Chapter 60

The next day, Lin Xiao held a simple map he had drawn. The map was sourced from Baidu Earth, and since he had this tool, finding things had become much easier. However, using satellites to view terrain was truly refreshing.

He called to Zijin Ao, and this time Lin Xiao decided to bring Zijin Ao along. Now that Zijin Ao was almost fully mature, it had the ability to assist him. With one person and one dog, they set off on their journey.

From Baidu Earth, Lin Xiao saw that there was an abandoned path behind his mountain that led directly into the mountains. However, it was now covered with grass, and it took him a while to spot it, only faintly visible from the air.

Holding a machete, Lin Xiao walked in front with Zijin Ao following. With each swing of his arm, large patches of obstructing weeds were cut down, clearing the way ahead with great momentum and moving forward at high speed.

"Hmm," Lin Xiao murmured softly. His mental energy detected a massive creature resting to the left front. He quietly instructed Zijin Ao and changed their direction, heading towards the left front.

Lin Xiao's mental energy could only roughly outline the creature's form, but from its size, it seemed to be the tiger that had roared in the mountains the last time.

As they approached, Lin Xiao and Zijin Ao reached 30 meters from the tiger. He signaled Zijin Ao to stay put, climbed a tree, and leaped over from above.

The tiger gradually came into view. It was a South China tiger, but its body was covered in wounds, with claw marks and bite marks making it look quite miserable. It seemed this tiger was a loser, having failed to secure a mate during the blooming of the Yinyuan flower and was driven away by its peers.

It appeared that the so-called patrol in the deep mountains was due to the blooming of the Yinyuan flower. The strong medicinal properties caused competition among the same sex, with the winner dominating the females and the loser being driven away.

After a few glances, Lin Xiao lost interest in the tiger and returned to the original spot, calling Zijin Ao to continue their journey.

Lin Xiao was already familiar with the mountains and forests. He cut through the obstacles and advanced towards his destination.

However, no matter how fast they moved, it still took more than three days to enter the deep mountains. Lin Xiao had calculated that the time to enter the deep mountains would coincide with the reduction of the Yinyuan flower's effects. As long as he was careful, he wouldn't be controlled by its effects.

Most rare flowers or exotic plants have guardians. Lin Xiao had been lucky to obtain a few rare flowers and plants without encountering any guardian beasts.

Three days later, Lin Xiao walked with a relaxed pace through the Taihang Mountains, which were teeming with fierce beasts. This area was already within the deep mountains, and gradually, some animals that were rarely seen by humans began to appear, such as tigers and bears. However, their expressions were excited, still under the influence of the Yinyuan flower. They would mate upon finding a partner, and Lin Xiao could witness such scenes every day, from small animals like hamsters to large ones like bears and wild bulls.

On trees, in grasslands, on flat ground, and under trees, as long as they met, they would engage in passionate activities, burning fiercely.

Lin Xiao was initially shocked when he first entered, but he gradually got used to it. The potency of the Yinyuan flower was indeed powerful, but fortunately, he had arrived a few days late.

After wandering for two days, he still had no clue about the Yinyuan flower. The flower was about to bear fruit, and when that happened, the guardian beast would surely eat the fruit, making this trip futile.

During these days, Zijin Ao had been quietly following behind Lin Xiao, occasionally sniffing the air.

Suddenly, Zijin Ao howled at Lin Xiao, "Roar" "Roar." It used its unique call to alert Lin Xiao, then ran forward and bit his pant leg, pulling him.

Lin Xiao turned around and saw Zijin Ao biting his pant leg, trying to pull him to a place. He thought for a moment and realized that Zijin Ao might have discovered something.

"Did you find something? Do you want me to follow?" Lin Xiao squatted down and patted Zijin Ao's head, then said.

Zijin Ao, seeing that its owner understood, jumped happily a few times and then ran off.

Lin Xiao watched Zijin Ao run towards the west, not knowing what it had discovered, and followed it quickly.

He saw Zijin Ao run to a small hill, stop, and growl at a tree, its fur bristling. Following Zijin Ao's gaze, Lin Xiao saw a golden animal, one that should not exist in China.

The raccoon (scientific name: Procyon lotor) is known for sneaking into human residences to steal food, and its distinctive black eye markings have earned it the nickname "food thief." Raccoons are native to North America and are named for their habit of washing their food in water before eating.

Yes, the golden animal in the tree was a raccoon, but it seemed impossible that a raccoon would make Zijin Ao so alert. What was going on?

Lin Xiao watched from the side, not intending to intervene, curious about what Zijin Ao was up to.

After a while, the raccoon ignored Zijin Ao, scratching its fur and itching itself on the tree, not even giving Zijin Ao a proper look, acting very arrogantly.

Although Lin Xiao didn't know why Zijin Ao had brought him here, he was annoyed. They say a dog reflects its owner, and his dog was being disrespected by a raccoon. How could Lin Xiao tolerate this?

Zijin Ao, seeing its owner, ran over happily, rubbing against Lin Xiao and whining softly.

Zijin Ao pulled Lin Xiao back to the original spot. Lin Xiao then saw what he had missed before due to the distance and the obstructing grass.

Under the tree, a flower was growing. It had five large petals, emitting a seductive red color, completely covering the leaves and veins below. At the center of the petals, a green fruit had already grown to a considerable size.

This was the Yinyuan flower he had been searching for for several days. If he had arrived two days later, the fruit would have been ripe. Fortunately, he had brought Zijin Ao into the mountains this time, or he might have missed the Huizhao fruit.

This raccoon, which had appeared here, might be the guardian beast this time. Lin Xiao didn't know why a North American animal with golden fur would be here.

The raccoon, seeing Lin Xiao staring at its treasure and approaching, bared its teeth and growled, warning Lin Xiao not to make a move.

Of course, Lin Xiao ignored the raccoon's warning. To him, such a raccoon was nothing to fear, looking weak and powerless.

Ignoring the warning, he continued forward, determined to take the Yinyuan flower. Now that he had found it, he wouldn't let it go.

The raccoon, angered by Lin Xiao's disregard, let out a hiss and, in a flash, disappeared from the tree, reappearing with several strips of cloth in its hand.

Lin Xiao felt a golden flash, and his arm hurt. When he reacted, his clothes were already torn, hanging on his arm as rags, with several small claw marks on his arm.

The raccoon, seeing Lin Xiao stop, shook the strips of cloth in its hand, looking at Lin Xiao triumphantly, as if to say, "See, you didn't listen to my warning, now you're suffering."

Zijin Ao, seeing its owner injured, immediately became furious but couldn't climb the tree. It could only roar and howl, venting its anger.

The raccoon ignored the roaring Zijin Ao, its eyes fixed on Lin Xiao. It sensed a threat from Lin Xiao and didn't act rashly, hoping to scare him away. It didn't know why Lin Xiao was there.

Lin Xiao frowned, looking at the raccoon in the tree. This raccoon was no ordinary creature. As a guardian beast, it was so fast that even he couldn't avoid it. No, it wasn't that he couldn't avoid it; he simply couldn't see its movements. Otherwise, he would have dodged with ease.

Although the injury to his arm was minor, if the guardian beast targeted vital areas like his eyes or nose, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

The raccoon's strength was weak, but its speed was far beyond his eyes. How could he deal with it?

Lin Xiao stopped, not continuing towards the Yinyuan flower, and stood there, thinking of a solution.

Zijin Ao came to Lin Xiao's side, glaring at the raccoon in the tree, ready to fight to the death.

Zijin Ao knew its speed couldn't match the raccoon. It was more of an all-rounder, with balanced strength and speed, unlike the raccoon, which was purely speed-based. Now, it could only hope that its owner could handle the raccoon.

Perhaps, this could work. Lin Xiao thought for a moment, then disappeared from the spot, entering the space.

The raccoon, seeing Lin Xiao suddenly disappear, became alert, its head turning left and right, looking for where Lin Xiao might reappear.

Zijin Ao, seeing the raccoon's reaction, rolled on the ground in amusement, knowing where its owner had gone. After Lin Xiao's tests, Zijin Ao's intelligence was roughly equivalent to that of an 8-year-old human, except it couldn't speak.

Lin Xiao entered the space not to hide but to retrieve something. He quickly went to the area where the Shuixing grass was planted, carefully pulled out a plant, and then turned to leave.

The raccoon, seeing Lin Xiao suddenly reappear, was startled again. It was confused, as it had never encountered anyone like Lin Xiao before.

However, its attention was immediately drawn to the object in Lin Xiao's hand. Its instincts told it that this object was more important to it than the Huizhao fruit it was guarding.

The raccoon's mouth was almost watering. If this expression were on a human, it would seem like they had just come out of a hospital. But on the raccoon, with its golden fur and drooling, it could melt any girl's heart, a true cutie.

However, it was still hesitant. The sudden disappearance and reappearance of Lin Xiao made it nervous. Fear of the unknown isn't limited to humans; any creature with thoughts would be afraid of the unknown.

After much hesitation, the raccoon couldn't resist and finally charged at Lin Xiao, focusing on the Shuixing grass in his hand.

But Lin Xiao, who had been watching the raccoon, had already put the Shuixing grass back into the space, making the raccoon's charge futile.

The raccoon, not getting what it wanted, flashed back to the tree, tilting its head and looking at Lin Xiao, its thoughts unknown.

PS: That's it for today, a 3000-word chapter. I've been suffering from diarrhea all day and can't hold on. Here, I weakly ask, are there any more people who haven't added this to their favorites? Any more recommendation votes?

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