Chapter 10

The minor incident was not something Ai Xiaohai took to heart; he knew with just a little thought who was behind it. Who else knew he was carrying a large sum of money besides that pretty boy, Deng Chenglong?

It's no big deal. Ai Xiaohai had a new assessment of his own strength and was not afraid of any more big shots like Ah Hei.

In ancient language, Huyan Naxi means "beautiful and magical land." Here, there is the only pristine forest that has not been destroyed—the Huyan Naxi Great Forest. Countless rare birds and beasts live in this vast forest, which is like a treasure trove to Ai Xiaohai.

He wanted to ask the locals about the primeval forest, but they became very nervous at the mention of it. They repeatedly said it was summer, the time when the forest monsters are most active, and one must not enter the great forest. One must wait until autumn when the forest monsters are resting to re-enter.

Ai Xiaohai found this a bit strange. Why had there never been any forest monsters in the past?

He found an elderly local and treated him to a drink, finally learning the origin of the story.

It turns out that in Huyan Naxi, there has always been a legend about a terrifying forest monster in the primeval forest. However, this monster only comes out to hunt once every hundred years, spending the entire summer hunting. Wolves, bears, leopards—these fierce animals are all its delicacies. After summer, it finds a very safe place to hibernate for a hundred years.

Ridiculous, Ai Xiaohai was very sure that such a species did not exist on Earth. The so-called forest monster was probably a very rare and hard-to-see fierce beast. As the story spread, it became known as a "forest monster."

The larger and rarer the fierce beast, the greater the benefit to the Dragon Spirit Pearl. Ai Xiaohai was almost eager to meet this "forest monster."

After replenishing some necessary supplies for the primeval forest, he set off on his adventure in the Huyan Naxi primeval forest with Xiao Qi.

The moment they entered the primeval forest, Ai Xiaohai strangely found that Xiao Qi was showing signs of fear.

This was intriguing. Xiao Qi could even defeat a Tosa fighting dog, so what was he afraid of?

"I don't know, I just feel scared," Xiao Qi's consciousness transmitted: "Maybe there really is a terrifying forest monster in there?"

"Damn you," Ai Xiaohai cursed: "Even if there's a dragon in there, I'm going in today!"

Xiao Qi mustered up a lot of courage to follow Ai Xiaohai into this mysterious forest. They had no idea what was waiting for them inside.

But this wasn't important. What was important was that as soon as they entered the primeval forest, the Dragon Spirit Pearl in Ai Xiaohai's body suddenly became very active. Could the Dragon Spirit Pearl also sense something?

This was the first time Ai Xiaohai felt the charm of the primeval forest. From his position, no matter which direction he looked, he couldn't see how deep the forest went.

Ancient trees towered, blocking out the sky and sun, making the forest look dark and terrifying. Occasionally, the roar of an unknown wild beast could be heard, sending shivers down one's spine.

Sometimes a forest wolf or a mountain cat would pass by, but these carnivores seemed to sense some dangerous aura from Ai Xiaohai, the unfamiliar visitor, and only dared to circle from a distance, never daring to approach.

Ai Xiaohai tried to catch a forest wolf, absorbing its essence, but the essence entering his body was like a drop in the ocean, providing only a negligible benefit to the Dragon Spirit Pearl.

It seemed that wolves were no longer sufficient to meet the Dragon Spirit Pearl's needs. He needed to find a larger, more ferocious carnivore.

The wolf, whose essence had been drained, was listless. Ai Xiaohai focused his mind and gathered the power of the Dragon Spirit Pearl, sending a thread of spiritual energy into the wolf's head.

Xiao Qi had gained many benefits from absorbing the Dragon Spirit Pearl and had opened his intelligence with Ai Xiaohai's help. This thread of spiritual energy could only help the forest wolf open its intelligence for a short time before it would disappear.

"Is there a forest monster in this forest?" Ai Xiaohai, knowing time was short, quickly sent out a thread of consciousness to ask.

The wolf was frightened. It could understand human speech? Good heavens, its great-great-great-grandfather had once said that if an animal could have a stroke of luck, it could open its intelligence and communicate with humans.

Unfortunately, over the long years, no wolf in the wolf family had such a miracle, and the legend remained just a legend. But now, could it all be true?

The wolf was extremely fearful of Ai Xiaohai: "Yes, there is a big monster in this forest."

Ai Xiaohai immediately became alert: "What kind of monster? What does it look like?"

"I don't know. Those who have seen the monster have been eaten. I've heard from my companions that the monster is very terrifying, with three heads, eight legs, and can spew fire from its mouth..."

Damn, even the animal kingdom likes to spread such rumors? Three heads and six arms, riding on a fiery wheel, that's Nezha.

The wolf couldn't guess what Ai Xiaohai was thinking: "We often hear the monster's roar at night, but no one dares to get close."

Forget it, it seems I won't get any information from this wolf.

"Master..." The wolf wanted to say more but found that the thread of spiritual energy in its mind had disappeared, and it had become an ordinary wolf again.

Ai Xiaohai thought for a moment: "Hmm, I'll give you a name. How about... Xiao Sen..."

Ai Xiaohai's naming skills were the worst in the world. The previous two wolves were named Xiao Cao and Xiao Yuan, and this one was simply named Xiao Sen.

But this was significant for Xiao Sen. It was the first wolf in the entire primeval forest to have its own name, and it couldn't help but let out a joyful howl.

Suddenly, Xiao Sen paused. Why could it still understand human speech?

It didn't know that although the thread of spiritual energy had disappeared, the benefits it brought to Xiao Sen were enormous. Although it couldn't communicate with humans, it could understand human speech. In a sense, Xiao Sen had become a high-level wolf in the wolf family.

"From now on, you will stay here, gather other companions, and wait for my call. You will be my... representative in the wolf family," Ai Xiaohai thought for a long time before coming up with the term "representative": "All my orders will be relayed through you."

Xiao Sen let out another howl, as if expressing its joy.

Ai Xiaohai thought this was quite good. In the future, if he could command a pack of wolves, it would be very impressive. Unfortunately, he couldn't bring them to the city; otherwise, what big shots like Ah Hei would be scared out of their wits when they saw a large pack of wolves.

Xiao Qi was quite dismissive. What's so great? He was the only intelligent dog in the world. If he could gather all the dogs, a pack of wolves would be nothing!

Hmm, if he could gather a large pack of Pomeranians, Teddy Bears, and Huskies... Damn, a pet alliance?

At that moment, a low howl suddenly came from the forest.

The forest monster appeared? Ai Xiaohai immediately became alert.