Shi Hao sat cross-legged at the edge of the crater Little Red had blasted into the ground, a true Vermilion Bird feather laid across his knees.
The little fellow's eyes were half closed. A faint golden light shone between his young brows as he tried to draw out the Supreme Fire Dao Laws contained within the true feather.
A dozen or so paces away.
Shi Hou stood with the Black Pot on his back and his arms folded, a freshly pulled sweet grass root dangling from his mouth.
The old chief, Shi Yunfeng, stood beside him, leaning on his walking stick. His clouded old eyes were filled with gratification and hope.
"That feather is extraordinary."
Shi Yunfeng lowered his voice, afraid of disturbing the little child by the crater. "It holds a strand of pure Vermilion Bird Origin. If Hao can comprehend even a little of it, even just scratch the surface, he'll be able to swagger through the Great Wilderness with no one daring to stop him."
Shi Hou bit into the grass root, and a thread of sweetness spread across his tongue.
"Old man, you're seriously underestimating this little monster."
Shi Hou lifted his chin slightly. "Scratch the surface? If something really catches his eye, he'll chew even the bone fragments to pieces and swallow them."
While the two were chatting.
Shi Hao suddenly opened his eyes beside the crater.
His chubby little hand grabbed the scorching true Vermilion Bird feather, and he sprang up from the ground.
His short legs carried him pattering over to Shi Hou, and he thrust the feather straight toward him.
"Here."
Shi Hou raised an eyebrow but did not reach for it.
"What's this supposed to mean?"
Shi Hou looked Shi Hao up and down. "You figured it out already? Isn't that