Lower Yan Village, Utterly Penniless

Zi Bofeng pondered for a moment, then took out another sheet of paper and wrote the three large characters for "Nine Dragons." Before he could even finish the final stroke, the paper began to writhe. No sooner had he lifted his brush than the paper suddenly transformed into nine small, bobbing, tail-wagging dragons that scrambled to fly out the window. However, these little dragons could not escape the fate of bursting; before long, they dissipated into nothingness outside.

After conducting a few more experiments, Zi Bofeng gained a rough understanding of the function of his first technique, "Unity Transformation."

Within the Monster Raising Art, there is a distinction between spiritual energy and spiritual essence. The amount of spiritual energy depends on the ink and brush Zi Bofeng uses, while the spiritual essence represents the meaning behind what is written or drawn.

Spiritual energy is the energy scattered throughout heaven and earth; all things possess it, though in varying amounts. Spiritual essence, however, is like the various obsessions Zi Bofeng has witnessed—some things have it, while others do not.

Numbers like "one, two, three" lack a clear, concrete manifestation, so once written on paper, they simply dissipate slowly, provided they do not exceed a certain limit. The character for "dragon," however, possesses a complete image, so it transformed into a dragon just as Zi Bofeng had envisioned. Combining numbers and characters can produce even greater effects. If one writes a complete sentence, one can turn one's own intent into action. Yet, this spiritual energy and essence are consumable; once they are spent, they are gone, and these things do not truly become monsters.

Though it seems profound, it is merely a small parlor trick with no real utility, fit only for making fireworks for amusement. Thus far, the Galloping Horse Stone and the Yan Clan Heavenly Soldiers he had driven were only able to act according to his will for an extended period because they had absorbed the obsessions of many people and sacrificed a great deal of spiritual energy in the process.

The Monster Raising Art, after all, requires the "raising" aspect. Like Uncle Blue Rock, one must accumulate effort over time for something to truly become a monster. To truly raise something, one must first have a medium with the capacity to hold more spiritual power and essence, and second, it must be capable of being written upon repeatedly. In this regard, paper is not a good medium.

Zi Bofeng looked down, nodded, and said, "I'll use you for an experiment!"

As he spoke, he picked up an object from his desk, dipped it in clear water, and began to write upon it.

As long as a mark is left, it matters not whether it is water or ink; this had already been verified with Uncle Blue Rock.

After writing for a moment, Zi Bofeng felt dizzy and faint. Zi Bofeng himself currently possessed little spiritual power, and having abused it constantly from yesterday until now, he was already overdrawn.

Seeing that the sun had risen, Zi Bofeng hurried home to eat a quick breakfast before grabbing a bucket and heading up the mountain to "recharge" with Uncle Blue Rock.

By the time it was nearly noon, Zi Bofeng returned from the mountain, full of spirit and brimming with spiritual energy—he was a fine man once again!

Just as he descended the mountain, Zi Bofeng saw four or five people waiting in front of his study. One of them, looking fierce and baleful, was none other than Si Gou, while the others looked uneasy under his scolding. Yan Lao Wu stood under a tree in the distance with his arms crossed, watching the scene; when he saw Zi Bofeng return, he turned and walked away.

"Si Gou, are you bullying people again?" Zi Bofeng stared at Si Gou with a stern expression. Upon seeing Zi Bofeng, Si Gou immediately bowed and scraped, saying, "Master Scholar, how would I dare bully anyone? They've come to pay their taxes."

"Oh? Taxes?" Zi Bofeng stepped forward a few paces, cupped his hands, and said, "Blind Granny, Uncle Tuozi, you've all come."

The people who had come to pay taxes were all honest folk. The first was Blind Granny. She wasn't truly blind, but there were yellowish-white spots on her pupils—Zi Bofeng recognized this as a cataract. It looked as if it would soon cover her entire eyeball, at which point she would be truly blind. Blind Granny's husband had died long ago, and her son had gone out into the world and never returned, leaving her to live alone. She was usually a bit eccentric, making a living by performing shamanistic rituals. Zi Bofeng didn't particularly like her, but he hadn't expected her to be the first to pay her taxes.

Behind her was Lao Tuozi, who was holding Xiao Tuozi by the hand. Xiao Tuozi was looking at Zi Bofeng timidly.

Zi Bofeng reached out to pat his bald head and casually handed him a wild fruit he had picked on the mountain.

Xiao Tuozi clutched the fruit tightly, shrank behind Lao Tuozi, and watched Zi Bofeng nervously.

Seeing Zi Bofeng, Lao Tuozi hurriedly handed over a bag he was holding, saying nervously, "Master Scholar, this... this is our tax... it's all here... it's all here..."

He muttered neurotically, watching with reluctance as Zi Bofeng took the bag. After rubbing his palms together for a long time, he finally said, "Master Scholar, please keep the contents, but... please return the bag to me. I made this bag out of a pant leg, and it's the only one I have..."

He pointed to his own shortened pant leg, revealing a dirty, hairy leg.

Zi Bofeng felt as if his hand could barely hold the bag... He gripped a corner of it, handed it to Lao Si, and said, "Come, Uncle Tuozi, let's go inside to count it and record it in the ledger."

"Yes... yes... it's definitely enough, we brought it all, we brought it all..." Lao Tuozi rambled, shuffling into the house after Zi Bofeng. Zi Bofeng took out a ledger he had prepared in advance, wrote down Lao Tuozi's name, and had Si Gou dump the contents of the bag onto the table.

With a clatter, copper coins and bits of broken silver spread across the table.

Seeing the silver, Zi Bofeng said to Xiao Tuozi, "Xiao Tuozi, go to my house and ask my father for a small scale."

He then began to count the scattered copper coins and silver.

There wasn't much money, and it was soon weighed and counted. Zi Bofeng frowned and said, "Uncle Tuozi, this isn't enough. You're still twenty coins short. You must have miscounted; go back and get the rest."

"I'll go back and get it right now, I'll go back right now..." Lao Tuozi said, but he didn't move, standing there staring blankly.

Blind Granny walked over and said, "Master Scholar... this is mine..."

It was also a pile of scattered change and silver bits. After weighing it, he found it was even further short than Lao Tuozi's. Zi Bofeng's brow furrowed slightly as he said, "Blind Granny, this isn't enough either..."

"Not enough? Not enough... the ancestors will blame me..." Blind Granny said tremblingly. She pressed her palms together and whispered for a moment, then began to perform a shamanistic dance in the courtyard. Zi Bofeng couldn't help but roll his eyes; this old woman was acting eccentric again.

After a while, Blind Granny felt her way back through the door frame and said, "Master Scholar, the ancestors just spoke to me. They said that if I pay my taxes, the old man will let Blind Granny see things... Master Scholar..."

Blind Granny reached out a thin, withered hand, grabbed Zi Bofeng's hand, and then stuck her other hand into her mouth. With a sharp tug, she placed a gold tooth, still stained with blood, into Zi Bofeng's palm.

"Ah!" Zi Bofeng was startled, flicking his hand to toss the gold tooth away, staring at Blind Granny with wide eyes.

Blind Granny fumbled to pick up the gold tooth from the floor, held it in her palms, brought it to her eyes, and looked at it with lingering attachment.

"It's all gone... all gone... ancestors..." She left the gold tooth on the table and walked away, stumbling and looking utterly devastated.

Zi Bofeng watched her retreating figure, feeling a strange mix of emotions in his heart.

"This old woman, she usually keeps such a low profile, not even willing to eat vegetables, just gnawing on corn buns. I never expected she had a gold tooth hidden in her mouth..." Si Gou picked up the gold tooth, wiped it on his lapel, bit down on it, and clicked his tongue repeatedly. "It's pure gold! This old woman really knows how to hide things! No matter how I pressed her, she always said she didn't have anything valuable..."

"Si Gou!" Zi Bofeng shouted angrily, half because of what he said, and half because he had actually put someone else's gold tooth directly into his own mouth to bite it...

"Hehe, Master Scholar, I was just saying, hehe, just saying..." Si Gou bowed hurriedly.

"Master Scholar." Lao Tuozi, who had been standing to the side holding Xiao Tuozi, walked forward with a fawning smile and said, "Master Scholar... I really don't have anything left at home... Look, look at my Xiao Tuozi. If you're willing, keep him; I'll use him to pay off the tax..."

"What?" Zi Bofeng stared at Lao Tuozi with wide eyes.

For a moment, he didn't understand.

"You old fool, that stupid child of yours wouldn't even have a few ounces of meat if you boiled and ate him, and you want to use him to pay taxes?" Si Gou roared from the side. "Get out, get out! Go back and bring your sheep!"

"Master Scholar..." The pain in Lao Tuozi's eyes was almost palpable, yet he still had to force a smile and bow. "Xiao Tuozi's younger brother is only three months old, and my woman is useless, she has little milk, so we rely on this old sheep's milk to survive... We can't afford to feed another mouth at home. Please, have mercy and take my Xiao Tuozi. He may be timid, but he's a hard worker. You can beat him or scold him as you please... Xiao Tuozi, hurry and kowtow to Master Scholar..."

Xiao Tuozi knelt down foolishly and kowtowed to Zi Bofeng: "Master Scholar, please take me!"

Zi Bofeng felt that Little Stone didn't even know what his own fate was, or what the words being spoken actually meant.

Watching the child with the big head and thin neck, just like Little Stone, kneeling on the ground and begging to be taken in, a sudden pang of pain struck Zi Bofeng's heart. He hurriedly pulled Xiao Tuozi to his feet, then gathered up Lao Tuozi's tax money and stuffed it into a bag.

Before picking up the bag, Zi Bofeng paused for a moment, but in the end, he resolutely handed the bag back to Lao Tuozi.

"Master Scholar..." Lao Tuozi was stunned.

"Take it back, live your life well, and raise Xiao Tuozi properly. He is a good child..."

Lao Tuozi walked away, turning his head every few steps. A thousand thoughts churned in Zi Bofeng's heart, yet he knew not how to ease them. Zi Bofeng turned his head to see Si Gou staring at him blankly, and with a glare, he snapped, "What are you looking at!"

He gathered up Blind Granny's silver from the table and handed it to Si Gou, saying, "Si Gou, take this to Blind Granny. If I find out you dared to swallow even a single copper, I will break your legs. Do you hear me?"

Si Gou asked in confusion, "Master Scholar, are we not collecting this tax?"

"We are, starting with yours!" Zi Bofeng glared at him. "Too much talk, get going!"

Si Gou hurried off.

Record of Raising Monsters