Swallowing his surprise, he carefully stepped forward and saluted, his voice filled with respect. "Junior Yuan pays his respects to Senior. I apologize for disturbing you and entering this place without your permission."
He didn't know what to expect from the Golden Mountain Bear King, but he figured caution was the wisest approach. He had barely escaped the Green Python, and this beast was on an entirely different level.
The bear's presence was overbearing, yet the voice in his head was calm and amused. "It's not a problem. Besides, it has been so long since I've spoken to anyone. You can call me Senior San."
Yuan nodded as he sat down, still holding Silver in his lap, the unconscious wolf's body trembling faintly. He was unsure of how to proceed, but Senior San didn't seem to mind his awkwardness. Suddenly, his body began to shrink and soon a bear of 2 meters in size appeared before Yuan.
Yuan eyes were wide open in shock. Senior San casually sat down before and asked, "Yuan, tell me about the outside world."
Yuan took in a deep breath and began, "Senior, some distance from here lies a city called Clear Cloud City of Crimson Empire. I am from there. We were attacked by the Green Python beast in the outer regions and had no choice but to flee into the forest. After many twists and turns, we finally arrived here."
"How did you manage to climb the mountain? There is a high-level formation around the mountain," Senior San curiously asked.
Yuan hesitated before answering, "I followed Silver's lead."
"Who is silver?"
Yuan looked down at the small wolf in his lap and then pointed at Red, who was sitting at his feet, still and watchful. "This is Silver. And this is Red. They are my partners."
The Golden Mountain Bear King's gaze moved from Silver to Red, his eyes narrowing slightly. A long silence stretched between them. Yuan could tell that Senior San was assessing his two beasts. So he mindfully chose to remain silent.
"A Void Wolf," Senior San muttered to himself in surprise. Though rare, it was a type of creature he had encountered before. When his gaze turned toward Red, the fox, he couldn't help but frown. He wasn't able to recognize what kind of beast Red was.
What shocked him more was that though Red trembled under the weight of his scrutiny, he did not flinch or cower. There was something in his demeanor that suggested he wasn't an ordinary fox. A rare smile appeared on his bear face as he thought in his heart, "There are still some beasts I couldn't recognize, huh?"
After a moment, Senior San's brows furrowed once again. He could sense the bond between Yuan and both beasts, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Normally, a person could only contract with one beast—so how was this possible? So, he hurriedly asked, "Yuan, how long have you been contracted to your pets?"
Yuan thought for a moment, then replied, "Red has been with me for as long as I can remember. As for Silver, he has been with me for a little over two months now."
Senior San sat back, a low growl escaping his throat. "It seems the origin of this boy is far from simple," he mused to himself. After a few more moments of silence, Senior San's deep voice broke through.
"Yuan, I don't feel any spiritual qi from you. Why is that?"
Yuan's face fell, his eyes dimming. A look of sadness flickered across his eyes as he spoke, barely above a whisper. "I can't cultivate. My meridians are blocked. I can't open the spiritual passageways in my body."
Senior San's sharp gaze softened for a brief moment before a deep frown appeared on his face as he fell into deep thought. "A person with two beasts contracted to him, yet can't spiritual energy. How is this possible?"
"Let me see," the Golden Mountain Bear King murmured.
Before Yuan could react, Senior San placed a massive paw on his tummy. The moment the bear's paw made contact, Yuan felt a surge of overwhelming energy rush through his body. Without waiting for Yuan's reply, senior San moved his big hand and placed it on Yuan's back. Yuan felt something running throughout his body. The energy seemed to press against his very bones.
After a moment, Senior San growled in frustration, his voice shaking. "What the hell is this? A nine-layered sealing formation. Boy, who are you? Who are your parents?"
Senior San lost control. Suddenly an immense pressure released from his body.
Yuan felt a mountain was pressing him down as he lay flat on the ground. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't utter a word under the pressure.
Senior San immediately realized his mistake and withdrew his qi.
Yuan gasped for air as the pressure lifted. He jumped up on his feet and began to check on Red and Silver. He took a breath of relief when he saw that both of them were safe, just unconscious.
Senior San's gaze softened as he looked at Yuan's companions. His eyes turned thoughtful, and he nodded in approval at how Yuan had cared for them. "Your bond with these beasts is strong. I see why they follow you," Senior San said, a tone of respect in his voice.
Yuan gave a shaky nod, still recovering from the earlier pressure. His heart pounded in his chest, but he pushed past the discomfort.
"My memories are hazy. I remember my family being attacked by a huge snake when I was young," he began, his voice steadying as he recounted the tale. "Father Meng and my mother Bing saved me, and I grew up in Clear Cloud City under their care."
This was the first time Yuan told anyone about his story besides his parents. Even his sister Xu'er did not know about that. He didn't know why he just wanted to tell all of it to Senior San.
After listening to his story, Senior San got a better understanding of things. He realized Yuan must be the child of some big family or clan but he himself had no idea about that.
"The 9-layered sealing formation, as its name applied, is a sealing formation used to seal many things. It is a very complicated but strong formation. Not many can use it. And to set it on a human body without harming the body, a very powerful person with extensive knowledge of formations as well as a lot of unique materials are required." Senior San slowly explained.