I Have a Golden Crow

"Hello?" Du Yu knelt on one knee, waving a hand in front of the Little Chi Bear's face.

Yet the little guy seemed as fake as could be, completely motionless—if not for its tiny belly gently rising and falling with its breath, one could really mistake it for a plush toy.

Du Yu just couldn't resist—he reached out a finger and poked the Little Chi Bear's tummy.

Poke~

"Ying?" The Little Chi Bear finally reacted a bit. It opened its drowsy eyes, looking at Du Yu in utter confusion.

In that instant, the human and the bear locked eyes.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

"Ying!" The Little Chi Bear finally saw clearly who was in front of it, and was startled by this unfamiliar face, scrambling to its feet in a hurry.

Curiously, while others would usually sit up forward, the Little Chi Bear instead rolled backwards...

And just like that, the Little Chi Bear performed an ultimate trick for Du Yu—a backward roll!

Its big head really did interfere with movement—after finally succeeding at the backward roll, the Little Chi Bear landed squarely on its bottom.

Boing~

When that bouncy little bottom hit the ground, Du Yu automatically imagined the sound effect.

Damn! How can there be such an adorable little thing in this world?

There's no need for any soldier's rules or formalities—Du Yu just couldn't bring himself to do the deed!

"Ying~" Sitting on the ground, the Little Chi Bear seemed to have used up all its strength, or maybe its head was just too heavy—having just rolled over, it flopped over onto its back once again.

"Ying!" Xiaoyan stretched out a long tail, stopping behind the Little Chi Bear's back.

The soft, long tail instantly became a backrest for the Little Chi Bear.

"Ying?" The Little Chi Bear turned its fuzzy head, gazing at the big tail behind it, looking left and right, studying it for a good while.

A look of... hmm, not exactly intelligence.

"Ying!" The Little Chi Bear let out a happy coo, rubbing its cheeks against the soft, fiery-red tail, looking immensely satisfied.

Then it closed its shining little eyes, and fell asleep once more.

Du Yu: ???

Fu Jianzhou: "..."

Just think, the Little Chi Bear had just been frightened awake by this stranger, Du Yu.

But after only a single backward roll, it had completely forgotten about the stranger. Under Du Yu and Fu Jianzhou's gaze, it fell right back asleep?

This...

"Ooo!" From beside a cluster of green bamboo in the distance, a call rang out.

Du Yu turned his head to look, and saw a massive, round form plodding towards them.

"Back up." Fu Jianzhou helped Du Yu up, and stepped back with him several paces.

"Easy, Xiaoyan, don't wake it up." Du Yu gave an order.

Prince Yan truly has the bearing of a Sea King!

Even though the Little Chi Bear greedily clung to her big tail, refusing to let go,

still Xiaoyan gently slipped her long tail away, moving with care and decisiveness, not disturbing the sleeping Chi Bear at all.

Wafting away, she quickly darted over to Du Yu, leaving not a single trace behind.

The Chi Bear Mother approached slowly. Seeing her child blissfully asleep, she nudged it over with her head, picked up the cub by the scruff, and meandered away.

From start to finish, the Chi Bear Mother never saw the two of them as enemies—she merely took her mischievous cub home.

Fu Jianzhou said softly, "These Chi Bears probably haven't joined the Tai Sui Tribe."

"Mhm." Du Yu nodded.

Normally, the Chi Bear Race only has the Wood Attribute; only because they dwell among the Tai Sui Bamboo of the Bamboo Sea have they developed a secondary attribute.

Not all Chi Bears want to become strong or gather at the Tai Sui Bamboo to cultivate.

Life here in the Bamboo Grove is leisurely and worry-free; there's no lack of food or drink, and no real threats—so why bother striving for greatness?

Of course, some Chi Bears choose a carefree existence, while others choose to keep climbing higher and higher.

Especially worth mentioning: Chi Bears are highly intelligent!

Just how intelligent?

Other Demon Beasts may lead a pack—banding together to hunt and survive, which is already impressive enough.

But the Chi Bear Race has already established the foundations of tribal civilization!

And more than one, at that!

The Chi Bear Race has history—a lineage of generations old, stories passed down over time.

The Chi Bear Race has faith—each tribe home to proud, unyielding Tai Sui Bamboo.

The Chi Bear Race has goals!

When a Demon Beast advances far enough, it can even create its own Demon Spirit Realm civilization!

In each tribe, the Chi Bears with dreams all share one ultimate goal: to comprehend Heaven and Earth, achieve transcendence and become immortal.

Sounds unbelievable, like the peak realm the Human Race strives for, but here in Bamboo Grove, that's just the cultivation atmosphere.

Fu Jianzhou, flipping through the map, spoke: "Fire Attribute Tai Sui Bamboo grows mostly in the south."

Following the marks, Fu Jianzhou looked straight ahead. "Still in that direction—let's go."

Du Yu hugged Xiaoyan close and whispered, "We're going to find Chi Bears together—don't be in such a hurry to go bother every round little one, okay?

Chi Bears outside the tribes mostly only have the Wood Attribute—I can't contract with them."

"Ying~" Xiaoyan curled her long tail around Du Yu's neck, landing lightly on his shoulder, her fluffy little head nuzzling his cheek.

It seemed she didn't want her master talking about her—she brought another long tail up to cover Du Yu's mouth.

Seeing this, Fu Jianzhou couldn't help but look strange.

Previously, when he'd accompanied Du Yu on the battlefield, he'd heard, by accident, things like "Princess Consort Yan" and "Prince Du."

This Heterochromatic Demon Pet, Xiaoyan, really was too beautiful and intelligent.

So much so that, watching the affectionate interaction between master and pet, Fu Jianzhou always felt something... odd?

"Senior Brother Fu?" Du Yu's muffled voice came from behind Xiaoyan's tail.

"Ah—let's go, let's go." Fu Jianzhou came back to himself and quickened his pace.

The Bamboo Grove was vast; the two made good time for nearly half an hour. Occasionally, they saw a Chi Bear—most looked extremely relaxed.

Some Chi Bears slept, others strolled, and a few even hung from bamboo, staring at the sky?

Seriously, with bamboo that tall, how did such fat, round creatures ever climb up there...

"There should be a Tai Sui Wind Bamboo up ahead on the left," Fu Jianzhou suddenly announced.

A Wind Attribute Tai Sui Bamboo?

Du Yu looked around curiously.

"Listen," Fu Jianzhou stopped, tilting his head.

The sound of wind rustling through bamboo leaves came constantly, very rhythmic, like the crashing of waves.

The sibilant rustling of bamboo leaves was delightfully pleasant to the ear.

This was clearly not a sound produced by natural wind.

"Come on, let's take a look." Du Yu was eager and whispered his suggestion.

Fu Jianzhou didn't object—in fact, Master Qing had told him to keep Du Yu here for a while.

From Master Qing's words, little junior's mood hadn't been great lately; Fu Jianzhou was not just to help him contract a Chi Bear, but to cheer him up, too.

Honestly, only because Fu Jianzhou was here. If it had been anyone else, given the master's order, they'd probably be green with envy for the junior...

"So many Chi Bears!" Du Yu suddenly said as his gaze traced through clumps of bamboo—he spotted many more Chi Bears further inside the grove!

They were clearly gathering here on purpose.

This bamboo forest was unlike the rest; the bamboo swayed in regular rhythms, producing constant sound as the wind swept over, making for an enchanting sight.

"Ooo~"

"Awooo~!" In the distance, a chorus of howls echoed.

Five Chi Bears strode out from the depths of the forest, their eyes fixed on Du Yu's position.

One of the Chi Bears even stood up, walking on two legs.

"You two, leave immediately!" A sentry's shout came from behind, "This Tai Sui Wind Bamboo Tribe doesn't welcome outsiders!"

"Okay, okay!" Du Yu quickly replied, not sure where the soldier had come from so suddenly.

As for talk about "entering a surveillance zone" or "no privacy," he definitely felt it for real just now.

Du Yu and Fu Jianzhou turned and left; seeing this, the five Chi Bears stopped where they were.

The upright-walking Chi Bear watched the two go until they were far away, then dropped back to all fours and waddled home.

Proceeding south, Du Yu felt a bit disappointed: "Didn't get to see what the Tai Sui Wind Bamboo even looks like."

Fu Jianzhou: "Didn't the cultural pavilion have photos and paintings?"

"Yeah." Du Yu scratched his head, not very happy. "Tribe Chi Bears are really different from the free-range ones outside.

The slacker Chi Bears outside are better—just now we played with someone's kid, and the mom wasn't even mad."

Fu Jianzhou: "..."

Du Yu seemed to think of something: "Senior brother, what if the Tai Sui Fire Bamboo Tribe doesn't welcome us either? What then?"

Fu Jianzhou smiled, reassuring him: "Don't worry. There are a full sixty Tai Sui Bamboo here.

Surely, the Fire Attribute ones must number over a dozen—at least one tribe will welcome us."

"Here's hoping." Du Yu fidgeted with Xiaoyan's fiery tail in front of his face, gently kneading it in his hands, silently praying that the Tai Sui Fire Bamboo Tribe would be more hospitable.

Xiaoyan sensed her master's worries, letting one tail be played with at will, while her other two brushed Du Yu's cheek as if comforting him.

Such a scene left Fu Jianzhou utterly dazed!

Speaking of clever, affectionate Demon Pets—he did have Wolf Lake Dog·Qing Yi, after all.

But in all the years he'd raised Qing Yi, she had never been nearly this gentle or considerate?

You this...

"We're here, we're here." Du Yu lifted his head, gesturing at the verdantly colored bamboo forest ahead, his eyes sparkling.

"Hmm?" Fu Jianzhou looked into the distance at the fire-red bamboo grove, then down at his map. "Yeah, we're here."

"It's really beautiful," Du Yu sighed in wonder. The longer he looked, the more dreamlike it seemed!

In his mind, bamboo should always be a vivid green—there were only shades like emerald or deep forest green.

He had never seen fire-red bamboo before!

This area must have been saturated by the Tai Sui Fire Bamboo, to make such a fantastical scene.

For an instant, Du Yu thought of Little Shiwei's home, thought of those fiery red maples in the autumn woods.

Du Yu walked closer, sensing the temperature here climb a little.

Wisps of Fire Demon Breath drifted on the air, mixed with the sweet scent of bamboo leaves—Du Yu was utterly intoxicated.

"Stop!" Fu Jianzhou placed a hand on Du Yu's shoulder—with his gaze, he pointed out several Chi Bears emerging from the flame-red bamboo ahead.

"Hah." Instead, Du Yu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling his whole body swell...

The next moment, Du Yu's body shuddered, waves of dense Demon Breath surging up inside him!

Fu Jianzhou: ???

Is this... is this a breakthrough?

Fu Jianzhou gaped—Demon Tamer·Peak Stage advancing to Demon Tamer?!

A breakthrough across realms like this must be taken with utmost seriousness!

"Ying~"

"Ying?" The Chi Bears' calls came from far off, but these weren't fierce roars meant to drive away outsiders.

The Chi Bears' voices sounded gentle. One pair after another of glittering eyes watched Du Yu, drawing steadily closer.

This time, no soldiers came to shoo them away—anyone could sense the Chi Bears' goodwill.

Fu Jianzhou hesitated for a moment, then helped Du Yu to sit down, instructing him, "Focus on your breakthrough!"

Swoosh~

From straight ahead, a Chi Bear waved its paw, and a stalk of fire-red bamboo quietly materialized!

The scene looked just like a Human Race Demon Tamer summoning an Elemental Demon Soldier.

The Chi Bear grasped the fiery bamboo, propped itself up, and gently tapped the ground with its bamboo staff.

Pop~

A bamboo shoot broke through the earth, poking up a sharp little tip.

The bamboo shoot, too, was fire-red; wisps of Demon Breath visibly flowed from it, like tiny streams, and poured toward Du Yu.

Fu Jianzhou was overjoyed at the sight!

Chi Bears of the Tai Sui Fire Bamboo Tribe were actually helping his junior with his breakthrough?

"Ying~"

"Ying!" One after another, the Chi Bears raised fire-red bamboo, standing up in unison.

Bamboo shoots popped up everywhere, and in an instant, the brothers were surrounded.

"Uh?" Suddenly Du Yu tilted to one side.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he felt a sharp jab in his right buttock—a fire-red bamboo shoot had poked him halfway off the ground.

"Focus! Focus!" Little Golden Crow, wrapped in Demon Breath, darted wildly inside Du Yu, shouting a reminder.

"Mm, mm." Du Yu replied as he shifted his backside a little...