Chapter Twenty-Two: Da Huang's Friend

On this day, Big Yellow trotted back with a large fish clamped firmly in its jaws. The fish gleamed with silvery light under the sun.

Ji Xun gauged the size at a glance; it must have weighed at least fifteen pounds.

“That can’t be right—how could you possibly catch such a big fish, Big Yellow?” Ji Xun knew the dog’s abilities well. Catching a three or five-pound fish was already its limit.

A fish this size would likely lurk in the deeper stretches downstream, where only a skilled diver could reach. Yet Big Yellow was hopeless at diving; at best, it was an expert dog-paddler.

After barking several times, Big Yellow shook its head and beckoned Ji Xun to follow.

Ji Xun brought the fish inside first, grateful it wasn’t particularly pungent.

Man and dog made their way downstream along the river.

Upon arriving at the riverbank, Ji Xun spotted a massive black bear swimming in the water, easily weighing over a thousand pounds.

Its swimming was so adept—dog-paddling and diving with ease—that one might well call it the “Black Streak of the Waves.”

From afar, the bear saw Ji Xun and Big Yellow and immediately plunged underwater, only to resurface moments later clutching a fat fish.

It hurried off into the distant woods, but soon returned with an armful of firewood.

“What’s this about?” Ji Xun eyed the bear, which showed no signs of aggression, his curiosity piqued.

Did the bear want him to roast the fish for it?

Clearly, this bear had developed spiritual intelligence. Once awakened, a demon creature’s intellect grew rapidly for a time; how far it advanced depended on innate gifts and cultivation.

This black bear spirit was no savage beast. Judging from its behavior, it was a wild demon, unlike the serpent demon and the county lord snake demon Ji Xun had previously slain.

Wild demons like this rarely inherited systematic teachings and couldn’t learn speech arts, yet their intelligence far surpassed that of mere beasts. As for the origin of the savage beasts, Ji Xun had read about it in books: after the Demon Clan was repelled to the Abyss of Demons, the bloodlines and lingering demonic energy they left behind transformed some demon beasts into savage beasts—creatures whose minds never awakened, living in eternal confusion.

Next, the black bear bent down and used its sharp claws to draw a picture on the ground.

The image depicted someone killing a fish, placing it over a fire to roast, and finally, a bear, a dog, and a man sharing the meal together.

The meaning was clear: the fish