Chapter 4

If these little fellows did not live particularly long lives.

Xie Juanhan stroked the little fellow in his arms absentmindedly. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind-

He lifted the little fellow up.

His petting had left it drowsy.

Suddenly lifted into the air, it opened its eyes wide and curled its tail. "Squeak?!"

"Do you all stay around here every day?" Xie Juanhan looked at the little fellow and ventured, "Is there anywhere nearby that would be suitable to live in?"

Xie Juanhan did not speak the language of this world, so he communicated with mental power.

In theory, the little fellows should be able to understand him.

The little fellow he was holding up hesitated and stared back at Xie Juanhan, their eyes locked.

Xie Juanhan was surprised. "There really is?"

With that, Xie Juanhan turned to the other little fellows. "What about you? Do you have anywhere to recommend?"

This was probably the first time the little fellows had been asked such a question.

They were all bewildered. They looked at one another, their expressions a little lost.

After a while, one little fellow squeaked twice, hesitantly took two steps forward, then looked back at Xie Juanhan.

Xie Juanhan had not expected them to actually understand him, much less respond.

Xie Juanhan tentatively stood up and walked forward with the little fellow in his arms.

The little fellow pushed off his arm, jumped to the ground and joined its companions in leading the way.

The little fellows seemed to have reached an understanding and trotted ahead to guide him.

Every few steps, they looked back to see if Xie Juanhan was keeping up.

From their little gestures, Xie Juanhan was certain they really were leading the way.

His curiosity grew, and he quickened his pace behind them.

The little fellows ran and leaped through the forest.

Xie Juanhan noticed that as the little fellows ran onward, the air gradually became drier and the temperature rose.

This was also the direction of the local dragon Telingewei's territory.

Were the little fellows taking him back to Telingewei's territory?

Xie Juanhan was considering whether to keep following them.

Suddenly, the little fellows ahead turned and ran along the edge of Telingewei's territory.

They were not going into Telingewei's territory after all?

The sun set, the moon rose, and the mountain breeze gradually grew a little cool.

Xie Juanhan's nose twitched slightly.

He caught a faint whiff of sulfur on the wind.

It was not his imagination.

After passing through another stretch of forest, his view suddenly opened up.

A rocky clearing lay before him.

A stream flowed around it, and weeds grew in the cracks between the stones.

There were also several small pools in the middle of the clearing.

The water in the pools glowed white, and steam rose from it.

Natural hot springs!

"Squeak, squeak!"

The little fellow that had first led the way turned its head and gestured to Xie Juanhan.

"Is this the place?" Xie Juanhan walked over and tested the hot spring.

The water was not too hot, just right for bathing.

Xie Juanhan looked around.

Perhaps because the hot springs made it warmer here and there were so many rocks, there were hardly any trees nearby.

As far as he could see, the surroundings were unusually open.

Finding an open space in the forest was not easy.

Open, bright and dry meant there would be few insects, making it a comfortable place to live.

Xie Juanhan was still surveying the surroundings.

The little fellow ahead squeaked twice again. "Squeak, squeak."

"Hmm?"

Xie Juanhan looked up to see the little fellow run two steps forward, then turn to look at him again.

It was clearly offering to lead him farther ahead.

"What's up ahead?" Xie Juanhan followed it curiously.

The little fellows followed the stream through another small patch of woods, with Xie Juanhan behind them.

After only a few steps, the stream joined a river three or four meters wide.

In a clearing by the river stood a collapsed stone house.

The little fellows really had found him a place where someone had lived!

Delighted, Xie Juanhan took a few steps forward.

Once he was completely out of the woods, he discovered there was more: a village stood across the river.

In the twilight, cooking smoke drifted from the chimneys of several houses in the village.

He could also smell the distinctive scent of cooking smoke.

"Squeak, squeak." The little fellows turned to look at Xie Juanhan, looking rather proud of themselves.

They seemed to be asking if this was the place he wanted, a place where he could live.

Xie Juanhan walked over.

The house had probably been unoccupied for many years. He could not smell any trace of people.

The house had mostly collapsed. Its original thatched roof was completely gone, stones lay scattered across the ground, and plenty of weeds grew both inside and outside.

Even so, someone had cleared and developed the place, making it much better than the forest.

At least there were enough stones here to use as building materials, and the ground was very level.

A few days of repairs, and he could move right in.

It was also close to the river and the hot springs, making it very convenient to fetch water and bathe.

It was the perfect shelter.

Without the little fellows to guide him, Xie Juanhan would never have found this place.

Xie Juanhan was stunned.

These little fellows were remarkably perceptive.

He looked at them, crouched down and said solemnly, "Thank you."

Several of the little fellows looked a little shy, both bashful and happy.

The others were not shy, but they were happy too.

Remembering how they had eaten the venison, Xie Juanhan smiled and said, "Once I've fixed up the house and can cook in a couple of days, I'll treat you to a meal."

The little fellows seemed to have understood that, and the happiness on their faces became even more apparent.

It was completely dark.

There was no light pollution in this world, and the stars were bright.

The little fellows soon left by starlight.

Xie Juanhan tidied up the collapsed stone house a little, returned to the hot springs, bathed and washed his clothes, then took his original form and found a smooth stone to lie on.

The stone had been warmed by the sun during the day and still retained some of its heat.

It was comfortable to lie on.

Xie Juanhan looked at the starry sky overhead.

The starry sky was unfamiliar, and so were the paths the stars took through it.

He would probably live beneath this unfamiliar sky for a long time.

He did not know whether his life from now on would go smoothly.

Xie Juanhan gradually fell asleep on the stone.

Meanwhile, deep in the Magic Forest, the local dragon Telingewei was also lying on the bed of gold coins in his cave.

Telingewei's cave was very dry and smelled of hay.

The whale-oil lamps on the walls burned with steady flames.

The light was not particularly bright, but it shone on the gold coins filling the cave, giving them the appearance of rippling water.

Telingewei slept in the cave with his eyes closed, as if he were sleeping underwater in the sunlight.

"Whoosh-"

A group of furry little creatures quietly poked their heads out to peer into the cave.

When they saw that the giant dragon's eyes were closed, they quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Pressing their tails tightly against their bellies, they crept in from outside on tiptoe, holding their breath.

As they hurried inside, they kept watching the dragon for any movement.

"Stop." Telingewei's deep voice rang out.

The little fellows all froze.

The giant dragon lying on the gold coins opened his eyes. His body rapidly shrank, and he turned into a black-haired, long-legged man who stepped down from the coins.

The man wore black trousers and a white shirt, his bulging chest muscles nearly bursting through the fabric.

As he approached, his presence was impossible to ignore.

The little fellows shrank back, tucked their paws under their bellies and sat up straight. Tilting their heads, they squeaked very softly, "Squeak."

Telingewei picked up the nearest little fellow by the scruff of its neck and held it up to his nose for a sniff.

The scent of another sacred being clung to the little fellow's fluffy, long fur.

It was Xie Juanhan, whom he had just met.

"You went to see Xie Juanhan?" Telingewei looked at his companion beast and pronounced the name accurately.

He did not know if it was his imagination, but his companion beast's fur was especially fluffy today, and its aura was especially healthy, as though it had received nourishment.

The companion beast dangling from his hand squeaked without much confidence. "Squeak."

"Made friends?" Telingewei asked.

"Squeak, squeak."

"Delicious? A house?" Telingewei had caught the gist, but seemed even more confused.

He lost patience, pressed his forehead against the companion beast's, and read its memories directly.

His companion beasts were little creatures hatched from the excess energy released when he broke out of his shell.

The companion beasts had once been part of him. Even though they were independent now, he could still get a general sense of their memories.

Before long, Telingewei had learned the whole story from the companion beast's memories.

Xie Juanhan, that elegant sacred being, had settled on the edge of the Magic Forest?

Telingewei was slightly taken aback.

A being of that level was bound to bring many changes to the Magic Forest.

"Squeak, squeak." Seeing Telingewei lost in thought, the little fellow in his hand twisted its body, struggled free and jumped to the ground, huddling together with its companions.

Telingewei did not react much.

Seeing this, the little fellows ran off at once.

==========Author's note:==========

See you tomorrow!

Thanks to Yingjin and Mango King for the rocket launchers; thanks to Xiaoning for the grenade; thanks to Yuzu Tea (*2), Dingdong Caicai, Nanzhi, Lili, Qing, Got Up for Nothing, A Clear Breeze Comes Under the Moon, Yiyi, Full-Sugar Zero-Fat Herbal Tea, Zhexin, mgk993, Xia Xia Xia Xia Xia Ah, Wulala Nai, Reject

Heartthrob

, Good Books Are So Hard to Find, ophir, Qi., Maomao, Baihe and Meow Meow King for the landmines.

Chapter 4

In the early morning, orange-gold sunlight spread across the earth and over Xie Juanhan in his dragon form.

Xie Juanhan opened his eyes slightly and took a look, then rolled over and continued dozing.