Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

The capybara, with its four short legs, quickly arrived at the center of West Town, at the ancient stone hall.

Liu Xingmo saw a man riding a tabby cat, preparing to set off. It was none other than his fourth uncle, who worked as a constable.

He quickly called out, "Fourth Uncle!"

The middle-aged man turned around: "Xiao Mo! What are you doing wandering around at night with your wife?"

"Night fishing. What about you?"

"Nonsense, go home and get some sleep." Fourth Uncle waved his hand. "I've got a mission to search for a missing contracted beast. I have to go now."

"Haha, are you talking about a bullfrog?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

"I've caught him."

"What? This guy is dangerous!"

"Fourth Uncle, times have changed. No matter how dangerous it is, it can't take a bullet." Liu Xingmo pulled the bullfrog, which was tied up like a rice dumpling, out and put it down from the capybara's back.

"Good lad, to run into this thing while night fishing, what luck..." Uncle Si paused, then turned and saw the old turtle peeking out from behind Liu Xingmo. He understood immediately, "This is a rare beast, an auspicious beast... unbelievable!"

"Hehe, it's alright."

Several people carried the bullfrog into the office and found a spacious room.

A professional doctor from the affiliated clinic came and operated on the bullfrog to remove the bullet, bandaged the wound, and finally fed it a wound medicine.

Black Dragon Village is located in the mountains and forests, and many residents practice the Wood Path of cultivating plants, so it is rich in various wonderful medicines and spiritual herbs.

Although this place is relatively backward, it is almost certain to be effective in treating plague and external injuries.

The bullfrogs that had been croaking suddenly fell silent, nestled in the large iron cage, their bellies bulging rhythmically.

More than an hour later, a goose landed outside the office.

A young man jumped down, his face full of indifference and ferocity, as if the whole world owed him money.

He was surrounded by a faint, fishy smell, and a pure, solid aura of blood.

Upon seeing Liu Xingmo, a grotesque smile crept onto his lips: "Oh, you're Liu Xingmo, an orphan who lost your parents at ten. Heh heh, just like me..."

Upon hearing this, Fourth Uncle's expression immediately changed, and Su Mali gripped her rifle tightly.

Liu Xingmo seemed to remember something: "Ah! You are Liu Yizhu. I've seen you before, at the scene of that accident."

"That's right. So, what are you doing here? Where's my bullfrog?"

"I caught you."

"Very good, this is the reward for the bounty." Liu Yizhu handed out three glittering gold coins.

Liu Xingmo took the coin, stroking the faded gold coin, marveling at how easily he had earned three thousand yuan.

Liu Yizhu rode away on a wild goose, with the bullfrog in tow.

Fourth Uncle watched him disappear into the dark forest, muttering to himself, "This is the Blood Path Innate Physique, the number one genius in our area... Why does he seem a bit off-witted?"

"Losing his parents must have been a huge blow to him," Liu Xingmo said, somewhat puzzled. "How could someone like him cause trouble by having his contracted beast go out of control? There's no need for him to be in such a rush to advance, is there?"

"You don't understand. He probably used some kind of witchcraft or sorcery to make the contracted beasts kill and eat each other so that they could grow stronger. This kind of thing is forbidden art, and it is only passed on to a very small number of people."

"That's insane. Maybe the rumors are true, our ancestors in Black Dragon Village weren't exactly good people."

Late at night.

The lights in West Town gradually went out, leaving only the dim silver light of a crescent moon overhead. Everywhere, the shadows of trees swayed, and occasionally, the howl of a wild beast could be heard.

Liu Xingmo and Su Mali walked side by side on their way home.

Liu Xingmo was still weighing the three gold coins in his hand: "Mary, did you see that? Black coin can really make money!"

"So, what is the price?" Sumali asked calmly.

"The cost? The luck that Baohei has accumulated? The food we fed it today, the blood essence we used on it—weren't all of that a cost?"

"Let's hope so. My kingdom has some dark magic that can grant wishes for a price. Hopefully, this tortoise won't charge too much."

"How could it be so bizarre?"

Liu Xingmo reached out and patted Bao Hei on the back.

This creature disliked being near people and quickly retreated into its shell. Its four paws curled up, causing the rope binding it to loosen slightly.

Liu Xingmo simply held the precious contracted beast with his hands behind his back.

I found my own nectarine tree among the faint shadows of the trees. In the dim darkness, I climbed the old wooden steps one by one.

Sumali walked ahead and reached her hand behind her.

"No need," Liu Xingmo waved his hand. "I've walked this road for over ten years; I could climb it with my eyes closed."

The mountain wind swept in on an autumn night, making people shiver.

Liu Xingmo tightened his clothes and strode quickly along the wooden walkway: "Walk faster, I want to have a little wine before I go to sleep."

Sumali quickened her pace and climbed the more than ten-meter-high steps.

My home is just out in sight.

Just then, an unpleasant "click" sound rang out in the quiet night.

With a sickening screech of wood tearing, Liu Xingmo's foot slipped, and he plummeted. He quickly reached out and grabbed onto something else for support, barely managing to hang from the tree.

However, the black one on its back was not so lucky.

The turtle's round shell slipped out of the loose straps and plummeted downwards.

Liu Xingmo hurriedly reached out a hand to reach it, his slender and strong fingers barely brushing against the cool and smooth carapace, but in vain he missed.

Its round, plump shape drew a straight line in the dim moonlight, and the faint light flowing across its shell instantly went out...

"Bang!" A muffled sound came from the darkness, accompanied by a faint "crack" sound, like something hard breaking.

Liu Xingmo's eyes were bulging out of their sockets, but he was helpless.

Why is this staircase/walkway broken?

If we walked around and looked around every day, we should have discovered the problem long ago!

Realizing what was happening, Su Mali turned around and grabbed Liu Xingmo's arm.

Liu Xingmo channeled his inner energy, exerted a sudden burst of strength, and flipped back onto the platform. He disregarded everything else and quickly ran towards the tree below.

When Baohei was found on the ground, it was limp and on the verge of death, and its thick shell was cracked.

Quickly secure it with straps, and carefully carry it back to the office.

The staff at the clinic were puzzled when they saw someone return.

"Doctor! Please save my contracted beast! It's injured; it fell from a tree!"

Liu Xingmo placed Bao Hei on the bed in the clinic.

The young night watchman took a quick look and his expression turned grave: "For this kind of injury, you must go to my master!"

Bao Hei was taken to the operating room of the clinic—the concept of open surgery has existed in this world for a long time.

In the middle of the night, chaos erupted.

The next day, at dawn, the operating room doors opened.

An elderly doctor came out, removed the veil from his face, and gasped for breath.

Liu Xingmo, who was sitting on a chair by the door, quickly stood up: "Doctor, how is she?"

"Oh dear! It's like the carapace of the spine has been shattered and torn open, the internal organs are damaged and exposed, even the intestines are spilling out..."

"you mean?"

"To cure this, the finest elixir must be used."

"It has to be treated! How much will it cost?"

"A full course of treatment would cost at least three thousand."

"what!"

The number three thousand struck Liu Xingmo as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer.

A sudden whim to go night fishing, cold, heavy gold coins, the moment the plank road broke, the arc of precious black metal falling...

At that moment, he understood the price of his divination abilities.

To gain good fortune, one must also accept misfortune.

There is no free lunch.