Chapter 13 (2/2)
That bright red fruit was out of its red skin, spilling rays of red light into the world around it. It immediately filled the atmosphere with a tangy savory smell.
Chu Feng was overcome by surprise when he thought that the calf had swallowed the fruit.
However, when he looked down at Zhou Quan with an apologetic look, he noticed that he was lying on the ground, fiercely coughing. His face had turned all rosy and red; he was using his hand to continuously beat his chest.
At that crucial moment, Zhou Quan was exceptionally valiant. He popped the entire fruit into his mouth. After only a single mastication or two, he swallowed it down without giving it a second thought. He did not even have the time to spit out the seeds of the fruit before he realized that he almost choked himself to death.
The golden calf put down its fore hooves. It was no longer interested in wrestling with Zhou Quan. It stood on its ground, looking all fumed and bristled, since that fruit was such an allurement to it.
Fortunately, it was not a ferocious animal. Despite that everything had turned out to be such a disappointment, the calf chose to stay poised and composed.
”Water! Give me water!” Zhou Quan yelped for help.
Chu Feng pulled him up from the ground, gave him a bottle of water and clapped him on the back. At last, Zhou Quan's breathing returned to normal.
”Come and get it! What? You can't see it anymore? That's right! Because I've eaten it! It's all here! IN MY STOMACH!” Zhou Quan shot the calf a dark and scornful glance. At the same time, he was still fuming in rage. ”You little b.a.s.t.a.r.d. How dare you wrestle with me? You are such an irritant!”
”Hey, hey, hey! There is no point shouting at a calf. How is the fruit? Tasty? And how do you feel right now?” Chu Feng asked. His eyes were wide with pity and concern.
”The juice was luscious, but I didn't get to carefully savor the subtlety of its flavor. What a shame!” Zhou Quan remorsed.
”But I do feel that my body is getting a bit cold. I feel as if there is a force rampaging within my body.” Zhou Quan closed his eyes to appreciate the feeling.
At the same time, the golden calf was glaring down at Zhou Quan with a peevish expression on its face. Then, its focus s.h.i.+fted to the glittering green weed in his hand. This should have been just an ordinary weed, but all seemed to have changed since it gave rise to that red fruit. Now, it seemed more vigorous than ever with a very lively breath of life.
”Do you also want to steal this from me?” Zhou Quan glared back at the calf. As he spoke, he pitched the leaves off the stem, forcefully masticating the leaves with his grinding teeth.
”Those were just gra.s.ses. It's quite inedible actually. Just calm down, man. There is no need for you to bring up a sense of rivalry between you two in every possible way,” Chu Feng reminded him.
”Pooh! Pooh! It's so bitter, so unpalatable!” Zhou Quan felt like that intense wrestling battle had given him a head trauma, otherwise, why would he commit to such a stupid idea. He would have never eaten gra.s.ses without any cause or reason.
Across the way, the golden calf was still glaring down at him with a peevish expression. White fumes effused from both of its nose and its ears. Clearly, Zhou Quan's childlike demeanors had set the calf on edge.
”Right! Stay there! Don't you charge at me! Will you be happy if I willingly give this to you?” Zhou Quan had a guilty conscience. He handed over that glittering green weed to the calf.
”Munch!”
The golden calf swallowed half of the weed in one gulp, almost getting a bite on Zhou Quan's hand. Zhou Quan was taken aback; he loosened his grip on the gra.s.s in a hurry. Then, he hastily retreated.
”You've eaten that gra.s.s, so stop glaring at me. And also, stop rising those white fumes from your nose and your ears. What are you angry for? I'm the one whose limbs were almost out of joint because of you.”
The golden calf regained its peace.
”Do you understand what we are saying?” Chu Feng wanted to communicate with it. He wanted to know more about the changes that had been brought to the Taihang Mountains. This calf came out from within the mountains, so naturally, it would know most of the truth.
The golden calf did not nod or shake its head. On the contrary, it started measuring him with its eyes.
”It doesn't understand you. You need to be like me.” Zhou Quan pulled up a grip of gra.s.ses and slowly approached the calf with a smile that made him look like someone who was up to no good. ”Hey, little one. Come, eat. Let's build up some intimacy between us, can't we? I can feed you all day long with these fresh gra.s.ses, so someday in the future, you let me ride you. How about that?”
The calf raised its head, casting a sidelong glance at him. The look on its face really made Zhou Quan start to question his life and his existence.
It was a condescending look full of despise and disdain.
”Can you see it?” Zhou Quan asked Chu Feng. ”Why do I somehow have this funny feeling that this son of a bxtch is despising me? Why does it look at me in a way that makes me feel like a b.l.o.o.d.y idiot?”
”Yes, indeed.” Chu Feng nodded.
”Did I just get contemned by a G.o.ddam cow?” Zhou Quan burst into a furious rage.
He then pointed at the calf and said, ”You have already eaten my gra.s.s, didn't you. So from now on, you are obliged to be my ride. Do you hear me?”
”Whoos.h.!.+”
Before Zhou Quan could even react, the golden calf had already emerged behind Zhou Quan's back. Then, it stood straight up and leaned its fore hooves on his shoulders. In the end, it even twined its chubby legs around Zhou Quan's neck.
”What the...” Zhou Quan was ablaze in furious rage. ”What're you doing? I wanted you to be my ride, but what are you doing now?” Zhou Quan was burning in a frenzy of rage.
”It seems like it wants you to be its ride.” Chu Feng laughed.
Zhou Quan wondered for a moment, then he realized that this was indeed the case.
Especially as he turned around, he saw the calf grinning foolishly right at him. It even went so far as to nod its head to express its agreement with Chu Feng's suggestion. In the eyes of Zhou Quan, the look on the calf's face could not be more abominable and loathsome.
”Get off me!”
The forest buzzed with noise for quite a while.
A quarter of an hour later, Zhou Quan was now running at the front, puffing and panting, while being chased by a little golden calf pursuing after him. At times, it even stood up and started running on its two hind hooves. It leaned its fore hooves on Zhou Quan's shoulder, wis.h.i.+ng that he could perhaps carry it on his back.
”Help! Help me!”
Zhou Quan had been completely flattened. Having struggled for so long in a failed attempt to domesticate the calf, he finally realized that he was no match with the calf's strength and ability. Far from being domesticated, the calf had instead domesticated Zhou Quan, turning him into its personal ride.
”I don't know where you come from, but I know that this ever changing world of ours seems infinitely seductive to you,” Chu Feng said.
Suddenly, the golden calf halted its pursuit. It turned to look at Chu Feng.
”Even as you all know that entering our world could potentially mean death, but judging by the ruthless behaviors of all those beasts and birds who had given up their lives in trying to enter our world, I can tell how powerful of a seduction our world is to you,” Chu Feng continued.
He had successfully drawn the calf's attention, making it return to a state of calm and composure.
Chu Feng was all sweaty and wet. He heavily sat down on the ground beside Zhou Quan.
”I can't believe that I've been bullied by a cow. How shameful!” Zhou Quan cursed under his breath. He kept his voice low since he dared not to instigate any more commotions.
At the same time, he was also drawn to Chu Feng's words.
”After our world had mutated in many peculiar ways, even a weed at a roadside could give rise to a strange fruit. There was even people hovering high above us in the sky after consuming one of those peculiar fruits. I bet that there are fruits with more potent and more drastic effects, and I think this is the reason you come here,” Chu Feng said.
They then went on making conjectures, ”I guess this is only the first stage and also the most intense stage. There is an equal opportunity for anyone to acquire ability and become... the king? And this is why you came.”
”King” was a euphemism Chu Feng chose to use. He knew that this was a term that the golden calf should understand.
The golden calf had become quieter and quieter.
”So, tell me, where are you actually from?” Chu Feng whispered.
<script>