Hu Qi's expression shifted, and he clicked open the message.
It was from a post he had published earlier seeking an Exotic Beast.
He had made quite a few posts over the past few days.
However, most of them were like stones dropped into the ocean, failing to cause the slightest ripple.
Or, they would just attract a bunch of people who spammed nonsense, posted memes, and offered no valuable information whatsoever.
But today, something was different.
A forum user named "Shrimp doesn't blink" had sent Hu Qi a private message.
[Shrimp doesn't blink]: I have a duck at my house. Are you interested?
Below the text was a picture.
The picture seemed to have been taken by a small river.
A medium-sized duck was floating in the water.
However, this duck was completely different from an ordinary one with white-gray or yellowish-brown feathers.
Its feathers were a strange, dark purple, interwoven with several silver-gray stripes that looked like bolts of lightning.
Its head wasn't rounded like a normal duck's, but rather slightly pointed.
And its eyes were solid crimson.
Because the picture was taken from a distance and had been compressed by the forum's software, the clarity was significantly reduced.
This was all he could make out.
But even so, Hu Qi was certain it was an Exotic Beast.
That is, assuming the duck actually existed and wasn't just a fake image created with some photo-editing software.
At that thought, Hu Qi didn't hesitate to add the user and start a private chat.
The user replied quickly.
Coincidentally, the other person was also in Qirong City.
After looking up their location on a map app, he found they were about thirty-some kilometers away.
Hu Qi didn't hesitate for a moment. He quickly set a time, preparing to head over and see it for himself.
The Crimson Modification Panel was his biggest secret and his key to survival.
Although its effects were nothing short of heaven-defying, it required Modification Points to use.
And based on what he knew, the only way to obtain Modification Points was by consuming Exotic Beasts.
Moreover, this method had only been a theory until now.
This was the perfect opportunity to confirm it.
Hu Qi hurriedly finished his breakfast. Before leaving, he bought a bottle of milk and a few buns to eat on the go.
By the time he got home, he had just finished the last bun.
He took a quick shower and changed into a clean set of clothes.
Then he set off for the address the seller had given him.
「Half an hour later.」
On a roadside near the outskirts of West City, Qirong.
As a green taxi slowly pulled to a stop, Hu Qi stepped out, a backpack slung over his shoulder.
He looked up and surveyed his surroundings.
Compared to the old district of East City or the central hub of South City, West City seemed particularly desolate.
All he could see were a few low, gray-white buildings. Directly ahead on the road stood a massive, towering mountain peak.
Bathed in the sunlight, it seemed to be veiled in a thin layer of light-green gauze.
Amidst the lush mountain forest, a winding bluestone staircase could be seen.
Occasionally, the figures of tourists could be spotted slowly ascending the steps.
At the top of the stone steps was a temple.
The temple's eaves peeked out from among the dense branches and leaves, its blue-gray tiles glinting with an ancient, mysterious luster in the sun.
Faint wisps of incense smoke curled up from within the temple.
That was a famous temple in Qirong City. On major holidays, high-ranking officials and wealthy businesspeople would come to offer incense, and the area below would often be packed with luxury cars.
Hu Qi averted his gaze.
He walked a few steps forward and came to a three-way intersection.
Across from him was a vocational college.
However, since it was summer break, there was hardly anyone at the college.
Only an old security guard stood at the gate, smoking a cigarette.
"Hey! I'm here now. Yeah, across from Peizhi Vocational College."
Hu Qi hung up the phone.
A moment later, a figure came rushing over from a side road.
It was a skinny young man in a t-shirt and jeans, his hair dyed blond.
He had several silver studs in his right ear, which reflected dazzling white light in the sun.
"Are you 'Rainy Night'?"
The young man looked Hu Qi up and down, asking with some uncertainty.
"That's me."
Hu Qi nodded.
'Rainy Night' was the username he used when he posted on the forum.
"Take me to see the duck. If it's real, the price is negotiable."
Hu Qi didn't bother with pleasantries, getting straight to the point.
"Alright then, follow me!"
The young man nodded and immediately led the way.
Along the way, the two chatted briefly, giving Hu Qi a general understanding of the situation.
The young man before him was named Ding Yu, and he was a student at Peizhi Vocational College.
His family lived nearby.
But he usually lived in the school dorms.
The duck was raised by his grandmother.
He had only discovered the duck was unusual when he came home for summer break. Having seen Hu Qi's post online before, he figured he'd try to sell it for some cash.
Soon, the two followed a side path into a village.
The village wasn't large, with only a dozen or so households scattered far apart from one another.
Occasionally, a few elderly people could be seen gathered in the shade of a tree, chatting leisurely.
Soon, they arrived in front of a two-story courtyard home built from gray-white stone bricks.
Near the entrance was a duck coop built against the wall.
It was constructed from simple bricks, stones, and wood.
The roof was covered with blue-gray tiles, which looked slightly mottled from exposure to the elements.
Traces of mud could be seen in the cracks.
The ground was covered with a layer of straw, and to the side, there was a small, man-made pond.
Several ducks were swimming and playing in it.
Hu Qi's gaze swept over them, and he quickly spotted a duck near the corner of the wall.
This duck was kept separately in an iron cage.
Its size was no different from a normal duck's, but its feathers were dark purple, making it stand out starkly against the ordinary gray-white ducks nearby.
At the moment, it had its head tucked under its wing, seemingly resting.
Suddenly, it seemed to sense their arrival and snapped its head up, revealing a pair of crimson eyes that seemed full of aggression.
Its long, flat beak was dark black, with edges as sharp as blades.
Seeing Hu Qi and Ding Yu, it opened its beak and let out a "QUACK! QUACK!"
"This is the one. This duck has a really nasty temper. It bit a few of the other ducks to death, so we had to put it in a cage."
Ding Yu said, pointing at it.
Just then, a slightly hunched-over old man in his fifties or sixties walked out of the courtyard.
Ding Yu briefly explained the situation. The old man seemed hard of hearing; it took him a while to understand what Ding Yu was saying. He then waved his hand, telling them to handle it themselves.