Early in the morning, Duan Jiaze got up and took a car to the city center. In less than a month, the filtration equipment in the fish tank had actually broken down. Duan Jiaze decided to go to the Flower and Bird Market to find the owner and get a replacement.

By the way, Duan Jiaze also had a small idea, which was to buy two sets of clothes for Luya.

It wasn't that he was being picky, but Luya had been at Lingyou Zoo for several days now and hadn't changed his clothes once...

Even someone as unobservant as Duan Jiaze had noticed this, and he had even heard Xiao Su mutter about it. To be so handsome but not change clothes all day really ruined his image.

Of course, as the Zoo Director, Duan Jiaze also bore some responsibility. After all, ever since Comrade Luya descended to the mortal realm, he had been living in this remote area and hadn't been to a shopping mall.

When Duan Jiaze arrived in the city, he first rushed to the Flower and Bird Market and found the same shop as last time.

When the owner saw him, he actually remembered him. "Hello, here to buy more fish?"

"I'm not buying fish. Boss, this filter of yours is broken. It broke on its own," Duan Jiaze emphasized. "You have to exchange it for me, right?"

The owner tried to shirk responsibility, "Well, I can't see that. The quality of our products is very good. How would I know if it broke on its own..."

"How could it not have broken on its own? You think I'd just smash it for no reason?" Duan Jiaze said.

Owner: "Well, I wouldn't know. Why don't you take it to get repaired."

Duan Jiaze: "Where would I go to get it repaired? Boss, you're just being unreasonable..."

Owner: "Don't you raise your voice at me. I'm just speaking the truth."

Duan Jiaze: "Boss, you're going too far. Just tell me if you'll exchange it or not. I have to rush back to feed the fish."

The owner sweated a bit. "Your fish are still alive?"

"Of course they're still alive!" Duan Jiaze said indignantly. "What do you mean by that? Did you sell me sick fish?"

The owner thought, 'As if I'd need to sell you sick fish. You've raised so many fish in one tank, it's a miracle they aren't dead yet.'

Just as the two were arguing, someone suddenly came in. "Old Tang, take a look at this. What's wrong with my butterfly telescope goldfish?"

Duan Jiaze glanced back and saw that it was actually the same uncle he had met at the Flower and Bird Market last time. He was holding a bag with a goldfish in it and seemed a bit anxious.

"It just stays at the bottom of the tank all day, looking like it's depressed," the uncle said glumly. "No matter what I adjust, nothing works. It's making me depressed."

"Just wait a moment," the owner said to Duan Jiaze, and without waiting for a reply, he took the uncle's goldfish to examine it. He asked in all seriousness, "Have you quarantined it? How are its droppings?"

The uncle said, "I haven't quarantined it yet, and I can't really tell anything from the droppings."

The owner thought for a moment. "I think it might be enteritis! You should quarantine it and buy some medicine to treat it."

The uncle nodded repeatedly. "Okay, I only bought it less than a month ago!"

Duan Jiaze, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "What enteritis? The fish just isn't used to the new water. Just put a little salt in the water..."

The uncle looked up at him in surprise, about to ask if he was serious, when he suddenly found him familiar. Then he recalled his previous encounter with Duan Jiaze at the market. "It's you, young man!"

He still remembered the feat of this young man mixing a whole tank of fish. Logically, this guy was also someone who didn't follow the rules, but based on the fact that his fish hadn't died, he felt that what he just said was strangely credible.

But the owner couldn't help but ask, "How do you know that?" He still thought that based on the man's performance last time, he was clearly a layman.

"You can tell just by looking at the fish, can't you? You don't know?" Duan Jiaze retorted.

The owner was suddenly at a loss for words. How was he supposed to answer that? He wasn't a professional veterinarian either; he had just given a likely solution based on experience. Faced with Duan Jiaze's jab, he was left speechless.

The uncle smoothed things over, "Well then, I'll buy both the medicine and some salt and give it a try. Thank you both."

"You're welcome," Duan Jiaze said. "Boss, now let's continue talking about my filter."

With a regular customer standing by, the owner was too embarrassed to rip him off and said awkwardly, "Fine, I'll exchange it for you."

Only then was Duan Jiaze satisfied, taking the new filter.

The uncle was curious and walked out of the shop with Duan Jiaze, striking up a conversation. "Young man, how are all those fish of yours?"

"They're doing great!" Duan Jiaze even took out his phone to show the uncle a GIF he had saved.

The uncle took a look, and it was true. They were all raised together, neatly converging towards a single finger. He thought to himself, 'Is there some kind of feed placed here? I can't see it, was it Photoshopped out?'

However, seeing the fish's vibrant colors and agile movements, they were indeed all very lively.

"Where are you raising these? It doesn't look like it's indoors. Is this your company? Why does it say Aquarium? Hehe, you young people are quite interesting," the uncle asked curiously.

"That's right," Duan Jiaze chuckled and seized the opportunity to advertise. "It's a zoo. Do you know the old Cape Zoo? It's in that area. It's been renamed Lingyou Zoo now and will be reopening next week. If you have time, you should come and visit."

The uncle nearly spat. The place with an 'Aquarium' sign was actually a zoo, which made it even funnier. "Well now, I was saying you're quite impressive. Turns out you're from a zoo. Alright, I'll definitely go when I have time!"

Duan Jiaze laughed, "Hehe, remember to mention my name for a discount. I'm Duan Jiaze."

......

After bidding farewell to the uncle at the market, Duan Jiaze went to a shopping mall, picked out two new sets of clothes, and then took the bus back.

As soon as he entered Lingyou Zoo, Duan Jiaze saw Xiao Su and Liu Bin teasing a little girl under the shade of a tree.

The little girl looked to be about six or seven years old. She had pigtails and was exceptionally pretty, with rosy lips, white teeth, and clear, bright, almond-shaped eyes that had a classical charm. She was wearing a white children's dress and eating a cookie, which Xiao Su had probably given her.

Xiao Su and Liu Bin watched her eat, their eyes overflowing with adoration. One handed her water while the other fanned her. This child was simply too adorable.

"Whose child is this? She's so pretty," Duan Jiaze asked as he walked over.

Xiao Su turned around and said in surprise, "Zoo Director, isn't she with you? She said she was here to find you."

Duan Jiaze was completely baffled; he didn't know this child at all. "Little one, what's your name?"

The little girl ate the last bite of her cookie, her eyes darting around. "My name is... Yousu."

Duan Jiaze still had no recollection of this name. Afraid of scaring the child, he asked gently, "Who told you to come find me?"

In fact, he strongly suspected that she had gotten lost while playing at the neighboring Cape Park and then said she was looking for the 'director'—perhaps she meant the director of the park next door.

The little girl named Yousu looked up at Duan Jiaze and said, "Ling Xiao..."

Duan Jiaze immediately covered her mouth, then said to the surprised Xiao Su and Liu Bin, "I know! This is a relative of your Brother Lu. I'll take her to find Luya!"

Duan Jiaze scooped Yousu up in one motion and ran towards the office building.

He had finally figured out who this little girl was. She was clearly a new 'animal' dispatched by the Ling Xiao Hope Project!

—This system is such a beast, even arranging for a child. This is child labor! How could he have the heart to put her in a cage?

"Daoist Lord," Duan Jiaze put Yousu down and peeked into Luya's room. "A newcomer has arrived. See if you know her."

After being put down, Yousu straightened her dress and stepped into Luya's room.

Luya was sprawled on the bed with his legs crossed, playing on his phone. "What is there to see? I could smell that foxy stench from five hundred li away," he said, waving a hand in front of his nose before finally looking up. "So the Nine-tailed Fox has come as well."

Yousu smiled sweetly and said, "Daoist Lord Luya, it's been a while."

Duan Jiaze rubbed his ears. "Wait, Nine-tailed Fox? Which Nine-tailed Fox?"

Yousu's smile didn't falter as she said, "The most famous one."

The most famous one? It took Duan Jiaze a moment to react before he exclaimed, "Daji?!"