My Pet Beast is Super Fearsome

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: The Promise Under the Starry Sky

In his rented room, Shao Zifeng put away the remaining energy potions and gently touched the Elemental Egg, which was deep in slumber.

Today marked the third day since the Elemental Egg began absorbing the Elemental Potion Type VIII. Besides some turmoil during the initial fusion, the little guy now spent over 20 hours a day sleeping. Once the two potions were fully consumed, hatching shouldn’t be far off.

After storing the silver-white box in the drawer, Shao Zifeng stood up and looked around the empty room, feeling an inexplicable sense of despondency. Over the course of three days, he had sent away the white cat, the White-headed Bulbul, and the small earth dog.

The white cat had returned to its owner, and the White-headed Bulbul and the earth dog had each found their own homes. His platform account had swelled with a sum of several hundred thousand, yet his heart… it felt hollow.

This sensation was something he hadn’t felt when he first sold the round spot viper—an odd and unfamiliar feeling. He sighed inwardly, “It seems my own mindset has also changed under the influence of empathy.”

Whether this change was good or bad, he couldn’t say, but it certainly added some warmth to his heart, making him feel more like a human being.

After a brief tidy-up of the room, making sure Qiuqiu who was lost in sleep was covered with a blanket, Shao Zifeng left the apartment.

…

Today was the last day before school started again, but Shao Zifeng neither chose to train nor found company. Instead, he went to the rooftop alone, seated himself on the low stone steps and rested against the wall in the night breeze, lost in thought.

Given the few residents in the old district and a lack of nightlife, there was minimal light pollution here, offering a view of the starry sky seldom seen in Su City.

As Shao Zifeng gazed at the stars, his mind wandered far away, filled with uncertainty.

Though he had become a Combat Training Master, he still hadn’t found his path.

Perhaps he hadn’t been there long enough, having gone through too much too quickly to properly contemplate his future.

In another time and space, as well as in his former life in this world, being an ordinary person—especially one from a family with a tainted background—all he had wanted was to live out the rest of his days in tranquility. He had wished to care for his aging mother, to marry and have children, watching them grow and start their own families… living an ordinary and unremarkable human life.

His mother had always taught him as a child that “A man leaves his name behind, just like a goose leaves its call.”

His former self certainly couldn’t live up to her hopes of seeing him succeed on a grand scale.

But now…

Shao Zifeng extended his fair right hand, and a fire suddenly ignited in his palm—a fierce blaze that danced in his pupils, reflecting the flames in his hands and the feeling of a fire swelling in his heart.

A moment later, Shao Zifeng shook his hand to extinguish the fire, and the fire in his eyes dimmed in tandem, as if it had never appeared.

The only thing he couldn’t let go of was the woman who had worked hard all her life to independently raise him into adulthood.

Now, with a fortuitous external aid and a pet of extraordinary caliber that many sought after—his chances of standing out were significantly higher than others.

But that was just a chance.

He couldn’t bear to imagine what would become of the woman who had always seen him as her pillar if something happened to him.

Torn and feeling somber inside, he didn’t know how to vent his frustrations.

“Ying~”

As Shao Zifeng wrestled with his hesitation, a cool and somewhat soft little creature nestled into his arms, curling up on his lap with its long tail coiled around itself.

“Qiuqiu, how did you get here?” Shao Zifeng looked down at the still bald little lizard, his eyes filled with fondness.

“Ying!”

Qiuqiu raised its head to glance at him, its little face puffed up as if to scold him for sneaking out to play without bringing it along.

Shao Zifeng, finding its expression adorable, couldn’t resist scratching under its chin with a finger.

Qiuqiu squinted in pleasure, its tail hanging limply while it whined in a defiant refusal to admit defeat.

As he picked up Qiuqiu and placed it on his shoulder, he remembered that it was no longer the tiny creature of just ten centimeters from a few days ago.

After its evolution, Qiuqiu had grown considerably in size; his shoulder could no longer accommodate its full length. Shao Zifeng shifted forward so that Qiuqiu’s front claws could cling to his clothes while the rest of its body lay on his back.

The night wind lifted the hair on Shao Zifeng’s forehead as he, together with his pet, looked up at the starry sky.

“Qiuqiu, what do you think my future will look like?” Shao Zifeng raised his head and muttered to the sky, as if he were questioning Qiuqiu, and yet also questioning himself.

Upon hearing this, Qiuqiu turned its head to gaze at Shao Zifeng’s chiseled profile and cocked its head slightly.

It crawled onto Shao Zifeng’s chest, wrapped its small paws around Shao Zifeng’s face, and pressed its bare forehead against Shao Zifeng’s.

As their eyes met, an invisible ripple echoed between them.

In Qiuqiu’s lucid eyes, Shao Zifeng felt their heartbeats slowly synchronizing.

“Bang—”

It was just like the resonation of emotions they experienced that night.

…

Shao Zifeng opened his eyes to see himself immersed in darkness. He stretched his hands out to grope around, but he couldn’t find Qiuqiu. A sense of unease began to grow at the bottom of his heart.

“Qiuqiu.”

“Qiuqiu.”

Two voices sounded at once. Shao Zifeng was startled and saw a white dot emerge in the endless dark before him. The dot slowly expanded into a mirror rippled like water.

Reflected in the mirror was a ragged man with a beard sprawled out under a pedestrian bridge, before him a dented stainless steel bowl containing some coins, and in his arms was unmistakably Qiuqiu.

In the image, Qiuqiu was equally ragged… well, its scales were ragged. Bald in spots, missing pieces here and there, dirtied all over, it looked utterly wretched.

In such a state, Shao Zifeng noticed a smile of satisfaction spreading across their faces.

The ripples spread, and the image shattered, only to then reveal another scene a moment later.

In a living room that was simply yet elegantly decorated, a man dressed in a designer suit sat on the sofa holding an adorable little girl who, with her plump little hands, reached out to touch the stubble on the man’s chin. Beside the man sat a gentle and graceful woman, beaming with joy as she watched her husband and daughter play.

Qiuqiu was lying on the man’s legs, its Scale Armor glittering brilliantly—obviously well-polished—as it occasionally lifted its head to pester the playful father and daughter, casting an image of happiness and fulfillment.

…

The image once again shattered, and this time the scene that emerged was of a resplendent hall. An imposing man with a stern demeanor sat on the throne at the highest end of the room, draped in regal robes, with a floor beneath him carpeted with gold and silver treasures, while a crowd of people groveled at his feet.

Once again, Qiuqiu appeared in the middle of the aisle, but this time it looked exceptionally solemn and… vulgar, each of its scales inlaid with colorful gemstones and a gemstone-studded gossamer cape with a long train draped over it, arrogantly gazing upon the kneeling crowd.

Shao Zifeng sneered inwardly thinking that surely this couldn’t be Qiuqiu’s aesthetic. Indeed, it lacked any sense of aesthetics at all.

The images kept blinking and transforming…

If the man were a killer, Qiuqiu would be the merciless Grim Reaper, harvesting lives…

If the man were an Explorer, Qiuqiu would be the vanguard cutting through brambles and thorns…

Scene after scene flashed before Shao Zifeng’s eyes as a warm teardrop slid down his cheek.

Because he recognized them; although different scenes showed different clothes and styles, they all bore the same face.

It was Shao Zifeng.

He could clearly sense Qiuqiu’s intentions, which were telling Shao Zifeng that no matter what he decided to do in the future, it would never leave his side. It would share in his wealth and comfort or accompany him in a lowly, squalid existence—as long as that person was him.

Shao Zifeng’s throat tightened, and his hands trembled slightly. This was the first time he had sensed Qiuqiu’s feelings so clearly.

He opened his mouth, just about to speak…

At that moment, the image changed again. In a desolate and bleak graveyard, Qiuqiu, with a small white flower pinned to its head, lay prostrate in front of a grave, its body quivering slightly, seemingly filled with endless sorrow.

And the photo on the tombstone was none other than Shao Zifeng.

His moved expression froze on his face, his hands shaking even more violently.

“You actually still want me to die?”

Shao Zifeng hurriedly terminated the resonance state…

This darn tombstone’s appeared; if I keep letting Qiuqiu’s mind wander, who knows what else it will come up with.

After breaking free, Qiuqiu appeared somewhat bewildered, its tearful eyes looking at Shao Zifeng, filled with endless sorrow.

“What’s wrong?”

I have barely begun to act, and I have yet to showcase my superb acting skills and the ability to switch between roles instantly; how come I’m not allowed to perform?

Could it be Director Dandan is dissatisfied with my performance?

Thinking this, Qiuqiu’s expression became solemn, dispelling the sadness in its eyes.

It looked at Shao Zifeng with eyes seeking guidance.

Shao Zifeng’s mouth twitched.

Why do I feel like the more we resonate, the more of a drama queen Qiuqiu becomes?

He reached out and ruffled its fur a few times hard, as a punishment for Qiuqiu’s ‘death’ wish regarding himself.

At least he felt its good intentions.

If it hadn’t been for the last-minute appearance of the tombstone…

…

Holding Qiuqiu, Shao Zifeng suddenly asked, “Qiuqiu, have you ever thought about your future?”

Qiuqiu was once again stunned, hesitantly staring at Shao Zifeng. It had its own dreams, but it was also afraid that Shao Zifeng would reluctantly do things he didn’t like because of its dreams.

But looking at Shao Zifeng’s doting face, Qiuqiu gritted its teeth fiercely.

“Squelch…”

It bit down on loneliness.

Yes, it still hadn’t grown any teeth.

Somehow, even after evolving, it remained toothless.

Tsk, such a disgrace to dragons.

While Shao Zifeng internally scoffed at Qiuqiu, a scene unfolded before his eyes.

…

Under the azure sky, there was a winding and precipitous mountain range, stretching for thousands of miles. White clouds dotted the horizon, the entire scene tranquil and majestic.

“Roar!”

Then, a tremendous dragon roar rang out.

Small animals on the mountain fled in terror, totally frantic.

Soon after, a massive red dragon’s shadow swooped past, the great wind pressure it created lifting grit and pressing the green grass flat against the mountain rocks.

A giant cat chasing a little rabbit stopped in its tracks when it heard the dragon’s roar, tucking its tail between its legs and lowering its head while emitting continuous whimpering threats, its body shaking like a sieve.

The red dragon descended sharply, pinning the giant cat beneath its claws.

It let out another triumphant roar.

Looking down at the cat beneath its paw with disdain, it showed a trace of scorn.

Lifting the giant cat high with its front claw, it simultaneously raised its head and opened its gaping maw.

“Meow”

The giant cat let out a pitiful wail, its limbs flailing wildly.

The dragon smiled slyly and, with a flick of its claw, let the cat fall towards its open mouth.

As the opening of the maw grew near, the giant cat gave up its struggle and despairingly closed its eyes.

Then, the dragon exhaled a breath, blowing the giant cat away. With a pitiful yowl, the cat became a falling star vanishing into the sky.

“Roar~”

The roar carried the pleasure of exacting a great revenge, and the red dragon continued to thump its tail against the ground.

The ground trembled, and stones scattered in all directions.

The entire dragon vibrated slightly with exhilaration.

…

Shao Zifeng watched the dragon’s weird laugh with a speechless expression…

A thunderbolt from the blue.

Pfft, what dragon shadow.

It’s just an enlarged version of Qiuqiu, that’s all. @@novelbin@@

And that cat, wasn’t it a mutated White-headed Bulbul?

So Qiuqiu is that dark-hearted, huh.

Still holding on to past events.

…

But indeed, it also possesses a heart yearning for strength.

This time, I will be the one to answer your aspirations.

In this moment, Shao Zifeng finally made up his mind.

He would grow stronger together with Qiuqiu and together witness this astonishing world.

…

Under the starry sky.

A man and his pet looked at each other and smiled, their pupils reflecting the stars and their own existences.

…

On the computer desk in the rental room, within the vine-made bird’s nest, the Elemental Egg stretched out two tendrils to lift the clothing covering it.

The room was empty.

Feeling aggrieved.