Jia Yunwan was incredulous.
"Dad, you're not lying to me, are you?"
Jia Chengyi rolled his eyes. "Do you think I'd bother lying to you?"
Remembering Jia Chengyi's innate talent, Jia Yunwan was instantly speechless.
She wiped her face and lowered her voice to ask, "So, what exactly are her two talents?"
"Well..."
Jia Chengyi shot her a sidelong glance.
Jia Yunwan immediately understood. Without hesitation, she opened her phone—
"Your PigeonPay account has received a transfer of 1,000 yuan."
A notification sounded on Jia Chengyi's phone.
He glanced at it cheerfully and then replied, "I'm not telling you."
Jia Yunwan: "..."
"Terrible! Refund!"
"No refunds!"
"Refund!"
"No refunds!"
Father and daughter stared at each other before ultimately turning away in frustration.
Jia Yunwan huffed angrily, "Hmph!"
Jia Chengyi grinned delightedly, "Now I have money for mahjong tomorrow."
Having accidentally overheard the entire exchange, Li Miao quietly clamped the Husky's mouth shut and silently led the dog back to the guest room.
The Husky was confused: "Awoo?"
Aren't you going to the bathroom?
Li Miao: "Never mind, not anymore."
Most importantly, she wasn't in the mood anymore—because the fact that she had two innate talents had been seen through by Jia Chengyi!
How on earth did he figure it out?
Li Miao subconsciously touched her eyes, wondering if he also possessed True Sight.
No.
He must have True Sight.
Li Miao was certain.
Because only True Sight or a similar talent would have any chance of seeing through her abilities.
The only question was how much information Jia Chengyi had glimpsed.
Thinking about her Evolution Atlas, Li Miao couldn't help but feel a surge of panic.
This unease lingered until dinnertime.
When she opened her door, the first thing she saw was Jia Yunwan leaning against the wall with a haggard expression, staring at her with gloomy intensity.
"Professor, what are you..."
"What are you doing?"
"Waiting for you."
Jia Yunwan said gloomily, "To come out and eat together."
Li Miao inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine. "Ah... Professor, you didn't wait long, did you?"
"Oh, not at all."
Jia Yunwan's resentment was palpable. "Just three hours, tops."
Li Miao paused, casting a skeptical glance. "Professor, if I recall correctly, you just called me a moment ago, didn't you?"
Jia Yunwan: "..."
"You're no fun."
She instantly dropped the pitiful act.
Li Miao remained expressionless.
Good grief.
She'd already been fooled once—did Jia Yunwan really think she'd fall for it again?
Hmph!
"Let's go. Dad cooked today. He made his specialty just for you. You absolutely must try it."
Jia Yunwan's tone was dripping with schadenfreude.
Li Miao suddenly felt a twinge of unease.
Ten minutes later.
Li Miao stared at the pitch-black braised pork in front of her in silence.
"Go on, eat. It's Dad's signature dish."
Jia Yunwan grinned. "Iron-pot braised pork—guaranteed to leave a lasting impression."
Li Miao glanced at the identical pork in the Husky's bowl.
Master and dog shared a moment of mutual suffering.
Since she was a guest, Li Miao couldn't outright refuse Jia Chengyi's hospitality, especially when he was looking at her with such anticipation. Not eating it would be downright inhumane.
...
No.
She'd rather not be human.
After finishing one piece, Li Miao lay on the floor, her soul seemingly seeping out of her body.
The Husky was also sprawled on the ground, looking like it was on the verge of collapse, barely breathing.
"I told you not to cook, but you wouldn't listen. See what happened?"
Jia Yunwan lazily set down her chopsticks. "And you still refuse to accept your culinary incompetence? Hilarious!"
Jia Chengyi panicked. "Why are you harping on that now? Hurry up and summon a healing beast to treat them!"
"Dad, I haven't contracted a healing beast yet."
Jia Yunwan propped her chin up with both hands. "You should be the one healing them—you're the one who caused this mess."
Left with no choice, Jia Chengyi summoned his own beast—a juvenile, barely Level 10.
A Jade Butterfly fluttered over Li Miao and the Husky, casting a healing skill on each. Soon, both recovered enough to sit up.
"Uncle, I-I'm sorry... It's just... maybe it's not to our taste. Not that it's bad, really."
Jia Chengyi's eyes reddened at the words.
What a good child.
Even now, she was still trying to spare his feelings.
He took a deep breath and gave Li Miao a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Good ki—"
Thud.
That was the sound of Li Miao collapsing again.
Given the severity of their reactions to the food, Li Miao and the Husky were granted an extra day of rest.
During this bonus day, the Jade Butterfly became their most frequent visitor.
Li Miao pulled out her phone and checked her status under the lens.
[Name: Li Miao
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Status: Poisoned (Note: Thank heavens your 50-point constitution kept you alive despite enough toxicity to knock out ten cows.), Drained, Haggard]
Wow.
Just wow.
Jia Chengyi's hands might as well be poison.
Li Miao was stunned.
Then she turned to the Husky.
**[Beast: Husky
Species: Siberian Husky
Attribute: Ice
Quality: Bronze (Evolvable)
Level: 1 (Awakening Possible)
Nature: Lively, Energetic
Status: Poisoned (Note: After this ordeal, the Husky vows never to eat Jia Chengyi's dog food again—ever!), Drained, Haggard
Passive Skills: Boundless Energy (Gold+), Toxic Antibodies (White+, Upgradable)
[Description: This skill enhances toxin-neutralizing abilities while eating. The stronger the toxicity, the more antibodies are produced.]
[Note: Antibodies may be plentiful, but excessive toxicity can still be fatal~)
Active Skills: Bite (Basic 12/500), Paw Strike (Basic 1/500), Intelligent Stare (Basic 1/500)
Base Stats: Speed 50 (Maxed), Constitution 80 (Maxed), Attack 40 (Maxed), Defense 70 (Maxed)
Training Points: 120]**
Li Miao fell into complete silence as she read the Husky's newly acquired passive skill.
"...Husky."
"Awoo?"
"How about... you go take another bite of Uncle Jia's dog food?"
The Husky slowly tilted its head, as if three visible question marks had materialized above it.
Maybe the Husky wasn't human.
But Li Miao, as a beastmaster, was truly heartless.
"What do you mean, 'another bite'!?"
Are you trying to poison me to death and inherit my squeaky chicken!?
Indignant, the Husky immediately launched into a tirade—
Don't think I didn't see you playing with my squeaky chicken behind my back!
I saw everything!
You awful beastmaster, this isn't over!
Li Miao: "..."
"I was just... joking."
The Husky glared skeptically: Really?
"Really!"
The Husky snorted: Yeah, right.
"I swear!"
She quickly tried to placate the dog. "I really don't want to inherit your squeaky chicken. Honest!"
The Husky: Hmph.
Your beast is angry. Without at least a dozen kisses, it won't even look at you!
Not a single word!
Jia Chengyi, despondent: Does no one understand my culinary vision?