Gray Bear drained a bowl of strong liquor, wiped away the spilled drops, and chuckled, thoroughly pleased with his role as referee.
"Then I'll start! Ready... go!"
Gray Bear deliberately drew out "ready" for a long time, but even after he bellowed "go," none of the three showed the slightest sign of moving. They still held their drinks and sipped slowly.
"Huh? Why haven't you set off yet?"
Gray Bear was utterly puzzled, but Mu Bai laughed. "Because we've already brought it back!"
Spirit Monkey and Tie Niu also roared with laughter.
"I don't believe it! How could anyone be that fast? I didn't see any of you move!"
"Haha, you fool! Look what this is..."
Laughing, Spirit Monkey took a piece of rhinoceros iron ore from inside his clothes. Mu Bai and Tie Niu each took out a piece as well and placed it before Gray Bear.
"Ah, this is...? How is that possible?"
Gray Bear was utterly baffled. Even if they beat him to death, he would never believe that the three could retrieve ore from a hundred li away while sitting there without moving.
Seeing Gray Bear's bewilderment, Mu Bai and the other two laughed without stopping. Spirit Monkey was so delighted that he frolicked about on the ground.
"I get it! You tricked me! You already had that ore on you!"
"Haha, you fool, you finally understand! Do you know what we were competing in? We were competing in intelligence! Hahaha..."
Deeply embarrassed, Gray Bear flushed red and swished his short tail. He lifted a jar of liquor and gulped it down in one go, using the liquor's effects to conceal the blush on his face.
"Come on, let's join Brother Gray Bear for a jar!"
At Mu Bai's suggestion, Tie Niu and Spirit Monkey stopped