Chapter 16: Something Big Is Going to Happen

"Should I add some fertilizer?" Chu Feng pondered. He had cleared a section of the flowerbed in his yard but hesitated before planting the seeds. He valued these seeds greatly and wanted to be careful, knowing that regular chemical fertilizers were out of the question.

He turned his head to look at the yellow ox, who was still grinning at him, as if watching a fool. It clearly believed the three shriveled seeds wouldn't sprout.

"Yellow Ox, you have to help. Whether these three seeds sprout depends entirely on you."

Seeing his serious expression, the yellow ox was stunned and confused. It mooed, as if asking why he said that.

"Look, the soil in my flowerbed is for flowers and grass; it lacks nutrients. Why don't you contribute some?" Chu Feng asked quite calmly.

The yellow ox was confused at first, then it caught on. Its eyes widened, and white smoke began to puff from its nostrils as it stared intently at him.

"Don't be angry. It's nothing for you, quite natural. I'm even giving you special permission to do it right here in the flowerbed."

White smoke started billowing from the ox's ears too. Its eyes looked like they could kill as it glared indignantly at Chu Feng, while one front hoof began pawing the ground, ready to charge at any moment.

"Don't get so agitated. I don't mind you. If it stinks, it stinks; I'll just bear with it," Chu Feng unwisely continued to persuade.

Bang!

The yellow ox charged, knocking him flying. Thankfully, it didn't use its two golden horns, but even so, Chu Feng landed in the flowerbed. He winced from the fall, finally understanding Zhou Quan's feelings. Negotiating with an ox was too dangerous!

In fact, the yellow ox was even angrier than he was. Its ox eyes glared at him. It suspected this guy might be even more unreliable than that fatty, asking for trouble!

Chu Feng rubbed his arm as he got up, sighing. "You don't know, but these are sacred seeds. I'm afraid ordinary fertilizer won't be enough. Aren't you of mysterious origin? Everyone says ox dung is very potent, and there's even the saying about 'ox luck'..."

"Moo!"

The yellow ox let out a low roar. Although it wasn't large, its voice echoed through the yard like muffled thunder, making Chu Feng quickly cover his ears.

"Alright, alright, don't come any closer! Forget it if you don't want to!" Chu Feng said, seeing the yellow ox pawing the ground with all four hooves, ready to charge desperately into the flowerbed.

Chu Feng placed the slightly plump seed in the soil, buried it, and began to water it.

"It's all up to fate now," he murmured to himself.

The three seeds had been sealed in a stone box for countless years, and he truly had no idea if they would sprout. He felt completely uncertain. However, if they weren't ordinary objects, their vitality should be very strong. Even if the current environment wasn't ideal, they should still manage to survive.

"It's fine without ox dung too," Chu Feng muttered to himself, as a serious problem had just occurred to him.

Hearing this, the yellow ox looked displeased and somewhat confused, staring at him.

Chu Feng explained, "What if they really grow into a Queen Mother of the West or a Nine Heavens Profound Lady? If they found out I used ox dung as fertilizer, wouldn't they beat me to death?!"

The yellow ox stared blankly, then became furious, letting out a moo and wanting to charge again.

"Don't come any closer! I'm being serious. If they really found out, they'd probably consider it the most severe blasphemy. It's better to play it safe, honestly, and avoid all that trouble." Chu Feng chuckled.

The yellow ox snorted white smoke, gave him a fierce look, then turned to munch on a pineapple.

"You get fresh grass and apples! The pineapple is mine!" Chu Feng called out, chasing after it.

Finally, he buried the three seeds in three different spots, as there were several types of soil in the flowerbed, and he felt it was safer to scatter them.

"I really hope they sprout soon," Chu Feng wished, eager to see what would grow. "But if a Profound Lady actually grows, I have nothing to worry about. I would have created them, so what's there to blaspheme? Maybe they'll even be obedient," he said with a smile.

"Moo!"

An ox's bellow interrupted his thoughts.

The yellow ox was grinning, its eyes sidelong, as if mocking his daydreaming with a look of disdain.

"Go on, shoo!" Chu Feng pushed away the ox's head that was nudging him. Being constantly ridiculed by an ox left him somewhat speechless.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, he heard a booming sound. A brilliant streak of light, incredibly dazzling, shot into the sky in the distance, instantly shaking him to his core.

"A missile!"

Was this an attack on the extraterrestrial plants? Chu Feng was startled. The yellow ox, with its keen intuition, instantly opened its eyes wide. It had sensed it even before Chu Feng, and its body tensed, its golden fur rippling with light. It was somewhat nervous, sensing a threat.

Chu Feng understood that witnessing a missile launch firsthand was rare, as ordinary people never got to see such things. "The fact that I caught a glimpse of it, launched from not too far away, indicates the situation is very serious," he said with a grave expression.

Over the past two days, he had heard many rumors. It was said that such terrifying destructive weapons had long been used against extraterrestrial objects, but it had never been reported. He decided to check online; there should be some news by now.

At the same moment, his communicator chimed. It was Zhou Quan contacting him. Upon answering, he immediately heard the fatty's excited voice.

"Brother, did you see that just now? It was magnificent! A sharp sword soaring into the sky, directly towards outer space! I actually saw it with my own eyes. It will probably clear away those strange plants!"

"I hope it works," Chu Feng replied, but he also reminded Zhou Quan to make preparations early to avoid the worst and most terrifying scenarios. He then asked Zhou Quan how he felt after eating the fruit.

"A lot has changed, uh, I won't say more. I'm very tired and about to fall back into a deep sleep," Zhou Quan chuckled dryly, sounding unnatural.

"You didn't grow a tail, did you?" Chu Feng suspected, wondering why else the guy was being so evasive.

"How could I?!" Fatty Zhou yelped, vehemently explaining that he hadn't turned into an ugly monster.

"Then what's wrong with you? Why are you stammering?" Chu Feng asked.

"I... grew a horn!" Zhou Quan was on the verge of tears, then cursed loudly, "It must be that Ox Demon King's doing! It looks exactly like an ox horn!"

He continued to curse, his voice booming. The yellow ox was curious about Chu Feng's communicator, staring at it intently. Hearing Fatty Zhou's curses aimed at it, it immediately leaned closer and impolitely mocked into the communicator: "Moo, moo, moo..."

"Ox Demon King! Are you saying I look like an ox? That I'll moo like you sooner or later?!" Zhou Quan was furious.

With a "click," Chu Feng cut the call. The yellow ox, however, was still not satisfied, finding it amusing to make Fatty Zhou jump with anger.

Chu Feng began searching for news reports. There were no official ones, and the authorities remained silent about the rumored use of those weapons, but there was an overwhelming amount of unofficial information. Some people had even uploaded images similar to what Chu Feng had witnessed. It was the same all over the world. People believed that a large-scale bombardment with conventional weapons had already begun, with some even reporting seeing plant debris falling from the sky.

"Something big is about to happen," Chu Feng murmured to himself, his brows deeply furrowed. If they had achieved results, it would have been announced by now. The continued silence from those involved indicated a very serious situation!

Afterwards, he looked at other reports and saw that people were indeed very keen on discussing supernatural abilities. Even with the current tense atmosphere, many were still paying attention and analyzing. The Silver-Winged Heavenly God, King Kong, Fire Spirit, and White Tiger King were rumored to possess extraordinary, even divine, abilities, with some suggesting they might one day be revered as gods.

Chu Feng closed these reports. He was worried, unsure what the future held, and felt the need to make some preparations. The yellow ox was displeased that he had closed the reports and gestured for him to open them again. Reports with audio and video were very appealing to it.

Chu Feng tossed the communicator to it and left the house alone. He walked a short distance along the street and arrived outside a large courtyard, which was Grandfather Zhao's home and also a cold weapon workshop. By now, this ancient craft was almost extinct, but Grandfather Zhao's family had passed it down through generations without interruption. The Zhao family had also kept pace with the times, using modern alloy materials to forge knives and other tools that were well-known and highly regarded in the field. The folding crossbow Chu Feng had taken to the Tibetan region was a gift from Grandfather Zhao.

"Little Chu, when did you get back?" Grandfather Zhao smiled upon seeing him. He was over sixty, yet his body was robust, and his short, thick white hair stood stiffly upright. It was clear at a glance that this tall elder was a strong-willed man.

"I came back in the middle of the night, slept soundly, and came to visit you, Grandfather, after I woke up," Chu Feng chuckled.

"You're quite the smooth talker, young man. Are you eyeing something in my workshop again?" Grandfather Zhao asked with a smile.

"Grandfather, I'd like you to help me sharpen some crossbow bolts," Chu Feng explained his purpose. With changes happening everywhere, he felt uneasy and wanted to be prepared. He didn't count on firearms, as they were regulated and impossible to buy. However, some cold weapons could be sold with a license in this era.

After a brief discussion, Chu Feng stated what he wanted and then took his leave. He heard Grandfather Zhao say that many people had been coming recently to buy various alloy knives and tools, and demand was outstripping supply. However, the items Chu Feng requested would definitely be made first.

When he returned home, Chu Feng felt a bit suspicious. From a distance, he could hear the yellow ox constantly mooing. Soon, he realized what was happening. The ox was fiddling with the communicator, looking very pleased and completely engrossed.

Wait a minute, what was he seeing? As Chu Feng got closer, he was shocked to find that the yellow ox had opened the contact list and seemed to be talking to several people. Chu Feng immediately felt dizzy, and dark lines appeared on his forehead. What made him want to vomit blood was seeing the names on the contact list, which seemed to include Lin Nuoyi and others.

"Ox Demon King, I'm going to fight you!" Chu Feng roared.