Zhao Yi never expected that the legendary Black Stripe was actually a dog!
The name Black Stripe, no matter who hears it, the first reaction would be something long and thin.
Zhao Yi couldn’t believe it.
It turned out to be a dog!
Curious, Zhao Yi asked the little creature, "Why do you call it Black Stripe? It doesn’t resemble a snake at all!"
The little creature explained, "The hunters on the mountain saw Black Stripe and said look at that dog, and since it’s black, we called it Black Stripe!"
Zhao Yi: "..."
Although this explanation was nonsensical, it suited the knowledge level of the little creature who had only prenatal education.
Moreover.
Zhao Yi had to admit.
Black Stripe does sound a bit better than Black Dog!
Bai Cang’s arrival caused a huge disturbance in the peaceful forest.
The various animals that were originally foraging suddenly panicked and fled in all directions.
Bai Cang didn’t even glance at those animals.
It usually dined on fresh, tender veal.
The animals here were not only filthy but also scrawny, and their meat looked tough.
It couldn’t be bothered to hunt!
Bai Cang found a flat spot to stop and then gently spread its wings.
Zhao Yi slid down to the ground along the wings as if on a slide.
The little creature imitated this, cheering and following behind Zhao Yi.
Back in familiar surroundings, the little creature was very happy and greeted its distant observing friends.
Those animals were excited to see the little creature.
But, intimidated by Bai Cang’s terrifying presence, they immediately stopped in their tracks, hesitating to approach.
Black Stripe was seriously injured.
A dog’s body isn’t meant to bear heavy loads.
It was unfortunate enough to be hit twice in a row.
And the person fell from a great height.
It only broke a few bones, and its life was spared; it was really lucky!
Hearing the little creature’s approach, Black Stripe, lying on the ground, slightly lifted its dog head.
It glanced at the little creature from afar, then lowered its head again.
Judging by its appearance.
It was clearly not fond of the little creature!
The little creature didn’t get angry.
She previously wanted to steal the Seven-Star Begonia guarded by Black Stripe to sell for money.
That was her fault indeed.
Plus, she had drawn some of Black Stripe’s blood to heal Xiao Jing.
It was only natural for Black Stripe to resent her.
However.
The little creature secretly glanced at Black Stripe’s neck.
Black dog blood was indeed nourishing.
Xiao Jing’s severe injuries healed surprisingly fast!
If Black Stripe didn’t mind, the little creature would like to take a bit more for her master.
She had heard that night.
Her master kept pleading for mercy.
It seemed he was bullied badly by Xiao Jing’s aunt.
She wanted to strengthen her master.
So that he won’t fear that enchantress again!
Zhao Yi didn’t know what the little creature was thinking, otherwise, he’d definitely jump up.
Who says he was begging for mercy?
He was incredibly brave, and the enchantress was defeated miserably!
Plus, lasting an hour was already quite an achievement!
By this time, the animals watching the silent Bai Cang tentatively gathered around.
Zhao Yi pointed at the grains, various meats, and dried fruits that Bai Cang had dropped on the ground and said to the little creature:
"This is a gift, let your friends share it."
"Those on the hillside aren’t your friends, right? I see them glaring at you menacingly."
"Oh, poor things, they’re all skin and bones."
"Why don’t they eat properly? Is it because they don’t have money?"
"Bai Cang, chase those brutes away."
"This Crown Prince is kind and can’t bear to see those creatures so pitifully impoverished!"
Bai Cang heeded the order, and with a swift movement ascended the hill, tossing wolves, leopards, tigers, foxes, and the like into the distant gulch, one by one.
Afterwards, it even wiped its claws in the grass.
Clearly, it held much disdain for those dirty and smelly creatures!
Next to the little creature, the animals seeing Bai Cang being so fierce were scared out of their wits.
Yet they seemed to trust the little creature and gathered around her.
Though frightened and cowering, they did not flee everywhere.
The little creature gestured for them to go and eat.
With plenty of animals but scarce food in the forest, these animals rarely got full meals.
Initially, they were still afraid of Bai Cang and dared not approach.
But when the little creature grabbed a piece of fruit from the pile and ate it heartily, and seeing Bai Cang unreactive, the animals swarmed forward in a rush.
Only then did Zhao Yi have the chance to look at the little creature’s friends.
The little creature didn’t have many friends, but all were unique.
There was a Plum Deer blood-red all over, a wolf with white fur and blue eyes, a monkey with golden hair, and so on.
Watching these animals, Zhao Yi quickly noticed something unusual.
These animals were mutated.
For example, that white wolf’s fur was entirely white, and it was photophobic, a typical symptom of albinism.
The same went for the blood-red Plum Deer.
Although Zhao Yi couldn’t determine how it mutated, he vaguely noticed that the sweat on its skin was blood-red.
Zhao Yi had reason to suspect.
Its mutation was similar to the Ferghana Horse.
If there wasn’t reproductive isolation between horses and deer, Zhao Yi would suspect that one of the Plum Deer’s parents did something remarkable with a Ferghana Horse!
These mutated animals, once born, were viewed as outsiders by their original groups, not accepted, and driven away to fend for themselves.
In the complex forest environment, such mutant beasts would likely not survive long.
Yet, the little creature was also an outlier.
She gathered all the mutant beasts together to support one another.
Then, Zhao Yi saw a peaceful scene of a Plum Deer coexisting with a wolf.