At dawn, Teacher Fēi Hǔ rushed to the office of Principal Lán Huìyīng of Dà Tián Shòuyì. His face was pale, and his voice trembled as he recounted his vivid dream.
"In the dream," Fēi Hǔ began, "I saw a woman in a long white dress, stained with blood but fragrant with Plumeria flowers. She led me to the forest core, where I witnessed a massacre of Four-Eyed Wolves by illegal hunters. They sought to steal the pups for profit, but later, the hunters were dead, injured, or unconscious."
He paused, visibly shaken. "Then, I saw two strange creatures—one small and green-skinned, the other towering at five meters—and a teenage boy in pajamas. They all bowed to the woman and the Four-Eyed Wolf King, who knelt with his remaining pack."
Principal Lán listened with a calm yet unreadable expression. "And this boy—did you approach him?"
"I tried," Fēi Hǔ admitted. "But everything turned black. Only the woman remained. She spoke sweetly, saying, 'Our master asks Handsome Uncle to capture the hunters,' and revealed tokens bearing the Liáng family emblem."
Principal Lán steepled her fingers thoughtfully. "Did you ask who her master is?"
"I did," Fēi Hǔ said. "But she only giggled and replied, 'It depends on my master. Everything has its time.' Then she vanished."
Principal Lán leaned back, dismissive. "Dreams can be misleading, Teacher Fēi. Perhaps it's just a warning to stay cautious. You should focus on preparing for the students' forest visit."
"But Principal," Fēi Hǔ argued, "what if this dream is a message? Shouldn't we investigate the forest core?"
Lán Huìyīng sipped her tea calmly. "You're overthinking. Dreams are not always omens. Prepare for the day's tasks instead."
Their conversation was interrupted by a servant who rushed in, breathless. "Madam Principal, urgent news! The forest rangers have found bodies, fallen trees, and fires at the forest core. They request your immediate presence."
Principal Lán stood abruptly, her gaze sharp. "Teacher Fēi Hǔ, you're coming with me. Let's see if your dream aligns with reality."
The two quickly departed, their light body techniques propelling them through the forest. Lán Huìyīng, moving far ahead with her superior skill, reached the scene first. Fēi Hǔ, following close behind, could only hope his dream had not foretold something even worse.
When Principal Lán Huìyīng arrived at the scene, her face darkened. She turned on Teacher Fēi Hǔ, who had just arrived, still gasping for breath.
"Is this the work of that creature? Look! The forest heart burns, trees lie shattered, and bodies are everywhere!"
Fēi Hǔ, still hunched over, froze at the sight. "This… this wasn't in the dream. There was blood, but not like this. People were alive!"
He rushed to stop medical staff from lifting one of the bodies. "Wait! This person was alive in my dream!" He ran to another body, then another. "This one, too! There are at least 20 who should still be alive!"
Principal Lán, ignoring him, spoke with Captain Dù Zhì, guardian of the sacred forest.
Fēi Hǔ muttered to himself, "Did the dream hide this brutality from me?" He approached Captain Dù. "Follow me. There's something I need to show you."
"Teacher, this is just barren land," Dù said, confused.
"Look closer," Fēi Hǔ replied, pointing to the damp soil.
Lán, irritated, snapped, "Teacher Fēi Hǔ, stop wasting time! Explain yourself!"
Captain Dù crouched to inspect the ground. He touched the soil, then sniffed his hand. "Blood." His expression turned grim. "Principal, he might be onto something. Let's dig."
At Dù's command, his team uncovered a mass grave. The corpses of four-eyed wolves lay piled beneath the earth—some intact, others missing limbs or heads.
"What is this?" Lán exclaimed. "Who buried these wolves? Their pelts, blood, and meat are highly valuable. Why weren't they taken?"
Fēi Hǔ, regaining composure, asked, "Do you see it now, Principal? Captain, what's your take?"
Captain Dù saluted. "Before I comment, we'll store these corpses in our investigation ring." He ordered his men to carefully transfer the remains, then restore the site.
Once finished, Dù turned to Lán and Fēi Hǔ. "If Teacher Fēi's dream was a true message, and if this slaughter happened as shown, then with no survivors here, there's only one conclusion."
Fēi Hǔ interrupted, "Before that—did your search uncover anything? What did you find?"
Dù hesitated. "We can't disclose the full details… but what exactly did you see in your dream, Teacher Fēi?"
Fēi Hǔ's eyes lit up. "The Liáng family tokens! The hunters carried them. The creature showed me those tokens!"
Surprised by Teacher Fēi's loud answer, Captain Dù Zhì gestured for silence.
"Teacher Fēi, there are names we cannot mention, even here," he warned.
Principal Lán Huìyīng nodded. "I'll set a barrier. No one below my cultivation level will hear this."
As one of the three female principals of Héyǔ Guó's beast tamer schools, Lán Huìyīng knew some family names carried dangerous weight—particularly those tied to the 12 sect leaders who waged war 15 years ago.
Once the barrier was in place, she said, "Now, speak, Teacher Fēi."
After a pause, Teacher Fēi muttered, "May I be forgiven for revealing this," then recounted his encounter with the unknown female creature, her warning about Méi Líng, and the dream's message.
Both the principal and captain fell silent.
"This could shake the world," Lán Huìyīng said at last. "Three unknown creatures stronger than beasts, tamed by human? And worse, a dark secret tied to one of the 12 families. Reporting this could endanger not just us but our entire school."
"What do you suggest, Captain?"
Captain Dù Zhì replied, "Tighten forest patrols and install monitoring mirrors. The moment anything unusual happens, I'll act with my troops."
Lán Huìyīng nodded. "Agreed. As for the family token, tell no one. The deaths of these hunters were likely silencing them after a failed hunt. This secret stays with us."
Teacher Fēi saluted. "Understood, Principal."
"One more thing," she added. "The student you mentioned—do not reveal her name. Watch her closely. She may be deeply connected to the Master of those creatures. You've proven yourself by following the dream's instructions; I believe that figure will appear again. Show respect and remain vigilant."
"Yes, Principal." Though respectful, Teacher Fēi felt a mix of fear and anticipation for a second dream or another encounter.
Principal Lán lowered the barrier. Captain Dù excused himself, leaving Lán and Fēi at the burial site of the four-eyed wolves.
Before departing, Lán stopped abruptly. "Teacher Fēi, cancel all student expeditions into the forest for 3 days. Contact Teacher Lín Zhàoyáng to organize a beast market. Offer discounts for high-performing, less-privileged students. Wealthier families are prohibited from buying there."
"But Principal, won't this strain school funds?"
"It's fine. I'll cover it personally," she said, then hurried out of Shòutián Forest.
Teacher Fēi obeyed, puzzled by her generosity.
Lán returned to her residence and locked the door, muttering, "That extraordinary creature must be one of our second-grade students from the last hunt."
Her sensitivity as a woman and her long cultivation journey led her to a conclusion.
"If it wasn't a student, how would they know about Méi Líng and the school's activity to help poor students get their first beast? And Méi Líng couldn't have defeated a king-level beast—it was unconscious and injured!"
She was right. Without a tamed beast, a beast tamer had no skills, essentially no different from an ordinary human. A tamer's abilities came solely from their beast.
Changing into her pajamas, she paused before bed, continuing her analysis. "There's only one suspect: Yan Shengxin, Méi Líng's young master. The other students, also without beasts, wouldn't pass up taming a king-level beast themselves. Even poor students compete fiercely to survive—why would they show pity?"
"Yan Shengxin, top student, Méi Líng's master. You're hiding so well." She giggled. "If you want to keep pretending to be weak, this sister will play along."
Her laughter, eerily similar to the female creature Teacher Fēi described, echoed softly.
Moments later, the beautiful principal closed her eyes. She still had a few hours to rest. Fortunately, it was the school holidays, and her duties could wait.
------------------------------------ End of Chapter 7-------------------------------