"Where have you been all this time, kid? Running around alone like that—weren't you afraid of running into danger?" Hai Bodong asked in a low voice.
Xiao Zhen immediately began making things up. In short, he claimed to have encountered a fortunate opportunity and tamed some unusual magical beasts, spinning the tale so extravagantly that it sounded almost unbelievable.
"That's how it happened. I used my intelligence and wisdom to successfully tame a whole bunch of steel magical beasts." Xiao Zhen sat in the cart, chewing dried meat as he bragged.
Hai Bodong was no ordinary man. He could tell at a glance that the kid was boasting, but he did not expose him. Everyone had a few secrets. Sometimes, knowing too much was not necessarily a good thing. Besides, judging from the boy's appearance, he did not seem to have encountered any danger.
"Enough. Quiet down, kid. I can't be bothered to listen to you boast. I still have a mission to complete. Once we reach somewhere safe, I'll find someone to send you back, so that old Fa Ma doesn't worry." Hai Bodong spoke calmly.
Xiao Zhen said, red-faced, "What I said is true! Why won't you believe me, Uncle Hai?"
Xiao Zhen meeting Hai Bodong could be considered fate. Going by the original novel's timeline, this was probably when Queen Medusa sealed his cultivation. Perhaps Xiao Zhen might even be able to save him.
Before Xiao Zhen transmigrated, there seemed to have been an animated spin-off saying that this old man Hai Bodong had gotten involved with Queen Medusa's younger sister, which was why the enraged Queen Medusa sealed his cultivation.
Xiao Zhen was not entirely clear on the details. He had been too busy with work back then to watch it, only vaguely seeing a few