Panlong's Worton

Chapter 6 Beibei

Linley's injury healed for seven days. On the day the stitches were removed, Hogg carefully examined the wound. It had healed well, leaving only a light pink scar hidden in his hair.

"Don't scratch," Hogg cautioned. "Wait a few more days before getting it wet."

Linley nodded, his mind already elsewhere. For the past seven days, he had been recuperating during the day and learning meditation techniques from Delin Corvault at night. He was now able to condense a small ball of earth-yellow magical power in his chest area; although weak, it was undeniably present.

As soon as his injury healed, he couldn't wait to resume training. He would go to the training ground in the morning to practice the "Qi Gathering Stance" and go to Wushan to practice magic in the afternoon. His days were so full that he hardly had time to think about anything else.

That afternoon, Linley was practicing his "Ground Thrust" technique on Mount Wu when he slipped and a rock flew through the air, grazing the back of his hand. The wound wasn't big, but it bled a little. Delinkovt told him to go home and get it treated, so Linley went home ahead of time.

As he passed the old houses in the backyard, he heard a faint 'crunching' sound, like something was gnawing on the stones.

Lin Lei stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.

In the courtyard of a half-collapsed old house, a black rat was gnawing on a bluestone slab. The rat wasn't big, only about the length of an adult's palm, with glossy fur and a fluffy tail. But its movements were incredibly fast—the moment Lin Lei got a clear look at it, it darted a few meters away to another stone and continued gnawing.

That speed was several times faster than the fastest child on the training field.

"Grandpa Delin, look," Lin Lei thought to himself.

Delinkovt floated out of the ring, followed Linley's gaze, and his eyes lit up: "Shadow Rat!"

"Shadow Mouse?"

"A type of magical beast." Delinkovt floated closer and observed carefully. "Look at its pure black fur; that's a characteristic of a Shadow Rat in its infancy. Adult Shadow Rats are black below level four, turn blue at level five, and turn purple at level seven and above."

Linley's eyes widened: "It's a magical beast? But it's so small..."

"Small is precious," Delinkovt said excitedly. "Shadow Rats are known for their speed, and this juvenile is already as fast as a level four adult Shadow Rat. This means it has a strong bloodline and is very likely a descendant of a purple Shadow Rat!"

Lin Lei's heart raced. The purple shadow rat, a level seven magical beast, was even stronger than a velociraptor.

"Can it be subdued?" he asked.

Delinkovt pondered for a moment: "With your current strength, it's impossible to subdue you by force. But there is a way—an equal contract."

"What is that?"

"A contract initiated by a magical beast doesn't require a magic circle; it only needs to willingly acknowledge you as its master," Delinkovt explained. "Shadow Rats are not very intelligent in their infancy, making them easy to bond with. If you feed them and play with them every day, over time they will come to see you as family and may take the initiative to form a contract."

Lin Lei understood: "Like raising a puppy?"

"A bit smarter than a puppy," Delinkov chuckled. "And Shadow Rats grow up very quickly, reaching adulthood within ten years. Then you'll have a level seven magical beast companion."

Lin Lei looked at the little shadow mouse that was still gnawing on the stone and his heart was moved.

"So what should I do now?"

"Go catch a hare first," said Delinkov. "Shadow mice are omnivorous, but they love meat the most. But don't rush, feed them raw meat first, and then feed them cooked meat once they've gotten used to you. That way they'll be more grateful."

Lin Lei noted it down. Without disturbing the Shadow Rat, he quietly left the courtyard and turned back up Wushan Mountain.

He was now quite skilled at catching wild rabbits. His level one spell, "Earth Thrust," wasn't very powerful, but it was enough to ambush a rabbit. Half an hour later, he returned to the old house's yard carrying a fat rabbit; the Shadow Rat was gone.

Lin Lei placed the rabbit in the center of the yard, took a few steps back, and hid behind the broken wall to wait.

After waiting for almost twenty minutes, a small black head peeked out from a hole in the corner of the wall. The Shadow Mouse cautiously looked around to make sure no one was there before darting to the rabbit, sniffing it, and then opening its mouth—its teeth were frighteningly sharp, and it tore the rabbit's leg apart in a few swift movements.

Lin Lei held his breath and watched.

The shadow mouse ate quickly; in less than ten minutes, only fur and bones remained of the rabbit. It licked its paws contentedly, glanced in the direction Linley was hiding, seemed to sense something, but didn't attack. It turned and darted into its burrow and disappeared.

"Good first step," Drinkwater said. "Let's continue tomorrow."

During dinner, Walton noticed a small cut on Linley's hand.

"What happened to your hand, brother?"

"The stone broke when I was practicing magic," Linley said casually, breaking the bread in half and soaking it in the soup.

Wharton glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions. He remembered this part of the plot—Linley should have discovered the Shadow Rat. In the original story, he encountered it not long after recovering from his injuries, in the old house in the backyard. Judging from Linley's absent-minded appearance, he had probably seen it.

"Father," Lin Lei suddenly spoke, "what were those old houses in our backyard used for before?"

Hogg was looking at the ledgers without looking up: "This is where our ancestors lived when they were prosperous. Later, they declined and couldn't afford to maintain it, so they just lived in the front yard."

"Could there be...animals inside?" Linley asked tentatively.

"Rats, I suppose." Hogg turned a page. "No one's lived here for decades, it's normal to have rats. What, you saw them?"

"I saw a black one, it was running pretty fast."

Hogg then looked up: "Black? How big?"

"The size of a palm."

"That's alright." Hogg lowered his head again. "If you see any silver or gold ones, remember to tell me. Those are Stone-Eating Rats, magical beasts. They don't usually eat people, but they destroy houses."

Lin Lei responded and continued eating with his head down.

After dinner, Linley said he wanted to take a walk to digest his food and went to the backyard alone. Wharton didn't follow; he knew now wasn't the time to disturb him. Feeding shadow mice is a patient task; it can't be rushed.

He went back to his room, closed the door, and began his daily basic training.

Push-ups, squats, wall squats, and stretches. After three months of consistent practice, these exercises have become much more proficient. The records on the panel are steadily improving.

[Basic physical fitness proficiency: 4.7%]

Strength Increase: +18%

Endurance increase: +15%

[Coordination: +12%]

The numbers aren't high, but considering he's only three years old, this progress is already alarming.

After finishing his physical training, he sat cross-legged and began to meditate.

The fire element remained active. Three months of meditation had caused the ball of magical power in his chest to grow from the size of a pinhead to the size of a soybean, the red light spot bright and stable. Delinkovt had said that one should not learn specific magic before the age of six, so Wharton only accumulated magical power and did not practice spells.

But the panel gave him another idea.

[Fire Magic Manipulation (Basic)]

[Proficiency: 1.3%]

[Effect: Fine-tuning and compression are possible]

Although he couldn't cast spells, he could practice manipulating his existing magical power. For example, he could move that ball of magical power around his chest or try to compress it more tightly. This process was mentally taxing, but it improved his control precision, laying the foundation for the future.

An hour later, Wharton stopped meditating, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He wiped it away and heard footsteps outside the door—Linley had returned.

Wharton opened the door and went out, seeing Linley smiling.

"What good thing happened to my brother?"

Lin Lei paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Come here."

The two entered Linley's room and closed the door. Only then did Linley say, "I found a magical beast."

"Really? What kind of monster?"

"A shadow mouse, black, and only this big," Linley gestured. "Grandpa Delin said it might be a descendant of the purple shadow mouse, and it could grow to level seven."

Walton feigned surprise: "Can it be subdued?"

"Grandpa Delin said it's okay, but we have to take it slow." Linley sat on the bed. "I fed it a rabbit today, and it ate it. I'll continue tomorrow."

"Do you need my help?"

Lin Lei thought for a moment: "No need for now. Wait until it gets used to me before you show yourself, so as not to scare it."

Wharton nodded. He knew the process—Linley would feed the Shadow Rats for about ten days, gradually building trust by feeding them raw meat and then cooked meat. On the tenth day, the Shadow Rats would become affectionate, and then… he would be further bribed by the "fickle" strategy that Delinkovt suggested.

"Oh, right," Linley added, "Father said there will be a magic entrance exam in the capital city of Fenlai next month."

Wharton thought to himself, "Here it comes." In the original story, Hogg was mentioned at this time. Linley hesitated at first, but was persuaded by Drillin Corvault to participate.

"Do you want to go?" Walton asked.

"I want to." Linley answered readily. "Grandpa Delin said I have great talent and that I could learn more systematically at the magic academy. Besides... Wushan Town is too small."

He said this while looking out the window, where the outline of Wushan Mountain could be seen.

Walton understood that feeling. Having witnessed the battle for the Sanctuary and seen world-destroying power, who would be content with the life of a small town?

"Then go ahead," Walton said. "I'll train hard at home and wait for you to come back and teach me."

Lin Lei laughed and ruffled his hair: "When I'm powerful enough, I'll take you to the capital."

"Um."

In the days that followed, Lin Lei had a new routine: hunting and feeding shadow mice every afternoon.

The first day was rabbit, the second day was pheasant, the third day was hare... He strictly followed Delinkov's advice, only putting out raw meat and leaving immediately afterward, never lingering. The Shadow Mouse went from being wary at first, to peeking out of its burrow at the sound of footsteps, and then on the eighth day, as soon as Linley put the food down, the Shadow Mouse darted out and started eating right in front of him.

"Soon," said Drinkwater. "We can try the cooked meat tomorrow."

On the ninth day, Linley brought a roasted rabbit. When the aroma wafted out, Shadow Mouse rushed out of its burrow faster than ever before. It circled the roasted rabbit twice, sniffing it repeatedly, then looked up at Linley, its small eyes full of confusion—the meat before hadn't smelled this good.

"Eat up." Lin Lei took two steps back.

The shadow mouse hesitated for a few seconds, but couldn't resist taking a bite. Then it froze, followed by even more frantic biting, making satisfied squeaks as it ate.

Lin Lei smiled.

On the tenth day, as soon as Lin Lei stepped into the yard, Shadow Mouse ran over and circled around his feet, sniffing the cloth bag in his hand with its little nose—today's bag contained roasted pheasant.

Linley squatted down and placed the pheasant on the ground. The Shadow Mouse didn't eat it immediately; instead, it moved closer to him and rubbed its head against his knee.

Delinkovt floated beside him, his eyes narrowed to slits: "You can touch it now. Be gentle, don't scare it."

Linley reached out and slowly placed his hand on the Shadow Mouse's back. Its fur was soft and smooth, feeling wonderful to the touch. The Shadow Mouse stiffened for a moment, but didn't flinch, continuing to gnaw on the pheasant.

After it finished eating, Linley stroked its fur a few more times. The Shadow Mouse squinted comfortably, making purring sounds.

"It's done," Delinkowart said. "It's started to consider you one of its own. Now all we have to do is wait, wait for it to be willing to enter into an equal contract."

"How long will it take?"

"It's hard to say," Delinkovt shook his head. "It could take a few days, it could take a few months. Shadow Rats may not be as intelligent as humans, but they still have their own little schemes. Keep feeding it and playing with it, and it will act when the time is right."

Lin Lei nodded, feeling relieved.

That evening at dinner, Hogger formally brought up the magic test.

"Fenlay City's admissions begin next month," Hogg said, looking at Linley. "If you want to go, I'll have Hillman take you."

Lin Lei put down his spoon: "Father, how much will the test cost?"

"The application fee is ten gold coins," Hogg said. "If you are accepted, Ernst College offers tuition-free education, while other colleges charge a few hundred gold coins per year."

Linley remained silent. Ten gold coins were no small sum for the Baruch family now.

Walton chimed in, "Brother, go if you want. If you don't have enough money, I can eat less."

Hogg glanced at him. "You're quite generous." Then he turned to Linley. "You don't need to worry about the money. I'm just asking if you want to go."

Lin Lei looked up: "I want to."

Why?

"Because..." Linley carefully chose his words, "Wushan Town is nice, but I want to see bigger places. I want to learn more powerful magic, and I want to become stronger."

Hogg looked at him for a long time before finally nodding. "Alright. Go then. But remember, whether you succeed or not, you are a member of the Baruch family. The blood of the Dragonblood Warriors flows in your veins; don't betray the family's honor."

"Yes."

After dinner, Linley returned to his room, and Delinkovt floated out.

“Your father is right,” Delinkovt said. “Wushan Town is too small. The Yulan Continent is vast, with four great empires, countless powerful figures, ancient ruins, and mysterious magical beasts… You shouldn’t be trapped here.”

"Grandpa Delin, have you been to many places?"

"Five thousand years ago, I traveled almost everywhere." Delinkovt's eyes were distant. "The O'Brien Empire in the north was frozen for thousands of miles, the Magnolia Empire in the east was prosperous and splendid, the Rhine Empire in the south had seaports like stars... and there were also the Monster Mountain Range, the Dark Forest, the Sunset Mountain Range... dangerous, but also magnificent."

As Lin Lei listened, the world in his heart gradually unfolded.

"The magic academy can teach you the latest magic, let you meet other geniuses, and give you a broader stage," Delinkovt said. "I will go with you and continue to teach you earth magic. But you'll have to learn the other magics on your own."

"I will study hard," Lin Lei said.

The sky outside the window darkened. In the distance, the sounds of children leaving the training ground drifted over, marking the end of another day in Wushan Town.

Lin Lei walked to the window, looking towards the old houses in the backyard. What was that little shadow mouse doing now? Sleeping? Or gnawing on a rock?

Wharton's footsteps echoed downstairs; the little guy must have gone back to his room to sleep. Linley lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and began his nightly meditation.

The yellowish-brown specks of light arrived as expected, densely packed, warm and substantial. He guided them into his body, refining them into magical power, and the cluster of light slowly grew at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye.

Lin Lei calmed down in meditation, his breathing becoming steady.

In the next room, Wharton was also meditating.

The red light flickered like flames as he carefully guided and refined it, while simultaneously diverting a wisp of his spiritual energy to try and compress the ball of magical power in his chest. Under his control, the soybean-sized spot of light slowly deformed, compressing from a sphere into a flattened round shape, its density increasing slightly.

Fire magic manipulation proficiency: 1.4%

A prompt appeared on the panel.

Wharton stopped and opened his eyes. In three months, his total magical power had more than doubled, and his control over it had also improved.

As for the warrior path—his daily basic training never stopped, and the stats on his panel steadily increased. The warmth brought by the dragon bloodline became more and more obvious; he could even feel that power slowly transforming his body—slowly, but definitely happening.

Dual cultivation is difficult, but he has the time. Three and a half years is enough for him to solidify his foundation.

The moonlight was bright outside the window. Wharton lay down and closed his eyes.

He recalled the events after Linley went to Ernst Academy in the original story—the trials in the Monster Mountain Range, the legacy of the stone carving master, the sacrifice of Delinkovo... It was a path filled with glory and pain.

Now that I've become Wharton, how will the story unfold?

do not know.

But at least, he won't just be a bystander.

Walton turned over and went to sleep.

In the old houses in the backyard, the little black shadow mouse Beibei was chewing on a rock. It had eaten a particularly large meal today, and the aroma of roasted pheasant still lingered in its memory.

Will that boy come again tomorrow?

Beibei looked up at the moon, then looked down again and continued gnawing on the stone.

Click, click, click.

The sound was faint, yet it traveled far in the quiet old house.