Future Pet Shop

"I brought drinks and beer!" Murong Li called out from a distance, holding a bag high in the air. Xia Shixuan also rummaged through a box next to Shen Yibin, pulling out some fruit they had brought from the store. "I’ll go wash these," she said.

"You all can have the beer. I’m fine with this," Director Kong said, clutching the gourd of Monkey Wine and refusing to let anyone else near it. He’d had some yesterday but hadn’t gotten his fill. Today, he was determined to drink at least half of it.

Scarf hopped from Xia Shixuan’s shoulder to Shen Yibin’s side, craning its neck to stare at the honey-glazed wings on the grill. It wanted to leap over and snatch a skewer, but decided the grill was too hot to approach.

"Hmm!" Hah’Er, however, seemed to read its mind. It picked up a skewer, placed it on a plate, and passed it to Scarf. Scarf immediately dragged the plate to one side and began to feast.

The second skewer was grilled cauliflower, which Hah’Er handed to Cheeky. That finally shut down Cheeky’s venomous-tongued assault, and it retreated to a corner to eat. Next, some vegetable skewers went to Bald Qiang and his partner, a skewer of grilled fish was given to Xiaoliu, and Maphario got a few roasted peanuts. Only after all the pets had been served did it become Shen Yibin and the others’ turn.

"Bin, your cooking has gotten even better! Next time Chef Ah Qing visits, he’ll probably have to ask you for pointers," Director Kong praised, unable to help himself. Eating delicious grilled fish, drinking fragrant Monkey Wine, and gazing at the beautiful scenery—this was the good life. ’I’m really in for a treat this vacation,’ he thought. ’I just wonder if I’m going to gain weight...’

"It’s all about mutual exchange and learning from each other. I’m a huge admirer of Chef Ah Qing’s Cantonese cooking. We just didn’t have enough time for me to ask for more pointers last time. If he comes again, I’ll have to make him stay a while longer," Shen Yibin replied with a smile, picking up the gourd to refill Director Kong’s cup.

This was no formal banquet. Everyone was completely relaxed, grabbing mats and sitting casually on the sand. When they ran out of meat, they went to Shen Yibin for a couple more skewers. When they ran out of wine, they went to Director Kong for a refill. As they teased the pets around them, Fang Yuanshan, Murong Li, and Sun Qian—all of whom had been working tirelessly for a long time—felt a sense of relaxation they hadn’t experienced before.

Wen Yuan casually snapped off a wooden stick and began sketching in the sand. A new idea had just struck him. But before he could finish, Bald Qiang padded past, his thick tail dragging through the lines and smearing them into a mess. Wen Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle. ’When it’s time to relax, you should relax. I’ll mull this over later.’ He raised his cup, drained it in one gulp, and swayed back toward the grill, planning to get a refill.

"Just eating and drinking is getting a little dull, don’t you think? How about it, Bin? Why don’t you put on a little show for us?" With his stomach temporarily full and his thirst for wine sated, Director Kong started to stir things up.

"Alright, how about I perform some Swordsmanship for everyone?" Shen Yibin agreed without hesitation. He gracefully walked over to snap off a wooden stick, then gave Hah’Er a hand signal. Hah’Er immediately understood, grabbing a piece of fruit from the box and tossing it. Shen Yibin stood in a ready stance, his left hand behind his back. With a light flick of his right wrist, he skewered the tomato on the stick.

"CHEEP! CHEEP!" Xiaoliu screeched from its perch in a tree, baring its teeth as if to mock Shen Yibin’s movements for not being nimble enough.

But this was more than enough to stun Director Kong, Wen Yuan, and the others. Murong Li applauded enthusiastically, cheering for Shen Yibin. "Mr. Bin, your skills are getting more and more incredible!"

"BURP!" Cheeky let out a satisfied belch, swallowed its strawberry, and flapped its wings to take flight. Grabbing an apple with its two claws, it flew toward Shen Yibin. Its signature dive-bomb attack was on again. However, the Shen Yibin of today was no longer the same person who used to be sent into a flustered panic by its antics. The stick in his right hand shot out like lightning, skewering another piece of fruit.

"Here, you’re up!" Seeing this, a playful idea struck Wen Yuan. He grabbed an orange and tossed it gently into the air. Bald Qiang, who was beside him, immediately whipped his tail around, smacking the falling orange. The orange changed direction and shot toward Shen Yibin at an even faster speed. Xiaoliu also leaped down from the tree, picked up a banana, and threw it. The banana curved in a wide arc, hooking toward the back of Shen Yibin’s head as if it were a boomerang.

Everyone was having a blast—everyone except Maphario, who was feeling quite dejected. It tried to lift an apple, then a strawberry, but its frame and strength were just too small. It couldn’t throw anything far enough. All it could do was watch wistfully as Hah’Er, Xiaoliu, Cheeky, and Bald Qiang played to their hearts’ content.

With a series of SWISHES, every piece of fruit they tossed was skewered perfectly by Shen Yibin. In no time, the stick in his hand looked like a giant *tanghulu*.

With a move he called "Yaksha Sea Exploration," Shen Yibin thrust the stick diagonally downward, and the final Yunzhong Orange couldn’t escape its fate. He then carried the heavy, oversized fruit skewer back to the grill. "Let’s not waste these. I’ll grill them and slice them up for everyone. Many of these were grown at the pet store, so they taste much better than anything you can buy outside!"

’Huh? Something feels off,’ Shen Yibin thought, turning his head instinctively. He was just in time to see Hah’Er and Xiaoliu working together, hoisting a large watermelon—one that Maphario had personally grown—out of a cardboard box.

’Hey! You two aren’t planning on throwing that at me, are you? That could actually kill someone!’ A cold sweat broke out on Shen Yibin’s brow. ’Isn’t that a bit much? A watermelon catapult is the ultimate weapon; you can’t just use it whenever you want!’

"Here, let me cut this up for everyone! The watermelons from our shop are guaranteed to be sweet! It’ll be perfect for cutting the grease from the barbecue," Shen Yibin said, quickly snatching it away. He sliced it up and passed the pieces around.

"Bin, everything you make is so delicious!" Director Kong said, taking large bites of watermelon. "If this keeps up, I might not want to leave when the time comes!"

"Perfect! I’m sure Mayor Wang would be happy to grant you Yunzhong City residency!" Shen Yibin joked.

"By the way, Bin, have you ever thought about something?" Director Kong, having a humorous streak of his own, immediately fired back with a jest. "You know how famous people in the old days liked to give themselves literary names? For example, Liang Qichao called himself ’Master of the Ice-Drinking Room,’ and Bai Juyi’s alias was ’Xiangshan Hermit.’ How about I come up with one for you?"

"Director Kong is a man of culture. I’m sure the name will be brilliant!" Fang Yuanshan and the others chimed in, egging him on. Shen Yibin just smiled, waiting for Director Kong’s answer.

"Bin, since you live on the Yunshui Riverfront and your Swordsmanship is so good, I think we should just call you the ’Sword God of the Yunshui River’!" Director Kong announced cheerfully.

’Sword God of the Yunshui River? That doesn’t even sound as good as the Ten-Mile Slope Sword God!’