Chapter 105
The next morning, when Su Ci woke up, he immediately sensed something different—
His hand was buried in something soft and fluffy, like the most delicate and cozy material in the world. Without realizing it, he petted it a few times, then pulled it close and buried his face in it.
It wasn’t until that moment that Su Ci finally realized something was off.
He frowned and opened his eyes.
What greeted him was A-Yan’s blushing face, filled with a mix of shyness and satisfaction. And then… there it was—a fluffy, white tail that looked part wolf, part fox, nestled in his arms.
Su Ci: “…”
“Good morning, Su Su.” A-Yan’s soft and gentle voice, like a mountain stream flowing through a quiet glen, made Su Ci’s ears itch slightly.
It felt as though he was once again seeing that bright and radiant youth in his mind.
Su Ci blinked, then buried his face into the fluffy, warm tail again, savoring its softness and confirming it wasn’t just his imagination.
Lifting his head once more, he looked at A-Yan.
A-Yan grinned at him, his smile so cute it could melt hearts.
Su Ci reached out, pinching A-Yan’s soft, chubby cheek before finally replying, “Morning.”
Considering that A-Yan already had a pair of ears, it wasn’t particularly surprising for him to now have a tail. Plus, Su Ci remembered the question this little one had asked him before bedtime. It all made sense.
He had intended to get out of bed, but he couldn’t resist burying his face in A-Yan’s tail again, rubbing his cheek against it.
In truth, every time he saw the wolf cub’s tail, Su Ci often wanted to do exactly this—not just touch it but also bury his face in it. Unfortunately, the setting was never right.
But now, with A-Yan, he felt no such reservations.
Seeing how much Su Ci enjoyed his new tail, A-Yan’s smile grew even sweeter.
Su Su liking his tail was the best thing ever!
By the time the two finally left the bedroom, they were half an hour later than usual. Luckily, A-Yan had gotten up early to prepare breakfast. It only needed to be reheated, so it wouldn’t affect the taste.
As for the plants in the field, there was no transplanting work to do today. The cubs had already become quite adept at watering and fertilizing, so Su Ci didn’t need to provide much guidance.
It was worth mentioning that Little Zheng Xing could now roughly discern which plants needed what kind of water and fertilizer. While not as precise as A-Yan, he was still within an acceptable range.
Given time, A-Yan would likely be able to fully delegate the planting tasks to the cubs.
Around the spiritual sprouts, where the Star-chain fruit seedlings had been transplanted just yesterday, new vines had already begun to grow. The speed seemed even faster than the previous batch, likely because the little spiritual sprout had grown a second green leaf.
Under the influence of the surrounding greenery, the two spiritual sprouts seemed to have sped up their growth. Even Lazybone, which usually lagged behind, was keeping pace with Princess.
Of course, there was another possible explanation: the soil nutrients had increased, further accelerating the growth of the spiritual sprouts.
The growth of the sprouts generated more spiritual energy, which in turn promoted the growth of the nutrient-rich plants. The plants enriched the soil further, creating a positive feedback loop of mutual benefit and accelerated growth.
Thus, a virtuous cycle was set in motion.
The Star-chain fruit vines transplanted to the base of the wall, though their growth had slowed, were still growing faster than ordinary Star-chain fruits. They had already begun climbing the rope net.
Soon enough, the vines would cover the entire net, creating a breathtaking scene that had never been witnessed before on the Prison Star.
As Su Ci listened to A-Yan describe the progress of the plants, he nodded in satisfaction, his mood lightened. Just as he finished freshening up and was about to eat breakfast, a low groaning sound broke the silence.
Both he and A-Yan turned their heads simultaneously toward the corner where the Crimson Flame Tiger was resting.
The tiger’s ears twitched slightly, its eyelashes quivered, and it slowly opened its eyes—after sleeping for a full two days, Number Two had finally awakened from its hibernation.
Blinking a few times, it felt refreshed, its body lighter and more comfortable than ever before.
But as it lowered its head and saw its paws—now resembling ones clad in white gloves—it frowned. Supporting itself on all fours, it tried to stand up when—
“Gurgle gurgle~”
A loud rumbling sound emanated from its belly, echoing through the quiet room.
The Crimson Flame Tiger froze. Realizing the source of the sound, it lifted its head to look forward—only to lock eyes with Su Ci. The tiger stiffened once more.
Su Ci could clearly see the overwhelming embarrassment reflected in the tiger’s beast-like eyes.
A faint smile curved his lips.
Good. At least Number Two was still lucid and hadn’t been consumed by the power of its bloodline again. That was a promising start.
“Let’s eat,” Su Ci said, looking at A-Yan.
A-Yan understood immediately. However, instead of handing over the roasted meat directly, he teleported out of the dormitory. When he returned, he held a tray in his hands.
He placed the tray in front of the Crimson Flame Tiger and removed the lid, releasing a burst of rich, meaty aroma.
But as the scent dispersed, it revealed a dish similar to what the wolf cubs usually ate—a bowl of gelatinous meat mush.
Number Two wasn’t usually picky about food, but looking at the bowl of meat mush on his tray and then glancing at the real roasted meat on the caretaker’s table, his gaze involuntarily betrayed a hint of longing.
A-Yan, however, didn’t waver.
Looking at Number Two, he said firmly, “If you want roasted meat, you’ll need to work for it.”
This was the rule set for the wolf cubs, and they had already made an exception once. If they broke the rules again for Number Two, it might cause dissatisfaction among Lang Ze and the others.
Hearing A-Yan’s voice reminded Number Two of that embarrassing incident—the time he bartered with the caretaker, offering his tail for petting in exchange for food, only to have Number One overhear everything…
Overwhelmed with shame, Number Two quickly abandoned any grander hopes. Bowing his head, he began eating.
The meat mush tasted the same as before, but perhaps due to his extreme hunger, it actually seemed palatable. His pace quickened as he ate.
The only inconvenience was that he lacked hands and had to use his tongue to lap at the food—a posture that was far from dignified.
Fortunately, after putting down the tray and explaining the rule about earning roasted meat, A-Yan left to have breakfast with Su Ci. With no one paying attention to him, Number Two felt a little more at ease.
Once he had filled his belly, he crouched to the side, resisting the urge to groom himself, and waited for the caretaker to finish eating.
Number Two hadn’t forgotten that before he went to sleep, the caretaker had reassured him, saying that once he fully mastered the power of his bloodline, his body would return to its original form.
So surely, the caretaker would be willing to teach him how to control his bloodline power, right?
Crouching there with anticipation, Number Two kept his eyes on the caretaker. Slowly, his furry face began to show a rather peculiar expression.
The caretaker…
Was eating way too much.
This was the first time Number Two had ever seen an adult eat, but surely no regular adult could eat as much as Su Ci was eating! Plate after plate of roasted meat disappeared, yet the caretaker’s stomach didn’t seem to grow any larger. How could he eat so much and still look so thin?
The Crimson Flame Tiger’s eyes were filled with profound confusion.
Then, to his utter disbelief, Su Ci polished off the entire table of roasted meat and still looked as if he could eat more.
Number Two was thoroughly shocked.
But when Su Ci turned to look at him, Number Two quickly straightened up, adopting a serious and composed expression.
Su Ci stood and walked toward him. A-Yan glanced at them but continued clearing the table, planning to finish his chores before checking in on the tiger.
As the caretaker approached, Number Two grew a little nervous. Thankfully, in his current beast form, Su Ci wouldn’t be able to read his expression.
However, perhaps due to his nerves, when Su Ci stopped in front of him, Number Two forgot that he couldn’t speak in his current state. So instead…
“Meow~”
Hearing that immature mewling sound again, Number Two’s tiger eyes widened in shock. He quickly shut his mouth, refusing to make another embarrassing noise.
Su Ci didn’t laugh at him. Finding the little Crimson Flame Tiger too cute to resist, he reached out and gently patted the tiger’s head, giving it a light rub.
The feel of his fur in full beast form was indeed different. Softer, fluffier, and incredibly satisfying to touch.
After indulging himself for a moment, Su Ci finally withdrew his hand and said, “Let’s give you a name first.”
A name?
The little Crimson Flame Tiger tilted his head in confusion but continued listening as Su Ci explained, “Number One, Number Three, Number Four, Number Five, and Number Seven and Number Eight all have names now. That leaves just you and Number Six.”
Hearing this, Number Two thought of that little monkey—probably the fully beastified Number Six. He wondered how the monkey was doing now.
As for the name…
Understanding that the caretaker had good intentions, Number Two nodded. To his surprise, Su Ci pulled a sheet of paper from his spatial button and placed it in front of him.
“Write your true name here,” Su Ci said, his voice calm and steady.
Number Two blinked in confusion. He didn’t know many words, but he understood what “writing” meant. However, he was a Crimson Flame Tiger right now. Not only did he not know how to write, but even if he did, how could he hold a pen?
Despite his inner doubts, Number Two suddenly saw his right paw lift on its own. With a soft plop, he pressed it onto the white sheet of paper. When he moved his paw away, there was now a plum blossom-shaped paw print on the page.
Number Two looked at the plum blossom-shaped paw print he had made and then glanced nervously at the caretaker.
However, Su Ci simply picked up the paper and carefully examined the print, frowning slightly as if in deep thought.
A moment later, Su Ci retrieved a pen from his spatial button and wrote a single character next to the paw print.
“Liè,” Su Ci said.
Number Two looked at the paw print, then at the character Su Ci had written. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t connect the character to the print.
But… Liè?
Was it the Liè as in “raging fire”?
The Crimson Flame Tiger looked up at Su Ci. Though he didn’t speak, Su Ci understood his unspoken question.
“Correct. Liè—fierce and powerful, symbolizing strong flames and integrity. It suits you well,” Su Ci explained. After a brief pause, he added another character before Liè.
“R?n Liè,” Su Ci said, looking at the Crimson Flame Tiger. “Flames that burn slowly but persistently. I hope you’ll eventually master the power of your bloodline and free yourself from the troubles it brings.”
R?n Liè…
The Crimson Flame Tiger repeated the name in his mind. It stirred a sense of clarity deep within him, though he couldn’t fully grasp it.
Feeling slightly frustrated, he nonetheless nodded and accepted the name with a hint of pride.
Then he heard Su Ci say, “To control the flames, you’ll need to pair cultivation techniques with your training. I’ll teach you a technique called Golden Steel Palm, and you’ll also practice a Buddhist mental discipline.”
Hearing this, Ran Lie’s spirits lifted. However, he tilted his head in confusion.
Buddhist cultivation? What’s that?
