Shi Qingfeng

On the banks of the Taiyin River.

Furball had fed some of her precious blood to the shivering, ice-cold Xiao Bai, and Shi Hao had watched Xiao Bai gradually recover. So he hauled Furball over to Huo Ling'er, who had fainted from the cold, and made her give Huo Ling'er some too.

"Why hasn't the chubby girl woken up yet?"

Before Tang Wulin could explain, an anxious Shi Hao channeled his own strength into Huo Ling'er to heal her frostbite.

Before long, Huo Ling'er slowly opened her heavy eyes. She hadn't expected to find Shi Hao so close—or to discover that he had both hands on her chest!

"You pervert!" Humiliated and furious, Huo Ling'er slapped Shi Hao away, then turned and stormed off.

Shi Hao held his aching face, utterly bewildered. "Why is she angry again?"

Tang Wulin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Because you touched a sensitive spot. Furball's blood was enough to heal her. She would've woken up after a while."

Shi Hao scratched his head. "Really? Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"You moved too fast. I didn't get a chance."

"I was just desperate to save her," Shi Hao explained.

"You two must be hungry. Let's eat something first."

With that, Tang Wulin took a large, succulent slab of Spotted Silver Tiger meat from his storage bracelet and deftly lit the firewood he had gathered the night before. Soon, the meat was sizzling with juices and giving off a mouthwatering aroma.

"That's my brother—always thinking ahead. Mm, you're a good cook too. You've kept all the meat's flavor." Shi Hao tore into the roast with gusto, praising Tang Wulin between bites.

Tang Wulin smiled. "Yuhao taught me how to cook it. If you like it, I can ask him to make some next time. I'm craving his cooking too."

Shi Hao nodded eagerly. "Sure! I'm already looking forward to it."

Once they had rested, the two continued toward the Second Ancestral Land. Along the way, they unexpectedly ran into a group of Heaven-Mending Pavilion recruiters led by Xia Youyu, who tested their strength. In the end, each received a token granting him admission without an entrance exam.

At the Stone Clan's Second Ancestral Land, within the Stone Kingdom.

The vegetation was sparse and withered, making the place look abandoned. From outside the gate, Shi Hao and Tang Wulin saw two servants inside the estate mocking their young master.

The boy had clearly injured his leg. He walked with difficulty and looked sickly because of it.

"He's the one who suffered here in my place." Pity stirred in Shi Hao's heart. "I have to protect him and make sure those villains never bully him again."

Just as the servants moved to kick the boy to the ground, Shi Hao secretly struck them with a precious technique. The two fled in terror.

The sight struck a chord with Tang Wulin. It was painfully familiar from Yuhao's childhood.

Shi Hao and Tang Wulin followed the boy unseen to a shabby little hut. When Shi Hao saw a frail old man lying on the bed inside, he rushed straight to him.

"Great-Grandfather, I'm back. I'm the child from all those years ago."

"Is it really you? Then your injury..." the old man asked breathlessly.

"I recovered long ago. Now I can lift a hundred and eight thousand jin with one arm," Shi Hao answered truthfully.

Seeing how frail the old man was, Tang Wulin stepped in from the doorway, took out a pill, and handed it to him.

"This is a Spirit-Recovery Pill Yuhao refined from sacred Immortal Herbs. It can treat injuries, sustain your vitality, and prolong your life."

The old man hurriedly waved it away. "How could I accept such a generous gift?"

Tang Wulin spoke gently. "You both endured suffering that should never have fallen on you for Shi Hao's sake. You deserve this."

Shi Hao was deeply moved. Tang Wulin and Huo Yuhao had done so much for him that he now regarded them as brothers in all but blood—people he could trust wholeheartedly and support in return.

"Wulin's right. Please take it, Great-Grandfather. Then you'll have the strength to come back to Stone Village with us and leave this place behind for good," Shi Hao urged.

The old man stopped refusing and swallowed the pill. With the help of the boy who had stayed by his side, he managed to stand.

"Oh, right. What's your name?" Shi Hao asked the boy curiously.

"Shi Qingfeng. I chose it myself. It means I want to be as free as the wind." The boy took a long time to think before answering.

While Shi Qingfeng had been considering what name to give himself, Shi Hao had learned from Great-Grandfather where his parents had gone: the Primordial Divine Mountain. They had gone there to find a sacred medicine that could heal him.

Shi Qingfeng looked puzzled. "Big brother, how are we going to get to Stone Village?"

Shi Hao decided there was no need to search for his parents just yet. First, he should return to Stone Village and let everyone know he was safe. Then he would send Shi Qingfeng to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, where he could train until no one could bully him. After that, he would go to the Primordial Divine Mountain to find his parents.

Having sorted out his plans, Shi Hao glanced at Tang Wulin, Shi Qingfeng, and Great-Grandfather, then scratched his head awkwardly. "I only have one unicorn. There really isn't room for all four of us. Why don't we go tame a Ferocious Beast?"

"I can go alone," Tang Wulin suggested. "Stay here and treat Qingfeng's leg. Once he's had a few days to recover, we can head back to Stone Village together."

Shi Hao nodded. "All right. Let's do that."

In the end, Tang Wulin returned from the wilderness with an exceptionally fast Golden Cheetah he had tamed. Meanwhile, Shi Hao combined Furball's precious blood with various medicinal herbs and applied the mixture to Shi Qingfeng's injured leg, curing it.

During the days Shi Qingfeng spent recovering, the Rain Clan—Shi Yi's mother's family—sent more servants to the Second Ancestral Land as usual, intending to keep bullying him.

As expected, Shi Hao knocked every last one of them to the ground, leaving them groaning in agony.

"Cross the Rain Clan and you'll regret it!" an unnamed Rain Clan steward threatened before fleeing with his hands over his head.

Shi Hao snorted. "Rain Clan, sooner or later I'll settle this score with all of you."

A few days later, Shi Hao and Great-Grandfather rode the unicorn, while Tang Wulin and Shi Qingfeng rode the Golden Cheetah. Furball perched on Shi Hao's shoulder as the four of them and their three beasts raced into the Great Wilderness toward Stone Village.

But during the half month they spent traveling home, something momentous happened in Stone Village.