Beast Taming Begins with the Inner Circle of Pets

Chapter 32 The Mysterious Old Man

The group took a two-and-a-half-hour flight to the city center. Zhu Zibin had already booked a hotel for the five of them in advance, and Qiu Xiangjing also checked into the same hotel.

After the five people put their luggage away, Liu Ping and the other two said they would first go to browse the equipment store and see if there were any early-arriving teams to ask for some information.

Fang Yaqi expressed her desire to explore the city center. Lin Manman initially wanted to check if there was any suitable equipment, but then she thought that the prize money for the competition wasn't much, so she decided not to waste her money. Instead, she chose to go out with Fang Yaqi.

The city center was even more bustling than the Puhuai District I visited before, with people and various mythical beasts thronging the streets. High-rise buildings stood alongside ancient trees, and in July, a gentle breeze brought a refreshing and cool atmosphere, making one feel completely at ease. I had expected that such a lively place would be somewhat restless, but here I felt a desire to settle down and make peace.

"Did you see that tallest tower? It's said that every major city in the region has one like that, and some people say there's a protective magic array inside that can cover the entire city. I don't know if it's true or not, it's never been activated in all these years, and there's not much information about it online." Fang Yaqi munched on her ice cream as she strolled under the shade of the trees with Lin Manman.

"Isn't it a good thing I didn't see it? If I could, I wouldn't want to see it while I'm still alive."

"Don't you have any curiosity at all?"

"Instead of being curious, you should be curious about what delicious treats I'm picking out for my furry kids today." Lin Manman rolled her eyes. What's so curious about this stuff? When the grand formation is activated, it'll be too late to regret it.

"Master, I am your personal humanoid spirit pet. I want to eat hot pot today."

Lin Manman slapped Fang Yaqi on the back of the head. "How many hot pot meals have you had this past month? No hot pot, at most I'll treat you to noodles."

"Ugh, such discrimination! Humans are living worse than animals!"

"Can't you understand human language, old man? You're the veterinarian, and I'm the veterinarian. If you keep pointing and gesturing, I'm going to kick you out."

Just as the two were laughing and joking, a commotion suddenly broke out from a pet shop by the roadside. Lin Manman and Fang Yaqi were also drawn to the sound.

"This fire lizard just ate something bad, but you insist on operating on it. Which school did you graduate from? Who was your advisor?" A kind-looking old man, who appeared to be in his sixties, was dressed neatly and simply, with meticulously combed hair, rimless glasses, and a slight beard. He exuded a very refined air, like an old professor teaching at a university.

"Hey, you're really getting cocky, aren't you? This is a legitimate spirit pet shop, with a business license. I'm also a licensed veterinarian with a practicing certificate. I've been working here for at least two or three years, and I haven't killed a spirit pet while treating anyone. I think you're just here to cause trouble." The speaker was a young man in his twenties, who seemed to be angered by the old man pointing his finger at him and questioning him. He reached out to push the old man.

The elderly man stumbled after being pushed, but was helped up by onlookers.

"Speak properly, don't resort to violence. He's so old."

"That's right, any problems should be resolved through communication; resorting to violence is the wrong thing to do."

Those who had been drawn to the scene quickly spoke up to mediate.

Fang Yaqi and Lin Manman stood far away on the periphery, watching the drama unfold. Although they also felt it was a bit rude to lay a hand on such an elderly person, they didn't know the details and didn't readily offer their opinions.

"Can you all stop messing around? A customer delivered a poisonous fire lizard. He said he's had a poor appetite lately and hasn't eaten much. He has an imbalance of energy, abdominal pain, and lethargy. Based on my professional experience, I diagnosed it as crystallization syndrome and am planning surgery. Is there a problem with that? This old man came in and started berating me. I've been very patient by now." The young man had a fierce and unapproachable expression, and those around him who were supporting the old man didn't dare to say anything more.

"Then let me ask you, the most important diagnostic criterion for crystallization is energy crystallization, which can be detected by a full-body energy imaging. Have you had it done?" The old man remained very calm after being pushed, and asked his question after the other person finished speaking.

"You... I've treated at least eight hundred,000 patients with crystalline disorders over the years, why would I make clients spend more money?" The young man's face flashed with surprise for a moment, then he waved his hand impatiently. "Forget it, I won't argue with an old man like you. I need to go back to perform surgery; I don't have time to waste here with you guys."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to shoo away the elderly man and the crowd of onlookers.

"Ha, energy imaging isn't as expensive as crystalloid surgery. You..."

"Don't be ungrateful, old man..."

"hold head high……"

Just as the young man was about to push the elderly man again, the fire lizard on the operating table in the store suddenly jumped up and spewed a mouthful of venomous fire at the crowd.

The incident happened so suddenly that Lin Manman didn't have time to think. She instinctively summoned the honey badger, shouting, "Activate the shield!"

The honey badger deployed its rock armor the moment it appeared. Thick, hard black rocks formed a suit of armor, and poisonous fire sizzled against it, producing a sickening hissing sound.

"Little girl, have your spirit pet subdue it," the old man's voice followed.

"Honey Badger, subdue it!" Lin Manman quickly gave the order.

Without hesitation, the honey badger pressed one paw onto the fire lizard's back and the other onto its mouth. The fire lizard, now immobilized, couldn't move its four paws and couldn't use its mouth to unleash any attacks, so it could only lash out at the honey badger with its tail. However, the honey badger not only had strong defenses but was also now encased in a layer of rock armor. The fire lizard's tail attacks were merely tickling it.

The young man and the onlookers were terrified. The old man quickly found a needle on the operating table and precisely inserted it into the relatively vulnerable lower neck of the fire lizard. After a moment, the fire lizard, which had been being whipped by the honey badger, finally quieted down and became still.

"This fire lizard has recently eaten a lot of spiritual food with conflicting energies. The energy interactions are difficult to absorb, which is why it has an energy disorder and a decreased appetite. You performed surgery on it, and its body will be even weaker during its recovery period. It won't be able to withstand the chaotic energy, and the spirit beast may go crazy. You saw what just happened. Are you still going to make money off this?" The old man stared at the young man seriously.

The man gritted his teeth, glaring at the old man, his face flushed red. Noticing the growing distrust in the eyes of those around him, he could only say, "Then let me do another energy imaging test on it."

The onlookers gasped in disbelief, and the man's gaze toward the old man and Lin Manman grew even more hostile.

Lin Manman scratched her head innocently. How did she get caught in the crossfire? She was the one who bravely helped subdue the almost vicious spirit beast.

"Young lady, come here, let this old man have a chat with you." The old man waved to Lin Manman and then walked to a large tree not far from the shop.

Lin Manman and Fang Yaqi exchanged a glance. Although neither of them sensed any energy fluctuations from the old man, and he appeared to be an ordinary person, Lin Manman felt an inexplicable sense of unease about him.

(End of this chapter)