Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Liu Xingmo was also stunned, and said softly, "Mary, this..."

"It talks about some random thoughts on alchemy, and it's all in my father's handwriting, so I can't mistake it." Su Mali closed the book and pressed it against her heaving chest. "This book is quite old; it was probably left behind by my father before he went to the West. I heard he also had a family in the Central Plains, so this book must belong to my half-siblings."

"Huh?" Liu Xingmo scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

"What's wrong, Xingmo?" Su Mali chuckled. "Strong people have such long lifespans that their spouses may not be able to keep up. This is quite normal."

"I...I know." Liu Xingmo picked up the package. "Look for other notebooks and see who their owners are."

Soon, a name appeared on the title page of the textbook.

Su Dabo.

"Grand and expansive, what a great name!" Liu Xingmo said dryly.

"Laugh if you want, this name really takes advantage of people." Sumali flipped through a few more pages. "I'm afraid it's not my brother, but my nephew, or maybe even my grand-nephew."

"Da Bo is my nephew, this is all a mess." Liu Xingmo shook his head, then asked with a smile, "Mary, how old are you again? Let me think about it."

"Xingmo, shut up. Focus on your book."

"Okay, okay."

……

The lights in the Mushroom Castle lobby stayed on all night until dawn.

On the other side, at the main family's meeting place, several giant beasts met.

A petite woman stood in the center of the hall, her tone harsh: "You bastards! How dare you rob my pharmacy! Don't underestimate me just because I've been in seclusion for so long!"

"Elder, these people from Yin are new to this place and may not readily accept our offer," a majestic white horse said calmly. "Over the years, I've been a merchant, traveling to all the major towns and cities of Yin, and I can build relationships with them. Moreover, recruiting them under the guise of a caravan means they'll have the opportunity to return to their homeland more often."

"That's easy for you to say! No businessman is without guile; it's all about making money, humph!" The woman scoffed, then asked, "So? How many people have you hired?"

"Hmph!" White Horse snorted, shook his head, and said awkwardly, "Perhaps it's because Black Dragon Stronghold has such a bad reputation that I haven't been able to recruit anyone."

"Useless!" The woman's gaze swept over them, and the other giant beasts shuddered. "And you?"

A water buffalo looked dejected: "I offered very tempting terms, including four months of paid leave every year, but nobody believed me."

A pterosaur flapped its wings: "Those people are ungrateful! I even promised to send them back to their hometowns for three months every year, and nobody even bothered with me!"

A tiger bared its teeth: "If you ask me, we should just detain them directly, to save all this trouble. Didn't they attack the people in our village? Use that as an excuse!"

The pterosaur opened its mouth and stuck out its long tongue: "Our village's reputation has been ruined by a scoundrel like you."

"That's right!" The white horse shrugged dismissively, "What are you doing here, you stupid cat in charge of criminal law! Do you think your family rules can apply to foreigners?"

The tiger smirked, revealing sharp fangs: "I'm here to investigate spies, it's better to be safe than sorry! But you merchants, you're all rolling in money, I think there's something fishy about you."

The buffalo scoffed, "The problem lies with those monkeys. You were so close and they didn't even notice; that's a real failure of supervision."

"Roar—!" the tiger roared, "Today I'll show you who the king of the forest really is!"

"That's enough!"

The woman in the center of the venue stomped her foot, causing a storm of spiritual energy to rise in the entire space, making the fur of several giant beasts fly in the wind.

"I have important business to attend to and don't have time to waste. Anyway, you guys better find a way to keep those people here, or don't bother coming to the pharmacy for medicine anymore, you can all go eat grass!"

Several giant beasts simultaneously bowed their heads: "Yes, Elder..."

The woman turned and left, but the heavy pressure still kept the giant beasts from moving.

As she reached the door, she suddenly stopped: "There's one more thing: make Black Dragon Village's reputation sound better! I don't want to encounter something like this again."

"Elder, you're making things too difficult for us! These merchants have been busy for hundreds of years, and they haven't accomplished anything, have they?" the burly tiger said with a fierce expression.

"Huh? Your salary for this year is gone!" The woman left without looking back, leaving only one sentence: "Remember, I only care about results."

Inside the spacious hall, several giant beasts looked at each other in bewilderment.

The water buffalo sighed, "What should we do? This elder is the most difficult to deal with."

The white horse paced back and forth: "Reputation, reputation, reputation... That's it! No matter how much we talk to outsiders, nobody listens or believes us. But there's one person in our village whose words can travel far and wide. And who knows, maybe they'll become the truth!"

The tiger glared: "You mean the Mountain Goddess? But we can't persuade her to come!"

The pterosaur covered its face with its wings: "You silly cat, how did you get into the Enforcement Hall? Do you find criminals by smelling them?"

The tiger raised its head with a smug look: "That's right! My nose is even more sensitive than a dog's. As long as I follow that little scent, 'whoosh,' all the troublemakers can't escape my keen eyes, no, my keen nose."

"Never mind this idiot." White Horse strode out of the meeting place. "Go find the storyteller and see what he has to say."

"Alright, whatever you say." The water buffalo followed. "Speaking of which, it was that kid who brought them here, how come they disappeared in the blink of an eye?"

The pterosaur didn't say anything and flew directly towards the east of the city.

Only one tiger remained in the room, bewildered: "What are you talking about? Don't go, wait for me!"

……

Early morning at Mushroom Castle.

"Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!" The sound of a copper bell echoed in the bedroom.

Having stayed up all night, Liu Xingmo, with tired eyes, was unwilling to get out of bed and lingered there for a while longer.

"Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!" The sound of the copper bell rang out again.

Liu Xingmo casually threw on a coat, slipped on his slippers, and went to the window.

The entrance was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.

Huh? What's going on? Aren't they from a caravan?

"Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling..." The copper bell rang incessantly.

Liu Xingmo leaned his upper body out of the window and saw a huge figure.

With its jagged bones, long, pointed beak, and a pair of broad, fleshy wings folded at its sides, its body was both harmonious and bizarre—it was clearly a pterosaur.

Liu Xingmo looked up at the head that was taller than the roof, paused for a few seconds, and quickly said, "Manager! Please come in! Oh, no, I'll be right out!"

I hurriedly put on my clothes and rushed down the stairs.

Liu Xingmo pushed open the door and was even more dumbfounded.

A row of giant beasts sat together on the open ground at the foot of the mountain, their eyes, as big as washbasins, staring straight at him.

What's going on? Did I cause a diplomatic incident yesterday?