Chapter 12 – The Yellow Dog
The three of them met up.
Xia Lu Nong glanced at his brother and then at Yan Xi Nian before asking, “Do we need to go to Liao Cheng brother’s house to get him?”
“No, we’ll wait for him near the Great Wall.”
Xia Huo Qu, with his tall height and long legs, reached out and gently tugged his brother’s collar, turning him around to stop his gaze from wandering back and forth between him and Yan Xi Nian.
The three of them walked quickly.
Lately, Xia Lu Nong had often gone to the Great Wall behind their house, so his stamina and balance had improved. He didn’t lag behind at all and even managed to walk ahead, reaching the mountain summit without breaking a sweat.
Xia Huo Qu, who always wished the best for his younger brother, couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief at this sight.
His brother had indeed grown up—more than he had expected. Sometimes, there was no need to be overly cautious.
When they reached the Great Wall, a strong mountain breeze swept over them, blowing away the heat of the day.
Xia Lu Nong squinted in the sunlight, spreading his hands out and smiling.
By early April, there was already a hint of summer in the air. The sun’s warm rays tingled slightly as they soaked into his skin, chasing away the last of the lingering cold from the shadows.
Liao Cheng was already there waiting for them.
When he saw them, he stood up and waved from a distance, “Over here! Today we’re heading to Xiaoman Village?”
Xia Huo Qu nodded and responded, “Few people go there, so we should be able to find something.”
“Exactly. It’s Xia Lu Nong’s first time out, so let’s head to a safer spot.” Liao Cheng laughed. “Let’s see how lucky Xia Lu Nong is.”
Xia Lu Nong quickly replied, “I’m just average in luck.”
“Haha, don’t be so sure. Beginners usually have great luck.”
Xia Lu Nong grew a bit nervous, “Well, if you say so, but I’m not responsible for my luck.”
“Let’s stop chatting; the sun’s too hot. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can rest at noon.” Xia Huo Qu gestured for Xia Lu Nong to come over, placing a hand on his shoulder as he spoke to Liao Cheng and Yan Xi Nian. “Let’s shift into our animal forms to move faster. We can hunt once we reach Xiaoman Village.”
Yan Xi Nian smiled slightly, “There’s no rush. It’s Xia Lu Nong’s first time out, so we can walk slower and enjoy the scenery.”
Xia Lu Nong looked at his brother.
After a moment of thought, Xia Huo Qu nodded. “Alright.”
The three of them quickly adjusted their backpacks.
Liao Cheng only shortened the straps of his backpack, while Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu adjusted their straps into single-shoulder slings, making them longer.
Xia Lu Nong copied their movements, awkwardly adjusting his straps.
Xia Huo Qu glanced at him, “Tighten the straps like I told you earlier. Make sure it’s snug enough that it won’t slip but not so tight that it hinders your movement.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded eagerly.
He quickly adjusted it, then slung the bag over his back, tying the loose straps into knots at his chest and waist. He bounced in place a couple of times to ensure everything was secure.
Once Xia Huo Qu finished adjusting his own pack, he came over to check on Xia Lu Nong.
After confirming everything was in order, Xia Huo Qu patted his arm. “Like I told you, once I shift into wolf form, you’ll climb onto my back and find the most comfortable position to sit. Hold onto the straps tightly, or grab my fur in large handfuls.”
Nervously, Xia Lu Nong swallowed and nodded seriously. “Got it.”
But when he spoke, his voice came out soft and faint.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll run slowly. If anything happens, just shout from my back, and I’ll stop when I hear you.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded again.
Liao Cheng had already begun taking off his clothes. Seeing Xia Lu Nong’s nervousness, he smiled broadly. “Don’t worry; there’s a kid around eleven or twelve in the base who often goes out with his dad. You’re definitely more capable than that kid.”
Xia Lu Nong forced a smile.
Liao Cheng had stripped down completely, shoving his clothes and shoes into his backpack. He zipped it up and tied the two zippers together, ensuring nothing would fall out. Then he lay down on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed, growing taller and larger, sprouting a coat of yellow fur.
In an instant, he had turned into a Chinese rural dog!
“!!!” Xia Lu Nong couldn’t believe his eyes.
He never expected that Liao Cheng’s animal form would be a Chinese rural dog!
It was one of those fully yellow-coated Chinese rural dogs, but much larger than those before the Great Disaster—about the size of an Alaskan Malamute, standing up nearly to Xia Lu Nong’s waist.
Liao Cheng smiled at Xia Lu Nong, the corners of his mouth turning up, revealing a pink tongue, fully embodying the appearance of a dog.
Xia Lu Nong almost couldn’t hold back from petting the dog’s head but quickly reminded himself that this wasn’t a real dog; it was his brother Liao Cheng.
Liao Cheng didn’t mind at all, happily barking once and nudging Xia Lu Nong’s leg with his head, signaling him to pet him.
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes lit up with surprise. He cautiously reached out and asked, “Can I touch you?”
“Woof!” Liao Cheng bumped into him again.
Xia Lu Nong never imagined that the Liao Cheng who smoked and drank would look like this in animal form. He let out a laugh and gently stroked the dog’s back.
Out of politeness, he only touched it once before turning to look at his brother and Yan Xi Nian.
Both of them had also stripped down and stored their clothes.
The two stood and transformed directly into their animal forms.
The change happened in an instant.
Xia Lu Nong blinked and found that his brother and Xi Nian-ge had vanished, replaced by a gigantic long-haired silver wolf and a white tiger.
The giant wolf stood at least two and a half meters tall, measuring four to five meters long, with icy blue eyes and double eyelids. It didn’t look fierce at all; in fact, it appeared very gentle and serene.
The giant tiger behind it was even larger than the wolf his brother had transformed into, its body rippling with smooth muscle. It was so big that it couldn’t fully fit in the space, having to stand sideways.
Despite all his mental preparation, Xia Lu Nong was still dumbfounded at the sight before him.
He cautiously called out to the giant wolf, “Brother?”
His brother responded by nudging him with his head.
“Wow! Brother, it really is you! You look so cool!” Xia Lu Nong rushed over, throwing himself onto his brother’s back, wrapping his arms around his brother’s neck and burying his face in the long, thick fur, taking a big sniff.
Wow, this feels amazing!
Having only quietly sniffed cats before, Xia Lu Nong discovered that hugging his brother was far more satisfying than hugging a cat!
The giant wolf nudged him with its long muzzle.
Xia Lu Nong glanced at him and then at the giant tiger behind them. He asked, “Brother, now that you’re in your animal forms, does that mean you can’t talk anymore?”
“Awwoo.” The giant wolf replied.
Xia Lu Nong immediately understood. He took a step back and watched as his brother picked up the backpack from the ground with his mouth and slung it around his neck, then hurried over to help.
His brother was very skilled. With a quick nudge and a shake, he secured the pack. Then he lay down again, nudging Xia Lu Nong with his muzzle to signal him to climb on his back.
Xia Lu Nong awkwardly approached, initially wanting to sit directly on his brother’s back but worried it might hurt him. He stood in front of his brother, feeling a bit at a loss.
The yellow dog Liao Cheng, who had securely slung his backpack over his back, walked over and gently nudged him, causing him to tumble onto his brother’s soft back.
His brother’s ears perked up but showed no other reaction, indicating it didn’t hurt.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Xia Lu Nong quickly straddled his brother’s back, grabbing the straps of the backpack around his brother’s neck. “Brother, I’m ready!”
“Awwoo.” Xia Huo Qu responded.
Liao Cheng was the first to stand up, moving to the edge of the city wall, spreading his paws wide and jumping directly down to the outside of the base.
Next was Yan Xi Nian. The enormous white tiger jumped lightly on its front paws and landed on the ground, its back paws following suit.
Xia Huo Qu turned to Xia Lu Nong, “Awwoo?”
Xia Lu Nong detected the hint of a question in his brother’s voice and quickly nodded, “I’m ready!”
After saying that, he bent down, not grabbing the backpack straps but instead holding onto his brother’s neck tightly.
Xia Huo Qu nuzzled his head before executing a graceful leap.
As they jumped, Xia Lu Nong felt himself lifted off the ground, a thrilling sensation of weightlessness washing over him, making his heart skip a beat.
Fortunately, the feeling of weightlessness was brief. In the next moment, Xia Huo Qu’s paws landed on the ground, running swiftly forward.
Xia Lu Nong held onto his brother’s neck, turning his head to look around.
Liao Cheng, transformed into a big yellow dog, led the way in front, while Yan Xi Nian, as the giant tiger, brought up the rear. Above them was the sky, and all around were trees and plants.
Below their feet was a narrow path, just dirt packed down hard, with sparse grass and plants—not a proper concrete road.
This path was likely one that the base residents had walked on for years, creating a small trail.
His brother was running too fast; the wind whipped by, almost breaking his eyelashes. Along with the wind came dust, making it hard for him to open his eyes. He could only squint slightly to see.
The trees and plants on both sides blurred past—these were towering giants.
Before, when Xia Lu Nong stood on the city wall, he couldn’t see clearly, but now that he was truly among them, he noticed that many of the giant trees and vines were covered in various gnarled growths, the huge twisted tree knots giving a chilling feeling deep within.
The forest wasn’t quiet; the occasional sounds of birds chirping and insects buzzing filled the air, loud and vibrant.
Xia Lu Nong tried to locate the source of the bird calls and animal sounds, but he was only successful a few times, catching only glimpses of white shadows.
The scenery around them was beautiful and novel, and Xia Lu Nong didn’t blink as he took it all in.
After running along the narrow path outside the base for an unknown amount of time, Xia Lu Nong finally spotted a cement road, or what was left of one.
The original cement road had long been destroyed by various plant roots, filled with cracks and bumps, and vines and weeds nearly covered the surface, allowing only a few glimpses of the original pavement through the small gaps.
The condition of the cement road was worse than that of the jungle, so Xia Huo Qu and the others didn’t travel on it but instead proceeded alongside it.
Xia Lu Nong kept looking around and spotted several animal shadows along the way, like birds with two heads and wild boars with multiple tails.
These animals saw them and quickly scurried away, moving too fast for Xia Lu Nong to catch a proper glimpse.
They kept running without stopping to rest.
As they covered stretch after stretch of ground, the scenery around them changed again and again.
After an unknown number of bends, Xia Lu Nong still kept his eyes forward.
This time, there was not only greenery ahead but also the remains of broken walls.
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