It was clear they were not the same species. The one before them looked like a simpleton, while the little bear Ye Tiancheng had saved back then was a real bear, destined to be fierce when it grew up.
"Of course not. This one looks silly, tilting its head when it looks at us. It doesn't seem smart at all. How can it compare to my bear?"
Xiao Pang leaned in a bit closer but couldn't discern much.
After staring foolishly for a while, he finally chuckled.
"It's fine, it probably doesn't have much aggression. I just don't know what species it is. This little guy is quite interesting. When I tilt my head to look at it, it tilts its head to look at me too."
"Maybe it's a girl. It's best not to speak carelessly."
The two of them were arguing fiercely, but neither Ye Tiancheng nor Pang Zi could figure out what this creature was, finding it very strange.
At this moment, Lin Xue spoke. Having read more books, she recognized animals better than the two brothers.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be a wombat. Regardless, it's a type of bear, so it looks a bit like a bear. However, this animal is very gentle and won't harm people. It's also quite friendly towards humans."
Hearing Lin Xue say this, Pang Zi found the animal incredibly cute. It looked cautious and friendly.
Pang Zi loved small animals, and his kindness was unstoppable. He immediately got up, preparing to offer something to the wombat.
"How about I give it some braised pork? We have leftovers from today, it's fatty but not greasy, and tastes great. These animals eat raw meat, so they probably won't mind my braised pork. They'll likely enjoy it."
Lin Xue quickly stopped Pang Zi, as what he was about to do was hilariously disrespectful.
"Wombats are herbivores. They're happy with grass. Why are you giving it meat? The wombat definitely wouldn't want it."
Pang Zi then sheepishly put the meat away. It was a classic case of ignorance causing trouble.
"Then I brought some fruit. How about I give the fruit to this wombat? It looks honest and simple. We shouldn't be too stingy. It's really not right to give it nothing after it's been looking at us with such pitiful eyes for so long."
"Then let's give it some fruit. We've come to Black Wind Mountain, and it's our first time here. We should give them a gift. Not having a welcoming gift would be a bit impolite."
Pang Zi presented the fruit with both hands, respectfully offering it. The wombat was startled at first and took two steps back. Seeing that Pang Zi seemed to have no ill intentions, it moved closer again and took the fruit.
"Try it, it's delicious. I believe you'll love it."
Pang Zi watched the wombat eat with delight, his eyes filled with paternal affection, which made Ye Tiancheng want to laugh.
"Brother Ye, look! This wombat is so cute. I really want to catch one and raise it at home, but it seems illegal. It's too big, I can't keep it at home."
"How could I let you raise it? Besides, it probably wouldn't want to. Why would it leave its good home to live in a small house with you? You should consider its feelings too."
The fruit was quickly finished. The wombat seemed to have become familiar with them and ran over to ask for more, its chubby paws making its request particularly amusing.
Pang Zi ended up giving all the fruit he had brought to the wombat. The wombat ate it all quickly. It likely hesitated earlier, fearing they might be bad people and try to poison it.
Now, as it ate freely, one could tell it was quite formidable. Despite its cute appearance, it would probably be fierce in a fight.
"Sorry, little brother. I really don't have any more. If I did, I'd definitely give you more. Your Brother Pang doesn't have many merits, but he's very generous."
The wombat seemed to understand Pang Zi's words and didn't press further. It glanced at everyone, then turned and ran off. Its departure was particularly comical as it dove headfirst into a hole. Seeing the wombat, everyone felt it was like a silly, simple creature.
"Did you guys see that? It just ran into the hole."
"Yes, wombats like to dig holes underground. It's normal. They're quite interesting."
This wombat encounter was a small interlude. After eating, they packed their bags and prepared to enter Black Wind Mountain. They had already lingered outside for quite some time and couldn't afford further delays.
"Brother Ye, do you smell that?" Pang Zi complained that his nose had been suffering lately. "It's such a foul smell. I've never smelled anything so unpleasant."
"Don't rush. Let's take it slow. Black Wind Mountain is very sinister. We all need to be careful, otherwise, we might fall into a trap at any moment."
Ye Tiancheng remained calm. Ever since he decided to explore this place, he knew he couldn't be too hasty, as rushing could lead to trouble.
As soon as Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, he saw crows circling at low altitude, emitting piercing cries. These crows looked as if they wanted to devour people on the spot.
Crows are scavengers, feeding on corpses. They probably saw some living creatures finally arrive at Black Wind Mountain and became impatient, flying over.
"So noisy. Get away from here, don't disturb me, or I'll take action."
Compared to Ye Tiancheng's composure and Pang Zi's leisurely sightseeing, Lin Xue appeared somewhat annoyed. She was always so aloof, and if someone did something to bother her, Lin Xue had very little patience.
"Miss Xue'er, I also think these crows are inauspicious. If you can't drive them away, just pluck their feathers, make them bald, or maybe have some roasted crow. I wonder if crow meat tastes good."
Pang Zi's words, to some extent, fueled Lin Xue's desire to act. She had the same intention, so she couldn't hold back any longer. She unleashed a spiritual energy attack, causing a few crow feathers to fall. The crows then began to circle again.
"This is really annoying. They have to disturb everyone. These dead crows seem to be looking for death."
Lin Xue exerted more force, sending a larger wave of spiritual energy. The crows in mid-air caught fire, flames erupting all around them, accompanied by the smell of burning. This was the legendary roasted crow.
The burning crows fell with crackling sounds, their former vitality completely gone.
"Brother Ye, this crow meat looks good and smells even better. I still have some room left from breakfast today. I'll try some of this roasted crow."
"Don't eat random things. Who knows if you'll get poisoned after eating crow? Don't let your greed harm your stomach. That would be quite a loss."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, Pang Zi looked at the roasted crow. It was dark and overall quite terrifying. He wasn't sure if eating such a thing would poison him, so he decided against indulging his appetite, lest he harm himself.
"I won't eat it. The more I look at it, the more disgusting it is. Besides, don't crows like to eat dead bodies? If I eat a crow, wouldn't that be like eating dead body meat directly?"
Pang Zi was about to continue, but he clearly saw that everyone was finding his strange remarks increasingly unacceptable, their expressions gradually becoming solemn, mainly because it was too disgusting.
"Alright, I won't say anymore. Let's not bother with these crows. They don't even deserve to be buried. Let them turn into fertilizer; returning to nature is their best归宿."
The crow incident was just about to pass when suddenly there was a muffled thud. Ye Tiancheng looked up and saw a black mass flying from the sky. It was likely the crows coming back for revenge.
Ye Tiancheng instinctively unleashed his true qi, but it only managed to knock down a few crows. Faced with thousands of flying crows, it clearly didn't pose much of a threat. Even if he unleashed ten more waves of true qi, it would be like scratching an itch for these countless crows, offering no real significant threat.
"Brother Ye, the situation doesn't look good. Are we going to be in trouble?"
"Xue'er, they can all fly. Let your phoenix deal with these dead crows."
Lin Xue frowned deeply. Everything before her felt wrong. If they were ordinary crows, it would be one thing, but these were clearly not. Each of them seemed coated with a terrifying demonic artifact. Not only were they several times larger than ordinary crows, but their flight speed was also extremely fast. It was evident they were not ordinary crows, but rather difficult monsters.
Just as the phoenix was about to fly over, it was suddenly enveloped by a powerful black mist. Although not defeated, it was difficult for it to soar again.
The phoenix struggled free and hid behind Lin Xue, clearly unwilling to fight anymore. As the phoenix's owner, Lin Xue naturally had to protect her spirit beast. She quickly unleashed a wave of spiritual power to block the crows' attacks.
However, as the saying goes, even the strongest warrior can fall to overwhelming numbers. There were simply too many crows. They came in waves, and for every batch defeated, another arrived. In such a situation, a direct confrontation would only lead to a gradual depletion of strength, quickly falling into a state of decline.
At the critical moment, Ye Tiancheng used his true qi to create a protective barrier, fearing that these crows would push their luck and harm them further.
This barrier protected everyone. Outside, the crows were close, their eyes blood-red, as if a single peck could tear off flesh and blood. These were true demons.
"I've truly witnessed the capabilities of Black Wind Mountain today. But you just wait. I'll turn all you dead crows into roasted crows sooner or later."
After uttering his threats, Ye Tiancheng led everyone to retreat. They withdrew to the small house outside Black Wind Mountain where they had set up camp. Ye Tiancheng felt quite humiliated. Although Black Wind Mountain was full of danger, they were driven out just as they entered. Their initial confidence had been completely shattered, feeling like a slap in the face.
"Brother Ye, I'm suddenly feeling a bit sleepy. Don't mind me, I'm going to rest for a bit."