Chapter 15: The Village Guardian

After Da Bao passed out, he was carried off in a scramble to the village chief’s house.

He had no property or home in the village, so there was nowhere else to put him but the chief’s house.

When Chu Danqing and the village chief returned, the village physician had already diagnosed Da Bao—simple words: qi and blood deficiency.

The villagers of Xianghua had ulterior motives toward Da Bao, but they hadn’t caused his qi and blood deficiency.

The main cause of qi and blood deficiency was malnutrition.

With Da Bao’s eating habits, such a condition was impossible.

The village chief said nothing, only ordered the physician to leave and sent someone to fetch medicine.

Chu Danqing went to the side room to check on Da Bao’s condition.

Da Bao lay on the bed, eyes tightly shut, breathing steady and even.

Aside from being unresponsive, he looked no different from someone asleep.

Soon after, the village chief entered: “Bai Long fish carry a faint trace of true dragon blood.”

He spoke these words the moment he walked in, leaving Chu Danqing puzzled: “Could Da Bao’s unconsciousness be linked to the Bai Long fish?”

The man wouldn’t say this without reason—most of the Bai Long fish had been eaten by Da Bao.

“Yes,” the village chief said. “His body can’t handle such supplementation—it triggered the other half of his Dongshen bloodline to awaken prematurely.”

From just those words, Chu Danqing knew Da Bao was not the first village guardian the Xianghua villagers had created.

“What happens after the bloodline awakens?” Chu Danqing asked grimly, sensing this was more complicated than it seemed.

“He becomes a descendant of the Dongshen—a Dongbeast,” the village chief said calmly. “Surely Da Bao told you about the great white ape and the little dwarf in Luohua Cave?”

“That great white ape is a Dongbeast.”

“And the little dwarf? A pack of skull monkeys—no one knows where they came from, but they’re tied to the Dongbeast.”

Chu Danqing’s expression didn’t change: “Is that Dongbeast the previous village guardian?”

“No,” the village chief denied. “It was the strongest guardian before him.” He delivered the bad news: “So it became the Dongshen’s priest.”

“When the bloodline awakens, human reason gradually fades until the guardian inevitably returns to the back mountain.”

“There can be only one Dongbeast. When two meet, only one survives.”

“So you plan to abandon Da Bao and create another village guardian,” Chu Danqing said bluntly, using the word “create.”

“Wrong,” the village chief replied gently. “If you can resolve Luohua Cave, there will be no more village guardians, no more sacrifices.”

It was like a kind old man suddenly revealing his dark side.

“What about Da Bao?” Chu Danqing’s gaze settled on him.

“He is a hero of our village. His name will be enshrined in the ancestral hall with incense offerings,” the village chief stated plainly.

Chu Danqing had never felt this angry before.

Their kindness toward Da Bao was nothing but care for a tool.

When the tool became useless, they discarded it without a trace of emotion.

“I’m taking Da Bao with me to resolve Luohua Cave,” Chu Danqing said coldly, his face utterly devoid of warmth.

The village chief showed no surprise: “Fine—as long as he wakes up.”

“And let me remind you—even if his Dongshen bloodline hasn’t fully awakened, encountering the Dongbeast priest will mean a fight to the death.”

“Taking him to the back mountain is a liability.”

Chu Danqing ignored him entirely: “This is my affair. You don’t need to concern yourself.”

“If you have nothing else, arrange the supplies and personnel I requested as soon as possible.”

“Oh, don’t forget my reward for luring out and killing the Bai Long fish.”

He disliked the man’s methods, but it wasn’t yet time to break ties.

“Very well,” the village chief said. “Supplies and personnel will be ready tomorrow. The reward will take a little longer—I’ll give it to you the day after.” He noticed Chu Danqing’s shift in attitude but wasn’t surprised.

With that, the village chief left.

Chu Danqing stood before Da Bao’s bed: “What kind of situation is this?”

He had never intended to form a bond with Da Bao from the start.

Now he had the chance—the Xianghua villagers no longer had use for him.

The Bai Long fish carried faint true dragon blood; Da Bao was the Dongshen’s child.

But Da Bao was unconscious—he couldn’t give his consent. With only goodwill and attribute disparity, the bonding success rate was low.

The bonding scroll had only one durability point—meaning only one chance.

If he failed, he’d lose all means of bonding.

“Qi and blood deficiency is real—the bloodline awakening requires more nourishment.”

“The flesh and blood of the Bai Long fish Da Bao consumed weren’t enough to sustain his recovery or even wake him to eat.”

“To wake him, he needs sufficient nourishment,” Chu Danqing said, then pulled out wolf blood.

He pried open Da Bao’s mouth and poured it in; soon, all of it was swallowed.

Instantly, thin threads of crimson energy rose from Da Bao’s body.

He recognized it—the same energy that had surrounded the Bai Long fish when it unleashed its water surge technique.

He hadn’t expected Da Bao, after consuming the Bai Long fish’s flesh, to produce this crimson energy—and it seemed to have mutated.

It appeared linked to his ability to grow stronger when enraged.

“Not enough,” Chu Danqing said, watching Da Bao remain unconscious. He knew wolf blood alone wouldn’t wake him.

He’d given the wolf blood without hesitation because it was a slow-recovery consumable.

But the remaining secondary fish marrow blood was different—it restored 10% of maximum HP instantly.

If he used it and still failed to bond with Da Bao, the sunk cost would be too great—he couldn’t afford it.

Chu Danqing gritted his teeth and finally pulled out the secondary fish marrow blood, feeding it to Da Bao.

You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a child—he still had the Bai Long fish as backup, and the trial quest had room for adjustment.

As the Dongshen’s child, Da Bao’s potential and ceiling far surpassed the Bai Long fish.

That was clear from the fact that even consuming most of the Bai Long fish hadn’t been enough to sustain the Dongshen bloodline’s awakening.

The crimson energy surged thickly. Da Bao’s eyes snapped open, bloodshot, radiating fury and rage.

He immediately suppressed it, looked at Chu Danqing, and rasped: “Xiao Chu, I’m hungry.”

“Alright, wait. I’ll go to the village chief and get you food—eat as much as you want,” Chu Danqing said, choosing not to speak of matters yet, instead focusing on restoring his nourishment.

He turned to leave.

Before he reached the door, Da Bao spoke: “Xiao Chu, I heard what you and the chief said.”

Chu Danqing froze, then replied with one word: “Good.”

(End of Chapter)