After making out the person sitting on the sofa, Lu Zixun and Xiong Kang almost simultaneously raised their hands and rubbed their eyes.
Their entire beings were in a state of confusion.
Why would Long Jiuri suddenly appear here?
Setting down the newspaper in his hand, Long Jiuri looked at the surprised duo, one human and one cat.
The corner of his mouth curved slightly upward, "Practiced all night and don’t recognize me anymore?"
"Ding—Respect Value from Long Jiuri detected +24000."
Hearing the system’s notification sound, Lu Zixun was immediately shocked.
The feeling value provided by Long Jiuri was actually twice that of Ye Changming.
That meant Long Jiuri’s strength was also twice that of Ye Changming’s.
The previously panicked Lu Zixun now felt as steady as an old dog—this overpowering strength made him fearless even when walking into a potentially dangerous banquet.
Thinking of this, Lu Zixun happily leaped onto the coffee table and looked up at Long Jiuri, "Big shot, weren’t you supposed to arrive tomorrow? How come you’re back so soon?"
Looking at Lu Zixun’s ingratiating demeanor, Long Jiuri shook his head and stretched out a hand to hook Lu Zixun’s chin, "Because of you."
Hearing Long Jiuri say this, Lu Zixun suddenly felt his hair stand on end.
Fortunately, Long Jiuri’s next words put Lu Zixun at ease.
"Were it not for your trouble-making ability, would you have caught Ye Changming’s attention?"
Before the words were over, Long Jiuri was looking at Lu Zixun with a smile.
The heart that had just settled leapt up again, and Lu Zixun’s head shook like a rattle, hastily saying, "I didn’t cause trouble, big shot, you might be misunderstanding."
Seeming thoughtful, Long Jiuri reached out and tapped between Lu Zixun’s eyebrows, immediately emitting a red light, "Then what’s the deal with the gift from this Queen-level creature?"
"Ah ha, meow meow meow."
Faced with Long Jiuri’s question, all Lu Zixun could do was meow to hide his embarrassment, not knowing what else to say.
"Receiving a gift from a Queen-level creature shows you’re quite charming to the girls."
Long Jiuri shifted the topic, "Show me your Ice Ability."
Seeing that Long Jiuri did not probe further into the matter of the gift, Lu Zixun hurriedly complied and conjured up an ice cone next to him.
Before practicing with Xiong Kang, Lu Zixun’s Ice Elemental Control was merely at a beginner’s stage, now he could be considered slightly proficient.
The Ice Magic he now conjured was much more solid than the transparent, easily breakable ones before.
Feeling the chill emanating from the ice cone in Lu Zixun’s hand, Long Jiuri nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad, I always thought cats lacked ambition, but you’re an exception."
For a cat, being able to control Ice ability to this extent less than a week since awakening was quite impressive.
Hearing this, Lu Zixun’s expression stiffened—was Long Jiuri praising him or mocking him?
"Alright, I came over this time just to see you guys, especially you."
Gazing deeply at Lu Zixun, Long Jiuri’s face bloomed into a smile again, "However, I’m very satisfied with the outcome, keep it up."
With a whoosh, and literally just a "whoosh," Lu Zixun hadn’t even reacted when Long Jiuri disappeared from his sight.
"Ding—Relaxation value from Xiong Kang detected +4000."
Turning his head toward Xiong Kang, Lu Zixun didn’t understand what this guy was so anxious about.
Pulling out his phone, he ordered takeout for two people. As for why two portions...
Xiong Kang said that Lu Zixun’s appetite was just a little less than that of an adult.
He threw himself into the sofa and watched Lu Zixun with a relaxed gaze, "I didn’t expect Ninth Brother’s assessment to come so soon. Thankfully, you passed."
Lu Zixun looked at Xiong Kang with a questioning face. Was that just now an assessment?
Such an important matter, and Xiong Kang had never mentioned it.
At this moment, seeing Xiong Kang lying on the sofa like a salted fish, Lu Zixun suddenly felt the urge to scratch him to death.
Seemingly sensing Lu Zixun’s hatred, Xiong Kang turned his head, his gaze falling on Lu Zixun, and chuckled, "But passing this assessment means Ninth Brother has reluctantly acknowledged you."
Organizing his words, Lu Zixun said, "Is there anything special about this assessment?"
"Until now, I’m also not quite clear, but all you need to know is that you’ve gained Ninth Brother’s approval."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock at the door.
"Hello, sir, your Little Yellow takeout."
As he opened the door to receive the takeout, Xiong Kang was stunned by the monitoring device in the delivery person’s hand.
Seeing Xiong Kang’s expression, the delivery person said with a smile, "I’ve studied books on counter-surveillance, saw it on my way here, and just took care of it."
Handing the takeout to Xiong Kang, the delivery person said amiably, "Sir, I hope you enjoy your meal. Remember to leave a good review, okay?"
Watching the delivery person throw the monitoring device into the trash and ride away on an electric scooter, Xiong Kang suddenly felt that the takeout organization seemed quite impressive.
While Xiong Kang was receiving the takeout, Lu Zixun had already sprawled out asleep on the sofa.
Disregarding the principle that everyone had pulled an all-nighter and should sleep together, Xiong Kang ruthlessly woke Lu Zixun.
"Ding—Detected hostile intent from Xiong Kang: +4000."
The aroma that tickled Zixun’s nose, along with the drowsiness that lingered in his mind, made him feel both love and hate towards Xiong Kang. He stared deeply at him.
Not until Lu Zixun’s intense gaze made Xiong Kang’s scalp tingle did he go to have breakfast, satisfied.
The time for the Ye Family’s feast was fast approaching tomorrow.
Seeing Long Jiuri’s carefree demeanor also steadied Lu Zixun’s mindset considerably.
A few days ago, Lu Zixun could have used 20,000 feeling value to upgrade his Magnetic Field Control to the Second Order Stage.
But Lu Zixun still wanted to try what would happen if he reached 100% proficiency before upgrading.
With Long Jiuri around, there was no rush.
"Tomorrow is when the Ye Family will hold their gathering. Has there been any movement from the Ye Family lately?"
Taking a sip from his teacup, Long Jiuri asked nonchalantly while watching the television.
"Recently, there haven’t been any signs of activity from the Ye Family, and even the frequency of Abnormal Creatures appearing in Chunhua City has decreased significantly."
Recalling the situation over the past few days, Xiong Kang reported.
Withdrawing his gaze, Long Jiuri tapped lightly on the table and said indifferently, "The calmer the surface, the more turbulent the unseen currents."
After a moment of hesitation, Xiong Kang still spoke up, "The Ye Family must know Ninth Brother that you are back. They might have abandoned whatever plan they had originally."
"Do you think Ye Changming is someone who acts before plotting?"
With a light chuckle, Long Jiuri reached out and touched Lu Zixun, who was lying beside him, resting. His eyes were deep and profound, "That’s why the Ye Family will certainly find a way to prevent me from taking action."