The Infinite Mountain Range was an existence that brought others terror upon the mention of its name; an ordinary person should have kept away from it. But today, it wasn't the slightest bit silent.
A "birdman" worked hard to flap his wings in midair, yet the effect of his efforts wasn't quite obvious, and he collided into a towering tree.
"Motherf*cker! I forgot about the landing. Fortunately, I have f*cking good luck." As Bai Xiaofei endured the pain and crawled up from the ground, he took a deep breath. An over-joyous expression covered his face.
"I'm finally free!!!!" he said; then, a tiny head, which was a mix of black and white, stuck out from beneath his loose clothes and crazily licked his face.
Shockingly, the creature that had come out of his embrace was a juvenile husky!
The husky seemed to have sensed its master's excitement, and it started howling. "Woof! Woof! Aowu~"
"Huskie, quickly go see if there's anything edible in the surroundings. We've been busy all morning, and we even forgot to have a meal." Bai Xiaofei rubbed Huskie's head, pulled the tiny fellow from his clothes, and placed him on the ground. When released, Huskie fully displayed the behavior of a husky and, in the blink of an eye, vanished into the bushes.
Bai Xiaofei, however, didn't seem to be worried in the slightest, and he calmly waited for his husky to return victorious.
"AH!!!"
"F*CK! Whose dog is this!!!?"
Suddenly, the shocked exclamations of a man and woman sounded from within the bushes, and then a geezer stood up, his clothes worn in a rush.
Frightened, Huskie immediately fled into Bai Xiaofei's embrace.
Bai Xiaofei and the geezer stared at each other in speechless dismay. Bai Xiaofei tried to fake a calm expression, yet a tempestuous storm surged within his heart
This fellow Huskie was one who roamed fearlessly in a place like the Gorge of Heroes where villains ran wild. Yet before this geezer, he obediently tucked his tail between his legs and curled up quietly in Bai Xiaofei's embrace.
"Kid, do you recognize me!?" The geezer was the first to finally break the silence, and he spoke stiffly in a cold voice as if he wanted to devour Bai Xiaofei.
Bai Xiaofei gulped down a mouthful of saliva. Then, full of smiles, he spoke a string of words in one go, instinctively praising the geezer into the heavens: "Grandpa, even though you're filled with spirit and seem like a big boss at first glance, I've just come from a remote village and really don't know you."
Surprisingly, the geezer heaved a long sigh of relief when he heard this answer. Since he doesn't recognize me, this problem will be easy to deal with.
"Cough, cough, that…earlier, that…" His stiff expression instantly collapsed, replaced by a trace of embarrassment. He then started stuttering. While he was thinking of how to explain himself, Bai Xiaofei gave him the perfect answer, and it stupefied him.
Bai Xiaofei said, "Earlier, I saw that you were concentrating on your cultivation. Your every movement caused the spirit energy of the heavens and the earth to surge, and it terrified the countless high-level magical beasts in the surroundings to the point that they bowed their heads in submission."
I've seen many who could speak nonsense, yet I've never seen one who could do it while seeming justified and confident – without blushing.
What a promising young man!
The geezer went along with Bai Xiaofei's explanation; one couldn't say his reaction was slow. "Err...exactly, it's exactly like that! But, it isn't suitable for others to know this cultivation technique of mine, so…"
"I understand! I recently took a nap here and had a sweet dream of meeting an expert!"
"Right! It's exactly like that!" The old man couldn't help but clap. He was happy like a child, yet he quickly realized that he had lost his composure. He once more grew solemn and serious.
"Cough, cough, err…our meeting is fate. You seem to be talented, so I'll bestow some fortune upon you." As he spoke, a light flashed above the old man's hand, and a gorgeous, multicolored disk that was covered in various symbols appeared in his palm.
When he saw it, Bai Xiaofei's expression swiftly turned grim.
A violetgold puppet!!!
Even though one might have neither eaten meat nor seen game running about, one had surely heard of their existences!
A violetgold puppet! That's a treasure from the legends!
Could it be, this geezer wants to silence me?!
It can't be! If he wanted to make a move, I would have died long ago!
So what's the meaning of this?
Instantly, countless thoughts flashed through Bai Xiaofei's heart, yet he rejected all of them.
"Grandpa, what're you…?" he asked in a weak tone, feeling as if his heart had risen into his throat. So long as the geezer scared him a little bit more, Bai Xiaofei would suffocate himself to death, and the geezer wouldn't even need to make a move.
"Don't worry, I'm not the type of person who attacks due to the slightest dispute. I prefer a win-win situation." Revealing a sly smile that really didn't match his age, the geezer exerted strength with his wrist and lightly tossed the disk into midair. After it left his hand, the disk grew in the blink of an eye to at least five meters in diameter.
"This puppet of mine is called the Heavenly Secret Disk, and it's capable of obtaining clear knowledge of the heavens' secrets. It can also predict everything in the world. I wouldn't normally display my skill, but to me, you seem congenial, so I've decided to make a prediction for you!" The geezer looked complacent as he spoke, his head partially raised as if waiting for Bai Xiaofei's praise.
But this time, the geezer would be disappointed.
F*ck, he intends to pay me hush money!
But, isn't this hush money too unreliable? What's the f*cking point of making a prediction? Give me something practical!
Even though Bai Xiaofei was cursing the geezer in his heart for being a cheapskate, he had no choice but to put on a flattering smile. What else could he do since his life was in the geezer's hands?
"Err…Grandpa, I don't believe in this stuff, so there's no need to make a prediction for me. I—"
"What do you mean!? Do you know how many people line up and wait for me to activate the Heavenly Secret Disk just a single time!? What's the meaning of that unwilling expression of yours!?" The geezer repeated his questions as if someone had hit his sore spot, and he instantly withdrew his complacent expression. His eyes were on the verge of catching fire.
"Whether you believe it or not, today I'm going to predict your fortune!" As the stubborn geezer spoke, seven differently colored rays of light shot into the Heavenly Secret Disk. The disk, originally motionless, started to swiftly revolve.
A short moment later, the disk stopped moving, whereas the geezer's expression slowly changed from fury to surprise and then into utter shock. He had stared at the disk for a long time as this happened.
After the disk had been stopped for a while, another seven rays of light shot into it…
The disk stopped, and the geezer gazed at it for a long time. Another seven rays shot into it…
After repeating this for an entire seven times, the geezer was exhausted to the point of spitting out a mouthful of blood. It shocked Bai Xiaofei to the point of directly jumping up from the ground.
F*ck, I knew it was unreliable! Look, you exhausted yourself to such an extent. No wonder the gorge's Master Yi is so ugly; he was probably exhausted just like this!
While he thought this, Bai Xiaofei said entirely different things. "Grandpa, are you alright? Why don't we just forget it? I know you're doing it for my own good, and I appreciate your good intentions—"
Bai Xiaofei hadn't finished speaking when the geezer, who still had fresh blood hanging from the corners of his mouth, leapt up with a thump and grabbed Bai Xiaofei's hands. The geezer said, "You still don't have a master, right?!!!"
The geezer's sudden reaction startled Bai Xiaofei, and Bai Xiaofei basically replied in reflex. "I have quite a few mothers and fathers, but I really don't have a master…"
As soon as Bai Xiaofei finished speaking, delight and pleasant surprise covered the geezer's face, causing Bai Xiaofei to feel a wave of aversion.
F*ck, and you said you could obtain clear knowledge of the heavens' secrets, yet you needed to ask me about this little bit of crap. Even Master Yi can divine that…
The geezer withdrew his hands and stood directly before Bai Xiaofei.
"Kneel!" the geezer said, causing Bai Xiaofei to be dazed for a long time. Then he spoke sternly, stunning Bai Xiaofei. "What? You don't want to take me as your master? This is a chance that others won't obtain even if they fight to the death!"
Bai Xiaofei put on a smile and waved his hand helplessly, speaking truthfully according to facts, but to a certain extent, what he said was an excuse. "Grandpa, you've misunderstood. It's not that I don't want to, but that I don't deserve to take an existence at your level as my master. I'm just scum who can't even control a puppet."
Just think about it, if a geezer who was having a romp in the Infinite Mountain Range during broad daylight – and who had spat blood after a single divination – wanted to be your master, would you do it?
In any case, Bai Xiaofei wouldn't!
"How could that be possible!? Isn't that dog your puppet!?" The geezer wore an expression that said "don't try to trick me", and his voice was filled with anger.
"If you don't believe me, then look! The energy in my entire body has been sealed, and I haven't utilized it for a very long time." Bai Xiaofei stretched out his right hand in extreme confidence, and for the first time in his life, he felt that being unable to control a puppet was a good thing!
The geezer skeptically reached his hand towards Bai Xiaofei's wrist, and after a short moment, pleasant surprise covered his face.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! The heavens favor me! The heavens favor me!!!!"
Wild laughter reverberated throughout the Infinite Mountain Range, and with the rise of the geezer's wild laughter, goosebumps covered Bai Xiaofei's body.
I'm finished; I'm doomed now!
This geezer is insane…