Chapter 46: Settling the Cause and Effect

With a flash of bright light, a small red snake nearly a meter long coiled around Zhou Ming’s right arm—it was Vermilion Jade, who had successfully advanced into a Ferocious Beast.

Fine crimson scales covered its body, slender yet powerful. Its eyes were not the dark-gold hue like Inkband’s, but a jet-black, obsidian color.

The most striking feature was Vermilion Jade’s tail—bearing a bony blade the size of a pinky finger, extraordinarily hard and sharp.

Just moments ago, Zhou Ming had tested Vermilion Jade’s strength. Its tail moved faster than his reaction speed; with a flick, the cup in front of him was instantly sliced clean in half.

He then proceeded to test Vermilion Jade’s overall capabilities.

Its defense was slightly weaker than Inkband’s, its venom only marginally stronger than that of an ordinary Ironthread Snake, but its movement speed far surpassed Inkband’s—and its physical destructive power was beyond comparison.

It could be said that Vermilion Jade’s emergence had made Zhou Ming’s combat methods more complete.

Poison was not an invincible weapon; in this world filled with transcendent powers, there were countless ways to counteract venom.

If Inkband’s paralyzing venom failed to work, Zhou Ming would be like a tiger stripped of its claws.

Now, with Vermilion Jade’s appearance, his means of physical destruction had greatly improved.

Its elusive speed, paired with a tail that could slice gold and cut jade, made Vermilion Jade no less dangerous than Inkband.

After familiarizing himself with Vermilion Jade’s condition, Zhou Ming summoned Inkband from his Beast Space.

The two snakes immediately hissed at each other.

“Pa, pa.”

Zhou Ming smacked each one lightly.

“Behave yourselves. From now on, you’re family.”

Whether it was due to his warning or mutual understanding of each other’s identity, the two Ironthread Snakes twined around one another as if greeting each other, then separated and each occupied one of Zhou Ming’s arms.

“There’s a bit of a General Heng and Ha vibe going on.”

Seeing his beasts’ behavior, Zhou Ming was in high spirits and couldn’t help but tease.

For now, unless he could once again obtain a spiritual item capable of helping Ironthread Snakes evolve, Inkband and Vermilion Jade would remain his greatest trump cards.

Thus, mutated Ironthread Snakes and evolution-related spiritual items for serpents became the resources Zhou Ming most urgently needed in the future.

After finishing up with Vermilion Jade’s matters, Zhou Ming did not relax.

He made himself a simple meal to appease his grumbling stomach, then began recording all his observations from Vermilion Jade’s evolution process.

Even the things he didn’t fully understand or could only speculate upon, Zhou Ming carefully noted down.

Though not one fond of overthinking, he understood well the importance of beasts in the transcendent world of Beast Tamers.

Witnessing a mutated beast successfully ascend to a Ferocious Beast was a rare event, one he absolutely had to document.

Whether the notes would be useful later was another matter—but building the habit of knowledge accumulation was not something he could neglect.

Though Zhou Ming often said that Beast Tamers primarily cultivated their Spiritual Power, and that this world followed transcendent rather than biological evolutionary principles, he still thought it wise to prepare in advance.

Others might follow well-paved paths, but he could not be sure he’d enjoy the same advantages.

Thinking about the state of his Spiritual Seed, Zhou Ming couldn’t help but worry whether he could progress through the existing career advancement methods.

That sense of urgency drove him to think more and rely less on the current system.

He continued recording Vermilion Jade’s evolution late into the night, looking very much like an overworked employee doing overtime.

His notebook was a mess—scribbles, symbols, and corrections everywhere.

Whenever he realized he’d forgotten something, he would hastily add it to the margins.

Anyone else would frown at the sight and feel an urge to tear the notebook apart.

But for Zhou Ming, this marked the first true step on his path as a Beast Tamer.

Closing the notebook—his personal “heavenly tome”—he finally went to sleep with a deep sense of accomplishment, flanked by Inkband and Vermilion Jade.

The next day, Zhou Ming bought a pile of gifts to visit Sister Wu.

This was his first time returning to the Dog's Home since leaving.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to go back earlier—he had simply wanted to achieve something first, so he wouldn’t disappoint the elder who once cared for him.

It wasn’t pride but a quiet resolve—not to bring disappointment.

Zhou Ming couldn’t tell if this sentiment was his own or a remnant of his predecessor’s, but it had kept him from returning until now.

“You’re Zhou Ming?”

When an employee of the Dog’s Home saw someone walk in, Saleswoman He Rui, who had been preparing to greet customers, hesitated upon recognizing Zhou Ming.

“Yeah, but I’ve changed the character of my name—it’s the ‘Ming’ from ‘famed in one cry’ now. Is Sister Wu around?”

A name wasn’t just a label—it was a person’s mark in this world.

Since his predecessor was gone, Zhou Ming naturally wanted to use his own name.

“She’s in the manager’s office.”

Seeing the tall, sunny, and handsome Zhou Ming before her, He Rui was momentarily dazed.

“Thanks.”

Zhou Ming then carried the large bags toward the manager’s office, looking for all the world like a young man going to visit his future mother-in-law.

“Sister Wu.”

“Zhou Ming?”

Sister Wu, who had been taking notes, raised her head in surprise when she heard the familiar voice—it was Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming quickly explained his name change to avoid any misunderstanding.

“Good change—‘famed in one cry,’ huh?”

Seeing how the once-gloomy Zhou Ming had transformed, Sister Wu was genuinely happy for him.

“Sister Wu, where should I put these?”

“Why are you wasting money now that you’ve made something of yourself?”

Although pleased, Sister Wu still scolded him lightly for being too extravagant.

“I’ve already bought them, and most are health supplements and cosmetics for women. You wouldn’t want me to use them myself, would you?”

The Zhou Ming before her no longer looked like a cold and ruthless youth but rather like a cheerful young man visiting an elder he respected.

“Didn’t think you’d turn out so smooth-tongued.”

Sister Wu couldn’t help but smile—his change was striking. And the fact that he still remembered her filled her with warmth.

After setting down the gifts, Sister Wu poured Zhou Ming some tea, and the two chatted casually.

Zhou Ming didn’t hide the fact that he was now a Beast Tamer, though he didn’t elaborate much on other matters—just mentioned it briefly.

Sister Wu wasn’t particularly surprised. Zhou Ming had always aimed to become a Beast Tamer, and given his transformation, that path was the only one that could explain it in such a short time.

When their talk turned to her child, who had good grades but failed to secure a place in a good middle school, Zhou Ming immediately called Xiao Yun and asked her to help.

Since the child’s performance was excellent, it wasn’t much trouble for Xiao Yun, and Zhou Ming didn’t stand on ceremony when it came to friends.

Of course, Zhou Ming never believed that friends’ help was something to be taken for granted—he simply noted such favors in his heart.

Xiao Yun, having heard about Sister Wu’s situation and her past care for Zhou Ming, readily agreed—but made Zhou Ming promise to treat her to a meal.

That was hardly a request—Zhou Ming agreed at once; he would’ve treated her even without the favor.

“Zhou Ming, isn’t this too much trouble for you?”

Seeing the problem solved so easily, Sister Wu suspected Zhou Ming’s change wasn’t as simple as it seemed. Still, she didn’t pry; she knew Zhou Ming was someone who remembered kindness.

“It’s fine—it’s a small favor for a friend.”

Zhou Ming handed her the slip with Xiao Yun’s number, which Sister Wu accepted, unable to refuse since it concerned her child’s future.

The two chatted until noon, and only after Sister Wu insisted on treating him to lunch did Zhou Ming finally leave the place that marked his beginning.

And soon after, Zhou Ming became the talk of the entire Dog's Home.