The alarm disappeared, and the oppressive feeling that almost crushed Lu Zixun also vanished abruptly.
Now able to move normally, Lu Zixun jumped onto Xiong Kang’s shoulder, raised his paw, and smacked his head, "Damn you, damn you, that nearly killed this cat!"
The woman who helped Lu Zixun out covered her mouth with her hand and let out a light chuckle.
"Diing—Affinity value from Gongsun Li +4000."
Hearing Gongsun Li’s laughter, Xiong Kang quickly grabbed Lu Zixun.
He whispered, "There are outsiders here, show some respect."
Hearing this, Lu Zixun seemed to understand and nodded. He smacked one last time and then withdrew his paw.
Taking in a breath, Xiong Kang glared fiercely at Lu Zixun, as if to say, "You just wait."
He looked up and snorted haughtily.
Lu Zixun fearlessly spread his paws, "Who’s afraid of whom."
Their silent interaction once again amused Gongsun Li.
Her gaze fell on Xiong Kang, "Captain Xiong, is this the Spirit Beast?"
"Yes, it’s that little rascal."
Xiong Kang reached out, picked Lu Zixun up from his shoulder, and held him in front of his body.
Xiong Kang introduced, "This is the heir of the Gongsun Family, Gongsun Li."
While making eye contact with Gongsun Li, this must be the young lady that Gongsun Liang was talking about.
After staring for a while, Lu Zixun found that this young lady was quite pretty, carrying the air of a well-bred lady.
He nodded to Gongsun Li and meowed, which was a sort of greeting.
"Diing—Affinity value from Gongsun Li +4000."
Gongsun Li laughed and complimented Lu Zixun. After thinking for a moment, she took out some beef jerky from her pocket, unwrapped it, and offered it near Lu Zixun’s mouth, "Would you like to sit in my office?"
Having eaten the beef jerky and after some contemplation, Lu Zixun stepped on Xiong Kang’s arm and jumped into Gongsun Li’s arms.
Seeing this, Xiong Kang shook his head and tapped Lu Zixun on the forehead with a finger.
With a teasing smile, he said, "See color, forget friends. I’ll go find Elder Zeng. If you need anything, come to the top-floor office."
The decor of Gongsun Li’s office was not that cold, business-like style.
Instead, it had a warm, homely feel that was quite comfortable.
Placing Lu Zixun on the sofa, Gongsun Li walked over and poured a glass of water for him, then sat opposite Lu Zixun, seemingly pondering what to say.
Lu Zixun, drinking water, was in no rush and waited patiently for Gongsun Li to speak.
She called out respectfully and looked at Lu Zixun earnestly and sincerely, "The Gongsun Family earnestly invites you to become our Guardian Beast."
"Cough, cough, cough."
Almost choking on water, Lu Zixun looked at Gongsun Li in disbelief.
How did it come to him becoming their family’s Guardian Beast?
"Diing—Sadness value from Gongsun Li +4000."
"I know this is somewhat abrupt, but I still hope, Mr. Orange Cat, that you will consider it."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zixun raised an eyebrow and looked at Gongsun Li. From her tone, he could sense her urgency, but...
Lu Zixun’s eyes gradually deepened. What exactly did the Gongsun Family need a guardian beast for so urgently?
After pondering for a moment, Lu Zixun shook his head.
In the lonely gaze of Gongsun Li, Lu Zixun said indifferently, "I can’t agree right now. I don’t understand what this guardian beast really is."
"Secondly, given the strength of the Gongsun Family, they shouldn’t need me, a spirit beast who hasn’t reached S class, as a guardian beast, right?"
Listening to Lu Zixun not directly refusing, a flame named hope ignited in Gongsun Li’s eyes.
He took out an Array Formation Plate from his arms and placed it in front of Lu Zixun.
Gongsun Li asked, "Lord Orange Cat, could you drop a drop of blood on it?"
Although unsure of Gongsun Li’s intentions and thinking it should be safe inside STO, Lu Zixun drew a drop of blood and accurately dropped it onto the Array Formation Plate.
Instantly, the Array Formation Plate shone brightly.
An invisible barrier appeared in the room, the thick barrier flowing with the aura of Lu Zixun’s Spiritual Energy.
Looking up at the barrier, tears welled up in Gongsun Li’s eyes and he burst into uncontrollable tears.
At this crying, Lu Zixun immediately panicked.
He hadn’t refused, so why this weeping?
He hopped down from the sofa, ran to the desk, pulled out a few tissues and gingerly extended his paw to hand them to Gongsun Li.
Lu Zixun’s demeanor made Gongsun Li laugh through his tears. He took the tissues from Lu Zixun, wiped his eyes dry, and looked earnestly at Lu Zixun.
"I request Lord Orange Cat to protect the Gongsun Family. The Gongsun Family is willing to pay any price for this."
"Ding—detected faith value from Gongsun Li +4000."
"Ding—opportunity detected, host’s species has changed."
Hearing the System Prompt Sound, Lu Zixun spared a glance.
Previously, his species was listed as Chinese garden cat, but now, it had changed to a rather imposing name—Swallowing Sky Cat Demon (thin bloodline power).
The thing that could make a family pay any price must be the bloodline of the Swallowing Sky Demon Cat.
A tiny Chinese garden cat possessed the bloodline of the Swallowing Sky Cat Demon!
Lu Zixun was skeptical when Phoenix mentioned it before; now, with the system’s official recognition, he found it unbelievable.
Looking at Gongsun Li, whose face was full of sincerity, Lu Zixun’s expression was complex as he silently sighed, "Why must I become your family’s guardian beast? Can you explain the specific reasons?"
As Gongsun Li elaborated, Lu Zixun roughly understood the reasons.
Originally, the Gongsun Family had always been a powerful family, protected by strong arrays and an incredibly powerful guardian beast.
This guardian beast was the Swallowing Sky Cat Demon.
Before the invasion of Abnormal Creatures, about ten years prior, the Swallowing Sky Cat Demon had entered the Crimson Land due to certain events.
The compass bound to the guardian beast also shattered, and the Swallowing Sky Cat Demon died.
Due to the arrogant and overbearing nature of the family members, they had offended many people.
With the loss of their guardian beast, the Gongsun Family was continuously targeted by other familial powers. With no other choice, the Gongsun Family retreated into the mountains to preserve their bloodline.
Lu Zixun first caught the attention of the Gongsun Family when he emerged.
However, they couldn’t confirm it at that time.
Once they learned that Lu Zixun could use three types of superpowers, the Gongsun Family excitedly confirmed that Lu Zixun was the descendant of the Swallowing Sky Cat Demon.
Afterward, the matter of Gongsun Liang contacting Lu Zixun occurred.
After listening to Gongsun Li’s narrative, Lu Zixun was at a loss for words.
He lifted his paw and rubbed his face, somewhat troubled, "Being this guardian beast seems to have only downsides."