Chapter 607: Hah'Er, Aren't You Afraid of Losing Years Off Your Life?

“Hm? Hah’Er, did you hear something in the bathroom?” While eating, Shen Yibin faintly heard a scraping sound coming from the bathroom, as if something sharp was scratching against the tiles.

“Uh-huh! Uh-huh!” Hah’Er’s reaction confirmed his thoughts. ‘So my ears aren’t playing tricks on me, there really is a sound.’ Shen Yibin realized in a flash. ‘Holy crap, don’t tell me the turtle’s awake!’

“It’s awake already?” Shen Yibin shot up and rushed over to the bathtub. He took a closer look and saw the turtle strenuously trying to climb out. After watching for a moment, Shen Yibin couldn’t help but chuckle. A five-star hotel bathtub was, of course, made of the finest materials, its walls exceptionally smooth. The poor turtle didn’t have gecko-like suction cups on its claws to scale the slick surface. It did alright on the tub’s flat bottom, but the moment it reached the steeper curve of the wall, it would SLIP and slide right back down. This happened twice, yet the turtle stubbornly kept climbing. The whole scene was rather comical.

“You must be hungry. Let me get you out for some food!” With some effort, Shen Yibin lifted the large turtle out of the tub. He carried it to the dining table and set it down. “Help yourself to whatever you’d like. If you don’t like it, I’ll order something else for you right away!” ‘What do turtles usually eat, anyway? I remember we feed the ones at the shop things like loaches and small shrimp, plus some plant stems and leaves. If it doesn’t touch any of the food on the table, I can have the hotel send up some fresh loaches, shrimp, and leafy greens.’

However, this Turtle Immortal seemed to have profound discipline; it wasn’t a picky eater at all. It ambled over to the plate of Junshan Silver Needle Chicken Slices, extended its head from deep within its shell, and slowly began to eat. It even appeared to be savoring every bite.

“So it’s true! All my pets are foodies!” Shen Yibin was delighted. He would have felt bad giving Hah’Er and the others meticulously prepared gourmet food while feeding the Turtle Immortal nothing but raw meat.

While the turtle ate with gusto, Shen Yibin began to puzzle over something. ‘Why did Shi Gaofei, Scarf, Maphario, and Carmen sleep for so long after taking that medicine, while this fellow woke up in less than two hours? What’s the reason? Could it be that it’s lived for so long, gaining wisdom with age, that it’s developed a strong resistance to the pill’s side effects? That must be it.’ But Shen Yibin was no biologist; there was no way he could figure out the mechanisms behind it. ‘To really understand, I’d probably have to send the medicine and the Turtle Immortal to the Yunzhong City Zoo Affiliated Research Institute for long-term observation and analysis.’

‘Better forget about that!’ ‘If it got into the hands of the institute, wouldn’t Li Yan and Zhu Xiang seize the Turtle Immortal like some priceless treasure and never let it go? How would I find an owner for it then? In any case, it seems perfectly healthy with no ill effects, so I’ll just let it be for now. As for studying the pill, there’s still some powder left in the bottle. I can just give them that to study.’

“Slow down. There’s more if you’re still hungry, just don’t choke!” The turtle was slow and deliberate when it walked, but it was anything but slow when it ate. With its head darting in and out, the Junshan Silver Needle Chicken Slices on the plate began to vanish at a visible rate.

‘Jeez, when I was underwater earlier, I remember seeing that there weren’t many fish, shrimp, or aquatic plants in that part of the lake. This poor guy probably hasn’t had a full meal in a long time, has he?’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. ‘It seems your past few hundred years haven’t been so easy. Life in Dongting Lake must not be as idyllic as it sounds.’

Even though the Turtle Immortal ate quickly, it exercised great portion control. Shen Yibin had figured that, given its size, it would need to finish the whole plate of Junshan Silver Needle Chicken Slices to fill its stomach. But with nearly half the dish remaining, the Turtle Immortal stopped eating. It ambled over to the nearby fish head and tofu soup, propped itself on the rim of the bowl, and stretched out its neck to take a drink.

Shen Yibin quickly steadied the other side of the bowl, afraid it would tip over. ‘Well, look at that. It only eats until it’s about half-full. This creature actually knows about dietary discipline for good health! And it knows to have some soup after its meal, too. Its eating habits are so much better than Hah’Er’s and Bald Qiang’s. Maybe I should learn a thing or two from it. Would I live longer that way?’

‘Yes, I should pay close attention to the Turtle Immortal’s daily routine from now on. If Zhang Sanfeng could devise Tai Chi by observing a battle between a turtle and a snake, couldn’t I study the Turtle Immortal’s lifestyle and develop a method for health and longevity? I seem to recall a discipline in wellness studies called the Turtle Breathing Technique, which was apparently developed from studying the way turtles breathe.’

After finishing its meal and soup, the Turtle Immortal didn’t lie down to rest. Instead, it began a slow walk around the table, seemingly to aid its digestion. Shen Yibin lifted it down and placed it on the floor so it could walk around more freely. The Turtle Immortal ambled leisurely around the room before finally making its way back to the bathtub. It placed its front flippers against the side, as if trying to climb in. Unfortunately, the outside of the tub was even steeper than the inside, and after a long, fruitless effort, it turned its head and stared at Shen Yibin with its two beady green eyes.

‘It wants to rest in the water?’ Shen Yibin thought he understood. He hurried over, lifted the turtle up, and placed it inside the bathtub, then added a bit more water. The Turtle Immortal contentedly retracted its head and flippers, apparently settling in to rest. Bald Qiang and his mate propped themselves on the edge of the tub and let out a few plaintive whines. ‘Hey, that’s our sleeping spot! How did it get taken?’

“It’s alright, we’re in a suite. There’s another bathtub right over there. You two can sleep in that one tonight!” Shen Yibin quickly comforted them. He led them over to see the other tub, which finally quieted the pair down. It was a jacuzzi, and it looked much more comfortable than the first one.

‘Great, you’re all comfortable now, which means I’ll have to take a shower tonight instead of a nice bath. That first tub was supposed to be for Bald Qiang and his mate to sleep in, and this one was for me and Hah’Er to use for our baths and the massage jets. Now both have been occupied.’

‘Oh well, it’s only for a day or two. I can deal with it.’ He called room service to clear the table, then took Hah’Er and Maphario into the bedroom to rest. He had expended a lot of energy that day with the boat ride and the dive, and he was asleep in no time.

The next morning, a sliver of sunlight peeking through the curtains woke Shen Yibin. He groggily opened his eyes to see Hah’Er sitting by the side of the bed, its body slowly gliding forward.

‘Huh? What’s going on?’ Shen Yibin sat bolt upright and took a proper look. Hah’Er was sitting on the Turtle Immortal’s back.

‘What the hell, Hah’Er! Aren’t you afraid of taking years off your life?!’