Chapter 84

Mu Huiyue brushed the fallen leaves off the edge of the flower bed and sat down next to Wen Li.

After realizing that Flame Strike Meow might have run away due to a tantrum, Wen Li seemed a bit down, hugging her knees and reflecting on herself.

“Actually, I’m an incompetent Beast Master, aren’t I? I didn’t even consider Flame Strike Meow’s feelings, and I’ve been so excited about contracting a new partner…”

Wen Li spoke in a soft voice, “Now that I think about it, when we first mentioned contracting a new pet, it wasn’t too happy.”

“Flame Strike Meow is your starting pet, right? Sometimes, this kind of thing happens.” Mu Huiyue comforted her.

Wen Li nodded and looked at her friend beside her. “Did Ellen ever go through such a phase?”

Mu Huiyue thought carefully for a moment. Although she had already decided to contract Little Cloud Dog as her second pet, it was actually Ellen who had brought up the idea back when he was still in his little skeleton form.

She still remembered how shy Little Skeleton had looked at that time, with his adorable clicking sound.

There was a bit of jealousy… but Ellen was more focused on winning victories with his Beast Master.

To participate in more battles and stand on a broader stage, he needed to contract more partners.

Ellen understood this, so he suppressed his small possessiveness towards his Beast Master.

Instead, he was determined to become the strongest and most trusted pet of Mu Huiyue, to be the most important partner on her path to her dreams and her championship journey.

Mu Huiyue shared Ellen’s response with Wen Li.

The deeper the bond between a starting pet and its Beast Master, the more likely such situations would occur, but most pets would eventually accept the existence of other companions.

Even the mantis, which constantly suppressed its murderous affection for its master, could accept the presence of the Red Feather Eagle.

Flame Strike Meow wasn’t the type to throw a tantrum just because of temporary emotions. Mu Huiyue guessed that its intense reaction might have another reason.

“How did Wen Li meet Flame Strike Meow and complete the contract?” she asked.

Wen Li sat on the edge of the flower bed, hugging her legs, her chin resting on her knees, as if she had fallen into a memory with Mu Huiyue’s question.

“That was when I had just awakened…”

“That day, I had another argument with the Emberfire Finch, and out of frustration, I ran out of the house and went to the back mountain alone.”

“I ended up meeting an apprentice shaman practicing the Festival Dance with Flame Tail Meow… She was a girl about my age.”

“Many families who follow the Sun God Phoenix send their children, who have the fire-type Beast Master talent, to Phoenix Mountain to learn the traditions of the Shamanic tribe.”

“This girl was one of them. She had just awakened and hadn’t contracted a pet yet. Her family brought her a Flame Tail Meow, which was suitable for a beginner to cultivate. They were in the stage of getting to know each other before the contract, just like me with the Emberfire Finch.”

Wen Li paused for a moment, smiling slightly, as if recalling an amusing scene.

“You didn’t see Flame Strike Meow back then, Huiyue. Its face was all pouty as it was forced to dance with me, and it looked exactly like me when I was forced to take dance lessons!”

“When we were dancing, Flame Strike Meow kept tripping over its front legs, while I kept tripping over my right foot with my left, haha.”

“Flame Strike Meow doesn’t like dancing and isn’t good at it, so it kept getting scolded. I watched it struggle for the whole afternoon in the back mountain and got scolded for the same amount of time. In the end, just like me, it ran off after having a fight with its partner…”

“I chased Flame Strike Meow into the forest of the back mountain, and I was attacked by a wild Phoenix Fire. It was Flame Strike Meow who saved me.”

“At that time, it was still a high-ranking elite species, a young Flame Tail Meow. Even when facing an opponent far stronger than itself, it showed no intention of retreating. It spat out a tiny flame, holding off the powerful enemy and telling me to run.”

“I used my Beast Master abilities to coordinate with Flame Strike Meow, and together we defeated that wild Phoenix Fire, even crossing ranks.”

“When we won, I was almost overwhelmed with excitement and joy. It was a feeling I had never experienced on a stage performance. I finally realized that Flame Strike Meow, who also loved battling, was the partner I had always wanted. I wanted to contract with it.”

Mu Huiyue looked at Wen Li and asked, “…And then you two contracted right there?”

“Because Flame Strike Meow felt the same way.” Wen Li awkwardly scratched her nose. “After the contract, I realized I may have acted a bit rashly, so I told Flame Strike Meow’s original partner, ‘I’ll let you have the Emberfire Finch.’”

Mu Huiyue: “…”

Well, it was easy to imagine the storm Wen Li would soon face.

The Emberfire Finch was different from the little Cloud Dog. It was very precious and difficult to cultivate, possessing a clear imperial species evolution path. Its final evolution was a powerful pet like the [Crimson Flame Bird], which carried significant symbolic meaning.

The Emberfire Finch Wen Li gave away was not only a pet with great potential but also represented the inheritance rights of the Shamanic tribe.

Hmm… But it seemed like Mu Huiyue had done something similar, and perhaps even more outrageous than Wen Li with Flame Tail Meow.

“At that time, I didn’t think too much about it. I just felt that both Flame Strike Meow and I liked battling, and since Emberfire Finch liked stage performances, wasn’t it perfect for her to contract with it…”

Wen Li scratched her cheek. “In the end, it turned into what it is now. I had a big argument with my mom. She told me that if I had the ability, I should never come back to Phoenix Mountain. I told her that Flame Strike Meow and I would get into university and walk our own path, and then I ran away from home.”

She finished speaking, stopped her movements, and gently lowered her gaze.

“…Flame Strike Meow has worked hard all this time and has taken good care of me, the unreliable Beastmaster. I didn’t pay attention to its feelings, no wonder it got angry.”

“Shiungyue, am I really immature and useless, making Flame Strike Meow dislike me?”

Mu Huiyue reached out and ruffled the girl’s dejected head.

“The way you and Flame Strike Meow met and formed your contract, to me, is also part of your process of finding yourselves.”

“I believe that Flame Strike Meow thinks the same way, and it definitely won’t dislike you.”

She recalled Luoyin and the pages of the Smoke Luo Book.

Both sides who care for each other are always afraid that they are not good enough, that they will disappoint the other and be left behind.

…

At the same time, Baiya found the runaway Flame Strike Meow outside the Beast Care Center.

Ellen’s prediction was completely correct; it had not strayed too far, maintaining a subtle distance just enough to avoid being sensed by its Beastmaster.

The little white dog wagged its tail proudly, becoming more skilled at using special emotional perception to locate specific targets!

The Paw Soldier emerged from its shadow and gently patted Baiya’s head, offering praise.

Flame Strike Meow lay low behind a carefully pruned patch of grass. Upon seeing Mu Huiyue’s two pets appear, it wasn’t surprised. Its fiery tail swayed lazily behind it, looking a bit weary.

Ellen saw some familiar traits in it.

It wasn’t possessiveness toward the Beastmaster, but self-loathing and concern, mixed with a hidden longing for the Beastmaster to accept it, even in this state.

However, Mu Huiyue was a gentle and thoughtful person. She would notice the emotional shifts in her pets ahead of time, communicate with them, and do her best to avoid issues before they even arose.

In addition, dark-type pets have a unique sensitivity to emotions, especially ones like Ellen, who can directly feed off the emotions tied to a contract. Such pets find it easier to gain a sense of security from their Beastmasters.

After all, ever since contracting with Mu Huiyue, Ellen has never felt hunger, no matter what she does.

Not only hunger—he even allowed himself to increase his appetite, absorbing more emotional energy from the Beastmaster, which has become the cornerstone for his further evolution.

In contrast, facing Wen Li, who didn’t notice these subtle thoughts, Flame Strike Meow probably struggles much more.

But that doesn’t mean Wen Li doesn’t understand Flame Strike Meow.

The tall skeleton sat next to Flame Strike Meow, waving at the little cloud dog. The white-furred dog trotted over, resting its head on the skeleton’s leg bone, requesting to be petted.

Ellen’s petting skills were as refined as his cooking and cleaning, making it impossible for the little dog to resist.

Click-click? (Do the evolved forms of the Crimson Fireflies all rank higher than you?)

The skeleton was direct, asking the critical question.

…Meow. (…Yes.)

Flame Strike Meow growled at him for a moment, but then its expression turned to one of dejection.

The Crimson Firefly, recommended to Wen Li by the nursery, is a dual-type fire and insect attribute pet with multiple evolutionary forms. Its evolution covers a wide range of species, from high-tier warriors to high-tier monarchs.

Given Wen Li’s Flameblood talent, once contracted, the Crimson Firefly would undoubtedly evolve into a monarch species.

As a high-tier warrior species, Flame Strike Meow, however, could no longer progress further.

Its growth limit would only allow it to reach maturity, while a monarch species pet could evolve into a perfect form, becoming the true powerhouse of Wen Li’s team.

It knew, of course, that to reach a higher level of competition, Wen Li would need to contract more pets. But when that day truly arrived, Flame Strike Meow still felt a deep sadness.

From the very first encounter, Flame Strike Meow had known how extraordinary Wen Li was as a Beastmaster.

Being able to help the fragile Flame Strike Meow defeat the Phoenix Fire was a rare talent every battle-loving, aspiring pet dreamed of having.

One day, Flame Strike Meow would reach its growth limit and be unable to keep up with Wen Li, becoming an obstacle on her path to achieving her dreams.

Flame Strike Meow loathed its powerless self.

“Click, click?” (So, you just ran away from the Beastmaster without a word?)

Ellen asked mercilessly.

“Meow!” (What do you know!)

Flame Strike Meow was irritated by the word escape, causing its fur to stand on end, and a small flame flared up with its breath, startling the lying White Fang.

It quickly realized its loss of composure and returned to its previous position.

“Meow…” (Sorry.)

“Meow…” (I just hate how useless I am…)

“Meow, meow…” (No matter what I think inside, I can’t compare to the new pet Wen Li is going to contract. It’s a fact that I’ll drag Wen Li down in the future, I…)

“Click, click?” (So you just gave up, without even trying your best, and accepted your fate?)

“Click?” (Is this the extent of your contract with Wen Li?)

The skeleton opened its lower jaw and slowly closed it again, its long fingers gently stroking the white-furred puppy lying on its leg.

“Click, click.” (Your resolve is even worse than that of the puppy.)

“Woof?!”

White Fang suddenly lifted its head, annoyed, and nudged the skeleton’s palm with its snout.

Did Senior Ellen really just use it as some strange measuring standard?

Flame Strike Meow silently lowered its gaze, looking at its sharp claws, marred by burn marks.

Its contract with Wen Li, of course, was not… just this level.

Back in the forest on the back mountain, Flame Tail Meow had gone to save her with the resolve of sacrificing itself.

There was no such foolish human—its intended Beastmaster had never cared where it went. The one who chased it into the Phoenix Forest was a complete stranger it had never met before.

When it defeated the Phoenix Fire, it turned around amidst the swirling flames and saw the girl running toward it, cheering.

In that moment, Flame Tail Meow felt an indescribable, overwhelming emotion, a mix of excitement and joy, almost drowning it entirely.

These feelings were crystallized during the subsequent contract, becoming the foundation of its strength in battle to this day.

This was a precious memory unique to Flame Strike Meow and Wen Li, and it was their pact.

Ellen was right—if the Beastmaster was still striving, how could it just run away and give up?

Flame Strike Meow suddenly opened its eyes and stood up from the ground.

As long as Wen Li still needed it… on this shared path toward their dreams, Flame Strike Meow would never give up before her!