Unfortunately, after trying persuasion and force for half a day, Zheng Dong still had no intention of training according to Jing Jing's plan.
After seeing Jing Jing off, Zheng Dong summoned Ling'er again.
Zheng Dong possessed many resources that could help Ling'er further mutate, such as the Heart of the Bloodthirsty Monster Vine, the corpse of a Forest Sprite, the Heart of the Ghost Sea Star Grass, and the Energy Flame Fruit.
The Energy Flame Fruit, in particular, was very powerful and could deal with Master-level Beast Tamers.
It would be great if Ling'er could also master related skills.
According to the previous plan, if Zheng Dong wanted Ling'er to first mutate and gain water attributes, the Heart of the Ghost Sea Star Grass would undoubtedly be more suitable.
The Ghost Sea Star Grass itself was a super-elemental plant of water, wood, and death elemental types. It grew at the bottom of the Ghost Sea, where sunlight never reached, and survived by corrosion. After awakening, it possessed strong combat power.
Ling'er's current attributes were wood, dragon, death elemental, life, and space. She had two attributes that were the same as the Ghost Sea Star Grass.
If the mutation could be successfully advanced through the Heart of the Ghost Sea Star Grass.
In the future, Ling'er's clones would be able to survive in the deep sea, and then they could directly use spatial teleportation to transmit to the sea.
For Zheng Dong, who had mastered the Sea Contract, this was undoubtedly another life-saving method.
Immediately, Zheng Dong took out the Mutation Bead and had Ling'er try to absorb the Heart of the Ghost Sea Star Grass.
The Heart of the Ghost Sea Star Grass was not a real heart but a green crystal containing the essence of the Ghost Sea Star Grass.
When she first started absorbing it, Ling'er felt pain.
However, with the help of the Mutation Bead, it quickly adapted to the power of the Heart of the Ghost Sea Star Grass, and its own body began to mutate gradually.
However, this process was very slow and would likely last for several days.
Therefore, Zheng Dong assisted Ling'er in trying to mutate further at night and hired people to clean the room during the day.
After finishing these tasks, he also informed Ning Wei and others that he was returning to Rongcheng.
Of course, Zheng Dong did not forget that he still owned a villa.
This was a reward from the Rongcheng Rookie King Competition.
Although Zheng Dong had never lived there, the normal transfer procedures had been completed, and he could move in immediately.
After leaving the hotel and moving back home, he used spatial teleportation every night to go to the villa and rest in the relic space.
This was also to prevent anyone from plotting against him.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, Zheng Dong also bought some New Year's goods and stored them at home.
The festive atmosphere of the New Year had to be created.
Xiao Qing was very happy to do these things. Together with Xiao Zi, she researched a lot of New Year's knowledge online and started preparing, even writing couplets.
This made Zheng Dong feel the festive spirit of the New Year.
After finishing lunch made by Xiao Qing one day, Ning Wei called.
"Brother Dong, let's hang out. Just you and me, plus Bei Wen and Yu Qian, the four of us!"
Zheng Dong was happy to go.
But he also remembered the last time they were all captured.
He hoped there would be no accidents this time.
So, before going out, Zheng Dong proactively used his precognitive sense to predict.
He didn't predict anything.
Afterward, Zheng Dong drove Jing Jing, who had transformed into a black sports car, to the agreed-upon location, the old street in Anhe District.
This place not only had food but also entertainment. Zheng Dong and Ning Wei often came here when they were in school.
The few of them didn't feel like strangers when they met, as they chatted regularly.
Bei Wen looked even more beautiful than before.
However, there was always a hint of melancholy in her eyes.
Yu Qian hadn't changed and was having a great time.
A day passed in the blink of an eye. They all went home to prepare for some sleep. Bei Wen, however, stopped Zheng Dong.
"Zheng Dong, why don't you give me a ride? My head hurts a bit, and it's inconvenient to take a taxi!" Bei Wen said nervously, biting her lip slightly.
This surprised Zheng Dong.
Because Bei Wen's family was very strict, and Bei Wen had never asked anyone to give her a ride home.
Yu Qian seemed to know something, opened her mouth, but said nothing.
Ning Wei didn't think much of it. He was in a hurry to go home and report his day's activities to Yan Han remotely.
Zheng Dong didn't refuse; it was just a matter of stepping on the gas.
Moreover, Jing Jing didn't consume any fuel and could even drive automatically, making her a perfect sports car.
But after Bei Wen got into the car, she hesitated and then continued, "Zheng Dong, actually, I have something to ask for your help. I was too embarrassed to say it in front of Ning Wei, fearing he would spread it."
Then, Bei Wen revealed her troubles.
It turned out that when Bei Wen went to Imperial Capital University, she encountered an annoying suitor, Ye Qiao.
Ye Qiao was from the Ye family in Yandu, a direct descendant of the Flame Emperor. He had good talent and was handsome, but he was very flirtatious. While pursuing Bei Wen, he was also pursuing others.
Furthermore, if Bei Wen refused Ye Qiao's pursuit, Ye Qiao would use the Ye family's power to suppress Bei Wen's father's company.
Although Bei Wen's father's company was doing very well, it couldn't withstand the Ye family's pressure and suffered severe losses.
Because of this, Bei Wen's father even fell ill and was hospitalized once.
"Zheng Dong, I really don't know who else to turn to. Yu Qian told me to ask you. I hope you can pretend to be my boyfriend and defeat Ye Qiao in a battle, making him give up on me completely!" Bei Wen said, her pretty face slightly red, looking at Zheng Dong pleadingly.
Zheng Dong was immediately startled.
He could teach Ye Qiao a lesson.
However, he hesitated about pretending to be her boyfriend.
Although Bei Wen was good-looking, it wouldn't be a loss for him, but if he found a girlfriend in the future, it might cause misunderstandings.
While Zheng Dong was hesitating, Jing Jing's voice sounded in his mind.
Jing Jing was his contracted pet beast and could communicate directly with his consciousness.
"Master, what are you still thinking about? Don't hesitate, just agree. If you don't take advantage of a good deal, you're a scoundrel!"
Zheng Dong frowned.
"Who did you learn this from!"
"The internet! I'm now knowledgeable about everything, ancient and modern. According to my big data analysis, Master actually wants to take advantage too, but is bound by moral bottom lines."
Zheng Dong was stunned.
Was it a wrong decision to awaken his mechanical pet beast with three cores?
On the passenger seat, Bei Wen saw that Zheng Dong hadn't agreed and was about to cry.
"Zheng Dong, if you don't agree, I won't blame you. After all, he's from the Ye family, with a deep background, and we can't afford to offend them! If it really comes to it, I... I'll just agree to him."
At this moment, Zheng Dong's car had unknowingly driven to Bei Wen's doorstep.
In front of Bei Wen's luxurious villa, a luxury car was parked.
A man and two women stood in front of the luxury car.
Bei Wen's father and mother also came out of the villa.
The man said, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, I'm here to pick up Bei Wen to go home for the New Year!"
This sentence angered Bei Wen's parents, and their faces changed drastically, almost making them lose their breath.
Bei Wen's father, Bei Jingming, angrily pointed at the man and cursed, "Ye Qiao, don't dream! Even if my company goes bankrupt, I will never marry my daughter to you!"
Ye Qiao smiled dismissively.
"Father-in-law, don't get excited! Bankruptcy is a small matter. I'm afraid you'll end up in big trouble. Your company is quite indebted now!"
Ye Qiao looked refined, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, and appeared very confident, as if he had Bei Jingming cornered.
The two women beside him, who were about Bei Wen's age, also chimed in, "Uncle Bei, why are you so stubborn? Bei Wen marrying anyone is still marrying. It's her fortune that our Ye Qiao fancies her, and we won't bully her in the future. We'll treat her like a sister."
Before the two women could finish speaking, Bei Jingming couldn't help but roar, "Get out, get out!"
However, Ye Qiao didn't care at all.
It wasn't until Zheng Dong's car drove over and Ye Qiao saw Zheng Dong beside Bei Wen that his face darkened.
Bei Wen saw Ye Qiao and became very flustered.
"I'm sorry, Zheng Dong, I didn't know he would come to my house!"
After saying that, Bei Wen opened the car door and got out.
Zheng Dong also didn't expect to encounter such a melodramatic scene.
Although Yanhuang had clear regulations on marriage, it didn't specify how many partners one could have.
Therefore, many families skirted the rules.
After all, these families had been passed down for a long time and recognized traditional views more. So, even if Bei Jingming found Ye Qiao's parents, as long as Ye Qiao didn't go too far, they wouldn't intervene.
Ye Qiao's eyes turned cold as he saw Bei Wen get out of Zheng Dong's car and stared at her.
In his opinion, Bei Wen was already his to claim.
Seeing Bei Wen get out of Zheng Dong's car, he felt like his head was turning green.
So, he angrily cursed, "You slut, how dare you hook up with someone else!"
Saying that, Ye Qiao lunged forward and slapped Bei Wen.
Bei Wen tried to dodge, but Ye Qiao's movements were too fast, and she couldn't dodge at all.
She closed her eyes, expecting it to hurt.
However, she heard a bang and felt nothing.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Ye Qiao flying backward, falling heavily to the ground, his gold-rimmed glasses knocked off.
Zheng Dong had appeared beside her at some point.
In fact, when he saw Bei Wen run out of the car, Zheng Dong wanted to grab her, but Bei Wen ran too fast.
Seeing Bei Wen about to be bullied, Zheng Dong used spatial teleportation to appear beside Bei Wen and kicked Ye Qiao away.
Ye Qiao was actually a year older than Bei Wen, a sophomore at Imperial Capital University, and a high-level Beast Tamer.
However, even so, his physical fitness was far inferior to Zheng Dong's.
Being kicked by Zheng Dong, his internal organs churned, and he was in so much pain that he couldn't get up for a while.
As for the two women following Ye Qiao, they stared blankly at the scene, showing no intention of helping Ye Qiao up.
This was the first time they had seen someone dare to attack Ye Qiao, and with such ferocity.
"Bastard, you dare to hit me? Do you know who I am?" Ye Qiao said with a ferocious expression.
Zheng Dong, however, didn't care at all.
As the saying goes, one who owes too much is not afraid of debt, and one who has too many lice is not afraid of itching. Since he was already targeted by the Spirit God Cult and the Bai family, adding the Ye family wouldn't make much difference.
"I don't care who you are! Remember this, if you dare to provoke Bei Wen again, I'll cut off your third leg!"
"Good, good, good. I'd like to see what kind of ability you have to teach me a lesson?" Ye Qiao got up from the ground, summoned his pet beast, a general-level mutated fire spirit.
Fire spirits were elemental pet beasts. Under normal circumstances, they had no fixed form and could be a ball of flame, a stream of fire, or transform into extraordinary creatures like fire phoenixes.
However, Ye Qiao's fire spirit had a fixed form, resembling a three-legged crow with two heads.
The true three-legged crow only existed in mythological times and left behind many legends.
Although Ye Qiao's fire spirit was not a three-legged crow, it mastered a very powerful flame, the Solar Spirit Flame.
The Solar Spirit Flame, although far inferior to the legendary True Solar Flame, was thousands of times stronger than ordinary flames and could instantly kill most opponents of the same level.
Moreover, Ye Qiao's beast-taming talent was also quite peculiar: Flame Reignition.
This meant that even if the flames released by the fire spirit were extinguished by the opponent, or if the flames extinguished on their own, under Ye Qiao's beast-taming talent, they could reignite and last for the same duration.
As a result, very few people could be Ye Qiao's opponent.
Ye Qiao had also achieved great success at Imperial Capital University because of this, being one of the Four Noble Youths of Imperial Capital University.
Then, Ye Qiao ordered the fire spirit to attack.
The fire spirit flapped its wings and flew into the air, its two heads roaring and spitting out pale golden flames that surged towards Zheng Dong and Bei Wen like a stormy sea.
The enraged Ye Qiao showed no regard for propriety, wanting to burn both Bei Wen and Zheng Dong to death.
Just as the scorching flames were about to engulf Zheng Dong and Bei Wen.
Zheng Dong picked up Bei Wen and used spatial teleportation to leave the spot, arriving in the air and looking down at Ye Qiao and the fire spirit.
Seeing Ye Qiao's fire spirit, Zheng Dong was initially a little surprised and thought it was a three-legged crow. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a fake and didn't take it too seriously.
After all, what kind of situation hadn't he seen? Surviving the encirclement and pursuit of the Deep Sea Dragon Whale Emperor before had already made his mentality and vision far surpass ordinary people.
However, Zheng Dong did not underestimate Ye Qiao.
The Ye family, where Ye Qiao belonged, was not inferior to the Bai family, and was even slightly stronger than the Bai family.
Bai Wenxuan had many trump cards, so Ye Qiao was likely no different.
Therefore, Zheng Dong summoned Youyou.
Youyou's growth level was also general-level, and Youyou's racial level was enough to look down on the fire spirit.
Immediately, Youyou launched an attack, directly using the quasi-divine skill Samsara Karma Fire.
The Samsara Karma Fire descended from the sky, quickly engulfing the Solar Spirit Flame, and then, under Ye Qiao's terrified gaze, surged towards him and the fire spirit.
He hurriedly used his beast-taming talent, Flame Reignition, to assist the fire spirit.
However, the Solar Spirit Flame engulfed by the Samsara Karma Fire did not reignite. It seemed to have been completely swallowed, becoming nourishment for the Samsara Karma Fire.
Subsequently, the Samsara Karma Fire engulfed Ye Qiao and the fire spirit.
Ye Qiao hastily put on a piece of armor, but he still cried out in pain.
As for the fire spirit, it was also burned and screamed incessantly.
This scene was beyond common sense.
It left Bei Wen and the others dumbfounded.
What kind of flame was this that made the fire spirit feel despair!
Hearing Ye Qiao's screams growing louder.
Bei Wen's father, Bei Jingming, quickly stopped him, "Zheng Dong, don't kill him, it will bring you a lot of trouble!"
Bei Jingming had been to the school before for parent-teacher conferences, so he did recognize Zheng Dong.
"Zheng Dong, listen to my dad. We can't afford to offend the Ye family!" Bei Wen, who was being held by Zheng Dong, also said, her face red, tugging Zheng Dong's sleeve.