Chapter 12
A massive black shadow slowly appeared ahead, accompanied by a roar. A fierce wind howled, sand and stones flew everywhere, and in a short time, it seemed a sandstorm was approaching from afar, shrouding everything in mist. Fearing that the dust storm might contain pebbles, Yinglong reached out and covered Jia'er's eyes. The little one squirmed restlessly a few times, but ultimately just nestled in his mother's arms without struggling.
Once the sand had cleared away, Yinglong could finally see what kind of wild beast it was.
A huge black bear, seemingly in a frenzy, standing halfway up the mountain, was standing behind a ridge, staring at them with its enormous eyes.
Feathers brushed lightly across my palm; it was Jia'er's eyes blinking, filled with curiosity.
Yinglong lowered his hand, and in that instant, monsters surged into their surroundings. Badgers, minks, leopards and other wild beasts surrounded them. The flower fairy they had caught earlier was now withering and was leaning against a rock nearby, half-fallen.
Clearly, it was the weakest of the group of demonic beasts, which is why it was sent to test her and kidnap her child.
Yinglong temporarily ignored the withering flower spirit. Looking at the scene before her, she turned to Jia'er and asked:
"Is Jia'er scared?"
Since she lowered her hand, this guy has been staring silently ahead. The monsters ahead have gathered and formed a huge, chaotic mass. Small monsters are scattered everywhere on the hillside, among the rocks, and in the gaps between the branches.
I thought the little guy was scared now, but after a while, he just chuckled.
...
Yinglong was completely at a loss.
"Where did this...dragon come from? How dare they trespass into my territory?"
The sound was deafening, and as soon as it was spoken, the little guy stopped laughing immediately. He seemed to have finally sensed a hint of danger.
Staring intently at the enormous creature, Jia'er's expression began to look somewhat bewildered.
Yinglong kissed his chubby cheek, then put him down next to the half-dead flower fairy, and casually set up a barrier around him.
Such a monster is not worthy of her answering questions. Since it has come to her doorstep, she can just set an example for Jia'er.
Seeing the enormous creature materialize into a black bear, Yinglong flew into the air, ready to quickly deal with it.
As soon as she left, the little demons below swarmed towards Jia'er, practically vying for position, and instantly surrounded the barrier.
Yinglong watched as Jia'er stood in the center of the barrier, looking around blankly.
As the monsters drew closer, all sorts of faces appeared before Jia'er—grotesque, ferocious, and violent—causing a chill to the heart.
Only then did they realize something was wrong; the tiny figure inside finally began to move.
Jia'er immediately shielded Hua Hua in front of her, and then—retaliated with the same ferocious expression.
The little dragon could only bar its teeth, looking fierce and menacing, as it stared at the monsters outside the barrier with a bewildered expression.
Everyone looked at each other.
What is this kid doing?
It has horns on its head, no doubt about it, it really is a dragon?
Jia'er ignored him, still baring his teeth, while tightly clutching the withered flower in his hand.
A fierce growl burst from between its teeth, and two sharp canine fangs began to emerge.
Those outside were slightly surprised by the sight, but then they stopped caring. As long as the little dragon was from the dragon clan, it didn't matter which branch it came from. As long as they could capture it, it would be a great achievement.
The demons tried desperately to break the barrier, but their cultivation was insufficient. The barrier was as hard as steel, and those outside could only scratch their heads and use various attacks.
The cold weapon struck repeatedly, creating a shallow crater. Sparks kept flying before Jia'er's eyes, and the constant banging in his ears made him dizzy.
However, this was not the biggest commotion; in the distance, in mid-air, an even bigger commotion was coming from Mother's side.
Swords flashed and weapons clashed in the sky, creating a blinding light.
Yinglong darted through the air, shifting and turning, seizing opportunities to grab the black bear's paws. With a powerful thrust, she sent it flying back several meters. Each time she knocked it back, the black bear's body shrank by an inch.
The black bear retreated in a sorry state, and after several rounds, it had destroyed several hilltops.
Knowing full well that he was no match for his opponent, and that if the fight continued, his physical body would probably be destroyed, the woman's ice hammer, though extremely cold and as clear as water, was enough to freeze or even shatter the flesh when it hit it.
Even if it possessed profound cultivation and could withstand a few blows, each strike of the ice hammer carried a bone-chilling cold, as if even its soul would be frozen. If the battle continued, not only would its body and soul be annihilated, but even the slightest trace of its existence might be erased.
Thinking of this, the black bear tried to find a place to escape, but it was on its own territory, and it was in such a sorry state, which was rare! In its rage, it was still unwilling to give up. As it turned around, it used its fists to smash the mountainside next to it repeatedly. The force of the blows caused boulders to roll down around it.
Even if you can't beat the big one, you can still bury the small one underneath.
Yinglong looked down and saw that Jia'er was sitting peacefully inside the barrier. Even though the boulders were falling rapidly, they could not get close to him.
What a stubborn fool!
The ice hammer clashed against the metal with a deafening roar. Yinglong was determined to finish off the black bear. She had no intention of holding back, as she needed to cross this mountain range eventually, and with Jia'er with her, it was best to avoid causing trouble. To prevent future problems, it was best to deal with them completely. These demonic beasts usually ruled this mountain, abducting any creatures that accidentally wandered into their territory to increase their cultivation. She had just encountered them today, and she would deal with each one as she went.
Jia'er watched his mother fight in the sky, completely stunned. He seemed to finally understand what danger meant.
The monsters around him hadn't dispersed, their ugly faces staring at him, but he wasn't afraid. In the East Sea, there were also very ugly monsters, but they were all kind. Why was everything different here?
The withered flower beside it was almost fainting from the pressure. Its cultivation had been destroyed by Yinglong, and its body was now very weak. It was just being held by this little thing and couldn't escape... In fact, with its current cultivation level, it was no different from the little thing sitting next to it.
"Bang!"
A moment later, a huge crater suddenly appeared on the ground, shaking the ground around it. Jia'er felt as if he was thrown off the ground for a moment.
When his bottom touched the ground again, he saw his mother slowly getting down, and in the big pit on the ground, there was a furry black thing lying there.
"Oh!" Jia'er exclaimed, "What a huge pit!"
An eerie silence descended, especially among the demonic beasts surrounding the barrier.
Seeing their leader get smashed into such a huge crater in the ground—ah!!!
The demonic beasts cried out in alarm and scattered in all directions, breaking apart like birds and beasts.
In the blink of an eye, all the demonic beasts surrounding Jia'er disappeared, leaving him with a clear, blank vision.
"Mother!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Jia'er exclaimed in delight.
Yinglong removed the barrier, went in, and picked him up.
"Mother!" Jia'er buried his head in his mother's arms and called out again. The little guy didn't seem scared at all. In fact, because his mother was so powerful, he felt as if he had just watched a wonderful fight.
I still feel a little unsatisfied.
Because of the protective barrier, he even felt that the group of monsters outside were not there to harm him, but rather to play games with him.
Ultimately, they were still too well protected.
"Mommy, this is so much fun!"
Yinglong pondered, she didn't understand her son's thought process. She had just demonstrated in the sky for so long, but he was just sitting properly on the ground, only caring about having fun.
In that case...
This won't do. The mountains here are endless, and they haven't even crossed the first mountain yet, and they've already encountered so many monsters. Once they get past this mountain, there will only be more and more.
Not to mention that they have only been traveling for a short time, and there are still tens of thousands of miles to go to reach the northwest.
As I was carrying the chubby little boy and preparing to continue walking, I noticed that he was clutching a withered branch with several small flower buds on it, all about to wither.
Yinglong sighed:
"Jia'er, throw it away."
Isn't that withered branch the flower spirit from before? The flower spirit that came up here to bewitch him.
"No, I won't throw it away." He likes this flower.
"Do you know it's here to harm you? Without your mother, you would have been eaten by those wild beasts." Yinglong tried to make it sound terrifying, hoping to scare the cub.
"No, it won't," Xiaolong said softly.
"Why not?"
"Jia'er couldn't bear it..." He insisted on carrying this withered branch with him.
Yinglong looked down at him. The sky in the distance was slowly darkening. They couldn't go much further today. It seemed they had no choice but to stay here.
At the foot of the mountain, in that warm, enchanted area as usual, Jia'er stared intently at the withered branches on the ground, as if hoping they would awaken and bloom again.
Yinglong looked at his son, who was sitting there intently, his hands supporting his chin. The events of the day had no effect on him at all; he was still hoping to save Huahua.
"Jia'er, it's time for us to sleep." After waiting for a long time, Yinglong tried to coax him to sleep.
"Mother, wait a little longer," Jia'er said, still staring at the withered branch.
"Alright, time for bed." Yinglong picked him up and placed him on the bed. The child opened his big eyes and looked at the sky. There were no shooting stars today, so he couldn't make a wish.
He wanted to sleep, but his mother wasn't asleep, and he didn't know why.
As he waited for drowsiness to overwhelm him, and his eyes were about to close, his mother leaned close to him and whispered:
"I hope that when you wake up again, you will have grown and won't be so soft-hearted anymore..."
He fell fast asleep before his mother could finish speaking.
Night had fallen, and the withered branches on the ground looked as if they were completely dead.
*
Tick-tock.
Tick-tock.
Water droplets dripped continuously from a height, hitting the stone pit and making a rhythmic sound.
The surroundings were quiet, with only this sound keeping its own rhythm, thumping against one's eardrums.
Amidst such sounds, Jia'er slowly opened his eyes. It seemed like dawn hadn't broken yet, and he couldn't see anything when he opened his eyes.
"Mother," he called softly, stretching, but no one answered; all was quiet.
Huh? Why can't he open his eyes?
Strange, I'm not sleepy at all.
Let's leave that for now.
"Mother," he called again in the darkness, but there was still no answer.
Jia'er blinked his eyes. "That's right, his eyes are open. How come he can't see anything?"
Tick-tock.
Tick-tock.
All that reached my ears was the rhythmic sound of dripping water.
Jia'er was puzzled. He turned his head and found that his mother was no longer by his side.
He was so startled that he sat up abruptly, rubbed his eyes, and realized that his mother was really gone!
"Mother!" The little child was gripped by fear, and he instinctively called out to his mother, but there was no answer, only his own echo.
"Mother!"
The echoes from the valley were loud and eerie.
The barrier was gone, and so was his small bed; all that remained was a dark cave.
He fell into a cave!
ah!
It was pitch black all around, and it seemed like he was all alone.
So, Mother is lost too? Where did she fall? Jia'er thought, the most urgent thing is to find Mother.
He got up from the ground and looked around. It was so dark inside that he couldn't see anything. He walked around for a while but couldn't tell which way to go.
The walls all around were dark and damp, and if you touched them, your hand would freeze.
Jia'er dared not touch it anymore. Everything here was so strange. How did he fall here?
"Mother..." Jia'er murmured. He was very scared. How could he get out?
He kept running into the wall, until he hit it again and fell to the ground. Then he saw what looked like a light in a certain direction.
He got up and began to grope his way in that direction, which might be the exit.
Xiao Long slowly took two steps forward, and the light became even brighter. That was indeed the exit! Having found his way, he immediately quickened his pace and ran forward, completely relying on instinct.
It's getting brighter and brighter!
It's getting brighter and brighter!
Get out! Get out!
"Ha!" When he reached the door, Xiaolong suddenly stopped and stared in disbelief at the scene before him—a group of ferocious-looking monsters were gathered at the door, all glaring at him menacingly.
"Who are you?" Jia'er asked softly. How dare you block the doorway and delay his search for his mother! He was very anxious at that moment.
"Where did this little rascal come from? Did the higher-ups throw it down to improve our meals?"
"I'm afraid not, it has horns, it's a dragon."
"Dragons? How could dragons be here?"
"Who cares? The fact that we're here means we were thrown down from above."
"That's true!"
A swarm of monsters, chattering amongst themselves, looked at the little dragon as if it were a dish.
Jia'er froze. Even if he was slow-witted, he knew he was in danger. The group of demonic beasts in front of him had no good intentions! They wanted to capture him!
Now that his mother's protective barrier is gone, how can he escape?
He's in a real hurry to find his mother!
"If you don't move aside, I won't be polite!" A childish voice rang out in the cave.
"Hahahahaha!" Koji was met with a group of arrogant laughter.
...
"Alas!"
Jia'er began to bare his teeth. He had nothing in his hands, but he still opened them wide, pretending to look fierce.
...
"Who knows what this kid is doing?"
Is she angry or scared?
"Are you scared? You're about to be eaten."
...
Jia'er's teeth bared wider and wider, and he roared! He assumed a defensive stance, but his hands were still empty.
"It looks like he's sick."
"Eat quickly, lest something unexpected happens."
"That's true."
The group of demonic beasts was closing in step by step, and Jia'er was forced to retreat. This time, he was really in danger!
But he hasn't found his mother yet; he has to go out and find her!
The lead monster, resembling a jackal, raised a large sword that gleamed with a bright white light, while its companions behind it shouted:
"Hurry up and take care of this guy quickly."
"Hurry up, everyone can't wait any longer."
Jia'er knew danger was imminent. Just as the jackal was about to strike him with its knife, he seized the opportunity and tried to slip past it.
Unfortunately, there were too many people on the other side, and he couldn't break through at all. Before he could run two steps, he was grabbed and thrown back.
"Smack!"
A small dent appeared on the opposite wall, and small stones kept falling around the dent. Jia'er's body was firmly embedded in the wall, and then fell to the ground with a "thud".
it hurts!
It really hurts, my whole body aches.
Jia'er burst into tears; he had never felt such pain before.
"I told you to hurry up and kill him! This kid is so slow and he's trying to escape."
"Is this kid that hard to kill? If it's really too difficult, let the brothers handle it."
The group of monsters were still discussing how to kill him quickly, while the jackal raised his knife again.
"Shut up, all of you. I was caught off guard. I didn't expect this kid to run away."
The words seemed to echo in his ears. Jia'er got up, patted the dirt off his body, and, with tears welling up in his eyes, choked out:
I don't want to hurt you.
"Let me go."
The monsters opposite looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this, thinking that this kid had really lost his mind.
"Enough with the nonsense, I'll live to see you die today."
A badger couldn't stand the way the child was being slaughtered so slowly, so he snatched the knife and went to stab him.
Jia'er mustered his strength, rushed forward, grabbed its leg, and then bit it hard.
"Ah!" The badger couldn't bear the pain and forgot to cut it. Instead, it picked up the thing on its leg and threw it against the wall.
"Bang!" Jia'er was thrown against the wall again.
But the next second, he swiftly leaped onto the person's calf and, as usual, took another bite.
"Bang!" He was thrown against the wall.
Let's try again.
"Bang!"
Dumped again.
Unbeknownst to him, he had bitten every single monster here, and unsurprisingly, he was slammed against the wall.
"Has this kid gone mad?" the beasts exclaimed in surprise, clutching their legs.
The wound on my leg was extremely painful because the kid bit down hard every time he bit, using all his strength.
For a moment, the monsters forgot about killing him and busied themselves rubbing their legs to relieve the pain.
Strangely enough, in such a short time, this kid actually bit every single one of the things along the doorway.
How can it not be considered a form of strength?
The crowd gasped and hissed, each one looking at the little boy with a look that seemed to want to tear him apart alive.
Jia'er stood by the wall, his face covered in dust from being hit. He was panting heavily, still looking for an opportunity.
"I didn't want to hurt you, you forced me to." His voice was still choked with sobs. He didn't understand why these people, whom he didn't even know, still wanted him dead.
When someone nearby recovered and wanted to take up the knife again, Koji immediately calmed himself down; this time he wouldn't hold back!
The entrance was completely blocked, without even a crack. To get out, we would have to find a way out.
A wild boar already had a knife, but it was still hesitating.
The kid in front of me isn't exactly strong; in fact, he's practically nonexistent, since he can't use a single move.
but!
but!
This kid has a special skill: he's incredibly fast! One second he's slammed against the wall, the next he's clinging to your leg, and before you can even catch your breath, he's biting you hard...
A normal person needs time to recover after being slammed against a wall, but this kid didn't. One second he was on the wall, the next he was spreading his legs and opening his mouth...
What kind of constitution is this, that it doesn't cause any pain?
Are animals with horns immune to pain?
...
In fact, Jia'er was in excruciating pain, but he wanted to live, he wanted to live to go out and find his mother.
I bit too many people before, and my teeth are still a little sore.
But it's okay.
"I won't let you get away with this!" Jia'er roared, determined not to be killed by these monsters!
Another knife came flying at him. He dodged, and the tip of the knife grazed his clothes several times, but he narrowly avoided it each time.
Under the relentless attack, Koji retreated step by step until there was only a wall behind him; he had nowhere left to retreat.
In his despair, he remembered that his mother and father had taught him cultivation techniques back in the East Sea. How could he have forgotten them all?
"Sizzle!"
A sound of fabric being torn rang out. Jia'er looked down and saw that her clothes had been ripped open, looking quite alarming... It was almost torn to her skin.
Jia'er stopped crying, he didn't care anymore, he was going to fight these people!
Remembering his father's teachings on water manipulation, he leaped into the air, condensing all the water in the pit into a giant column that shot towards the door with a whoosh!
There's a cliff right outside the door; he's going to take them all down with him!
The water jet swept away all the monsters at the entrance, and just as they were about to fall off the cliff, a jackal among the monsters reacted quickly, grabbed Jia'er's ankle, and pulled him down with him.
"ah!!!"
Screams erupted instantly, and one after another, they all fell off the cliff.
"Clatter!" The cliff bottom welcomed so many distinguished guests, and a huge cloud of dust rose up all at once.
Jia'er was also slammed heavily to the ground. Because the cliff was too high, he was hit so hard that he was thrown to the ground in the shape of a dragon.
"Ouch." The little golden dragon landed, and dust filled the surroundings.
Dragons are tough; despite the hard fall, they weren't injured.
Jia'er felt dizzy and lightheaded, and almost thought he had died.
This time, it took him a long time to recover. When he slowly opened his eyes again, he found that the monsters next to him had fallen to the ground and none of them had woken up.
Thank goodness.
The first thing Jia'er did upon waking was to look for the knife, but after looking around, he couldn't find it; it must have been left in the cave. Jia'er looked up again; the cave above was so high, so far from the bottom of the cliff… So that's where they fell from.
It's good that they don't have knives; now they can't kill themselves.
Jia'er breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could relax, several of the monsters next to him showed signs of waking up. When he saw this, he quickly sat down on one of them.
It might make someone dizzy.
He would walk up to anyone who looked like they were about to wake up, plop down next to them, and make them faint again.
This tactic was very effective; within a short time, none of the monsters seemed to have woken up again.
Jia'er was very satisfied, and he tentatively called his move "Buttock Divine Skill".
After dealing with the monster, he began to think about how to get out.
The surrounding area was filled with strangely shaped trees and weeds, as well as holes of various sizes, which looked very eerie and made it difficult to even tell which way was which.
Jia'er frantically tried to figure out how to get there. It was so high up there, how was he going to climb up? His mother must be up there.
I crawled up to a cave using both hands and feet, only to find that the entrance was too small to fit through. It was probably the home of some small animal, so I decided not to go in.
But how exactly do we get up there?
Just when Jia'er was at his wit's end, something tugged at his sleeve. He turned around and looked.
"Flower!"
The flower fairy, which was originally on the verge of death, was now lying in the mud, its two branches clamping onto his sleeve, as if calling to him.
"Hua Hua!" Jia'er called out happily again. He didn't expect to see Hua Hua here again, the Hua Hua who smelled so good, even though he couldn't smell her at all now.
"Come with me," the withered branch spoke; it could actually talk.
Jia'er was overjoyed. He used both his hands and feet to climb up the dead branches. They slowly climbed up those narrow cliffs.
The withered branch seemed to know some secret passage, leading Xiaolong along a dark, secluded path. Although visibility was poor, Jia'er knew they were going uphill.
Jia'er trusted Huahua completely, and he climbed up without making a sound.
The little dragon, who was beautiful and fair-skinned just the day before, is now covered in dirt and looks utterly disheveled.
His face was almost entirely covered in mud, and his clothes were torn in several places, hanging loosely on his body. His hands, face, hair... everything visible to the naked eye was filthy. But Jia'er didn't care at all. He even felt a surge of hope; if he followed Hua Hua, he could get up there.
All he wants now is to go up there and find his mother.
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