If Zhong Yi and the Substitute Puppet he just contracted were in his previous world, they could easily have been mistaken for fraternal twins.
Guardian Beasts classified as Household Beasts were all considered highly intelligent, capable of effective communication with their Contractors.
Zhong Yi found a white robe and draped it over the newly contracted Substitute Puppet, planning to make a few sets of suitable clothes for his Substitute Puppet when he had time.
"Master, I love the color of your blood. I wonder if you would name me after it."
Every Substitute Puppet possessed considerable intelligence and had its own preferences, which had little to do with the Contractor.
Just as a child born to two parents won't necessarily share their hobbies and personality.
The Substitute Puppet Zhong Yi had contracted spoke with an ethereal and elegant voice, carrying a hint of a queenly demeanor.
Zhong Yi found this voice captivating; listening to it was a genuine pleasure.
"Since you like red, I'll call you Hong Ji."
After receiving her name, Hong Ji bowed to Zhong Yi. She then glanced disdainfully at the white robe she wore before scanning her surroundings.
Her gaze landed on a Wind-Running Rabbit not far away. She took a step, expertly picked up a long knife from the table, and walked toward the oblivious Wind-Running Rabbit.
As Hong Ji's Contractor, Zhong Yi knew what she was thinking.
Hong Ji intended to kill the Wind-Running Rabbit with a single slash and use its blood to dye her robe red.
Zhong Yi couldn't help but swallow. 'Did I just contract a complete psycho!?'
'Even a crazy beauty can't just go around slaughtering the shop's rabbits!'
The Wind-Running Rabbit Hong Ji had her eyes on might not have had pure-colored fur—its dark cyan coat was mixed with patches of brownish-black, making it less visually appealing—but it was still worth at least three thousand Federation Coins.
Zhong Yi hurriedly called out to stop Hong Ji.
"Hong Ji, I'll have some red clothes custom-made for you later. Just bear with the white for now."
Stopped by Zhong Yi's words, Hong Ji obediently put down the knife and stood by his side.
Just then, Zhong Chenghuai, who had gone out to buy Mortal Beast remains for Zhong Yi, walked in from outside.
As Zhong Chenghuai stepped into the shop and was about to speak, his expression froze when he saw Zhong Yi and Hong Ji standing behind him.
Zhong Yi was already very handsome, with a scholarly air to his good looks that made him seem very approachable.
Especially when he smiled, two deep dimples would appear on his cheeks.
Although Zhong Yi looked the same as always, for some reason, Zhong Chenghuai, who saw him often, suddenly felt that Zhong Yi's aura was somewhat unfamiliar.
He now had a noble air about him, but strangely, it didn't detract from his usual approachability.
The sight of Hong Ji beside Zhong Yi, however, brought a look of stunned admiration to Zhong Chenghuai's eyes.
In all his decades of life, Zhong Chenghuai had never seen such a beautiful Substitute Puppet.
But considering Zhong Yi's own looks, the Substitute Puppet's appearance made perfect sense.
"Young Master, I've purchased over three hundred pounds of Mortal Beast flesh and blood for you. These Mortal Beasts were just delivered to the market today, so they're absolutely fresh."
"See if these three hundred pounds of Mortal Beast flesh and blood are enough for now. I've also ordered another five hundred pounds from Boss Wang, and I can go get it immediately if you need more."
"Also, I saw an Insect-Catching Hibiscus at the market. The stall owner said he's been raising it for three years but it hasn't bloomed, so he was selling it cheap."
"I figured I'd buy it. If we can get it to bloom, we'll make a huge profit!"
"And if it doesn't bloom, we can definitely sell it from the shop for at least what I paid for it."
As he spoke, Zhong Chenghuai took a Brocade Pouch from his waist. This pouch was inlaid with several Silver Beads that emitted distinct spatial fluctuations.
Zhong Chenghuai first handed this Storage Pouch to Zhong Yi, then channeled his Soul Power to retrieve the Insect-Catching Hibiscus from his Soul Base.
The potted plant Zhong Chenghuai held in his arms had only six or seven palm-sized leaves, looking more like a common weed.
However, Zhong Chenghuai hadn't made a mistake; it was indeed an Insect-Catching Hibiscus.
Judging by its wilted, drooping leaves, the Insect-Catching Hibiscus was in extremely poor condition.
Zhong Yi walked over, reached out to touch the Insect-Catching Hibiscus's leaves, and gently squeezed its stem. He already had a good idea why this Insect-Catching Hibiscus had never bloomed.
This Insect-Catching Hibiscus was clearly ready to advance its Quality, but it had been unable to absorb enough Energy to break through from Unranked to Bronze Quality.
Helping a Guardian Beast break through to a higher Quality was the responsibility of a Creator; an ordinary stall owner simply lacked that kind of Ability.
However, in a bustling market at the junction between the Upper and Lower City Districts, there were plenty of sharp eyes, and surely no shortage of people who could see the plant's true situation.
"Uncle Huai, for you to have bought this Insect-Catching Hibiscus... you've really found a hidden gem."
"Leave this Insect-Catching Hibiscus with me. I'll take care of it."
"Xiaolingdang is making dinner. You and Xiaolingdang go ahead and eat in a bit, don't worry about me."
"Tomorrow morning, I'm taking Xiaolingdang to the Beastmaster Association for her Soul Awakening."
With that, Zhong Yi headed for the storeroom, holding the Brocade Pouch in one hand and cradling the sickly-looking Insect-Catching Hibiscus in the other.
As a Servant, Zhong Chenghuai naturally wouldn't question what Zhong Yi, his master, was doing. As long as Zhong Yi didn't get bitten by any of the venomous Guardian Beasts in the shop again, he was fine with it.
Hong Ji adjusted the white robe around her and followed behind Zhong Yi, tying her hip-length, ink-black hair into a long ponytail with a strip of cloth.
The Guardian Beast Shop Zhong Yi had inherited, named "Evolution," had a footprint of nearly 500 square meters, with the storeroom taking up a third of the total area.
Because Zhong Chenghuai and Zhong Ling had just tidied up the storeroom before Zhong Yi was bitten by the Ghost Shadow Thorn Spider, the room was now extremely neat.
The storeroom was currently immaculate, with various types of Guardian Beast food arranged neatly on shelves lining the walls.
Zhong Yi handed the Insect-Catching Hibiscus to Hong Ji, who was beside him, and then opened the Storage Pouch.
He dumped out all the Mortal Beast remains that had been piled inside the Storage Pouch.
A nauseating, coppery stench hit him in the face. Three hundred pounds of Mortal Beast remains wasn't actually a huge amount.
After all, a single adult pig could weigh four to five hundred pounds. But the smell from this assortment of Mortal Beast remains almost made Zhong Yi vomit on the spot.
Fortunately, Zhong Yi wasn't someone who was afraid of getting dirty. Forcibly suppressing his nausea, he turned on the storeroom's exhaust fan.
Then he took a deep breath and began to sort through the Mortal Beast remains.
Many of the Mortal Beast remains were chopped into such small pieces that it was hard to tell which type of Mortal Beast they had come from.
Zhong Yi sorted them by organs, flesh, and bones, and he made sure to separate the remains of venomous Mortal Beasts like spiders, snakes, and other such creatures.