Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 59 Everyone Wants the Dragon Ball
Yun Ce felt that Zhang Min was really not a good woman. Not long ago, she was pursuing him relentlessly, but after the new situation arose, she seemed to have forgotten about him and was now pursuing a bear instead.

The giant bear ran wildly for four hours, only stopping in an open field as darkness was about to fall. This puzzled Yun Ce greatly; shouldn't it have hidden itself?

Yun Ce landed on a tree at the very edge of the forest. Not far from him, under the tree, lay a pig covered in mud. And the large birds circling in the sky were no longer one, but three.

Everyone seemed to be waiting. Yun Ce didn't understand what they were waiting for, so he followed suit and built a simple nest on the top of the tree. He and E Ji ate and watched the excitement together.

"What is that bear doing?" Eji asked in a low voice.

"I don't know, but look, that big bear is lying on the ground, and there are more than a dozen bears lying on the ground behind it. I feel like they are performing some kind of ritual."

"What kind of ceremony is it? A moon-worshiping ceremony?"

"What moon-worshiping ceremony?"

"Don't you know? The three months cycle and alternate. After every thirty-six cycles, that is, after the last full moon, the full moon will gradually shrink and the climate will gradually get colder. When the full moon shrinks to the size of a fist, the coldest season in the wasteland will arrive."

"Huh? The full moon has shrunk, where's the blood moon? Where's the crescent moon?"

"Those two moons are not only useless, but also very unlucky. Almost all bad things happen when the blood moon and the crescent moon are in the sky. Tonight is the last full moon. In the past, when we were in Hekou Village, Zhao Jin would lead everyone to offer the best food to the moon and dance around the fire. After the dance, men and women who liked each other could go back to their houses and do *that*."

After listening to Eji's explanation, Yun Ce understood that this world also had the concept of winter. This was likely related to the orbit of the full moon. When the weather was warm, the full moon's orbit was closer to the planet, bringing more heat. When the orbit was farther away, much of the heat would dissipate, thus winter would arrive.

As for doing *that* kind of thing at this time, it's also related to the food availability cycle. Getting pregnant when food is scarce in winter and giving birth when food is plentiful is normal and a basic life instinct.

Yun Ce was very happy to have learned new knowledge, and E Ji took the opportunity to lean closer to him.

There were three people on the back of the large bird that Zhang Min was riding: Zhang Min and two middle-aged men. One of the middle-aged men, who had a small mustache, looked at Zhang Min sternly and said, "So, the matter of the pig demon is completely fabricated, is that right?"

Zhang Min lowered his head and said, "It was my mistake, and I have caused you trouble, sir."

Another middle-aged man with a bushy beard smiled and said to the man with the mustache, "Wu Tong, the pig demon is a small matter. It only destroyed Sheyang City. New cities rise up in the empire almost every day, and the destruction of old cities is not a big deal. Now, this bear has already made the prelude to worshiping the moon, which means that the dragon spirit must be on it."

Confirming the existence of the Dragon Spirit is the real deal. If we obtain the Dragon Spirit today and return to Chang'an, the title you've been waiting for for so many years should be within reach.

I have already reported this matter to Chang'an. The envoy in colorful robes will surely descend upon Chuyun Prefecture, and your wealth and glory will be within your grasp soon.”

Wu Tong, with his mustache, seemed to give the burly man face, waving his hand and saying, "For the sake of Captain Zhou, this time his merits and demerits will cancel each other out, so there will be no reward or punishment. Be careful in the future and don't make any more mistakes."

Zhang Min first thanked Wu Tong, and then bowed to Captain Zhou, saying, "Thank you, Brother Zhou."

Lieutenant Zhou waved his hand and said, "We are from the same sect, so this is nothing. It's just that Commander Wu never intended to punish you. Otherwise, with his cold face, would he have ever shown any favoritism?"

Wu Tong waved his hand and said, "Three thousand black-armored cavalry will arrive in another hour. Before they arrive, if Xiong Pi wants to escape, he can only rely on the three of us."

Commander Zhou asked in surprise, "Aren't there still five hundred state soldiers nearby?"

Wu Tong shook her head and said, "They are all born of parents, so don't waste their lives."

Lieutenant Zhou rolled his eyes and said, "You're so kind."

Having said that, he lowered a rope, slid off the bird's back, and disappeared into the forest.

After Captain Zhou left, Wu Tong looked at Zhang Min and said, "How could there be such a big mistake in this investigation? The difference between those with dragon spirits and those without is so great, how could we have made a mistake?"

Zhang Min gritted her teeth and said, "I still suspect that person was evolved from a pig demon."

Wu Tong shook his head and said, "A pig demon can never transform into a human form that you can't even recognize. A pig is a pig, and even after transformation, it's still a pig. Transformation changes the appearance, but the inner self remains unchanged. After we return this time, when there's another opportunity to dissect demons, you must follow the whole process closely and watch carefully. Don't make a fool of yourself like today. Since you're injured, stay on the Heavenly Eye to take charge. I and Captain Zhou will handle things below. Xiong Pi won't be able to escape."

Having said that, he slid down the bird's back along the rope left by Captain Zhou and disappeared into the forest.

The bear king lay on the ground like a toad, its belly bulging and swelling, making it look even more like a toad. At this time, the sun had not yet completely set, and the full moon presented a magnificent golden light, shining on the earth. The high places and distant places were also dyed golden, while the forest in front of them was still pitch black.

Yun Ce stared intently at the bear, while E Ji carefully watched the Pig King Zhu Nu, who was hiding his body in the mud. Only Zhang Min, sitting on the back of the giant bird, was bandaging her thigh while muttering something under her breath.

As time passed, the gold on the full moon gradually faded, and soon turned into pure silver-white. At this moment, the bear's throat bobbed a few times, and a red bead gushed out with the vomit, hanging about a foot and a half in front of the bear's eyes, bathed in moonlight, its color also fading.

Yun Ce was all too familiar with this scene. He had done the same thing on a full moon night before, and ever since then, his appetite had improved considerably.

Now, after the bear spits out the dragon ball, the whole bear looks very weak and its body seems to have been hollowed out, which looks somewhat comical. Even its huge body seems to have shrunk a lot.

Yun Ce felt that when the Dragon Ball was in his stomach, apart from not wanting to eat, he had no other discomfort. Why was this bear different?

The bear lay limply on the ground, spreading its body out as much as possible, becoming a huge bear pancake. If its fur were peeled off, just this one skin would be enough to cover the entire bedroom.

The dog transformed into silver needles and fell sparsely from the tree, landing on the pig king who was quietly crawling out of the mud. As the moonlight fell on the pig king, the guy's huge body was slowly shrinking, his hind legs straightened and his front legs stretched out, and even his ferocious wild boar head was slowly shrinking.

When it moved its feet, Yun Ce realized that the creature's two pig hooves had turned into two large human feet, and its front hooves had naturally turned into human arms. Its head was also similar to a human's, except that its two tusks could not be retracted and were sticking out of its mouth.

Its body is covered in hair, making it look less like a human and more like a gorilla.

The battle was about to begin, and Yun Ce couldn't understand why the Pig King would change to its strongest fighting form. As it stood, the boar form was far more powerful than the human form.

Pig King Pig Nu seemed to sense something. He looked around with his round little eyes, then lowered his body and darted towards the bear like lightning.

At the same time, a grappling hook flew out from the darkness, its target the dragon pearl hanging near the bear's mouth. The bear hurriedly got up, using its two giant paws to protect the dragon pearl, desperately trying to bring it to its mouth. However, the dragon pearl didn't seem to listen to it. Instead, it slipped out from between its fingers and continued to bounce in the moonlight.

Pig's furious body crashed into the bear's belly, causing the massive bear to fall to the ground once more. The grappling hook that flew out from the darkness missed its target, but with a twitch of the chain behind it, the grappling hook once again reached for the Dragon Ball.

The pig roared angrily, using its hairy body to knock the grappling hook off course, and stretched out its fan-sized hand to grab the dragon ball.

A short spear flew towards Pig's ribs with a whistling sound. Just as Pig was about to dodge, the lying bear grabbed his foot and flung him away with force, sending Pig flying far away until he crashed into a tree.

The tree shook violently, and the grass cake in Eji's hand fell to the ground. Yun Ce caught it and put it back in Eji's hand so that she could continue eating.

The bear was always in a rage. At this moment, it opened its arms and hugged Captain Zhou, who had just approached the battlefield. Captain Zhou chuckled and crawled under the bear's ribs. The knife in his hand slid across the bear's body, and a large spurt of blood immediately gushed out.

Wu Tong's grappling hook was held firmly in the arms of a giant bear, but unfortunately, it couldn't hold on. The grappling hook seemed to have many barbs on it, and when it flew back, it took a large piece of the bear's skin with it.

Pig Nurture encountered many bears blocking its way, so it had to revert to its Pig King form and rampage through the bear pack. When it finally reached the bears, it transformed back into human form. Just as it was about to reach for the Dragon Ball, a bear pounced on its back and bit down hard with its large mouth.

The hair on the back of the pig's head stood up straight, each hair a full half foot long. It pierced the bear's mouth the moment the giant bear bit down. The bear's brain must have been attacked. It lay limply on the pig's back, and when the pig swung it, it knocked down another bear.

Pig's Fury was unable to get close to the Dragon Balls several times, so the silver needles attached to it attached themselves to the dead bear. By contacting the other bears, it gradually approached the bear in the core.

Yun Ce's wristband became scalding hot, and you could feel his anxiety. Now was not the time to rush. He needed to wait for the dog to take advantage of the chaos to retrieve the Dragon Ball. If he went himself, he would definitely be hunted down all over the world.

The battle had reached a fever pitch. The bear was covered in wounds, having been repeatedly rammed by Zhu Nu and slashed several times by Captain Zhou. It looked so miserable that it was no longer the bear king known for its fighting prowess.

(End of this chapter)