Chapter 110: Chapter 100 Mother and Child

When Chen Xing stepped onto Lake Heart Island again, he saw a little old man walking briskly towards him from a distance.

“Quick, let me see your Beast Taming,” urged Qiu Shangqing impatiently.

Chen Xing nodded and then began to summon his beast.

A dark wave of energy fluctuated in the air, and it seemed the light on the lawn was swallowed by this force. When the light faded, a massive figure slowly emerged before everyone’s eyes.

It was a giant crocodile, twenty-two meters long, its body dark as if covered by a cold armor.

The massive crocodile lay quietly on the lawn, each of its scales radiating a chilling glint. Even the bone spurs protruding from its tail were the size of a palm, fierce and sharp.

Qiu Shangqing looked at the formidable giant crocodile in front of him, and his breathing quickened.

He could feel the strong life force emanating from the beast.

Vibrant, healthy, and vigorous, like a sunrise.

“What a magnificent Taotie!” exclaimed Qiu Shangqing, his face showing a reaffirming smile.

“I had someone find the group that birthed your Salty Bay Crocodile. It’s on Island Number 36. Do you want to take it to see its mother? Otherwise, once it evolves, your Beast Taming will become a new species, and even if they meet, they might not recognize each other by scent.”

Chen Xing looked at Taotie, “Do you want to see your mother?”

Taotie looked at its master, puzzled, “Ao ao ao?” (Aren’t you my mother?)

Chen Xing’s eyes darkened, “I’m male, even if I were, I should be your father.”

“I’m talking about the mother crocodile that gave birth to you. Do you want to see her?”

Taotie fell into contemplation, its small head unable to help but ponder.

Suddenly, Taotie let out a cry.

It wanted to go and see.

“Let’s go have a look, it would be good for Taotie to see its mother. Trouble you, Old Master Qiu,” Chen Xing felt it was a good thing to let Taotie meet its mother.

Qiu Shangqing smiled faintly, “I have always believed that beasts, like humans, have emotions and thoughts. Some Beast Tamers think that beasts are just lowly wild animals, but they are wrong. The higher the Beast Taming Level, the more the body develops continuously. Perhaps because of different brain structures, they think in different ways, but they are very sensitive to emotions.”

“Saying goodbye to the past is sometimes very important,” said Qiu Shangqing earnestly looking at Chen Xing.

There seemed to be an underlying meaning to his words.

“Old Master Qiu, is there some significance to this?”

“We’ll talk about it on the boat.”

Chen Xing followed Old Master Qiu and took a speedboat, shuttling through the lake. Along the way, the islands they passed emitted the roar of crocodiles from time to time.

Sometimes, they could plainly see crocodiles drifting leisurely on the surface of the lake, looking from afar like wooden stakes floating on the water.

Unable to help himself, Chen Xing asked, “Senior, how many crocodiles do you raise here?”

“I can’t remember exactly, but the place with the most crocodiles in the world is definitely mine,” said Qiu Shangqing with a chuckle.

He pointed to an island in front and said, “That island there is Number 36. The tribal group of your Taotie’s mother is there.”

“At that time, we didn’t record which mother crocodile had laid the eggs, they were dispatched in batches to all over the country.”

Qiu Shangqing looked at Chen Xing, “Later on, allowing your Beast Taming to find its mother will also be a farewell to the past.”

“There’s a checkpoint during the evolution of Beast Taming,” said Qiu Shangqing slowly.

“Please go on, senior,” he knew the old master wouldn’t speak without reason.

“Ask Heart,” Qiu Shangqing uttered three words.

Ask Heart…

Chen Xing muttered to himself, finding it mysterious and not quite understanding the meaning.

Qiu Shangqing explained, “Normally, there is no such thing in evolution, only in rare evolutions.

The separation lies in the past, present, and future.

Breaking away from the past, affirming the self of the present, and the persistence towards the future.

They are just things I summed up while discussing with some old friends. The key is to fill the Beast Taming’s heart with a strong persistence, a desire to become strong, or a belief that must be protected.

Mental strength is very important. If it is not well controlled during rare evolution, big problems can easily arise. Failing to evolve is just a minor issue, but if certain mutations arise… a wrong evolution would be a big trouble.”

Chen Xing listened intently, gradually gaining clarity in his heart.

“Alright, you and your beast go on the island, remember to wear this tag. The crocodiles on the island can be a bit mischievous,” Qiu Shangqing handed Chen Xing a white tag.

The speedboat stopped at the dock on the shore, and Chen Xing and Taotie landed on the island.

The island was full of crocodiles everywhere; within less than a hundred meters, they saw at least a dozen crocodiles—some lying in the grass dewy with drops, others resting in the muddy pits. Whether lying or resting, they appeared in various postures. But when the large-bodied Taotie passed by, these crocodiles all panicked, fleeing or hiding.

Taotie paid no attention to these fleeing crocodiles. Its nose sniffed the air, discerning the myriad complex scents on the island. These scents wove a giant “scent collage” in the air—from which it sought the most familiar, the one most similar to itself.

As Taotie worked hard to sort out the scents, it suddenly turned its head to look at Chen Xing.

The most familiar one was right by its side.

Seeing the tenderness and attachment in Taotie’s eyes, the corners of Chen Xing’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly.

For so long, they had been in each other’s company, having already become the most important part in each other’s lives.

Warmth welled up in Chen Xing’s heart. He gently patted Taotie’s head and smiled, “Silly, it’s not me you’re looking for, but your biological mother.”

“Ao ao.” Taotie nodded.

Continuing to distinguish the scents in the air… there it was, it seemed to have found an existence with a scent somewhat similar to its own.

Taotie looked in a certain direction and quickened its pace.

In the midst of a gigantic mud mire, more than ten crocodiles lay sprawled out.

Two of the crocodiles were fighting over the best spot, while the others lounged leisurely to one side, basking in the sun.

Suddenly, a subtle vibration from the ground disrupted the rhythm of this group of crocodiles enjoying their sunbath.

Crocodiles are creatures particularly sensitive to vibrations, especially in water, where they can clearly discern where some audacious creature is drinking nearby.

The group of crocodiles turned their heads and looked in unison towards a direction.

The next moment, the few with the least nerve scooted away in a flash.

Burrowing into the nearby bushes.

The remaining Salty Bay Crocodiles watched warily as this unmatchable behemoth approached.

And there, in the middle of these Salty Bay Crocodiles, the mother crocodile that had just been fighting over territory with another crocodile was staring intently at Taotie.

Its not too clever brain sparked with a thought, why did it always feel that this giant crocodile had a familiar scent?

“Ow~”

Taotie called out to it.

It released a special chemical signal, which was also a way of communication among crocodile tribes.

This kind of chemical signal could convey the crocodile’s identity, gender, health state, and other information.

Sensing the chemical signals from Taotie, the mother crocodile could hardly believe it and croaked in response.

Is this my offspring?

Could it really be the one I bore!?

My heavens!

The mother crocodile hesitantly called out softly.

Taotie strode over.

Aside from this mother crocodile, the other crocodiles nearby couldn’t contain their inner fear when they saw this huge monster approaching and ran off without a trace.

The mother crocodile was dazed, not yet having recovered from the shock.

Taotie walked over and gently tapped the mother crocodile’s head with its massive snout to show affection.

“Ao ao.” After hesitating, the mother crocodile accepted the fact. This was the egg she had laid.

“Ao?” (Is that your master?)

The mother crocodile looked towards Chen Xing on the shore, asking Taotie.

“Ao!” (Yes) Taotie’s voice was filled with pride.

The mother crocodile was silent for a moment, “Ao ao ao.” (Then you follow him well.)

It figured that for Taotie to have grown so large, it must have had a lot of good stuff to eat.

Such a master must be a good master.

Perhaps neither the mother nor the offspring was fond of wasting words. Taotie looked deeply at the mother crocodile once more.

Unlike their first encounter, perhaps due to the bond of blood, after staying at close range for a while, Taotie felt a strange sensation.

It gave the mother crocodile a deep look, called out with an “ao,” and then turned and left without looking back.

As it passed by Chen Xing, Taotie lowered its body, allowing Chen Xing to step onto its flank and ride on its back.

Watching Taotie’s figure from afar, the mother crocodile looked for quite a while, then snapped back to reality, ready to continue vying for the best sunbathing spot in the mud pit.

Turning its head, it found that the saucy mother crocodile it had been disputing territory with had long since scurried far away, watching itself with reverence.

…

On the yacht, seeing Chen Xing riding Taotie back, Qiu Shangqing couldn’t help but reveal a slight smile on his face.

Taotie naturally entered the water, with Chen Xing sitting on its back, savoring the novel experience of lake touring. Feeling the ripples of the lake and the slight jostling from Taotie’s swimming, Chen Xing shifted his bottom a bit. It was just that Taotie’s carapace was a bit hard, which was slightly uncomfortable for his butt.

As its size increased, the gaps between the spikes on its back also grew wider, so sitting snugly in the “crevices” was actually quite fitting.

Old Master Qiu also followed slowly in the yacht nearby, chatting with Chen Xing from time to time. He asked, “How does it feel?”

“It’s quite interesting.”

Upon hearing this, Old Master Qiu laughed heartily and then said, “I’ve already arranged for the rare evolutionary materials to be prepared. You can wait a few more days. Although its energy level has reached the upper limit, its body size may not have grown to the limit yet. It’s best to wait until it stops growing before proceeding with the evolution.”

“Okay,” Chen Xing nodded in agreement.