Free Web NovelChapter 16: Chapter 16: I’m Super Brave, Okay?
As Yu Bao sounded the alarm, Su Zhi and Shao Ya instantly tensed up.
Xiaoyue even arched his back, his pupils instantly sharpening.
But when they saw the figure that emerged from the darkness, the two humans, one dog, and one cat all tilted their heads in unison.
"A Black Fighting Emperor?"
The Black Fighting Emperor trotted over to Su Zhi’s side and collapsed, trembling.
"Whimper..." (Can I stay with you guys...? I’m scared...)
"What are you scared of?"
"Whimper..." (The dark...)
"..."
Fierce and Warlike Fighting Race
·
There was plenty of space beneath the rock wall, so one more little guy wasn’t a problem.
Although the Black Fighting Emperor was a size bigger than Yu Bao, it was still just a little one at heart—especially mentally.
Everything by the campfire continued as before.
Su Zhi and Shao Ya went back to roasting and eating rabbit; Yu Bao found Xiaoyue to practice Sandstorm, while the Black Fighting Emperor sat to one side, watching curiously.
"Whimper?" (Are you practicing Sandstorm?)
"Woof!" (You know what it is!)
Yu Bao’s eyes sparkled. He had just been trounced by Big Brother Xiaoyue.
’This little guy really gets it! He can actually understand my technique! I don’t even understand it myself yet!’
At the same time, Xiaoyue’s expression stiffened.
’Anyone who can get on the same wavelength as that dumb puppy is a real piece of work.’
While this pair of great minds were happily communicating, Xiaoyue seized the chance to slip away and went back to his master’s arms to sleep.
"Whimper." (I’ve seen a sand wolf’s Sandstorm before. I think they train like this.)
"Woof!?" (You know about this?)
Yu Bao bounced excitedly, then pounced over to the Black Fighting Emperor and started hopping from side to side.
"Woof woof!" (Quick, tell me how to practice!)
"Whimper..." (I can’t really explain it to you. I’m just a Black Fighting Emperor...) freewёbnoνel.com
The Black Fighting Emperor stopped mid-sentence, sensing movement behind it, and whipped its head around in a panic.
"Whoa, don’t overreact like that."
Su Zhi shrank back with lingering fear, a roasted rabbit cradled in his hands.
"Good thing I have quick reflexes, or I would’ve lost my head."
"(;д;) Whimper..." (I’m sorry...)
"Why are you so timid? You’re a Fighting Element, you know."
Shao Ya took a vicious bite of her roasted rabbit. "You need to be braver. Look at that dumb puppy—he’s so weak, but he still picks fights with my Xiaoyue every day."
"Meeow." (It’s not fighting. I’m just reluctantly playing with my little bro.)
The Black Fighting Emperor lowered its head.
After a moment, it suddenly raised its head. "Whimper!" (Could you please do me a favor?)
...
After listening to the Black Fighting Emperor’s story, Shao Ya and Su Zhi looked at each other, speechless.
No wonder it showed up here. Apparently, its parents had gone out hunting when a sand wolf happened to sneak into their den.
The terrified Little Black Fighting Emperor had no choice but to run and run, eventually arriving here as a lone figure—ah, no, a lone insect.
Timid and unfamiliar with this new place, it often went hungry and had suffered greatly these past few days.
"Woof."
Yu Bao sympathetically patted his good buddy on the shoulder.
Though he had no idea where a Black Fighting Emperor’s shoulder was.
"But there aren’t any deserts near Huai City. Where would a sand wolf come from?" Su Zhi said, scratching his head.
"Sand wolves are Earth Element Exotic Beasts. They’re highly adaptable, so it might have come from another region."
Shao Ya looked thoughtfully at the map on her phone. "The tricky part is that its home is outside the designated activity zone. The danger level will be much higher."
"Whimper..." The Black Fighting Emperor lowered its head.
"Woof woof!" (It’s not that far! Let’s help it!)
Yu Bao wagged his tail, a hint of urgency in his gesture.
Su Zhi and Shao Ya were silent for a moment, leaving only the crackling of the campfire.
Shao Ya blinked her azure eyes, looking at Su Zhi.
"My decision is to help. After all, the Little Black Fighting Emperor helped us find a resource."
Su Zhi was the first to speak.
"Even though its home is outside the safe zone, when the protected area was first established, they moderately cleared out the periphery. The dangerous Exotic Beasts are far from the border."
"Crossing the border by just a kilometer or two shouldn’t be a big problem."
Su Zhi let out a breath and looked at Shao Ya. "That’s my take. What about you?"
"I was all ready to call you a coward."
Shao Ya winked and smiled.
"I didn’t expect you to be so manly. Not bad!"
"Heh, I’m super brave, you know."
The two traded a couple of barbs, then turned in unison to look at Xiaoyue, who was resting against the rock wall.
Xiaoyue sighed helplessly. "Meow." (If you want to go to all this trouble, I guess I’ll go with you.)
Su Zhi and Shao Ya looked at each other and smiled.
"Alright, we’ll set off tomorrow morning then."
"Sounds good. We’ll listen to the Great Emperor."
Just then, the Little Black Fighting Emperor raised a foreleg again. "Whimper, whimper..."
(My family doesn’t have much, but... could I offer some Wood Magnet Crystals as a thank-you gift...?)
THUD.
The roasted rabbits in both their hands fell to the ground in unison.
"Talking about resources is just tacky."
Su Zhi patted the Little Black Fighting Emperor with a solemn expression.
"You’re Yu Bao’s good friend, which makes you our good friend. Your business is our business!"
Shao Ya also declared righteously.
"That’s right! Don’t worry, we will definitely reunite you with your family!"
With that said, they both abandoned their rabbits and returned to their respective tents to rest and build up their energy.
"Of course, to prevent you from feeling guilty, we will accept your thank-you gift!"
Su Zhi added as an afterthought.
The Little Black Fighting Emperor was moved to tears.
’They had only just met this afternoon, yet these two humans are willing to risk everything for me.’
’They even put themselves in my shoes, trying to keep me from feeling guilty!’
’I’m so moved, I’m crying!’
·
「The next morning」
The two Envoys and their Pets packed up their tents and, under the Little Black Fighting Emperor’s guidance, headed for the border.
Far away at the activity base, the teachers noticed an anomaly on the location map.
"What are these two students trying to do? Their trajectory isn’t right."
"Should we send someone to stop them directly?"
The deputy team leader’s expression was grim. "There’s a wild sand wolf within a five-kilometer radius of them. If a conflict breaks out, those two students could get hurt."
"Maybe they’re taking a risk to get some High Tier resources. The areas near the border are indeed richer."
The team leader nodded and pondered for a moment.
"Have the nearest supervising teacher move closer. If things go south, they can intervene and rescue them."
·
"Whimper..." (This is the route I took when I came here. It should be safe...)
"Woof woof." (Don’t worry! I’ll protect you!)
The Little Black Fighting Emperor walked in front, leading the way for the big shots.
Yu Bao walked alongside the Little Black Fighting Emperor, his tail wagging as he trotted along.
Xiaoyue followed behind, scanning the surroundings while watching his two little brothers with a headache.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Ah, nothing."
Hearing Shao Ya’s voice, Su Zhi quickly shook his head.
He had just been busy allocating points for Yu Bao and she had mistaken it for him spacing out.
From the battle with the Little Black Fighting Emperor yesterday, Yu Bao had earned another 0.04 points.
Injuries were inevitable in the wild, so Su Zhi allocated these points to "Constitution" just in case.
He still hadn’t comprehended Sandstorm; it was missing some ineffable component.
Su Zhi told Yu Bao not to worry, as his Tier Two Earth Force Field was already enough to handle most situations.
But now that they were outside the safe zone, they really did need to be more careful.
"Focus up. This isn’t a field trip."
"Don’t worry, I’m steady as a—"
Before Su Zhi could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly froze, and he moved to push Shao Ya away.
But Shao Ya’s reaction was even faster. She ducked and swept his legs out from under him, knocking him to the ground on the spot.
"SWISH!"
A swift shadow brushed past the two of them.
