Chu Shaoye pinched the scruff of the hamster’s neck and lifted it up. The hamster was still trembling, its round eyes, no bigger than mung beans, brimming with tears.
Had it known this would happen, it never would have given in to its cravings. It had never expected to be caught by this detestable fox. If it managed to escape with its life this time, it swore it would break its gluttonous habit for good.
Chu Shaoye set the “hamster” in his palm and turned it over with his fingers. Only after sensing carefully did he detect an extremely faint wisp of Spiritual Qi. Sure enough, this little hamster was not an ordinary wild animal, but a Spirit Beast.
It concealed its presence very well. If it had not leaked that trace of Spiritual Qi out of fear, it really would have seemed no different from an ordinary hamster.
Chu Shaoye had not expected to misidentify it. He searched his memory for what kind of Spirit Beast looked like a hamster.
Hamster-like Spirit Beasts all looked much the same, with the main differences lying in the color of their fur. This hamster Spirit Beast resembled both a Tier One Spirit Beast, the Short-Tailed Hamster, and a Tier Two Spirit Beast, the Silver Fox Hamster.
Beyond that, however, there was one other extremely slim possibility.
“Shuangyue once said there is one that looks no different from an ordinary hamster, is skilled at concealing its Spiritual Qi, has white fur, and bears a golden line along its back… Could it be…”
Chu Shaoye hurriedly parted the soft fur on the “hamster’s” back. Sure enough, across its pinkish-white skin ran a golden line stretching from the crown of its head all the way to its tail.
This golden line was even thinner than a strand of hair. Hidden beneath the soft fur, it was impossible to spot unless one looked for it deliberately.
“A Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse! It really is a Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse—it’s actually a Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse!”
The more Chu Shaoye spoke, the more excited he grew, his voice rising louder and louder until he could not help slapping his thigh.
The Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse in his palm trembled even harder, terrified that this human would slap it to death the very next instant.
Meanwhile, the little fox began to worry about Chu Shaoye’s state of mind. It raised a paw and nudged him, letting out a soft whimper.
The little fox tilted its head and looked curiously at the Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse. All it knew was that this little thing smelled delicious and would surely taste great.
Chu Shaoye gently nudged the Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse, which was still shivering as it played dead, and took out a Tier One Spirit Core from his Storage Ring.
The innate ability of a Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse was Treasure Seeking, and to them, Spirit Cores also counted as treasures.
This Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse was only at Tier One, so a Tier One Spirit Core was a tremendous temptation to it.
The Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse kept its eyes squeezed shut, yet its nose could not help twitching as Chu Shaoye waved the Spirit Core back and forth in front of it.
In the end, the Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse could not resist its instincts. It bolted upright, snatched the Spirit Core, and hugged it tightly to its chest.
Chu Shaoye lightly poked its forehead and coaxed, “Little thing, if you follow me, there will be plenty more Spirit Cores like this in the future.”
To make his words more convincing, he took over a dozen more Tier One Spirit Cores from his Storage Ring, along with several Tier Two Spirit Cores and even a few Tier Three Spirit Cores.
Spirit Cores of every color and size were arrayed across the ground, making even the drab, dusty cave gleam like a treasure vault. The Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse stared, transfixed.
It quickly stuffed the Spirit Core in its arms into its mouth and flung itself forward in a leap of faith, trying to dive straight into the pile of Spirit Cores.
Chu Shaoye swept the Spirit Cores away in an instant. The Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse landed flat on its face with a solid thud and tumbled head over heels several times.
Dizzy and seeing stars from the fall, the Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse looked up only to see the little fox baring its fangs at it, frightening it into another violent shudder.
Chu Shaoye scooped it back into his hands and took out a Tier Three Spirit Core again to tempt it. “Little fellow, follow me, and from now on I’ll give you a Tier One Spirit Core every seven days. How about that?”
The Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse gulped, clearly tempted.
Its kind had no tier limit; their advancement relied entirely on devouring Natural Treasures. As long as they had enough Natural Treasures, they could keep advancing without end, and evolving into a Divine Beast was not out of the question.
However, Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mice had almost no ability to fight and easily perished before growing strong. Take the one Chu Shaoye had caught: it was only at Tier One right now, and any passing Spirit Beast or slightly fierce wild beast could easily claim its little life.
The mouse’s eyes darted about as it considered the offer. The terms Chu Shaoye offered were actually quite good. With this long-term meal ticket, it could leave behind its days of irregular meals and hunger. And besides…
Little Mousey was only Tier One and had never eaten anything good yet. Little Mousey did not want to die.
Once the Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse thought it through, it reached out a tiny paw and pressed it against Chu Shaoye’s finger to show that it agreed.
A genuine smile broke across Chu Shaoye’s face. If he were not barely a Tier One Spirit Lord right now and unable to contract a second Spirit Companion, he would not have needed to work so hard to coax the mouse. He would simply have formed a contract with it outright.
Playing good cop and bad cop, the boy and the fox used both threats and bribery to make the simple-minded Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse stay.
Chu Shaoye dampened a piece of cloth with water and wiped the ash from the Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse’s body. After all its tumbling and scrambling, the soft white ball of fur had turned pitch-black like a little lump of coal.
As he wiped it clean, Chu Shaoye said, “From now on, we’re family. Let me introduce you.”
He pointed at the little fox and said, “This is your big brother. Your big brother is very strong—you felt that for yourself just now, didn’t you? From now on, he’ll look out for you.”
The Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse gave a trembling nod. The feel of those sharp fangs when the little fox had carried it in its jaws was still fresh in its memory, and its neck still felt chilly.
“Your big brother is named Xuewu. Since you’re white too, you can take your big brother’s surname. How about I call you Xuebao?”
The Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse nodded. It quite liked the name; what it loved most in the world was treasure, so having “treasure” in its name could not have been better.
After wiping Xuebao clean, Chu Shaoye set it atop the little fox’s head. Since they had not formed a contract, he was afraid this little thing might go back on its word and slip away in secret, so he left Xuewu to keep watch.
After all the commotion through much of the night, the moon was already slanting toward the west, though there was still time for a bit more sleep. Chu Shaoye spread the bedding out again and beckoned the two little ones over to sleep.
The little fox lay down beside Chu Shaoye’s chest and curled up, tucking the Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse snugly into its embrace so that it would sense the slightest movement at once.
Wrapped up tight from head to toe, the Golden-Striped Treasure-Seeking Mouse suddenly had the sinking feeling that it had landed itself in a den of thieves.