King of Beasts

In Green Sea City, a vacation destination where the sea, trees, and light rail blend harmoniously, many traditional cultures are still preserved.

Nestled beside Emerald Mountain to the east and connected to the south by Green Sea’s Maple Park, the place was bustling with people, and a long banner stretched between two trees.

A young girl squeezed through the crowd, and as her eyes fell on the large characters “Fighting Bug Tournament” emblazoned on the banner, a huge cheer erupted around her.

“Lu Ran won again!”

“Wasn’t it him last year too?”

“Right, and it was a complete victory both times!”

While the crowd buzzed with conversation, in the center of the venue, under the disbelieving gaze of a bald old man, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years stood up.

“Thanks for the honor.” He smiled as he spoke.

Fighting bugs, one of Xia Country’s folk games, is also known as cricket fighting in the north.

Just moments before, at the Fighting Bug Tournament held in Maple Park of Green Sea City, Lu Ran led his champion bug to a complete victory over a host of experienced veterans, seizing the title of Bug King.

And this wasn’t his first championship either.

“You little rascal!” The old man scratched at his sparse few hairs, his eyes fixed irritably on Lu Ran across from him.

Ever since this Lu Ran started participating in the Fighting Bug Tournament, he had never lost. How could this be?

How could this teenager’s experience in cricket fighting surpass that of their group of old men?

“Just lucky, I guess.” Lu Ran laughed heartily.

Suddenly, however, he seemed to sense a gaze from the surroundings and his body jolted.

“Excuse me, everyone, I’ve got to go!” Lu Ran’s expression changed, and he quickly packed up his champion bug, squeezing out of the crowd and heading towards the exit.

But before he got far, he was immediately blocked by someone who had taken a shortcut.

She was also young, tall and with a fair face, her black-tea-colored hair tied back in a ponytail, showcasing long, fair legs full of youthful vigor. However, her expression was far from friendly at the moment.

“So you took time off just to participate in this Fighting Bug Tournament? Why didn’t you answer my calls?” Fang Lan stood with her arms crossed, waiting for Lu Ran’s explanation.

“I was focused on the tournament, so I had my phone on silent,” Lu Ran retorted with a shrug.

“You’re about to start your senior year of high school, you know that?” Fang Lan said with exasperation, massaging her temples.

“Really… I’ll go back to remedial classes tomorrow,” Lu Ran replied with resignation.

“I’m pushing you because I want what’s best for you!” Fang Lan glanced at the jar in Lu Ran’s hands and continued, “But first place again… not bad at all. Green Sea City is a major hub for bug fighting, and even the average old man in the park has decades of experience. I’ve heard you’ve wiped the floor with them again.”

“Sometimes, some things can’t rely solely on ‘experience’,” Lu Ran said with a smile. “‘Talent’ is what’s most important.”

“I’m not praising you!” Fang Lan said, a bit annoyed. “I’m telling you to focus on your studies for now. Once you’re done with your college entrance exams, you can engage in bug fighting as much as you want.”

“Got it, got it,” Lu Ran waved his hand dismissively. “But I’m not that interested in bug fighting anymore. It’s not challenging at all.”

“You know what? What about taking on hunting? My ancestors were hunters, so maybe I’ve got the genes for it…”

He pondered for a moment. Hunting, which involves catching or killing game, is mainly for managing wildlife resources, controlling animal populations, and maintaining ecological balance. Of course, these goals were unrelated to him; his interest was purely because his family had a pet that was naturally combative and needed a proper outlet for its instincts.

Currently, in Xia Country, there are still several places where legal hunting is allowed.

With that in mind, Lu Ran opened the jar containing the Bug King and released the valuable insect into the wild, as he had said, the game had lost its appeal to him.

“Hunting…” Fang Lan watched Lu Ran with a blank expression. “You’re not thinking of turning your family’s Erha

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 into a hunting dog, are you?”

“It doesn’t resemble a hunting dog at all, except in appearance.”

Lu Ran shrugged. “I could train it, though. It’s too fond of fighting, and it’s not good to always suppress its fighting urge. But it’s pointless to talk about this; getting a hunter’s license is pretty difficult.”

“I hope you’re joking.” Fang Lan replied, somewhat speechless. But then, as if a thought had struck her, she fixed her gaze on Lu Ran and said, “Wait a second, you haven’t given up on that idea, have you? Are you preparing for that?”

“Not at all. Even if I go, wouldn’t it be easier to hire a professional team with money? What’s the point of all this hassle? Right?”

“But…”

“Let’s go, it’s going to rain,” Lu Ran hurriedly said, not wanting to continue the topic.

“Huh?” Fang Lan was startled and looked up at the clear sky, not a cloud in sight…

“The weather forecast said so.” Lu Ran waved his hand and started walking toward the exit of the park.

He was fooling her, actually; it was the park’s insects who told him.

…

Before long, the sky over Green Sea City was covered with dark clouds, and a downpour seemed imminent. Lu Ran and Fang Lan took shelter in a restaurant, both to avoid the rain and to have lunch.

“I’m going to Shanghai for school the day after tomorrow. Why don’t you come stay at my place? You’re about to start your senior year, and my parents can cook for you instead of you ordering takeout every day. It’s not healthy,” Fang Lan suggested, sipping her tea.

“My parents have mentioned it several times,” she added.

“I’ll be fine on my own, but thank them for me,” Lu Ran replied, also taking a sip of tea to soothe his throat.

“Thank your godfather and godmother!”

“Alright, alright, thank the godfather and godmother for me,” Lu Ran said. He and Fang Lan were childhood friends, and her parents were close friends with his. After Lu Ran’s parents were confirmed dead, he was taken in by the Fang family.

However, once he could take care of himself, Lu Ran moved out to live on his own. His parents had left him a significant amount of money, so he had enough to live on.

“I can’t take care of you anymore. Let them convince you,” Fang Lan said, knowing she couldn’t persuade Lu Ran. She understood his temperament all too well.

To put it nicely, he was independent-minded; to put it not so nicely, he was rebellious, not just in small matters but in many things.

“Don’t worry, I can take care of myself. Just wait for me in Shanghai. I’ll come to you next year, and then I’ll be under the protection of the great senior!” Lu Ran said cheerfully.

“Get into university first,” Fang Lan replied, casually crossing one leg over the other and scrolling through her phone. She had excellent grades and had been admitted to Shanghai University, also known as Southern First University, with exceptional scores. Because of her parents’ occupation, she chose to major in animal medicine.

Although Lu Ran’s academic performance was also good, getting into Shanghai University wouldn’t be easy. The upcoming year would be crucial.

“Easy peasy,” Lu Ran said, not seeing any difficulty, though he hadn’t yet decided which major to choose… But it would probably be something related to animals, right?

Like…

“Beastmaster?” Fang Lan suggested.

“What? What beastmaster?” Lu Ran was taken aback, looking at her.

Is that even a major? That would be called animal science.

Fang Lan suddenly spoke up, and Lu Ran initially thought she was addressing him, but then he realized she was muttering to herself, looking at her phone.

“I came across a post, I’ll send it to you,” Fang Lan said.

Soon after, Lu Ran’s phone received a link from Fang Lan.

He tapped on the link to the post, which was titled: Help! Do you believe in supernatural phenomena?

Huh?

Seeing this title, Lu Ran’s brow furrowed.

Footnote:

1. Erha(二哈):

   “Erha” is a playful nickname for the Husky breed, originating from Chinese internet slang. This moniker refers to Huskies being named for their naturally lively and sometimes seemingly silly behavior. The number “two”(二) in Chinese is sometimes used to describe the silly or adorably clumsy behavior of people or animals.

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