I Have a Golden Crow

With Master Qing’s orders, there was no way Du Yu would dare slack off.

First, he ordered some groceries on his phone, and then he showered at record speed.

For some reason, every time Du Yu came home after a mission, as soon as he took a shower, he felt like he’d been ”revived.”

Feeling fresh, he changed into a clean set of gray shorts and a t-shirt, tossing his dirty clothes in the bathroom hamper.

The rest wasn’t his concern.

Golden Leaf would help wash the clothes, hang them up, and then put them back in the closet.

Honestly, Golden Leaf took care of Du Yu even better than the Firethorn Tree did.

Although Firethorn Tree did some housework too, her main identity was still being a ”Gold Medal Teacher,” whereas Golden Leaf was different—this humble Xiaoye was a pure butler and housekeeper.

”Shaa-shaa~”

Du Yu slumped on the couch, rubbing the golden leaves, listening to the rustling sound as they shook. He couldn’t be more content.

Every time he thought about meeting Golden Leaf in the Ten Thousand Plants Garden, only one word echoed in Du Yu’s mind: destiny!

It’s all good karma~

”Knock, knock, knock!”

A sudden knock at the door pulled Du Yu out of his thoughts.

The delivery’s here!

Taking the heavy bag of groceries, Du Yu thought about the dishes as he headed straight to Master Qing’s Residence.

Walking through the long, leafy corridor, Du Yu looked around the empty house and called out, ”Master Qing?”

He called a few times, but no one answered.

Looking at the wooden stairs to the second floor, he hesitated, but in the end, didn’t dare go up.

Forget it, better start cooking first.

He was only a Great Demon Tamer anyway, and with just this bit of strength, surviving under her hand wouldn’t be easy.

But it’s no biggie—I’m growing fast!

Once he caught up to her, then this king would dare go upstairs. Uh... one day in the future~

The long-quiet Master Qing’s Residence bustled again as the stove was fired up.

It was as if Du Yu was making up for something, cooking a new dish—blanched greens.

He’d traveled all the way to Nanyue Province, Jihua Village, and ended up experiencing none of the local culture. As soon as he finished his mission, he flew straight back to Great Xia Capital City.

On paper, he ”lit up” a new province, but honestly, it didn’t matter; it was just a different place, a new battleground.

Just as Du Yu was showing off his skills, a graceful figure silently appeared at the dining room entrance not far away.

The woman had changed into a light green bathrobe, with the hem trailing by her ankles—still that familiar palace style.

She seemed to have just bathed too, with her skin still glowing. A faint blush lingered on her fair cheeks.

She just stood there quietly, watching Du Yu bustle about; who knows what she was thinking.

Sensing her gaze, Du Yu put the second dish on the table and turned, ”Master Qing, just a second, one more dish coming up.”

Yang Qingqing replied softly, ”That’s enough—I can’t eat that much.”

”It’s a new dish. What if you like it?” Du Yu replied offhandedly, but, truthfully, he was internally grumbling.

This woman, honestly...

Eating dinner with her was like begging a favor.

So what if you’re a Demon Taming General?

”What are you thinking?” Her voice came again, this time even closer to Du Yu.

”Huh?” Du Yu jumped, then recovered quickly.

Did he just make a face while secretly complaining?

The woman gave Du Yu a weightless glare and walked over to the dining table, sitting down slowly.

Pupil’s cooking is really getting better—he’s even learned to toss the wok...

Soon, an ”authentic” Cantonese stir-fry from Shaohai Province was placed on the table.

Greens, wood ear mushrooms, white mushrooms, and red and green peppers, all mixed together—bright and colorful; honestly, it looked good.

Yang Qingqing took the chopsticks Du Yu handed her and glanced around, ”Looks like my role as Third Department Director is settled.”

”Huh?” Du Yu paused, ”You got promoted?”

Du Yu’s team was part of the Great Xia Bookstore’s Twenty-Ninth Bureau—Third Department—First Reconnaissance Squad.

Master Qing was going to be the department director?

And this director was hardly just middle management.

All frontline field teams in the bureau would be under Yang Qingqing’s management. Her authority would be considerable.

Yang Qingqing: ”After I leave, do you want to be Squad One’s captain?”

”Ugh.” Du Yu’s face drooped, ”Without you, how are we supposed to do missions?”

Yang Qingqing didn’t care much and casually picked up a mushroom, ”The last few artifact missions, you’ve always shown leadership and gotten great results. Don’t sell yourself short.”

”No, Master Qing.” Du Yu shook his head repeatedly, ”I’m only so bold because you’ve got my back—catching me if I fall.

If I make a bad call, you’re there right away to set me straight. That’s the only reason I dared act that way.

If you make me captain, I’ll be overly cautious, and our mission efficiency will definitely tank.”

Yang Qingqing couldn’t help arching an eyebrow. While her disciple’s logic checked out, she still felt Du Yu was underestimating himself.

Everything Du Yu did—everyone saw it.

Yang Qingqing didn’t hand out ”smart and brave” as an evaluation casually.

Du Yu looked at her, ”Does Master Qing have to leave the front lines? Then Squad One is done for. Us disciples still aren’t strong enough.”

Yang Qingqing: ”Sword Province will soon advance to Demon Taming General. Your two junior sisters are about to reach Great Demon Tamer level.

The team’s overall strength is solid.”

Du Yu twisted his lips; without Master Qing around, it felt like the squad lost its foundation.

Seeing her pupil’s disgruntled expression, Yang Qingqing’s face relaxed with a hint of a smile, ”Then I’ll leave a clone of myself in the office with Li Jing as assistant. Personally, I’ll keep doing missions with Squad One.”

”Eh?” The sudden twist left Du Yu stunned.

He knew Yang Qingqing—she always meant what she said.

Du Yu didn’t think it was his pitiful looks that made her stay. Which meant...

From the start, Master Qing was teasing him?

What the hell, just messing around with a kid?

”Heh.” Seeing her pupil’s face full of grievance, Yang Qingqing couldn’t help laughing, seeming in a fine mood.

Du Yu was fuming, stuffing a mouthful of greens into his mouth—then suddenly remembered something.

He asked curiously, ”Master Qing, did you just say clone?”

But none of Master Qing’s Demon Pets had a clone-type Demon Skill!

Could she have a Desert Lynx inside her, too?

No, her main focus is Wood and Fire Dual Elements. Even the Forbidden City only won her favor because of its Wood Attribute.

The only oddball inside her was that functional mount—Wind Trace Steed.

This was the result of cultivation rules—if a Demon Tamer wanted to reach the peak, they had to specialize; being all-elemental was impossible.

”Mm.” Yang Qingqing set down her chopsticks and said softly, ”As your teacher, I have a favor to ask of you.”

”Don’t say a favor!” Du Yu cut in decisively, ”Just say what needs doing. If I can do it, I will; if I can’t, I’ll figure out a way!”

Seeing his determined look, Yang Qingqing felt a warmth in her heart.

”Go on, Master Qing. What’s up? Want me to capture a Desert Lynx?” Du Yu suggested, ”There’s a Spirit Level Desert Lynx ready to go in the Mountain Realm, super obedient—real well-behaved!”

”No need. I have a Demon Pet that can make clones.” Yang Qingqing shook her head, her smile slowly fading.

Picking up on her change in mood, Du Yu kept quiet, just waiting for her to go on.

Yang Qingqing: ”You’ve never seen it.”

Knew it!

Du Yu silently nodded. He’d asked about the mysterious Demon Pet inside Master Qing before, but her answer—”Hard to summon again”—made him realize he’d touched a sore spot.

Since then, Du Yu had never asked again, suppressing his curiosity.

Yang Qingqing flipped her hand, and a tiny carp appeared, three inches long, on her palm.

The little fish was clearly made of wood, with exquisitely carved detail.

Its very presence was odd—it was a wooden carving, but somehow flickering in and out of sight.

Under Du Yu’s gaze, the little carp swam between her slender fingers, weaving through her hand, slipping between her fingers again and again.

”What Demon Pet is that?” Du Yu stared for a long time—he considered himself well-traveled and experienced, but he’d never seen such a creature!

Yang Qingqing: ”Rotten Wood Dragon Fish.”

Du Yu instantly stood up, hurried to the kitchen counter, and grabbed his phone off the table.

He exited the recipe page, opened the Demon Spirit Atlas, and began scanning Master Qing’s hand.

For six or seven seconds, the little fish swimming between her fingers finally appeared in the camera’s sights.

A string of information popped up:

”Rotten Wood Dragon Fish, Wood/Water dual-element Demon Beast, Celestial Treasure Race.

Named for its carp-like shape, carved from rotten wood.

This Celestial Treasure Race being is extremely rare, hardly seen in the world. With each stage advanced, its structure becomes more exquisite.

Rotten Wood Dragon Fish are gentle and not aggressive. Their growth potential varies—from very high to very low—making evaluation difficult.

Rotten Wood Dragon Fish are stubborn and intensely focused, striving all their lives for the Saint Transformation Dragon, undistracted. Not ideal as a Demon Pet—Demon Tamers should be careful when making a contract.

Power Level evaluating...

Beyond the detection range of the Atlas. Conservative estimate: Demon Emperor Level.

Specific power subject to actual assessment—Atlas results for reference only...”

Du Yu put the phone down, shocked.

The little fish swimming in Master Qing’s palm—was actually Demon Emperor Level?

And that was a conservative estimate?

Yang Qingqing lowered her eyes, slowly turning her hand, watching the little fish swim: ”It used to be my comrade’s Demon Pet.

I brought this Dragon Fish back for her.”

Du Yu pursed his lips. He sensed another layer in her words.

Made sense—if her comrade had also been rescued, this Rotten Wood Dragon Fish wouldn’t be in Yang Qingqing’s Acupoint Home.

Yang Qingqing: ”Changing masters had a big impact on Xiaolong. On top of that, it’s always focused only on improving itself, so it’s never shown up until now.”

Du Yu asked, ”So now?”

The woman sighed lightly, ”Ever since it reached Demon Emperor Level, its cultivation has hit its potential limit.”

Saying this, Yang Qingqing curled her palm, gently holding the Rotten Wood Dragon Fish in her hand.

The little fish tried its best to wag its tail; the body flashed briefly, ”swimming” straight through her fingers.

Yang Qingqing: ”Xiaolong is stubborn—very stubborn. It won’t yield to reality, and keeps training hard, pushing at its bottleneck, but...”

She turned to Du Yu, ”Heaven and Earth Laws can’t be broken by just any creature—even for Xiaolong, a Demon Taming Emperor.”

Du Yu: ”So?”

Yang Qingqing: ”In you, we see the possibility of breaking the Heaven and Earth Laws.”

Du Yu’s heart stirred, ”Master Qing, you mean Demon Fire?”

Yang Qingqing offered up her hand, and the little fish swished its tail, swimming slowly toward Du Yu: ”Rotten Wood Dragon Fish has trained to the absolute limit, with no room for improvement.

Seeking change—maybe that’s a way forward.”

She said softly, ”Would you be willing to help us out?”

”Of course!” Du Yu nodded without hesitation, raising a finger and carefully tapping the little fish on the head.

After all these years, there’d been hardly any interaction between the Master and her Demon Pet.

And now, because of this, Master Qing was at last reconnecting with Rotten Wood Dragon Fish.

No matter the outcome, if this chance could bring the Dragon Fish fully under Master Qing’s command again, making it her true Demon Pet—

Then Master Qing’s power would see a qualitative leap!

Du Yu was more than willing!

In fact, from the moment Du Yu agreed, not only would Rotten Wood Dragon Fish be grateful to Du Yu, it’d also thank Yang Qingqing for seeking help on its behalf.

Hearing her disciple’s answer, Yang Qingqing’s face showed a gentle smile, as if a weight had lifted, as if she was content and at peace.

After all, this would require bringing out Demon Fire and involve Celestial Materials and Earthly Treasures of this level—definitely not a minor business!

And Du Yu... agreed with hardly a thought.

Yang Qingqing watched Du Yu playing with the little fish, a wisp of gentleness crossing her eyes: ”Alright.”