Chapter 66: I

The small thing wriggling and squawking in Ding Huan's grip showed clear fear in its eyes.

Ding Huan had never seen such an animal before—it looked somewhat like a dog but not quite, its cry resembled a monkey's but wasn't shrill or monkey-faced; its front legs were long, its hind legs short.

"Looks like you've got some brains—daring to ambush me? You'd better wait." Ding Huan pulled a vine from nearby, tied the creature up, tossed it into his bag, and zipped it shut.

Whether it would suffocate, Ding Huan didn't care.

This little thing looked adorable, but it was no innocent—it would've taken him down if he weren't already a Level Four Gene Cultivator.

If he hadn't just thought of fusing the Stone Monkey's memory genes into this creature, he'd have burned it with a fireball right away.

In this era, he wouldn't feel pity for this cute little thing.

Seeing Ding Huan approach, the Great Desert Jin Yuan, its legs severed, showed the same unmistakable fear in its eyes as the creature stuffed in Ding Huan's bag.

It clearly had intelligence—could it not see how Ding Huan had handled the little thing?

Looking at the Great Desert Jin Yuan, Ding Huan said calmly, "The one who took your herbs last time wasn't me—I admitted you were formidable back then and avoided you on purpose. You hunted me, and I didn't hold it against you."

"But now you still come after me, this innocent man, trying to ambush and kill me. People really shouldn't be too kind."

The Great Desert Jin Yuan growled lowly, as if unable to understand Ding Huan's words.

But Ding Huan's spiritual sense detected the shift in its gaze—he was certain it understood him perfectly.

"Heh." Ding Huan patted his backpack. "This little thing ambushed me—I plan to roast and eat it when I get back. Just a bit of star anise wasted."

"You're bigger, but I heard ape brains have tasty pulp—perfect for grilling. If one skewer won't hold it, just cut it up…"

Upon hearing "brain pulp," the Great Desert Jin Yuan let out a whining, pleading sound.

So it really understands, Ding Huan snorted. "Since last time's affair had nothing to do with me, yet you still provoked me."

"If you want me to spare your life, you must make restitution. Nod if you understand."

The Great Desert Jin Yuan nodded repeatedly; Ding Huan was delighted.

"I don't want anything else from you—just two things. First, I need back the herb you stole last time. Second, I need a bit of blood from your forehead. Simple enough?"

The Great Desert Jin Yuan widened its eyes—what the hell…

I only sought revenge because I lost that herb once, and now after all this, I'm going to lose it again?

Ding Huan pulled out a short knife and tapped its blade against his palm. "Ah, haven't used a blade since I killed a few gene beasts last time. Wonder if today's my lucky day?"

Before Ding Huan could finish, the Great Desert Jin Yuan roared several times and nodded vigorously.

Ding Huan thought: You should've been sensible from the start.

"Since you're sensible, I'll patch you up." Ding Huan casually reset its broken bones, secured them with branches, then wrapped them in vines.

After that, he chopped down a tree and made it two crutches.

The Great Desert Jin Yuan, who had planned to ambush Ding Huan, watched as he waved his hand through the air and the crutches appeared—its heart filled with dread, and it dared not move.

Three hours later, the Great Desert Jin Yuan, leaning on its crutches, led Ding Huan to its den.

Seeing the Great Desert Jin Yuan's den, Ding Huan couldn't help but complain: "This guy really knows how to pick a place."

The environment was far better than his own cave—a pond came into view, beside which stood a V-shaped wooden house built from whole logs.

Behind the house was a herb garden, filled with all kinds of rare mutated herbs.

"You're quite the genius, monkey," Ding Huan muttered, staring at the scene that resembled a hermit's retreat.

The Great Desert Jin Yuan felt wronged—it wasn't a monkey, it was a Jin Yuan.

"Go on, pick the herb yourself—I won't enter your garden. I'm afraid I'll be tempted to pack up all your herbs and leave." Ding Huan didn't actually recognize the herb.

He guessed it was the one the Great Desert Jin Yuan used to generate the Great Desert Eye.

Hearing Ding Huan wouldn't enter his herb garden, the Great Desert Jin Yuan hurriedly hobbled in and quickly returned with the herb before Ding Huan.

Smelling the even more fragrant scent than last time, Ding Huan nodded—it was definitely this herb.

Last time, that woman Qin Yi stole it, and the Great Desert Jin Yuan chased after her, blocking the cave entrance for days and killing two people outright.

How fickle fate is—today, the Great Desert Jin Yuan brought it to him willingly.

The herb in his hand stood no taller than a foot, with a blue flower blooming at the top, its stem black and segmented like bamboo.

Ding Huan stowed the herb contentedly; the Great Desert Jin Yuan's eyes showed reluctance and longing—but Ding Huan ignored it entirely.

After securing the herb, Ding Huan pulled out another vial. "Come here. I'll take a bit of blood and leave."

The Great Desert Jin Yuan felt deeply aggrieved but shuffled forward, leaning on its crutch and bending low for Ding Huan to draw blood.

Ding Huan moved swiftly—his hand sliced and drew, and a thin line of blood appeared on the Jin Yuan's forehead, flowing precisely into the vial.

When the vial was full, Ding Huan put it away; the Jin Yuan's forehead had stopped bleeding.

Seeing Ding Huan had taken only a little blood, the Great Desert Jin Yuan finally exhaled in relief.

"I'm leaving. Our past grudges are settled. Before I go, I'll give you a warning: don't go to human cities or settlements. If you do, it'll be your death."

With that, Ding Huan grabbed the Stone Monkey beside him, flickered once, and vanished like a shadow.

The Great Desert Jin Yuan watched Ding Huan's retreating figure, helplessly.

It had planned to open the Great Desert Eye, then wander into human cities, using human blood to ascend further.

Now, with Ding Huan's warning, even if given the courage of a thousand tigers, it dared not go.

…

Ding Huan strolled back into Luohe City with casual confidence.

This time he didn't disguise himself, but after months of cultivation in the cave, his hair had grown long and his beard unkempt—unless you looked closely, you wouldn't recognize him as Ding Huan.

Standing at the gate of Yujiang University, Ding Huan sighed: "After all this circling, I, Ding Xiaotu, am back."

Yujiang University was much busier than before—three students had been admitted to the Top Ten Star Blue Academies, drawing many applicants.

Had the gene beasts not suddenly run rampant, Yujiang University's popularity would've been even higher.

As for funding, Tan Bei, the university's chancellor, no longer needed to worry.

Many were eager to donate funds to Yujiang University—even though Ding Huan was no longer there, the money kept flowing in.

Think about it—Yujiang University produced three students among the Top Ten Academies of Blue Star, and they were among the top ranks. Could those students, after graduation, possibly bring shame upon their alma mater?

Although it had been nearly a year since he last came, Ding Huan's residence was still preserved.

No members of the Washing Knife Society were found outside the residence—either they knew waiting here would yield nothing, or they knew Ding Huan's reputation had grown too great for the Washing Knife Society to dare discipline him.

Regardless of which, Ding Huan had no intention of letting the Washing Knife Society off.

For Ding Huan now, the most important thing was to hurry to the Gene Laboratory and do what he wanted to do.

Ding Huan took a shower, changed into a set of clothes, did not get a haircut, and went straight to the Gene Laboratory.

He was still not accustomed to using the Dust-Removing Spell, though he had already mastered this minor technique.

The entrance to the Gene Laboratory building still had few people, but there were now guards.

"Kong Dan? How did you end up working as a guard here?" Ding Huan recognized the guard as soon as he approached.

Only then did Kong Dan recognize Ding Huan, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Teacher Ding, I've finally waited for you."

I came here specifically to wait for you. I believed that if you returned, you'd come to the Gene Laboratory first—turns out I wasn't wrong."

"Good. I still have some matters to attend to now; after I finish, I'll teach you cultivation." Ding Huan patted Kong Dan on the shoulder.

"Yes, Teacher Ding, go ahead and attend to your business—I'll guard this place and ensure no one disturbs your gene experiments." Kong Dan remained unable to calm down from his excitement.

Because Ding Huan had previously said he might need one or two years before returning—he had prepared himself for a long wait, yet here Ding Huan had returned so quickly.

"Alright, I'll go up and conduct my experiments. By the way, how many people come here now to do gene experiments?" Ding Huan asked casually.

"No one comes. The director of Yujiang University's Gene Department is you now." Kong Dan finally calmed down, his voice no longer trembling.

"I'm the director of Yujiang University's Gene Department?" Ding Huan asked, disbelieving.

He himself had no knowledge of this—how had he become the head of the Gene Department?

Kong Dan explained, "I came here with the note you gave me and found Chancellor Tan Bei. The chancellor immediately let me choose a position."

I chose this one, and told him you would surely return here to continue your gene experiments. After hearing my words, Chancellor Tan simply appointed you as director of the Gene Department."

Don't be fooled by how many people Yujiang University has now—in truth, there are no scholars in the Gene Department, and no one comes here to conduct experiments."

"That's quite good." Ding Huan was very satisfied—Tan Bei was indeed thoughtful. An old fox, he knew exactly what Ding Huan needed.

He didn't care about the title of director, but having control over this place meant no one would disturb his gene experiments.

This would greatly aid him in extracting the memory genes of the Stone Monkey.

(By the way, starting tomorrow, update times return to 6 PM and 9 PM.)