"What is this?" Su Ru gently let go of Tian Ling'er, her gaze now entirely fixed on the spherical, golden object nestled in her daughter's arms. Her wariness was subtle but unmistakable; this was a foreign spiritual presence on her mountain.
"Mom, this is Zhu Hao, and he means absolutely no harm!" Tian Ling'er hurriedly explained, her face alight with the pride of a discoverer. She punctuated her defense by reaching out and lovingly stroking Zhu Hao's back, reassuring her mother that the creature's intentions were as harmless as its fluffy appearance suggested.
Su Ru leaned in, her beautiful, intellectual eyes scrutinizing the golden fur and the impossibly round body. "Why do you look so... familiar?" The more she looked, the deeper the sense of déjà vu became. It felt like she had encountered this exact form in a very old memory, but the context remained maddeningly out of reach.
"Beautiful lady, why are you staring at Lord Pig so intensely? Although Lord Pig is exceptionally handsome, I am not a casual gentleman for public inspection!" Zhu Hao retorted, his large, innocent eyes looking up at her. He placed his little paws defensively in front of him, his chubby face radiating an amusing, albeit completely unearned, sense of vigilance and offense.
"Uncle Pig, stop with the nonsense! This is my mother, the head of Dazhu Peak's wife!" Tian Ling'er rubbed Zhu Hao's head with a sigh. This little beast is truly shameless; he says whatever pops into his head!
"It is a very interesting spiritual beast," Su Ru finally conceded, a faint smile playing on her lips. She gave Zhu Hao one last, long, searching look, before dismissing the mystery for now. "Let's discuss it further once we've returned home."
"Um!" Tian Ling'er nodded happily, already plotting the best place for her new, talking pet.
With that, Su Ru took her daughter and Zhang Xiaofan into the air, riding her powerful flying instrument toward Shoujing Hall. Zhu Hao lay luxuriously ensconced in Tian Ling'er's arms, already savoring the warmth, while Zhang Xiaofan gripped his shoulder, the tiny gray monkey clinging nervously to his collar.
The atmosphere in front of Shoujing Hall at Dazhu Peak was thick with the anxiety of a man whose patience had been stretched thin.
Tian Buyi, the master of the peak, paced back and forth, his considerable girth emphasizing his agitation. His thick eyebrows were furrowed deeply. It was long past nightfall, and Tian Ling'er and Zhang Xiaofan, sent out to perform the simple task of cutting spiritual bamboo, had yet to return. He had dispatched the other disciples to search, but Dazhu Peak's back mountain was a bewildering maze of dense jungle and hidden ravines—finding them felt like a hopeless venture.
Whoosh!
A sound of rapidly cutting air announced the return. Tian Buyi looked up and saw Su Ru descending with the two missing children. Relief instantly washed over him, but his anger, carefully nursed over the last few hours, remained firmly in place.
He noticed Zhang Xiaofan looked cowed, with a small, gray-haired monkey clinging to his shoulder—an inexplicable addition. But what truly captured his attention was Tian Ling'er, who was holding a golden, furry, round pet tightly in her arms. The pet's head was buried in her robes, making its species impossible to determine, but its general fuzzy appearance suggested a harmless, cute companion. He dismissed it as a temporary indulgence, focusing instead on his lecture.
Zhang Xiaofan, seeing his master's dark expression, immediately shrank his neck and tried to make himself invisible. The gray monkey, meanwhile, seemed oblivious, continually picking at the boy's hair, searching for unseen pests with frantic dedication.
Tian Ling'er expertly put away the Amber Red Silk flying tool. Seeing her father's imposing, angry figure, her expression instantly melted into one of innocent charm. She skipped over to Tian Buyi, took his large hand, and smiled sweetly. "Dad, we're back safe and sound!"
Tian Buyi snorted, his voice rough. "And just where were you until this hour?"
Tian Ling'er launched into her carefully constructed tale. "Oh, Xiaofan was cutting bamboo, and he was being terribly bullied by a naughty monkey! I spent ages trying to catch it to help him vent his anger! Look, it's that one!" She pointed dramatically at the gray monkey on Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder. The monkey, startled by the sudden accusation, squeaked angrily, scratched its head in confusion, and then immediately went back to foraging in Zhang Xiaofan's hair.
She continued the elaborate narrative, detailing the chase, the treacherous terrain, and then inserting a convenient memory lapse: "...Later, when we reached the deep valley, I suddenly felt terribly nauseous and passed out! When I woke up, Xiaofan was lying unconscious right next to me. Luckily, neither of us was hurt! As we were heading back, the monkey seemed to have grown very attached to Xiaofan, so we brought him along. And then, just as Mom arrived, we stumbled across him!"
With a flourish, Tian Ling'er lifted Zhu Hao from her bosom, presenting him like a rare, precious jewel. "Dad, I need you to meet Grandpa Pig, whose name is Zhu Hao. He is not only exceptionally intelligent but can actually speak! He must be a genuine descendant of the ancient primordial world!" She promptly reached out and rubbed Zhu Hao's head, unable to resist the satisfying soft texture of his fur.
"This is...?" Tian Buyi's lecture instantly dissolved. His eyes widened, and he leaned forward, his entire body trembling slightly as he stared intensely at Zhu Hao's form.
What he saw was a fat, round face suddenly appearing directly in his field of vision, less than six inches away.
"Hey, Fatty, what are you trying to do? Lord Pig doesn't care for the advances of men!"
Zhu Hao yelled, genuinely startled by the sudden, close appearance of the massive face. He immediately tucked himself deeper into Tian Ling'er's arms, pointing a little paw at Tian Buyi, his chubby face full of indignation.
Tian Buyi, who was indeed not very tall but significantly robust, felt his sizable figure tremble violently. His face, usually ruddy with temper, darkened into a shade of purplish-red. He was rendered utterly speechless.
I have a beautiful, elegant wife who adores me! What would I possibly want with a furry golden ball? The insult was so blunt, so unexpected, that it short-circuited his famous rage.
Zhang Xiaofan, witnessing the whole exchange, instinctively recoiled, his body shaking. He inwardly mourned for the foolish little pig. His Master, Tian Buyi, was notoriously ill-tempered. This talking monster had just called the head of the peak a "Fatty." The piglet was surely doomed to be minced into spiritual pork jerky.
"Dad, Uncle Pig was just making a joke, please don't be angry..." Tian Ling'er's pretty face had paled slightly. She frantically tightened her hold on Zhu Hao, protecting him in her arms like a precious egg, fearing her father's famous, explosive wrath would incinerate him on the spot.
However, to the profound surprise of everyone present, Tian Buyi's anger dissolved entirely. His breathing steadied, and his imposing posture subtly shifted. He spoke, not with the expected booming rage, but with a cautious, respectful solemnity.
"May I ask what the relationship is between Master Zhu and our sect's founder, Qingyun Patriarch?"
"Holy heavens, is the system's identity assignment that effective?" Zhu Hao thought, momentarily stunned. They actually know him? And they can tell?
He remembered his assigned identity—the founder's sworn brother. He immediately raised his fat face, waved his paw with an air of immense superiority, and stated with casual arrogance: "Are you referring to that rather short-lived ghost charlatan? Master Zhu took pity on him and took him in as a younger brother, that's all!"
Tian Buyi remained silent for a long moment. He couldn't entirely disagree with the description of a "charlatan," as Qingyun Patriarch had indeed started his life as a down-on-his-luck fortune teller before his rise to power. The term "short-lived ghost" was also technically accurate.
Although Qingyun Patriarch had lived for 367 years, if Zhu Hao truly belonged to the same generation and was an ancient, primordial species, a lifespan of a few millennia was common. Compared to ten thousand years, three centuries was merely a fleeting moment.
"Lord Pig, could you perhaps tell me a little more about Patriarch Qingyun?" Tian Buyi asked, his voice now almost pleading, yet still cautious. He needed confirmation that this creature was indeed the missing Great Uncle-Master of the sect.
"Go away! There's nothing interesting to discuss about that charlatan! Stop bothering me, Lord Pig is going to sleep!" Zhu Hao waved his paw dismissively, tucked his head into Tian Ling'er's soft embrace, and immediately began to snore dramatically.
"Lord Pig!" Tian Buyi called out twice, but Zhu Hao offered no response, the snores growing louder. Tian Buyi was forced to accept it. These ancient beings were famous for their random hibernation periods; it was miraculous enough that Zhu Hao was capable of coherent communication at all. He recalled the sect's own spiritual guardian.
"Bu Yi, is Master Zhu really the Grandmaster Uncle?" Su Ru quietly asked, taking her husband's arm. It clicked now. She finally recalled why Zhu Hao looked so familiar: he was the spitting image of the small, gold, furry object enshrined next to Qingyun Patriarch's portrait—the rumored ancient companion! It was said the Patriarch met him while still a traveling fortune teller and that Zhu Hao's guidance led him to the secret cave where he found the ancient cultivation scroll that founded the sect.
"I cannot be certain, but Lord Pig looks exactly like the Grandmaster Uncle relic," Tian Buyi said in a low, heavy voice. "Even if he is not the Grandmaster Uncle himself, he must be his direct descendant. The spiritual species from the primordial times are often unique. Identical appearance implies blood relation."
He turned, his eyes wide with the gravity of the discovery. "This matter must be reported to Master Daoxuan immediately. Su Ru, please keep a close eye on Lord Pig. I'll be back shortly!"
Tian Buyi gave a brief instruction, summoned his flying sword, and shot off into the night sky with alarming speed, leaving a fat wake of spiritual energy behind him.
"Mom, did I truly just pick up my Great Grandmaster Uncle?" Tian Ling'er asked, rubbing Zhu Hao's back again, her eyes sparkling with excited mischief. From now on, no one in the whole Qingyun Sect can mess with me! If anyone dares, I'll just hold this ancient, terrifying pig!
"It seems almost certain," Su Ru replied, looking at the peacefully snoring pig. It was a bizarre, yet marvelous event. The sect's legendary founder's elder brother, missing for over a thousand years, returned via her daughter's clumsy hands.
Zhang Xiaofan, still standing awkwardly and guarding his fussy little monkey, pondered the implications. This Lord Pig is so powerful! He's even older than Patriarch Qingyun! That makes him older than Lingzun, the sect's guardian spiritual beast!
He had deep awe for Lingzun (The Water Qilin), who resided deep in the Water Moon Cave. Lingzun was majestic: a five-meter-tall creature with the head of a dragon and the body of a lion, covered in shimmering, massive scales. Its huge eyes, gaping mouth, and two sharp, gleaming fangs made it a terrifying, awe-inspiring sight that guarded the mountain's most sacred secrets. It was a true, powerful spirit animal.
I wonder who is truly more powerful: the terrifying, silent, majestic Spirit Lord... or this tiny, talking, rude, food-stealing Pig Master who just called the Peak Master a Fatty? The comparison was absurd, yet terrifyingly real.
Swish, swish, swish!
Just as Zhang Xiaofan finished his bewildered internal monologue, a series of urgent sounds tore through the air. Tian Buyi was returning, but this time, he was not alone. Behind him flew several powerful auras, all approaching Dazhu Peak with panicked speed.