The Wager

After spending the better part of the day traveling a great distance, the Green-Scaled Eagle finally returned, avoiding any mishaps, as the post-war wasteland could still hide immense dangers.

They returned at sunset. The journey was long, and even as a descendant of an ancient demonic bird, the Green-Scaled Eagle was somewhat exhausted after flying for an entire day.

"Awoo... Auntie Green-Scaled Eagle is back!" a group of children shouted.

"Child, what did you discover? Where is this, and how far is it from the Vast Mountain Range?" Shi Feijiao asked. A large crowd gathered around, even the clan elders came; the villagers were deeply concerned about this question.

"I don't know how far it is from our original habitat, but I think it's at least fifty thousand miles away. The entire land has been beaten into the depths, mountains and rivers have collapsed..."

Little One recounted everything he had seen along the way, and the group was horrified to hear it.

"There are corpses everywhere," Shi Lin said in a low voice.

"It truly was a great catastrophe. No wonder the Willow Deity had to take Stone Village away!" the Clan Chief sighed. He knew well that without the Willow Tree, Stone Village would have been razed to the ground, leaving not a single soul behind. The tragic scene of that land was enough to explain everything.

Over the next month or so, Little One went out with the Green-Scaled Eagle from time to time, sometimes disappearing for days on end, until he finally clarified the situation.

"Grandpa Clan Chief, the vast mountain range for thousands of miles has completely shattered. Our old habitat can no longer be found." Little One brought back news that left everyone stunned.

Within a radius of one hundred thousand miles, all life had been extinguished. Even those fierce beasts and the sky-covering raptors had vanished, no one knew where they had gone—perhaps devoured by the supreme beings.

One hundred thousand miles of territory had turned into a dead zone. Not a single living creature could be seen; everything had perished!

"What a calamity. The Lei Clan, Purple Mountain, Luofu Marsh, the Golden Wolf Tribe—these were such powerful groups. The territories of those princes held tens of millions of people, and just like that, they are gone." A clan elder sighed, filled with sorrow.

Although they had once been enemies and had experienced unpleasantness, in the face of such a tragedy, those grievances meant nothing. The combined population of all those great clans numbered in the hundreds of millions, and they were all dead. This was a world-shaking catastrophe!

"Become stronger!"

"We must become stronger so we can protect our home!"

The group of children shouted. Such a tragedy made their little hearts tremble, but it also ignited a fighting spirit deep within them. They all clamored about wanting to become powerful. "Right, we must start from now and work hard to cultivate Bone Text. Now that the hundred-thousand-mile radius has become a vacuum, perhaps we can establish a kingdom of our own," a slightly older child said.

"Your hearts are certainly ambitious, but it is too difficult. The reason those ancient kingdoms have been able to pass down from the ancient times until now is because they likely still have ancient gods living, and they are powerful enough themselves. A mere house-retainer of an official from an ancient kingdom could easily wipe out the Golden Wolf Tribe, Luofu Marsh, and the others. The terror of an ancient kingdom that has remained unbroken since antiquity is unimaginable!" the Clan Chief sighed.

"We aren't afraid. We have the Willow Deity. When we grow up, we will all be very strong. And with the talent of Little One and Shi Lin, who can already battle the cubs of ancient True Hou, why couldn't we carve out a great kingdom in the future?" The children were unconvinced, all clenching their fists.

"Good, I will wait for you to create glory. According to the late clan elders, in the ancient years, our clan was extremely powerful. We once had ancient gods who could battle true ancient fierce beasts. I also hope that you can recreate that glory and make this so-called ancestral land famous throughout this vast region!" Shi Yunfeng said. He patted the heads of the children to show his encouragement. A man must strive for self-improvement and hold grand ideals.

In the days that followed, the children of Stone Village were very diligent, striving upward, bitterly practicing Bone Text, and tempering their blood energy. Each one of them grew as strong as a fierce beast.

This habitat was blessed by nature. Besides the Dragon-Whisker Fish, the villagers also discovered the Dragon-Tendon Snake. Although it was an extremely fierce snake, it could be hunted. Its tendons were incredibly precious; when boiled down and consumed, they could significantly strengthen a person's sinews and bones. It was a rare medicinal treasure.

Not only did the group of children grow quickly, but the adults also received immense benefits, becoming so strong they had endless energy to spare.

Time flew by, and over a year passed in the blink of an eye. If calculated by his original age, Little One was a little over five, but if calculated by his actual time, including the few months he "lost" in his infancy, he was six.

"Chirp, chirp..."

Bird calls came from the sky. Ziyun, Dapeng, and Xiao Qing were not growing very fast; their bodies were now four meters long, but they could already spread their wings to strike the sky, rushing above the clouds with incredible speed.

Shi Lin sat on Dapeng and called out loudly to Shi Hao.

"Let's go, Little One, come with us to the battlefield ruins to seek enlightenment!"

"Alright, Brother Lin, I'm coming!" Shi Hao waved his hand, then stomped his foot hard, soaring straight up into the sky and landing steadily on Ziyun's back.

"Whoosh..."

The gale howled. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the horizon, rushing toward that deathly silent land in the distance.

This was a landscape of shattered mountains and rivers; the earth was cracked, the high peaks had collapsed, and it was desolate and silent.

"We should change direction this time and head west." After venturing deep into the battlefield, Shi Lin pointed toward the broken mountain range in the west.

The wind whistled as they traveled at high speed, soon arriving at the collapsed mountain range, carefully searching for the remaining imprints of the battle.

"Chirp, chirp..." Xiao Qing cried out, rushing toward a massive basin. Bright, dazzling patterns lit up on its body; after consuming the flesh and blood of the Suanni, it and Dapeng had also mutated.

"Eh, this isn't a basin. It's a massive lake, only it dried up during that earth-shattering battle," little Shi Hao said in surprise.

Suddenly, Ziyun let out a cry, signaling that there was a living creature below.

Dapeng, glowing with a faint golden light, dove down a distance and circled the dried-up lake.

"What kind of creature is that?" Little One was startled.

At the bottom of the dried-up lake, a creature lay there, covered in dirt and motionless, as if it had been sealed in dust for many years. If not for the light in its eyes, one would truly suspect it had long since died.

"Zhu Yan!" A golden light flashed in Shi Lin's eyes.

That is the Furball Zhu Yan, Little One's good companion, Shi Lin thought.

"Ah, it's a monkey, only a foot long. How... how does it have three heads and six arms?!" Shi Hao was shocked.

It was covered in dirt and only a foot long, yet it possessed three heads and six arms. It looked like a monkey, but it didn't seem to be one. What kind of creature was this? Little One was puzzled and simultaneously alarmed. Within a hundred thousand miles, all life had been extinguished; how could such a strange, freakish creature survive? It couldn't be simple! The lake had dried up, and the mud at the bottom had baked as hard as stone. One of the creature's legs was buried in the mud, now seemingly sealed in rock, unable to be pulled out.

"This is a Zhu Yan!" Shi Lin said.

The surrounding mountains were all broken, as if swept by a massive weapon, destroying the entire range; all the mountains were left with only their lower halves.

The lake had dried up precisely because of this violent shift in the terrain. This great marsh was now deathly silent, no longer possessing the scene of vast, rippling blue waves from years past.

"The ancient remnant, Zhu Yan!" Little One was surprised.

"Is it still alive?" Shi Hao asked.

"Little One, throw something down there and see!"

"Alright!"

The three young birds circled, diving into the clouds one moment and skimming the lakebed the next. Little One sat on Ziyun's back, staring downward, and took some food from his animal-hide pouch to toss below.

A moment passed, but there was no movement.

"This Zhu Yan seems to be unconscious."

"Let's go down and take a look."

"Alright!"

The two leaped down, landing on the ground. The three young birds chirped low, circling in mid-air, their bodies glowing as they stood ready for battle at any moment.

"This lake has been dry for over a year. Could it be that it hasn't eaten or drunk anything, trapped here the whole time?" Little One asked in surprise.

The lakebed was hard, no different from stepping on mountain rock. This foot-long creature had fur that shimmered like golden silk. It was round, like a golden fist; if one were to give it a push, it would likely roll around like a golden ball.

"So cute!" Little One scooped it up, placing it in his palm, rubbing and kneading it as a golden radiance flowed from its body.

"Since it looks so much like a furry ball, why don't we call it Furball?" Shi Lin smiled wickedly.

"Furball—that's a great name! Let's go with that!"

"Furball is unconscious. Why don't we take it back to the village?" Shi Lin suggested.

"Alright!" Little One Shi Hao said happily.

"You little brat, put down that Zhu Yan!"

Just as the two were about to leap away, a girl's voice suddenly rang out.

They turned back to see a little girl with a head of red hair, hands on her hips, pointing at them. Her face was full of arrogance, her rosy cheeks puffed up in anger.

"You little brats, that Zhu Yan is mine! Give it back to me right now, or else—hmph, don't blame me for being impolite!" With that, the little girl raised her right hand, runes flashed, and a ball of raging fire appeared in her palm.

"What right do you have to say this Zhu Yan is yours? Do you have proof?" Shi Hao hurriedly hugged the little Zhu Yan tighter.

So this is Huo Ling'er, Shi Lin thought to himself.

Shi Lin looked at Shi Hao and Huo Ling'er, smiled meaningfully, and nodded.

"You—you little brat, you're infuriating me! Does this Princess need to ask a little brat like you for what she wants? Little brat, I advise you to be sensible and give the Zhu Yan to me!" After speaking, Huo Ling'er waved her right hand, and the flames grew even larger.

"No!" Little One Shi Hao said, immediately turning his back to Huo Ling'er.

"Hey! You—you! Fine, you forced this Princess's hand! Ha!" Furious, Huo Ling'er flicked her right hand, and a ball of raging fire flew toward the two of them.

Shi Lin struck out with a palm, intercepting the attack.

"Now, now, Princess, why ruin the harmony between my brother and you over a single Zhu Yan? Wouldn't it be better to be friendly and get along?" Shi Lin said.

"Who are you to dare obstruct this Princess!"

"He's my brother!" Little One Shi Hao called out, turning back around.

"Oh, he's your brother? Well, brother of that little brat, tell your brother to return the Zhu Yan to me at once!"

"Your Highness, that's a bit difficult. My brother is very fond of this Zhu Yan. However, I have a good idea!"

"What idea!"

"The two of you can make a wager and have a duel. If my brother wins, the Zhu Yan belongs to him, and you must promise to become his wife when you grow up. If you win, the Zhu Yan is yours, and we'll admit defeat. How about it?"

"Fine, this Princess agrees!" Huo Ling'er replied quite readily.

After all, I am a Princess of a nation; my strength is surely greater than some little brat from the Great Wilderness, Huo Ling'er thought to herself.

"Alright! I agree too!" Shi Hao said.

"Very well!" Shi Lin stepped aside, giving Shi Hao and Huo Ling'er enough space to fight.

"The duel, begin!" Shi Lin shouted loudly.

"Little brat, take this! Ha!" Huo Ling'er's hands erupted with runes, and two massive fireballs flew rapidly toward Shi Hao.

Shi Hao clutched Furball in one hand, while his other hand flared with runes, sending a massive, rotating Golden Moon flying toward Huo Ling'er.

"Swoosh!"

The two fireballs collided with the Golden Moon and vanished instantly. The Golden Moon continued on its original trajectory, slashing toward Huo Ling'er.

"W-what!" Flustered, Huo Ling'er summoned two more fireballs and threw them out immediately.

"Swoosh!"

The Golden Moon and the flames collided again, producing only the sound of metal striking metal and a massive cloud of smoke. The Golden Moon flew out from the smoke, chasing Huo Ling'er.

Seeing the Golden Moon about to strike her, Huo Ling'er despaired.

"It's over!"

But the Golden Moon did not hit her.

Just as it was about to strike her on its original path, the Golden Moon shifted slightly downward, missing her entirely.

You brat, not bad! Already learning to protect your future wife, Shi Lin chuckled.

The Golden Moon kicked up a cloud of dust, and Huo Ling'er was still reeling from the shock.

"You lost! Furball is mine now," Little One Shi Hao declared.

"You, you... Waaaaah!" Huo Ling'er suddenly crouched down and began to cry.

"Hey! Why are you crying?" Little One was bewildered; he had no idea what to do.

"Brother Lin, what should I do?" Little One turned to Shi Lin for help.

Shi Lin gave Shi Hao a meaningful look, signaling him to go and comfort Huo Ling'er.

Reluctantly, Shi Hao walked over, half-pushed by the situation.

"Um, stop crying. Furball..." Shi Hao looked at the little Zhu Yan in his hand, gritted his teeth, and held it out. "It's yours!"

Huo Ling'er looked up, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at Shi Hao.

"I cannot break my word. A loss is a loss!" She wiped her eyes.

"You take it back, but you must promise me you won't eat it!"

"Fine, I promise!"

"Good!" Huo Ling'er stopped crying and stood up.

"Let's pinky swear!" Huo Ling'er said.

"Okay!" Little One responded.

"Pinky swear, a hundred years, no going back!" the two said in unison.

"Princess, His Majesty is calling for your return!" A loud, booming voice echoed from afar.

"Got it!" Huo Ling'er pouted.

"Alright, I have to go now," Huo Ling'er said, looking at Shi Hao.

"You promised me, you aren't allowed to eat it, okay?" Huo Ling'er reminded him.

"Mm-hmm, won't eat it, won't eat it!" Little One nodded vigorously.

"Good, I'm leaving!"

As she spoke, a magnificent carriage appeared out of thin air. Two guards dressed in red stood upon it.

Huo Ling'er hopped onto the carriage, turned back to smile at Shi Hao, and then flew away in the vehicle.

"Goodbye!" Little One waved.

"Goodbye!" Huo Ling'er replied.

Only after the carriage had traveled far away did Shi Hao turn back around.

"Little One, do you have a crush on that little girl?" Shi Lin asked with a laugh.

"I, I don't! Brother Lin, don't, don't talk nonsense!" Shi Hao's face flushed red.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Let's head back!"

"Okay!" Only then did Little One calm down. The two leaped onto Ziyun.

The three giant birds flapped their wings and soared away with a whistle.

"Whoosh..." With a powerful gust of wind, the three young birds landed on the green grass by the lake. A group of children surrounded them, their eyes filled with wonder.

"What is this? Is it a monkey that just opened its eyes? Why does it look like it's cast from gold? Its fur is blindingly bright."

"It's so round, it could roll if you put it on the ground."

The children grabbed Furball and tossed it around, but suddenly, Furball opened its eyes.

"Zhi zhi zhi..." The golden sphere struggled fiercely, glaring with a pair of very large eyes, chirping incessantly.

Little One snatched Furball back.

"Zhi... wu!" Little One stuffed a piece of dried meat directly into its mouth, which immediately silenced its screeching. It acted like a starving ghost reincarnated, clutching the food and rolling around in his palm, gnawing away rapidly.

Shi Hao tugged on its monkey tail, but the golden sphere remained unmoved, hanging there, clutching its food and chewing away without even acknowledging him.

Little One burst into laughter, delighted. He fiddled with it, flipping it over and around, having the time of his life.

Eventually, the golden sphere grew angry, but not because of the handling—it was because the food was gone and it realized Little One was being stingy and not giving it more.

"Hahaha..." Little One laughed happily and handed it another piece of dried meat. The golden sphere went back to being indifferent; whether they picked it up, kneaded it, or dangled it by its tail, it didn't care. It just hung there, clutching the food with its tiny claws and burying its head in the feast.

"Wow, it can really eat. Even when you pull its tail, it doesn't get annoyed; it just keeps its head down and chews."

The lake was beautiful, clear and azure, with lush, carpet-like grass on the banks. In the distance, large birds with vibrant, brilliant plumage paced about, and auspicious beasts appeared from time to time.

The group of children sat cross-legged on the grass, staring at the creature and laughing from time to time.

Finally, the golden sphere burrowed directly into Little One's animal-hide bag, its mouth never stopping. It actually finished off the entire bag of dried meat, and only then did the children realize something was wrong.

"Heaven, it's only the size of a fist, how could it eat such a big bag of food? How could its little belly hold it all?"

"What kind of monkey is this?"

The exclamations here drew the attention of the adults, and Shi Feijiao and the others walked over.

"It is not a monkey, it is a Zhu Yan, a primordial remnant. It understands transformation; when I first found it, it actually had three heads and six arms, and it even shed its skin like a golden cicada," Little One explained.

"What? Three heads and six arms? That is a legendary supreme precious technique!" Shi Feijiao was shocked. Having followed the village chief in his cultivation recently, he had learned of many secret lore.

"It is a pity that it almost died. The runes within its body are shattered, so there is no way to observe them," Little One said with regret.

At this moment, several elderly village elders were alarmed. The words "three heads and six arms" left the group of old men stunned. Village Chief Shi Yunfeng also arrived, crouching down to examine it closely without pause.

"Squeak, squeak..." The golden sphere was furious and kept calling out because its food had been eaten up.

With a "slap," a child threw a red fruit, which hit it squarely. It immediately became docile, sticking its bottom in the air and burying its head to gnaw, letting everyone do as they pleased.

"This Zhu Yan is not simple!" The village chief took one look and was startled, his expression turning grave.

"In primordial legends, there is a peerless ferocious beast called the Zhu Yan. It is shaped like an ape, with red feet and a white head. Its mere appearance foretells great chaos in a region."

Everyone was startled and couldn't help but step back. Was this golden sphere really that ferocious?

"That's not right, its head isn't white," the Snot-nosed Kid spoke up.

"Naturally, it is not the primordial ferocious beast itself. It should be a remnant; its bloodline may no longer be pure. For some reason, it suffered heavy injuries," the village chief said.

Yet, even so, it made everyone's hearts race. No matter how impure the bloodline, as long as it could be called a primordial remnant, it was a terrifying creature capable of rampaging through the Great Wilderness.

The only thing that allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief was that this golden sphere looked harmless to both humans and beasts. It was a total glutton, possessing no dangerous aura.

Moreover, it had been severely wounded, and the runes within its body were shattered.

"It is a pity that the legendary supreme precious technique was destroyed along with it." After calming down, the group felt a sense of regret.

"Eh, it has horns on its head." Little One touched its head. Not only did he fail to find white hair, but he also discovered a pair of small protrusions amidst the golden fur. This was quite different from a Zhu Yan.

Only by looking closely could one notice the pair of small protrusions hidden in the fur, shimmering with light. Only upon careful identification could one see that they were a pair of dragon-like horns.

A few days later.

"You heaven-forsaken monkey, you stand still for this old lady!" Inside Stone Village, a burly woman chased after it. Ahead, a golden sphere the size of a fist was fleeing with a hundred-pound beast leg, rolling along the ground in a comical fashion. While running, it was frantically gnawing at the meat. It was hard to believe that, despite being only three inches tall, by the time it reached the village entrance, the hundred pounds of smoked meat had already entered its belly, leaving only a large bone behind.

"You dead monkey, can't you pick a different house? This is the sixth time in half a month!" The middle-aged woman's voice sounded like a lion's roar. She snatched the half-meter-long bone and struck it directly on the head.

With a "clang," sparks flew as if she had struck iron or stone, emitting a metallic sound. The fist-sized golden sphere looked innocent, blinking its large eyes, neither fighting back nor cursing.

"Aunt Hu, it is not a monkey, it is a Zhu Yan," Little One corrected, grabbing the golden sphere by its tail and holding it upside down.

"That's right, it is very annoying—even the pigs find it detestable!" The middle-aged woman was furious and struck it again with the large bone, but she couldn't hurt the creature; it was like hitting iron.

"Little Zhu, you've stolen from the entire village over the last half-month. Is your little belly still not full?" Shi Hao tugged at its ears.

Shi Lin stood to the side, smiling bitterly and shaking his head.

"Squeak, squeak..." The golden sphere protested, clearly dissatisfied with the name.

"Not the 'zhu' for pig, but the 'Zhu' for Zhu Yan. If you don't like it, I'll just call you Furball," little Shi Hao laughed, letting it roll around in his palm.

The golden Zhu Yan was indignant. What kind of names were these? First a pig, then a ball—it really didn't like them.

Shi Hao rubbed and squeezed it, and amidst the Zhu Yan's protests, they arrived at the lakeside to prepare for cultivation.

A group of children was already there, sitting cross-legged on the green grass, all very serious as they diligently practiced bone texts. After the great catastrophe that had wiped out everything for a hundred thousand miles, the children were deeply affected. Everyone's fighting spirit had been ignited, and they all wanted to work hard to become stronger.

"Furball caused trouble again, didn't it? I just heard Aunt Hu from Lin Hu's house let out a lion's roar."

"Haha, is there a day it doesn't cause trouble? I really don't know how it can eat so much; its little belly is like a bottomless pit."

The group of children stood up and gathered around with smiles, pinching the golden Zhu Yan's round body, finding the texture to be excellent.

"In the last half-month, the smoked meat it has stolen must weigh as much as a Dragon-Horned Elephant, right?"

Little Shi Hao nodded upon hearing this and said, "It might be starving. It was sealed at the bottom of that lake for over a year without food or water. It is just recovering its vitality."

The clear blue lake had golden fish leaping from time to time. The group of children sat on the shore and began their cultivation once more.