TRWSB – Chapter 211 Drunken Bear Trouble

Zuo Yunfei and Zhuang Hao were talking when a towering tree nearby was suddenly uprooted and crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom.

A massive bear staggered out of the forest, reeking of alcohol.

“What a strong smell of booze! This guy really drank a lot,” Zuo Yunfei muttered.

The giant bear kicked a small hill nearby. With just one stomp, the hill caved in.

It kicked over a dozen times before the entire hill collapsed, and only then did the bear seem to calm down.

“This guy has terrible drinking habits,” Zhuang Hao remarked.

The drunken bear stumbled forward, completely ignoring Zuo Yunfei and Zhuang Hao as it passed by them.

Zuo Yunfei frowned as he watched the wobbling bear and said, “We better deal with it quickly. If it charges into the camp this drunk, it’s going to be a real mess.”

Zhuang Hao nodded in agreement. “I think so too.”

“Why does Qi Shaorong like this kind of thing?” Zuo Yunfei asked, clearly confused.

Zhuang Hao shook his head. “I don’t know either. Shaorong always has strange ideas.”

“Wait, it’s heading in Ah Heng’s direction! Stop it!” Zuo Yunfei suddenly shouted, alarmed.

Zuo Yunfei and Zhuang Hao gave chase, and a fierce battle between the two of them and the Earth Bear erupted.

Outside the Tianxing Mountains, in a secluded courtyard.

Qi Shaorong looked at the exhausted Zuo Yunfei and Zhuang Hao and asked, “You two look beat. What have you been up to?”

Zuo Yunfei gave Qi Shaorong a sour look and said, “All because of your rotten idea. Do you even realize how much stronger the Earth Bear gets when it’s drunk?”

Qi Shaorong rolled his eyes and replied, “I didn’t expect it would gain more power after getting drunk.”

Zuo Yunfei grumbled, “There are plenty of things you don’t expect.”

Qi Shaorong patted Zuo Yunfei’s shoulder and said earnestly, “Zuo Shao, when you encounter problems, you need to find ways to solve them. That’s what smart people do. Complaining won’t get you anywhere.”

Zuo Yunfei forced a dry smile. “Thanks so much for your wise advice.”

“No need to thank me. I’m always happy to guide the lost,” Qi Shaorong said with a smile.

Zuo Yunfei: “……”

“Master, can we administer the drug now?” Qi Heng asked.

Qi Shaorong took a deep breath. “According to my original plan, it’d be best to let the bear adjust for a couple more days, but judging by how it’s behaving now…”

“If we wait two more days, that stupid bear might just barge into the camp,” Zuo Yunfei said.

Qi Heng hesitated and said nervously, “The bear’s roars are scaring off passing beast merchants. Word is spreading that there’s a Saint-rank beast in the area.”

Zuo Yunfei squinted. “Those beast merchants are sharper than I thought. I figured their brains were all stuffed with gold coins.”

Qi Heng glanced at Zuo Yunfei and said, “It’s not surprising. If it were just a ninth-rank beast, there’s no way you and Young Master Zhuang wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Zuo Yunfei nodded. “Fair point.”

“A lot of the merchants have already fled in fear,” Qi Heng added.

Zuo Yunfei rolled his eyes in disdain. “Running off over a little scare like this? They’ll never make it big in business with guts like that.”

Qi Heng: “……”

Qi Shaorong injected a blue potion into a wine jar and stirred it evenly.

Zuo Yunfei eyed the wine jar with suspicion. “Are you sure this sleeping drug will work on a Saint-rank magical beast?”

Qi Shaorong shook his head while stirring with a glass rod. “No idea. I’ve never tried it before.”

“What if I drink this wine instead?” Zuo Yunfei asked.

Qi Shaorong turned to him and smiled brightly. “Well, I’m not exactly sure. If you’re unlucky, you’ll sleep for a few days and wake up just fine. If you’re lucky—you’ll never wake up, and I can help Ah Heng find a better partner.”

Zuo Yunfei’s face darkened. “Qi Shaorong, you…”

Qi Heng quickly tugged on Zuo Yunfei’s sleeve. “He’s just joking.”

Zuo Yunfei: “……”

Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Shaorong and asked, “How confident are you that this drug will work?”

Qi Shaorong shook his head. “No clue. Let’s just give it a shot.”

Zuo Yunfei crossed his arms and snorted. “At this point, we’ve got no choice but to treat a dead horse like a live one.”

Giant wine jars fell from the sky. The Earth Bear, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly opened its eyes. The descent of the jars slowed as they neared the ground.

During Qi Shaorong’s first attempt at airdropping wine, a few jars had broken despite using shockproof containers.

This time, Qi Shaorong observed the bear through a light crystal and saw something astonishing.

“That guy actually slowed the fall of the jars. He’s smart!” Qi Shaorong exclaimed.

Zuo Yunfei frowned. “Smart? I don’t see it.”

Qi Shaorong: “……”

The Earth Bear lifted a paw, and a wine jar soared through the air, landing right by its mouth. The liquor inside flowed entirely into its maw.

“I thought it wouldn’t drink. Turns out it enjoys it quite a bit!” Qi Shaorong commented in surprise.

“Well then, should we make our move?” Zuo Yunfei asked, itching to act.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “I think so.”

When Zhuang Hao, Zuo Yunfei, Qi Shaorong, and Qi Heng reached the Earth Bear’s territory, the massive creature was lying on the ground, snoring soundly.

Zuo Yunfei looked toward the bear. “It’s sleeping deeply. Think it might suddenly wake up?”

No sooner had he spoken than the Earth Bear leapt up from the ground, letting out an ear-splitting roar.

Qi Shaorong couldn’t help but marvel at Zuo Yunfei’s uncanny jinxing ability.

The Earth Bear swung a bamboo pole over a hundred meters long, pounding the ground and leaving hundreds of craters in its wake.

Zuo Yunfei frowned deeply. “What the heck is going on? That thing looks way too energetic.”

Qi Shaorong chuckled awkwardly. “Maybe the drug wore off.”

In the bamboo forest, stalks of bamboo transformed into flying swords, shooting toward the four men. Zuo Yunfei had no time to argue with Qi Shaorong and had to deal with the immediate threat.

The Earth Bear beat its chest and let out a string of high-pitched, nonsensical shrieks. The sound shook Qi Shaorong’s internal organs.

After a few moments of intense roaring, the bear suddenly fell backward with a boom and began snoring again.

Qi Shaorong let out a long sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was just a three-minute outburst.

Zuo Yunfei turned to Qi Shaorong. “What just happened?”

Qi Shaorong offered an embarrassed smile. “Not entirely sure, but… maybe it finished its drunken tantrum and passed out.”

Zuo Yunfei smirked. “Is that so? Well, thank heavens for that.”

Qi Shaorong nudged Zhuang Hao. “Quick, go try it! Maybe you can form a contract with it now.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Tianxing Mountain Range.

A massive bear sat atop a tall hill. The Zuo family’s guards each carried a wine jar, passing by the giant creature.

When a soldier handed over a wine jar, they could take away a piece of ore from the bear.

From a distance, Qi Shaorong watched the scene. “Having the Earth Bear mine ore… Ah Heng, you really do think outside the box.”

Qi Heng chuckled. “It was just a random idea. The Earth Bear can manipulate earth power, so having it help mine saves a lot of labor and resources.”

“Indeed,” Zuo Yunfei added admiringly. “Ah Heng, you’re truly resourceful. I was still wondering how we’d extract the deeper mineral veins. Looks like there’s no need to worry anymore.” The Zuo family had once given up on this mining site due to the difficulty of extraction.

The Earth Bear lazily drank its wine and then slapped a massive ore boulder with a paw, shattering it into hundreds of neatly sized chunks.

Qi Shaorong looked at the lounging bear and rubbed his chin. People in this world really are bold… Making a sacred-grade beast a mining foreman. Even if it’s a foreman, it still feels like a demotion.

The guards in charge of transporting ore eyed the bear nervously.

Zhuang Hao turned to Zuo Yunfei. “Your guards are pretty timid. They’re walking like they’ve got chronic arthritis.”

Zuo Yunfei shot him a look. “Can’t blame them. For regular people, being able to even walk near a sacred beast is already impressive. If it were your Zhuang family’s guards, they’d probably have pissed their pants by now.”

Zhuang Hao scoffed. “You’re exaggerating. My guards would be striding confidently.”

“Zuo-shao, how much do you think this mine could fetch if you sold it?” Qi Shaorong asked.

“Rough estimate? About three billion. The mineral reserves here are way above expectation. And with the Earth Bear helping out, we can significantly cut down on mining costs. All I need to provide is some cheap booze. That dumb bear can’t tell good wine from bad anyway,” Zuo Yunfei replied.

Qi Shaorong gave him a look. “You’d better not abuse it, understood?”

Zuo Yunfei looked puzzled. “Qi-shao, I really don’t get it. You already have Young Master Zhuang, so why are you still so attached to a bear?”

Qi Shaorong: “That’s beside the point. And by the way, no one asked you to speak.”

Zuo Yunfei: “…”

Qi Shaorong turned to Zhuang Hao. “Are you planning to take this big guy back with you?”

Zhuang Hao shook his head. “No need. The old guy’s been through a lot. Let’s show some mercy.”

“Just leave it here to work for me. What would you take it back for?” Zuo Yunfei said cheerfully.

Qi Shaorong: “…”