God of Pets

Chen Guan originally thought that what Purple Robe meant by entering one by one was that once one person left, another would enter. Little did he know that they were lined up, entering one after another.

The moment he stepped into the garden, Chen Guan felt a blur before his eyes, and he found himself alone inside the garden.

"Is this garden a special multiverse? But that doesn't seem right. Even if it is a multiverse, everyone should be able to enter different spaces. Could Secret Spirit really split into 19 parts and meet with different people simultaneously?" Chen Guan mused, scrutinizing the garden around him.

This garden was vast, with only one type of flower planted inside, resembling lavender but differing slightly in color. Here, the flowers were pink, lacking some mystery but exuding a vibrant energy, like lively young girls.

In the immense garden, expanses of pink flowers formed a lake, and in the midst of the flower lake stood a lone tree.

The tree bark was white, even the leaves were white, but this whiteness was not brilliant. Though it grew abundantly, with branches dense enough to let mere slivers of light through, it appeared lifeless, possessing a chalky, pale quality.

Under the dappled sunbeam-penetrated shade of the tree, sat a figure clad in steel armor, but only the back was visible, obscuring the appearance.

"Among the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, what are you skilled at?" The figure under the tree spoke, with a soft, tender voice belonging to a gentle girl.

"None," Chen Guan halted, studying the back.

The armor was polished smooth as a mirror, reflecting surrounding scenery with perfect clarity, the reflected pink blooms tinting the armor itself pink.

The armor's design was quite ornate, with metallic threading workmanship, and black lines inlaid along the borders, but these lines were also polished to a mirror sheen, likewise reflecting the pink flowers, yet the flowers appeared in another color upon them.

"What are you skilled at?" the figure questioned again.

Chen Guan thought carefully about this question, momentarily at a loss for what he truly excelled in.

The academy taught many things, and his parents also taught him some things, all of which he diligently tried to learn.

Though his parents had no demands for him, Chen Guan himself seemed to have a sense from a young age, feeling that in a family like his, if he didn't work hard, it would be challenging to obtain what he wanted in the future.

Perhaps due to his personality, Chen Guan disliked competing with others.

Much like when taking a bus or subway, he would walk at the back; much like dining, he disliked going to popular places with long queues and intense competition for seating.

But the result of this behavior was that he rarely secured a seat on the bus, and the restaurants he went to usually didn't serve particularly tasty food.

There was a time when Chen Guan felt quite confused, but at that age, he was too young to figure out these puzzles.

So, Chen Guan approached his parents with this troubling question, and his mother, Chen Yulian, provided the answer: "Do it yourself and you'll be well-fed and clothed."

"If you want to eat something, you can learn to make it yourself. You understand yourself best, and only you can create your favorite flavor."

At that moment, Chen Yulian cupped Chen Guan's little face, smiling as she said, "But you have your mother, so you don't need to do it yourself right now. Whatever you want to eat, just tell your beautiful, kind, and lovely mom."

At that time, Chen Guan didn't say what he wanted to eat, though Chen Yulian's cooking was delicious. Yet, no matter how good the flavor was, eating it for many years, he wanted a change, craving to eat outside, even if the food wasn't as good.

Thus, Chen Guan asked his father the same question, hoping for a different answer.

Chen Xinghe laughed and said to him, "Son, have you ever heard a saying: 'The brave enjoy the world first'?"

"Does it mean I need to muster the courage to compete and fight with them?" Little Chen Guan pondered aloud.

"Yes, but also no," Chen Xinghe ruffled little Chen Guan's hair, smiling as he asked, "Do you know what's above the sky?"

"There are stars and the moon," Chen Guan gazed at the night sky and replied.

"Do you know what's on the moon?" Chen Xinghe queried again.

"News reports said they found nothing after exploring the moon, nothing at all," Chen Guan strained his memory of the news he watched.

"What about on those stars?" Chen Xinghe pointed at the brightest star in the sky and asked Chen Guan.

"I don't know. Nobody's been up there; how could anyone know what's there?" Chen Guan answered Chen Xinghe's question and froze in realization.

He seemed to vaguely understand some of the answers Chen Xinghe had given, his gaze lingering on the stars in the sky.

"You don't have to compete, but you must be ahead of everyone, then there's no need to compete because nobody will have the qualification to compete with you. If you want to obtain, then you need to compete. If you don't, how could you possibly stay ahead of everyone?" Chen Xinghe pointed at the ground beneath his feet, "Others' worlds are only this big."

Then he placed a hand on little Chen Guan's head, gently tilting it back, so he looked up at the twinkling expanse of the starry sky, and Chen Xinghe slowly said, "Your world can be that vast."

"My world... can be that vast..." Chen Guan gazed at the infinite sky, his young heart sparked with some impractical courage and fantasies at that moment.

So, Chen Guan worked hard, even though his parents never demanded anything of him and allowed him to go easy, Chen Guan still worked diligently.

Because he knew he wasn't someone without desires, he wanted to obtain, so he could only strive.

Parents provided him with a stable life, giving him the baseline for bold gambles, but for more, he needed to strive with his own hands.

He didn't want to compete with others, hence the need to compete.

At this moment, when someone asked him what he excelled at, Chen Guan thought carefully, and seemed to have no specialty. He was trying hard in many things; he wanted too much, and precisely because of this, he didn't know what he excelled in the most.

"You can leave; you're not suited to me," the girl's voice echoed again.

"Sorry for the disturbance," Chen Guan turned and walked back. He too felt unsuited.

He wasn't interested in nurturing a sentimental pet demanding constant companionship for moonlit serenades, chess, and painting.

People who can travel together need no words; those who can't, no words suffice.

It's the same with people, and the same with pets.

"Wait a moment," just as Chen Guan was about to exit the garden, the girl's voice called again.

Chen Guan did not turn back, stepping right out through the garden gate.

He disliked competing with others, even more, being chosen by others.

It's just a Secret God pet, not worth bowing down for, and besides, this Secret God pet has issues, with not much time left.

Chen Guan just walked away like that, causing the figure under the tree to pause briefly, eyes reflecting a moment of bewilderment and distraction.

"Did he really just leave like that?" she stood up, turning to look at the garden gate, indeed finding no trace of Chen Guan.