Chapter 113: Big Old Black

“What exactly is going on?” Zhang Xiue slipped into Tang Long’s tent, staring at him with a piercing gaze. At this moment, she no longer cared if others saw or gossiped about them.

All this talk of the ‘Ancient Forebear’ and the Black Dragon had everyone’s minds buzzing with curiosity. Who could possibly get any sleep with such things on their minds?

Sleep? That was impossible!

Tang Long looked at her and smiled. “What do you mean, what’s going on?”

Zhang Xiue put on a stern face and sat opposite him, speaking in a serious tone, “Don’t give me that cheeky grin. Why do you say you saw the Black Dragon Ancestor when you returned? Are you all in cahoots, hiding something from me?”

She didn’t believe any of the Black Dragon Ancestor nonsense. In fact, she suspected Tang Long, Jiang Xue, and even Xiao Bao and the others were all conspiring together, putting on a show to attract more tourists to Yutou Village.

Such thoughts from Zhang Xiue were easy to understand.

Tang Long furrowed his brows, sat up, and looked at her. “Do you believe what I say?”

“No,” Zhang Xiue shook her head firmly. Those lies were the last thing she would believe.

Tang Long continued, “If I promise you that most of what I say is true, would you believe me then?”

The talk of an ancestor and a black dragon was nonsense, but eighty percent of the story was not fabricated.

Zhang Xiue was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Tang Long to give her a choice. From the perspective of a lover—whether genuine or not—one should believe the other. But now... Tang Long’s words were truly hard to accept.

“The Black Dragon is real?”

Tang Long shook his head. “It’s not a Black Dragon; it’s a black-scaled flood dragon, and yes, it’s huge!”

Regarding the size of the Great Old Black, Tang Long made no exaggerations. That was exactly its size.

The Black Dragon and the Ancient Forebear were lies, but the existence of a monster in Yutou Village was absolutely true.

Zhang Xiue looked at Tang Long in disbelief. Could such a monster really exist in this world?

It seemed utterly unrealistic!

Tang Long seemed to understand what Zhang Xiue was thinking and said calmly, “The world is vast. There are many secrets unknown to ordinary people. Just because you haven’t seen certain creatures doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

Zhang Xiue stared at Tang Long in shock. “So, what you and Jiang Xue said is all true?”

“True,” Tang Long nodded honestly.

Zhang Xiue still found it hard to accept. According to Tang Long and Jiang Xue’s description, the Black Dragon Ancestor was larger than a dinosaur, far beyond her or even humanity’s current understanding.

If such a Black Dragon appeared in Yutou Village, it would cause a massive sensation, which was not hard to imagine.

From Zhang Xiue’s expression, even with Tang Long’s confirmation, she still couldn’t accept the fact—unless she saw the Black Dragon Ancestor with her own eyes, she simply could not believe it.

“I’ll summon it later so you can see for yourself,” Tang Long suddenly smiled. Proving the existence of the Great Old Black wasn’t difficult. For now, it was just to prepare the people of Yutou Village, so they wouldn’t be terrified if they truly encountered the Great Old Black.

Tang Long pulled Zhang Xiue into his arms, laughing softly. “Actually, the black-scaled flood dragon isn’t really the village’s ancestor. That’s just an excuse I made up for its appearance to prepare for certain situations.

“It really did live in the Ghost King Cave. With a body that large, it must have lived for many years.

“Now, the Great Old Black and I have reached a certain contract. From now on, it will serve as Yutou Village’s ‘guardian beast’—yes, a protector of the village. It guards Yutou Village, and in return, we must provide it with enough food to live here.”

A guardian beast?

Zhang Xiue’s eyes glazed over. Could something so mystical really be part of her life?

“Listen, don’t worry about whether the Great Old Black really exists. Just imagine this: if it truly exists, what would it bring to Yutou Village?” Tang Long smiled and asked.

If the Black Dragon Ancestor actually existed, what would it bring to Yutou Village?

Was there even a need to say?

The whole world’s attention would converge on Yutou Village. In a short time, the village’s fame would skyrocket to an astonishing degree. At that point...

A shortage of tourists?

That wouldn’t even be the issue! Yutou Village would be packed to the brim. Not just the small village—if the news really spread, even all of Taoyuan County would be flooded with visitors.

But was what Tang Long said really possible?

That was a monster over a hundred meters long. Even if the lie fooled people for a while, it would eventually be exposed.

“Tang Long...” Zhang Xiue opened her mouth, calling his name, hesitant to speak.

Tang Long smiled, knowing what she wanted to say.

“Let’s go. Looks like if I don’t let you see the Great Old Black today, you won’t get a good night’s sleep!” Tang Long patted her small, rounded hip, signaling her to stand.

In truth, he knew that even if Zhang Xiue saw the black-scaled flood dragon, she still wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Either way, it was the same.

Tang Long and Zhang Xiue stepped out of the tent and saw Lian Sheng, Li Ergou, Liu Yishou, even Zhao Xiaoyue and the mountain bear spirits nearby.

He rolled his eyes in exasperation and smiled wryly, “Alright, since you all want to see it, we’ll go together. But let me make this clear—anyone who gets scared and wets themselves has to crawl back on their own!”

No outsiders were brought along—just the village’s core members like Lian Sheng, Li Ergou, Liu Yishou, and several villagers following them.

Before coming, Tang Long had made it clear: those with a timid heart should stay behind today; there would be plenty of chances to meet the ‘Ancestor’ later.

But not just Zhao Xiaoyue— even Aunt Yang, having heard the news from someone, had come running excitedly to join the fun.

“Tang Long, is our Ancestor really a Black Dragon?” Zhao Xiaoyue clung to Tang Long’s arm and whispered.

She didn’t care what others thought—even knowing Tang Long and Xiuejie had... issues, she was unfazed. In the provincial city, in front of that heiress, she wasn’t shy about hugging or holding him!

“No, it’s not the Ancestor!” Tang Long smiled and shook his head.

Zhao Xiaoyue blinked. “But didn’t you say it’s our Yutou Village’s Ancestor?”

“That’s just what we tell outsiders,” Tang Long explained. “But if you want to treat it as the Ancestor, that’s fine. After all, it’s lived for thousands of years. It will be our village’s guardian beast, responsible for protecting us.”

Guardian beast?

For some reason, even Zhao Xiaoyue thought that name sounded a bit rustic.

“We’ve signed a contract with it. From now on, we provide it food and drink; it protects our safety. It’s mutually beneficial. You can see it as the Ancestor or as Yutou Village’s mascot!” Tang Long chuckled.

Mascot?

The surrounding villagers listened intently to Tang Long and Zhao Xiaoyue’s exchange, unsure what to make of it.

They didn’t go to the entrance of the ‘Ghost King Cave’ scenic area. According to the Great Old Black, there was still some distance down from the cave entrance to where it lived. Besides, it was late at night; nobody knew what the cave was like inside, and it wasn’t safe.

Great Old Black said if Tang Long wanted to summon it, he just needed to stand on the cliff’s edge and shout twice, and it would hear him.

If even the villagers couldn’t accept the Great Old Black, it would be even harder for outsiders or tourists to accept it.

“Tang Long, you’re really not lying to us?” Zhao Xiaoyue was still a little doubtful.

But something felt off. If Tang Long was going to lie, it would be to outsiders, not to them!

“Whether I’m lying or not, you’ll know when you see it!” Tang Long smiled and shook his head.

He suspected Zhao Xiaoyue wasn’t the only one doubting him. Even Zhang Xiue wasn’t fully convinced, let alone the others.

On the way, Tang Long glanced up at the sky. He knew countless satellites from various countries orbited outside the atmosphere, monitoring every corner of the Earth.

Earth was peculiar; every region had a different magnetic field. Some mysterious places had special fields where satellites couldn’t capture images. But Yutou Village was ordinary, with a normal magnetic field. So if the black-scaled flood dragon appeared tonight, it might already have been noticed by relevant authorities.

Possibly not only domestically but internationally as well!

With today’s advanced technology, even at night, satellite images of the ground were clear.

He didn’t know what reaction this would provoke or who might come, and whether his own ‘face’ would still hold.

No matter what, since he had reached an agreement with the Great Old Black, if anyone came, Tang Long would send them away and wouldn’t let them harm the dragon.

A man must have integrity—a gentleman’s word is his bond.

They arrived at the cliff’s edge. The cliff was deep, about thirty meters down. Normally, adults wouldn’t let children play here. Even villagers rarely came unless necessary.

Tang Long remembered playing here often as a child; it held many memories.

“This place could be developed later, so Great Old Black can bask in the sun or something!” Tang Long smiled.

Seeing the surprised looks around him, Tang Long tapped his head and laughed, “Great Old Black is that black-scaled flood dragon, our village’s Ancestor and mascot!”

Great Old Black?

Everyone inwardly had mixed feelings. Whether Great Old Black or black-scaled flood dragon Ancestor, they all wanted to see it for themselves.

Tang Long stood at the cliff’s edge and shouted, “Hey, Great Old Black, come out and say hello to the villagers!”

He called twice in a row, but there was no movement below.

Zhao Xiaoyue looked at Tang Long with wide eyes, as if asking, “Tang Long, where’s our Ancestor?”

Asleep?

Tang Long rubbed his nose and forced a laugh. He wondered if his voice was too soft or maybe Great Old Black had gone back and fallen asleep again.

“Don’t worry, I’ll try again...” Tang Long was about to explain when he heard sounds and splashing water from the cliffside.

Looking at the eyes of Zhao Xiaoyue, Li Ergou, Lian Sheng, Liu Yishou, and the other villagers, Tang Long knew without turning around exactly what they were thinking.

“T-Tang Long!” Zhao Xiaoyue’s teeth were chattering.

“It’s okay!” Tang Long grinned, winking at Zhang Xiue. “This is the black-scaled flood dragon, our village’s guardian beast and mascot. You can call it the Ancestor or just ‘Great Old Black’—either’s fine!”

“...” The crowd was collectively speechless.

It truly had a head as big as a locomotive and a body over a hundred meters long. Standing before it, humans looked no bigger than potatoes.

“Mother dragon, not Great Old Black!” the flood dragon expressed strong dissatisfaction toward Tang Long.

Tang Long didn’t care. If it didn’t want to be called Great Old Black, then what else could it be called? That name was perfect—down-to-earth and endearing.

It wasn’t its fault that it looked terrifying. If it didn’t have a likable name, who would pay to see it?

In Tang Long’s mind, he was already planning to charge admission for tourists. Raising Great Old Black wasn’t easy—charging a thousand yuan per ticket wouldn’t be too much, right?

Looking at Zhang Xiue and the others, Tang Long smiled and asked, “Seeing is believing, hearing is deceptive. Now, after seeing it, do you still doubt me?”

No one responded. Everyone’s eyes were fixed in shock on the enormous dragon head towering behind Tang Long, perched halfway in midair, supported by the cliff.