Liu Changfeng looked at Li Qian, noting the composed expression on his face. He couldn't help but praise him inwardly.
'As expected of a peerless genius who figured out the Koi Carp's evolutionary path back in high school. That mental fortitude alone is beyond what any ordinary high school student possesses.'
"I'm here to inform you," Liu Changfeng said, the smile on his face growing more obvious. "The scenic area's lockdown has been lifted. You can leave whenever you're ready."
He continued without a pause, "Also, I need you to remain tight-lipped about what happened last night."
"What happened last night? You mean that Ancient Divine Teachings business?" Li Qian didn't agree right away, asking instead, "Can you tell us about this organization?"
"Your professors at the Beast Taming University will certainly cover this kind of information, but since you've already run into it, there's no harm in giving you a heads-up."
After a brief pause, Liu Changfeng continued, "This Ancient Divine Teachings... it's actually a Cult Organization. Their goal is to disrupt the order of human society..."
Liu Changfeng then spent the next five minutes or so giving them a brief overview of the Ancient Divine Teachings.
It was similar to what Zhou Weiping from the Lingshui City Public Security Bureau had told them before. This so-called Ancient Divine Teachings, much like the Black Divine Teachings, was a Cult Organization.
They were wanted by all the major Federations in human society—a swarm of troublemaking pests.
Liu Changfeng shared a lot of information about the Ancient Divine Teachings, but when it came to why they were active in the Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area, he simply glossed over it with a vague "disrupting the order of human society."
'If they want to disrupt the social order, why come to a scenic area? And why at night, when it's not even a holiday? Wouldn't it be more effective to go into the city, or to act during the day?'
Li Qian knew there had to be a secret, but he was also well aware that curiosity killed the cat.
'When you're not strong enough, it's better not to know certain things. The more you know, the more dangerous it gets.'
"Director Liu, we understand. We won't breathe a word about last night to anyone." Having learned a bit about the Ancient Divine Teachings from Liu Changfeng's explanation, Li Qian gave a firm, unhesitating reply.
Both he and Fatty An were eager to distance themselves from the incident. 'It would be best to pretend we knew nothing at all.'
Catching a look from Li Qian, Fatty An quickly chimed in, "Don't worry, Director Liu. Our lips are sealed."
"So, um, Director Liu... was there anything else?" Li Qian asked directly. Both he and Fatty An had promised not to leak what happened, yet Liu Changfeng showed no signs of leaving. Li Qian figured he must have another reason for being here.
"Well, it's like this. I was promoted to Commander Level less than a year ago, but I still haven't found a suitable Pet Beast." Liu Changfeng said, looking a bit awkward. "Last night, I saw your Koi Carp evolve into a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon. I wanted to ask... have you developed the evolutionary path from Koi Carp to Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon?"
In the Beast Taming World, intellectual property rights for Breeders were very strictly protected.
Li Qian had discovered the evolutionary path from Koi Carp to Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon. As long as he didn't consent, no one could steal his research.
Of course, if someone else also happened to discover the evolutionary path from Koi Carp to Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon, that would be another matter entirely.
As for how to convert such a discovery into tangible profit, there were many ways. The first was to help others raise their Pet Beasts and charge a service fee.
For instance, charging a hundred million Federation Coins to evolve a Koi Carp into a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon—people would likely be falling over themselves for the opportunity.
A second option was to sell the method directly to large corporations or major organizations like the Breeder Association and the Beastmaster Association.
One could also choose to first use the method to earn breeding fees for a while, then sell the method to a large institution or organization after a few years had passed.
Currently, this was the path most ordinary Breeders in the industry chose to take.
They made this choice not only to maximize profits, but also because they knew that as more of the new Evolutionary Forms appeared, the method would eventually be reverse-engineered. By then, its value would plummet.
As for taking the discovery by force or deception, that was virtually impossible.
The Federation Government, the Beastmaster Association, and the Breeder Association were all well aware that only by protecting the interests of Breeders could they stimulate creativity and innovation throughout the entire Beast Taming community.
It was just like intellectual property protection in his past life.
If those interests weren't protected, who would bother spending all that time and money on painstaking research and development?
Of course, it was also possible to hoard an evolutionary path indefinitely. Certain large conglomerates, powerful families, financial consortiums, and guild organizations controlled exclusive evolutionary paths for specific Pet Beasts. These were methods that even the Federation, the Beastmaster Association, and the Breeder Association hadn't mastered. To evolve a Pet Beast into one of these rare forms, one had to pay a hefty price for these factions to personally intervene.
This was a major source of income for these factions, but it wasn't without risk. If their methods were ever reverse-engineered, all their efforts would have been for nothing.
Because he understood all this, Li Qian knew exactly what Liu Changfeng was after the moment he mentioned the "Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon."
He didn't answer directly. Instead, he said pointedly, "Last night, you saw my Koi Carp. You saw it evolve into a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon. So, am I to understand that you were present at the time? That you were right there, nearby, while I was fighting that member of the Ancient Divine Teachings?"
Li Qian's words were sharp, with an undertone of accusation.
And he did feel a degree of resentment.
'I was clearly losing the fight against that member of the Ancient Divine Teachings, and this "Director Liu" from the Public Security Bureau was hidden nearby the whole time. Yet he didn't intervene right away.'
'And isn't protecting the lives and property of citizens one of the Public Security Bureau's duties?'
So, Liu Changfeng could understand why Li Qian was resentful.
He nodded, his tone turning wry. "Yes, I was nearby."
"I could have stepped in immediately, but I saw you were still able to hold your own. I figured you weren't in immediate mortal danger, so I remained hidden, hoping to use the opportunity to bait a bigger fish."
Liu Changfeng made no attempt to hide anything, stating his true thoughts at that moment.
Hearing this, the corner of Li Qian's mouth twitched.
'So I was the bait.'
He was annoyed, but seeing Liu Changfeng's completely unabashed expression, he was momentarily at a loss for words.
'Besides, Liu Changfeng did end up helping last night. He saved me. Otherwise, I never would have made it down those stone steps.'
'The only reason that member of the Ancient Divine Teachings didn't pursue me was probably that Liu Changfeng was keeping him occupied. So, no matter how you look at it, the man did save my life.'
'And most importantly,' Li Qian thought, 'helping a Security Officer from the Public Security Bureau is, in a way, doing my part for society.'
So after some brief consideration, he agreed. "Alright."
"However, the nurturing period is quite long. Normally, it will take two to three months."
"The fee is ten million!" Li Qian continued without a pause, holding up one finger. "On top of that, you'll have to provide your own Koi Carp—one with high Potential!"
"This..." Liu Changfeng had expected Li Qian to refuse without a second thought. After all, he hadn't immediately stepped in to save him last night; Li Qian had every reason to say no. He never imagined he would agree so readily. For a moment, Liu Changfeng was speechless.