Ye Qingyun was lost.
To be precise, he did not even know where he was.
He was out in the wilderness, with gusts of night wind blowing.
There were also wolf howls from time to time.
Ye Qingyun was a little panicked.
He could not help hugging the rabbit in his arms tighter.
Fortunately, Damao was still beside him.
"Damao, do you know the way home?"
Ye Qingyun asked tentatively.
People always said an old horse knew the way.
He wondered if an old dog could do the same.
Damao barked, then wagged his tail and walked forward at an unhurried pace.
Ye Qingyun looked dubious.
Did this fellow really know the way?
Seeing that Ye Qingyun was not moving, Damao even stopped and glanced back at him, seemingly signaling for him to follow.
Ye Qingyun had no choice.
He could only follow.
A man, a dog, and a rabbit wandered slowly through the wilderness just like that.
The dog was relaxed.
The rabbit was at ease.
The man was panicking.
After walking for most of the night, Ye Qingyun felt his legs ache and weaken. He was tired and hungry.
"I can't walk anymore. Damao, how about you carry me?"
Ye Qingyun said, his face full of anguish.
At those words, Damao's canine face immediately fell.
Are you even human?
You actually want a dog like me to carry you?
Don't you have any idea how much you weigh?
But Ye Qingyun truly could not walk any farther.
Seeing this, Damao walked a short distance away and barked twice into the open space.
Woof, woof!
Ye Qingyun was wondering what Damao was doing.
Suddenly.
A fierce gust of wind swept in.
An enormous black bear came running straight over.
Ye Qingyun jumped in fright.
"Damao, run!"
He hurried over, intending to drag Damao away.
He was terrified that this stupid dog would be eaten by the bear.
Yet Damao was not afraid at all. Instead, he barked twice more at the huge black bear.
The huge black bear crouched before Damao and nodded repeatedly.
It seemed to understand what Damao was barking.
A dog and a bear began communicating right before Ye Qingyun's eyes.
"What the hell?"
Ye Qingyun looked utterly bewildered.
Still, from the looks of it, Damao probably was not in any danger.
After Damao and the black bear communicated for a while, the bear walked up to Ye Qingyun.
A little frightened, Ye Qingyun shrank back a few steps.
But the black bear suddenly lay down on the ground, presenting its back to Ye Qingyun.
Beside it, Damao kept barking at Ye Qingyun too.
"You want me to climb on? And have this bear carry me?"
Ye Qingyun was astonished.
Damao nodded repeatedly.
Ye Qingyun was stunned.
This dog I raised actually had a talent like this?
He could not help grinning.
No longer afraid, he immediately sat on the black bear's back.
The black bear carried Ye Qingyun while Damao continued leading the way.
"Damao, is it your friend?"
"Woof, woof!"
"I can't understand you, but I think that's a yes."
"Woof, woof!"
"You're amazing, Damao. I'll reward you with a big bone when we get back."
"Woof, woof, woof!"
"This black bear's fur is a bit prickly against my crotch. It's not very comfortable..."
The black bear: "..."
I'm a bear demon, at least, and you actually say my fur prickles your crotch?
If not for this great dog demon king, I'd turn a weak human like you into meat paste with one swipe of my paw.
This black bear was none other than the bear demon who had appeared with the wolf demon earlier.
Now, he had revealed his true form and been summoned by Damao to run an errand, serving as Ye Qingyun's mount.
On a nearby hilltop, the wolf demon watched the bear demon recede into the distance, silently shedding tears in his heart.
"You've had to suffer, Brother Bear."
"Young Miss, we've reached Heaven-Controlling Valley."
The carriage stopped at a narrow valley entrance.
The middle-aged driver called out to Xiao Shi inside the carriage.
Xiao Shi stepped out of the carriage.
By now, she had changed into women's clothing.
Had Ye Qingyun been here, he would surely have been stunned by Xiao Shi's beauty.
It had not been apparent when she was disguised as a man.
But once she changed back into women's clothing, Xiao Shi was one of the most beautiful women in the world.
It was precisely because her looks were so outstanding that she attracted countless gazes wherever she went.
Xiao Shi did not like this.
That was why she often disguised herself as a man.
"We're finally here."
Xiao Shi gazed at the mountain pass before her, her heart brimming with anticipation.
She had traveled a thousand miles from Northern River to this place.
All to find a master living here in seclusion and become his disciple.
Xiao Shi's great-grandfather had once been acquainted with this master.
Before his death, Xiao Shi's great-grandfather had told the Xiao Lineage that if any of their descendants possessed particularly outstanding talent, they could send them to Heaven-Controlling Valley to become the valley master's disciple.
The master in the valley had once made a promise to the Xiao Lineage.
If the Xiao Lineage sent a junior to become his disciple, he would certainly make them an expert renowned throughout the world.
Now, Xiao Shi had come.
She had come bearing the Xiao Lineage's hopes.
"Uncle Jiu, bring the apprenticeship gifts and follow me into the valley."
"Yes!"
Uncle Jiu was the middle-aged driver. He picked up a bundle, then followed behind Xiao Shi as they entered Heaven-Controlling Valley together.
The valley was very quiet.
Before Xiao Shi and Uncle Jiu had walked very far, they spotted a thatched cottage in the distance.
A peach tree had been planted beside the cottage.
Beneath the peach tree, a white-haired old man lay dozing on a bamboo chair.
Xiao Shi's eyes lit up.
But she did not dare approach and disturb him casually.
She and Uncle Jiu stood at a distance just like that, waiting for the master to wake before going forward to pay their respects.
They waited for more than four hours.
Only then did the white-haired old man slowly wake.
"Hmm?"
As soon as he woke, he saw the two people standing nearby.
"The girl from the Xiao Lineage?"
Xiao Shi hurried forward.
"This junior, Xiao Shi, pays her respects to you, Senior!"
The white-haired old man smiled faintly.
"Good, very good. Your aptitude is excellent, very much to my liking."
Xiao Shi was overjoyed.
"This disciple pays her respects to Master!"
She then kowtowed three times to the white-haired old man, her forehead striking the ground audibly.
Smiling, the white-haired old man accepted Xiao Shi's three kowtows.
"Master, these are the apprenticeship gifts from our Xiao Lineage."
Xiao Shi took the bundle from Uncle Jiu and presented it with both hands.
The white-haired old man nodded and opened the bundle, only for a painting to fall out.
Somewhat embarrassed, Xiao Shi hurriedly picked up the painting.
It was the one Ye Qingyun had painted for her in the carriage earlier. Somehow, it had ended up among the apprenticeship gifts.
"Master, this isn't an apprenticeship gift. It's an ordinary painting."
Xiao Shi said.
The white-haired old man, however, seemed somewhat interested in the painting.
"Bring it here and let me see."
Xiao Shi was a little worried.
She was afraid the painting would displease the white-haired old man.
But since the white-haired old man had spoken, Xiao Shi could only hand it to him.
The old man immediately spread the painting open.
At one glance, the old man's expression changed drastically.
He abruptly rose from the wicker chair, his eyes fixed intently on the painting.
He looked as though he had seen some utterly terrifying existence.
Xiao Shi and Uncle Jiu were both startled.
"Master, is there something wrong with this painting?"
The white-haired old man's hands trembled, his face filled with shock.
"This painting... this painting..."
"This painting is far from ordinary. It contains a supreme Great Dao!"
At these words, Xiao Shi and Uncle Jiu were completely dumbfounded.
What?
A supreme Great Dao?