After leaving Beast Town, the children encountered far fewer strange beasts. Now they were traveling along a relatively quiet and flat road. Once they passed this stretch, they would reach the main city of Xuanwu County.
At this moment, the sun was beginning to set, but still worked hard to light the children's path ahead. The sky was filled with reddish clouds—beautiful. Xiao Xi said they looked like strawberry-flavored cotton candy. A Jun agreed—it did resemble that. Xiao Xi truly was a foodie; everything he saw reminded him of food.
Little Sweet Girl, however, thought they looked like a small strange beast—fluffy, chubby, like a balloon bird. A Jun agreed with that too.
Just as everyone thought the journey ahead would be smooth, something unexpected happened—a large group of strange beasts suddenly charged out from the distance and quickly surrounded the children. Ai instantly realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately instructed the parrot to notify the nearest Beast Management Bureau for reinforcements. The closest branch was about 10 kilometers away.
Clearly, these beasts came from a beast habitat under the jurisdiction of that branch, a place called Mount X. But rather than a habitat, it was more like a detention center. Originally, the area was considered safe, but somehow these beasts had broken through the protective barrier and appeared before the children—completely unexpected.
If Xiao Xi's mother, A Jun's godmother, knew what the children were facing now, she would surely be filled with regret and heartbreak. Ai was now fully focused on protecting the children until reinforcements arrived. This group of beasts looked fierce. Though not monsters, their abilities and levels were close to that of major beasts—perhaps one reason the Bureau had set up a branch here.
If Ai were alone, subduing them would be easy. But protecting the children at the same time made things much more difficult.
At this moment, A Jun also seemed to sense the beasts' presence. Like Ai, he assumed a battle stance. Xiao Xi and Little Sweet Girl, however, were completely unaware—laughing one moment, stunned the next.
Fortunately, Xiao Xi was an excellent young guardian, trained by masters since childhood. He quickly reacted, joining A Jun to protect Little Sweet Girl. The two positioned themselves in a fan shape, shielding her in the center as they faced the incoming beasts.
Over the next stretch of time, the two boys skillfully applied their school training, engaging in a tough real battle—punches, kicks, light-footwork, hidden weapons… they used every move they knew. But the beasts showed no fear, only growing more excited, continuing their fierce assault. Occasionally, A Jun heard screams and saw beasts fall—it was Ai secretly intervening to protect them.
But battle drained stamina. Xiao Xi, gifted by nature, maintained his strength. A Jun, however, began to struggle. His body showed signs of strain. Though mentally determined and well-trained, his physical condition limited him. He grew weaker and had to rely on Xiao Xi's protection while taking supplements. As for Little Sweet Girl, though also a young guardian, she was the youngest. Her brothers told her to stay hidden, which made her feel frustrated—pouting with displeasure.
Fortunately, Xiao Xi's clan was known for defensive abilities. Under the protection of the original energy shield, the children endured the assault, waiting for the beasts to collapse on their own. After a while, many had fallen—but only half. Reinforcements had yet to arrive. Ai began considering Plan B, knowing the real challenge hadn't even begun.
Taking advantage of the beasts' brief pause, A Jun quickly used his wristband to research their origins and weaknesses—he didn't have the strength to recall everything from memory. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and your enemy, and you'll win every battle." The wristband's Beast Encyclopedia revealed their identity: wolf-type strange beasts, heavily monitored in this region, known for their ferocity—commonly called "fierce beasts," the most dangerous among ordinary beasts, prone to attacking.
This group's abilities rivaled major beasts. Some individuals might even approach the level of giant beasts.
During the earlier battle, A Jun noticed one particularly unusual beast—it seemed to be the leader. The wristband's alert indicated it might possess power close to or beyond that of a giant beast. Fortunately, it had a weakness: fear of lightning and thunder.
When they first arrived in this area, A Jun had already observed the terrain and weather—a habit formed from years of combat experience. He knew there was a small forest nearby. On the plains, hiding was difficult, but the forest offered cover.
More importantly, the weather here was about to turn stormy. It was a lightning zone. If he could use his ability to trigger a lightning strike—even just one—it might temporarily stun the beasts until reinforcements arrived.
Lightning was the elemental attribute of A Jun's homeland, though he had never used it himself. But this time, he was determined to try. If he could activate the skill, he might be able to deal with the beasts.
After a brief discussion, the two brothers divided tasks—Xiao Xi continued using his skills to provide cover, while A Jun gritted his teeth. Together, they protected Little Sweet Girl and slowly reached the edge of the forest.
Then, A Jun began following the training method, trying to activate his ability. Once, twice… repeated failures made him lose hope.
Fortunately, his friends gave him full support. Xiao Xi, while fending off attacks, and Little Sweet Girl, both smiled and cheered him on.
Yet sometimes, the more you want something, the harder it is to achieve. A Jun knew that the more anxious he became, the more likely he was to disappoint everyone. So, in his struggle, he began to relax, took a deep breath, and followed the theory he had long memorized—ready to make a breakthrough.
He focused on resonating with his gift, guiding his power. In that moment, all kinds of emotions surged in his heart, supporting him to push forward. Finally, a pattern began to appear on his forehead. Then, like a flickering broken light bulb, a faint glow began to pulse intermittently.
At that moment, Xiao Xi and Little Sweet Girl were overjoyed. They happily cheered A Jun on from the side. Of course, A Jun could already sense all of this. Though his condition was unstable and full of uncertainty, and the chance of success was low, this was already his limit.
Then, A Jun stretched out his left hand, and the silver bow appeared in sync. The bowstring followed smoothly… He drew the bow, guiding the energy arrow, and a crackling sound began to rise. It seemed promising.
But disappointingly, it was only sound. His first attempt had failed. This "borrowing arrows with straw boats" was still missing a favorable wind.
Just as A Jun was losing hope, Xiao Xi kept turning his head, and together with Little Sweet Girl, continued to encourage their brother not to give up. At this moment, A Jun felt not only anxious but also ashamed. As the older brother, he should be protecting his siblings—but now he couldn't, and his younger brother had to bear the burden.
Meanwhile, Ai had already taken down most of the beasts, but the sheer number and difficulty made it hard to finish. Reinforcements had yet to arrive. So she activated Plan B, positioning herself in front of the children. The situation was no longer one that could be passively endured.
Then, just as the children felt helpless and desperate, a figure suddenly appeared before them—like a savior bringing new hope. At the same time, the lead beast could no longer hold back. It summoned the remaining beasts and charged forward, aiming to finish the fight.
Ai stood at the front, engaging the leader one-on-one, blocking the rest from invading. Xiao Xi continued to protect A Jun and Little Sweet Girl.
But the lead beast suddenly broke free from Ai's control and charged straight at the children. A Jun, sharp-eyed, immediately sensed the danger. He braced his half-wrecked body and prepared to try again.
Still just a child, he anticipated the danger Xiao Xi was about to face—but didn't notice the weakest part of their defense, a shaded spot behind them, where another pair of eyes was watching him. Those eyes were strange, fiercer than the others, glowing red to the point of purple—clearly a monster.
A Jun summoned his golden arrow, drew the bow, and aimed at the lead beast, preparing to fire.
Just as Ai was about to break free and Xiao Xi was unsure how to respond, A Jun's arrow—more precisely, the golden arrow—hit the beast precisely. Though not a fatal spot, it was enough to relieve Xiao Xi's crisis and made Ai secretly grateful.
But the hidden monster didn't retreat. Instead, it lunged at A Jun with full force.
Though Ai detected the danger in that instant, she couldn't reach the children in time. A Jun's instincts also warned him—another threat was approaching. Xiao Xi, still busy fending off the remaining beasts, didn't notice.
The children were forced to split up. Facing this small but terrifying monster, A Jun could barely defend himself. He had to put away his weapon, channel his remaining inner power into hidden weapons, and dodge while protecting his sister.
Soon, seeing their situation, Xiao Xi had no choice but to shoulder the attacks and slowly move toward them, hoping to help his brother fight this monster—one even stronger than a giant beast.
A Jun had read about this type before. It shouldn't appear here. It had surpassed the giant beast level—a higher-tier enemy: a demon beast.
Demon beasts possessed intelligence and abilities that giant beasts lacked. But this one seemed abnormal, attacking like a mindless brute.
A Jun had no strength or time to analyze…
—Right. Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is best. Survival is key.
But his wristband kept issuing strange warnings… and A Jun had no time to pay attention. He kept retreating to stay safe, unaware that they were nearing a cliff's edge. Truly a dilemma.
Whether from fear or physical reaction, his whole body trembled. Even the blade at his waist began to shake.
Just as Ai finished her battle and rushed toward the children, the demon beast suddenly grew smarter. It launched a powerful attack, aiming to capture the children. Seeing the cliff ahead, A Jun finally realized—they had nowhere left to hide.