The Underworld.
With the departure of over a hundred team members, the Eighteenth Hall returned to quietude.
Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo stood guard at the hall entrance, weapons in hand.
Heads held high, eyes straight ahead.
They were filled with pride.
Ever since Team Eighteen's performance began to skyrocket, they felt much more respected when they went out!
The last time Xu Duo Bao visited his family, he had found a partner.
She was a female ghost who had just reached fifty years of age in the underworld, with no elderly to care for, and a job in the ghost market.
She was quite attractive and spoke very gently.
It was just that she was a bit strong, but that wasn't a problem.
As long as the person was reliable and suitable for a life together, that was all that mattered.
Xu Duo Bao was feeling quite pleased and was about to share his joy with Niu Xiao Guo beside him.
He caught sight of a group of little ones approaching from the corner of his eye.
Leading the way was a small calf with black and white markings.
It had long eyelashes and a pair of large, dark eyes.
Its nose was pink, and it wore a golden hoop earring in each ear, looking quite handsome.
Following behind were a fiery red fox, a marmot with two large white teeth, and a small hedgehog.
These were all companions who had fought alongside Qi Cai Dan before.
Later, they had also joined the Underworld Practical Combat Class together.
Compared to their former soft and cute pet forms, they remained soft, cute, and adorable.
However, a hint of determination now flickered in their eyes.
Their demeanor exuded a newfound confidence.
Their former timidity seemed to have long since vanished.
Upon seeing Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo at the entrance, the leading little calf nodded, "Hello, we're here to see Lord Jiang."
Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo were already accustomed to this.
"You may enter."
For two years, these little ones had come to the Eighteenth Hall periodically.
To see if Qi Cai Dan had returned.
Captain Jiang had also said that if these little ones came, they could be allowed in directly.
...
"Wow, the branches here have bloomed!"
As soon as they entered, the red fox exclaimed in surprise.
Inside the Eighteenth Hall, the courtyard was divided into two sections.
One side housed the arena, and the other was a recreational area.
The recreational area featured lush green grass, with a large tree planted by the side.
On a branch as thick as an arm, two ropes were tied, with wooden planks at the other ends.
This formed a small, simple swing.
There was also a seesaw and a small slide nearby.
There was even a small pond filled with only fry and pebbles.
These were things Qi Cai Dan and the mechanical ball had made when they had free time.
And that special product brought back from the West Hall, a small brown twig,
was planted not far from the large tree.
It was a small, inconspicuous twig.
When Qi Cai Dan used to bring them here to play, the marmot had almost used it to grind its teeth.
Qi Cai Dan had also diligently explained, "This is not just any weed, this is something my master planted, it's very important."
"You must be careful, or the consequences will be severe, extremely severe!"
The serious tone caused the companions around to nod in unison.
They no longer dared to go near that small twig.
Although they didn't know what it was, since their leader said so, it must be very important.
Two years had passed.
Whenever they visited before, there were only a few green leaves, and it looked bare.
They hadn't expected it to bloom today.
Two or three small pink flowers, larger than a fingernail.
They were quite pretty.
"It smells nice."
As the red fox spoke, Little Flower couldn't help but glance at it again.
Indeed, it smelled good, but not overpoweringly so.
It was a faint scent that lingered in the air.
"Stop looking, let's go inside,"
Little Flower withdrew its gaze and reminded them.
With their leader absent, it would be impolite to be looking around like this.
Soon, the few pets entered the hall.
Inside the hall,
Seeing them enter, Jiang Lin slowly put down the book he was holding.
"Sit down."
"Thank you, Lord Jiang,"
Little Flower shook its head. "No need to sit, we just wanted to ask when our leader Qi Cai Dan will be back?"
Two years had passed, and their practical combat class was about to enter the next phase.
If their leader didn't return soon, they would fall behind.
If it weren't for the mechanical ball saying that Qi Cai Dan was fine, they would have almost thought that Qi Cai Dan had been... by this Lord Jiang.
After all, the fate of pets was limited.
Jiang Lin recalled what he had seen in the small world last time and said,
"It should be soon. Don't worry about your classes, trust your leader."
Because of Qi Cai Dan, Jiang Lin had also become familiar with the owners of the other pets.
The year before last, he had learned from the owner of the little hedgehog that these little ones had formed an alliance called the Counterattack Alliance.
At that time, the pet owners gathered and had a good chat (and a lot of laughter).
"Really? Leader is coming back?!"
The few pets were surprised, then quickly realized something.
They composed themselves and maintained an air of dignified composure.
Little Flower: "Thank you, Lord Jiang. We won't disturb you any further."
After Jiang Lin nodded, the pets politely and unhurriedly walked out of the hall.
Once outside the Eighteenth Hall,
They hadn't gone far before they couldn't help but jump up.
"Leader is really coming back! Really coming back!"
"Awooo! I thought I heard wrong just now!"
"Wuwuwu, is leader finally coming back..."
After asking so many times, this was the first time Lord Jiang had explicitly told them that their leader was coming back soon.
After calming down a bit, Little Flower said,
"Lord Jiang wouldn't lie to us, so leader is really coming back."
"Therefore, we can't slack off anymore! Let's work hard now, and when leader returns, we'll show them how well we've done!"
Hearing this, the other little pets also clenched their tiny fists, feeling a surge of excitement.
"That's right! Let's make one last push! I'll show leader my boxing techniques then!"
"Hehehe... maybe I'll know more than leader by then."
"Oh yes, leader has fallen too far behind in progress, we might even have to tutor leader!"
So no matter what, they had to try harder!
With this thought, the few pets clenched their paws, their eyes fixed resolutely on the distance.
They felt their ghostly energy begin to surge.
"Go, go, go!"
Leader, please come back soon!
...