Chapter 352 – Pangpang’s Thousand-Mile Search for Family
The spinning killing machine flew toward Tu Ran, stirring up the air around it. Strands of her long hair, escaping from the cracks in her helmet, danced in the wind.
Tu Ran sat on the ground, her head tilted back as she stared at the descending ring of light.
The ring blurred into several overlapping images in her vision. The intense pain in her body and the blood loss gradually dulled the light in her eyes.
“Space-time manipulation!!”
Clinging to the last shreds of consciousness, Tu Ran opened a portal beneath her palm.
Her body plummeted.
The activation of this ability drained her remaining energy, and she fell into complete unconsciousness.
She had no time to wonder which world she might end up in.
…
Above an eternally unchanging black ocean, a blue ripple-like portal appeared.
In the next moment, a dark shadow fell from it, crashing heavily onto the ocean’s surface before sinking lifelessly into the depths.
The scent of blood from the sinking figure was overwhelming. As the body descended, blood mixed with the black waters, attracting the attention of nearby creatures with exceptionally sharp noses.
Among the inhabitants of this dark sea, none had a keener sense of smell than the Qiyu, a creature resembling both a dog and a fish. Its nose was no mere decoration.
One Qiyu, joyfully swimming and snacking on fish, suddenly paused. Its beautiful silver tail fin froze mid-motion, and its plump little nose twitched left and right. Sniffing the scent, it swam eagerly toward its source.
“Meat… eat… eat meat…”
Its tail fin wagged faster and faster, and the eight tentacles trailing behind it fanned out like wings, propelling it quickly toward the food.
When it finally arrived, it found that another of its kind had beaten it to the prize and was already dragging the body away.
The Qiyu were a gentle species and never quarreled with their kin. It understood the concept of “first come, first served,” so it could only longingly approach for one last look at the delicious meal making its mouth water.
But as it drew closer, it caught a glimpse of the food’s face.
In an instant, its brain ceased to function as its instincts took over entirely.
“From now on, I am your master, and you must obey me…”
“From now on…”
The voice echoed repeatedly in its mind.
Driven by an unknown force, it uncontrollably collided with its companion.
Caught off guard, the companion was knocked off course, and the food it had been holding fell from its grasp.
The Qiyu immediately swam over, using its back to push the food, its tail waving as it swam toward the ocean’s surface.
It clearly remembered the last time this human had commanded it to swim at the water’s surface and raise her head above the water.
Finally, it managed to push the human up. Its companion caught up, hissing as it reached out with its tentacles.
“Meat… I’ll return the favor… next time, I’ll bring you something bigger.”
The Qiyu were a gentle species that never quarreled with their kin.
Its companion trusted it to return the favor for the food, wagging its tail as it swam off in search of more.
Now, only one Qiyu and the human remained at the surface.
The Qiyu recalled that the human had once asked it to take her to a landmass.
With determination, it swam toward the land.
It was hungry.
It had initially been looking for food, but for some unknown reason, it suddenly wanted to carry this human to the shore.
Its small brain didn’t allow for much thinking. It simply followed the thoughts that filled its mind and did what it believed was necessary.
It swam on, and the sky shifted from bright to dark, then back to daylight.
At long last, it spotted a silver coastline.
Ah, land was within reach! The Qiyu swam toward it with even greater enthusiasm.
Further inland from the coastline, there was a forest. Beyond the forest, a vast plain stretched out, and beyond the plain, a range of rolling mountains.
In one of those mountains, atop a small hill, there was a tiny cave.
Inside the cave, a chubby, fat chicken was lying on its back, sound asleep. The ground around it was littered with discarded fruit pits and peels.
Deep within the cave, the intricately carved stone dragon tail suddenly flickered twice, its glow sharp and piercing in the pitch-black darkness, but the fat figure lying on the ground didn’t seem to notice.
From behind the dragon’s tail, an elderly man with flowing white hair emerged.
He gazed into the distance and sighed.
His eyes fell on the chubby figure on the ground, and he smiled again, the affection in his eyes evident and unhidden.
“Pangpang, Pangpang, wake up, grandpa’s here to see you.”
The chubby figure was roused, its fluffy wings flapping a couple of times before it stood up, alert and looking toward the source of the voice. Upon recognizing the familiar figure, it relaxed.
“Grandpa, how did you wake up again? You’ve woken up five times this month.”
The old man smiled awkwardly. “Insomnia… haha.”
Pangpang plopped back onto the ground, sulking with its head down. “Whenever you wake up, you can talk to me. I’m about to suffocate here. The boss has been gone for so long and hasn’t come back to see me.”
Seeing the beloved baby so upset, the old man felt an overwhelming sense of pity.
He reached out and gently patted Pangpang’s head in mid-air, imagining the soft, comforting touch, and consoled it. “Don’t worry, Pangpang, your unreliable boss has already returned.”
“Really?!” Pangpang jumped up with a start, its small eyes gleaming with light that almost lit up the entire cave. “Where, where? When can she come to find me?”
“She… she’s too weak to walk here herself,” the old man stroked his beard.
“Then I’ll go find her myself! I know the way! Tell me where she is!” Pangpang eagerly looked at him.
Seeing the way his treasured baby was so willing to go to any lengths for someone else, the old man sighed deeply and said, “What’s so good about her? She’s human. You’re a Dang Hu. You two are not on the same path. It’s better for both of you to part ways soon.”
“That’s not true!” Pangpang was a little anxious. “She’s the boss, Pangpang’s boss. She picked red-skinned melons for me, roasted fish for me, made bags to carry my food, and when she was in danger, she carried me and ran! She even sent me here, worried that other species would eat me. She’s the best!”
The old mountain god sighed, watching Pangpang jump around. He knew it would be like this.
“Then go find her. Keep heading east, cross this mountain, pass the vast plains, and reach a forest. At the junction of the forest and the ocean, she’ll be there.”
Pangpang didn’t hesitate. It immediately went to the corner of the cave, where a simple platform jutted out, on which was a small, crude bag. It struggled to hang the bag around its now rounder neck and picked up some leftover fruit it had eaten earlier.
The old mountain god watched quietly as it finished these preparations and then reminded, “With your speed, by the time you get there, she may already be gone.”
“Ah?” Pangpang stood there, looking lost, its eyes filled with tears as it looked at the old mountain god. “Grandpa, do you have any way to send me there?”
The old mountain god sighed again. Truly, when one grows up, they no longer want to stay close to their elders, only calling upon them when needed, treating them like air when not.
He couldn’t bear to disappoint Pangpang, and he didn’t want the girl, far away, to stay in this world forever.
His fingers quickly drew a symbol in his left palm, and then he waved his hand toward the cave’s entrance.
“Tianma, come quickly.”
**TN
Wow! Welcome back, Pangpang! \(ᗒᗨᗕ)/
Happy New Year everyone! May the New Year bring you happiness, peace, and prosperity!
Thanks for the chapter~