Chapter 117: Little Chubby A-Bao

Zhang Ziying suddenly asked, "Senior He, I noticed the perimeter wall is only about forty feet high. Since the Yin soldiers and ghost generals cannot tunnel through the ground due to the Earth Deity Protection Mantra, can't they just fly over the top?"

This was a purely amateur question. After all, Zhang Ziying was still a trainee who had stepped into the path of cultivation less than two months ago. Having studied the Qingcheng Sword Immortal lineage, she naturally lacked an understanding of Maoshan Daoism.

Even Honghong could answer this. Li Yunfei smiled at her and said, "Honghong, explain it to your sister."

Hearing this, Honghong replied in a crisp voice, "Sister, you're overthinking it. The wall is merely a vessel for the formation; it's not the wall itself that blocks the Yin soldiers and ghost generals."

"The spiritual barrier of the Iron Wall Formation can reach a height of ten thousand zhang, while the maximum altitude ghosts can fly is only six thousand zhang."

"Once they exceed that height, they are instantly turned to ash by the ultraviolet rays, the incredibly dense Yang energy in the sky, or the unique 'Nine Heavens Profound Lightning' found at such altitudes."

"Only Ghost Immortals can break through this six-thousand-zhang limit and roam freely. Below that rank, anyone wishing to leave the Iron Wall Formation must force their way out through the front."

Upon hearing Honghong's explanation, Zhang Ziying finally understood and felt relieved.

A moment later, the helicopter landed on the helipad behind the southern camp. After He Ming thanked the pilot, he led Li Yunfei and the others straight toward a row of prefabricated houses.

The houses stood with their backs to the helipad. The group passed through the gaps between them, and just as they turned a corner, they ran into a young child.

The child looked to be about the same age as Honghong. He was chubby, with round, fleshy cheeks, giving him a sturdy and honest appearance.

He wore a smile that could instantly lift anyone’s mood, looking like a miniature version of the Maitreya Buddha—quite comical.

However, he had two dark circles around his eyes, looking as if he had been beaten up.

Because of this, his smile appeared even more ridiculous; it was truly a rare sight to see someone beaten into such a state yet still grinning so happily.

He was dressed in a colorful beach shirt and shorts, but paired them with equally colorful sneakers. The little fatty seemed to have a particular obsession with vibrant colors.

When the little fatty saw He Ming, his eyes lit up. He started running over on his thick, short legs, waddling as he went. As he ran, he shouted in a muffled, nasal voice, "Uncle Hippo! You finally arrived!"

"Uncle Hippo" was a nickname the boy had exclusively bestowed upon He Ming. Since his surname was He and he was born in the year of the Horse, he had ended up with the name "Hippo."

He Ming's cheek twitched, but he ignored him, instead muttering to himself, "To think that even this little fatty has been brought here by Ziwei... it seems the situation has truly become critical."

Hearing He Ming's mutterings, Li Yunfei couldn't help but look the little fatty up and down with curiosity. Based on He Ming's words, was this little boy actually a master capable of matching a Yin-Spirit stage cultivator?

The little fatty rushed up to them, and just as he was about to say something to He Ming, he caught sight of Honghong standing beside Zhang Ziying. His eyes went blank.

Honghong tilted her head and looked at him, the lollipop in her mouth shifting as her delicate, pretty face puffed out a little, making her look even more adorable.

The adults looked at the little fatty, then at Honghong, and exchanged amused smiles.

*Smack.*

"Ow... Uncle Hippo, why did you hit me?"

Seeing the little fatty in a daze, He Ming couldn't help but slap him on his mushroom-cut head.

"Your eyeballs are about to fall out. Look at how pathetic you look."

"Uh..."

The little fatty scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed but unbothered. He chuckled foolishly at Honghong and said, "Hello, little sister. My name is Abao. What's yours?"

The little fatty looked quite dim-witted, and Honghong wasn't really interested in talking to him. However, she sensed that the aura emanating from him was extremely profound—hardly any weaker than her own. He was likely a top expert from Zixiao, and it wouldn't be wise to offend him.

"My name is Honghong. Hello, Brother Abao." Honghong took the lollipop out of her mouth and greeted him politely. Even though the little fatty looked to be about the same age as her, she herself was barely over half a year old, so calling him "brother" wouldn't be a loss.

Hearing Honghong address him as "Brother Abao" with her crisp, bell-like voice, Abao felt completely at ease and utterly intoxicated.

Excitedly, he reached behind his back. When he pulled his hand out, he was holding a bamboo shoot about the thickness of Honghong's arm and a foot long. It looked as green and fresh as jade and radiated a dense spiritual aura.

"Sister Honghong, I'll treat you to something delicious. This is a spiritual bamboo shoot, a specialty of Mount Qingcheng. It's rich in spiritual energy, crispy, and fragrant—so yummy!"

Li Yunfei, Zhang Ziying, and He Ming were all speechless.

At this point, Li Yunfei began to catch on. Between the little fatty's appearance and his choice of a welcoming gift—a bamboo shoot—the sense of déjà vu was overwhelming. He had heard Liu Bin mention earlier that Zixiao had several giant pandas that had achieved enlightenment and were bestowed the title of Honorary Elder.

He just hadn't expected that this so-called "Giant Panda Elder," after taking on human form, would look like such a chubby little boy. He probably wasn't even two years old yet.

It was no wonder he liked wearing colorful, vibrant clothes. The greatest wish of the giant panda race was to take a color photograph, and now that he had transformed into a human, he had finally fulfilled that dream.

Thinking of this, Li Yunfei couldn't help but want to laugh.

Honghong resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She forced a smile and said, "Thank you, Brother Abao, but I don't eat raw food, and I prefer meat."

Abao scratched his head upon hearing this and said, "What's so good about meat? It gives you a stomachache, and if you eat too much, you'll get fat."

"..."

Everyone was speechless again. *You're the one eating bamboo shoots, and look at you—you're not exactly thin!* This kid was already at the terminal stage of being a "straight-man" chauvinist at such a young age; he was hopeless.

In reality, giant pandas belong to the bear family, and their ancestors were meat-eaters. However, as time passed and the environment changed, they began to rely on bamboo and bamboo shoots. Their digestive systems were no longer suited for meat; just as Abao said, eating it often caused stomach aches or nausea.

Li Yunfei's eyes darted, a smile spreading across his face. "Little brother, could you let me have a look at your spiritual shoot?"

Abao subconsciously pulled the shoot back, hugging it to his chest and looking at Li Yunfei with suspicion. "Who are you? Spiritual shoots are for eating, not for looking at like flowers or grass. What's there to see?"

Honghong and Li Yunfei shared such a rapport that many things required no prior communication. Seeing this, she said gracefully, "He is my big brother."

As soon as Abao heard this, the expression on his chubby face changed faster than flipping a book. He immediately returned to his grinning self and held out the spiritual shoot again, fawning with a smile, "Hello, Big Brother! Here, take a look, take a look! Hehe."

Zhang Ziying couldn't help but laugh out loud, and He Ming shook his head in amusement.

Li Yunfei's mouth twitched. He resisted the urge to flick the boy on the forehead and took the spiritual shoot. The next moment, right before everyone's eyes, the shoot vanished from his hand.