Guarding the River of Time

Chapter 468 - 458: The True Strength of the Iron-Eating Beast and Its Importance

"Who?"

The other four little ones looked at their second brother with puzzled faces.

"Brother Shi!"

Little Brown Bear exclaimed with joy.

"Brother Shi?" the other four little ones echoed in confusion.

The "Brother Shi" they referred to was the Iron-Eating Beast.

In terms of family hierarchy, the five of them called the Iron-Eating Beast "brother" because it came to the house before them and had seniority, so it was perfectly reasonable to address it as "brother."

Su Mu also gave the Iron-Eating Beast a nickname, "Xiao Shi."

Because the Iron-Eating Beast likes to eat ores and such, the name "Xiao Shi" suits it perfectly.

"Second brother, are you suggesting that Brother Shi replace Ah Fei?" the third sibling, Little Squirrel, asked doubtfully.

"Second brother, are you kidding? Forget whether Brother Shi is willing or not, can Brother Shi even take Ah Fei’s place?" the eldest, Groundhog, said in a lowered voice, frowning.

"That’s right, second brother, Brother Shi’s duties are different from ours. Brother Shi has always guarded the front courtyard gate, while we are responsible for the backyard herb garden," continued the fourth, Little Monkey.

"The eldest is right. We shouldn’t be discussing whether Brother Shi is willing or if the master agrees, but whether Brother Shi has the ability to take Ah Fei’s place," the calmest among them, Little Owl, pointed out sharply the core of the problem.

"Second brother, tell us, why do you think Brother Shi is the most suitable candidate?" After the eldest finished speaking, everyone looked at Little Brown Bear.

.....

"In your impression, Brother Shi may seem clumsy, likes to nap, and moves lazily, not very agile."

"That’s actually what I thought at first, too."

"Until something happened a few months ago that completely changed my view of Brother Shi."

At this point, Little Brown Bear paused, much to the impatience of the four beside him.

"Second brother, keep going!"

"Second brother, did you used to be a storyteller or something? Why are you keeping us in suspense?!"

....

"Cough, cough, don’t rush! Let me continue the tale."

"A few months ago, one day, I took Ah Fei on a mission, and we happened to run into Brother Shi who also said he was going out to find something to eat."

"The three of us just happened to travel together."

"You’ve all seen Ah Fei’s speed; it’s fast. With Ah Fei carrying me, we sped over the Long River, and I feared Brother Shi wouldn’t be able to keep up. I even specifically asked Ah Fei to slow down a bit."

"But who knew that when I turned my head, Brother Shi was right behind us. He seemed unhurried but unbelievably kept pace with Ah Fei!"

"You all know Ah Fei’s temperament too. Ah Fei picked up speed instantly, going full throttle, yet Brother Shi easily stayed right behind, maintaining a three-meter distance the whole time!"

"Do you know how terrifying that is? I suspect... Brother Shi is controlling his speed! Meaning he wasn’t even trying his hardest, while Ah Fei was at full speed."

Hearing this, the four little ones gasped in surprise. Besides the master, they never expected anyone else, let alone Brother Shi, to keep up with Ah Fei’s speed!

"But... being fast doesn’t mean you can replace Ah Fei’s role."

"Ah Fei wasn’t just reliant on speed to find so much Great Medicine but also its keen sense of smell, insight, and perception," Groundhog said with a frown.

.....

"Eldest, don’t rush, I haven’t finished yet!"

Little Brown Bear straightened his thoughts and continued, "When we arrived at our destination, Ah Fei, with extraordinary perception, found a Three Yi Faceless Grass, a top-tier Great Medicine."

"Just as we were preparing to leave for the next spot..."

"Brother Shi came over and told us there was a seed of the World Nether Fruit buried in the dirt heap right under our feet, not yet sprouted."

"We were skeptical at the time, but still dug up the dirt heap and indeed found a sprout of the World Nether Fruit!"

"The only World Nether Fruit Tree in the herb garden was found thanks to Brother Shi!"

After hearing this, the four little ones’ mouths dropped open, their expressions indescribably amazed.

The World Nether Tree, a top-tier Holy Tree, lives in ancient mythical legends, extremely rare, and was once thought to be extinct. How rare is it? So rare that in the vast herb garden, there’s only one!

What shocked them the most was that Brother Shi found the hidden World Nether Tree right under Ah Fei’s nose, meaning... Brother Shi not only surpassed Ah Fei in speed but also in perceptiveness!

"Why didn’t you tell me such an important thing earlier?" the eldest scolded Little Brown Bear.

"Even if I had, it would have been no use. Ah Fei was still here at the time. You can’t just let Brother Shi steal Ah Fei’s position, can you? Besides, this was Brother Shi’s secret, and I didn’t want to expose it. How rude would that be?"

"Now that Ah Fei isn’t here, I can finally talk about it."

Little Brown Bear shrugged.

"How about... we go talk to Brother Shi?" Little Squirrel tentatively suggested.

"Talk to Brother Shi about what? Just tell the master directly. I see Brother Shi doing nothing all day, saying it’s guarding the front gate, but I see it napping all the time..." Little Owl snorted coldly.

From its tone, it was clear it was a bit annoyed with the Iron-Eating Beast’s "lazy" behavior.

"Xiao Wu, keep your voice down!"

"What are you babbling about!"

"Brother Shi napping just proves our home is safe, that nothing is happening, right?"

"If Brother Shi got busy, wouldn’t that mean we have strong enemies invading our home?"

"And, we’re all family, there shouldn’t be such strong prejudices! I don’t want to hear this a second time!" the eldest, Groundhog, admonished Little Owl.

"Okay." Little Owl nodded.

He was a sword cultivator, straightforward and frank, speaking his mind openly and honestly.

But it was just a remark; he bore no malice towards the Iron-Eating Beast, merely a simple complaint.

"Alright, let’s not alarm the master about this for now. The master is currently very busy and hard-working every day."

"Let’s handle this little matter without disturbing the master."

"We’ll go discuss it with Brother Shi first and ask for his opinion."

The eldest addressed the four.

.....

Soon, the five little ones reached the front courtyard.

Staring at the stone sculpture before the front gate.

This stone sculpture was the Iron-Eating Beast in its stone form; when it napped, it would stay in this petrified state, like a stone lion, guarding the front gate.

"Second brother, you go, you go and talk to Brother Shi."

"Third brother, you have a way with words, you persuade Brother Shi."

"Fourth brother, you’re more cunning than me, you do it."

"Cough, cough, I am not very good at this, my tongue is clumsy. Fifth brother, you handle it."

The task kept getting pushed until it finally landed on Xiao Wu Little Owl.

"Me?"

"Are you sure?" Little Owl pointed to himself, questioning the four.