"Get in."
Chen Yuan walked to the farm gate, lifted the tarp covering the red-painted three-wheeled vehicle, and waved toward Spark and Cola.
Thanks to the development of infrastructure over the years, even the remote Xuanhe Village now had roads accessible to vehicles, so the old man decided to buy this tricycle as a commuting tool.
Every fifteenth day, he would drive to Nanhe Town, ten kilometers away, for the market.
Cola leapt up into the air, instinctively jumping into the carriage, which immediately made a "dong dong dong" sound from the bottom.
Chen Yuan took his seat in the driver's position, took a deep breath, inserted the key, turned on the ignition, released the handbrake, and said deeply, "Are you ready?"
"Chirp~" Spark curiously inspected the simple interior of the car, slightly nodding.
"Owo!"
Cola tightly grasped the iron rail behind Chen Yuan, crouched down, with wide eyes staring forward.
Its expression was slightly tense.
"Let's go." Chen Yuan put on his helmet, slowly turned the accelerator, and the tricycle instantly sounded "vroom vroom vroom," moving forward steadily.
Under Cola's watchful gaze, the tricycle smoothly drove out of the gate and then started speeding up on the bumpy country road, the scenery on both sides retreating quickly.
"Ow ow ow!"
The strong wind blew through Cola's fur; the sound of the wind echoed beside its ears. Cola squinted its eyes and opened its mouth slightly, shouting excitedly.
"Chirp~"
Spark remained steady on Chen Yuan's shoulder, unaffected by the wind.
The Flame Cloud Falcon was a bird-type Pet Beast adept at soaring through the skies, so this speed was already commonplace for it.
On the other hand, Cola became more and more excited. It stopped focusing on the passing scenery and kept staring intently at Chen Yuan driving, a thoughtful look in its eyes.
This is what driving is?
Doesn't seem hard ow...
Seems pretty simple ow...
A moment later, Chen Yuan picked up Zhang Hao on the east side of the village.
Zhang Hao glanced at Spark and then at Cola in the back, his face full of envy: "You lucky guy, sitting with two Extraordinary Creatures."
"You damn ought to be condemned."
Chen Yuan chuckled: "And you? Planning to contract any Extraordinary Creatures?"
Zhang Hao shrugged casually: "We'll see. Tomorrow I'm going into the mountains with my dad to see if we can find something powerful and imposing, like tigers or lions."
"If you can find tigers or lions in Qinling, I'll give you five million."
"There aren't any tigers or lions in Qinling, and my friend, you don't really have five million either." Zhang Hao grinned.
Chen Yuan: "..."
"Honestly, I want to contract a giant panda." Zhang Hao said seriously.
"Seems reasonable," Chen Yuan nodded.
Zhang Hao leaned against the hard seat, gazing forward: "If that doesn't work, I might as well contract the old sow at home, since it's evolved into an Extraordinary Creature anyway."
"Thinking of becoming a Piggy Knight?" Chen Yuan laughed heartily.
The two chatted away, and after about half an hour, the tricycle steadily stopped by the roadside.
Further up, there was no road, so they had to walk forward.
Both equipped themselves and walked through the uneven dirt road toward Bright Moon Lake.
Near Xuanhe Village, there were no major rivers, only several small rivers quietly flowing, nurturing the vast landscape over tens of thousands of years.
But in Qinling, numerous lakes were scattered across the area, including Mingyu Lake near Xuanhe Village.
In previous years, fishermen would trek over mountains to Mingyu Lake, but with the enforcement of mountain closure policies recently, only locals remained, with no sighting of tourists.
Chen Yuan wasn't much of a fisherman; he was merely brought along a few times by Zhang Hao, borrowing fishing gear, with little skill in fishing.
He only considered fishing as a tiny hobby to kill time.
Once he heard there were strange fish here, his interest piqued.
After nearly half an hour's walk, the two arrived at Mingyu Lake.
Looking around, Mingyu Lake was embraced by green mountains, its waters gently rippling, sunlight casting down, creating a shimmering beautiful scene.
"Hey, people have already started fishing." Zhang Hao glanced around and spoke with a smile.
It was past nine in the morning, and several people were scattered around Mingyu Lake, fishing rods floating on the lake's surface.
Evidently, they were all enticed by Mr. Niu's tales.
The two greeted these folks, found a secluded spot, and set up their gear, readying themselves.
Chen Yuan watched as Zhang Hao meticulously picked bait, adjusted the float, and prepared the spot, working for half the day before saying, "Alright, cast the rod now."
Chen Yuan obediently swung his fishing rod and then sat quietly under the sunshade, waiting.
"Alright, you guys go enjoy yourselves." Chen Yuan waved to the two critters.
Fishing required patience, something they clearly lacked for prolonged attendance.
"Ow ow ow!"
Upon hearing this, Cola's eyes instantly lit up, and like a wild horse freed from its reins, it dashed into the woods behind and vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Chirp."
Spark stood still, quietly on Chen Yuan's shoulder, its sapphire eyes gazing at the shimmering lake, lost in thought.
"Alright, you keep me company then." Chen Yuan smiled contently.
"Chirp~"
Spark chirped softly, nuzzling Chen Yuan's cheek with its little head, prompting him to scratch its chin.
"You darned guys having fun, huh?"
Watching the affectionate interaction between a person and a pet, Zhang Hao gripped the fishing rod with his right hand tightly, grinding his molars.
"Just wait till I contract one, I'll show off every day!" He resolved inwardly.
Uncertain how much time had passed,
Zhang Hao suddenly yanked the fishing rod upward, revealing a small fish: "Asian Golden Fish?"
"Congratulations on your freedom."
Casually glancing at the Asian Golden Fish, Zhang Hao released it.
Time gradually passed; two hours slipped away unnoticed.
The sun grew ever brighter.
Zhang Hao had caught several fish, but they were all common types like Asian Golden Fish and crucian carp, which didn't interest him, so he released them.
He only wanted to catch the mysterious fish Mr. Niu mentioned.
At this moment, Chen Yuan turned his head towards him, his voice ringing out: "Quick, help me out; looks like I've hooked a big one."
!!!
Zhang Hao glanced at the suddenly splashing lake surface, his eyes widening. Without hesitation, he tossed aside his fishing rod and shouted, "I'm coming to assist you!"
With Zhang Hao's help, Chen Yuan quickly handed him the fishing rod while grabbing a large net.
"Wow, it's a big catch indeed."
Upon taking over, Zhang Hao immediately discerned the weight from the strength and frequency of the fishing rod's movements and steadied himself, tensed his body.
After dozens of minutes of a hard struggle, along with Chen Yuan's net, a big fish gradually surfaced.
"Crucian carp?"
"No! A golden crucian carp!" Initially exhausted, Zhang Hao's eyes shot open, filled with astonishment.
This fish looked similar to ordinary crucian carp, but its scales were an eye-catching golden yellow!
In the sunlight, dazzlingly golden, almost blinding the two.
"Screech!"
Just then, a piercing cry came from the sky, followed by a shadow diving straight down!
In that instant, Spark, resting with closed eyes, suddenly opened them wide!