Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Suddenly, a light flashed in the water tank.

Only Liu Xingmo noticed it.

In that instant, he felt an extremely faint and indescribable tremor through the soul imprint, and even a vague thought arose.

A river ripples under the night sky...

Liu Xingmo suddenly stood up: "I'm going to the river!"

Sumarie plunged her silver knife into the oranges on the plate, splashing out sweet juice.

She licked her lips and said, "What's wrong with you so late at night?"

"No, Baohei told me we had to go to the river!"

"This turtle must be homesick. You're not a turtle, why are you in such a hurry to drown yourself? Do you want me to be a widow?"

"I have a feeling that Baohei wants to tell me the location of a treasure! This is part of its fortune-telling ability, it's like divination!"

Through the soul imprint, Liu Xingmo sensed that the contracted beast's luck had been completely depleted, indicating that it had activated some kind of ability.

Sumali turned her head and saw that Baohei in the water tank had become somewhat listless.

She was skeptical: "Okay, I'll go with you after we finish eating."

"Don't you still have work to finish overnight?"

"What? You really want me to be a widow?"

"I'll go check out the drinking water river in town; there's nothing dangerous there."

"Regardless of whether what this turtle tells you is true or not, the treasure itself carries danger."

"Oh? You're willing to believe Bao Hei now?"

"I just care about you."

After dinner, I opened the door to my house.

The mountain wind at night carried the desolation of autumn, and the chill seeped straight into the bones.

The fruit trees rustled softly, and a faint light seeped through the doors and windows of the treehouse.

Tonight, the moon is dark and the wind is high.

Liu Xingmo donned a custom-made fishing coat, carried a glass oil lamp in his left hand, held a wood-chopping knife in his right, and carried the auspicious turtle on his back.

Sumali was draped in a black cloak and carried a... rifle.

Liu Xingmo clicked his tongue in disbelief: "Mary, try not to fire. Even killing a bug could cause problems and make things difficult to explain."

"Don't worry, my night vision is much better than yours. This environment is just like daytime to me."

"As expected of someone from a vampire family. By the way, can you tell me now, how old are you?"

"Xingmo, I've said it many times. I have never received the 'First Embrace,' and it is impolite to ask a lady's age."

"Wow! Eight years have passed, and you haven't changed a bit. Let me guess, are you two hundred years old? Or three hundred?"

"I'm not that old."

"Hey, this has a really fantastical feel to it, I don't dislike it!"

"No means no."

"It can't be a woman in her fifties or sixties, can it? That's too realistic, it's kind of disgusting."

"What exactly do you mean by fantasy and reality? I've known you for so long, and I still don't understand."

"Don't mind it, it's just my catchphrase as a storyteller."

They chatted and laughed all the way to the stone-paved road on the ground, and then headed towards the mountain river.

The western town was rather quiet at night, with the occasional figure riding a giant beast passing by, exuding a deep aura; those were patrolling warriors.

Upon reaching the riverbank, the murmuring water flowed over the withered yellow water plants, and the mournful songs of crickets echoed from the grass.

Liu Xingmo contacted Bao Hei on his back through the soul imprint: "Give me some more hints, what's the next step?"

A vague thought came to mind.

It was a strong feeling of excitement, an urge to jump into the vast expanse of water.

What does that mean? I don't understand.

Suddenly, Sumari raised her gun and aimed at the grass on the riverbank. Her slender finger was on the trigger, her face serious.

"There's something in the grass, a large one, not very warm, and moving slowly..."

Liu Xingmo also carefully raised his wood-chopping knife.

"Croak!" After the crisp cry, there was a "plop" sound of falling into the water.

Sumali lowered her gun: "What a huge bullfrog, it might be able to swallow a child whole."

"The town doesn't allow contracted beasts to roam freely, this guy is probably wild, I didn't expect him to grow so big." Liu Xingmo was stunned for a moment, then shouted, "Jump into the water, bullfrog... Bao Hei means, this guy is the target!"

"Then breaking both legs shouldn't be a problem, right?" Before Sumali could answer, she quickly raised her gun and fired.

"Bang—!" Crimson flames shot out from the muzzle of the gun.

"Caw—!" A mournful cry came from the water.

Sumali ran along the riverbank.

Her reloading movements were so fast they were almost invisible, and the heavy, long rifle remained as steady as a rock in her hand.

When she pulled the trigger, her dark eyes were cold and focused, devoid of any warmth or malice.

With another gunshot, the bullfrog that was swimming in circles struggled violently in place; both of its legs had been broken.

Liu Xingmo also noticed the splashing sounds on the water's surface. He took out his telescopic fishing rod, and with a standard casting motion, flung the hook at the bullfrog in the river.

The fishing line suddenly tightened, and the fishing rod was bent under the weight.

Liu Xingmo mustered all his strength and pulled hard on the fishing line.

Sumali reloaded, her rifle aimed intently at the center of the splashing water, ready to reap lives in the event of a crisis.

Liu Xingmo dragged a burly figure to the shore.

It was as tall as an adult, but its massive body was clearly more powerful. Its gaping maw seemed bottomless, as if it could swallow a whole person whole. Its legs thrashed about wildly, each with a bleeding hole.

The blood that flowed onto the grass blades congealed but did not disperse, as if it carried some kind of vitality, slowly wriggling like a dark red leech.

Liu Xingmo took a closer look and immediately sensed a strong aura of blood.

He exclaimed, "This is a rare, acquired beast! And a contracted beast that rebelled after gaining sentience!"

Mythical beasts refer to animals with special abilities, which can be innate or acquired.

Besides naturally born magical beasts, ordinary animals can also acquire a kind of spiritual energy and certain abilities through years of learning and training; these are called acquired magical beasts.

Humans who cultivate are essentially acquired magical beasts. Contracted beasts, even with careful nurturing, also have an extremely low probability of transforming into acquired magical beasts.

The difficulty in advancing through the Blood Path Cultivation Method lies here: each major stage requires the cultivation of an acquired rare beast.

This process is extremely difficult, and many people have to resort to unorthodox methods, which causes a lot of trouble.

This bullfrog probably belongs to a second-tier powerhouse, or is the key to that person's advancement to the third tier.

Its free movement outside in the middle of the night, a behavior so contrary to the village rules, clearly indicates that it is trying to escape.

Liu Xingmo quickly pulled out a large coil of fishing line and tied the bullfrog tightly.

Sumali put down the rifle she had been pointing at the bullfrog's head and asked, "What do we do with this thing?"

"Of course we should return it to its owner! A favor from a future third-tier powerhouse is invaluable. Let's not stand there any longer, let's quickly send it to the Affairs Office!"

Without much delay, they stopped a passing capybara and asked it for a ride.

Liu Xingmo sensed the black treasure behind him through the soul imprint, and a sense of surprise welled up in his heart.

This old turtle... although the process was a bit far-fetched, the result was actually effective?

No wonder tortoise shells and turtle shells can be used as divination tools; there's something to it.

If Bao Hei could predict events like this in the future, wouldn't he be rich?