“Okay, let’s go. I’ve been bored here anyway. Oh, and I’ll introduce you to a friend later.” Jian Ning got off the bed, hooked her arm around Xiao Lingfeng’s, and walked out the door.

"What friend?"

Xiao Lingfeng was very curious. Jian Ning hadn't left home, so when had she come into contact with anyone outside? Besides, there shouldn't be any other living people around here besides the county town, right?

"You'll find out soon enough," Jian Ning said with a smile, keeping him in suspense.

The two walked along the road until they reached the base entrance. After speaking to the soldiers on guard, they successfully exited the base. After walking a short distance, Xiao Lingfeng found a spot and drew a mark on the ground with his sword.

"Xiao Ning, this is fine. We can't go too far from the base, otherwise ants and rats will fall in and climb back up if we don't burn them to death in time."

"Okay, by the way, this is a friend I just made, her name is Da Hua, you can get to know her." Jian Ning waved her hand, and Jin Qianbao and Huang Fugui came out of the immortal mansion.

The freezing weather outside made Da Hua sneeze twice.

"Master, it's so cold! Where is this place? And it's so dark!"

"This is where I live now. Come on, Da Hua, let me introduce you. This is my husband. We are husband and wife. From now on, you should treat him the same way you treat me."

Big Flower looked up at Xiao Lingfeng and snorted through its nose. It stretched out its big head and rubbed against his hand.

"This is the friend you mentioned. How come the leopard is so big? Did you bring it out from the challenge?" Xiao Lingfeng almost instantly understood where Da Hua came from.

"Yes, isn't he cute? This guy is a foodie."

"It especially loves cooked food. It signed a contract with me so I would cook for it. Honey, can you help me with some of the cooking from now on?" Jian Ning said, clinging to Xiao Lingfeng's arm and acting coquettishly.

"Okay, no problem, it's just that this food is hard to find these days."

Although Xiao Lingfeng knew that Jian Ning had a lot of livestock in her space, it wasn't enough for the leopard to eat for a long time, as its appetite was much greater than that of a human.

"Let it catch its own food, and we'll just cook it for it. Or how about letting it stay with you for a while? It can be a good helper, right? Big Flower is very capable."

"Okay." No man would dislike having such a handsome, powerful, and fierce animal.

Moreover, it can completely understand human speech and seems quite docile. Xiao Lingfeng stroked Da Hua's head, and it meowed twice, seemingly agreeing with Jian Ning's arrangement.

"We still have work to do here. Da Hua, you and Fu Gui go to the nearby mountains to familiarize yourselves with the terrain. Don't go too far."

Otherwise, once we finish our work and leave, you won't be able to get into the base. You have one hour, understand?

"I know, no problem, let's go!" Huang Fugui jumped onto Da Hua's back in a flash and directed it to run towards the mountains.

It won't run on its own unless someone carries it; it won't do any extra work.

Watching the leopard carrying Huang Fugui disappear into the night sky, Xiao Lingfeng looked down at Jian Ning and smiled.

"Honey, do you still have any of these big-flowered ones? If you could catch a few more for the soldiers, they would definitely be a great help."

"There should still be leopards like this in that level, but they may not have gained sentience."

Besides, they need to form a contract with a human before they can communicate normally and avoid harming anyone. If they're too wild, they'll definitely eat people if released. You should give up on this idea.”

After hearing Jian Ning's words, Xiao Lingfeng also realized that he had been a bit greedy.

This isn't your average leopard. One that can form a pact with a human and communicate verbally is definitely not a wild animal. Having one by your side is an immense blessing. We shouldn't be ungrateful.

So they abandoned the idea and started working with Jian Ning. Although the two of them had the help of talismans and could dig the hole quickly, melting the water into ice still took some effort.

Before things were even fully settled, Da Hua, with a wild boar in her mouth and Huang Fugui on her back, slowly walked over from a distance.

"This wild boar must weigh around 300 pounds, Da Hua, you're really something!" Xiao Lingfeng could tell at a glance that the wild boar's throat had been bitten through, killing it instantly. It seemed Da Hua's skills were indeed impressive.

Upon hearing Xiao Lingfeng's praise, the leopard's face was full of pride. It released its grip and pushed the wild boar towards Jian Ning, its meaning clear: it wanted to eat wild boar meat.

"Don't rush, Big Flower. If you want to move around freely here, you still need the approval of the soldiers at the base. How about this, you can share this wild boar with everyone."

"Let my husband introduce you to the soldiers, so that they won't mistake you for an enemy and shoot you when you come in and out of the base."

Da Hua tilted her head and thought for a moment, though she was a little reluctant to part with the prey she had worked so hard to hunt.

But Jian Ning's words were indeed correct. We couldn't let those warriors treat us as enemies. We could catch more wild boars. It was just a matter of sharing a little bit; it wouldn't hurt.

It meowed twice at Jian Ning and then shoved the wild boar on the ground twice with its paws.

"Dahua agreed."

Lingfeng and Huang Fugui can communicate with it; in fact, it can understand what you say.

As for what it's trying to say, you can just guess. The longer you spend with it, the more likely you are to get a pretty good idea. So, is this leopard now under your command?

"Thank you, wife. Let's go, Da Hua, let's go make some wild boar meat." Xiao Lingfeng picked up one of the wild boar's legs and strode towards the base, arriving at the gate.

The soldiers on guard duty were stunned when they saw him dragging the wild boar and the leopard following behind.

He didn't dare open the door right away, but instead called out from upstairs, "Captain Xiao, what's going on here?"

“Open the door. This leopard is my new little brother, and this wild boar is a gift it gave to our base.” Xiao Lingfeng said, turning around and patting the leopard’s big head.

Upon seeing that the leopard didn't bite, the guard hesitated for a moment, but still opened the gate.

They were allowed into the base.

"Thank you. I'll send someone to bring you some wild boar when it's cooked. Don't worry, just wait patiently. Good food is worth the wait."

Xiao Lingfeng smiled and waved to the soldiers on guard. He then led the wild boar towards the army's mess hall.

Jian Ning followed behind; if there was wild boar to eat, she had to join in the fun.

And she definitely won't be needed for chores or cooking today. Just wait for a delicious meal. With such a great opportunity, I absolutely can't go home first.