Chapter 636: Fierce Draconic Colt

The Cliffhold Bastion stood atop a towering cliff, overlooking a vast, desolate abyss teeming with countless demonic monsters.

Back when the humans fought against the Demon God, a bastion had been built here.

As the years passed, the bastion fell into disuse, leaving behind only a handful of descendants from its original gatekeepers.

The story of this bastion bore some similarities to that of Taotie City.

Since these fortresses were located at key geographic hubs, they were highly convenient for developing trade.

Over time, a bustling market took shape at the base of Cliffhold Bastion.

This market wasn’t just for cultivators—citizens from over a dozen nearby minor kingdoms in the Western Regions often came here to trade and exchange goods.

Today, the market was bustling once again.

A middle-aged man in a dark blue robe strolled confidently down the main street, flanked by four or five attendants dressed like servants.

Wherever he went, vendors on both sides greeted him warmly:

"Steward Wang, you’re here!"

"Steward Wang, what can I get for you today?"

"..."

He walked with an air of arrogance, paying no mind to the greetings as he led his group to a crowded spot along the street.

At the roadside, a group of people squatted idly, clearly waiting for odd jobs. As soon as they saw him approach, they stood up in a hurry. Clearly, all of them recognized this Steward Wang.

In the crowd, a young man with delicate features remained sitting in confusion until an elderly man beside him tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Young man, you must be new here. That’s the steward from the Lei Family. If you’re hired by him, you’ll have steady work and better pay than most. You’re young and would have a better chance of being hired. Don’t miss this chance!"

"Thank you, sir," the young man said, quickly rising to his feet.

Though the young man looked fair and handsome, his tattered clothing and dirt-smudged face made him look worse off than most. Dust clung to his disheveled figure, giving him a pitiful and downcast appearance.

"

Ahem

," Steward Wang cleared his throat in front of the crowd and then announced, "Today, the Lei Family is hiring, but we are looking for someone who isn't scared of death."

"Huh?"

The announcement caused a stir among the gathered crowd. Many of those who had eagerly stood moments earlier now squatted back down, unwilling to take the risk. Only four or five individuals remained standing.

After squatting back down, the old man glanced at the young man, who was still standing, and urgently whispered, "What are you doing? Do you have a death wish?"

"Didn’t you say the Lei Family offers good pay?" the young man asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

"That’s for the regular jobs," the old man explained hurriedly. "The Lei Family earned their wealth by raising demonic beasts and monsters, so most of their jobs involve handling those creatures. When he says he’s looking for someone who isn't afraid of death, it means the job is feeding and tending to the most vicious of those beasts. One mistake, and you’re done for—or worse, there won’t even be anything left of you to bury!"

"Is that so?" The young man nodded in understanding but made no move to squat back down.

"

Haaaaaa...

" The old man let out a long sigh. Seeing that the young man looked just a little dim-witted, he wanted to dissuade him further.

But before he could say anything, Steward Wang pointed to the few who were still standing and commanded, "Step forward."

The young man, of course, was no fool—he was Chu Liang, who had come here from afar specifically to infiltrate the Lei Family. How could he fall behind at such a critical moment? Without hesitation, he stepped forward with the others.

"Our family is hiring just one person this time," Steward Wang began. "The pay is excellent, but you must have no fear of death. Life and death are up to fate, and the heavens decide if we should get riches and honor. I hope you’re all prepared. Since so many of you want this, I’ll pick the one who’s the least afraid of death."

The few who stepped forward were all burly men, eager to prove themselves, and immediately began shouting over each other.

"I’m the least afraid of death!"

"No one fears death less than me!"

"Then prove it," Steward Wang said, narrowing his eyes. "I’ll pick the one who’s truly the least afraid of death."

"I’ll go first!" one of the men roared as he stepped forward. Drawing a sharp blade from his waist, he slashed across his wrist with a swift motion.

Splatter—

A fountain of blood sprayed into the air, hissing as it splattered everywhere.

The man raised his arm high, letting the blood spray wildly toward the crowd. People scrambled to dodge, horrified by the scene, while he grinned smugly.

"Who dares to top this?!" he shouted.

The onlookers gasped in astonishment.

This was a ruthless man.

But the second man sneered. He pulled out a long rope, expertly flung it over a nearby tree branch, and looped it tightly.

To everyone’s shock, he slipped the rope around his neck and let his body dangle, hanging himself.

He hung himself!

Even as his tongue lolled out and his face turned red, he managed a strained, breathless laugh. "Who dares to match this?!"

The crowd clicked their tongues in shock and murmured nervously.

This was also a ruthless man.

"Hahaha! You’re all still afraid of death!" The third burly man suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, then bolted off in the opposite direction at full speed.

The crowd was utterly baffled, their collective thoughts echoing the same question:

What is he doing? Is he running away?

But judging by his wild, manic laughter, he didn’t seem scared at all.

Under the puzzled stares of the crowd, the man dashed off into the distance. After running a great length, he reached the edge of a towering cliff—and leaped off without hesitation.

Only his shout echoed faintly in the wind: "Who dares—"

"

Hiss...

" The spectators collectively drew in a sharp breath.

This one was even more ruthless than the others.

All eyes turned to the last man.

As the crowd saw his delicate features, they wondered if he would back down.

The young man was, of course, Chu Liang.

Unlike the others, he showed no trace of fear. Instead, he strode forward with calm confidence, stopping directly in front of Steward Wang.

Just as Steward Wang was wondering what he was up to, Chu Liang swung his arm and delivered a resounding slap across Steward Wang’s face.

Slap!

The crisp sound reverberated through the air, leaving Steward Wang stunned and the crowd utterly dumbfounded.

Does he have a death wish?

What is he thinking?

He wants to work for the Lei Family, yet he dares to offend Steward Wang.

Steward Wang was, of course, furious. "You dare slap me!"

At that moment, Chu Liang turned back and asked, "Who dares?"

Whoa—

The crowd finally understood. This one truly had no fear of death.

A few of the Lei Family’s servants stepped forward, eager to teach Chu Liang a lesson, but Steward Wang raised his hand and barked, "Stand down."

"But Steward, he dared to hit you!" one servant protested.

"I’ll take him," Steward Wang declared, pointing at Chu Liang. "You, come with me."

"Huh?" The servants were baffled. "Not only won’t you punish him, but you’re giving him the job?"

"Nonsense!" Steward Wang snapped, pointing at the other applicants sprawled on the ground. "Do you see anyone over there still breathing?"

...

The Lei Family originally came from Muzhi City, which was located near the border of the Yu Dynasty. It was once a prominent local family known for their expertise in taming beasts. Their trade focused on dealing with demonic beasts and monsters.

Later, for some unknown reasons, the entire family relocated to Cliffhold Bastion. Being near the Abyss of Barbarian Wilderness made restocking convenient, and being outside the jurisdiction of the Yu Dynasty freed them from its legal restrictions. This allowed the family to grow significantly in power and reputation across the Western Regions.

The family kept a large number of demonic beasts and monsters. Since the family disciples couldn’t manage them all, they hired many mortal servants.

Steward Wang was one of the minor leaders among the servants.

"Although you’re new, your task is quite important," Steward Wang said as he strolled ahead casually. "You’ve been assigned to care for the Fifth Young Master’s prized beast, a Fierce Draconic Colt. It’s only about a hundred years old—a mere child among demonic monsters. It has an extremely volatile temper. Even the slightest mistake can send it into a frenzy. So, be especially careful when feeding it."

There were numerous enclosures on both sides, each housing a demonic beast with its own designated area. The size of the area varied based on the creature's level of spiritual nature. The Fierce Draconic Colt, being of draconic lineage, was highly valued by the Lei Family and had an entire garden to itself.

From the outside, the enclosure appeared serene, with only green trees and yellow rocks in view—there was no trace of the Fierce Draconic Colt.

"We have set up restrictions and formation around this area for the sake of protecting the people outside. When you feed it, you must stand outside this area," Steward Wang reminded. "As for grooming it... well, that depends on your luck."

"Can these formations really lock the Fierce Draconic Colt up?" Chu Liang asked, glancing around with a hint of feigned nervousness.

"They can... but not completely," Steward Wang replied, shooting him a sharp look. "If they could, we wouldn’t need to hire you."

Got it.

Chu Liang nodded repeatedly.

"By the way, I still don’t know your name," Steward Wang asked before leaving.

"This humble servant is called Chu Liuxiang[1]," Chu Liang replied.

"A mere servant with a name fancier than mine," Steward Wang sneered. "The young master and miss don’t have the time or patience to remember your name. Once you’re in the Lei Family, you’d better pick something simpler."

"Then I’ll go by Wang Fugui[2]," Chu Liang replied without hesitation.

"My name is Wang Fugui!" Steward Wang snapped, raising an eyebrow.

"Then I’ll be Liu Bo[3]," Chu Liang said again.

Steward Wang stared at him for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. "Well, aren’t you thorough. First time I’ve seen someone casually change their surname like it’s nothing."

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After giving a few more instructions on what to pay attention to, Steward Wang added, "The Fifth Young Master will be coming to see the Fierce Draconic Colt shortly. Find it quickly, and if it’s dirty from playing around, clean it up. I’ll go wait for the Young Master."

With that, he strutted away with an air of arrogance.

Chu Liang was left with a few other servants who were tasked with tending to the creatures. However, their gazes toward him carried a noticeable hint of pity.

Chu Liang thought to strike up a conversation, but the moment he opened his mouth, the others scattered in all directions, as if even speaking to him might bring them bad luck.

"Is it really that dramatic?" Chu Liang muttered with a faint smile, shaking his head.

Luckily, this place wasn’t just filled with people. Compared to the servants, perhaps the demonic beasts and spirits would provide more useful information.

So he strolled to the enclosure, disregarding Steward Wang’s earlier warning, and directly used the key to open the gate, stepping into the garden.

As soon as he entered, a wave of scorching heat enveloped him, carrying an undercurrent of wild hostility.

It seemed the Fierce Draconic Colt was indeed not one to be trifled with.

Chu Liang had barely begun spreading his divine sense to locate the creature when a shrill neigh pierced the air. A fiery blaze shot out from behind a fake hill! It had been lying in ambush!

A gust of wind surged toward him with deadly force, but Chu Liang stood firm, showing no fear. He calmly released a faint trace of the Dragon God Mark’s aura.

Boom!

The blazing fire that had surged toward Chu Liang instantly crumbled, collapsing to the ground and kicking up a dense cloud of dust. When the dust finally settled, the true form of the Fierce Draconic Colt was revealed.

It was an imposing stallion at the height of eight chi and with a crimson mane that seemed to burn like fire. Its body was a striking blend of fur and scales, split evenly between the two, giving it a unique and fearsome appearance. A single horn jutted from its forehead, while one of its golden irises flickered with fiery brilliance.

The horse’s draconic lineage was not particularly strong. However, it also descended from the ancient and ferocious Fiery Celestial Horse, a breed renowned for its aggressive and combative nature, which explained its intimidating appearance.

Unfortunately for it, as long as it carried even a trace of draconic bloodline, it couldn't act ferociously in the presence of Chu Liang's Dragon God Mark.

"You are really filthy," Chu Liang frowned and softly said. "Go wash up."

This wild, murderous draconic descendant immediately turned and trotted to the pond near the fake hill. Without hesitation, it began rolling around in the water to clean itself.

It only stopped once Chu Liang gestured that it was clean enough. With cautious steps, it approached him, lowering its head and lying down submissively on the ground, as if offering itself to be mounted.

Chu Liang’s lips curved into a faint smile as he leisurely climbed onto its back. Stroking its fiery mane, he said, "I’ll only be here for a few days. You seem to enjoy your freedom. If you behave and work with me, I might just take you with me when I leave."

"

Neigh—

" The Fierce Draconic Colt immediately leaped up in excitement.

Chu Liang was about to ask the beast a few more questions when the sound of approaching footsteps and voices interrupted him.

"Fifth Young Master, why are you here this early?" Steward Wang's fawning voice carried through the air. "You’ve seen the temper of your Fierce Draconic Colt last time—it’s truly wild and untamed. Just yesterday, it killed a servant, and we’ve just recruited a new one. He might not yet..."

His words abruptly stopped.

As Steward Wang led the group of people to the fence area, they saw the once-untamable Fierce Draconic Colt lying obediently, allowing the new servant to sit atop its neck.

To add to their shock, the beast was even wagging its tail, its wide-open eyes brimming with a fawning affection that not even Steward Wang could hope to replicate.

"Huh? What's going on here?" Steward Wang asked in astonishment.

Among the group trailing behind him was a burly, tigerish-looking teenager dressed in ornate sword attire. His sharp eyes took in the surprising scene, and he exclaimed, "The Fierce Draconic Colt looks perfectly tame to me. Why were you claiming it’s wild? Could it be that you weren’t feeding it properly?"

"Exactly, exactly," Chu Liang chimed in, nodding earnestly from behind the fence. "This little guy couldn’t be more obedient."

1. Chu being the surname. And Liuxiang meaning the fragrance that stayed. ☜

2. The term "王富贵" (Wáng Fùguì) is an internet meme and popular slang often used humorously or sarcastically when naming a child. Regardless of the actual surname, calling someone "王富贵" implies that the husband or father in question has been cuckolded or cheated on. ☜

3. Another meme character. He's a well-known gaming streamer. As with any public figure, not everyone liked him, and he occasionally faced verbal abuse during his live streams. In response, many of his loyal fans started defending him whenever he was attacked or criticized. This collective action to support and protect him eventually gave rise to the meme or phrase "保护刘波" ("Protect Liu Bo"). ☜