It was National Day, and there were quite a few pedestrians, tourists, and cars on the road.
Fortunately, the Qingfeng Mountain Park area was relatively quiet.
It wasn’t a famous park either—basically no out-of-town visitors came here, except for the occasional local.
Su Hao parked his bike outside the park, locked it up, and headed up Qingfeng Mountain.
He went straight to the barbecue area.
The barbecue area was on a platform halfway up the mountain. On one side, the path led into denser woods toward the summit; on the other, the view opened up, offering a panoramic sight of Ancheng City—rows of towering buildings and a surging river cutting through the town.
White clouds drifted, a gentle breeze blew, and it was utterly refreshing.
Liu Ren had already reserved the spot, and along with a few other classmates, had prepared the barbecue tools and ingredients.
They were already busy around two grills.
As soon as Su Hao arrived, Silkworm Baby received a warm welcome. The little guy looked like it had downed two shots of baijiu, practically floating on air.
Su Hao felt a pang of disappointment.
Look at you—can’t you be as steady as that Charcoal Turtle over there?
“Gu nuo?”
Charcoal Turtle was lying on a big rock, facing the city, calmly... sleeping??
Su Hao’s forehead creased with exasperation.
Silkworm Baby ditched him and started mingling with Little Stone Elephant and a few other spirits.
Not everyone from the class had joined the gathering—only about twenty people had signed up. But Chen Qi, Zhou Yuze, and Ma Ruomei—those rookie spirit tamers—had all shown up.
With their spirits in tow.
Big-Face Liu lived up to his name.
The smoky aroma of barbecue wafted into their noses, and the party atmosphere was lively.
Whether they were ordinary students lost in a sea of exam questions or spirit science students facing the pressure of getting into a spirit university, everyone briefly forgot their worries.
And turned to appetite.
“Gu nuo~”
“Gu nuo nuo~”
“Gu nuo nuo nuo~ (◕‿◕✿)”
Silkworm Baby was overjoyed.
Today, it had plenty of feeders.
After finishing skewers fed by the girls, it moved on to the boys for more.
It ate with pure delight.
Winning the title of Cutest Little Foodie of the event.
Liu Ren decided to show off his spirit barbecue skills.
He woke up Charcoal Turtle, grabbed a few skewers, and walked over to it.
“Turtle... Turtle Master, it’s your turn.”
Charcoal Turtle snorted twice, letting out a tongue of flame.
Liu Ren flipped the skewers at just the right moment, sprinkling on some cumin, Sichuan pepper, and chili powder.
He looked like he’d practiced this plenty in his spare time.
Smooth as could be.
“Come on, everyone, try my Liu-style skew... skew...
“Where the hell did my skewers go?!”
Liu Ren looked down—the skewers in his hand were just bare sticks.
He glanced at Charcoal Turtle, who was munching away happily.
“Turtle... Master, you do you.”
...
Above the barbecue area, in the woods.
Downwind.
The rich aroma drifted over, and two men—one tall, one short—caught the scent, their noses twitching involuntarily.
“Damn! That smells way too good!”
The shorter man grumbled, patting his restless spirit, a Little Earth Wolf, beside him.
The taller man frowned. “Bear with it. Once we get through Ancheng, out to sea from Linshi, and leave Dragon Country, we can make it anywhere as spirit tamers. We’ve been hiding for days—don’t cause trouble at the last minute.”
“I know, bro. I’m just... just too hungry.”
“Enough. Let’s go somewhere else. No point suffering here with the barbecue smell.”
The man pushed through the grass and headed back.
Suddenly,
The Little Earth Wolf let out a “howl,” and before the shorter man could grab it, it bolted off.
...
Su Hao was brushing sauce onto chicken wings, breathing in the fresh air.
Suddenly,
He heard Silkworm Baby’s call.
His gaze shifted forward, and he saw a big wolf-dog padding closer.
Its eyes were fixed on the skewers on the grill, its expression somewhat fierce.
“It’s a Little Earth Wolf.”
Su Hao glanced at it and didn’t pay it much mind.
Spirits weren’t as rare as giant pandas.
There were others barbecuing in the area too, not just their group.
But the Little Earth Wolf kept creeping closer, drawn by the smoky scent, its mouth slightly open, revealing sharp fangs.
Some of the girls, seeing the wolf-dog’s menacing look, instinctively shrank back.
Silkworm Baby got angry.
It jumped onto a stool and warned the Little Earth Wolf, “Gu nuo!!”
The Little Earth Wolf glanced at it, ignoring the harmless-looking Silkworm Baby.
It kept staring at the skewers, step by step advancing.
“Gu nuo nuo!!”
Silkworm Baby blocked its path.
Su Hao frowned.
Whose spirit was this?
Where was the tamer?
How was it being handled?!
A short figure ran over from ahead, calling out to the Little Earth Wolf and calming it down.
He slowly led the wolf-dog away.
The man’s clothes were yellowish, like they hadn’t been washed in a while. Su Hao found him vaguely familiar but couldn’t place where he’d seen him.
“That’s... that’s the wanted criminal!”
A voice came from the side. One of the classmates blurted it out, then quickly covered their mouth.
The short man leading the Little Earth Wolf suddenly froze, his body tensing.
He whipped his head around, his small eyes sharp and fierce, his face twisted with malice.
“I... I... I didn’t see anything.”
Su Hao wanted to slap the classmate who’d spoken.
The moment those words left their mouth, the Little Earth Wolf lunged.
A fierce aura rushed toward them.
Unlike Silkworm Baby, Little Stone Elephant, or Charcoal Turtle, this Little Earth Wolf—though still in its initial form—was vicious.
Truly vicious!
Su Hao had seen classmates’ Little Earth Wolves before—dopey and silly like dumb dogs.
But this one was an outright lone wolf.
Like it had tasted blood.
And it had.
The two wanted criminals had committed murder with their spirits—killing someone over a minor conflict.
It had awakened the wolf’s bloodlust.
Su Hao’s heart pounded violently.
The classmate the wolf had locked onto stood frozen, terrified.
Luckily,
Silkworm Baby didn’t wait for Su Hao’s command. It charged from the side and slammed into the wolf.
The Little Earth Wolf, caught off guard, was hit in the belly and sent flying several meters.
“Howl!”
It scrambled up, its gaze even more savage.
Silkworm Baby stood its ground. “Gu nuo!”
The taller man emerged from the woods, cursing, “What are you dawdling for?!”
“Little Earth Wolf, come back! Let’s go!”
The shorter man shot a hateful glare, recalled the wolf, and turned to disappear into the woods.
Just then,
From a few dozen meters away, two men in their twenties or thirties noticed the commotion.
One of them stared for a moment, then spoke with a hint of excitement, “It’s the wanted criminals! Stop them—there’s a reward!”
Both young men were spirit tamers.
In high school, they couldn’t afford spirit contracts, but after graduating, making money, and becoming part of the social elite, they hadn’t given up their childhood dream of becoming spirit tamers.
They’d bought spirit contracts and taken steps toward that dream.
They’d met at a spirit training class.
For many apprentice spirit tamers who couldn’t get into a spirit university or only contracted spirits after entering society, the best path to achievement was enrolling in a training class.
These classes had some resources and hired official spirit tamers as coaches.
The catch was the cost.
And the teaching quality was far below that of a spirit university.
But it was the only way for non-professional spirit tamers to chase their dreams.
Nearby,
Under their commands, a Long-Armed Ape and a Little Clay Spirit lunged at the shorter man and the Little Earth Wolf.