Lu Qi felt utterly dejected as he escaped from under the cat's paw, already feeling like a dead snake.
He had been licked all over and now smelled like a cat.
After spending some time with Yun Manman, the feline beastman, Lu Qi had become less averse to her touch.
But suddenly being licked all over by a cat with a gaping maw was more than any snake could bear.
What a shameless cat, Lu Qi thought irritably as he vigorously wiped himself off with a tissue.
Yun Manman came over carrying a plate of beef, and looked a bit guilty when she saw the little snake's actions.
She didn't know why she had suddenly felt the urge to lick Qiqi earlier - probably her inner cat genes acting up.
She placed the beef in front of the small snake placatingly, "Qiqi, have some beef."
The little snake eyed her warily, using his body to push the plate a bit further away before starting to eat the beef daintily.
Yun Manman thought: You don't have to be that disgusted.
As she watched the snake elegantly eating the beef, she suddenly said, "Qiqi, have you gotten bigger?"
He seemed longer and thicker than before. Do pet snakes grow this fast? It had only been a little over a week.
Hearing Yun Manman's question, Lu Qi's body stiffened slightly.
During his time with Yun Manman, his spirit force had gradually stabilized, naturally allowing him to slowly recover his original beast form.
His true beast form was over 20 meters long, so this current size was tiny in comparison.
But it would still take some time to fully recover.
Once his chaotic spirit force stabilized and stopped flaring up easily, he could leave this place and go to a treatment center to find a counselor.
At that point, he could quietly slip away and then send someone to pick up Yun Manman to test the effects of her spirit force guidance.
That way, Yun Manman wouldn't recognize him, and his reputation could remain intact.
Pleased with his perfect plan, Lu Qi lowered his head and happily ate the beef, pretending not to understand Yun Manman's question.
Seeing the little snake's lack of reaction, Yun Manman wasn't bothered. She excitedly went to grab a soft measuring tape, intending to measure the snake.
But she was flatly refused by the little snake.
No way would General Lu allow such private data to be known.
As the giant cat was struggling to wrap the measuring tape around the little snake's belly, Lu Qi, who had been desperately trying to dodge, suddenly froze and raised his head to look out the window.
His crimson vertical pupils stared unblinkingly into the thick darkness outside, as if observing something.
It seemed like something had flown past.
Lu Qi tilted his head, focusing intently.
Wind rustling through treetops, birds landing on branches then flying away, beastmen passing by the door...
Everything seemed as relaxed and ordinary as usual.
There didn't appear to be anything unusual. Had he sensed wrong?
Lu Qi felt a bit puzzled.
Yun Manman noticed the little snake had suddenly gone still and thought he had given in. She quickly wrapped the measuring tape around the snake's body.
"Hmm, 7.8 centimeters!"
"You've grown so fast, last time you were barely 7 centimeters!"
Lu Qi snapped out of it at Yun Manman's exclamation, realizing he had already been measured. Embarrassed and annoyed, he slithered down from the table, no longer interested in the beef.
What was wrong with this cat?!
He had been busy checking for danger, and she took the opportunity to sneak attack!
Distracted by Yun Manman, Lu Qi became preoccupied with outwitting her, temporarily forgetting about the situation outside.
Several hundred meters away from Yun Manman's small villa, a bat about the size of two palms hung upside down in a tall tree.
Its pure black form blended seamlessly with the night, hidden inconspicuously among the branches.
A pair of violet eyes reflected the light as they gazed steadily at the distant villa, their interest and intensity growing ever stronger.
"Lu Qi's people are guarding nearby..."
"This is getting interesting."
The next day, Yun Manman didn't open her shop. She had already posted a notice the night before when closing up, saying they would be closed for a day.
Today she stayed home to rest and also to experiment with making chocolate.
As one of the most famous and representative sweets, how could a dessert shop not have chocolate?
Not to mention that everything chocolate flavored was delicious - chocolate cheesecake, chocolate cookies, chocolate mousse...
Even just making plain chocolate truffles, their smooth texture and rich aroma were enough to entice people.
The raw material for chocolate, cocoa beans, did exist on the Lingyi Continent, but they were mainly used in dyes, medicines, and cosmetics.
They were rarely used in food.
Raw cocoa beans didn't taste good, and no beastmen ate them as a staple food, so they weren't cultivated in large quantities.
The price online wasn't cheap, and Yun Manman had never tried making chocolate from scratch before, so she felt a bit uncertain and only bought some to experiment with.
Yun Manman looked at the cocoa fruit in front of her, which resembled a rock-hard bitter melon, feeling a bit troubled.
She tried hard to recall posts she had seen online in her past life, hoping to successfully make chocolate.
First, the cocoa beans needed to be removed from the fruit shell for fermentation and sun-drying. After drying, they had to be roasted, then the roasted beans were crushed to remove the shells before being ground.
The steps weren't difficult, but they took a long time. The fermentation and drying alone would take nearly three weeks.
Yun Manman patted her cheeks with her small hands.
Delicious food, from a certain perspective, was also a gift of time.
Let's do this! For the rich, aromatic chocolate!
First, she had to use a hammer to crack open the hard outer shell of the cocoa fruit, revealing the white pulp inside, which contained the cocoa beans.
However, Yun Manman stumbled at the very first step.
The hammer at home wasn't a very heavy one. Yun Manman swung the small hammer many times, her hands aching from the vibrations, before the cocoa fruit finally cracked open.
Lu Qi, coiled to the side, couldn't bear to watch any longer. He inwardly mocked the feline beastman's lack of strength.
Then he slithered over, wrapped his long, slender body around the cocoa fruit, and squeezed hard. The cocoa fruit immediately split into pieces.
Yun Manman, who had been struggling with the hammer nearby, turned her head at the sound and her eyes went wide with shock.
Yun Manman: !
How was Qiqi so strong?! Could snakes really crush such a hard shell?!
Yun Manman, who had felt the little snake crawl across her neck before, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
So Qiqi hadn't been using his full strength when struggling in her hands all this time?
Aww, Qiqi really did like her!
Last night he had even helped brush her fur with a comb, and now he was helping her open cocoa fruits. Even when they played together, he never used his full strength.
In an instant, Yun Manman's imagination ran wild. She excitedly put down the hammer and cupped the white snake's head in her palms, giving him a big kiss.
"I love Qiqi the most! Qiqi is so wonderful!"
Lu Qi, who had been focused on opening the cocoa fruits, heard her frank confession and his heart skipped a beat. Then he felt the warmth on his head.
He darted out of Yun Manman's hands in a panic, fleeing from her side.
His heart, usually as calm as still water, was now pounding violently. Even his scales were flushed pink with agitation.
This feline beastman had no sense of propriety at all!
Yun Manman smiled as she watched the wary little snake, soothing him, "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore."
The little snake eyed her cautiously a few times. Seeing that she was indeed focused on her work and not paying attention to him, he finally came forward to continue crushing the cocoa fruits one by one with great effort.
Yun Manman caught glimpses of the little snake's every move from the corner of her eye, her emerald green cat eyes secretly curving with delight.
He's so cute!
No wonder so many people like keeping pets, it really makes sense.
If Lu Qi could hear her thoughts, he would probably cough up blood.
He had such a majestic and elegant image! He was definitely not cute!
Besides, he was only helping her because he couldn't stand to watch any longer.
He had never seen such a weak feline beastman before. Not only was her beast form small, but she was so lacking in strength too.
Just as the cat and snake were quietly working away in a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere, the doorbell rang.
Nini's mechanical voice sounded: "Manman, there's a visitor."
"Should I open the door?"