Volume One, Chapter Ninety-Two: I Want Grandma’s Milk

When they arrived at a village built of thousands of stone huts, Fox Third Lady arranged for Tu Zhe and the little dog to be brought into her own dwelling.

The outside of the place was nothing special, but inside it was clean, orderly, and fragrant. Tu Zhe was laid upon a slab of jade, over which a wolfskin had been spread.

Because his back was pressed against the bed, Tu Zhe frowned faintly in his coma. Clearly, he was in pain.

Still, the fact that he could still feel pain at least meant death was not yet upon him.

Fox Third Lady sent several female raiders to fetch healing medicines, while she herself studied Tu Zhe's handsome, pale face.

Since the imperial-grade brazen crystal had exploded behind him, his face had escaped the blast.

This young fellow looked rather fine, better on the eye than the male raiders of their desolate planet. But seeing him unconscious and still clutching a little dog in his arms, he seemed a bit delicate.

What kind of man goes around playing with dogs?

If one were to keep a dog, it should be a heavenly hound, with a body as huge as a mountain, a head as broad as a house, and a mouth as wide as a gate. That would look truly imposing, wouldn't it?

Leaving Fox Third Lady to her wandering thoughts aside, changes were taking place within Tu Zhe's body.

The one changing was his precious son, Gourd Boy.

By rights, Gourd Boy should have been his primordial spirit. Yet his emergence had not replaced Tu Zhe's thoughts, will, or soul. Though he had inherited all of Tu Zhe's memories, he was not the same thing as Tu Zhe's divine soul.

Gourd Boy had his own thoughts and feelings, and Tu Zhe took this to mean that he had been nurtured and born from Tu Zhe's divine awareness. If that was not his son, then what else could he be?

Though Tu Zhe had never heard of such an extraordinary thing, and could not explain why Gourd Boy possessed independent thoughts and feelings, what could not be explained for the moment could simply be set aside until there was time to study it, or until some expert could provide guidance.

At this moment, after devouring the lord of the great dragon race who bore the severed head, as though seed candies were nothing, and after Tu Zhe had driven Gourd Boy back into the storehouse of the alaya consciousness, the greedy little imp had suffered immensely.

First came the terrible swelling of his belly. After all, that was the sovereign of divine-grade treasures; how could the immense energy within possibly be something he could digest just because he had stuffed it down like candy?

So once he returned to the storehouse, the little fellow began to toss and turn inside it, baring his teeth and grimacing as nine-colored Buddhist radiance flickered wildly over his body. His skin swelled until it turned translucent and luminous, as though it might burst at any moment.

Fortunately, the little fellow still knew what was serious. When he discovered that the seed of the storehouse that had nurtured him was turning ashen, he immediately opened his small mouth and blew the Buddhist energy that he could not yet absorb into the fissured opening of the seed.

As boundless Buddhist energy was expelled, Gourd Boy's condition steadily improved. Only after all the Buddhist energy he could not absorb had been blown into the seed did he finally feel utterly exhausted and drift into sleep.

Receiving the infusion of Gourd Boy's Buddhist energy, that miraculous seed gradually grew glossy and bright. Little by little, it burst forth in splendid golden light, suspended within the alaya consciousness space like a blazing sun.

Then the seed grew larger and larger, the opening slowly closing. Nine-colored divine radiance was sealed within, and it floated quietly in the air.

At that moment, Gourd Boy twisted his little bottom and danced around the miraculous seed in high spirits.

When he grew tired, he plopped down into the void to rest. The instant he sat, he sprang back up as though his rear had been set on fire, looking flustered and alarmed.

Suddenly he transformed into a streak of nine-colored divine light, darted once through Tu Zhe's flesh, meridians, and blood vessels, and then reappeared in the alaya consciousness space.

His bright little eyes rolled a few times before he muttered, How could my old man be so careless? He has made a complete mess of his body. I need to think of a way, or if Dad kicks the bucket, I won't have a thing left.

Meanwhile, in Tu Zhe's spatial ring, Trishina was crying her eyes out, and no matter how Love Desire Demoness or Greed Desire Demoness tried to comfort her, it was useless.

Trishina had confessed to the two sisters her hesitation and her failure to save someone who was in mortal danger. The confession had left the two sisters stunned.

Had the eldest sister gone too far? What... what kind of mess was this?

The three of them looked at one another, not knowing what to do.

Sobbing, Trishina said, Sisters, please help me think of a way. When that little emperor lets us out later, he definitely won't spare me, waaah...

The two sisters were equally at a loss. Their eldest sister had taken things to the extreme. Perhaps innocent bystanders would be caught in the fallout, and the two of them might suffer for it as well.

Dragon Two and the rest of the demon dragon kings could not sit still either.

No one knew what had become of things outside.

Who had broken the passageway through the teleportation channel?

At the most perilous moment, the little emperor still remembered to save everyone, yet he himself had not come in. If he were to encounter danger and need help, and they could not get out, would they not regret it for the rest of their lives?

Dragon Two stamped his foot at Trishina and said, My dear lady, hurry and think of some way to get us out. If we stay here much longer, I, old dragon that I am, am going to suffocate.

Trishina sniffled and lifted her seductive eyes. What can I do? Only the little emperor's divine awareness can open it.

The others could only pace circles in the space, completely without a solution.

Just then, a flash of nine-colored light appeared, and a little boy wearing a bright red bellyband stood before them.

As soon as Gourd Boy entered the spatial ring, he saw a noisy crowd. He blinked and began pointing them out one by one.

You are Trishina; they say you're rather wanton, hmm?

Roti? You try to act cute, do you?

And you, Roga, you're the greediest of them all.

You, Dragon Two, and that thing of yours is... then you...

He rattled off names in rapid succession, almost identifying everyone present. Though he had never truly met them, he possessed all of Tu Zhe's memories and sense impressions; how could he fail to recognize who was who?

The others also guessed that this was the primordial spirit famed for having slain the great dragon king of the severed head. Tu Zhe had told them his name was Gourd Boy.

For a moment, no one knew how to speak with him. They could only stare.

Gourd Boy chattered away alone for quite a while. Seeing that they all stood there dumbly, he pouted and muttered, What is going on with my old man? He brought back a bunch of wooden gourds. Not fun at all.

So he paid them no more mind. With a swish, he dove straight into the pagoda, rummaged about inside, found two ox-head sandalwood pills and one divine-grade brazen crystal, then emerged and prepared to go save Tu Zhe and the little dog.

Love Desire Demoness, being the quickest-witted, hurriedly stopped him and said, Hey, Gourd Boy, could you please get everyone out of the ring first?

Only then did the others react. Since Gourd Boy had been born from Tu Zhe's divine awareness, entering and leaving this ring should be no different from play. They all rushed forward to plead with him.

Gourd Boy tilted his head and thought for a long while, his eyes rolling and spinning, no one knowing what he was considering.

Greed Desire Demoness Roga grew anxious and said, Look here, Gourd Boy, we are your elders. If you don't let us out, be careful that we go and complain to your father.

Gourd Boy pursed his lips. Hmph. A complaint doesn't scare me. The question is, if I let you out, what's in it for me?

Good heavens, I have never seen such a greedy little brat. How did you fail to inherit a bit of your father's generosity and open-handedness?

Love Desire Demoness said, Name your terms. Whatever we have, we'll give you.

At that, Gourd Boy beamed. His eyes shifted to the tearful Trishina, and gazing at her high, rising curves, he pointed a tiny finger and cried in his childish voice:

I want to eat milk.