Chapter 69

......

A long slope, covered with yellowish-green grass, was dotted with a herd of cattle and sheep, which were laboriously chewing on the grass roots, occasionally letting out a few complaints, clearly dissatisfied with the meager fare provided by nature.

A middle-aged man wearing a woolen cap stood there, his somewhat tanned face showing a hint of helplessness.

At the foot of the slope, there used to be a pond, which during the rainy season would be fed by a stream flowing down from the top of the slope, nourishing the entire slope with lush green grass and a profusion of blooming flowers. Eventually, all the water would flow into the pond, nurturing the surrounding woods, pastures, and villages...

Pond Village was a common herding village in the upstream area, with many villages relying on such ponds.

"Uncle Zhan! Uncle Zhan!!"

"Shao Ying, why are you back? Weren't you at the Dragon Taming Academy? Didn't you say you wouldn't come back until you became a Dragon Tamer?" Uncle Zhan asked, puzzled.

"Uncle, I might not be able to become a Dragon Tamer," Shao Ying said with a hint of bitterness.

His classmates were either constantly advancing, getting closer to the Dragon Gate, or had already crossed it, becoming true Dragon Tamers. Only he remained stagnant, with no signs of his Great Horned Bull advancing, let alone the young spirit bird he had adopted.

"Be more confident, and remove the word 'might.'" Uncle Zhan patted Shao Ying on the shoulder.

Shao Ying nearly stumbled on the muddy ground, taking a few steps to steady himself.

"I've raised cattle and sheep for over ten years. I know what a cow is and what a sheep is. The Great Horned Bull is special, but it's still a cow," Uncle Zhan said.

"Uncle, you really know how to comfort me." Shao Ying's tears couldn't be stopped, they just kept flowing.

"Let's go back, it's getting late," Uncle Zhan said.

......

By the time they returned to Pond Village, it was already half-dark. The lights at the village entrance were unusually unlit, probably to avoid attracting distant monsters.

Monsters are not wild beasts; they are not afraid of light. This was a wise decision.

Seeing that the villagers had finally developed a sense of vigilance, Shao Ying felt a great relief.

As they entered the village, it was quite dark inside. Suddenly, Uncle Zhan pulled Shao Ying and pointed to their feet with a serious expression.

Shao Ying looked down and his face changed!

It was blood!

There was a large pool of blood at the village entrance, clearly not from slaughtering chickens or sheep. It was the kind that had spattered, and upon closer inspection, Shao Ying noticed that the blood had also splattered onto the fence around the village entrance.

Shao Ying took a few more steps forward and lifted a large wooden board with his hand. Under the board lay a man covered in blood, his eyes wide open, the pain of his death vividly etched on his twisted face and in his eyes.

A dead man!!

It was the village's lumberjack, a strong and robust man, yet he had died such a tragic death, right at the village entrance!

A man-eating monster...

A man-eating monster had appeared!!

Shao Ying was so frightened that he took several steps back. Just as he was about to pull Uncle Zhan to escape, someone shouted.

"Hey, there are still two living people here."

Torches suddenly lit up, illuminating the village entrance and the village. Shao Ying quickly saw that many people were approaching, each holding a gleaming long knife.

At first, Shao Ying thought they were soldiers, who had arrived to rescue them, but upon seeing their attire, his face turned even paler!

They were not soldiers...

Nor were they man-eating monsters...

They were bandits!!

"Ha ha ha, almost missed a couple of fish. Drag them in," a man with a butcher-like build said.