Li Qin stared blankly at the pale yellow pill in Chen Xiao's hand. "This is for me too? What kind of pill is it?"
"It's for you, but not entirely," Chen Xiao said cryptically. He paused, then continued, "This pill is called a Transformation Pill... By the way, where is Xiao Hei?"
"Oh, I'll go get him right away!" Li Qin went out, and a moment later, Xiao Hei hopped in.
"Brother Chen, you said this pill is called a Transformation Pill? Could it be that it can help Xiao Hei transform?"
Chen Xiao smiled proudly and offered the Transformation Pill to Li Qin. "Why don't you try it and see!"
Li Qin carefully took the pill and then held it to Xiao Hei's mouth. "Here, Xiao Hei, eat it!"
Xiao Hei trusted Li Qin completely. With a crunch, he bit into it and swallowed it whole.
Then, nothing happened.
Xiao Hei licked his tongue, looking at Li Qin with a bewildered expression.
Li Qin looked at Chen Xiao. "Brother Chen, there's no reaction!"
Chen Xiao squatted down and extended his hand to Xiao Hei. "Xiao Hei, come here!"
Xiao Hei tilted his head and looked at Li Qin. Li Qin said, "Go on, Uncle Chen is calling you!"
Chen Xiao was speechless. Where did this "Uncle Chen" come from?
However, seeing Xiao Hei walking towards him, Chen Xiao reached out and stroked Xiao Hei's head.
At the same time, a surge of spiritual energy flowed from Chen Xiao's fingertips into Xiao Hei's head.
"Squeak squeak squeak—"
Xiao Hei suddenly let out a piercing cry, fell to the ground, and began to convulse.
"Brother Chen, what did you do to Xiao Hei?"
Li Qin became nervous. If it weren't for Chen Xiao, she would have already lost her temper.
Chen Xiao said calmly, "Transformation often comes with pain..."
The pain was rapid and brief. After a moment, Xiao Hei, who was lying on the ground, disappeared. In his place was a toddler, no older than two or three years old.
The toddler had jet-black hair, soft and thick, with large, bright eyes and skin so delicate it seemed it could be broken by a puff of air.
Li Qin gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The toddler looked at her with wide, watery eyes.
"You, you, you're Xiao Hei?" Li Qin asked tremulously.
The toddler actually spoke. "Mama?"
"Uh..." Li Qin suddenly didn't know what to say. Although she always considered herself Xiao Hei's mother, when Xiao Hei called her "Mama" directly, she was instantly stunned.
Then, Xiao Hei looked at Chen Xiao with his big eyes and blinked. "Papa?"
Chen Xiao: "..."
Chen Xiao was not prepared to be a father, especially with Xiao Hei making such a wild assumption. He didn't notice that Li Qin's face had turned red, and she was secretly looking at him.
To cover her embarrassment, Li Qin turned and walked away. "I'll go find him some clothes to wear." Although the toddler was only two or three years old, he was still a little boy, and Li Qin, as an 'unmarried mother,' felt a bit awkward.
Chen Xiao smiled faintly. "No need. You underestimate your child too much."
Then, as if understanding their conversation, the toddler spun around three times on the ground. Suddenly, a pure black bellyband appeared on his body, covering his sensitive areas.
Li Qin was once again dumbfounded. "This works too?"
"Mama..." The toddler hugged Li Qin's leg, calling out in a childish voice.
"Ah... Yes..." Li Qin responded reluctantly, clearly unaccustomed to it.
Chen Xiao pouted. "What's wrong with you? Xiao Hei has been by your side for so many years, yet you still seem so unfamiliar with him."
Li Qin forced a stiff smile. "This child came too suddenly. I wasn't prepared..."
Seeing that neither his mother nor his father seemed to particularly favor him, the toddler rubbed against the ground a few times, then whimpered and transformed back into Xiao Hei.
Seeing the familiar Xiao Hei return, Li Qin finally breathed a sigh of relief and scooped Xiao Hei into her arms. "This is much better. This way is much more pleasing to the eye."
Seeing Li Qin's reaction, Chen Xiao scratched his head, looking regretful. "If I had known you didn't like him transforming, I wouldn't have given him the pill."
"No, no," Li Qin quickly shook her head. "It's not that I don't like it, it's just too sudden. I haven't had time to accept it yet..."
"Mm," Chen Xiao nodded, deeply agreeing. "After Xiao Hei transformed, he only had the intelligence of a two or three-year-old child. However, compared to his original form, his intelligence will grow much faster. As long as he reaches the intelligence level of an eighteen-year-old adult, he will be able to fully exert his Golden Core stage strength. Right now, he can only exert about fifty percent!"
"Golden Core stage... fifty percent..." Li Qin was stunned. Although she spent her days with Xiao Hei, she had no idea that Xiao Hei possessed the cultivation of the Golden Core stage. And fifty percent of the Golden Core stage strength... didn't that mean Xiao Hei's true strength had already surpassed hers? Thinking of this, Li Qin felt a complex mix of emotions, unsure whether to be unable to accept it or to feel comforted.
Chen Xiao, on the other hand, had simpler thoughts. After transforming, Xiao Hei was a genuine fox spirit, and he was quite beautiful and adorable after transforming. Fortunately, he was a boy. If he had been a girl, he would have been a disaster when he grew up! A true femme fatale!
"Alright, from now on, he's your child. You have to raise him well. I believe in you, you'll be a good mother!" Chen Xiao said irresponsibly. His role as 'father' was clearly that of a hands-off manager.
Li Qin pouted. "I can't even beat him anymore. I'm afraid I can't manage this child!"
Chen Xiao smiled slightly and took out two more Spirit Gathering Pills from his pocket. "Then you'll have to cultivate diligently from now on. Being surpassed by your child is already a foregone conclusion. Just try not to fall too far behind him!"
"Wow, thank you, Brother Chen!" Seeing these valuable items, Li Qin didn't hesitate and snatched them up. This time, she learned her lesson and didn't eat them immediately. Instead, she planned to use them during a critical breakthrough later. If only she knew that Chen Xiao had over a hundred more of these amazing pills in his pocket, she would surely be shocked.
Li Qin put away the pills and happily left with Xiao Hei in her arms. Chen Xiao had worked hard for two days refining pills, and she had become the biggest beneficiary. Of course, Chen Xiao would also distribute some pills to Gu Zhendong and Gongsun Yi later. They were his own people, and their increased strength would also benefit Chen Xiao.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, Chen Xiao led a group of people and set off grandly for the dock to meet He Xinyi.