Could anyone really be too dumb to learn Bone Text?

A dozen or so days later, Shi Zhao's house was finished, and she had settled into life in Stone Village. The three eggs left behind by the Green-Scaled Eagle hatched as well.

With several crisp cracks, two chicks covered in green scales tumbled out.

The third was somewhat special. Radiant light burst forth as it broke out of its shell, and its scales were purple rather than green. Shimmering with flowing colors, it looked far more extraordinary than its two brothers.

"A Green-Scaled Eagle whose bloodline has mutated and reverted to its ancestral roots. It's evolving toward an Azure Sky Peng. Very promising. Befriend it while it's young, and you may be able to unravel its inherited Precious Technique," Shi Zhao said.

She did not particularly care about this remnant beast's incomplete Precious Technique. She was merely offering a few pointers.

Soon, the Green-Scaled Eagle flew over, and it did not come empty-handed. It brought an enormous Dragon-Horned Elephant to feed its chicks, while the parts they could not eat naturally became a windfall for the villagers.

Little Shi Hao put his clever brain to work and named the three chicks Big Peng, Little Qing, and Purple Cloud. The names were quite fitting, with a simple, rustic charm.

"Little Purple, come on! Let's go to Big Sister's house for class. She's teaching us new Bone Text today!"

"Chirp, chirp!" He ran ahead, and Purple Cloud scampered eagerly after him. They were clearly very close, much to the envy of the other children.

Before long, a large crowd of children had carried over stones to use as stools and sat obediently in the spacious courtyard at the end of the village.

They had no choice but to behave. Their fathers really would whip them.

"You little brat, pay attention for your old man! If I catch you nodding off, I'll whip the life out of you when we get home!"

A group of men with shoulders broad enough for horses to gallop across had also come. Some openly threatened their own children, nearly frightening them to tears.

"Crying? Crying won't help!" one father said with a menacing grin.

The old chief stood to one side, smiling without a word. The once-spacious courtyard was suddenly packed to bursting, and some people even perched in trees outside the wall to listen.

Shi Zhao did not know whether to laugh or cry at the sight. She stepped forward and said:

"Ahem. Let's first review what we covered last time. In our last lesson..."

That was right-Big Sister Little Zhao's school was now in session!

Of course, she could still smile now. After these little terrors tormented her for a while, she would not be smiling anymore.

"Teacher Little Zhao, what should I do if my child just can't learn Bone Text?"

"Could anyone really be too dumb to learn Bone Text?" Shi Zhao said expressionlessly. "If a child can't learn it, he's probably pretending. Give him a beating, and he'll be fine."

"A true master teacher!" The man's eyes lit up, and screams soon followed.

"Dad! Dad! Stop hitting me! I'm your own son!"

"Hmph! Now you remember I'm your dad? If you dare upset Teacher Little Zhao again, even my dad will come over to whip you!"

Shi Zhao leaned against her desk and sipped her tea, a faint smile curling her lips.

What a harmonious and beautiful day...

Another month passed. Little Shi Hao practically lived at her house, cuddling the three little Green-Scaled Eagles every day as he studied the markings on their precious bones.

"Big Sister, Big Sister! I learned Purple Cloud and the others' Precious Technique!" With a sweep of his little hand, a brilliant crescent moon shot out and flew into the distance, nearly knocking down the courtyard wall.

Shi Zhao casually flicked a finger. A golden speck of light set off later but arrived first, intercepting the attack.

"Sorry, Big Sister. I didn't mean to," Little Shi Hao hastily apologized.

"It's all right. I'm keeping an eye on things." Shi Zhao stroked his head encouragingly.

Soon, little Shi Hao gained further confirmation from Purple Cloud and condensed a brilliant, sacred full moon that actually gave off a metallic tremor.

He had truly begun to unravel the Green-Scaled Eagle's Primordial Treasure Talisman. In a sense, he had already learned half of the Azure Sky Peng's Precious Technique.

Shi Zhao did not fill his head with theories or profound teachings. She preferred to let him explore and investigate on his own, which would give him a deeper understanding.

As for powerful Precious Techniques, there would naturally be plenty of chances to obtain and learn them in the future.

Enjoy these happy days while you can. What lies ahead will be far too bitter and difficult. Shi Zhao wore a faint smile, but sighed inwardly.

Even she sometimes felt lost when she thought of the future.

The more she knew, the heavier the pressure became, until it could almost suffocate her!

The sun sank, and the sunset painted the horizon red as the village's hunters returned.

But they had brought back little prey, and someone had been carried home.

"What happened? What's going on?" The villagers rushed out, all of them anxious.

"Don't worry. No one died, but Skinny Monkey's dad was badly hurt. Someone shot him with an arrow, injuring his internal organs," said Shi Linhu, the leader of the hunting party.

He was also the strongest man in the village, possessing a full five to six thousand jin of strength.

Shi Zhao had been sitting cross-legged beneath the willow at the village entrance. Seeing this, she rose and approached the injured man, then abruptly pulled out the Iron Arrow. At the same time, runes spread from her palm and fingers, closing the wound, stopping the bleeding, and restoring the flesh.

She reached out again. Without even manifesting her Cave Heaven, she drew down a surging torrent of the world's vital essence, enveloping the wounded man and nourishing his body.

Those nearby with minor injuries gathered around. Before long, they felt as good as new, and marveled at her methods.

"Go home and get plenty of rest. You'll recover soon," she said.

The villagers then learned that the culprits were people from Bei Village, several dozen li away. For some reason, they had entered Stone Village's hunting grounds to fight over prey.

"The one who attacked was a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old brat. Good-looking enough, but vicious and ruthless. That arrow was aimed at the heart," Shi Linhu said bitterly.

"If that old Suanni deep in the mountains hadn't happened to go berserk, we might have fought them right there. The people of Bei Village were far too overbearing!"

"It seems Bei Village has produced an extraordinary young man. Their clan has grown much stronger, and naturally their ambitions have grown with it," the chief said. He then warned them, "We don't cause trouble, but we aren't afraid of it either. Stay on guard from now on, and strike when you need to."

Shi Zhao looked thoughtful. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she gazed in the direction of Bei Village.

That very night, she quietly set out, only to find an old man and a young boy blocking her at the village entrance.

"Child, I knew you wouldn't stand by and do nothing." Shi Yunfeng looked at her, wanting to say something. In the end, he sighed softly and took out an old, bloodstained Ancient Beast Skin, offering it to her.

"This is the village's Ancestral Artifact. It may be useful to you. Take it."

Shi Zhao was moved. She knew this old man had finally accepted her completely.

She did not refuse his kindness. Nodding, she accepted the Ancestral Artifact. Suddenly, the beast skin erupted with dazzling radiance, as though awakening on its own, and condensed a rune.

This was the skin of a Bian, and she happened to cultivate the Bian Precious Technique, causing the two to resonate.

In fact, this Ancient Beast Skin

was a genuine Divine Artifact!

Astonishment appeared on the old chief's face, and he felt more reassured. Although little Shi Hao was worried too, he sensibly stood quietly to one side.

"Don't worry about me. I'm only going to take a look first." Shi Zhao ruffled little Shi Hao's hair.

Of course, that was a lie!

Once outside the village, she headed straight for Bei Village, brimming with killing intent.

Since that old Suanni was close to death, judging by the timing, the struggle over the Mountain Treasure among those terrifying beasts deep in the Great Wilderness should soon reach its conclusion as well.

Shi Zhao was not one to hesitate. After the earlier unexpected incident, she had resolved to nip certain dangers in the bud.

To hell with everything else. Tonight, she would kill that cunning, greedy Old Warg outright!

She crossed the several dozen li in an instant.

However, Bei Village's sacrificial spirit-the Old Warg-was not in the village.

Suspicious by nature, the Old Warg had been frightened earlier by Shi Zhao and the others when they happened to pass by, and had long since retreated into the mountains.

But it was nearing a breakthrough and urgently needed a large amount of true blood, so it had ordered the people of Bei Village to fight over prey. Its suspicious nature also meant it would never venture deep into the mountains and put itself in danger.

With that in mind, Shi Zhao soon found a pack of giant wolves in a valley not very far away, and discovered the Old Warg hiding among them.

"Old dog, you made me search all over for you. You've already earned your own death!"

A smile appeared on her face, but her bright, starry eyes remained as still as an ancient well. With a wave of her hand, she unleashed the bloodstained Ancient Beast Skin.

In an instant, an incomparably terrifying aura swept across heaven and earth like a hurricane.

Boom! Golden mist surged, making every giant wolf tremble and drop to its knees. Some even fainted and lost control of their bladders on the spot.

A savage beast's roar shook the mountain ridges as a Bian appeared. Its enormous body towered like a mountain. It resembled a tiger but bore dragon horns, and its golden body was densely covered in dragon scales.

That was her Precious Technique, manifested through the Ancient Beast Skin, making it no different from a real Bian.

The Old Warg was horrified. It happened so suddenly that it had no chance to dodge or struggle before the glittering golden Bian tore it apart on the spot.

Snap! Shi Zhao snapped her fingers and retrieved the beast skin.

"Job done."