When Lu Qing heard the familiar scratching at the door, he could hardly believe his ears.
Old Doctor Chen hadn't said that his medicinal powder was very effective, that even a jackal, upon smelling it, would still keep its distance?
Why was this creature still coming?
Lu Qing felt somewhat overwhelmed.
Was he to get no sleep tonight again?
This couldn't go on; if he didn't resolve this matter, he feared he wouldn't sleep well in future.
Having had poor sleep for two consecutive nights, Lu Qing's temper was also becoming a little explosive.
He wanted to see just what it was that dared to be so bold.
Creeping stealthily to the door with a stick from beside his bed, he suddenly flung the latch and threw the door open.
This sudden action clearly startled whatever was outside too.
A dark shadow instantly darted out into the courtyard.
Ever since awakening his superpower, Lu Qing's eyes had undergone some subtle changes that were not easy to notice.
Firstly, his vision had improved immensely, allowing him to see things clearly even from a great distance.
Secondly, his sensitivity to light sources had sharpened.
Though he couldn't yet see in complete darkness, as long as there was a bit of light, he could make things out with considerable clarity.
Now, with the help of the rather bright moonlight overhead, Lu Qing could clearly see what had been troubling him these two nights.
It was a small black beast.
About two feet in length, it resembled both a cat and a leopard, with two large eyes like light bulbs.
At the moment, its fur was slightly bristly, its tail raised, limbs low and tense, puffing up its fur as it warily watched Lu Qing.
Seeing the appearance of the black beast, Lu Qing let out a sigh of relief.
It was lucky that the beast seemed small in stature and didn't appear very fierce.
Besides, it could be the creature whose courage was not great enough to come back after he had slammed the door on it the previous night.
For some reason, this time, the black beast didn't run away but kept crouching and watching Lu Qing.
Lu Qing stood quietly confronting it, unwilling to rashly drive it away.
He wanted to use his superpower to ascertain information about the little beast before making a decision.
Lu Qing tried to stay calm, his gaze on the little beast.
However, his eyes soon widened in shock.
A faint red light emerged from the mysterious little beast.
[Black Night Spirit Fox: young, female mountain spiritual beast.]
[Extremely fast, with razor-sharp claws that can shatter stones and split metal.]
[Rumors say the Black Night Spirit Fox is fond of fish but has a natural aversion to water, able only to yearn from afar.]
A Red Light Level beast?!
Lu Qing almost jumped in surprise.
The superpower radiating from this mysterious beast had already reached the Red Light Level.
Wasn't that the same level as Old Doctor Chen?
No wonder the medicinal powder had been ineffective.
Taking several deep breaths, Lu Qing struggled to compose himself.
A sense of relief suddenly surged in his heart.
It was fortunate he hadn't acted rashly just now.
Who would have thought that this little thing was a Red Light Level spiritual beast?
And what were the floating words saying?
Extremely fast! Claws that could shatter stones and split metal!
Such exaggerated lethality, even tigers and leopards might not match up, right?
Thankfully this little beast was timid; otherwise, he probably would already be lying on the ground.
Quietly hiding the stick behind his back, Lu Qing put on an innocuous smile.
"Little fellow, did you come here wanting to eat fish?"
The little black beast was still watching Lu Qing cautiously, seemingly not understanding what he was saying.
Lu Qing hadn't expected a wild animal to understand his words.
He gently shifted his footsteps, trying not to startle the little black beast, and quickly took two pieces of dried fish from the kitchen.
When Lu Qing appeared at the door holding the fish, he clearly saw the little black beast's eyes light up for a moment.
Indeed, this guy was here for the fish.
Lu Qing recalled the description in the third note.
He held the fish in front of him and shook it.
"I'm sorry I scared you just now; these two pieces of fish are my apology."
In the night, the little black beast's eyes, like light bulbs, followed the moving fish.
Seeing this, Lu Qing felt certain.
He tossed the fish pieces into the yard, intentionally throwing them a bit farther from the beast to avoid startling it.
The fish pieces landed on the ground, startling the little beast, which took a few steps back and kept a close eye on Lu Qing.
Lu Qing didn't move, standing quietly.
Feeling that Lu Qing had no intention to attack, the little black beast's tense fur relaxed a bit.
It glanced at the fish on the ground, sniffed a few times, then suddenly moved.
Lu Qing only saw a blur as the little beast dashed past; the next moment, the fish on the ground had disappeared.
Shortly afterward, the little beast's figure also jumped over the fence and rapidly vanished into the night fog.
After waiting quietly for a while and confirming that the little beast had gone, Lu Qing finally closed the door and returned to his room.
Once he lay in bed, Lu Qing's heart could no longer be controlled; it began to pound violently.
There was no helping it; the situation had indeed been somewhat perilous.
Although the black little beast seemed rather timid, who knew if it would attack people when provoked.
As the saying goes, even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
And that was no rabbit, but a spiritual beast with powerful attacking capabilities!
Its claws were sharp enough to break stone and split metal!
If they could tear through stone and metal, what chance did flesh and blood stand?
Therefore, Lu Qing really dared not provoke it.
Fortunately, this black little beast was not only timid but also showed no signs of aggressiveness.
Otherwise, whether Lu Qing could have survived just now was debatable.
"What kind of fearsome beast is this, and how have I never heard people in the village mention it?"
As he calmed down, Lu Qing harbored a doubt.
He then recalled the descriptions Superpower had detected.
That little beast seemed to be still a juvenile; could its parents be nearby?
They probably weren't; if its parents were around, they likely would have already arrived in a group.
Lu Qing hadn't forgotten that the note also mentioned that the Black Night Spirit Fox particularly enjoyed eating fish.
Had it migrated from another place, been driven away by its parents, or had some accident befallen them?
Lu Qing made several guesses but got nowhere.
However, he had a premonition that after tonight, this black little beast would likely visit him again.
He had no basis for it; it was just a feeling.
"It seems I can't give up fishing after all."
Lu Qing thought somewhat helplessly.
He had originally planned to put fishing on hold and devote himself fully to studying Medical Skill.
After all, once Elder Doctor Chen sold the Red Moon Carp, he would have a sizable amount of money, enough to ensure a worry-free life for him and Little Yan for quite some time.
But now, with this black little beast depending on him, he had no choice but to change his plans.
That was a Red Light Level spiritual beast, not one he could afford to provoke; he could only prioritize appeasing it for now.
"What kind of situation is this!"
Lu Qing couldn't help but lament.