Chapter 109: This Is a Mascot

They chatted and talked until nearly the middle of the night.

"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone go back and get some rest; we have to be up early tomorrow!" Tang Long waved his hand, signaling the end of the village committee meeting.

Just then, Xiao Bao came rushing in, flustered. "Brother Tang Long, something bad has happened."

Tang Long frowned, looking at him. "Don't panic. Tell me slowly, what exactly is going on?"

Xiao Bao steadied himself, the terror in his eyes gradually easing, though he still spoke with a hint of fear: "Sister Xiao Yue took those university student tourists into the mountains to catch fireflies, and I went along with them."

Tang Long’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained even calmer.

"Did something happen to Xiao Yue and Jiang Xue?" Zhang Xiu'e pressed.

Xiao Bao nodded and explained, "Everything was fine at first. Just as we were about to head back, a huge, massive black shadow suddenly darted out from nowhere and snatched Sister Jiang Xue away. Sister Xiao Yue is still out there with the others looking for her, and she told me to come back and get you!"

"Snatched away by a huge black shadow?" Tang Long frowned, repeating Xiao Bao’s words.

Xiao Bao turned, his lingering fear evident as he said, "Yes, it was about seven or eight meters tall!"

Seven or eight meters tall?

Yutou Village was located by the sea and surrounded by mountains. The villagers were skilled in swimming and hunting, though few worked as professional hunters anymore; the government did not encourage hunting, and the mountains were filled with rare, protected animals.

"Did you see clearly what it was?" Tang Long believed Xiao Bao wouldn't lie. If he said the creature that took Jiang Xue was seven or eight meters tall, it was likely close to the truth.

But what could possibly grow to seven or eight meters tall near Yutou Village?

Tang Long had seen such creatures in the depths of unexplored primeval forests, but in this country, aside from Shennongjia or the Qinling Mountains, the chances of encountering one elsewhere were slim. For any creature to reach that size, it would take centuries.

Xiao Bao shook his head. "I couldn't tell what it was. It was incredibly fast; it just snatched Sister Jiang Xue away. When we chased after it, we only found a very deep trail."

The surrounding villagers, listening to Xiao Bao's description, couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. They knew him well, and it was unlikely he would lie. A terrifying seven-meter-tall creature near the village? One capable of snatching a person?

What could it be?

Tang Long nodded without asking further questions and said to Zhang Xiu'e, "You organize the men. I'll head over there first!"

Zhang Xiu'e wanted to speak but stopped herself. She knew there was no way to stop Tang Long from going, especially since Xiao Yue and the students hadn't returned yet.

"Stay safe!"

Tang Long grinned. "Don't worry!"

He turned and gestured for Li Ergou, Lian Sheng, and other strong men from the village to follow, walking quickly toward the outskirts.

"In the years I’ve been away from the village, have there been any strange occurrences in the surrounding mountains?" Tang Long asked them on the way.

Lian Sheng shook his head. "Haven't heard of any!"

Li Ergou added, "There are definitely no large predators. In this area, let alone tigers, we haven't even seen a wolf in decades!"

Tang Long frowned. He had a premonition that it wasn't a tiger or a wolf; otherwise, with so many people like Xiao Yue and Xiao Bao present, they wouldn't have failed to see even a shadow before Jiang Xue was 'snatched.' That word 'snatched' was very strange.

"Ahead! Up ahead!"

Xiao Bao pointed. With the flashlights and the chaotic noise, even if he hadn't said anything, Tang Long knew Zhao Xiao Yue and the others were up ahead.

"Tang... Brother Tang Long!" Zhao Xiao Yue cried, her eyes red and swollen.

Tang Long patted her head and looked around. "Where are the creature's tracks?"

"Over here!"

Xiao Bao led Tang Long over. Indeed, there was a deep, indented trail, roughly two meters wide.

It wasn't a wild beast!

Looking at the marks, Tang Long realized immediately that a 'fearsome beast' had appeared near Yutou Village—a creature far more powerful than an ordinary animal, one at the very top of the wild food chain, hidden away in remote corners, growing through the ages.

But Tang Long couldn't understand how such a 'fearsome beast' could appear near Yutou Village. Although Donghe Town was relatively poor, it wasn't exactly a remote, uninhabited place. Forget fearsome beasts; there weren't even regular predators here. Seeing a wolf every twenty or thirty years was considered a rare event!

Taking a deep breath, he knew from the marks that it was undoubtedly a fearsome beast, perhaps even a powerful 'spirit beast' that had emerged from somewhere unknown. The difference between a spirit beast and a fearsome beast was subtle; relatively speaking, fearsome beasts were more brutal and destructive, while spirit beasts were more docile and possessed greater intelligence.

"Ergou, Lian Sheng, take everyone back. Also, don't let anyone else from the village come over. You guys don't sleep tonight; keep watch around the tourists' campsite. If I haven't returned by dawn, call the police and evacuate all the tourists."

Tang Long's words stunned everyone, and they realized the gravity of the situation.

"Did you hear me?" Tang Long frowned, a sharp, imposing aura radiating from him. He stood like a mountain and a blade—steady as the clouds, sharp as steel.

"Understood!" Lian Sheng and Li Ergou nodded quickly.

"Give me the wood-chopping knife."

Tang Long took the knife from Li Ergou. "Go now, and remember, no one is allowed to come back here until dawn!"

"Don't worry, we'll keep watch."

Tang Long didn't take the flashlight Lian Sheng offered; he didn't need it. His eyes were enough in the dark. He closed his eyes slightly, sniffed the air, identified the direction, and dashed into the dark jungle.

"Move!" Lian Sheng grabbed Zhao Xiao Yue and led the students back quickly.

As Tang Long moved, he pondered: if it really was a seven- or eight-meter-tall beast, its appetite should be huge. Jiang Xue alone probably wouldn't be enough to satisfy it. Since Zhao Xiao Yue and the others had been nearby for so long and were still safe, it meant the beast didn't intend to go on a killing spree.

Humans have spirits, and so do beasts. Unless their habitat is destroyed, even a fearsome beast would not willingly appear before humans. Instinct tells them that while they are brutal, humans are even more so. In the face of modern weaponry, even a beast a hundred meters long would only be slaughtered.

In the Amazon rainforest, there were mercenary organizations specialized in hunting 'fearsome beasts' to sell to the wealthy or biological laboratories for massive fortunes. Risk and reward were always proportional.

Tang Long didn't hate these beasts, but he didn't want to see them either. Their powerful, bloodthirsty nature made communication difficult, and they were irritable and ferocious; the slightest mistake could lead to casualties. Faced with such a creature, 90% of people would think of killing it first.

It was true that humans were the masters of Earth, but there were still many mysteries the world couldn't explain, and many regions that remained unreachable to humans.

Tang Long suddenly stopped in his tracks. Based on his speed and the time elapsed, he was only about a thousand meters away from where Zhao Xiao Yue and the others had been. For a seven-meter-tall beast, this distance was negligible; it could cover it in seconds.

The trail continued into the darkness ahead, and Tang Long felt as if a pair of cold, ruthless eyes were watching him.

Tang Long slowly raised the knife he was holding and threw it two or three meters in front of him. He activated his ability to communicate with animals, probing, "I mean no harm. Don't be afraid. We can talk. Please, don't hurt my friend."

He scanned his surroundings. The woods were dim; to an ordinary person, vision would be obscured, but Tang Long’s eyes were keen—he could see a hundred meters out.

Nothing in front, nothing behind. He shifted his gaze to the left, moving with minimal effort.

Still nothing?

Then... was it in the sky?

He looked up instantly. Under the light of the crescent moon, on a tree trunk less than five meters away, sat a head the size of a locomotive, with two eyes like small lanterns, glowing with a ghastly green light.

"Holy cow!"

A Black-Scaled Flood Dragon?

Seeing the massive black snake head in mid-air, Tang Long couldn't help but curse under his breath. How could such a legendary creature appear here?

A flood dragon (jiao) is a creature evolved from a snake. Legend says a snake evolves into a python, and after five hundred years of cultivation, a python becomes a flood dragon. After further evolution—five thousand to eight thousand years—it becomes a legendary 'dragon.' Judging by its size, it was almost certainly a flood dragon.

Those with black scales were known to elders as 'Black-Scaled Flood Dragons,' and white-scaled ones as 'White-Scaled Flood Dragons.' A spiritually aware flood dragon was a 'spirit beast,' but one driven by bloodlust was definitely a 'fearsome beast.'

"You are a strange human."

A voice similar to a brainwave transmission entered Tang Long's mind. It was no surprise; any creature living on Earth for hundreds or thousands of years would possess unique wisdom. Their intelligence was not necessarily lower than that of a human. In the jungle, there are jungle laws.

Tang Long looked at the Black-Scaled Flood Dragon and asked, frowning, "You should know this area belongs to humans. If you step foot here, you will surely die."

The Black-Scaled Flood Dragon did not show anger; instead, it began to communicate with Tang Long through brainwaves. Its habitat had been destroyed, and its underground food resources had dried up, leaving it no choice but to emerge to the surface to find food.

"I have no intention of harming humans. I only seek food!"

Tang Long frowned. "And so, you ate my friend?"

The Black-Scaled Flood Dragon lowered the unconscious Jiang Xue from a tree branch. "She is still alive."

Tang Long went over to check on her personally. Seeing she was just unconscious and otherwise unharmed, he felt a weight lift from his heart. Thankfully, he had encountered a spirit beast with wisdom and restraint; otherwise, it would have been a disaster. Jiang Xue might have already been digested into blood.

"You wanted to use her to lure me here?" Tang Long looked up at the Black-Scaled Flood Dragon, asking with curiosity.

The Black-Scaled Flood Dragon replied, "I have been watching you for a long time. From the abilities you demonstrated by the water and your interaction with that female, I knew that perhaps only you could help me."

"How can I help?"

Tang Long frowned, thinking about how strange things had felt lately. Whenever he was sharing romantic moments with Zhang Xiu'e, he felt like someone was watching from behind.

"I need food—large amounts of blood-based food—and I am severely wounded; I need medicinal herbs." After a pause, the dragon continued, "I could have gone to your ponds to catch fish or entered the sea, but I did not."

"You need a stable place to heal?" Tang Long suddenly realized something and his eyes widened. "That heavy rain a while back, the lightning that struck the back mountain and carved out the Ghost King Cave—was that striking you?"

"Yes, a lightning tribulation. The Heavens do not want me to transform from a flood dragon into a dragon!"

"..."

What could Tang Long say? He could only think, *Holy crap, that's insane.* His luck was such that he always ended up in the middle of the most bizarre events.

"How did you know I could help you? With your size, you'd eat our village into poverty in just a few days!"

Tang Long shook his head. He didn't think Yutou Village could afford to feed this Black-Scaled Flood Dragon.

The Black-Scaled Flood Dragon hesitated for a moment. "I can become the guardian spirit beast of your village. I will stay in this area until I transform into a dragon, guarding you for generations."

A guardian spirit beast?

Tang Long’s eyes widened. *Good heavens, is that even possible?* In this day and age, if it dared to show its face, the whole world would be in an uproar.

An uproar? ...Actually, that might not be a bad thing!

Tang Long’s eyes flickered as he considered the possibilities. Yutou Village needed long-term, stable 'buzz' to attract tourists from all over. If this giant could become the 'guardian spirit beast' of Yutou Village, once the news spread, not just domestic but global tourists would know the name 'Yutou Village.'

Ordinary people were always curious about spirit beasts. This was a 'flood dragon'—rarer than a giant panda. If it were you, wouldn't you want to come and take a look?

The only concern was that once it appeared, they would have to deal with certain law enforcement departments. Of course, Tang Long could handle that. As long as it stayed in Yutou Village and didn't leave, those departments wouldn't have much to say.

It was just expensive to keep. With that size, it would need at least two or three cows per meal, right? Even if it only had a meat-based meal once a week, it would cost tens of thousands.

After weighing the pros and cons, Tang Long felt that taking this Black-Scaled Flood Dragon as a village guardian was actually quite feasible. With it, Yutou Village would never lack 'buzz' or tourists again. When people wanted to visit, whether they could come or not would depend on the village's attitude and mood. It wouldn't be a case of just showing up whenever they pleased.

After all, their village had a guardian beast. It was a living mascot!

"Well, it's not entirely out of the question. You're all black and glossy; how about I call you 'Big Black' from now on?" Tang Long chuckled.