With a groan, Ling Feng slowly awoke. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw two familiar faces and a donkey's face right in front of him, all staring intently at him.
"You rascal, are you pretending to be dead? How could you sleep for so long?" The despicable donkey grinned widely, showing off his big white teeth, and crossed his front hooves over his chest. "Hey kid, what treasure did you get?"
"Treasure? What treasure!?" Ling Feng rolled his eyes and rubbed his head. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.
But when he noticed a new drop of Xuanwu blood in his storage ring, he realized it wasn't a dream. His spiritual consciousness had indeed traveled a thousand years back in time, where he had an unexpected encounter with Jiang Xiaofan's ancestor!
It dawned on him that he might have inadvertently played a part in shaping the history of Jiang Xiaofan's family.
"We were caught in that cursed space-time storm after you disappeared," the despicable donkey continued. "Then suddenly, you showed up again, and the storm spit us out. You seriously expect me to believe you didn't get any treasure?"
Ling Feng shook his head with a sigh, understanding now what had happened to Jiang Xiaofan and the others in the temporal passage. Just as Jiang Xuanwu had said, it was his Blood of the Emperor that activated the space-time power on the Xuanwu Wall, sending him back a thousand years.
He finally understood the prophecy, "Millennium Calamity, Xuanwu Emerges." It wasn't a prophecy at all. It was him, a visitor from another time, who had set it in motion.
"Move aside!" Lin Xian'er pushed her way forward, glaring at the despicable donkey. "Ling Feng just woke up. Can you stop making such a racket?"
"Ha! You're such a fool," the despicable donkey retorted, scratching his ear with a hoof. "This guy doesn't even like you. Why are you so worried about him?"
"Mind your own business!" Lin Xian'er snapped. Whether Ling Feng liked her or not wasn't the despicable donkey's concern.
Ling Feng chuckled softly, shaking his head as he got up. They were indeed back outside the Xuanwu Wall. He reached into his storage ring and retrieved a small, glowing red drop of blood that was no bigger than a grain of rice and shining like a brilliant crystal.
Even more astonishing was the overwhelming power emanating from the drop. It almost manifested into the form of the divine beast, Xuanwu[1], soaring into the heavens!
The despicable donkey's eyes widened as he instantly recognized the essence in Ling Feng's hand. It was indeed the legendary Xuanwu blood. He burst out laughing.
"Hahaha... The heavens truly favor me! Kid, this Xuanwu blood is a gift from the gods to the great Lord Divine Donkey. You should follow the will of heavens and give it to me. That would be a great act of virtue and fortune!"
"Bah!" Ling Feng spat, not even bothering to glance at the despicable donkey. He turned to Jiang Xiaofan and said, "I've figured out the meaning of Millennium Calamity, Xuanwu Emerges."
Jiang Xiaofan blinked, confused. "Big Brother, don't speak to me in riddles. I can't understand those profound words."
Ling Feng smiled wryly and responded, "The 'Millennium Calamity' refers to the great tribulation your Jiang family went through. And 'Xuanwu Emerges' is about you."
Ling Feng held out the drop of Xuanwu blood to Jiang Xiaofan. "This is a gift from your ancestor, entrusted to me to give to you."
"Wha... What?" Jiang Xiaofan scratched his head, completely bewildered.
How could his ancestor, who had died a thousand years ago, give Ling Feng a gift for him?
The despicable donkey and Lin Xian'er were equally stunned. It sounded utterly absurd!
"You're wasting this treasure! The Xuanwu blood should rightfully belong to the great Lord Divine Donkey!" The despicable donkey's tail swished back and forth as he stared at the Xuanwu blood, his eyes glowing with a greenish hue of greed.
Ling Feng smirked and said, "Aren't you a divine beast? Wouldn't the Xuanwu blood dilute the noble bloodline of the great Lord Divine Donkey?"
"Well..." The despicable donkey's ears twitched, and for once, he was at a loss for words.
Lin Xian'er laughed, seeing the despicable donkey's crestfallen expression. "Exactly, you despicable donkey! You were always bragging about being a divine beast and looking down on the Xuanwu. Why are you suddenly so interested in the Xuanwu blood now?"
"Hmph!" The despicable donkey snorted. "This divine beast... I mean, your Grandpa Divine Donkey could drink this Xuanwu blood like water if he wanted to!"
Ling Feng shook his head, chuckling. "The Xuanwu blood belongs to the Jiang family. I'm just returning it to its rightful owner. Despicable donkey, stop eyeing it. How about this—I'll let you take ten times more resources from the Five Elements Heavenly Palace. Fair enough?"
Given the despicable donkey's formidable strength, if he decided to snatch the Xuanwu blood by force, Ling Feng's pact of equality wouldn't be enough to compel him to do otherwise.
The despicable donkey's eyes lingered on the Xuanwu blood for a moment. Suddenly, he sensed a powerful lingering soul within the blood, and his ears shot up in alarm.
The aura of that lingering soul seemed to surpass emperor, no, even imperial levels!
Realizing this must be the residual soul of Jiang Xiaofan's ancient ancestor who had refined the Xuanwu blood to reach a level beyond emperors, the despicable donkey wisely backed off.
Attempting to seize the Xuanwu blood would likely backfire disastrously.
Quickly switching tactics, the despicable donkey said with a forced laugh, "Fine, I'll let you have this one. It's just the blood of the Xuanwu, the weakest of the four divine beasts. Pfft! I, the great Divine Donkey, don't even want it!"
Despite his words, his eyes stayed glued to the Xuanwu blood, and he was practically drooling. Clearly, his boast was hollow.
With the despicable donkey's objections settled, Ling Feng handed the Xuanwu blood to Jiang Xiaofan. "You possess the Xuanwu vigor. If you refine this Xuanwu blood, you'll develop the Xuanwu battle body and become one of the world's first-rated experts!"
"Big Brother, I...," Jiang Xiaofan stammered, deeply moved.
He didn't fully grasp the significance of the Xuanwu blood, but seeing the despicable donkey drool over it made him realize how precious it was. Ling Feng, despite knowing its immense value, was willing to return it to him because it rightfully belonged to the Jiang family. How many in this world would have done the same with such a treasure?
"No need for words," Ling Feng said, patting Jiang Xiaofan on the shoulder. "Brother, fuse with this blood. Your talent will surpass most so-called geniuses. But remember to stay true to your original self. I want you to remain as the diligent, hardworking Xiaofan."
"Big Brother, I will never change. Never ever!"
Jiang Xiaofan held the Xuanwu blood tightly, looking at Ling Feng with unwavering resolve. From this moment on, he swore with all his being that Ling Feng was the one he would follow and protect with his life!
1. Black Tortoise - One of the divine beasts in Chinese mythology. ☜