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Chapter 12: They're Big

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"What are you doing?!" Ti Ping questioned the bull with furrowed brows.

"It's awkward to be standing here while Senior is naked inside the lake, so we should do the same," Bi Gong reasoned simply. He'd already untied his pants, and pulling them down his hooves he soon stood completely bare besides his fur.

At this moment, Kyu Cao recovered from his brief absentmindedness. He didn't look away, but his stare did become more sobered and curious.

"It does sound fair." Wonlai actually agreed, also starting to strip down.

Seeing that even the Young Master was planning to dive in, Ti Ping found it useless to object and copied the others.

As trainees in an army, at least Ti Ping and Bi Gong had to bathe with many other young males in the communal bathhouses, so they were used to being naked around others and others being naked. As for Wonlai, even as a minor member, he was sometimes serviced during bath, so he wasn't bashful either.

But here was neither the bathhouse nor their homes, and this cat was practically a stranger to them. Exactly as Bi Gong said, this situation was really so unfamiliar, that they found themselves forced to even their positions.

Just like when one single individual is eating a sumptuous meal in front of others, if both parties don't have enough of a connection, or the opposite, distinction, it might turn uncomfortable for both.

It was the same principle.

"Holy! This water is really cold!" Feeling the cold water, Bi Gong, who had gone ahead of the other two, said with a shudder. He moved close to Kyu Cao, a little deeper, and sat down in one movement. He visibly trembled as he snorted a gust of air, before adjusting himself to the water's temperature.

The lake was no longer calm as two more young theriopes also made their way in.

"Oh," Wonlai suddenly exclaimed, "Fellow Brother Cao, you're injured."

Hearing this, both Bi Gong and Ti Ping turned. They quickly noticed that on the cat's left side there was a sizeable gash; it didn't bleed, but both the fur and skin were separated revealing the red flesh under.

They immediately came to the conclusion that it must have come from the fight with the three-clawed grizzly, and weren't surprised that this was the case.

What surprised them, was that because Kyu Cao had acted as if nothing had happened, they'd truly thought that he'd come unscathed from the encounter, his clothes being the only casualty.

"It's all right. The wound has closed and it is not deep." It was nothing he couldn't treat himself.

As they gathered, Kyu Cao had already accepted their implicit invitation, and too sat accordingly.

Wonlai and Ti Ping also sat, involuntarily shivering once due the cold water. The group of four ended forming a circle at the lake's shallow edge.

"Fellow Cultivator Cao was too reckless. Ignoring that it was your first time in battle, the clothes you were using were simply unsuitable, more like a hindrance. And it seems like you don't have any proper instruction in martial combat." Surprisingly, it was Ti Ping who spoke those words as soon as he sat, the young rat facing the cat with a serious expression.

Wonlai and Bi Gong turned with a raised eyebrow, finding unexpected that it was the rat who was giving advice to Kyu Cao.

It was, after all, pretty evident for them that he didn't like the cat very much. The wording could've been better though, so Wonlai gave him a slight warning with his eyes.

"I see," Kyu Cao didn't take notice of any of this, and just spoke agreeing. He indeed had realized his mistakes, but it was reassuring to have someone in the know point them out.

However, next, Ti Ping revealed a helpless expression mingled with envy. "Still, it's pretty evident that Fellow Cultivator Cao is most likely a combat genius, so even this, soon won't even matter."

Wonlai and Bi Gong were startled when they heard this, but then they too helplessly agreed in their hearts.

This was not an objective evaluation, but simply a gut feeling. It was simply that they'd met those peerless geniuses in the army, and the cat's aura and feats, although less dazzling, simply reminded them too much of them.

Although only a gut feeling, they were pretty confident on it.

Kyu Cao listened quietly, his tail lazily twisting in the water like a little aquatic viper.

While he was unshakably confident in his abilities, he didn't really consider himself an unmatched Son of Heaven. What he could do, after all, was result of his hard work and learning from many failures.

Nevertheless, ha was really happy of being praised so highly by someone who could be considered a peer and senior. "Thank you," he said softly, his tone unable to hide his embarrassment and shyness despite his impassive face.

"Fuck, this guy's really..." This reaction, however, only made Ti Ping want to squeak angrily and curse loudly. "What are you acting all shy for?! And with such expressionless face! Ah, Heaven is really unfair, giving all the good stuff to these oddballs!" He could only release his frustration inside his mind.

Guessing the rat's thinking, Wonlai only regarded him with some sympathy, while Bi Gong only gave him a look as if he was seeing a weirdo.

"By the way, Fellow Brother Cao, have you heard about the Celebratory Tournament that will be held in three months?"

"Celebratory Tournament, you mean the one held to celebrate Great General Dai Dao's promotion?" The tiger nodded, confirming Kyu Cao's guess.

Certainly he knew, though not because he was notified.

Nowadays, it was impossible to go about the state without hearing the servants gossiping about the topic. This was how he came to know of it.

It seemed that the Blood General himself had proposed the idea, as a way to celebrate his eldest son's promotion, together with a great banquet which would last days.

At the age of 42, the Eldest Young Master of the Bloodstripe Clan had achieved the position of Great General, making him the youngest in history.

From Captain to General, this was qualitative leap; from leading 200 soldiers to 1,000, this made one eligible to direct small-scale operations.

However, this still was lackluster in comparison to the change to Great General, who commanded a terrifying number of 10,000 heads.

A Great General was qualified to oversee an entire Province, or a full section of the Empire's borders, being the most acclaimed active commandant outside times of war.

There were many Generals in the Bloody Army. Yet, the number of Great Generals could be counted with both paws and a foot. This illustrated how much of a stemmed and valued position a Great General was.

Dai Dao was not only the youngest Great General ever, he was also the eldest son of the Blood General, and next head of the Bloodstripe Clan, one of the main Great Clans of the Wave Breaking Empire.

With such achievements and qualifications, such boastful and grand manner of celebration was simply rightful.

"I can only say I know a little bit."

As expected, thought Wonlai, but he was still surprised. This tournament was practically the most talked and widespread event right now, spanning the whole Empire. For someone to not know of it, that theriope must be pretty extricated from the world's happenings.

"This Tournament might be the biggest one in the last hundreds of years," said the tiger with emotion. "Clan Master has spared no effort to invite all the important figures of the Empire, even sending the Flashwing Hawks to spread this news around all the Empire. He's invited all the Great Clans, and extended a calling to all the martial artist. Not only there will be a banquet worthy of the Emperor, but for this Tournament, it seems he's prepared truly sumptuous rewards that even the hidden experts wouldn't ignore."

"Oh, is it that grand?"

"It is! Of course, the event most people are anticipating is the New Blood Tournament, where all the young geniuses will surely gather. Especially the Great Clans, their old experts might be their backbone, but their young are their future! Only participating is bringing their family a good amount of face, no mention winning. Everyone's looking forward to seeing who the biggest genius of this generation is."

Kyu Cao listened attentively, already imaging how it would be.

Plus, with such a big celebration on part of the region's overlord, Bloodbath City would surely also join in the festivities, maybe organizing their own festival.

It should be interesting, and he might enjoy himself a bit.

However, Kyu Cao wasn't sure how all this would end relating to him, so he didn't haste himself making plans.

Noticing the cat seemingly pondering something, Bi Gong suddenly asked, "Is Senior planning to enter the New Blood Tournament?" He found that he had the craving for seeing how he would do in the competition.

"No." An answer without an ounce of hesitation, it left the young bull stunned. Then Kyu Cao returned the question, "Are you?"

"Well, yeah. Right?" Bi Gong responded, still a bit dazed, while the last part was actually directed to Wonlai.

"Yes, we'll be participating in the Team Tournament."

"There's also a Team Tournament?"

"Yes, not only is there also a Team Tournament, there will be a Mercenary Group Tournament as well, and the Young Blood Tournament will actually be divided in two categories, individual and group, which is the one we're participating in, and further by age. Finally, there's the Open Tournament, where anyone can enter without restrictions. This Celebratory Tournament is sure to last at least several days," Wonlai explained.

Only now Kyu Cao fully realized the grand scale of this celebration. It seemed like the Blood General was really planning to shake Heaven and Earth.

And these guys were planning to have part in this mammoth event.

"I wish you good graces."

Hearing the cat's extremely solemn words, Wonlai was touched, but still revealed a wry smile. "We thank Fellow Brother Cao for his blessings, but we're entering knowing that winning first place is not possible for us. Second or even third is still far away. With all the peerless geniuses gathering, it will be very hard for the most ordinary teams to advance. However, we might be ordinary, but we will still aim for our best, and we won't lose to at least those other ordinary teams." Wonlai's expression turned passionate at the end, his eyes glowing with a determined intent.

This infected the nearby Ti Ping, who looked at his boss with a no less passionate, and admiring gaze.

Splash.

The moment was, however, somewhat ruined by the loud sound of water splashing.

Turning their gazes, they could see a bulky bull youth splashing water on his face and rubbing it coarsely.

"You loghead! The Young Master is giving an inspiring speech here! You should be paying attention!" Outraged, Ti Ping began to berate Bi Gong without restrain.

Hearing the words "inspiring speech", the tiger's ears twitched with a hidden tinge of embarrassment. Luckily, he managed to not cough.

"Is fine, isn't it? The tournament is still three months away."

"You...!"

"Calm down, he's kind of right. We should hurry too; Li Ling should not take much time to catch something. If she arrives and see us all like this, who knows if she might shed her scales," Wonlai said to placate the pair, also using his paw to cup some cold water and splashing it on his face.

"Where is Miss Li Ling?" Considering her reaction the first time they met, Kyu Cao knew that she wouldn't come with the situation like this. But she didn't seem to be close either.

"She didn't want to come with us right away, so she suggested that she could go and hunt something to have dinner here in the forest. Well, basically, she went away to make time while Fellow Brother Cao bathed."

"This place's a little shallow. We should move to a deeper spot," chimed in Bi Gong.

Wonlai nodded, and Ti Ping threw a last reproaching glare to the bull before ignoring him.

Kyu Cao just silently observed them, and when the trio made a movement to stand he followed suit.

There was no a breeze running through the forest right now, but the air was cool even during the day. As the group rose to their feet and hooves, three of them shuddered visibly. Their furs were damp and clinging to their bodies with cold water, so with the addition of the cold air, it was chilling even for a Cultivator.

The only one unaffected, Kyu Cao, had his eyes fixed on them, observing the way their bodies quivered with curiosity.

Particularly, he couldn't help but notice the bull's testes, which trembled and then oscillated slightly like a hefty black pendulum.

This stare was not that discrete, and Bi Gong didn't miss it. "What's Senior doing?"

"... They're big."

"Hah?" Bi Gong was momentarily struck speechless, before following the cat's eyes, looking down to himself.

Oh, so that's what he was watching!

Wonlai blinked overwhelmed, while Ti Ping's nose wrinkled with a wary gaze.

Nobody knew what to say for a moment, before Wonlai spoke tentatively, "Is Fellow Brother Cao's first time seeing a bull's..." He couldn't complete the question. Heavens, what was he saying?!

"Actually, this is my first time seeing someone else nude, or another's race." Kyu Cao stare shifted to the tiger.

Wonlai was not as big as an ox, but as a tiger, his figure was evidently powerful and vigorous. The muscles bulged out distinctly but not exaggeratedly, the black stripes only served to accentuate each orange mountain and valley. His chest was mesmerizing like snowy sand dunes.

Ti Ping was much lankier, but by no means bony. His muscles were more compact, giving a truly solid impression despite him being so thin. With his gray fur, he was like a figure carved out of stone, with only a tad of fleshy pink.

Ti Ping had the impulse to put his hand and cover his front region, but doing so would felt like a loss so he endured it.

"Hahaha, we oxen are the biggest down there!" Without an ounce of shyness, the bull bragged uproariously.

"Yes, just for a little bit," replied calmly Kyu Cao, like a scholar giving a lecture.

Hearing this, Bi Gong felt like choking with his own tongue.

But the cat's attack didn't end there.

"Ah, if you meant the phallus, horses and dragons are actually bigger."

Now he felt like coughing some blood.

Unable to hold it, Wonlai exploded in roaring laughter, and even Ti Ping was now smirking with great amusement.

Unbeknownst to the group, Li Ling had already returned, standing not that far away, hidden by the dense foliage.

Her hunt was easy and rewarding, but when she came back, the males for some reason had all decided to take a dive in the lake, so she didn't try to get close.

Still, from her position she still heard everything.

As a pure and unmarried girl, she was so embarrassed, and her temperature had risen so high, that her long sinuous body was about to go limp.

"These stupid males, what are they talking so loudly about? All males are idiots. Perverts, perverts."

And so, all males in the world were unfairly cursed until their ears inexplicably buzzed.

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At first I was embarrassed about his part, since I'm not used to write "embellished depictions" and "ridiculous situations", and had to stop several times to think about how to go on with it. I wanted to do it erotic but funny, yet the result was better than I expected. I'm so satisfied that I'm no longer concerned about if this will discourage some readers to continue with this series, since now it should be pretty obvious were are we going.

And like I said, titles is just for me to have some fun. Thanks for reading!