Chapter 335: A New Companion
"Uncle, these hand-pounded beef meatballs taste amazing."
Qi Han held a bowl containing a fist-sized beef meatball and struck up a conversation with the vendor who had made them.
"This recipe's been passed down in my family for generations! You go ask around—who in Nanyin City doesn't know my meatballs?" the vendor replied with a cheerful grin.
Qi Han chuckled softly and used a wooden fork to dig into the surface of the meatball, spearing a piece and sending it into his mouth.
The meatball was tender yet incredibly springy, and just one bite released a burst of flavorful juice.
It was clearly made from high-quality ingredients—entirely fresh beef with only a hint of starch as a binder, which gave the meat a finer texture.
He hadn't encountered a delicacy like this even in Shrek City.
Qi Han continued to eat piece by piece, when suddenly, his movements froze.
He quickly finished the rest of the meatball in a few bites, placed the bowl and wooden fork back on the vendor's stand, and said, "Uncle, I've got something to take care of. Gotta run."
"Alrighty, young man! Take care!" the uncle called after him with a smile before turning to serve the next customer.
After setting the bowl down, Qi Han glanced around and strode quickly toward a quiet alleyway.
"…Uhh." After just a few steps, he saw a couple being very affectionate up ahead. Qi Han smiled awkwardly and turned around. "Don't mind me. Carry on."
He found another alley and followed it all the way to a deserted end, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
"Ru Yi, you can let it out now."
Qi Han's eyes were full of anticipation. He had no idea what his Blood Red Unicorn would look like after its transformation.
Even though it had only been an hour or so in the real world, inside the training space, it had already been over a month.
Would it still recognize him?
"Neighhh!"
A clear, resonant Neigh rang out, and in the next moment, a majestic beast appeared before him.
Qi Han's eyes widened, and he couldn't help showing a look of amazement.
In just over an hour, the Blood Red Unicorn had grown far more powerful—its height had increased to nearly three meters at the shoulder.
Previously, the regressive Blood Red Unicorn King had already seemed very robust, but compared to this one, it looked almost average.
There was no exaggerated bulging musculature, but the unicorn's body was sculpted with broad, marble-like muscles, as if shaped by the hand of a divine artist—an embodiment of raw power.
On its back, a pair of dark red wings had sprouted. These weren't feathered like the pegasus of Qi Han's imagination—they were fleshy wings, strong and powerful, with a wide but graceful shape. Even with a wingspan of twelve meters, they appeared streamlined and agile.
With such a massive body, it indeed needed wings of that size to even consider flying.
The beast's coat no longer bore its old blood-red markings. In their place were crimson scales, smooth as polished mirrors, covering its body and neck. The scales were incredibly durable—Qi Han pressed against them with some force but couldn't make them budge at all.
On its forehead, the beautiful crystal-like horn hadn't grown longer—in fact, it had shortened slightly. It no longer appeared as sharp, but its radiant, translucent quality remained undiminished.
Qi Han had feared the unicorn might not recognize him after such a long period apart, but the concern proved unfounded. The creature showed no hostility at all—instead, it gently lowered its head and nuzzled him affectionately.
"Ru Yi? Is it still a hundred year old level spirit beast?" Qi Han couldn't help asking. The creature looked far too extraordinary to still be in that tier.
"Because I infused it with a generous amount of life energy, its transformation was exceptionally thorough. Its power level has advanced from the hundred year level to the thousand year level, so yes—it's now a thousand-year spirit beast."
Thousand-year, huh…
Qi Han ran a hand through the unicorn's mane, then suddenly winced. "Ru Yi, if I walk out of this alley with it like this, I doubt I'll even make it out of Nanyin City alive."
"That's no problem," Ru Yi replied with a chuckle. "This is its full form. Thanks to the metamorphosis, it can now retract its form."
"Oh?" Qi Han gently patted the unicorn's side. "Big guy, mind shrinking down a bit?"
It seemed to understand Qi Han's words. With a soft Neigh, the Blood Red Unicorn's body began to shrink, accompanied by a subtle ripple of spirit power. Its height reduced from over three meters to just above two meters.
Its long, muscular wings slowly retracted, eventually forming into two crimson wing-shaped markings etched across its back. The scales that covered its body gradually faded away as well. However, this time, the usual crimson web-like patterns did not reappear.
Aside from the two crimson markings on its back, the rest of its body returned to its original dark red color.
Now, compared to other Blood Red Unicorns, it looked nearly identical—aside from its unique horn—making it far less likely to draw unwanted attention if seen in public.
"You'll be staying with me from now on!" Qi Han looked at the now smaller, yet still powerfully built unicorn, growing more and more fond of it. "I'll make sure you get the best feed every day!"
"Pfft. That's obviously my job," Ru Yi muttered in annoyance.
Qi Han gave a polite cough and conveniently ignored her remark. His eyes remained fixed on the majestic creature before him.
"Mrow?"
What's going on? Why does it feel like I'm about to be replaced?
Pururu, sitting on Qi Han's shoulder, tilted his head with a puzzled look on his face.
"Neigh."
The Blood Red Unicorn gave a soft neigh, its large black eyes flashing with intelligence. It nodded in a distinctly human-like manner, signaling its agreement to follow Qi Han.
"Excellent!" Qi Han was thrilled but soon hesitated a little.
"Let me give you a name, okay?"
Let's see…
He remembered naming Pururu because of the cute "Purrr" sound it made when purring comfortably.
So…
Qi Han's eyes lit up. "How about I call you Neighy?"
"I knew it," Ru Yi muttered in the system space, rolling her eyes.
"Neigh!" To everyone's surprise, the unicorn gave a strong shake of its head, causing the mane along its neck to ripple like waves.
Before Qi Han could react, the unicorn lowered its head again, and its crystal-like red horn gently touched Qi Han's forehead. At the same time, a young boy's voice suddenly echoed in Qi Han's mind:
"I don't want to be called Neighy!"
Huh?!
Qi Han blinked. "You… can talk?"
He recalled that only spirit beasts of ten-thousand-year level or higher were supposed to be capable of speech.
Even Ru Yi seemed surprised. She hadn't noticed this little unicorn had that kind of ability either.
The unicorn tapped Qi Han's forehead again with its horn. "I'm not sure either. After the transformation, I just felt like I could communicate with other beings—but only if I touch their foreheads with my horn."
So that was it. This seemed to be a special form of telepathic ability—a rare innate gift.
Qi Han vaguely remembered that some spirit beasts, thanks to similar innate gifts, could communicate with humans even if they hadn't reached ten-thousand-year strength.
That would make communication a lot easier.
"Then what name do you want?" Qi Han asked with a smile. Since they could talk, naming could be a mutual decision.
"I want to be called Zhui Yun."
"Zhui Yun…" Qi Han smiled, gently stroking the unicorn's mane. "Of course. From now on, you'll be called Zhui Yun."
"Mrow!"
Pururu narrowed his eyes, watching Zhui Yun warily.
Was this big guy going to steal his human?
Zhui Yun moved its head slightly and gently touched Pururu's forehead with its horn.
"Mrow?"
Pururu blinked, visibly confused.
Is this big guy… also a cat?
Otherwise, how come we can talk?
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