Chapter 22 The Grumpy Old Geezer request
He angrily glared at that young teenager who had mocked him back when they first met.
At that time although he was slightly offended and thought that this guy needs to be given a lesson. Calling him a horse and even saying that he was a sick horse with skin problem. This brat even dared to say about his not-yet-grown antler as a swelling from being hit.
You know, he was very sensitive about it and can't wait to have his own antler like his elders, parents and elder brother.
And yet this brat said it was a lump. He was originally angry.
But as a Qilin, he also has his own pride. Why does he need to haggle with a kid who had not grown hair down there yet?
His own hair had already grown!
Though his father called him little child. They are not at the same level!
And he had already lived more than 70 years old. Several years later he would be 80 years old. He had heard from the caretaker that any human children who had not cultivated, 80 years old they had already become an old man.
So, he whether physically, and age, is a senior.
His proud self should not haggle with little kid toddler.
That's why he just left him alone at that time.
---
Having own antler proved one has grown up! As a beast in his rebellious age, he couldn't wait to be an adult.
Hearing his elder brother's stories when he came back once or twice every decade makes him fantasize his own version of adventure.
Yes, he had been born for almost 80 years now, and he is still a child.
Despite his already developed body, he wasn't considered as an adult until he had grown his antler and be able to control his own abilities that were unique to the Qilin race. And if he were to grow naturally, under normal condition, it would take at least 50 years more before he could become an adult.
He had heard from his father that he can quicken the process if he gets some chance to obtain and eat heaven and earth treasure. And he knows in Lin Clan's main building there was a tree that grows such treasure.
That place is prohibited area.
Though, others might think that it seems as though he could always intrude the place if he wants to because there's no wall nor barrier that surround it. But the reality was that he knew that he can't. He can't even come near the garden.
And it's not because of the verbal warning from the caretaker had imposed some limit on him.
But because the tree itself is a grumpy old geezer who had lived for thousands of years.
He was a strong geezer.
Unless the old geezer himself allows others to come forward, most were deterred by his aura. So, there's rarely have a person or beast who can enter the garden freely.
But today, something extraordinary happened.
When the little Qilin was enjoying his meal as usual, the caretaker was busy changing his water. Suddenly the little Qilin heard the summon from the grump old geezer.
The old geezer asked whether he could do him a little favor.
The Qilin knowing the temper of the old tree and was usually deterred and afraid of the old geezer, pretended to not hear him.
The old geezer kept calling and entice him that if he could do this favor of his, the geezer would give him one fruit as a reward.
So, the Qilin only hesitated for a while, and immediately agreed.
After making sure the caretaker was distracted, he dashed away as fast as he could.
That's what happened back then during the Lin Ren's coming-of-age ceremony.
---
He previously decided that he don't want to haggle over minor things with the kid.
Plus, the old geezer old told him to accompany this kid, so why not sold the old geezer some face, gain his favorability, and gain the fruit.
But when he had just recovered his consciousness, looked around and found the fruit lying there, suddenly, in front of his eye, the fruit disappeared.
Not only that the whole ground around it disappeared, leaving only an empty hole behind.
While he was shocked and look to the front, he saw the kid touch the ground, and another part of the ground become empty!
As smart as he is, he could already guess that the fruit was taken by him!
That's why he attacked him.
'I was planning to play nice with you and babysit you for the sake of the fruit face.'
(Yeah, he had totally forgotten the old geezer at this moment)
'And you stole my fruit! How dare you!'
He was ready to storm up and attack the kid again.
But suddenly the nearby ruins were vibrating greatly.
Lin Ren who was trying to calm the Qilin down, immediately noticed the changes. It was as if the mother beast were alert by something and running towards here.
"She's coming! Idiot Qilin! Let's first stop and get out of here first. Or else both of us would become the beast dinner."
"Look, you also noticed that we just broke one of her eggs. If the mother beast found out, she would be furious and never let us go."
"So, lets run! Follow me!"
Lin Ren quickly turned around and ran outside.
The little Qilin also had now realized the situation he is in. He also had just noticed the smell coming from his body and the several large eggs beside him.
After comprehending the situation and the kid words, he immediately followed.
'Snort. Don't think I will forget this grudge. If you don't return my fruit, I'll keep chasing you even if you left me behind.'
Hearing the roar keep getting louder, even if he is a proud Qilin, he finally starts to be flustered and ran in panic.
Such was the scene previously, where the man and the beast frantically running for their lives. They managed to climb down the mountain as far as they could and were now nearing the forest in the southside of the mountain.
The roar of the mother beast coming from the east clearly had nearly reached the mountain area.
If the mother beast managed to find out the clue, the chase down would start.
They need to get into the forest fast to get some cover first.
---
As soon as they reached the closest tall tree of the, Lin Ren finally felt a bit at ease. Not as flustered as he was before.
He slowed down his footsteps and looked towards the Qilin running beside him. Although he had slowed his footstep, he was still running through the forest. They need to create some distance between them and the mother beast.
He knows a beast's sense of smell is keen. Beasts, especially Spirit Beasts that he had heard and read about, possess high level near body fight capability. Their senses were beyond what ordinary humans could sense.
Although he didn't know what species the mother beast was, but based on the large egg, in such cultivation world, wouldn't normally this be a spirit beast's den. And as spirit beast the mother beast should had high intelligence and wisdom.
On him and the Qilin had that weird smell unique to the egg. And when they ran away there's bound to leave some trace.
Given the mother beast's keen of smell detect and wisdom, after she had properly observed the site, she would definitely detect that something was wrong. Though Lin Ren had collected all the evidence of the crushed egg's existence into this storage ring, he would not count on it too much. Should she realize something, she could follow the lingering trace, and chased them.
So, although Lin Ren had calmed down, he still knew. They need to get rid the residue on their body.
Thinking about the angry expression the Qilin had before, he thought that he should ease his relationship with the Qilin.
"Cough...Hey, we should be fine right? We are already far away. And she shouldn't know about the missing egg. Yeah, being a beast is very disadvantageous. You don't know how to count numbers," said Lin Ren feeling pleased with himself.
He knows that all spirit beasts had at least some kind of wisdom. And they say some sacred beasts were intelligent enough to possess wisdom like humans or even better intelligence. They had even formed their own culture and civilization.
But Lin Ren was sure that unless you met so called sacred beast, other ordinary spirit beasts shouldn't be able to count, right?
Wait, did I had just thought about sacred beast?
I seemed to have missed something here.
He thought a lot about it and finally he remembered.
The sentences the Soul Spirit said.
'...your Element Jade Fruit had now been soaked in the sacred beast's blood essence.'
'...soaked in the sacred beast's blood essence, it's properties....'
Sacred beast's blood essence
Mother beast is a Sacred beast!