Chapter 26

Tang Sen deliberately relaxed his fierce expression and snorted, "Alright, since you haven't done any evil yet, I'll spare your head for now. Now, I have a few questions for you. You must answer truthfully. If you lie, humph..."

Tang Sen secretly pinched Xiaobailong, and she understood, quickly baring her fangs and making a frightening gesture.

"Yes, yes, this humble woman will speak the truth," the white snake, who was afraid of dragons, quickly responded.

"Tell me, what's the deal with that black bear spirit?" Tang Sen asked seriously. "What kind of monster is she?"

The white snake hesitated for a moment and said, "Immortal, that Hug Hug Black Bear is my best friend. Are you asking about her because you intend to kill her?"

Tang Sen snorted, "If she does evil, I will naturally kill her. If she does good, I won't make things difficult for her..." He paused, then suddenly lowered his voice, "If you cover for her, speak well of her, and refuse to report the truth, I will kill both of you."

Xiaobailong didn't need Tang Sen's instruction this time and quickly opened her mouth, baring her fangs and roaring twice.

The white snake was frightened and retreated, "Immortal, please calm down. This humble woman dares not lie. That black bear spirit was originally a plush Hug Hug Bear toy, produced by a toy factory twenty years ago and sold to a girl in a town to the west. The girl loved the Hug Hug Bear like a treasure, hugging it to sleep every night, inseparable from it, and confiding her innermost thoughts... But as the girl grew older, she no longer liked the Hug Hug Bear and played with it less and less. One day, over a decade ago, when the girl and her family came to the temple to play, she threw the Hug Hug Bear on the back mountain, clearly abandoning it..."

Tang Sen and Xiaobailong felt a pang of pain in their hearts at this point.

The white snake continued, "The Hug Hug Bear fell into a ravine behind the temple,沾染了一些观音禅院寺的香火，又不知道从哪里吸收来了一些妖力，开了灵智，花了十几年的时间，竟然慢慢变得能言会走，修成了精怪。就在前几天，她终于拥有了自由行动的能力，在后山上开心地乱跑，与我偶遇，聊了几句就成为了朋友。”

“不知道从哪里吸收来的妖力？”唐森哼哼道：“你是要故意隐瞒么？”

“不，小女子不敢有半句虚言，委实不知道她的妖力是哪里来的，连她自己也说不清楚。”白蛇继续讲道：“黑熊精虽然成了妖怪，却并不想为恶，这几日只想着她的小主人，希望有一天能得到小主人的怜爱，重新将她爱不释手地抱在玩中耍弄，同吃同睡，亲密无间。”

唐森接口道：“于是，她就想到了偷一件能讨人喜欢的衣服穿上，然后重新去见自己的小主人，对吗？”

“正是！”白蛇苦笑道：“她终究是太年轻了，却不知道人类的爱是十分短暂的，她的小主人纵使爱她一时，却又怎可能爱她一世？她穿上再漂亮的衣服回去见主人也是没用的，挽不回她主人的心意……小女子虽然只是一条蛇，却已活了500年，自是明白这个道理，刚才帮她装扮的时候，不禁悲从中来。”

唐森想起刚才白蛇帮黑熊穿衣服时，眼中闪过的那一抹哀伤，不由得也心里一揪，点了点头道：“本座明白了，你去吧，好好隐在山林里，以后也莫出来害人。”

白蛇磕了个头道：“多谢不杀之恩……我那抱抱熊妹妹，也请上仙高抬贵手，饶她一命。”

唐森挥了挥手道：“不用你说，我自有打算。”

白蛇钻进石头缝里，没影儿了，唐森却轻轻摸了摸小白龙的头道：“走吧，我们去追那黑熊精吧，且看看她这一次寻找主人之旅，究竟是什么结果。”

两人飞向西边，没多久，就看到黑熊正在下面走着。她的动作实在不快，而且毛绒玩具的手脚通常都很短，走起路来十分吃力，一个小石头就会将她拌一跤，一条小溪就会让她费不尽的力气才能跨过……对于人类来说很普通的山路，对于她来说无异于蜀道之难。可怜的抱抱熊不停地摔倒，又不停地爬起来，满身都沾满了落叶与泥灰。

花了很长时间，她好不容易走到了公路边上，路上有辆大货车驶过，轮胎辗过公路上的水洼，溅了黑熊满身的泥水。

“她好像很惨的样子，我们要帮忙吗？”小白龙问道。

“不要了，我们现在出去只会吓着她。”唐森摇了摇头道：“静观其变吧。”

黑熊精抹了抹脸，继续沿着公路向西走，西边那个小市镇如果步行过去，起码要走一天，以黑熊的速度要走过去就更久了，她也想尽快见到主人，当然不愿意一直慢吞吞的步行，边走边等着公路上的车辆。

好不容易等到一辆车速比较慢的小货车经过，抱抱熊奋力跳起来，用短短的熊掌抓住了货车的后挡板，翻进了小货车的车厢里。

小白龙和唐森齐齐为她松了口气：“这家伙总算可以轻松点了。”

跟着货车一路疾行，西边的市镇很快就进入了眼帘，小白龙使了个云雾术，将她和唐森隐在云中，避免惊世骇俗，两人随着货车飘到市镇上空，只见黑熊精从小货车的车厢里跳了出来，在街道上蹒跚地行走着，现在天色未明，是黎明前最黑暗的时候，街上没什么行人，倒是没有被人发现这只会走路的玩具熊。

一条早起的大黄狗突然发现了黑熊精，汪汪大叫着跑了过来，伸嘴来咬她的脑袋，黑熊精奋力一拳打过去，黄狗呜呜叫了一声，显然被这玩具熊给吓着了，但它很快就振作起来，用力一扑，将黑熊扑翻，然后在她的脑袋上用力咬了两口。

黑熊精惨叫了两声，随后才想起自己根本不会痛，于是振起精神，一通拳打脚踢，总算将黄狗吓跑，不过这样一来，身上又裹了一层厚厚的泥灰，还沾上了大黄狗的口水，更是脏上加脏。

小白龙紧紧地握着龙爪：“加油！抱抱熊！”

唐森沉默不语。

只见那黑熊精沿着公路继续前进，没走多久，噗通掉进了没盖子的下水道里，过了好一会儿才艰难地爬出来。走到一家人的窗外时，窗口突然倒出一盆水，哗啦啦地湿了她一身。

黑熊精用力地摇晃着脑袋，将水珠子甩掉，然后毫不气馁地继续前进。

再多的困难也阻挡不了她。

她必须要见到主人！哪怕满身泥灰，哪怕刀山火海。

她必须要见到主人！这是她被遗弃在山沟里十几个年头里唯一的执念。

她必须要见到主人！因为有着这样的执念，她才能够修炼成精。

她必须要见到主人！这是她生存的意义。

终于，她钻进了镇里的一幢老楼，开始努力地攀爬楼梯，那楼倒是不高，只有区区五层，是几十年前的老房子，墙上到处都是斑驳的裂纹，黑熊精花了不少力气终于爬上了三楼，停下来休息了片刻，走向了其中一间住户。

辛苦了一夜，此时天色已经开始亮了，黑熊精高高兴兴地拍了拍身上的灰尘，坐在那户人家的门口……等了大约一个小时，天光大亮，太阳出来了。那户人家的门也终于开了，一个大约二十五六岁的女人走了出来，手上提着个菜篮子，女人长相很普通，甚至略有点偏胖。

黑熊精见到这个女人，顿时兴奋起来，二十年前，主人刚刚将她买回家时，还只是一个豆丁大的小女孩，现在却已经变为成熟的女人，黑熊真想扑进主人的怀里，尽情地撒娇。

但她却害怕吓着了主人，只好一动不动，伪装成玩具，静静地等着主人来抱它。

小白龙紧张得屏住了呼吸。

唐森的心也被吊了起来。

那女人马上就注意到了坐在门口的抱抱熊，毕竟这玩意儿的身高接近一米三，算是很大个的玩具，定睛认真细看，她突然“扑哧”一声笑了出来：“哎呀，这不是十几年前我搞丢的玩具熊吗？记什么名字来着？盼盼？旺旺？熊熊？哎呀，记不清了……怎么突然出现在了这里？还穿着件奇怪的豹纹裙子，是邻居捡到了帮我还回来么？”

女人走到黑熊精的面前，似乎想伸手抱她，黑熊的眼里泪光闪动，小白龙也险些哭了出来。

就在这时，突然……女人的手停在了半空，没有继续向前伸了：“哎呀，好脏啊……这熊有多少年没洗过了？啧啧……本来还想捡回去的，看来还是扔掉吧。”

女人从怀里摸出了一张餐巾纸，用纸包着手，拎着黑熊精的耳朵将她提了起来，走到楼道尽头的垃圾堆前，伸手一甩，将她扔进了垃圾堆里，然后头也不回，走下了楼梯。楼梯上传来“咯登咯登”的脚步声。

女人头也不回地下了楼，慢慢走远，同时走远的，还有黑熊精无尽的哀伤。

“天啊！”小白龙不忍再看，低下了头。

唐森轻叹了一口气，胸口好闷，好难受！一种难以名状的感情包围了他，突然之间，他想起了自己童年时最喜欢的变形金刚和玩具塑料兵，现在它们在哪里？

呼吸好艰难！沉重的感情压得唐森喘不过气，手指甲不知不觉中嵌入了手掌心的肉里，唐森深呼吸了一口，沉声道：“咱们去把可怜的黑熊精捡回来吧。”

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Tang Sen deliberately relaxed his fierce expression and snorted, "Alright, since you haven't done any evil yet, I'll spare your head for now. Now, I have a few questions for you. You must answer truthfully. If you lie, humph..."

Tang Sen secretly pinched Xiaobailong, and she understood, quickly baring her fangs and making a frightening gesture.

"Yes, yes, this humble woman will speak the truth," the white snake, who was afraid of dragons, quickly responded.

"Tell me, what's the deal with that black bear spirit?" Tang Sen asked seriously. "What kind of monster is she?"

The white snake hesitated for a moment and said, "Immortal, that Hug Hug Black Bear is my best friend. Are you asking about her because you intend to kill her?"

Tang Sen snorted, "If she does evil, I will naturally kill her. If she does good, I won't make things difficult for her..." He paused, then suddenly lowered his voice, "If you cover for her, speak well of her, and refuse to report the truth, I will kill both of you."

Xiaobailong didn't need Tang Sen's instruction this time and quickly opened her mouth, baring her fangs and roaring twice.

The white snake was frightened and retreated, "Immortal, please calm down. This humble woman dares not lie. That black bear spirit was originally a plush Hug Hug Bear toy, produced by a toy factory twenty years ago and sold to a girl in a town to the west. The girl loved the Hug Hug Bear like a treasure, hugging it to sleep every night, inseparable from it, and confiding her innermost thoughts... But as the girl grew older, she no longer liked the Hug Hug Bear and played with it less and less. One day, over a decade ago, when the girl and her family came to the temple to play, she threw the Hug Hug Bear on the back mountain, clearly abandoning it..."

Tang Sen and Xiaobailong felt a pang of pain in their hearts at this point.

The white snake continued, "The Hug Hug Bear fell into a ravine behind the temple,沾染了一些观音禅院寺的香火，又不知道从哪里吸收来了一些妖力，开了灵智，花了十几年的时间，竟然慢慢变得能言会走，修成了精怪。就在前几天，她终于拥有了自由行动的能力，在后山上开心地乱跑，与我偶遇，聊了几句就成为了朋友。”

“不知道从哪里吸收来的妖力？”唐森哼哼道：“你是要故意隐瞒么？”

“不，小女子不敢有半句虚言，委实不知道她的妖力是哪里来的，连她自己也说不清楚。”白蛇继续讲道：“黑熊精虽然成了妖怪，却并不想为恶，这几日只想着她的小主人，希望有一天能得到小主人的怜爱，重新将她爱不释手地抱在玩中耍弄，同吃同睡，亲密无间。”

Tang Sen interjected, "So, she thought of stealing a piece of clothing that would make her likable, and then going to see her little owner again, right?"

"Exactly!" the white snake said with a bitter smile. "She is still too young and doesn't understand that human love is very fleeting. Even if her little owner loved her once, how could she love her forever? No matter how beautiful the clothes she wears, it won't win back her owner's heart... Although I am just a snake, I have lived for 500 years and understand this truth. When I was helping her dress, I couldn't help but feel sad."

Tang Sen, recalling the sadness in the white snake's eyes when she helped the black bear dress, felt a pang in his heart. He nodded and said, "I understand. You may go. Stay hidden in the forest and don't come out to harm others."

The white snake bowed and said, "Thank you for sparing my life... Please, Immortal, be merciful and spare my Hug Hug Bear sister."

Tang Sen waved his hand and said, "No need to ask. I have my own plans."

The white snake disappeared into a crevice in the rock. Tang Sen gently patted Xiaobailong's head and said, "Let's go. We'll follow the black bear spirit and see what the result of her journey to find her owner will be."

The two flew westward and soon saw the black bear walking below. Her movements were slow, and the short limbs of a plush toy made walking very difficult. A small stone could trip her, and a small stream could take great effort to cross. What was a common mountain path for humans was as difficult as the road to Shu for her. The poor Hug Hug Bear kept falling and getting up, covered in leaves and mud.

After a long time, she finally reached the roadside. A large truck passed by, and the tires splashed mud all over her.

"Doesn't she look pitiful? Should we help her?" Xiaobailong asked.

"No, if we go out now, we'll scare her," Tang Sen shook his head. "Let's just watch and see what happens."

The black bear spirit wiped her face and continued walking along the road. The small town to the west was at least a day's walk away, and with her speed, it would take even longer. She wanted to see her owner as soon as possible and didn't want to walk slowly, so she waited for a vehicle on the road.

Finally, a slow-moving small truck passed by, and the Hug Hug Bear jumped up, using her short paws to grab the back of the truck and climb into the cargo area.

Xiaobailong and Tang Sen both sighed in relief, "Finally, she can have an easier time."

Following the truck, the town to the west soon came into view. Xiaobailong used a cloud spell to hide them in the clouds, avoiding drawing attention. They followed the truck to the town and saw the black bear spirit jump out of the cargo area and walk unsteadily down the street. It was still dark, the darkest part of the early morning, and there were no pedestrians, so no one noticed the walking toy bear.

A large yellow dog, out early, suddenly noticed the black bear spirit, barked loudly, and ran over, trying to bite her head. The black bear spirit punched the dog, which yelped in surprise. The dog quickly recovered, pounced, and bit her head a few times.

The black bear spirit cried out in pain, then remembered she couldn't feel it. She regained her spirit, fought back, and finally scared the dog away. However, she was now covered in more mud and the dog's saliva, making her even dirtier.

Xiaobailong clenched his claws, "Come on, Hug Hug Bear!"

Tang Sen remained silent.

The black bear spirit continued down the road. Not long after, she fell into an uncovered sewer and struggled to climb out. As she walked past a window, a bucket of water was poured out, drenching her.

The black bear spirit shook her head to get rid of the water and continued undeterred.

No matter how many obstacles she faced, she wouldn't give up.

She had to see her owner! Even if she was covered in mud, even if she had to face a mountain of knives and a sea of fire.

She had to see her owner! This was her only obsession after being abandoned in the ravine for over a decade.

She had to see her owner! Because of this obsession, she was able to cultivate into a spirit.

She had to see her owner! This was the meaning of her existence.

Finally, she entered an old building in the town and began to climb the stairs. The building was not tall, only five stories, an old house from decades ago with cracked walls. After much effort, she climbed to the third floor, rested for a moment, and approached one of the apartments.

After a night of hard work, the sky was beginning to brighten. The black bear spirit happily dusted herself off and sat at the door of the apartment... After about an hour, the sky was fully bright, and the sun came up. The door of the apartment finally opened, and a woman of about twenty-five or twenty-six walked out, carrying a basket. The woman was plain-looking and slightly overweight.

The black bear spirit was immediately excited. Twenty years ago, when her owner first brought her home, she was just a little girl. Now, she was a mature woman. The black bear spirit wanted to jump into her owner's arms and cuddle.

But she was afraid of scaring her owner, so she remained still, pretending to be a toy, waiting for her owner to pick her up.

Xiaobailong held his breath in tension.

Tang Sen's heart was also racing.

The woman immediately noticed the Hug Hug Bear sitting at the door. At nearly 1.3 meters tall, it was a large toy. She looked closely and suddenly laughed, "Oh, isn't this the toy bear I lost over a decade ago? What was its name? Panny? Wangwang? Xiongxiong? Oh, I can't remember... How did it end up here? And it's wearing a strange leopard print dress. Did a neighbor find it and return it to me?"

The woman walked up to the black bear spirit, as if to pick her up. The black bear's eyes welled up with tears, and Xiaobailong almost cried.

At that moment, the woman's hand stopped in mid-air and didn't move forward. "Oh, it's so dirty... How long has this bear been unwashed? Tsk tsk... I was thinking of keeping it, but I guess I'll just throw it away."

The woman took out a tissue from her pocket, wrapped her hand in it, and picked up the black bear spirit by the ear. She walked to the trash pile at the end of the hallway, threw her into the trash, and walked down the stairs without looking back. The sound of her footsteps echoed down the stairs.

The woman walked away without looking back, and with her, the black bear spirit's endless sorrow.

"Oh no!" Xiaobailong couldn't bear to watch and lowered his head.

Tang Sen sighed, feeling a heavy weight in his chest. An indescribable emotion enveloped him. Suddenly, he remembered his favorite Transformers and plastic soldiers from his childhood. Where were they now?

Breathing was difficult! The heavy emotion pressed down on Tang Sen, and his fingernails dug into the flesh of his palm. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Let's go and pick up the poor black bear spirit."

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