After returning home in the evening, Yun Manman prepared beef for the little snake as usual, cooked medium-rare.
Lu Qi looked at the slightly bloody beef placed in front of him, then glanced at Yun Manman eating beside him with a complex expression.
He enjoyed medium-rare beef, a preference only Lu Xi knew about besides himself.
He recalled how Yun Manman had discovered his dislike for raw beef recently, and had tirelessly cooked it multiple times to get it right.
She seemed to be genuinely dedicated to caring for him as her pet.
Oh well, he thought, maybe he should find her a rarer breed in the future.
A blue-eyed leucistic ball python or an emerald tree boa perhaps? Or did she prefer white snakes?
One exactly like him was impossible though - he was the only Singing Snake left in the world.
Yun Manman noticed the little white snake spacing out and tapped his plate. "Qiqi, eat up quickly."
The vet had said feeding the snake once a week was enough, but Qiqi seemed to want food every day.
If she didn't feed him, he'd slither into the fridge to find food himself.
So Yun Manman had taken to cooking a small steak for him whenever she made dinner.
The little snake ate with surprising elegance. He would first observe his "prey" for a while, then suddenly open his mouth wide to bite it, before slowly swallowing.
There was no chewing motion. The swallowed beef would form a small bulge below his head, which would then gradually disappear.
Though the plate held a considerable amount of beef, Qiqi remained sleek and smooth after finishing, with no sign of where all that food had gone.
Yun Manman felt a strong urge to pick him up and give him a squeeze to see where it all went.
Lu Qi licked his mouth after finishing. When he looked up, he met the curious gaze of the cat-girl. Alarm bells went off in his head, and he quickly retreated.
Past experience had taught him never to get close when a cat became curious.
Fortunately, Yun Manman didn't reach for him. She simply cleaned up and went to take a shower.
Lu Qi was left to slither around the room by himself.
Hmm, the house was a bit old, and that window was open quite wide.
That cat tree was nice. Very suitable for climbing.
This robot seemed a bit outdated, not even able to detect psychic energy.
Lu Qi climbed onto Nini to examine its functions, mentally critiquing it.
Suddenly, he froze, carefully sensing the psychic energy fluctuations coming from afar.
He turned his head to look at the bathroom, still emitting the sound of running water, then quickly jumped off Nini and slipped out through the slightly open window.
Lu Qi crawled out from the house's backyard, making his way to the nearby woods.
A figure hidden deep in the forest saw him and strode forward, saluting in military fashion before crouching down. "General, do you remember me?"
Lu Qi whipped his tail across Lu Xi's conspicuously green hair, even in the darkness. "Hiss hiss!"
I just have disordered psychic energy! I haven't lost my mind!
Lu Xi rubbed his head. The familiar attack method and strength confirmed it was indeed the General.
Moreover, the General's psychic energy seemed to have stabilized, no longer in turmoil.
Yesterday, Lu Xi had received a message from Lan Yuxiang, who was far away at the border: "We've detected fluctuations in the General's psychic energy!"
"Although the purity is still very low, it has stabilized."
So Lu Xi had rushed towards Lu Qi's location, following the psychic energy signal.
He had searched the area for a long time using his psychic sense before finally pinpointing Lu Qi's position.
What shocked Lu Xi even more was that the General seemed to be living with a feline beastman!
Had the General kidnapped that feline beastman?
Could that feline beastman be in danger?
Lu Xi's concern wasn't unfounded. Lu Qi had once attacked medical staff when his psychic energy was sealed and he lost his rationality, even though he was just an ordinary-looking small snake at the time.
Lu Xi didn't dare enter the house rashly, so he could only use his psychic energy to inform Lu Qi of his arrival.
As long as Lu Qi was conscious enough to sense it, he would come out to find him.
Lu Xi carefully cupped the small snake in both hands and hung him on the nearest tree branch. "General, I'm so glad you're alright. You scared us to death when you suddenly disappeared. Should we return now?"
The General's current state seemed to be only temporarily stable. They couldn't predict when his psychic energy might erupt again.
Only by quickly admitting him to the hospital for guidance could they stabilize his condition and restore him to normal.
However, the last time the General's psychic energy was sealed, it took over a month to recover to his original state. How had he regained his rationality in less than a week this time?
Lu Xi voiced his doubts.
Lu Qi: "Hiss hiss..."
Lu Xi: Didn't understand.
Even among reptiles, differences between species made understanding each other's animal languages quite difficult. That's why the evolution of beastmen had made communication between species easier.
But Lu Qi, currently affected by his disordered psychic energy, was unable to return to his normal beast form or human form, making normal communication challenging.
Realizing his deputy hadn't understood, Lu Qi paused, then impatiently pointed at Lu Xi's pocket with the tip of his tail. "Hiss hiss."
Lu Xi looked down at his pocket, suddenly understanding. He took out his communication device, unlocked it, opened a notepad, and placed the device face-up in front of Lu Qi.
"General, please."
This action, intending for Lu Qi to use the device himself, earned Lu Xi another tail whip.
Lu Xi pouted, rubbing his reddened hand, then respectfully held the phone for the handless General, watching as the small snake seriously tapped out words on the light screen with his tail tip.
"That female feline beastman has a guiding effect on psychic energy."
Lu Xi was puzzled. "Is she a guide?" If she was a guide, it wasn't impossible for the General's psychic energy to stabilize so quickly.
And to be able to calm the General when his psychic energy was raging, she must be an excellent guide, right?
She must have at least A-grade psychic strength, right?
Which guide from the Empire could it be? There were only a few A-grade guides, but they should all be in the Imperial Capital.
Could it be an elven guide from the neighboring Lanqi Country?
It's not impossible, given how close this place is to Lanqi.
Just as Lu Xi was wondering what reward this guide would receive from His Majesty, he saw the words Lu Qi had tapped out on the screen.
He almost dropped the phone. "What? D-grade psychic strength??"
This guide is only D-grade??
Lu Qi was already having extreme difficulty typing with his tail, essentially poking at the screen with just one "finger."
With Lu Xi's hands shaking on top of that, Lu Qi grew increasingly irritated. Ignoring Lu Xi's internal shock, he whipped his tail at Lu Xi's hand again.
Hold it steady! What are you, Parkinson's?
Lu Xi didn't dare speak anymore. He focused intently on holding the phone for Lu Qi, watching anxiously as Lu Qi slowly tapped out each character one by one.
He desperately wished he could learn snake language on the spot.
Lu Qi carefully used his tail to tap the screen: "Her diffusing spiritual energy has a soothing effect, and her spiritual energy soothing is particularly effective for me. Additionally, I suspect the food she makes also has a soothing effect."
Lu Xi was delighted for Lu Qi when he read the first half of the message.
As Lu Qi's deputy, he was very aware of Lu Qi's mental state and health condition.
Every day, Lu Qi was in a world-weary state of "destroy the world" and "life is meaningless."
Part of the reason was the suffering caused by spiritual energy disorder.
It was wonderful that someone could now alleviate Lu Qi's pain.
But upon reading the second half, Lu Xi was not just happy, but shocked and skeptical.
Could food really have a soothing effect? He could understand medications having a soothing effect, but what was the principle behind food having such an effect?
This was unprecedented!
Lu Xi looked at Lu Qi, hesitating to speak: "General? You're not... you're not mistaken, are you?"
Faced with Lu Qi's death glare, Lu Xi barely managed to swallow the words "Are you alright?"
He could only worry silently in his heart - was the General's mind really okay?
Lu Qi continued tapping: "Send two people over tomorrow to guard and protect her."
Lu Xi responded: "Yes, sir!"
Regardless of whether this cat-like beastman's food truly had a soothing effect or not, the fact that she could soothe the General's spiritual energy alone meant she needed protection.
Lu Xi watched as the small snake crawled down from the branch and coiled around his hand, looking ready to leave with him. He cautiously said:
"General, why don't we talk to this cat lady and bring her back to verify your hypothesis, and also help with your soothing..."
Lu Qi shook his head without hesitation: "Hiss hiss."
No way. Bringing her back would mean facing this cat-like beastman every day.
And if she found out he was a beastman, and a general at that, how could he save face?
That would be worse than death for him.
Lu Xi hesitated: "But..."
Before he could finish speaking, the small snake coiled around Lu Xi's hand suddenly began writhing violently. Red traces of blood were faintly visible beneath its white scales.
Lu Xi was terrified and worried. The powerful and violent spiritual pressure in the air made his chest feel tight, almost unable to breathe.
The few insect sounds that had been present moments ago now completely disappeared, as if they too had fled far away, frightened by the terrible thing about to happen here.
Dead silence surrounded them, permeated with the atmosphere of an impending storm.
This scene was all too familiar - it was the prelude to Lu Qi losing control.
Lu Xi was so anxious he was nearly in tears. He didn't have any soothing agent on him, and the nearest aid center was still quite far away.
"What should I do, what should I do..."
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if remembering something. He sprinted towards the three-story villa not far away, carrying the small snake.
Since that cat-like beastman could alleviate the spiritual energy outburst, they just needed to put the General back there!
"General, General, it seems only the cat you hate most can save you now. Please stay here and recover for now. I'll come back to get you once I find a good solution..."
Lu Xi babbled as he ran at full speed. The more anxious he was, the more he tended to ramble.
The General had only left that cat-like beastman for a short while, and already his spiritual energy was uncontrollable. It seemed the General couldn't leave this place for now.
Lu Qi, still retaining a shred of rationality, twisted his body: "Hiss hiss!"
Go to hell! I'm not going!
Lu Xi pretended not to understand Lu Qi's refusal: "What? What did you say, General? I can't understand..."
I'm sorry, General, but for the sake of your health and safety, I can only do this for now!
Lu Xi leaped onto the windowsill, pushed the window open, and abruptly tossed the small snake inside.
Lu Qi: ?
Yun Manman had just walked out of the "large dryer" when she saw something fall with a "plop" right by her feet.
She was so startled that the fur on her back stood on end, making the entire cat look like a light yellow dandelion.
Just as she was about to take a closer look at what this bloody red and white mass was, her eyes met the raised gaze of the small snake.
Yun Manman exclaimed: "Qiqi! What happened to you!"
Lu Xi, who was anxiously observing from behind the window, nearly fell off the narrow windowsill when he heard this cry.
Qiqi?!
Lu Qi, finally grasping the situation before him, blacked out: Just let me die.