driving my own car makes it easy to attract the Patrol Bureau."

"If I drive their car, they’ll get the traffic safety lectures....."

If the Fungal Parasitic Beast hadn’t explained, fine, but those casual words immediately put Ah Qing and the others on alert.

And sure enough, things turned out just as they’d suspected.

Once the Fungal Parasitic Beast hit the road, the traffic laws might as well not have existed. The moment they got on the ring highway, the speedometer became a happy meter, never dropping below 230 the whole way, topping out at 280.

The Parasitic Beast first went back to Third Bureau, swapped its suit for a black combat uniform, put three weapon cases into the trunk, and then headed straight for the reservoir in the Yanshan direction.

"Damn, I’ve never seen half this stuff before." Tang You stared at the Parasitic Beast in awe.

Fully kitted out, the Parasitic Beast had two slightly long tactical knives on its thighs, a handgun and an assault rifle, plus a revolver-type grenade launcher.

Magazines were clipped across its chest, along with a peculiar string of chained grenades and two drones.

"You didn’t bring the beehive too?" Ansheng asked the Parasitic Beast, a bit puzzled.

This loadout wasn’t complete at all!

It was all some standard weapons, without even the drone designed to suppress Spirit Beasts.

"The land tortoise counts as off-the-books personnel. Heavy fire suppression can’t be used on our own." The Parasitic Beast said to Master Fuli.

"I’m going in!" After speaking, the Parasitic Beast ran straight toward the forested edge of the reservoir, pulled out a grenade, and lobbed it directly into a suspiciously collapsed pit.

"Boom——"

A roar that spread for several li exploded outward, and angry roars echoed from inside the collapsed cavern.

From the dust-filled cave, a huge hand covered in thick scales thrust out and slapped toward the Parasitic Beast.

The Parasitic Beast didn’t move; instead it raised the assault rifle and aimed at the cave.

This wasn’t its first clash with the land tortoise. It had long since figured out the tortoise’s reach, and its current position was at a distance the tortoise’s arms absolutely couldn’t touch.

"Woo woo....."

A low, almost laughing moan echoed as a massive head emerged from the cave. The upper body of a super giant tortoise, nearly three meters wide like a double-door fridge, pushed out, like a small mountain.

The giant sulcata tortoise dragged its colossal body forward and slammed heavily onto the ground as it glared at the Fungal Parasitic Beast, twin pupils blazing with fire.

"Holy shit....."

Momo blurted out in shock at the giant tortoise’s entrance, "It dares crawl out; I don’t even dare look."

"I’m scared it’ll turn its head, look at me, and go, ’Holy Monk, that thing I asked you to take care of last time—did you handle it?’"

"Huh?"

Ansheng stared at Momo in astonishment, a question mark written all over his face.

That snark.....does it even make sense? They’re not even the same species.

But it fit the scene way too well...