At this school, students were explicitly banned from using phones. Monitoring compliance fell to the Student Council President. Yet in a quiet corner, President Hanhan pulled a mini phone from her chest and dialed a mysterious number.

“Sis Hanhan, it’s been ages since you called,” came the voice.

Hearing it, President Hanhan—who rarely smiled at anyone (except the protagonist)—let a long-absent trace of a smile touch her lips. Her voice softened.

“Xin Yue, long time no see. How have you been?”

“Eh, getting by. But come on—you didn’t call just to chat with your little sister, did you?”

“You always see right through me…”

Hanhan hesitated, weighing if this was right. But the image of that snowy-white, fluffy creature flashed in her mind. She nodded firmly.

“Isn’t your Lin Family famous for spirit-taming arts? How exactly do you tame spirit beasts?”

“Sis, you never cared about this stuff. Why ask now?”

“Don’t ask. Just answer.”

“Oh, nothing much~ Simple taming,” Xin Yue drawled. “But first, stick our family’s custom spirit-taming talisman on the spirit beast.”

“Spirit-taming talisman? Will it hurt her?” Hanhan asked, worry edging her tone. She’d seen spirit beasts enslaved by shady hunters—forced into pain-inflicting collars for disobedience. No wonder they rarely lived long.

“Do you think we’re amateur exorcists? Ours only adjust the spirit beast’s mind to obey orders. Zero physical harm.”

“Oh… I see.” Hanhan exhaled softly. Relief settled in.

“So, which spirit beast caught your eye? Heads-up: if it has connections, we can’t touch it. Especially from Azure Hill or Wohu Mountain—even lesser ones. We’ve got the human-spirit beast pact.”

“No worries. Just a newly transformed little spirit beast. No connections.”

(True, no connections—but little did Hanhan know, the little spirit beast *was* the connection itself: the venerable ancestor of Azure Hill.)

“Got it—you want a talisman,” Xin Yue chirped. “A fresh one-tailed fox? Basic talisman’s enough. Market price 330k, but for sis? Rounded to 300k. Free beginner’s guide, Grade-1 spirit beast feed, shipped via SF Express…”

Hearing the lazy tone, Hanhan couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Hehe… Turning sales on me? Hurry up and send one.”

“Yes, yes, Your Highness~ But seriously, which spirit beast?”

“Nothing. Just bored. Thought I’d keep one as a pet.”

“Alright, I’ll draw one soon—haven’t made a basic talisman in ages. I’ll send it over. Oh! My Taobao store (xxxxxxxx) sells spirit beast feed for chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, cats… everything~ Customer service handles queries.”

Hanhan’s face went deadpan. She knew that store—“XXX Premium Pet Food,” where even the cheapest item cost four digits. Way out of her budget.

“Mm, thanks. Bye.”

“Don’t hang up! I’ve been stressed. Rare to talk to someone familiar… Stay a bit longer? I’ll toss in an extra talisman.”

Hanhan almost hung up—but relented. Xin Yue was her closest childhood sister, one of her few true friends.

“What’s stressing you?”

“Lean close—secret! Don’t tell anyone,” Xin Yue whispered. “Some seals weakened. A powerful spirit beast escaped, power reduced to less than a tenth. Someone at my level could enslave her. My family’s searching everywhere.”

“But you said not to touch connected spirit beasts?”

“Silly! Enslave *her*, and all lesser ones fall in line. They’ll obey me.”

“Your ambition hasn’t changed a bit,” Hanhan chuckled wryly.

“Hehehe~ Thanks! I might visit soon—she could be in your province. We’ll catch up… and I’m curious which spirit beast won your heart.”

“Sure. You’re always welcome…”