It lowered its head slightly, looking at Anaxa busying himself by its leg, its feelings complicated.
Encouraged by Anaxa, Yan Huan and Castorice also approached curiously.
Castorice cautiously reached out and gently touched Huang Di's thick front hoof, as sturdy as a lava stone pillar.
"As for the texture of its skin, it's rougher than I imagined, and covered in many old scars."
Castorice spoke softly, her tone filled with respect.
"Lord Huang Di must have gone through countless difficult battles... These marks are all witnesses."
Yan Huan had already climbed onto Huang Di's back.
He rapped his knuckles against Huang Di's hard back, as thick and solid as heavy amber or cooled lava, producing dull knocking sounds.
"Doesn't feel like much," he said. He shifted his sitting position, trying to find somewhere more comfortable, but failed.
"I heard that when they fought back then, the Mountain Folk charged while riding Earth Beasts? But this is so uncomfortable... It digs into you. Way too hard."
He suspected those Mountain Folk had all trained the same diamond-hard butt as Patrick Star.
Huang Di did not seem bothered by Yan Huan's somewhat reckless behavior. It shifted its body slightly so Yan Huan could sit more securely, then chuckled softly, its voice still deep.
"...I am old now. My body has weathered many trials, so naturally, my back is nowhere near as comfortable as it once was."
It paused, and a hint of nostalgia entered its voice.
"But hearing you say that reminds me of those fulfilling days... Fighting alongside the warriors of the Mountain Folk, hoofbeats like thunder as we charged into battle."
Near the high-temperature bath was a relatively quiet rest area, half-surrounded by clusters of heat-loving ferns.
The air was scorching and dry, carrying the scent of sulfur.
Mydei