"Seal of Velmura? Breaking the seal?" As Lin Fang furrowed his brows, observing it, Li Xue's eyes widened as soon as she saw it.
"Wait… That's the Amulet of Velmura, from the family vault," she blurted out, her voice raised in disbelief. "You're giving it away?"
"Eh?" Lin Fang came out of his thoughts and looked at her in surprise, and then at Li Chengfeng.
Li Chengfeng shook his head. "I'm not giving it away, niece. Don't worry."
He looked at Lin Fang with a calm but steady gaze.
"I'm lending it to you. Originally, it was used to suppress mana, but in your case… it should help conceal your connection. Other spirit masters won't be able to detect Nemesis following you around as long as you wear it. I recommend you wear it at all times before we find a solution on how to suppress the spirit king naturally."
Lin Fang stared at the old man, speechless.
He could tell… this artifact wasn't something that should be handed out so casually.
A rare warmth surged in his chest.
"Thank you," he said sincerely, bowing slightly. "I mean it."
Li Chengfeng nodded once.
"Just don't lose it," he said gruffly, though there was a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Zhi Yan quietly returned to the room just in time to see the amulet being hung around Lin Fang's neck.
She didn't say anything, but her eyes lingered on it for a few seconds longer than usual.
But then she said. "We should get going."
Lin Fang blinked his eyes. For a second, he wanted to ask her where, but eventually, he replied with a nod.
He turned back to Li Xue. "I'll come by tomorrow again."
Li Xue bowed slightly. "Goodbye." Li Chengfeng simply waved his hand. Then stretched his body, returning to the tavern.
As Lin Fang exited the building, Li Xue returned to her business normally, sitting on her chair and opening a journal.
Lin Fang had one foot inside the car when the thought struck him like a lightning bolt.
"Ah… wait," he said, patting his pocket as if remembering something urgent.
Zhi Yan turned, her brows lifting in suspicion. "What now?"
Inside the cool, slightly musty air of the Zero Guild's reception hall, Li Xue was still seated at the front desk with her legs crossed, flipping through a journal. The white cat was curled beside her on the countertop, breathing shallowly but peacefully.
"Hmm?" She looked up, startled as Lin Fang stepped back in. "You forgot something?"
Lin Fang gave her a sheepish smile, walking up slowly to her. "Kind of."
He looked around, confirming that no one else was in sight. He stepped closer and extended a small glass vial with bluish-green liquid inside and extended to her.
"Hmm?" Li Xue couldn't help but stare at the vial. "What's this?"
"This is called a Jade Spirit Tonic," he said simply. "Give it to your companion."
Li Xue straightened. "Jade Spirit Tonic? Never heard of it before." She continued to stare at the vial. Her eyes were almost glued to it as if she couldn't avert her gaze from it, for some reason. There was this strange attraction that she couldn't put into words.
Lin Fang took the opportunity to explain. "Jade Spirit Tonic is a curative for beasts. It can heal most internal injuries and even lingering ailments as long as the beast isn't a King Tier. I believe it can cure even the inborn illness of your cat."
Li Xue's brows furrowed as her gaze flicked from the vial to his face. "Such a thing exists?"
Lin Fang nodded. "I'll bet my life on it."
For a second, she just stared at him. Then slowly, almost reluctantly, she reached out and accepted the vial with both hands, careful and reverent.
"If what you said is true, then this must be expensive," she said quietly. "I can't accept something like this."
"Your uncle did a huge favor for me. Consider I'm paying it back to you," Lin Fang replied with a smile.
Li Xue hesitated with her fingers curled tightly around the glass. "I… uhh…" She bowed in the end, standing up. "Thank you."
Lin Fang waved his hand. "No need to mention it."
As he turned and walked away, he felt a familiar ache in his chest, not just emotional, but very much physical. "Damn expensive medicine."
100,000 credits.
That was the production price of the tonic. If he could sell it online, it would be sold even at double the price.
He wanted to cry just thinking about such a loss.
But then again, it was the least thing he could do for her, the owner of the guild that gave him Nemesis and the amulet.
Meanwhile, back in the guild hall, the moment the door closed behind Lin Fang, a low meow echoed from the desk.
Betty, the snow-furred cat, had opened her eyes. She reached out with one paw, tapping gently on the desk toward the vial in Li Xue's hand.
"Betty…" she whispered, half to herself, half to the cat. "You're awake?"
*Meow*
The feline meowed softly before extending one paw slowly toward the vial, once again, and looked at her eyes.
Li Xue blinked, startled by her pet's behavior. "You… want this?"
"Meow."
A soft, deliberate cry escaped the cat.
She looked down at the vial again, then at her companion. In all the time Betty had been sick, she had never once responded to any medicine so actively. Not the guild-approved injections. Not the spiritual ointments. Nothing.
But now, her paw trembled with eagerness. "You think this will work?" Li Xue asked.
"Meow," the cat said again, curling her tail around her body as she leaned closer.
Li Xue's lips parted slightly. She looked once more at the guild's doorway and narrowed her eyes just slightly.
She gently uncorked the vial and held it near the cat's mouth. A flick of her wrist and the liquid tipped gently between the feline's lips.
Almost instantly, a faint shimmer coursed along the cat's fur. Pale golden streaks of energy danced across its body before disappearing.
Betty let out a deep sigh, and then, to Li Xue's shock, stretched out fully for the first time in weeks.
*Meow*
An excited meow escaped Betty's lips as its eyes shimmered with a glow. As it died down, Li Xue's eyes widened. "Betty… you… Just got your strength back?"
Li Xue hurriedly scrambled the drawers of the desk, one after another, finally taking out a bio scanner and running it over the creature.
Species: Frost Veil Cat
Element: Ice
Potential: Overlord Tier (Lv-70)
Current Level: 49
"It worked," Li Xue whispered, her fingers gripping the empty vial. "It really worked…" She almost had tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't help but pick up the cat and spin it around, then rub her cheeks with it. "Haha, it truly worked, Betty."
She turned slowly, eyes drifting to the door, where Lin Fang's silhouette had already disappeared into the sunlight.
She murmured. "Lin Fang, who are you, really?"