The next morning dawned bright, clear… and far too peaceful.
Li Ming eyed Lei Shan suspiciously. The cub was sitting perfectly still in the courtyard, tail neatly coiled, looking every bit the image of innocence.
It was a trap.
He could feel it in his bones.
"Alright, Little Thunderbub," Li Ming said cautiously, holding up a small training sphere. It gleamed faintly with embedded Qi, the kind used for beast control drills. "We're learning fetch."
Lei Shan tilted his head.
"You see this?" Li Ming tossed the sphere lightly into the air and caught it. "You go get it and bring it back. Easy."
The cub blinked once, then yawned.
Bai Guo, perched on the roof above, called down, "Maybe demonstrate, descendant. Beasts learn faster by example."
Li Ming sighed. "Fine. Watch closely."
He lobbed the sphere across the courtyard, then jogged over to pick it up himself.
He turned back, dusting his hands. "See? You bring it back like—hey, are you even watching?"
