Dreaming for 10,000 years

Chapter 402 Opportunity
Yu Tian slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and the surging blood and qi within his body gradually calmed down. Relying on the Saiyan-like physique he had imitated, Yu Tian completed this training session.

Sometimes he was really glad that he met Sun Wukong and imitated him, otherwise he might have died during his first training session if he had rashly imitated Shi Fei.

"Don't worry." Seeing Xiaolingdang looking at him with concern, Yu Tian grinned, revealing his bloodied teeth. "I've become stronger again!"

Blood, however, inopportunely trickled from his nose, ruining the dashing image he had carefully cultivated.

"Hmm!" Little Bell didn't say what it was, but just responded softly, tiptoeing to wipe the blood off his face with her sleeve.

Around the campfire, roasted meat sprinkled with coarse salt sizzled. The two men shared the meat in silence, grease dripping into the fire and occasionally sparking.

Just as Yu Tian was about to get up, a strange gust of wind suddenly swept along the ground.

It wasn't natural wind, but rather an airflow created by the high-speed movement of some kind of organism.

Yu Tian instantly tensed all his muscles, shielding the little bell behind him. A huge eagle owl descended from the sky, its broad wings gleaming with a metallic sheen in the moonlight. Its landing was incredibly light, and its heavy wings folded without making a sound.

"It's you, kid," it drawled, its hoarse voice tinged with a hint of mockery, "You've caused quite a stir up north, haven't you?"

Those amber eyes darted around, making him look like a slacker watching a spectacle at a market.

Yu Tian calmly observed the uninvited guest. The eagle-owl had a wingspan of nearly ten feet, its feathers edged with a bronze sheen, and its beak tip had an unnatural metallic texture. Most striking was the bronze ring on its left claw, engraved with intricate runes.

"I apologize for my intrusion." Yu Tian clasped his hands in a salute, his back ramrod straight, maintaining both politeness and vigilance: "I wonder which mountain lord's esteemed land this is? My sister and I have mistakenly wandered into your territory. I hope you can grant us your assistance."

"Hehehe," the eagle owl suddenly let out a laugh like a night owl, the bronze patterns on its wings glowing slightly with the laughter: "It's quite clever."

"It was worth the trip!" It looked at Yu Tian with satisfaction, not fleeing in panic like other prey, and its tail feathers fluttered happily like a fan: "Old... Lord Mi has prepared the finest Cloud Mist Tea and specially sent me to invite you two up the mountain for a chat."

Yu Tian's face immediately lit up with an expression of flattery: "How could I possibly be worthy of such an honor?" He deliberately made his voice tremble with "excitement," "It's just that my brother and I are both uncouth and uncouth, and we might offend the Mountain Lord in the worst possible way."

The eagle owl tilted its head and looked at the serious-looking Yu Tian with a sidelong glance. Its aged voice said bluntly, "Come on! You're more wary than a hedgehog!"

Yu Tian's words were polite, but in reality, he was declining the eagle owl's invitation. He feared that if they went to the mountain lord's peak, the lord would use the smashing of a cup as a signal, and his and Xiao Lingdang's lives would be in the lord's hands.

"Please forgive me, I am a person in distress!" Yu Tian said frankly.

"Hey...you're quite frank, kid!" The eagle owl hopped a couple of times on the branch and said directly, "Then I won't beat around the bush either. My mountain lord is very pleased that you made Old Chu and that old mudfish suffer a great loss."

"The mountain lord said you are free to move around in this territory, and he will even secretly help you if necessary. You just need to continue to cause trouble for those two old guys."

A glint flashed in Yu Tian's eyes. He immediately understood the key point! There must be some discord between the Lord of Mi Mountain, the Lord of Chu Mountain, and the River God.

That's true! Although they are neighbors, if you look at it from another angle, isn't the territory of Lord Chu and Lord Hebo larger, while the territory of Lord Mi is smaller?
The River God's palace is full of spirits and monsters; the River God certainly wouldn't invest his cultivation techniques in them just for slacking off. Yu Tian tentatively asked, "Aren't you afraid of the cat god I worship?"

The eagle owl scoffed disdainfully: "The Cat God is ethereal, but those two old guys are right there!"

“I understand! I suppose Lord Mi’s territory is much smaller than Lord Chu’s?” Yu Tian said, having already made up his mind.

"Hey... knowing too much won't do you any good!" The eagle owl flapped its wings and flew away: "The wild beasts of the mountains will fill your stomach, but don't kill the bears!"

"Remember! Make the biggest fuss the better!"

Watching the eagle owl disappear into the distance, Yu Tian's tense nerves finally relaxed. He carefully reviewed the conversation he had just had, confirming that this was not a delaying tactic.

Sure enough, there was intrigue and backstabbing among these so-called gods. Perhaps, this was their chance to survive!
They were afraid of the cat god, but even more afraid of the "god" lurking around them!

In any case, Yu Tian and Xiao Lingdang no longer need to run away; they can live in the mountains!

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Morning light filtered through the vines at the cave entrance, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Yu Tian opened his eyes and found that Little Bell was no longer in the cave.

The sun pattern drawn in charcoal on the stone wall told him that the girl had gone fishing by the stream again. He stretched, his bones cracking crisply.

This is a naturally formed cave they discovered in the mountains. Although it is simple, it is dry and well-ventilated. Thick dry grass is laid in the corner, and a curtain woven from vines hangs at the entrance, which can block the wind without obstructing the light.

Little Bell even sculpted several rough bowls and plates out of clay and arranged them neatly on the flat stone platform, giving Yu Tian a sense of "home".

His understanding of "home" is that it contains family members and these bottles and jars. For example, in the yellow sand of his dream, there is also this place.

He got up and went to the stream, where he heard a splashing sound. Yu Tian looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xiao Lingdang standing barefoot on the shallows, her trousers rolled up to her knees, staring intently at the water.

Her shadow was reflected in the clear stream, swaying gently with the ripples. Suddenly, she plunged her hands into the water with lightning speed, and when she lifted them out, a plump trout was struggling desperately in her palms.

"Breakfast is ready." Yu Tian smiled and walked over, taking the still-throwing fish. Water droplets from the fish's tail splashed onto Xiao Lingdang's face, but she wasn't annoyed; instead, she showed her two little tiger teeth.

Yu Tian discovered that Xiao Lingdang's talent in martial arts was unexpectedly good. She could play with the most basic internal energy circulation in various ways, such as condensing true energy at her fingertips to start a fire, or covering the soles of her feet to increase her running speed.

In just half a month, without the pressure of pursuers, Little Bell could hunt and gather during the day and practice her skills at night, just like him.

On clear, moonlit nights, Yu Tian would dive into the water alone. He became increasingly familiar with the feel of the water; the current seemed to become a part of his body, carrying him silently across the boundary.

There's no moon tonight; it's the perfect time to act!
(End of this chapter)