This medicinal spray could only heal external injuries; just spray it on the wound. Qiao Sang decided to treat the magnetic tough mouse she brought back from the mountain first. If she let the one that struck her with lightning wake up first, she might end up getting zapped again. Since this medicine wasn't like healing skills that took effect immediately, it took about fifteen minutes for the magnetic tough mouse to come around.
When the mouse woke up, it looked a bit dazed, but after regaining its senses, it anxiously looked around. As it turned its head, it spotted its unconscious mother on the ground. Seeing that its mother's wounds were treated, the magnetic tough mouse let out a sigh of relief and then noticed Qiao Sang nearby.
"Mag."
"Mag, mag."
The mouse hurriedly explained to Qiao Sang. With the Fire Tooth Dog translating, Qiao Sang quickly understood their relationship—mother and child. Just as she was about to speak, another magnetic tough mouse woke up too.
The Fire Tooth Dog immediately became vigilant. It turned out that the mother mouse, almost as soon as her eyes opened, was searching for Qiao Sang. As the lightning around her flared up, preparing to attack, the Fire Tooth Dog became encircled with flames as well. A fierce battle was about to begin.
At that moment, Qiao Sang quickly picked up the slower-moving magnetic tough mouse and held it in front of herself as a shield. "Don't release lightning! Let's talk things over peacefully!"
The eyes of the mother and child mice met, one looking confused and the other with concern and anger. The next moment, the lightning around the mother mouse faded away. The Fire Tooth Dog was momentarily stunned. This was possible?
"Quickly explain to your mother," Qiao Sang urged the mouse in her hands.
Five minutes later, the mother magnetic tough mouse looked at Qiao Sang with a face full of apology. It was clear that the misunderstanding had been resolved.
"Alright, since you’ve met your family, we won’t disturb your reunion," Qiao Sang said to the magnetic tough mouse. She still needed to look around for any wild companion beasts. If she couldn't find anything in another half hour, she should just head back.
The magnetic tough mouse nodded gratefully, but its mother stood in front of Qiao Sang. "Mag, mag!"
"Mag!" the Fire Tooth Dog resumed its role as translator.
It turned out the mother mouse wanted to offer some fruit as a thank you. Qiao Sang initially wanted to refuse, but then thought better of it and agreed. Fruits that wild companion beasts liked were sure to contain various energies.
Even though she couldn't count on finding anything valuable in the mountains around her rural town, any spiritually nourishing plants were bound to be useful. Artificially planted trees wouldn't grow in such areas inhabited by wild beasts. There were too many factors to consider in terms of soil, temperature, fertilizing at the right time, and balancing tree strengths.
Moreover, there was the need to suppress the top growth to encourage budding in other areas. After all, trees sought to spread their branches and thrive; that way, they would bear more fruit and be easier to harvest. Suppressing the top growth helped achieve that goal by redirecting nutrients from the top to other branches for healthier fruit development. Normal fruit trees required considerable care, and trees that bore energy-rich fruits needed even more meticulous cultivation, so they wouldn't be casually planted in accessible mountains.
Since these fruits were wild, Qiao Sang no longer had any worries. The mother magnetic tough mouse led the way, and six minutes later, it dove into some foliage. Qiao Sang was taken aback for a moment but then followed after it.
…
In Qitang Town, at the police station, a twenty-year-old young man looked puzzled. "Even if someone entered Zhehai Province, they should be going to Xianglin. Why would they come to Hanggang?"
Sitting across from him was a round-faced middle-aged woman. Upon hearing his words, she replied, "We've traced the route. After evading surveillance, he landed near Ming Alley. He was spotted by a girl who took his photo because he is handsome, and she shared it in a group chat, which drew the police's attention."
The middle-aged woman chuckled as she spoke, "Being handsome isn't always a good thing, you know."
The young man frowned slightly. "They even took photos, yet Zhou Xian has evaded capture till now. Nowadays, with surveillance everywhere, most activities leave behind some identification information."
All companion beast information was logged at the Beastmaster Center. Even if someone used companion beasts to act, they should have been identified immediately. As a C-level Beast Master, he was a handsome fellow; even if he hid in the mountains, the locals should have noticed him.
But after so many days, there was still no news. Had he undergone plastic surgery? Or changed his gender? Could he have contracted a beast that created a muddy disguise? Yet, the data stated he had only been a C-level Beast Master for a year, and all companion beast records were on file; there was no way he could have contracted a fifth beast so quickly. Unless he was hiding in some remote corner of the mountains where not a soul wandered.
But then, how would he manage food and water? A Beast Master couldn't just look after themselves; they had to consider their beasts' diets too. As he recalled, the records showed he had two advanced companion beasts, one high-level beast, and one mid-level beast. The needs of those four beasts couldn't just be met anywhere.
The middle-aged woman took a sip of tea and said, "In any case, he’s badly injured, and his beasts are too. He can’t dare go to the hospital, so it’s only a matter of time before he gets caught."
"You don’t need to worry; he won’t reach us here. Qitang Town is crowded, and the place is small. Ran Ran just had a blind date, and soon everyone on three streets knows about it. If he dares show up here, believe me, even Aunt Wang at the vegetable stall will find out before the police do."
Sitting next to the middle-aged woman, Ye Ranran was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t said a word, yet she was caught in the mix.
"It’s only a matter of time before he’s apprehended, but I’m worried about him going desperate and harming innocent people," the young man said with concern.
A C-level Beast Master was no small character. If they couldn't find his hiding spot in time to evacuate the crowd and set up a defense, it could be disastrous for the innocent civilians.
"Guan Bei, you’ve been with us for two years. What’s the biggest case you’ve encountered?" the middle-aged woman asked.
Zhang Guanbei was stunned for a moment before answering, "Isn't this case the biggest one?"
The middle-aged woman shook her head. "The higher-ups just want us to keep an eye on this individual; they haven’t said this case belongs to us. Even if Zhou Xian came to Qitang, it would be reported to the upper management to send someone. Our department won’t have a C-level Beast Master confront him."
"The biggest case is always the one at hand. Your biggest case now is the theft case from this morning; the wild companion beast just captured was stolen, and the surveillance cameras didn’t catch anything. Aren’t you curious?"
The young man's thoughts were successfully diverted. He countered, "Clearly, that magnetic tough mouse just ran away by itself. The person involved captured it in the mountains and then needed our police to help find it. Who knows if that escaped magnetic tough mouse will attack ordinary folks in town?"
…
Mount Huangming. Qiao Sang stared at the scenery before her, taken aback. If it weren't for the magnetic tough mouse leading the way, the dense thickets would have completely obscured this hidden spot on the mountain.
(End of Chapter)