What Shi Batian didn't know was that the seventh little purple gourd wasn't sleepy at all—it was simply born with a deficiency!
Only the other six gourd brothers knew this.
Big Brother Red Gourd said, "Seventh sister isn't getting enough nutrition… Sixth, Fifth, you two move closer to her, let her have more."
Fifth and Sixth nodded, "Got it, Big Brother!"
Seventh little purple gourd smiled sweetly, "Thank you, brothers…"
…..
Shi Batian had no clue about these things. Day after day, he took care of the little gourds, hoping they'd grow up quickly.
As time passed, the gourd vines grew thicker and stronger, and the gourds themselves got bigger. The biggest red gourd was already the size of a palm.
Meanwhile, Shi Batian's soul power surged rapidly… It seemed like the bigger the vines grew, the more his soul power increased. Shi Batian guessed that maybe raising the gourds well was the fastest way to boost himself.
They seemed deeply connected.
"Daddy… Daddy, we're hungry."
"Daddy… Daddy, we're thirsty."
Watching these little ones cry out for nourishment, Shi Batian hurried to fertilize and water the plants. Occasionally, he'd even go into the forest to chop wood, preparing for the arrival of the other gourds.
Otherwise, the small wooden huts wouldn't be enough for all of them. He also made a few small toys to cheer them up.
The emptiness In his heart was slowly filled by these little creatures, making his previously lonely life feel meaningful and full.
…
Another ordinary day came to an end. Shi Batian finished his daily chores and, as the sun dipped below the horizon, he was ready to rest.
"Daddy's going to bed first… You all need to rest well too."
He wiped the sweat from his brow and spoke to the gourds, but they were unwilling to sleep. Instead, they shouted in unison:
"Daddy… Daddy, tell us a story!"
"Story, story!"
Shi Batian scratched his head. Lately, these gourds just wouldn't go to sleep. To soothe them, he had to tell stories. Luckily, from his previous life on Blue Star, he had gathered a wealth of tales, or else he wouldn't have enough to tell.
"Ahem…" Feeling their eager anticipation, Shi Batian cleared his throat and began:
"Last time, we talked about the—"
Before he could even begin properly, the gourds began protesting again.
Big Brother Red Gourd said, "Daddy… I don't want to hear that. I want the story about that supreme human Lazy Goat who mastered Freedom, crushed the Ultraman dark chaos, broke through to semi-Author realm—did he break the plains' barrier and marry Red Wolf?"
Second Brother Orange Gourd piped up, "I want to hear about that genius girl with heterochromia who got dumped by her fiancée Yanran—how she flipped fortunes over thirty years… Did she beat Bald Strong? And did she end up with the stunning Empress Soul Emperor?"
"And me… I want to hear about the incarnation of light, Gatanjer, and how after all his friends' efforts, he finally transformed into a Super Saiyan, defeated Green Hat Fei Yangyang, and ended up with Ultraman Tiga!"
[T/N: Can't keep up with these references so please forgive these mistranslations.]
The gourds shouted excitedly, each clamoring for their favorite tale.
"Ah… I can't make this up," Shi Batian muttered, a few strands of black hair sticking to his forehead. These gourds weren't serious at all—they didn't want to hear the usual heroic stories, so he tried to improvise, mixing in his own elements.
But he probably overdid it… and soon ran out of ideas.
Still, he gritted his teeth and continued telling his patched-up stories.
An hour later, he finally succeeded in coaxing the gourds to sleep with his tales. He smiled, satisfied.
Only then did he quietly return to his room. Soon, the steady rhythm of his snoring filled the dark.
…
In the pitch-black night, so silent you could hear your heartbeat, dozens of eerie green eyes glimmered from the distant stone wall—like mysterious emeralds shining with a strange light, piercing through the darkness.
Soon, massive, ferocious soul beasts emerged from the shadows. Their forms flickered under the moonlight, exuding a chilling aura.
First to appear was a colossal white tiger, its fur gleaming like frost, claws sharp as blades flashing ominously. Its gaze was piercing and regal, full of dominance.
Behind it, a phoenix-like creature engulfed in roaring flames spread its fiery wings like a blazing cloud, warping the surrounding air with intense heat.
Following close were a gigantic python tens of meters long, a powerful giant turtle as solid as a mountain, and a dozen other soul beasts.
Each step they took seemed to shake the ground and rocks. These powerful soul beasts wielded earth-shattering might, filling the night with fear and pressure.
Any soul master of sufficient cultivation would immediately recognize them as ancient, thousand-year soul beasts.
A gathering of so many ancient soul beasts was incredibly rare—each usually guarded their own territory, rarely assembling together.
They began whispering in their unique soul beast language, their sharp eyes all fixed on Shi Batian's sleeping hut.
"I smell it… This is the place!"
"Same here, the scent is unmistakable."
"If I devour the one emitting this aura, I can definitely break my bottleneck…"
Greedy tongues flicked out. These soul beasts had been drawn here by a sudden mysterious aura that appeared days ago.
Each soul beast felt instinctively that devouring this aura's owner would let them transcend their bloodline limits.
But… there was only one human here, and all present were rivals.
"That strange human is alone. Then we'll just have to see who's strongest."
"Of course!"
The white tiger leader roared and charged forward.
"I'm going first! This human is mine!"
The others cursed loudly behind him.
"That bastard tiger, no honor! Damn it, I'm going too!"
"Charge! If we don't hurry, we'll miss out!"
With that, the dozen soul beasts surged forward, all fiercely determined not to lose this rare prize.
_
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