Volume Two, Chapter Seventeen: The Wild Bull Released

“Huh! I’m still alive?” After an unknown length of time, Yu Mu slowly regained consciousness.

When he had seen that blade of light coming for him, Yu Mu was certain he was doomed. But to his surprise, what had seemed like a fatal blow was not as forceful as he’d imagined.

Even so, Yu Mu hadn’t dared to hope for survival. Though the strike hadn’t killed him outright, it was enough to knock him out cold, already at the end of his strength. And for someone who couldn’t swim, falling into water unconscious was surely a death sentence.

Only after he assessed his current state did Yu Mu realize what had happened. While he was unconscious, perhaps out of instinct or due to the severity of his injuries, part of his body had reverted to its tree form. It was the buoyancy of this arboreal body that had kept him afloat and saved his life.

Faced with this, Yu Mu cursed his own foolishness. He could always shift between human and tree at will, but had always harbored an innate resistance to his tree identity. He never expected that the very form he’d scorned would be the one to save him.

Not only that—his injuries healed much faster in his tree form, and a steady stream of energy seemed to be absorbed into his body from the water.

Realizing this, Yu Mu decided to fully transform into a great tree. Immediately, all his wounds stopped bleeding, and the energy of the river flowed through him, nourishing every fiber of his being. It was like a starving man gulping down a bowl of rich, nourishing broth. In no time, Yu Mu felt his strength returning.

Above the river, two figures flew past with a rush of wind.

“That damned scoundrel! To think he’d use such filthy poison! I swear I won’t rest until he’s dead!” snarled a voice from the sky, every word laced with fury.

“If he lives, who knows how many more he’ll harm. You blamed me for being too soft earlier, Senior Sister—next time I won’t show any mercy,” came a voice, gentle yet now chillingly cold.

“Good. Let’s go!”

The two women swept overhead, never noticing the tree drifting below them in the current. But the brush with discovery left Yu Mu shaken—this time, they truly meant to kill him. If he were found, there would be no escape.

It seemed wisest to get to shore. Now that he understood the secret of his tree form, what could be safer in this primeval forest than to become a tree?

The river, running swiftly down from the mountains, was fierce and wild. Its banks were worn smooth by centuries of water, making it difficult to find a place to land, and the two women circled overhead twice as he searched for a spot.

Suddenly, a strange sound rose ahead. The river curved sharply here, and at the bend was a hollow carved out by the rushing water, thick with aquatic plants. From the cave’s mouth came a strong suction, the perfect place to climb ashore.

Though a tree could float, it could not climb. Yu Mu shifted back into human form, grabbed a handful of water plants, and pulled himself in, steadying his body.

He was just about to climb into the cave when, to his shock, the cave moved—and with a great whoosh, the entire opening shot into the air, taking Yu Mu with it, still clinging to the water plants.

The cave had come to life!

Yu Mu was terrified out of his wits, clutching the plants and forgetting to let go.

“Hey, Peach Eyes, why are you pulling my nose hair?”

Yu Mu looked up. Above him loomed a massive bull’s head, its eyes as big as bowls, staring down at him.

“Who’s talking?”

“It’s me! Hey, Peach Eyes, why are you crawling into my nostril?” The voice was like distant thunder, rumbling from the bull’s mouth.

“Mother of heaven! A ghost!” Yu Mu screamed, immediately letting go and tumbling down.

Splash!

Water sprayed everywhere as Yu Mu plunged back into the river, about to be swept away once more. A broad tongue whipped out, scooping him up from the water and sending him straight toward that gaping maw.

It’s over! Who could have guessed he’d end up eaten by a bull demon? Not in his wildest dreams had he imagined such a fate.

But just as he reached the mouth, the tongue stopped and gently set him down on the ground instead.

“I’m not a ghost. And you’re not human.”

The bull blinked its huge eyes and spoke these baffling words. Yet somehow, Yu Mu seemed to understand.

“I know you’re not a ghost—you must be the Demon King Bull. I must have ended up in Paradise.”

“Paradise? Where’s that? I’ve never been. And I’m not the Demon King Bull. My name is Meng Fang. Others call me Mad Bull. What’s your name, Peach Eyes?” The bull’s slow, deep voice, for reasons unknown, filled Yu Mu with a strange sense of trust.

“My name’s not Peach Eyes. I’m Yu Mu. My friends call me Gada.” Even as he spoke, his injuries were healing—but his eyes remained swollen like ripe peaches.

“You’re not Elmwood—you look more like a peach to me.” The bull blinked, utterly serious.

“I really am Yu Mu. But how did you know I was a peach?” Yu Mu was baffled.

“Because I want to eat you. I love peaches more than anything, so I could tell you were one.” Meng Fang’s answer was not at all what Yu Mu expected.

Two simple-minded souls, their conversation was equally straightforward. Yet somehow, they understood each other perfectly, and their mutual affection grew with every word.

“If I’m a peach, what are you?”

“I’m a wild bull.” As he spoke, the bull turned, and Yu Mu finally got a good look at him—a massive bull, dark blue-black, standing four or five meters tall and over ten meters long. Yu Mu, standing before him, was barely the size of one of its legs.

After showing off his body, the bull vanished. In his place stood a towering, burly man, over two meters tall, with a black face, bristling beard, wide nostrils, broad mouth, and bright, shining eyes—he looked barely twenty, his body packed with corded muscle, clad in dark blue-black leather armor.

The burly man spoke, “You can change shape too. Show me.”

“All right,” Yu Mu replied, and shifted into his tree form.

Now he towered above the black giant, and couldn’t help feeling a little smug. In tree form, he stood nearly ten meters tall—taller than even the wild bull’s true body.

“So many big peaches!” Meng Fang’s mouth watered as he gazed at the tree laden with fruit.

Yu Mu quickly returned to human shape.

“Hey, Gada, why aren’t you wearing any clothes? Is it hot? If humans see you like this, they’ll scold you. You’d better put something on.”

Yu Mu flushed with embarrassment. “Brother Meng, I have nothing to wear. Do you have something I can borrow?”

Meng Fang stared with puzzled bull eyes, “You can turn into a human, so how can you have no clothes? I just saw you had bark.”

“Bark? Clothes?” Something clicked in Yu Mu’s mind. Suddenly, a suit of gray-brown clothing appeared on his body.

“So that’s how it works!” Yu Mu realized that not only could he control the style, but even the color of his clothing at will.