Ren Huizhong, the Dragon of the Valley.
A king who ruled over a large section of the Chen Lu Forest, and as a king, he was always busy ruling over his subjects with an iron fist and indomitable will.
He was the most well-respected and feared beast, carrying the bloodline of dragons in his veins, a race long considered extinct in the mortal world.
"Oi! Wake up you lazy bum!"
The Dragon of the Valley growled as he felt a tree hitting his 'Verdant Shell' the earth and vegetation surrounding his cartilaginous shell.
'... Only one human in this world would show me that much disrespect.'
The Dragon didn't even need to hear his voice to recognize him. He could sense his guest from miles away.
The form of hibernation he was prone to going under still allowed him to be aware of the world around him. It was much closer to a state of daydreaming than sleeping.
The turtle's gigantic body shifted as it slowly came out of the ground, its tired eyes narrowed at the newcomer, a figure he knew well by now.
A tall and burly young man with long, wild hair. His sharp features and ferocious gaze made him look more like a handsome barbarian rather than a civilized man.
Not that Ren Huizhong was some civilized scholar anyway.
"HoHo~ Brother Mo! Come back for more piss?"
The Dragon of the Valley's gigantic eye stared at Mo Yangling with a hint of glee and amusement.
"Amitabha, Brother Ren, you're too cruel." The Monk shook his head as he let go of the chains he had been pulling.
Behind him were dragged 4 horseless carriages, tied together by chains.
"And here I was going through the trouble of bringing a generous gift to..." The Monk almost seemed to shed a tear as he looked back at the broken carriages behind him.
He had dragged them through rough terrains to get to the Turtle's favourite resting spot.
"I can see you've been busy. That's a pretty high-quality wine I smell..."
The Dragon's massive body shifted as his gigantic nostrils flared at the carriages behind the monk. His massive eyes scanned over them with a bit of disinterest.
"Of course, only the best for my Brother Ren~ But you don't seem too excited. Is the quantity too little perhaps?" The Monk's hands were brought together in prayer as he looked up at his gigantic friend.
Four large carriages filled with wine barrels seemed like a lot for a human, but for a monster as big as a mountain they likely weren't even enough for a mouthful.
But the Dragon of the Valley didn't seem to have any qualms about the quantity, but rather the type of gift.
"Young Monk, while I appreciate the gesture, wine is poisonous to my kind, or turtles of any subspecies in general really..." The Dragon of the Valley couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's 'gift'.
He wasn't mad, he understood that the Monk likely wasn't informed on his species.
"What? It's just fermented grape juice and rice water! Brother Ren, weren't you a dragon or something?"
Mo Yangling scowled when hearing of his friend's sensibilities.
"I may have dragon blood in my veins, but I am still a Great Black Turtle-Snake by race... Also, the wine you brought has more ingredients, some of which are also bad for me."
The Monk blinked a few times, looking back at the carriages with a scowl on his face.
"Well... That's sad. I was actually looking forward to drinking with you, Brother Ren." He appeared truly disappointed as he turned around and punched the carriage behind him.
It immediately splintered and turned into shrapnel, breaking apart all of the carriages and barrels behind it as well.
"... Wasn't that expensive? You must've made quite a bit of money, huh?" The Dragon of the Valley was still unphased, his eyes glinting dangerously as he spoke.
"Ah, the wine was a gift from some suckers... I only made a decent sum of money... But I doubt you want a percentage of the spoils unless you eat gold." The monk's tone became a bit reserved when speaking about money.
The Dragon's body shifted a bit as a wide grin stretched on its face.
"Hoho~ I only piss gold, I don't eat it. But my spies could use some extra funds...
It's too eye-catching if they were to try and to sell it."
Ren Huizhong's gigantic eyes narrowed slowly, immediately starting to think of making a business deal with the Monk.
But Mo Yangling just gave him a calm smile.
"Amitabha, contentment brings constant happiness. Your spies will learn to manage with what they have."
He didn't budge for one moment as he continued to spread enlightenment with his honeyed words.
Of course, a large percentage of the money he had made was already spent, he wasn't planning on sharing it at all.
"... Contentment? It's my produce you're selling. Weren't monks supposed to be less greedy?"
The Dragon of the Valley's gigantic eyes deadpanned at the Monk, who responded with the same energy as before.
"Brother Ren, greed is not a word in my dictionary~ I am fully removed from worldly desires... By the way, I will take another waterskin of piss back with me..."
The monk shook his belt with a cheeky smile, where a pristine waterskin encrusted with gold and jewels rested.
"... You're as shameless as always, Brother Mo." The gigantic turtle shook his head as a scowl spread across its massive face.
"Ah, do not fret Brother Ren~ If your spies seek me out I shall assist them... As long as it doesn't harm anyone I care about."
The Monk smiled as the wooden beads around his neck glowed slightly, some growing branches out of them before said branches were compressed back into beads.
"Very well! Haha, I knew I could rely on you~ But how come you are here? I doubt you came just for a drink and some Origin Spring?" The Gigantic Turtle's eye peered into the Monk's soul for a moment, hoping to take a glimpse at his intentions.
"Amitabha, you know me too well brother... In truth, I also had a few questions for you." The Monk shook his head, a smile rising on his lips as he clenched his fist and placed one palm on his chest.
He felt his own heartbeat for a while, then he realized that his meridians were already all but completely disappeared.
With a sigh, he looked up at the Dragon of the Valley, who awaited his inquiry with a relaxed smile.
"Brother Ren... In your eyes, am I a human or a demonic beast?"
It was a question that had been nagging at Mo Yangling for quite a while. No books that he found seemed to explain his constitution.
The Ancient Humans were never really as strong as he was, nor did their Meridinans and Pathways vanish completely after cultivating External Arts.
He was special, but as to whether or not that was a good thing, he couldn't tell.
'The opinion of a knowledgeable elder is exactly what I need...'
"I'll be honest, Brother Mo. At first, I saw you as but an unfortunate human, then as a powerful cultivator and monk.
Your way of cultivation may resemble a Demonic Beast, but you are not one. Of that I am sure."
Ren shook his head as he spoke. It was unfortunate, but he didn't have the answers that the Monk sought.
At least he was able to confirm one thing...
"One can only be a Demonic Beast when they have a Beast Core. The bigger the core the stronger the beast. This is also why a lot of the stronger beasts you've encountered may have been bigger.
There are few exceptions, beasts that have compressed cores, or that store their cores outside their bodies somewhere... Those are both rare genetic traits of certain species. Neither apply to you."
The monk blinked a few times, finally understanding a bit more about Demonic Beasts, right from the source too.
It seemed to track, as the Dragon of the Valley was by far the strongest he had encountered, and he was gargantuan in size.
"I see... That answers my question at least. I'm a human, more special than others, but still a human, right?"
The Monk may not have gotten all the information he wanted, but it still felt better to receive a few pieces of the puzzle than none at all.
"Maybe so... I cannot speak on what you are in reality.
I only know that you're a friend, that's all that really matters to me."
The old Dragon of the Valley chuckled in a deep and ancient voice as he finished that sentence.
"Amitabha... That was corny, but I appreciate it." The Monk also couldn't help but laugh a bit, the corners of his mouth turning upwards as he rid himself of any uncertainty caused by his previous conversation.
He figured he was an enlightened human, not a regular one. But enlightenment was more of a spiritual state than a physical one. Some things just didn't sit right with the monk.
At the end of the day, he was going to learn more about himself gradually. He had no reason to believe that he was lacking time.
"So, is that all? I want to get back to sleep..." The Dragon of the Valley yawned as he went over his awake time of the day.
"That is all Brother Ren, I shall disturb your sleep no longer. Your spies can find me in the capital of the Guozhi Kingdom most times, I've made a decent name for myself so it won't be difficult."
The monk smiled as he brought his hands together in a martial salute and bowed slightly to the Demonic Beast King.
"Hoho~ Very well, good luck brother. Feel free to take more of my piss~"
"I shall do just that." The monk nodded and went on his way towards the small lake of Origin Spring in the distance.
'I'll get the Origin Spring and then go hunt one of those three fuckers from before... Should make for decent materials.'
Meanwhile, Ren Huizhong slowly lowered his body back into a hole, his old gaze looking at the monk's small back as it got further and further away.
'I wanted to warn him about that... But he's strong enough to look after himself. Brother or not, I cannot compromise our mission...'
And with a huff, the beast went back to sleep, left to mull over his thoughts alone... Like always.