Hu Qi's expression shifted, and he clicked on the message.
This was a post he had previously made, seeking an exotic beast.
He had indeed posted quite a few such requests recently.
However, most of them were like stones thrown into the ocean, failing to create even the slightest ripple.
Otherwise, it was just a group of people spouting nonsense and sharing memes below, with no valuable information whatsoever.
But today, the situation had changed.
A forum user named “Shrimp Without Blinking” had sent Hu Qi a private message.
“Shrimp Without Blinking”: I have a duck at home, do you want it?
Below the message, there was also an image attached.
The scene in the image seemed to be by a small river.
A medium-sized duck was floating in the water.
However, this duck was completely different from ordinary ducks with their white-grey or yellowish-brown feathers.
Its feathers were a peculiar dark purple, interspersed with several silver-grey stripes resembling lightning.
At the same time, its head was not as rounded as a common duck's, but slightly pointed.
Its eyes were a vivid scarlet.
Due to the distance of the shot, and the photo being compressed by the forum, the clarity was significantly reduced.
Only this much could be seen.
But even so, Hu Qi could determine that this was indeed an exotic beast.
However, the prerequisite was that this duck genuinely existed and was not a fake image created through some kind of photo-editing.
Thinking of this.
Hu Qi immediately added the other party for a private chat without hesitation.
The other party quickly replied.
Coincidentally, the other party was also in Qirong City.
By checking the other party's location on the navigation.
He found that it was about thirty kilometers away from his current location.
Hu Qi did not hesitate at all, quickly agreed on a time, and prepared to go check it out later.
The scarlet modification panel was his biggest secret, and also his means of survival.
Although its effect could be described as Heaven-Defying.
However, using it required modification value.
And based on the currently known methods, only consuming exotic beasts could provide him with modification value.
Furthermore, this method was only a conjecture before this.
This time, he could just take this opportunity to verify it.
Hu Qi hastily finished his breakfast, and as he left, he bought a bottle of milk and a few steamed buns to eat on the way.
Back home, the last steamed bun was just finished.
He quickly washed up and changed into a clean set of clothes.
Then he set off towards the address given by the other party.
Half an hour later.
In West City, Qirong City, by a road near the outskirts.
As a green taxi slowly came to a stop.
Hu Qi stepped out of the car with his backpack.
He raised his head and looked around.
Compared to the old city area of East City and the core district of South City, West City appeared particularly desolate.
As far as the eye could see, there were only some low, grey-white buildings, and directly ahead on the road, there was a towering, massive mountain peak.
Under the sunlight, it seemed to be covered by a thin, light green veil.
Among the lush green mountains, there was a winding stone staircase made of bluestone.
Occasionally, tourists could be seen slowly ascending the steps.
At the end of the stone steps was a temple.
The eaves of the temple slightly peeked out from the dense foliage, and the grey-green tiles shimmered with an ancient and mysterious luster under the sunlight.
Inside the temple, faint wisps of green smoke curled upwards.
That was a famous temple in Qirong City; whenever there was an important festival, high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants would come to offer incense, and the area below would often be filled with luxury cars.
Hu Qi retracted his gaze.
He walked a few steps forward and arrived at a three-way intersection.
Opposite him was a vocational college.
However, because it was summer vacation, there were not many people in the college.
Only an old security guard stood by the entrance, smoking.
“Hello! I’ve arrived now, yes, opposite Peizhi Vocational College.”
Hu Qi hung up the phone.
After a short while, he saw a figure rushing over from a side road.
This was a scrawny young man, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, with dyed yellow hair.
He also had several silver earrings in his right ear, reflecting dazzling white light in the sun.
“Are you ‘Night of Rain’?”
The young man carefully sized up Hu Qi, asking with some uncertainty.
“That’s me!”
Hu Qi nodded.
‘Night of Rain’ was the online username he used when posting on the forum.
“Take me to see that duck. If it’s real, the price is negotiable.”
Hu Qi didn’t bother with pleasantries and directly got to the point.
“Alright then, follow me!”
The young man nodded and immediately walked ahead to lead the way.
Along the way.
The two had a brief conversation.
This allowed Hu Qi to roughly understand the specific situation.
The young man in front of him was Ding Yu, a student from the Peizhi Vocational College he had just mentioned.
His home was nearby.
However, he usually lived at the school.
This duck was raised by his grandmother.
It was only when he returned home for the summer vacation this time that he discovered this duck was unusual, and having previously browsed Hu Qi's posts online, he thought about selling it for some money.
Soon, the two followed a small path to a village.
The village was not large, with only a dozen or so scattered households, and they were quite far apart from each other.
Occasionally, a few elderly people could be seen gathered under the shade of a tree, chatting leisurely.
Soon.
The two arrived in front of a two-story courtyard built from grey-white stone bricks.
At the entrance, there was a duck coop built against the wall.
It was constructed from simple bricks, stones, and wood.
The roof was covered with grey-green tiles, which appeared slightly mottled after enduring the wind and rain.
Traces of mud could still be seen in the crevices.
The ground was covered with a layer of straw, and beside it, there was a small, artificially dug pond.
Several ducks were swimming and playing in it.
Hu Qi's gaze quickly swept over, and he soon spotted a duck near the corner of the wall.
This duck was confined alone in an iron cage.
Its size was no different from a normal duck, but its feathers were dark purple, making it stand out among the surrounding ordinary grey-white ducks.
At this moment, it had its head tucked under its wing, seemingly resting.
Suddenly.
As if sensing Hu Qi and Ding Yu's arrival.
It abruptly raised its head, revealing a pair of scarlet eyes, its gaze seemingly filled with 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” sound.
“This is it. This duck has a really bad temper. Several other ducks were bitten to death by it before, so we had to keep it in a cage,” Ding Yu said, pointing and explaining.
At this moment, an old man, somewhat hunched and in his fifties or sixties, walked out of the adjacent courtyard.
After Ding Yu briefly introduced the situation, the old man seemed a bit hard of hearing. It took him a while to understand Ding Yu's meaning, then he waved his hand, indicating for them to handle it as they saw fit.
