Flamy swallowed its catch and said, "I just saw a huge whale flying in the sky . It was flying north . "

"A whale?" Silly startled from its sleep on Gao Peng's head and looked around in panic . "Where? Where is it?"

"It flew away," said Gao Peng, pinching Silly's head .

"Oh, thank G.o.d," it said, sighing in relief .

It then sprawled across Gao Peng's head, rumpling his hair in the process .

Out of the corner of its eye, Flamy saw a pillar of black smoke rising from a hole . Being a fire-type familiar, it was quite drawn to the heat that was being given off by the smoke .

When it breathed in the black smoke, it started coughing uncontrollably and immediately covered its nostrils with its wings .

Suddenly, a bony black hand clasped Flamy's shoulder . Dumby had appeared out of nowhere behind Flamy with a compa.s.sionate look on its face .

"It's not healthy to breathe in smoke like that," said Dumby, fierce flames crackling in its eye sockets .

Silly stared back at it dumbly .

Dumby let go of the bird and plodded towards the black smoke . Suddenly, the fire in its eye sockets burned even more fiercely as Dumby breathed in deeply, sucking in the black smoke through its nostrils .

Dumby turned to Flamy and said, "The smell's a bit difficult to handle, especially for a beginner like you . Come with me . "

Flamy's jaw dropped . There must be some sort of misunderstanding here, it thought .

When Dumby saw that Flamy was still standing there, it waved a hand at the bird and said gently, "Relax . I'm not addicted to this stuff . It's just that friends who like the same things I do are so hard to come by these days . "

Before it realized what was happening, Flamy found itself staggering over to Dumby's side .

Dumby bent down to open a wooden crate on the ground that was filled with rows of two-foot-long, seven-inch-wide packets . Each packet was mounted with strips of silver and felt rough to the touch .

Dumby took a packet from the crate and shook a small rod-shaped object out of it .

"Here, take a puff of this . It's made from powdered Yin cedar needles mixed with Spirit Fruit juice . Long-term use of it can help sharpen your senses and calm your nerves . Go on, try it," said Dumby, handing the rod-shaped object to Flamy .

Flamy blinked a few at times at it and shook its head furiously .

Dumby didn't try to push the bird to take the joint . "It's cool . I never smoke at home . I only smoke two of these at a time when I'm outside . "

"Why don't you smoke at home?" asked Flamy curiously .

"Xiao Hua doesn't like the smell," replied Dumby as it patted a bit of dust off itself . "Sorry, can you help me light this thing?"

With a shrill cry, Flamy spat a small fire at the cylindrical object in Dumby's hand .

Soon, green smoke filled the air .

Dumby leaned back on a stone wall, its black robe billowing in the wind . It leisurely breathed in the smoke while taking in the scenery around them .

"Goldie, why aren't you wearing your feather coat?" asked Flamy when it saw the naked duck pa.s.sing by .

The seven-foot-tall duck coldly looked at it and patted the prayer beads it was wearing around its neck . "I don't need it!" Then it walked away with a humph .

Has it outgrown its coat? thought Flamy .

. . .

A Mountain Spirit was standing motionlessly on an empty patch of ground before Stripey .

The Mountain Spirit stirred from its sleep when it sensed Stripey's heavy footfalls . One by one, the black empty holes on its body flickered to life .

"Say, traveler, what brings you here?" said the Mountain Spirit slowly .

Stripey remained silent for a long while .

Gao Peng was growing restless . "Say something, Stripey . "

"M-me? Why do I have to . . . " Stripey sounded nervous .

"Aren't you the one who goes around telling people that you're my bravest familiar?"

"I'll let Da Zi have that t.i.tle . I'll settle with second bravest familiar," stammered Stripey .

Why bring me into this? thought Da Zi, who was curled up in a corner . I would kick your ma.s.sive behind for stabbing me in the back like that if you weren't already so ma.s.sive .

"Just repeat what I say," said Gao Peng .

The Mountain Spirit seemed apprehensive at first about Stripey's proposition . It didn't think that it would have anything to talk about with the other Mountain Spirits .

Mountain Spirits never needed to make deals with anyone or anything .

"We can help you solve your Armadrillo problem," said Stripey .

The Mountain Spirit hesitated for a moment .

"We can also provide blood offerings for you . That way, you won't have to look for food every day, and you can just sleep there to your heart's content .

"We have two Emperor-tier familiars with us . We've also convinced ten other Mountain Spirits of our plan, so you don't need to worry about being attacked by others, and you can concentrate only on your evolution . "

The Mountain Spirit nodded slowly . It had finally decided to take part in Gao Peng's plan . Of course, Stripey's Mountain King Spirit aura had played a huge role in convincing it to agree .

"Okay, I'm in," said the Mountain Spirit moodily . "However, if you don't keep your end of the bargain, I'll be very angry . "

"You have my word," said Stripey .

Later, Gao Peng had Stripey go around convincing two other Mountain Spirits in the area to join their cause .

Gao Peng frowned at the setting sun . This is taking way too long, he thought .

In truth, the whole process had gone quite smoothly . Stripey's presence had also greatly contributed to this .

However, the Mountain Spirits were all scattered in different areas . They had wasted too much time going from one Mountain Spirit to the next .

"Stripey, can you sense where the nearest Mountain Spirit is?"

Stripey closed its eyes as it began feeling the earth's pulse beneath its feet .

Suddenly, it sensed a powerful throbbing in the ground not too far away . It was as if someone was striking the ground with a huge mallet .

"Master, I have a lead on one," it said .

"Then let's get a move on . We're going to be here for a while," muttered Gao Peng .

Flamy swallowed its catch and said, I just saw a huge whale flying in the sky . It was flying north . A whale? Silly startled from its sleep on Gao Pengs head and looked around in panic . Where? Where is it? It flew away, said Gao Peng, pinching Sillys head . Oh, thank G.o.d, it said, sighing in relief . It then sprawled across Gao Pengs head, rumpling his hair in the process . Out of the corner of its eye, Flamy saw a pillar of black smoke rising from a hole . Being a fire-type familiar, it was quite drawn to the heat that was being given off by the smoke . When it breathed in the black smoke, it started coughing uncontrollably and immediately covered its nostrils with its wings . Suddenly, a bony black hand clasped Flamys shoulder . Dumby had appeared out of nowhere behind Flamy with a compa.s.sionate look on its face . Its not healthy to breathe in smoke like that, said Dumby, fierce flames crackling in its eye sockets . Silly stared back at it dumbly . Dumby let go of the bird and plodded towards the black smoke . Suddenly, the fire in its eye sockets burned even more fiercely as Dumby breathed in deeply, sucking in the black smoke through its nostrils . Dumby turned to Flamy and said, The smells a bit difficult to handle, especially for a beginner like you . Come with me . Flamys jaw dropped . There must be some sort of misunderstanding here, it thought . When Dumby saw that Flamy was still standing there, it waved a hand at the bird and said gently, Relax . Im not addicted to this stuff . Its just that friends who like the same things I do are so hard to come by these days . Before it realized what was happening, Flamy found itself staggering over to Dumbys side . Dumby bent down to open a wooden crate on the ground that was filled with rows of two-foot-long, seven-inch-wide packets . Each packet was mounted with strips of silver and felt rough to the touch . Dumby took a packet from the crate and shook a small rod-shaped object out of it . Here, take a puff of this . Its made from powdered Yin cedar needles mixed with Spirit Fruit juice . Long-term use of it can help sharpen your senses and calm your nerves . Go on, try it, said Dumby, handing the rod-shaped object to Flamy . Flamy blinked a few at times at it and shook its head furiously . Dumby didnt try to push the bird to take the joint . Its cool . I never smoke at home . I only smoke two of these at a time when Im outside . Why dont you smoke at home? asked Flamy curiously . Xiao Hua doesnt like the smell, replied Dumby as it patted a bit of dust off itself . Sorry, can you help me light this thing? With a shrill cry, Flamy spat a small fire at the cylindrical object in Dumbys hand . Soon, green smoke filled the air . Dumby leaned back on a stone wall, its black robe billowing in the wind . It leisurely breathed in the smoke while taking in the scenery around them Goldie, why arent you wearing your feather coat? asked Flamy when it saw the naked duck pa.s.sing by . The seven-foot-tall duck coldly looked at it and patted the prayer beads it was wearing around its neck . I dont need it! Then it walked away with a humph . Has it outgrown its coat? thought Flamy A Mountain Spirit was standing motionlessly on an empty patch of ground before Stripey . The Mountain Spirit stirred from its sleep when it sensed Stripeys heavy footfalls . One by one, the black empty holes on its body flickered to life . Say, traveler, what brings you here? said the Mountain Spirit slowly . Stripey remained silent for a long while . Gao Peng was growing restless . Say something, Stripey . M-me? Why do I have to . Stripey sounded nervous . Arent you the one who goes around telling people that youre my bravest familiar? Ill let Da Zi have that t.i.tle . Ill settle with second bravest familiar, stammered Stripey . Why bring me into this? thought Da Zi, who was curled up in a corner . I would kick your ma.s.sive behind for stabbing me in the back like that if you werent already so ma.s.sive . Just repeat what I say, said Gao Peng . The Mountain Spirit seemed apprehensive at first about Stripeys proposition . It didnt think that it would have anything to talk about with the other Mountain Spirits . Mountain Spirits never needed to make deals with anyone or anything . We can help you solve your Armadrillo problem, said Stripey . The Mountain Spirit hesitated for a moment . We can also provide blood offerings for you . That way, you wont have to look for food every day, and you can just sleep there to your hearts content . We have two Emperor-tier familiars with us . Weve also convinced ten other Mountain Spirits of our plan, so you dont need to worry about being attacked by others, and you can concentrate only on your evolution . The Mountain Spirit nodded slowly . It had finally decided to take part in Gao Pengs plan . Of course, Stripeys Mountain King Spirit aura had played a huge role in convincing it to agree . Okay, Im in, said the Mountain Spirit moodily . However, if you dont keep your end of the bargain, Ill be very angry . You have my word, said Stripey . Later, Gao Peng had Stripey go around convincing two other Mountain Spirits in the area to join their cause . Gao Peng frowned at the setting sun . This is taking way too long, he thought . In truth, the whole process had gone quite smoothly . Stripeys presence had also greatly contributed to this . However, the Mountain Spirits were all scattered in different areas . They had wasted too much time going from one Mountain Spirit to the next . Stripey, can you sense where the nearest Mountain Spirit is? Stripey closed its eyes as it began feeling the earths pulse beneath its feet . Suddenly, it sensed a powerful throbbing in the ground not too far away . It was as if someone was striking the ground with a huge mallet . Master, I have a lead on one, it said . Then lets get a move on . Were going to be here for a while, muttered Gao Peng .