Bai Ze Appears

“Thud!”

“Smack! ……… Ouch!!…..”

After who knows how long of tumbling, Li Miaosheng crashed into the bushes beside the stone steps.

Leaves and twigs were scattered all over his hair….

“Ah~~… tsk… it hurts, hurts!”

He reached up to scratch his head.

But accidentally touched the bleeding spot.

Bright red blood smeared onto his hand, giving off a metallic scent:

“Ugh… bad luck! Just like Grandmaster said, I’m not young anymore and I still can’t even watch where I walk……”

“Wait… the blood on my hand… what’s going on?”

Drip, drip~.

Drops of blood fell from his injured head, yet Li Miaosheng hadn’t even noticed.

Ever since cultivating, his body was no longer as fragile as before.

Instead, his sense of pain had dulled, while his other senses were heightened.

No wonder he kept smelling a strong scent of blood while rolling down the mountain—it was coming from himself……

Realizing this, he opened his bundle and took out the few band-aids he had, carefully sticking one onto his forehead.

Once done, he sat on the stone steps, frowning deeply as he fell into thought:

{Sigh… I wonder when I’ll be able to return after going down the mountain.

Leaving a place I’ve stayed in for eighteen years just like that…}

Smack, smack.

He slapped his cheeks with both hands.

{Well… there’s no feast that lasts forever.

Might as well look forward to what Grandmaster said about the outside world.}

“Grrrrr~~~~”

A loud growl from his stomach interrupted him.

Li Miaosheng rubbed his already flat belly.

“More importantly, what should I do next?

I don’t have much food left in my bundle—just one flatbread and a bottle of milk…..”

“?!”

“Whoa! There’s milk!”

He carefully tucked the bottle away.

Then quickly looked around, becoming alert, afraid that some wild beast might suddenly appear and snatch his bundle…

After a while, he relaxed.

“Good thing this is deep in the mountains—no people, no people.

As long as I watch out for small animals, I’ll be fine…..”

Right as he finished saying that—

A beast’s roar suddenly echoed through the mountains.

It was loud.

Like some kind of overlord had been enraged.

Soon, the once-quiet forest filled with noise—buzzing insects, chirping animals…

The sounds made his ears ache….

Just as he was about to grab his bundle and run—

A small snow-white fox appeared in front of him.

……..

He froze for a moment.

But didn’t think much and immediately turned to run.

About this mountain, there was a record in a book from the temple:

It was said that the lineage of Bai Ze once lived and thrived in these mountains.

After a long time, legends of divine beasts began to spread.

However, no one knew what Bai Ze actually looked like.

During the temple’s peak period, they once organized a ritual to “invite the divine.”

Strangely, all ten people who went disappeared without a trace—

As if they had vanished from the world……

Later generations were terrified.

Thus, the mountain came to be called Bai Ze Mountain.

And this Bai Ze was nothing like the auspicious creature described in legends.

Of course, stories passed down generation after generation—truth and lies mixed together…

Naturally, Li Miaosheng didn’t hesitate.

He picked up his bundle and rushed down the mountain—

Completely unaware that the little white fox had quietly slipped into his bag……

But when he reached a mountain stream—

A massive white creature blocked his path.

It resembled a tiger or leopard.

But had a long horn growing from its head.

Its fierce appearance and gaze locked onto him.

Li Miaosheng couldn’t believe his eyes.

He rubbed them, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might jump out.

Panicking, he stammered:

“H-hey hey hey! Are you kidding me?!

Heavens! How could something like Bai Ze—

How could it appear in a random mountain like this—and just happen to run into me?!”

{I’m dead… even if those rumors aren’t entirely true, they can’t be baseless either.

If this divine beast is anything like the legends…

Does that mean I won’t even survive past chapter two?!}

Cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Some even seeped into the bandage, stinging his wound….

“………..”

Yet the Bai Ze didn’t move.

It simply stared at him.

Its large amber eyes seemed capable of seeing straight into his soul….

Suddenly—

It grinned.

“Mm! You’re an interesting human.

You didn’t even try to run when you saw me……”

A clear, ethereal voice sounded beside Miaosheng’s ear.

Startled, he immediately turned and bolted like the wind….

But before he could take more than two steps—

The voice stopped him.

It warned that if he took another step, it couldn’t guarantee he would survive.

Hearing that, he froze mid-motion—

One foot suspended in the air, the other planted on the ground.

Still in a running stance.

The Bai Ze, seeing him stop, began walking gracefully toward him.

Step by step, like a cat.

It approached from behind and sniffed his head.

But the moment it sniffed—

The three-meter-tall divine beast suddenly looked shocked.

Then rapidly shrank down—

Until it was the size of a puppy.

It stuck out its tongue and panted at his feet:

“Big brother, is that you?!

I’ve been waiting for you for so long, big brother!!”

“?!”

Li Miaosheng’s heart pounded even harder.

Just moments ago, he was ready to die—

So why was Bai Ze suddenly acting like this?

{Is this some new kind of trick…?

Seriously, can’t a guy just die peacefully these days?!}

“Big brother! Not a trick!”

“You were already my master two thousand years ago!

If you want a different title this life, calling you ‘Master’ works too!”

As it spoke—

The Bai Ze returned to its massive size.

Its amber eyes fixed intently on him….

Drool dripped onto his face like splashes of water—

Leaving him soaked and smelling awful….

{A new scam method?!}

“No, big brother!”

“Wait! Hold on…”

The protagonist suddenly felt something was off.

“How do you even know what I’m thinking?”

“Because I’m Bai Ze!”

It grinned widely, tongue hanging out like a happy dog…..

Li Miaosheng: ………….

………………………….

As for the new book—

Spoilers wouldn’t be fun…..

Dear readers, please bear with me.

Compared to the previous one, this story should be even better….