I am merely making use of him.

In truth, Zongming had not expected the Prime Minister to come and visit him at this time. Though, rather than a visit, it felt more like… a spot check.

The elf cub curled up in his arms, a soft little bundle whose belly he was rubbing. Zongming’s boundaries had lowered to an incredibly low point without his own realization. He didn't know what Lv was thinking—the same creature that wouldn't even let him touch it at first was now sprawled in his arms, allowing him to stroke it.

Like a small, soft kitten.

Zongming’s fingers pressed against a patch of skin that was very cool to the touch. This area was clearly a forbidden zone that the creature wouldn't normally allow anyone to contact. Zongming couldn't help but touch it repeatedly; it was so smooth. As he stroked, he suddenly felt a slight depression in the skin. While Zongming was still chuckling, his fingers suddenly tensed as something sharp flashed against his fingertips.

It felt like being pressed by the fangs of some beast, yet the creature did not prey upon the offering at its mouth; instead, as if in play, it licked his fingertip.

"Why are you so cute..."

The man’s words trailed off midway. He slowly withdrew his hand, but instead of finding blood on his fingertip, he only saw a faint white mark.

"Gurgle..."

Meeting the gaze of the elf cub’s several green eyes, Zongming’s feverish brain felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it, temporarily cooling him down.

No matter how cute or harmless the creature appeared, its essence was, in the end, a monster from the abyss. Beneath that submissive, malleable exterior lay a hideous truth: a core of fangs, claws, and eyes, capable of melting a human mind.

As Zongming came to his senses, he realized he had been treating such a terrifying thing like a cute little pet, and the creature had shown absolutely no intention of resisting...

That sounded… really good.

Zongming’s sense of propriety had shattered into pieces.

Lv’s willingness to be touched and petted seemed to carry a hint of apology. After all, he had been caught red-handed by Zongming, and since then, he had had no choice but to offer his little belly as a vent for Zongming’s frustrations.

The butler watched from the side, terrified, but he couldn't stop Zongming, who was happily—almost as if bewitched—keeping the elf cub, feeding him various treasures, and collecting artifacts infused with abyssal power to help him recover quickly.

Thus, the butler watched helplessly as Zongming emptied the manor’s most precious collection for the creature, receiving in return only a few gemstones that only elves could produce. He looked at Zongming with pain and regret in his eyes.

*If you’re this much of a spendthrift, does your father know?*

And then, karma caught up with Zongming.

The Prime Minister, a man of high position who should have been buried in the affairs of the Empire, suddenly appeared in Zongming’s manor.

Caught off guard, the Prime Minister witnessed Zongming picking up the elf cub and kissing its forehead.

"So cute..." Zongming looked at the little thing in his arms, his affection uncontrollable: "So cute."

For some reason, Zongming had been able to restrain himself at first, but after spending time with Lv, his actions became increasingly uncontrollable, as if a voice were whispering in his ear, urging him to follow his instincts.

And so, when this intense impulse was amplified, Zongming looked at the adorable "son" in front of him, looked into those little eyes, and couldn't help but kiss his forehead—just as a cat lover might kiss their pet in his modern life.

A strange sound emanated from Lv’s throat—blurred and low, as if someone were whispering. Zongming felt a chill on his lips, a cold sensation flashing by, followed by a hair-raising murmur filled with dense, unintelligible babble.

The elf before him emitted a dim light from his eyes, and invisible hands reached out from his shadow, about to grab the man’s ankles—

"What are you doing?"

The next second, a tall figure appeared at the door. Zongming stared blankly at the newcomer, seeing the dignified and cold Prime Minister standing there, eyebrows arched.

The tense, ready-to-snap atmosphere in the room dissipated.

Zongming’s inexplicable anxiety slowly calmed down. Looking at the elf cub in his hands, he suddenly couldn't remember why he had felt such an uncontrollable urge to kiss it. Although it looked cute, it wasn't exactly a cat.

Zongming set the creature down and stood before him, blocking him for some unknown reason, then coughed lightly. "Father."

His father—stern, cold, with sharp, beautiful features—was looking coldly at the elf cub behind him, as if staring at a dangerous, malicious abyssal creature that had appeared beside his child.

Zongming, caught neglecting his duties by the Prime Minister, felt immense pressure.

"What is that thing?" the Prime Minister inquired.

"Why are you here?" Zongming replied, dodging the question.

The two were silent for a moment before Zongming spoke voluntarily: "A small problem came up, so... it turned into this."

The Prime Minister looked at him, then at Lv.

He said, "So, you’re keeping it as a pet?"

Zongming: "It’s not quite like that..."

"The butler told me that you’ve been collecting items infused with abyssal power from outside the manor recently," the Prime Minister said, stroking the ring on his finger. "Is there some kind of alchemy that requires these materials?"

Zongming immediately looked at the butler to the side. The man sat upright with a solemn expression, yet dared not meet his master’s eyes. He was loyal to Zongming, but the Prime Minister was the master of half the Star-Glory Empire.

Zongming sighed.

"Father, is the first thing you do after returning from such a long time to investigate what I’ve been doing?" Zongming asked.

"If I hadn't come, you’d probably have summoned an Abyssal Demon God into this house by now."

Hearing this, Zongming hurriedly protested: "I didn't do any such thing! You can't falsely accuse an innocent person."

"Whether you’re innocent or not, I don't know, but that thing behind you is definitely not something good." The Prime Minister had a sharp eye; he saw through the elf cub’s threat almost instantly. Its posture, its appearance—it was nearly the larval form of an Abyssal Demon God, yet it also seemed to be an elven hatchling. The Prime Minister knew some secrets: Abyssal Elves were themselves manifestations of abyssal evils.

The man walked toward Lv, silent, intending to seize him directly. Lv’s green eyes watched the Prime Minister, sensing his killing intent, alertness, and a trace of curiosity.

He did not resist. He only let out a tiny sound when the Prime Minister grabbed him, which made Zongming bristle as if he’d been shocked. Seeing Lv hanging limp in the Prime Minister’s hand, as if crushed by the man’s overwhelming pressure, Zongming moved.

Before the Prime Minister could act, Zongming stepped forward and, with lightning speed, snatched the elf cub back, retreating. A strange logical chain formed: the Prime Minister’s actions were to protect Zongming, and Zongming was protecting his "own son"—a family trait of being fiercely protective of one's own.

The Prime Minister was fuming: "I knew you’d been bewitched!"

"Those abyssal things can only be absorbed by monsters that also come from the abyss," the Prime Minister said. "You’re doing all those things just to feed it, aren't you?"

It was like those who had their minds clouded, using all their resources to feed a monster, thinking they were forming a bond, when in reality, they were merely puppets and toys in the hands of an evil entity. When the resources provided could no longer satisfy the creature's growing greed, the only thing left to sacrifice would be themselves.

Zongming chuckled.

"This is a necessary step for learning alchemy. Besides, in this state, what other way is there for him to recover?" Zongming said. "This is called investing now to enjoy later!"

The Prime Minister glared at him. A moment later, the man sighed: "Follow me."

Zongming followed. The Prime Minister looked at the thing in his arms and grew angry: "Put it down."

The elf cub made a low sound in his arms, as if trying to soothe him. Zongming patted his forehead, set him down, and followed the Prime Minister. Behind him, Lv’s shadow expanded, swelled, and split the next second. In the room, the Prime Minister didn't say a word; he simply produced a bottle of holy water and said to Zongming: "Drink it."

Zongming: "..."

The Prime Minister’s eyes were cold and sharp. Zongming felt a wave of sadness; his father truly had begun to doubt him.

While feeling tragic, Zongming drank the holy water.

The taste was strange, but not unpleasant. However, the moment he swallowed, his tongue and mouth stung with a burning pain, and a rose-like flavor flooded his mouth—the same scent as those red berries.

Seeing that the Prime Minister had finished the bottle of holy water and was neither dead nor ill, but perfectly fine, the Prime Minister’s expression finally softened: "If you hadn't drunk it, or if you had stalled..."

The man smiled: "Then I would truly have had to destroy my own kin for the sake of righteousness."

Zongming: *Father, love me again.*

"You’re just too suspicious," Zongming said. "I told you, there’s a reason I’m doing those things... what’s that barking?"

Zongming frowned, suddenly noticing faint sounds in the room—cat meows, dog barks, and even strange, high-pitched noises, like a group of small animals whimpering. He looked up and saw a man and a woman pushing several cages into the room behind the Prime Minister. Zongming looked closely.

Inside the cages were all sorts of incredibly cute, uniquely shaped pet cubs.

Even for the cubs of magical beasts, the Prime Minister had managed to find a few, though they looked a bit strange and didn't quite fit in with the other small animals.

Zongming stared at the pile of creatures in silence. A moment later, he said dryly:

"What... what is this for!"

"Since you have a hobby of keeping pets, you might as well choose a few now," the Prime Minister said. "That way, you won't get attached to anything else... strange."

Beside him, the man and woman took out small pets from the cages and held them out to Zongming. The man held a fluffy kitten, its three tails waving slowly; the woman held a fluffy little thing that tilted its head at him, then yawned, its body suddenly swelling up like a rapidly expanding marshmallow.

Zongming: "I don't need..."

In the corner, a dark shadow slowly emerged, coalescing into a vague human shape. The moment it opened its eyes, it saw the man thrusting the kitten into Zongming’s hands. This monster had three tails, its body soft and boneless; it was arrogant and haughty, yet it would arch its back and nuzzle against a palm as if nothing were wrong...

Zongming paused and couldn't resist stroking it once.

A faint sound of grinding teeth came from the corner.

A warmth touched Zongming’s calf as the puppy-like creature rubbed against his leg, tongue lolling out, eager and well-behaved.

The handler smiled at him: "These pets are obedient and well-behaved. If Lord Zongming likes them, we can send them all to the manor."

The sound from the corner grew louder.

"Heh..."

Zongming opened his mouth, then said: "No."

"Why? Is there something wrong with them?" the handler asked, surprised.

Zongming replied: "They’re not that great. They’re a bit... a bit ugly."

It seemed they heard him, as the tails of both pets drooped low. Seeing this, the handler looked at the Prime Minister. The man signaled for them to withdraw. Zongming said, "Why are you making such a show of this? Anyone who didn't know better would think..." ...that he was keeping a bewitching monster in the manor, and the Prime Minister was trying his best to rescue his wayward child, sending a flock of "beauties" to distract him.

Though, the "beauties" here were a group of pet cubs.

The Prime Minister looked at him without speaking.

Zongming sighed and added: "I’ve told you, I’m just using him to learn alchemy and try to create an awakening potion."

These words, this speech, fell into the ears of everyone in the room, word for word. It could not be hidden, nor could it be denied, like a silver blade piercing into someone’s chest with quiet, clinical precision.

It didn't hurt; it was just the brutal dissection of every syllable, the edge of the blade cutting through the air.

"Why won't you believe me?" Zongming said helplessly.