Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Safe.

Liu Xingmo could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He loosened the cloth binding the turtle and the fishing line, examined it repeatedly, but still couldn't see anything unusual about it.

Logically speaking, all mythical beasts possess some kind of spiritual energy and have special abilities.

The most common is blood energy, which brings simple abilities: physical strength and immense power. Less common are fire energy, earth energy, and lightning energy, which can activate elemental abilities.

As for this old turtle, it had a strange fever when the Allosaurus attacked the tree hole, and then the squirrel lured the dinosaur away.

Could it be that its ability is to control animals?

That's really amazing!

However, forming a contract with it is quite troublesome, requiring at least the strength of the second tier. Liu Xingmo, however, is currently only at the third level of the first tier, far from sufficient.

"Fourth Uncle, what should we do now? Should we go home and hide?" Liu Xingmo asked in a low voice.

"You little rascal, you've been reading too many fictional stories, haven't you? What era are we living in? If you have something valuable, hurry up and get it notarized! Otherwise, if it gets stolen, you'll be crying too late!"

Uncle Si's eyes were constantly shifting between his nephew and the sharp-headed turtle.

"Little Mo, let's go back and call all your uncles and brothers. We'll sell everything we own to get you some good medicine to help you reach the second tier as soon as possible. Then we'll take this guy as our contracted beast, and you'll probably be a guaranteed third tier in your lifetime!"

"Third tier?" Liu Xingmo's face fell. "Didn't everyone else who found the strange beasts reach the fourth or fifth tier?"

"You brat! Those are eagles and foxes! You caught a turtle, what more do you want?" Uncle Si laughed and scolded, then his expression suddenly tightened. "Raising these things costs money. If you need anything, just ask Uncle Si. Don't be shy. If you really reach the third rank, then I'll have done right by your parents."

"Thank you, Fourth Uncle!" Liu Xingmo was overjoyed.

……

Heilongzhai, Xizhen.

Tall fruit trees are planted all over the mountains. The cool mountain breeze in autumn carries the sweet fragrance of pears.

A tabby cat roams the ground area beneath the sea of ​​trees.

The residential houses are exquisite wooden cabins perched on fruit tree branches. At this moment, warm yellow light shines from the windows, and the aroma of food mingles with the smoke from the chimneys.

Liu Xingmo took a deep breath, finally recovering from the thrill of his adventure.

Uncle Si rode his tabby cat toward the town center. There stood a rare, large-scale above-ground structure—an ancient, simple hall built of massive stones.

They tied the cat to the animal pen and then went into the main hall.

People come and go, rushing around.

This place is the administrative office, where miscellaneous matters are handled.

I climbed the stone stairs and entered a secluded room on the second floor.

As soon as he entered the room, Liu Xingmo felt a gaze fall upon him, or more precisely, upon the old turtle in his arms.

Turning my head, I saw a young man wearing a green silk robe, smiling, sitting leisurely in a chair in the corner.

When his fourth uncle saw him, he was somewhat surprised and said, "Great-grandfather, I didn't expect to see you here."

"We just inspected a wild boar last night, and we didn't expect to have another good catch this morning. Our village is getting better and better."

Great-grandfather picked up a teapot with his left hand, took a sip from the spout, and then said to Liu Xingmo:

"You are my eighteenth generation descendant, the generational difference is too great to explain clearly. Just call me Great-Grandpa."

"Yes, Great-Grandpa," Liu Xingmo greeted respectfully.

"Let me see that turtle. Don't worry, I've reached the fifth level of cultivation. I value my reputation, I won't steal it from you."

"Hahaha..." Liu Xingmo chuckled and handed over the package from his arms.

My great-grandfather lifted the turtle, which was the size of a washbasin, with one hand and used the other hand to sprinkle tea from the teapot onto the turtle's head.

The sickly fellow rolled his eyes and became a little more lively.

Great-grandfather stroked the patterns on the tortoise shell with his fingers, and a faint light flowed between the gaps in the bone plates.

For no apparent reason, Liu Xingmo felt his foot slip, but he quickly regained his balance and didn't fall.

Great-grandfather examined the object repeatedly for a long time, his eyes sparkling with an inexplicable light, but he remained silent.

Liu Xingmo couldn't help but ask, "Great-Grandpa, what kind of spiritual energy does it possess? What abilities does it have?"

"Rare, extremely rare!" Great-grandfather stared intently at the turtle's eyes, which were the size of mung beans. "This creature is an auspicious beast, possessing a kind of luck within it that can influence one's fortune."

"Huh? A mythical beast?" Liu Xingmo exclaimed in disbelief. "I remember yesterday, this old turtle used its power to lure the squirrel away from the dinosaur. Its abilities should be..."

"That makes sense; it transferred its bad luck onto the squirrel."

"How did I even manage to catch it? That's incredibly bad luck!"

"Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Your catching of it may mark the end of your free time, or it may be the beginning of another chapter in your life. The same applies to you."

"I understand. Great-Grandpa, please do me a notarization. This old turtle belongs to me, and no one can take it from me."

"Wait a minute. Turtles bring good fortune, snakes bring disaster, and turtles bring both good fortune and disaster." Great-Grandpa took a sip of tea, frowned, and stared at Liu Xingmo. "Young man, the waters here are too deep. You can't handle it. Let me handle it."

Liu Xingmo's eyes widened: "No, no, no! Whether it's a blessing or a curse, I can handle it! I'll grit my teeth and bear it!"

"Oh dear, why is this child so impatient? What I mean is, let's trade this old turtle for a suitable mythical beast, so you don't go down the wrong path and waste your time."

Great-grandfather reached out and gently stroked the turtle's shell, then murmured:

"Luck is unpredictable, good or bad. Xiao Mo, if you form a contract with this turtle, your own fortune might be suppressed by it, and you might never find a better mythical beast in your life, and you'll only be able to support this tortoise."

"When I was young, I met a man who contracted a 'wealth-attracting rat.' Although that man had a prosperous life, he eventually died at the hands of robbers. Liu Xingmo, you must remember, a strange beast that serves its master will also determine the master's path."

Liu Xingmo hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "This one will do! It's fate that it bumped into me!"

Great-grandfather laughed: "Alright! Let's see if you and this turtle are truly destined for each other."

"How do we try it?" Liu Xingmo asked.

"To contract with ordinary turtles and tortoises, you need the strength of the fourth level of the second tier; to contract with rare beast turtles and tortoises, you need the strength of the tenth level of the second tier. Your current strength is far from sufficient."

Great-grandfather flipped his palm over, and somehow, a plain, unremarkable brown pill appeared:

"If you take this medicine, you can advance from level three of the first tier to level four and obtain a new soul imprint. If this turtle recognizes you as its master and gives up resisting, you can imprint the soul imprint with your current strength and complete the contract!"

"I understand!" Liu Xingmo grabbed the pill and quickly swallowed it.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a peculiar warm current flowed throughout the body, even nourishing the deepest part of the soul.

The blood and qi in his meridians circulated rapidly, and with a clear "pop," it broke through a certain limit. A wisp of his powerful soul separated and slowly solidified into a "soul imprint."

Liu Xingmo opened his eyes: "It's ready!"

The room was dimly lit, with a crimson light shining through the window, illuminating several unpredictable faces.

A whole day has passed! It's already sunset.

Liu Xingmo stood up and saw a large wooden basin on a table not far away. A turtle, half-submerged in the water, stretched out its head and stared at him. Its shell showed unique patterns under the blood-red sunset.

Liu Xingmo took a deep breath and walked to the wooden basin.

quack quack!

The cawing of crows came from outside the window, hoarse and unpleasant.