Chapter 15: The Guardians’ Fate Should Not Be Like This

After Dabao fell unconscious, he was hurriedly taken to the village chief’s house by several villagers.

Since Dabao had no family or property in the village, there was nowhere else to place him, so the village chief’s home was the only option.

When Chu Danqing and the village chief returned, the village doctor had already diagnosed Dabao’s condition, describing it simply as a severe deficiency of qi and blood.

The villagers of Xianghua Village did have certain designs on Dabao, but it was unlikely they would cause him to suffer from such a serious deficiency.

The primary cause of qi and blood deficiency was malnutrition.

Judging by Dabao’s eating habits, this was impossible.

The village chief said nothing, only dismissing the doctor and sending someone to gather medicine.

Chu Danqing went to the side room to check on Dabao.

Dabao lay on the bed, eyes tightly shut, breathing evenly.

Aside from being impossible to wake, he looked no different from someone asleep.

Soon, the village chief came in. “The White Dragon Fish carries a faint trace of true dragon bloodline,” he said immediately upon entering.

Chu Danqing was puzzled by this: “Could Dabao’s unconsciousness have something to do with the White Dragon Fish?”

There was no reason for the chief to say this without cause, considering Dabao had eaten most of the White Dragon Fish.

“Yes. His body is too weak to accept supplements, causing the other half of his cave spirit bloodline to awaken prematurely,” the village chief explained.

From this alone, Chu Danqing realized that Dabao was not the first guardian the village had created.

“What will happen once the bloodline awakens?” Chu Danqing asked gravely, sensing the matter was more complicated than it seemed.

“He will become the offspring of the cave spirit — a cave beast,” the chief answered calmly. “Dabao must have told you about the Great White Ape and the little dwarves in the Falling Flower Cave.”

“That Great White Ape is one of those cave beasts.”

“As for the dwarves, they are a group of skeletal monkeys whose origin is unknown, but they are closely connected to the cave beasts.”

Chu Danqing’s expression remained unchanged. “That cave beast was the previous village guardian?”

“No, it was the strongest guardian so far,” the chief corrected him, then delivered bad news. “It has since become the cave spirit’s priest.”

“When the bloodline awakens, one’s human reason gradually fades, and eventually one must return to the back mountain.”

“There can only be one cave beast; when two meet, only one survives.”

“So you intend to abandon Dabao and create another guardian?” Chu Danqing bluntly accused, using the word “create” without reservation.

“That’s not right. If you can solve the Falling Flower Cave, there will be no more guardians, no more priests,” the village chief replied gently, though his tone now felt strangely unfamiliar—like a kindly man revealing a dark side.

“And what about Dabao?” Chu Danqing’s gaze fell on the unconscious youth.

“He is a hero of our village; there will always be incense offerings for him at the ancestral shrine,” the chief stated plainly.

Chu Danqing had never felt such anger before.

Their care for Dabao was merely the affection one shows for a tool.

When the tool is no longer useful, they discard it like worn-out shoes, without a trace of emotion.

“I want Dabao to come with me to solve the Falling Flower Cave,” Chu Danqing said coldly, his tone devoid of kindness.

The chief was unsurprised by this. “That’s fine, provided he wakes up.”

“Let me warn you, even if his cave spirit bloodline is not fully awakened, encountering that cave beast priest will mean a fight to the death.”

“Taking him to the back mountain will only be a burden.”

Chu Danqing ignored the chief’s words. “This is my matter. You need not interfere.”

“If you have no other business, please arrange the supplies and manpower I requested as soon as possible.”

“Oh, and don’t forget my reward for acting as bait to eliminate the White Dragon Fish.”

He disliked the chief’s attitude but knew it was not yet time to break ties.

“Very well. The supplies and staff will be ready by tomorrow. The reward will take some time—expect it the day after,” the chief said, noticing Chu Danqing’s change in demeanor, though it was expected.

With that, the village chief left.

Chu Danqing stood by Dabao’s bed. “What kind of situation is this?” he murmured.

He had never intended to form a contract with Dabao.

But now, the opportunity presented itself, for Xianghua Village could no longer accommodate Dabao.

The White Dragon Fish bore a faint true dragon bloodline, whereas Dabao was the child of the cave spirit.

The problem was that Dabao was still unconscious and could not consent; relying solely on affinity and attribute differences, the chance of a successful contract was slim.

The contract scroll had only one point of durability, meaning only one chance.

If it failed, there would be no further means to bind him.

“His qi and blood deficiency is real—it stems from a lack of sufficient nutrition during the bloodline awakening,” Chu Danqing said.

“The blood and flesh of the White Dragon Fish he consumed were not enough to sustain his awakening or keep him conscious.”

“To wake him, he needs proper nourishment.” Saying this, Chu Danqing took out some wolf’s blood.

He pried open Dabao’s mouth and poured it in, and soon the blood was fully swallowed.

The moment it entered his body, faint wisps of blood-colored aura appeared around Dabao.

Chu Danqing recognized it as the aura that had surrounded the White Dragon Fish when it unleashed its water surge attack.

He hadn’t expected that after consuming the White Dragon Fish’s flesh and blood, Dabao would also display this blood-colored aura, which seemed to have mutated.

It appeared linked to the rising power he exhibited in moments of anger.

“It’s still not enough...” Chu Danqing observed that Dabao remained unconscious, realizing that wolf’s blood alone would not suffice.

He hesitated. He had been decisive in giving the wolf’s blood because its restorative effects were slow.

But the remaining secondary fish marrow blood was different—it could instantly restore 10% of life.

If he used it now and failed to contract with Dabao, the sunk cost would be too great; he could not afford such a loss.

After biting his lip, Chu Danqing finally took out the secondary fish marrow blood and fed it to Dabao.

One must risk to gain; he still had the White Dragon Fish as a fallback, and there was some flexibility in the trial mission.

As the cave spirit’s son, Dabao’s potential and ceiling far surpassed the White Dragon Fish.

This was evident since consuming most of the White Dragon Fish was still insufficient to sustain the awakening of the cave spirit bloodline.

The blood-colored aura thickened instantly, and Dabao’s eyes snapped open, bloodshot and filled with wrath and fury.

He immediately suppressed it and looked at Chu Danqing, his voice hoarse: “Little Chu, I’m hungry...”

“Alright, wait here. I’ll talk to the village chief and prepare whatever you need to eat,” Chu Danqing said, holding back from discussing other matters and focusing first on replenishing Dabao’s strength.

Before he could step out the door, Dabao spoke again: “Little Chu, I heard what you said to the village chief.”

Chu Danqing paused, then replied with one word: “Alright.”