Chapter 13
Thump!
Thump!
At the end of a tree trunk that was growing diagonally out of the wall, there was a hole in the tree, and water was dripping into the hole at that moment.
After dripping for a while, the water in the tree hole was full and about to overflow.
Just then, a furry head suddenly peeked out from the top of the tree trunk.
The head swayed slightly, causing the hair to flutter, highlighting the innocent and adorable face beneath.
Jia'er stared intently ahead, swaying left and right, his gaze focused as he diligently crawled along the tree trunk.
He wanted to crawl to the bottom of the tree trunk to drink water.
He was thirsty.
Jia'er waited patiently at the edge of the cliff for a long time until the water filled the cliff. Jia'er then carefully crawled towards the tail end.
He got close enough to reach the water source, and stuck out his little tongue, licking it quickly, one lick at a time.
After licking for a long time, Jia'er was full. He turned around and asked Hua Hua:
"Huahua, do you want some water?" He opened his arms, ready to take Huahua over.
"No need," the withered branch said, twisting its body at the same time.
It doesn't need to drink water.
"Okay." Jia'er finished drinking and continued to wriggle, preparing to go back.
This branch grows here alone and askew, looking rather frail; if anything slightly heavy were to lean on it, it would probably break.
Xiao Long was still lying at the very back, in the most dangerous position. In order to avoid falling, he had to slow down and carefully go back.
A withered branch caught the little dragon as he returned from the shore, using its branches to hold his clothes and help him back to the cliff.
"Are we still leaving?" Kuzhi asked.
They were tired from walking, so they squatted here waiting for water. After waiting for a long time, they finally got some water and had rested enough.
"I have to leave. I need to find my mother as soon as possible," Jia'er said, wiping his mouth. The water was cool and refreshing, and he enjoyed drinking it.
"Okay, let's continue."
The withered branch led the way, and Jia'er followed behind.
The little dragon was tireless and followed along the mountain path for a long time. Now they were more than ten meters above the bottom of the cliff.
They encountered another very low passageway ahead, through which the withered branches slid very smoothly. Jia'er couldn't do it; his size required him to crawl on the ground to get through.
So he lay down again and crawled forward using both his hands and feet.
After climbing for a while, the view ahead opened up, but Jia'er was still climbing vigorously.
"You can stand up now."
"Huh? Oh, oh." Xiaolong looked up and saw that the passageway had been passed through, and what appeared in front of him was a dark gravel road.
This gravel path is located between two mountains and is very narrow. There are mountains on both sides of the path, and people cannot move their bodies freely when walking on it. Moreover, the light inside is intermittent, depending entirely on whether there are trees above to block it.
Jia'er walked with difficulty.
The withered branch then turned around and glanced back.
Are you in a hurry to find your mother?
"Of course." He accidentally got lost, and his mother must be very worried.
The withered branch fell silent, then asked again:
"Have you never wondered why you're here in the first place?"
"Hmm... I don't know either. It seems like I fell asleep and accidentally fell into this cave, and then my mother couldn't find me..."
Jia'er felt very remorseful, wondering why he didn't hold his mother tightly while sleeping.
Sighing softly, Kuzhi stared at the innocent face before him.
"Since you're in such a hurry, let's hurry up and go."
"Mmm." Jia'er nodded.
A dragon and a demon struggled to move forward on this narrow stone path.
It took a long time to walk.
"Hua Hua, what's your name?" As Xiao Long walked, he suddenly realized that he didn't know Hua Hua's name.
Hua Hua is so kind; it led him to find his mother. How come he still doesn't know its name?
The withered branch paused for a moment, for it was born a demon, so it had no name.
"I have no name."
"You don't have a name? How can a person not have a name? Didn't your parents give you a name?"
Xiao Long kept talking, lost in his own monologue.
"If you don't have a name, I'll just call you Huahua... By the way, my name is Ao Jia, but my mother and father both call me Jia'er, so you can call me that too..."
He kept reading all the way, not caring that the pebbles on the ground were so uncomfortable to walk on.
The valley was vast and deep, and his voice seemed to be amplified infinitely, with an echo if you listened carefully.
Slowly, some unusual movements began to occur around them, but Jia'er was completely unaware.
"Father said we should listen to Mother, so I'll never run around like this again..."
"I wonder what Mother is doing now? Is she looking for me?"
"It's so cold here..."
As they were talking, the withered branch in front of them suddenly stopped, swayed restlessly, and then turned back to look at Jia'er.
Jia'er saw that it wasn't leaving, and asked it:
"Huahua, what are you doing?"
No sooner had they finished speaking than several birds suddenly flew over them, skimming past their heads in the narrow passage between the mountains.
Jia'er instantly felt a chill run down his spine.
“What is that?” he asked.
The withered branch remained silent; it simply stared wide-eyed at the little dragon, its eyes filled with worry.
Jia'er was still confused. When the birds flew over his head again, he began to look up and stare.
What enormous birds they were! They circled overhead, their wings flapping and making a loud whooshing sound.
"What is that?" Jia'er asked Hua Hua again, wondering why it was following them. He had never seen it before.
"Golden...eagle." The withered branch stammered, the little dragon seemingly unaware of the impending danger.
Two golden eagles circled in the air for a long time, as if searching for something. Finally, they stopped in front of Jia'er, standing on a boulder and looking down at them.
With their path blocked, the two small creatures in front of them seemed a little lost.
In the past, Jia'er would grin and ask, "Who are you? Are you here to be our friends?"
Just a second ago he had such thoughts, but now, facing the sharp gazes of the two golden eagles, he swallowed all his guesses and was replaced by the same sense of despair he felt when he encountered a large group of monsters in the cave not long ago.
A shadow fell over his heart, and the instinct for survival told Jia'er:
They must be just like those monsters, trying to harm me!
Since his experience in the cave, Xiaolong has grown up rapidly. He no longer has the carefree attitude he used to have towards everyone. Now, when he encounters something he doesn't recognize, he learns to examine it carefully first.
Just now, as he carefully examined the two golden eagles, a strange chill rose from his back.
The way they looked at me was clearly the same as the way the monsters in the cave looked at food...
Withered Branch's eyes gleamed; these two birds of prey clearly mistook the little creature for a small animal like a rabbit... In this critical situation, she called out to Jia'er:
"Jia'er, run!"
Jia'er reacted quickly; upon hearing this, he turned and ran.
Unfortunately, the road here is all gravel, so no matter how fast they run, the raptors behind them can catch up with a flap of their wings.
Hearing the flapping sound behind him, Jia'er broke out in a cold sweat; he couldn't outrun them at all.
How did I end up in danger everywhere after leaving my mother?
He will never trust anyone again!
Jia'er wanted to cry as she ran, but no, this was not the time to cry. The most important thing right now was to escape with Hua Hua.
Clutching Huahua tightly, he began his desperate escape once again.
Unfortunately, things didn't go smoothly this time. Running on two legs is definitely not as fast as flying. In the blink of an eye, the two golden eagles had already flown to his side and were pecking at his clothes, trying to snatch him away.
"ah!"
Jia'er was startled and actually started to bite it with his mouth.
They took turns, and this time the birds didn't give him a chance to react. The two of them swooped down again and again, trying to snatch the fleeing little dragon away.
Jia'er's clothes were already tattered, and now that they were being pecked at like this, they looked even more tattered.
He ran as fast as he could, panting heavily. Ah! He was so tired, and something sharp was pecking at him from behind!
The pebbles were incredibly sharp on his feet, and Jia'er felt a piercing pain in the soles of his feet. Finally, when something kept bumping into him from behind, he stumbled and fell to the ground with a "thud".
"Ouch." The fall was solid, and both hands hit the ground, but the flowers in their hands were still tightly clenched.
Jia'er had a mouthful of ash and felt a piercing pain in his hands. He struggled to get up and looked at his hands and elbows, which were covered in cuts and oozing golden blood.
Hmm? So his blood is golden?
"Ah!" Just as he was thinking this, the golden eagle started pecking at his head again and again, without stopping. It hurt terribly, even more than if it had pecked his body.
Why are you pecking your own head?!
Jia'er was at a loss for what to do. If they were going to carry him away, they would definitely eat him!
This is not allowed!
But he can't outrun them, and there's nothing he can do now...
What should we do? Jia'er was so anxious that sweat was pouring down his forehead.
Clutching the bleeding spot on his hand, he tried to get up, when the flower in his hand spoke:
"Aren't you a dragon?"
“Yes, I am the East Sea Dragon…” As soon as he said this, Jia’er immediately shut up. His mother had told him that when he was out in the world, he should not let others know his identity, especially not bad people. He could not let the two on his head know.
"If you're a dragon, can't you fly?"
"Fly?" He hadn't mastered the art of flying very well; he had only learned about 30% of it underwater, and he couldn't maintain his flight for very long each time.
His father said it wasn't the right time yet, and he had to wait until he was older.
But now, he's about to die before he grows up. If he doesn't try, he'll lose his life.
"Hua Hua, wait for me." Jia'er seemed to have finally thought of a way to save his life. Just as the two golden eagles were frantically pecking down, he seized the opportunity, leaped up while running, and transformed into a dragon.
Suddenly, a small golden dragon appeared in the narrow abyss. It flew up and down in the air, its movements agile and graceful. If you looked closely, you could see that its whole body was emitting a faint light.
The two golden eagles circled in the air, momentarily pausing their attack, seemingly in shock.
From the sky, this creature with two horns looked like a deer or sheep calf, seemingly within easy reach, but now it doesn't...
Is this a dragon?
How did a dragon end up here? And a little dragon that was left behind all by itself. If I could catch it... taking it back to nourish my cultivation with its dragon form would be an extremely beneficial thing.
Without a second thought, a fierce glint appeared in the eyes of the two golden eagles. Opportunity knocks but once. Dragons have lived on the seabed for generations and are a rare breed. Now that they have encountered one, they must not let it go.
These two golden eagles were extremely intelligent. Without needing to communicate, they understood each other's intentions and quietly adjusted their directions, positioning themselves on either side of the little dragon to launch a simultaneous attack from the left and right.
At this moment, Koji was unaware of the terrible things that were about to happen. He was still struggling... To outsiders, he seemed to be doing a good job, but he knew that he was about to give up!
How could this happen! Mother, help me!
The dragon claw gripped the flower tightly, watching to see if it had a chance to hold out for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, fly to the top of the cliff, and see the light of day again.
As time went on, just as Jia'er finally couldn't take it anymore and fell to the ground, the two golden eagles had already seized the opportunity. They swooped down and approached Jia'er at a frantic speed.
"careful!"
The withered branch cried out.
The dust around him hadn't settled yet, and Jia'er hadn't adjusted to the pain in his body. He was so startled by the shout of "Be careful!" that he almost lost his mind. He couldn't see anything clearly. He wanted to fly up again, but the next moment he felt someone snatch a piece of flesh from his body.
"Ouch!" A pain ten times worse than usual shot through Jia'er, who could no longer support himself and collapsed again. The pain was so intense that it took over his entire body before he could even react... It was a pain that went straight to the bone!
The small dragon's body rolled and tumbled, and faint dragon roars began to echo through the valley.
"Get up! If you don't get up, you'll miss your chance!"
There were sounds all around him, and Jia'er felt like he was wailing, but he wasn't. He just felt so much pain!
"Get up quickly!" the withered branch tightly gripped in the dragon's claws urged anxiously, seeing that the two golden eagles were coordinating perfectly, and after one round of attacks, they were now ready to launch another.
"Waaah~" What should I do? Jia'er is in so much pain, and Jia'er can't win either.
"Look at yourself!" the withered branch shouted. The little dragon, who was still struggling in pain, turned its head with difficulty and saw that no piece of flesh had been taken from its body. It only had three deep scratches, and blood was seeping out from under the scratches.
"As a dragon, how could you be easily injured? Your mother must be protecting you in secret. Get up quickly!"
"Really?" Will Mother be there?
Jia'er couldn't believe it, but he had no choice but to listen. He heard a rapid whooshing sound and knew without looking that the two were coming at high speed again.
He looked up, and the two figures in his pupils gradually magnified.
"Get up! You're a dragon!"
This is a life-or-death moment, yes!!!
This is utterly outrageous! How can the mighty dragon race be defeated by these birds!
Before he could even think about whether his mother was really by his side, Jia'er awoke with a start, hearing the whistling sound of them hurtling through the air—so arrogant! He knew he had to pull himself together. His mother was still looking for him, and his father was still waiting for him. How could he just surrender?
Physical pain is only temporary; once it's taken care of, the pain will go away!
Thinking of this, Jia'er ignored his wounds, clutching Hua Hua in his claws, and encouraged himself: He was the bravest!
Although he can't fly for long, he's not afraid of pain, so that's enough for him to deal with them.
Jia'er looked firmly at the two on the left and right. They were still attacking from both sides, but it didn't matter. He just kept his composure.
My mother and father are so powerful, but I'm just as capable!
As the two approached rapidly, Jia'er seized the opportunity and, just as they were about to get close, he quickly stood up, rose into the air, and swept his tail around in a circle.
"Smack!"
"Smack!"
The next second, the two golden eagles were simultaneously slammed against the wall by him.
"Wow!" came the exclamation from the withered twig in the claw.
Xiao Long is very clever. He knows that he can only fly for a few seconds in this world, so he uses those few seconds to wipe out the enemy and protect himself!
The two golden eagles were slammed against the wall, but less than a second later, they swooped down again.
They were momentarily stunned, but the matter at hand was too important for them to be distracted.
Jia'er is no longer afraid, mainly because he is no longer afraid of pain... Two huge black shadows appeared in front of him again. He used all his strength to swing his tail, creating a sound of wind in the air, which showed how powerful he was. When he encountered the two birds again, he swatted them away as usual.
Because he used too much force, he would always crash heavily to the ground after sweeping around in the air each time.
Again—scan again—again—scan again
"Slap!" "Slap!"
"Thump!"
The sounds of hitting the wall and hitting the ground rose and fell, making it impossible to tell which sound was more painful.
But after a few more times, the difference becomes obvious.
Those two birds and beasts had small heads, and after slamming their heads against the wall a few times, they were already on the verge of death. Even with their wings as cover, their wings were injured, and they didn't even have the strength to fly. If this continued, their fate would be even worse...
As for Jia'er, who was smashed to the ground, although the impact was solid and each time it made a "thud", Xiaolong was tough. Despite being smashed so many times and in pain, he stubbornly held back his tears and flew up to sweep away the enemy again and again.
During this time, the two golden eagles tried to change their strategy and attack from different directions, but no matter how they tried to attack, the little dragon had created an indestructible defense mechanism for itself. No matter what they did, as long as it gritted its teeth and endured, it would definitely succeed.
Although he felt dizzy and nauseous, and his whole body ached from the fall, he didn't want to die here!
Jia'er doesn't want to die here! He still wants to see his mother and go back to see his father!
He made up his mind that when he threw the two back against the wall, he would scratch them to death with his claws. He almost forgot that the claws of the dragons were also sharp weapons, much more powerful than those of these birds!
The two black golden eagles were also brought to the brink of death by him. At the last moment, without Jia'er's intervention, the two were already on the verge of death, and there were faint bloodstains on the wall. In the end, the two tried to fly away, but they could not take off and fell to the bottom of the cliff together.
Jia'er glanced down the cliff, but didn't hear a loud thud. He quietly asked:
Are they dead?
"I don't think so. They're not that easy to kill," Kuzhi replied. The two that had been cultivating for some years didn't seem to die; rather, they appeared to have simply escaped.
"Ha!" Koji leaned against the wall, panting heavily. Finally! Finally!
He could finally breathe a sigh of relief!
I can finally breathe a sigh of relief!!!
"No more wild beasts will come after us!" Little Dragon exclaimed, his face bruised and swollen. He felt like he had escaped death; it was so good to be alive!
Although he was in pain all over his body, Jia'er felt very happy because there was no danger.
Since arriving at the foot of this cliff, he had been living in constant fear and had never been so happy!
It's so good to be alive!
"We should be safe for a while. You hide and we'll get some rest."
"Mmm." Jia'er nodded obediently, curling up under a boulder.
"Huahua, thank goodness you're here with me." The once naive little dragon seems to have grown up a bit now. This time, even though he was bullied, he didn't cry.
I wanted to cry.
The withered branch remained silent. As an observer, it had witnessed firsthand the many times the little dragon from the East Sea had escaped death. It was so innocent and unguarded when they first met, and could have been easily lured away with a little incense... Experiences teach people the most. This little dragon was no longer the naive and carefree child who would just laugh when they first met.
He grew up a lot as his mother had hoped.
“You’re very capable now, you can protect yourself, your mother will be very happy.”
"Really? Mother will be very happy..."
At this point, the excitement of being resurrected from the dead gradually subsided, and Xiaolong's mood began to decline. Mother... he still hadn't found his mother.
He hasn't climbed up yet, when will he be able to find his mother?
The withered branch didn't want to see the little guy looking so gloomy, even though he had already suffered a lot on his journey down here.
"Follow me, I'll get you up there soon."
"Really?" Jia'er was so easily coaxed.
"real."
"Very good!"
"I must find my mother!" Xiaolong vowed, his little fists clenched tightly, his eyes filled with determination.
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