Red Bean

The mood on the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences, a land once filled with nothing but roars and slaughter, had lately become a little... peculiar.

The Mountain-Shaking Bear was called Black Mountain.

The Red-Eyed Tiger was named Red Wind.

These two old enemies, who had wanted nothing more than to bash each other's brains out just days earlier, were now gathered around a boy in blue.

One rubbed his bear paws together, while the other swished his tail, both wearing rather sheepish grins.

It was not that they lacked any sense of caution. Rather, demonic beasts often had sharper instincts than humans.

They could vaguely sense whether other living creatures meant them kindness or harm.

The thoughts of the boy in blue before them were as clear as a mountain stream, transparent to the bottom. They could sense almost no scheming or malice in him; he was as clean as a blank sheet of paper.

They had never met a human like him before. Coupled with how precious those pills had been, they found Si Chen more and more likable.

"Heh heh, Brother Si Chen, just look at how this turned out..." Black Mountain's voice still boomed like thunder, but it no longer sounded quite so fierce.

"Those pills were incredible! Every last wound on old Black here has healed right up!"

Beside him, Red Wind wagged his tail like a big dog. "Exactly, exactly! Brother Si Chen, you're a real stand-up guy! Those pills were downright miraculous!"

"Mm, my family gave them to me. As long as they work." Si Chen nodded and reached out to stroke Red Wind's big, furry head. It felt surprisingly nice.

"Brother, what does your family do? How are they so loaded?" Black Mountain asked, his bear eyes filled with simple curiosity.

Si Chen thought for a moment, then said, "It's just... a family."

This answer left the two great demons scratching their heads, but they did not dwell on it.

Chatting with Black Mountain and Red Wind was also one of the few relaxing moments Si Chen had enjoyed since leaving home.

Black Mountain was a rough sort who could hardly speak without throwing in "your old man here" or something about shit, piss, and farts, but he was honest at heart.

Red Wind was a little more refined, though whenever he grew happy, he could not control his wildly wagging tail.

This straightforward way of interacting put Si Chen at ease. Liking someone meant liking them; gratitude meant gratitude.

He did not have to wonder whether their words carried some other meaning, and there was neither fear nor calculation in the way they looked at him.

Was this what... friends were? Mm, probably.

Swishing his tail, Red Wind suggested, "Brother Si Chen, you don't seem in any hurry to leave. Why not stay here with us a few more days? We know the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences well. We'll take you to find some tasty wild fruit!"

Si Chen considered it. Now that he had a way out, there was indeed no need to hurry. Besides, the vitality of the vegetation here benefited his cultivation.

He nodded. "All right."

And so, in the days that followed, a peculiar group appeared deep within the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences: a boy in blue, followed by a black bear the size of a small mountain and an imposing Red-Eyed Tiger.

Black Mountain liked to boast as they walked about how he had once smashed some blind fool of a demonic beast's skull with a single slap. His mouth was full of foul language, yet he occasionally made the corners of Si Chen's lips curve upward.

Red Wind always wagged his tail as he undercut Black Mountain's boasts, exposing his embarrassing past. Whenever he spotted unusual wild fruit rich in spiritual energy, he would pluck it with his mouth and place it in Si Chen's hand.

The human and the two demons grew close like this, their days simple and happy.

During the day, Si Chen wandered the mountains with them. At night, he found a cave or leaned against Black Mountain's warm fur to meditate.

Si Chen kept the fiery-red egg with him at all times.

It was always warm, like a little stove. When Si Chen cultivated the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art, it seemed to absorb a trace of the escaping vitality as well, and the aura of life within it grew more active with each passing day.

A month passed like this. Si Chen's head was filled with Black Mountain's foul remarks, such as "I crushed its balls" and "beat the shit right out of it." He felt as though he was on the verge of being led astray.

One evening, he was sitting back against a large rock, listening to Black Mountain spray spittle as he recounted his glorious feat of beating the shit out of the same unlucky pig demon for the third time,

when an exceedingly faint crack suddenly came from the egg beside his leg.

The sound was soft, but none of those present were ordinary creatures.

Black Mountain immediately shut his mouth, and Red Wind stopped swishing his tail. Two pairs of huge beast eyes, along with Si Chen's gaze, focused on the egg all at once.

A thin crack had appeared in the shell.

Then a wet, bald little head struggled its way out. The creature looked pitifully small, with only a few sparse tufts of crimson down stuck together on its body. Its eyes were still half-squinted, making it look a little ugly.

The little creature shook its head, seemingly adjusting to the light, then opened its tender yellow beak and let out a faint but clear:

"Chirp?"

It struggled and began nibbling the eggshell around it.

The seemingly hard shell was like a crisp biscuit in its beak, and it crunched through every last bit.

After eating the shell, its down seemed to fluff up a little, and its eyes opened fully, revealing two pure, obsidian-like pupils. It tilted its head, and the first thing it saw was Si Chen watching it.

Then, on skinny little legs that could not yet hold it steady, the tiny creature stumbled toward Si Chen and finally rubbed its little head gently against his finger.

As Si Chen watched this tiny creature, a feeling unlike anything he had ever known spread through his heart.

He had seen stars born and civilizations pass through cycles, yet this was the first time he had witnessed a life break out of its shell right before his eyes.

This process of something emerging from nothing stirred him in a peculiar way, more deeply than learning any spell or defeating any opponent ever had.

"That's... that's it?" Black Mountain scratched his belly with a bear paw, looking a little disappointed. "I thought it was some kind of treasure. After all that, it's just an ordinary red-feathered bird?"

Red Wind leaned closer to look, also a little disappointed, and muttered, "Doesn't look like there's anything special about it. Its bloodline aura is nothing remarkable either. We fought that whole battle for nothing."

Si Chen paid no attention to their words.

He carefully extended a finger and gently touched the little creature's head. It squinted in comfort and gave another chirp.

I should give it a name.

Si Chen thought. What should I call it? He had little experience naming anyone.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind before settling on a pastry he had eaten in Cloud Brocade City long ago.

Red bean cake.

Soft and sweet, with the fragrance of bean paste, it was one of his favorite sweet treats.

"From now on, you'll be called Red Bean."

Si Chen spoke to the little creature in his palm.

As though it understood, Red Bean rubbed its little head harder against his finger and let out faint, happy chirps.

At that very moment, Si Chen clearly sensed an exceedingly hidden yet extraordinarily pure energy stir faintly deep within Red Bean's tiny, warm body.

Like a sleeping ember, it flickered silently and was gone.

Black Mountain and Red Wind noticed nothing, but he had caught it.

It was... the aura of flame.