Chapter 66: Lu Xiao Li
"Naming?" Lu Qing wiped his hands.
"Yeah! The little beast is our friend now. All my friends have names—Big Niu, Second Niu, Little Tiger Head. They all have their own names!" Xiao Yan counted off on her fingers, serious as ever. "So the little beast should have one too."
"Why not just call it Little Beast?" Lu Qing asked.
"Little Beast sounds boring. And lots of animals are called that. We need something special," the little one insisted, shaking her head.
Lu Qing almost laughed—after all, names like Big Niu and Second Niu were just as common outside as they were here. But he held his amusement in check.
He paused, then glanced toward the kitchen. The black little creature was peeking in from outside, its curious eyes darting around.
"Hey, little guy," Lu Qing said, "what do you think? Want to pick a name for yourself?"
A flicker of thought passed through the creature’s eyes, then a slow nod.
"See, Brother! The little beast wants a name too!" Xiao Yan beamed.
"Well then, let's pick one," Lu Qing said, now fully committed.
But what name to give it?
He thought for a moment—then snapped his fingers. "How about Xiao Li?"
"Xiao Li?" Xiao Yan tilted her head.
The black creature blinked, its eyes filled with confusion.
Neither understood the name.
"Yes," Lu Qing explained, "your look is very much like a kind of animal called a li cat. So Xiao Li fits you. And the character 'Li' means fire. Look at your fur—doesn’t it look like flickering black flames?"
He took a piece of charcoal and drew the character "leave" on a wooden board.
After all this time, he had mastered the writing system of this world.
Xiao Yan didn’t seem to grasp it, but the little beast suddenly felt something profound—Xiao Li sounded majestic. It stared at Lu Qing, eyes shining.
"You like it?" Lu Qing asked, reading the expression in its eyes.
The creature nodded eagerly.
"Then from now on, you’re Xiao Li. As for your surname—feel free to take one, or not. If you want, you can take ours—Lu Li, or Lu Xiao Li."
"Yay! Little beast has a name now!" Xiao Yan clapped her hands, delighted. "You’re Xiao Li, and I’m Xiao Yan—our names are almost the same!"
The little beast’s eyes sparkled with emotion. It had a name. A real one.
With a name, its place in the Lu family was now official. It bounded into the house, chasing Xiao Yan around in joyful play—though more often, it was simply teasing her, darting just out of reach. With its speed, even a hundred Xiao Yans couldn’t catch it.
"Hey, Xiao Li," Lu Qing suddenly remembered something, stopping the game. "Did someone try to catch you in the mountains yesterday?"
He remembered overhearing the Wei family guards talking last night. They’d said their young master had fallen into a ravine while chasing a strange black little beast.
At the time, he’d wondered—was that beast Xiao Li? Now was the moment to ask.
Xiao Li paused, tilted its head in thought, then nodded.
"Was it six or seven people? One of them was about my age?"
Another nod.
Lu Qing’s brow tightened. So it was him.
His expression darkened. "Xiao Li, stay inside from now on. Don’t go out. If anyone comes, hide. Don’t let them see you. Got it?"
Xiao Li nodded. It didn’t like people anyway.
Lu Qing turned to his sister. "And you, Xiao Yan. No matter where you go, don’t tell anyone about Xiao Li being here—even your friends. If someone finds out, they might come to capture him. And if that happens… you’ll never see him again. Do you understand?"
Xiao Yan’s face tightened instantly. "Xiao Yan knows! I won’t tell anyone about Xiao Li!"
She was terrified at the thought of losing her new best friend.
Satisfied, Lu Qing relaxed. Xiao Yan was a good keeper of secrets—always had been. Even with all the silver hidden at home, she’d never slipped a word.
It wasn’t that Lu Qing was overly cautious. But that Wei Xiao Gongzi had nearly died—because of Xiao Li. Even if he recovered, his body would be severely weakened. He’d need rare medicines and years of healing.
After such a disaster, who could say he wouldn’t hold a grudge?
And if he saw Xiao Li… he might not stop at capturing it. He’d likely want revenge.
Lu Qing remembered the young man’s temper. Not pleasant.
Even though Xiao Li was a Red Light Spirit Beast—ranked equal to Nei Fu Jing in his Ability Assessment—Lu Qing didn’t believe it could win against Wei Family guards. Humans had too many tricks, too many ways to fight. Their minds were cunning, unpredictable—far beyond the simple instincts of a spirit beast.
And then there was the Wei Family Grand Manager—also a Nei Fu Jing-level warrior.
So it was safer for Xiao Li to stay hidden.
Ideally, Lu Qing would have liked to send Xiao Li deep into the mountains, far from here, until the Wei family left. But judging from this morning—when the little beast had waited all night on the eaves just to steal a fish—he knew Xiao Li had already claimed this area as its territory.
It wouldn’t leave willingly. And if it did, the temptation of fish might lure it back.
Better to keep it safe at home, hidden for now.
Through further questioning, Lu Qing learned Xiao Li had no parents nearby. In the entire Da Shan, it was the only Nighttime Spirit Fox. It didn’t even know how it had arrived in the mountains. All it knew was that it had lived there since it became aware—just in a different part of the forest.
Only recently had it wandered into the mountain area behind Jiu Li Village.
Now that he knew this, Lu Qing finally felt at ease. No need to worry about a mature Spirit Fox showing up one day to demand answers.
So Xiao Li officially became a member of the Lu family.
With Wei Xiao Gongzi’s condition stabilized, Lu Qing no longer needed to stay at the Half Mountain Small Courtyard every day. His routine returned to normal.
Each morning, he’d pay his respects to his master, spend the morning studying Medical Skills, then had the rest of the day to himself—fishing, gardening, or training.
For Xiao Li, life was paradise.
Every fresh fish Lu Qing caught was devoured by the little beast the moment it came home. The taste was heaven. After eating, Xiao Yan would massage its fur and scratch its ears. This life was far better than the wild.
Xiao Li didn’t want to leave. It wanted to stay forever.
Days passed.
Lu Qing’s fear—of someone discovering Xiao Li—never came true.
And Wei Xiao Gongzi, under Old Doctor’s careful care, recovered visibly fast.
On the seventh day after waking, he could finally stand.
That meant he was strong enough to travel.
The journey back to the Wei family could now begin.
(End of Chapter)
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