Zi Ming walked for several miles, his objective was to reach the nearest mountain where the forest was thick and dense.

The runt was restless inside his clothes and as soon as they reached their destination, he jumped out.

"Wuwu, wu!" The pup grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"I know, I know, I've been unfair to you. Here a little treat" Zi Ming smiled in apology and threw him some dry meat as compensation. The little glutton's eyes shone brightly as he caught the food mid-air. The pleasure was visible on his face, and all his previous troubles were forgotten.

"Haha." Zi Ming found it funny and couldn't hold back his laughter. The wolf pup begged for more after he was done but the boy wasn't having it. He said:

"I'll give you a real treat after we're done with our job here. Be good for a while"

"Wuwu?" Heilang didn't understand words but was smart. It sat down and wagged his tail, waiting for its master to give directions.

"Good boy."

Zi Ming took out a pill bottle, contemplated for a while before deciding his next move.

During the exchange with his master, Zi Ming guessed anything indistinctly.

The creature mentioned by his master had some special powers that went against the laws of heaven and Earth.

Not that he would be gullible as to think that his wolf pup was similar to this so-called "Pixiu", but when he thought things through, no one knew exactly where the core of that creature went. The biggest clue concerning that treasure disappearance was the monster they were supposed to hunt tomorrow. As for what that beast was supposed to look like or actually be, it was only wild guesses and wishful thinking. It could be a bear, a tiger or anything else for that matter.

When Zi Ming realized this, he smiled internally. If any creature was possible, then why not a wolf?

Heilang was only a newborn, so it couldn't have the strength to deal with Zi Ming's grandparents or kill them. But...the pup was clearly aimless and wandering inside the mountains. Who were his parents?

They couldn't be ordinary, but if it was so, then why no one never noticed such a strange wolf breed after so long?

The only answer Zi Ming could come up with was that either the pup didn't come from this border, or that his mutation was only due to some recessive gene that only awakened after a long time.

Nonetheless, those theories all seemed to be farfetched.

For the first theory, Heilang would have needed very strong concealment and hunting skills. As for the second one, the chance was extremely small, especially in the case of diluted bloodlines.

The most logical answer was that Heilang could be related to the animal that killed his grandparents at that time and it was absolutely terrifying. If his guess was true, he could never share it with anyone.

Sharing this secret with the Zi Clansmen was especially forbidden.

First of all, they could try and separate them or silence him. Last but not least, he wouldn't be in his right mind if he passed up on the chance of getting a strong helper.

"According to my conjectures, Heilang's dad or mom must be some kind of mutated gluttonous monster. If he's not mutated then the one who benefited from that legendary animal's core must be my little friend here.

Either way, Heilang, and his parents aren't your usual demon beasts. As for that blood healing ability of his...let's investigate it some more."

"Heilang, come closer."

"Wuwu." Heilang was impatient to get another treat. He wagged his tail and walked closer to his master obediently.

"Good, boy." Zi Ming patted his head then bit his own finger. He let his blood drip inside the bottle and shook it. Once the pills were completely soaked with his blood he took one out.

The wolf pup looked at his actions curiously but became excited as soon as he smelled the fragrance. He began to circle around at high speed.

"I hope this works." Zi Ming caught Heilang and put one of the pills inside his mouth. The latter tried to chew but it was somewhat bitter despite the bit of blood it was smeared with.

"Wuwu!" Heilang cried and barked at Zi Ming for tricking him.

"Now, as for the tricky part..."

Zi Ming did as usual and let the wolf lick his wounds.

What happened next wasn't exceptionally different from usual, the wound closed up and Zi Ming's scar was gone.

But for some reason, the lad felt that his finger was different from before. To confirm his doubts, Zi Ming walked up to a nearby tree with a thick trunk and launched a strike.

What happened next left him completely out of sorts.

........................................................

"Twitch!"

Zi Ming's finger jabbed inside the trunk like butter. He was so shocked that he almost jumped in fright. He didn't put any particular strength in that strike but the result left him gobsmacked.

"Wu..." Heilang who was by the side wailed in shock. He backed up a little and it seemed as if he was reconsidering future contests with this strange human boy.

"Yes! Haha." His surprise didn't end here as the lad began to laugh boisterously like a drunk old man and perform celebration dances. Zi Ming was so elated that he started acting just like his father. At this moment he was experiencing different sorts of thoughts and feelings.

He would have never imagined that the wolf he brought back that day would turn his luck and even possibly his future around in such a manner. You didn't have to be a genius to figure that what happened just now was thanks to Heilang.

"I just let Heilang eat body tempering pills dripped with my blood, and this is the result...

In other meanings, if I were to let him other types of medicinal pills maybe I could get new benefits. As for the key aspect, does this little runt saliva retain the effects permanently?" He considered as he calmed down.

"Hmm, there's no other way to figure this one out than wait. If tonight and tomorrow, this guy is still the same, then it's safe to assume the best."

"One thing I also need to understand is how this guy's body works. There's just no way his constitution would be normal. Sadly, I don't think there's any way to uncover it with my current strength.

I also want to train this little guy and see if he's the first person to profit from his abnormal genetics, but it's not exactly the right time. I'll wait until we get to the city and those elders let their guards down. Seeing a newborn pup increase his cultivation quickly would obviously put us at risk."

Zi Ming contemplated some more before he decided to call it a day and go back with the small wolf.

"I'll let you eat until you become bloated today, let's head home."

"Wuwu!"