Zhang Qiling didn't quite understand what was happening.
He stood in place, watching Wu Tianzhen and the blue rabbit brawling not far away, a hint of confusion creeping into his usually impassive expression.
To say they were fighting was an overstatement; the battle quickly became clear—
Wu Tianzhen was completely unable to control the charging, iron-hard blue rabbit. After just a few moves, he was nearly thrown out of his lumbar vertebrae.
Clearly, while the blue rabbit was considered a delicacy within the Forbidden Land's strange creatures, its strength was still somewhat superior to that of a mere "vegetable dog."
Hei Yanjing and Pangzi, grinning, continuously filmed the highlight reel of "Little Wu Fights the Rabbit" on their optical brains, ignoring Little Wu's pleas for a ceasefire. It was only when Zhang Qiling reached out and restrained the blue rabbit that it instantly recalled the terror of being dominated by a thigh.
"...Little Brother, is this the food you brought back?" Wu Tianzhen, locked in a silent battle of wills with the blue rabbit, was so angered that he threatened it with the prospect of spicy rabbit heads.
"Bunny is so cute, how can you eat bunny?!" piped up Xiao Hei, the mischievous and wicked one, in a nasally voice. After delivering his line, he added gloatingly, "Can someone really lose to a rabbit? Really? No way, right?"
This comment almost made Wu Tianzhen declare war on Xiao Hei again, but fortunately, his good brother Pangzi stood firmly by his side this time.
Pangzi, looking at the meaty blue rabbit, his face gradually showing a hint of covetousness, said, "...I feel like it would be tastier with some cumin. Too bad we don't have any now. How about we just roast it? The most delicious food often requires the simplest and most unpretentious cooking!"
Blue Rabbit: ? Chirp chirp?!
Xie Yuchen had remained silent. Although he had long been influenced by the group of jokers, he was still considered one of the few sensible people among them. He had keenly noticed the rabbit's unusually high intelligence during the recent clash between Wu and the rabbit. Now, he met its gaze with a touch of curiosity.
...Since it was brought back specifically by Zhang Qiling, perhaps there was a deeper meaning. With such high intelligence, could this rabbit be related to the source of the Forbidden Land?
Each person harbored their own thoughts, and at this moment, they had clearly divided into multiple channels: "A Bite of the Forbidden Land," "Soaring on the Brink of Being Beaten," and "Forbidden Land Exploration: Knowledge科普 Column."
But Little Zhang, the focus of everyone's attention, was deeply perplexed as he held the blue rabbit.
He had wanted to speak when Wu Tianzhen mentioned eating the rabbit, but Hei Yanjing and Pangzi had been too quick, leaving him unsure when to interject.
Thus, Zhang Qiling felt like a child sitting on the sofa during Chinese New Year, listening to relatives discuss their foolish offspring. Despite the conversation being entirely about him, he couldn't get a word in. He couldn't leave either, so he could only sit aside as an unfeeling backdrop.
Fortunately, Xie Yuchen had no intention of voicing his opinion, and Little Zhang finally gained a hard-won opportunity to speak.
He lifted his head from under his hood, raising the blue rabbit in his hand slightly, fully revealing its face, which exuded a clear sort of foolishness.
"Found it. A pet."
Little Zhang said, word by word.
Wu Tianzhen and Pangzi: ...???
Realizing that the arrogant and domineering steel rabbit was about to become a fixture in Wu Shan Ju, the two instantly snapped back from their world of spicy rabbit meat: "Holy crap!!!"
It could only be said that the phrase "Holy crap" was indeed a perfect idiom that could be used in any emotional state, profoundly demonstrating the shock of Little Wu and Little Pang.
Pangzi was alright; he just thought of the spiky cat on the bronze tree and couldn't help but feel that Little Zhang might just like to go missing in the Forbidden Land and build a zoo.
So, only Wu Tianzhen felt betrayed. He looked at the rabbit's smug and triumphant expression, opened his mouth, and was about to object when he heard a familiar voice.
Zhang Qiling might have sensed Wu Tianzhen's opposition from his reaction. He paused, thought for a moment, and then looked at Wu Tianzhen earnestly, saying:
"...It eats anything."
This implied that the rabbit was easy to raise.
Wu Tianzhen, feeling his financial capabilities were suddenly being questioned: ...
How to put it, although he wasn't as capable as Xiao Hua, he still had the ability to raise a rabbit, right?!!
Driven by this inexplicable competitiveness, Wu Tianzhen even momentarily forgot his animosity towards the blue rabbit and blurted out:
"I'll raise it! It's just a rabbit! Easy!"
In that instant, he was practically radiant, and even the blue rabbit seemed to look at him with a hint of admiration!
The group was harmonious, with only Xie Yuchen, who had been seriously analyzing the blue rabbit's origin and purpose from historical and legendary perspectives, feeling speechless.
He sighed and gently rubbed his forehead, feeling that he should quickly learn to reduce his thinking capacity a bit.
...It's enough to think just a little more than these idiots. Thinking too much is a bit tiring.
"Oh right, Little Brother, where did you fall just now?" Wu Tianzhen, after enjoying a moment of being the center of attention, suddenly remembered the important matter. "How did you find your way back? Were you in any danger?"
Hearing this, Zhang Qiling recalled the Forbidden Land's strange creatures with long hair, spikes, and poison. He thought for a moment and said firmly, "No danger."
"Fell into a cliff."
His order of answering questions was always precise. Wu Tianzhen matched it up, waiting intently for the answer to the last question.
Honestly, this was the question he was most curious about. After all, in his opinion, Little Brother being able to find his way back so quickly after disappearing was a great achievement that could be widely publicized!
Then, he watched as Zhang Qiling lifted the rabbit, which looked increasingly annoying, again.
Little Zhang reached into his side pocket and found a piece of white cloth that looked eerily familiar to Xie Yuchen.
That white cloth was actually disposable. Xie Yuchen never expected Zhang Qiling to have kept it so well, and a mix of emotions surged within him.
Zhang Qiling quietly placed the white cloth in front of the blue rabbit. The blue rabbit immediately reached out a paw and hugged it. Then, he finally answered the last question—
"Smell the scent."
This meant that his ability to find his way back was entirely due to the blue rabbit tracking Xie Yuchen's scent on the white cloth.
Wu Tianzhen: ???!
Little Wu didn't yet know the absurd extent of the blue rabbit's capabilities. At this moment, all he wanted to say was:
...Is this thing a rabbit or a dog, ahhhhh?!