Chapter 7

Liqing Shui could no longer use the method of searching for divine powers to sense what kind of divine ability was contained in this roar, but from the reaction of the entire village, especially the people on the back mountain, it was clearly beyond an ordinary dog's bark. This indicated that Panhu had obtained some innate divine power, which might be a sign of the awakening of intelligence.

Having signs does not necessarily mean success, and even if the intelligence is successfully awakened, it does not necessarily mean that there will be any achievement. This not only requires a natural understanding over a long period but also needs some way to guide and enlighten. Otherwise, such a naive dog, like a newborn baby, would find it very difficult to cultivate on its own. Before it possesses such self-awareness, it might already have reached the end of its lifespan or died prematurely.

Since Huwa came to Lucheng Village, Liqing Shui has been particularly attentive to this place. He knew very well that Huwa was not the orphan of the Qingshui clan, and the identity of the woman who brought Huwa to the Qingshui clan's fort and later rescued him was even more suspicious. Although he knew that no one could send a baby as a spy, when Liqing Shui saw this child, especially the vine ring on his ankle, he always had doubts.

However, these doubts did not make Liqing Shui ignore Huwa; on the contrary, he couldn't help but always want to see what Huwa was doing and how he was doing now. But just like when he saw the woman rescue the baby, Liqing Shui's main concern was not the baby but the woman. Now, his main concern is not Huwa but the dog named Panhu.

This was something no one could have imagined, even Bai Sha, who had been monitoring Liqing Shui, could not have predicted it. Because Liqing Shui knew Panhu's identity and recognized Panhu's parents—they were two dogs that had already transformed into human form.

Although the ability to become enlightened and cultivate is rare, it has certainly appeared over the vast wilderness over the years. Two dogs that had successively awakened their intelligence were discovered by Liqing Shui, who, as the mountain god, guided them in cultivation and later arranged for them to meet.

These two dogs later advanced to the fourth level of the Heavenly Ascension Path and, under Liqing Shui's guidance, transformed into human form and entered the Qingshui clan's fort to live. According to common parlance, these were two demons, but they did not retain any characteristics of demons. Their appearance and behavior were no different from the clan's residents, and no one except the two generations of high priests knew their true identities.

Liqing Shui did this not only to allow these two dog demons to learn and understand more in human society and advance further on the Heavenly Ascension Path but also to make them the "guardian beasts" of the Qingshui clan. On the night when Bai Sha's subordinates massacred the Qingshui clan's fort, these two dog demons also bravely fought, wielding magical weapons and killing the most enemies, but they ultimately died in battle.

Although they had extraordinary divine powers, they were far from the realm Liqing Shui had reached. Such demons, though they could mate, could not have offspring unless they were of the same species. Panhu's parents were both dog demons, so they had offspring, but since the parents had not yet reached the transformation realm, the offspring were still dogs.

When the great calamity befell the Qingshui clan, Panhu was just over a month old. Before facing the enemy, his parents placed him in a gourd and used their divine powers to ensure that the young dog was not discovered by the enemy, thus allowing him to survive the disaster. In Liqing Shui's eyes, Panhu's parents were no different from the Qingshui clan's people, so Panhu was the true orphan of the Qingshui clan.

Unfortunately, Panhu was just a puppy, and Liqing Shui often thought that this might be the most painful torment and expectation given to him by heaven, as well as the best opportunity. Although he did not know what secret arrangements Bai Sha had made, he was very clear that Bai Sha was monitoring his every move. Any communication with others might be monitored by Bai Sha.

But who could have thought that what Liqing Shui truly cared about was not a person but a dog? He was very much looking forward to the day when Panhu would awaken his intelligence, no matter how slim the hope, he was willing to wait. Today, Panhu's roar made Liqing Shui realize that he was not delusional. He was already thinking about how to guide this dog onto the path of cultivation, even if it took a hundred years, he was willing to do it!

...

The naive Panhu could never have imagined that the mountain god would place such heavy expectations on him. He was just a happy and playful dog with a flowered tail. Although he had been beaten and was quiet for a while, he soon started playing again, though his buttocks still hurt a bit.

After dark, Panhu crawled into Huwa's small house to sleep. Huwa slept on a bed made of stones and wooden boards, with a thick layer of dry grass on top and many messy animal skins on the dry grass. Panhu slept next to the stone bed, which was like a doghouse. He carried a lot of dry grass and laid it on the ground, pulling a few animal skins from the bed to pad it, imitating Huwa's way of sleeping.

Whether it was a mischievous child or a naughty dog, they were both tired from playing during the day and had no worries, so they slept very soundly. Panhu occasionally whimpered and his eyelids twitched, as if he was dreaming, perhaps about chasing chickens or being beaten? When the sky began to lighten at dawn, and the rooster crowed, Panhu's ears perked up, and he jumped out of the doghouse, wagging his tail and running out quickly.

Huwa yawned and woke up, sat up, and saw that Panhu was already gone. He quickly climbed out of bed and wobbled out. They were going to see the excitement. Every morning when the rooster crowed, the village often had a lively scene, and there might be delicious bird meat for lunch—red-billed kites were the most fragrant!

Since the village started raising chickens, roosters crowed every morning. According to the villagers' speculation, this was the roosters calling the hens to lay eggs, and later it became a signal for the villagers to realize it was time to get up and work. However, this was deep in the wilderness, and the rooster's crow could attract predatory birds from far away.

Those owls that circled at night and returned to their nests at dawn might silently swoop down from the sky, and other predatory birds in the mountains were also alarmed. However, Huwa had the deepest impression of the red-billed kite because its meat was the most fragrant and it appeared the most frequently.

During the day, when the chickens wandered around the village, they occasionally attracted predatory birds circling in the sky, but they most often appeared when the sky just began to brighten and the roosters crowed. At night, the chickens were kept in the chicken coop, and during the day, there were always people in the village watching them. However, when the roosters crowed in the morning, people were still in bed, and the surroundings were quiet, making it easier for predatory birds to spot their targets.

Often, when the roosters crowed in the morning, predatory birds like red-billed kites would swoop down. The villagers were already experienced; the strongest warriors would grab their bows and spears and rush out of their houses to prepare. They initially did this to protect the chickens, but it later became a daily hunting activity, and the roosters' crows became a lure for prey.

When Huwa ran out of the house, most of the villagers were already up, standing outside their doors looking at the sky, and the strong men were already hiding in various corners with their bows and spears, which was a special form of entertainment in the fort. The excited Panhu ran to the center of the open space and barked at the sky. The little girl Luluo quickly went over and slapped him on the forehead, saying, "Don't bark! You'll scare the chickens back and the kites away. Go stand by the wall!"

Luluo didn't care whether Panhu understood her and dragged him by the ear to the eaves at the edge of the open space. At this moment, the rooster crowed again, and several hens clucked as they walked out of the chicken coop, having just laid eggs. The villagers heard this and felt very happy, even Huwa, who was not allowed to eat eggs for a month, looked up at the sky and laughed foolishly.

Today's luck was good, and indeed, a predatory bird swooped down. With the sound of the bowstrings, a barn owl and a red-billed kite were shot down, causing the villagers to cheer excitedly, and Huwa stood there clapping and howling. At this moment, someone suddenly shouted, "Be careful, a big one is coming!"

Huwa's mouth formed a perfect circle, and his eyes were wide open. He had never seen such a large bird! The barn owl's wingspan was usually only about two feet wide, barely enough to carry away a chicken, and the red-billed kite's wingspan sometimes exceeded four feet, easily carrying away even the fattest hen. But the bird that swooped down now had a wingspan of over ten feet, creating a strong wind.

Its body was covered with black and white feathers, and it had a tuft of white feathers on its head. Its hooked beak was a foot long and gleamed with a cold light.

The sound of arrows whizzing through the air could be heard, and more than ten arrows were already shot. However, the strange bird flapped its wings, creating a series of strange winds that scattered the arrows. Two arrows were still very accurate, but they were deflected by the bird's wings, making a "clang" sound.

Everyone's arrows missed, and the huge bird swooped down too quickly to allow a second round of arrows. Many people shouted, "Not good!" and some called out, "Luluo—!"

The little girl Luluo was frightened by the huge bird. An arrow that was deflected by the bird's wings hit the wall next to her, the arrowhead sparking. Luluo screamed and ran forward, right into the place where the bird was swooping down. Two hens were flapping their wings there, and the bird's huge claws could easily carry her away.

Bozhuang and Zhongzhuang simultaneously shot their spears, which whistled through the air with great force. The strange bird was very agile, and it flapped its giant claws, creating a whirlwind that deflected the two heavy spears, but its body was also pushed back into the air by the counterforce.

At this moment, Luluo let out another scream. The strange bird folded its wings, creating a strange whirlwind that lifted Luluo into the air. It didn't directly grab its prey but could still capture it from a distance!