Could There Be a Possibility?

Over the next few days, Di Yi led Shi Yunfeng and the others across the Endless Mountains, letting them train as they traveled through the Great Wilderness. In the end, they all made progress and truly mastered the Mottled Tiger's precious technique.

"We're almost at the border. We'll soon be out of the Western Frontier." Di Yi estimated the distance they had traveled. They were already far enough from Stone Village that they would leave this primeval land either today or tomorrow.

"Are we finally reaching the world beyond the Great Wilderness?" Shi Yunfeng and the others were excited. The Western Frontier teemed with ferocious beasts, with not a soul in sight. After pushing straight through two or three hundred thousand li, they were finally nearing their destination.

"Almost." Di Yi nodded.

Sure enough, as they continued onward, Fierce Birds and fierce beasts grew fewer, and they gradually began to see quite a few villages.

Clearly, they were about to leave the Endless Mountains, reach the edge of the Western Frontier, and enter the territory of a vast ancient kingdom.

"I'll go ask where we are." Shi Yunfeng volunteered. He showed no unease in this unfamiliar place, and when their group reached a relatively large village, he went over.

Before long, he had gathered plenty of useful information, established their bearings, and learned where they had arrived.

"The borderlands of the Stone Kingdom... Cloud-Rushing Town?" Di Yi nodded. "Then let's head there soon. A large city will make a suitable place for you to settle."

"Uncle Di Yi, is an ancient kingdom really that vast?" Shi Yunfeng asked.

He often heard legends and information about the ancient kingdoms beyond the Great Wilderness from the elders: how they ruled over hundreds of millions of li of land, how the fief of a single powerful prince or lord held hundreds of millions, or even over a billion people.

"The Western Frontier alone is already so large. Even if the vastness of an ancient kingdom has been exaggerated, those claims can't be entirely wind from an empty cave," Di Yi replied.

As they continued onward, the group encountered more people along the way.

Shi Yunfeng took the initiative to strike up conversations and soon learned who they were. They were merchants traveling from Cloud-Rushing Town into the primeval forests to buy beast hides, spirit herbs, and other goods from the more distant tribes.

"So people outside the Great Wilderness do this sort of work too." Shi Yunfeng had thought everyone beyond the Great Wilderness was wealthy and powerful. He had never expected to find traveling merchants like these.

"A round trip is dangerous, but the profits are considerable." They seemed to get along well with Shi Yunfeng and warmly shared more information with him.

Some of it concerned the Ancient Kingdom of Stone Kingdom, some concerned Cloud-Rushing Town, and some concerned the geography of this region.

"Has Cloud-Rushing Town been unsettled lately? Why?" Shi Yunfeng heard something troubling from these traveling merchants and hurriedly pressed them for details.

"Not just lately. Cloud-Rushing Town has always been like that." The merchants were talkative and told him that this was an important stronghold on the Stone Kingdom's frontier, so it naturally faced attacks at its gates from other peoples.

Beyond that, powerful beings of other races also invaded from time to time, such as fierce beasts and primordial remnants.

"By the way, you came out of your tribe with that adult from your family, didn't you?" One merchant glanced at Di Yi and said, "Be careful these days, and keep a close eye on that big dog. I heard a group of unfamiliar faces has shown up in Cloud-Rushing Town. Don't let them set their sights on you."

"Big dog?" Shi Yunfeng glanced doubtfully at the Golden Hou. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, what else could it be? A dog that can grow that big is probably some unusual breed. With that golden coat, it might catch the fancy of those noble masters, like hunters spotting fine prey," another merchant explained. "I heard through the grapevine that those strangers came from some prince or lord's residence. They're looking for rare and exotic beasts for the younger members of the household."

"People from a prince's residence won't even leave dogs alone?" Shi Yunfeng's lips twitched as he listened. Why did it feel as though the people in those residences had narrower horizons than Stone Village?

"Of course they wouldn't spare an ordinary dog a glance, but that big dog... tsk, tsk. Who's ever seen a dog grow that large?" The merchant clicked his tongue in wonder as he looked at the Golden Hou.

"Exactly. And look at that imposing, tigerlike bearing. I'd even suspect it has a thin trace of hou blood," another merchant said, also clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Could there be a possibility-and I'm only guessing-that it isn't a dog, but a Golden Hou?" Having listened to Shi Yunfeng's conversation with the merchants, Di Yi stepped forward and asked with interest.

"Hahaha! Friend, that's a good joke!" At Di Yi's words, the merchants all clutched their bellies with laughter, thinking he was joking.

In their eyes, what was a Golden Hou? It was the uncrowned king of primordial remnants, its savage might surging to the heavens. It could easily destroy a city, and its enormous size was terrifying.

And that dog? It was harmless to people and livestock, just like a pet, without the slightest trace of ferocity. Its size was also vastly different from that of the hou in legends.

Much less could it be a Golden Hou, the king among hou, capable of contending with an entire ancient kingdom.

"You don't know-I mean, you've never seen a Golden Hou?" Shi Yunfeng felt embarrassed for these merchants. A Golden Hou was right in front of them, yet they thought it was a dog. He began to wonder whether there was something wrong with the discernment of people outside the Great Wilderness.

"How could anyone see a primordial remnant whenever they pleased? They dwell deep in the Great Wilderness of the Western Frontier. But I have seen illustrations." As one merchant spoke, he took a bamboo scroll from his pack. "Young fellow, and you too, friend-take a look."

The bamboo scroll bore illustrations of many animals, with annotations beside each one.

"This is essential for traveling merchants like us. When we're walking through the primeval forests, which creatures we can provoke and which we can't are all clearly written in this bamboo book."

"This is a hou?" Shi Yunfeng's eyes widened as he stared at one illustration in the bamboo book. What in the world was this thing with three tails and a wing?

"Yes, that's a hou," the merchant said matter-of-factly. "Young fellow, and you too, friend-reality may be cruel, but you have to accept it. If you think that dog is a Golden Hou, I imagine your tribal elders were fooling you."

"Roar?"

The Golden Hou came over as well and looked at the bamboo scroll that had been passed to Di Yi. Although it could not read it, it vaguely sensed a certain malice and immediately fixed its attention on the illustration of the creature with three tails and a wing.

"If this is a hou, then what is it?" Di Yi compared their appearances and found himself uncertain for a moment.

Inside the Great Wilderness, people regarded it as a Golden Hou, but outside, they considered another creature a hou. The Golden Hou was the ultimate source of all hou; with a single movement, it could draw ten thousand beasts to follow and battle an azure dragon.

"Strange Dog, of course," the merchant said, taking the bamboo book back from Di Yi. "Though it might have a thin trace of hou blood. Either way, it's certainly special. Watch it carefully, and don't let those people discover it."

"All right, it's getting late. Things have been unsettled lately, so if you're taking the youngsters out to train, friend, don't stay in Cloud-Rushing Town too long." The merchants cupped their fists, said their farewells, and headed toward home.

"Outside the Great Wilderness... could people's understanding be different from ours inside it?" Shi Yunfeng was absolutely certain that the Golden Hou was a Golden Hou. Their former sacrificial spirit had specifically warned them about this great beast, telling the people of Stone Village not to provoke it.

"Perhaps." Di Yi stroked the Golden Hou's head. "But this is even better. I was wondering what sort of commotion a primordial remnant appearing in a large city would cause. Now there's no need to worry."

"What about those people, then?" Shi Yunfeng asked.

"They come from a prince or lord's residence, so they should have some discernment. They won't go looking for trouble." Di Yi paid that group no mind. Cloud-Rushing Town was large, after all, with a population of tens of thousands. They were only stopping briefly to rest, so the odds of running into them were slim.

"That's true." Shi Yunfeng nodded. Then the group followed Di Yi toward the world beyond the Western Frontier, heading for the Stone Kingdom's important border town.

At last, they were about to reach the world beyond the Great Wilderness.