Traveling back to ancient times to determine the zodiac

"Zhi, are you kidding? Without fire, mankind will perish. This is a top priority, how can you not worry?" Qiu asked puzzledly.

"Cave Master, fire is very important, but our wise star - Xing, has created a way to make fire, called drilling wood to make fire. So we don't have to worry about the fire going out in the future." Zhi took Xiaoxing's hand and explained to Qiu excitedly.

"Really? There is such an invention?" Qiu couldn't believe his ears when he heard it. He immediately turned to Xiaoxing and said, "Xing, show me how to make fire by rubbing two sticks together."

"Cave Master, look, this is the fire wood I brought back from Yanshan." Xiaoxing introduced as he took out the two fire woods, one thick and one thin. Then he called Chen, and the two began the wood drilling performance.

Just like last time, they placed the big firewood on the ground first, and then the two of them used the small firewood sticks to drill it hard. After a while, thick smoke and sparks appeared, and then a flame shot out.

When Xiaoxing picked up the burning stick and showed it to Qiu, he shouted excitedly like a child: "It's on fire, it's really on fire. Miracle! What an incredible miracle! Xing, you created a miracle, a great miracle. You have made a great contribution to us humans."

"Cave Master, you're too kind. This was just a helpless act at the time." Xiaoxing scratched his head and smiled.

Qiu stroked his white beard and continued, "Xing, the old people always say that fire is a gift from God to mankind. They also say that fire is a means to change the course of human civilization. Because life without fire is very inconvenient, our ancestors of all generations have carefully protected the fire and prevented it from going out."

"Cave Master, based on my hunting experience of more than fifty years, water can nourish all things, while fire can destroy all things. Therefore, water and fire are both indispensable to human beings." Zhi interrupted.

"Zhi is right. Human beings without fire are like the sky without the sun. Now that you have invented a way to make fire, we don't have to worry about not having fire in the future. Therefore, any praise is never too much. I am old, and our hope for the development of mankind lies in you." Qiu stroked his white beard and encouraged earnestly.

"Thank you for the compliment, cave master. I will definitely work harder." Xiao Xingxun thanked him.

Hearing this, everyone looked at Xiaoxing with envy. Dong Jianqiu kept praising Xiaoxing, and couldn't help but walk towards Qiu and asked, "Master, when did these evil tigers and cats attack? Is anyone injured in the cave?"

"Alas..." Qiu sighed and replied, "Dong, these evil tigers and cats suddenly attacked us one afternoon two days ago. Fortunately, Xing's mother Chun discovered it in time and called the police loudly. I heard the news and immediately summoned everyone back to the cave, and then ordered everyone to guard the cave gate with weapons. The tigers and cats shouted at us to surrender, but I refused. The tiger king was furious and ordered the tiger and cat spirits to attack. I ordered all the warriors to resist with all their strength, and finally killed the tigers, but we also suffered many casualties."

"Ah?" Zhi heard it and said in horror: "These evil tigers and cats are ferocious and cruel. Fortunately, they were discovered early, otherwise it would have been a terrible catastrophe."

“Yes, if Chun hadn’t called the police in time, there would have been more casualties than when the Bull King attacked.” Qiu nodded.

"Master, why can't I see my mother? Is she okay?" Xiao Xing looked around when he heard about his mother. He saw the wives and children of people from the east, west, middle, and leaves all coming to greet and congratulate them, and expressing their feelings of parting. But he couldn't see his mother, so he asked anxiously.

When Qiu was asked, the smile on his face suddenly froze. He sighed heavily and said sadly: "Xing, your mother, she--"

Seeing Qiu hesitated to speak, Xiao Xing became even more anxious, and turned to ask the thin old man next to him: "Uncle Zhu, please tell me quickly, what happened to my mother?"

Lao Zhu groaned, looking like he couldn't bear to say it. In a blink of an eye, Xiao Xing saw Hong'er and Lan'er looking at him, so he hurriedly asked them: "Sister Hong'er, sister Lan'er, please tell me, what happened to my mother?"

"Brother Xing, let me tell you, don't be too sad. Your mother, she is dead." Hong'er looked at Xiaoxing who was so anxious and finally told him the truth.

"What? How could my mother die? Impossible, impossible." Upon hearing the bad news, Xiaoxing pushed through the crowd in pain and ran towards Chun's bedroom.

Qiu, Hong'er and Lan'er followed in a hurry. Then Chen and the others also followed to Chun's bed. At this moment, Chun was lying quietly on the bed, as if she was asleep. Xiaoxing knelt down in front of the bed, crying with tears streaming down her face, "Mom, mom, I'm back, please come and see me! Mom——"

"Xing, your mother has passed away, don't be too sad. You are the son of a 'tiger-fighting hero', you must be strong and cheer up." Qiu patted Xiaoxing's back gently and persuaded him.

"Cave Master, how did my mother die? Was she injured by the damn tiger?" Xiaoxing wiped her tears and looked up and asked.

"Oh!" Qiu Chen sighed again in pain, and then he talked about the details of what happened after Xiaoxing and others left.

The whole story begins after the Bull King was captured. That day, the rooster, who was hiding in the hills of the ancient pine forest, saw the Bull King being captured, and was so scared that he patted his butt and flew to Tianshan Mountain. On the way, he met the remnants of the Bull King who were released and returned home. They ran towards the glacier plateau in panic. The rooster stopped the Yellow Bull Demon and asked him the reason for his defeat: "Hasn't your Bull King defeated humans many times? Why was he captured by humans in today's battle?"

“What the Chicken King doesn’t know is that cunning humans can’t defeat us openly, so they set traps secretly. We were unaware of this, and as a result, we all fell into the traps and had to be captured. In order to survive, the King had no choice but to surrender to humans. He is willing to be at the disposal of humans forever and work for them.” After the Yellow Ox Demon said this, he broke free from the rooster and ran away without looking back.

The rooster ignored the wild buffaloes and returned to Tianshan to report to Emperor Nian. A few days later, the rooster returned to Emperor Nian's cave in Tianshan. As soon as he entered the cave, he reported with a sad face: "Report, report to Emperor Nian, the Bull King has also been captured by humans and surrendered."

Today was the day when the beast kings offered sacrifices to the Nian Emperor. The tiger king and cat king ordered the cat soldiers and tiger generals to bring all kinds of meat; the dragon king brought sweet spring water to quench the thirst of the Nian Emperor; the sheep king brought fresh grass; the monkey king brought many rare fruits. The rabbit king was busy moving things for him, the snake king was beside the Nian Emperor, driving away mosquitoes and flies for him, the pig guards, the dog-headed military advisor and the horse king were all in front of the Nian Emperor, ready to serve him at any time.

Emperor Nian, who was feasting on the hill, was almost choked when he heard the news. He stretched his neck and swallowed the food with all his strength, and said in surprise: "What? The Bull King was also captured and surrendered? Didn't the Bull King claim that he was very powerful? How come he is so vulnerable?"

"Report to Emperor Nian, when the Bull King first started fighting with humans, he did kill and injure several humans, and the humans were defeated. But later, humans secretly dug traps, causing all of the Bull King's troops to fall into the trap, and they were eventually captured and surrendered." The rooster recounted what happened.

"The Bull King is brave, but unfortunately he is foolish and does not recognize the tricks of humans. What a pity!" Emperor Nian sighed upon hearing this, but then he said angrily: "Stubborn humans just refuse to surrender to me. How hateful. I really want to chop all the humans into pieces and swallow them up."

"Emperor Nian, in fact, the Bull King is just a boaster, bragging all day long. Relying on his brute force, he treats humans as earth, wood, and stone men, which can be destroyed with a single blow. Therefore, his defeat and capture are also inevitable outcomes." The Dog-Headed Military Advisor, who was sitting on the high slope, analyzed while shaking his head and ears.

"It turns out that the Bull King is a reckless braggart, hahaha..." the Pig Guard laughed.

"What a boaster. Haha..." The other beast kings also laughed.

"Although humans are not ferocious and scary animals, they are very smart. They can hide in trees, caves, and dig traps. In fact, they are very difficult to deal with." said the rooster.

"Hmph!" The Tiger King snorted coldly, his majesty evident without even getting angry.

"Are humans really that powerful? I think only useless idiots like you would say that." When King Tiger said nothing, Cat King glared at Rooster and said with disdain, "Apart from using its horns to butt, buffaloes have no other killer moves. I'm not exaggerating, but if it were us Tiger Brother who went into battle, we would definitely bite humans to pieces and force them to surrender."

"Elvis, don't be too confident or become the second braggart." Emperor Nian looked at Elvis with suspicion.

"Meow!" Elvis yelled, "Do you think I am bragging? I will ask for orders to subdue humans right now. If you cannot, I will leave it to the Emperor Nian to deal with.

"It is commendable that King Cat asked for orders. But for the sake of prudence, King Tiger should go with him. After all, King Tiger's fangs and teeth are more ferocious than King Bull's horns." The Dog-Headed Military Advisor suggested, stroking his beard.

"Yes." Emperor Nian nodded and said, "More helpers mean more strength. I hope that King Cat and King Tiger will conquer humans when they go there. Then I will exempt you from all your tributes and make humans your lifelong slaves."

"Brother Tiger, let's go conquer humans now, what do you think?" Elvis wanted to be a hero and show his abilities in front of the animals, and he looked eager to try.

Hearing this, the Tiger King stretched and yawned, then finally spoke: "Well, they are just monkey-like humans, is it worth making such a fuss? As long as I open my mouth, I can swallow them whole. What's so difficult about them?"

"Good! The Tiger King is really courageous. Congratulations in advance on your success in wiping out the human race and returning in triumph." The Dog-Headed Military Advisor stood up and flattered the Tiger King.

"The conquest is definitely successful. What I'm worried about is whether human flesh tastes good and whether it suits my taste?" said the Tiger King.

"Since humans are similar to monkeys, human flesh should taste similar to monkey meat." Elvis licked his lips and said imaginatively.

"You'll know what it tastes like after you try it. Remember, bring a few back for me so I can have a taste." Emperor Nian said with a smile.

After the beasts had discussed and decided, the Tiger King and the Cat King returned to Tiger King Mountain and led hundreds of tiger spirits and ordinary tigers, thousands of cat spirits and ordinary cats to set off. The rooster led the way as usual, and the group marched towards Hongmeng in a mighty manner. The journey took more than a day, and that afternoon, the Tiger King and the beast army finally arrived at the territory of Hongmeng. The rooster said to the Tiger King and the Cat King: "Brother Tiger, Brother Cat, the humans live in the Tianju Cave in front. The two kings go ahead to conquer them, and I will leave first."

After the rooster finished speaking, it flapped its wings and flew back to the hills of the ancient pine forest. Elvis laughed and said, "The rooster is such a coward. He was so scared that he ran away before he even saw a human being."

The Tiger King shook his head, snorted, and led his army towards Tianju Cave in a mighty manner.

Moreover, after capturing the Bull King, the cave master Qiu did not feel relieved at all. He knew that the Nian beast would not give up and would definitely send beasts to attack people again. Therefore, he became more and more cautious and ordered everyone not to leave the cave alone without any reason. At the same time, he also sent people to patrol and guard everywhere. Once a group of beasts were found, they would be notified immediately and prepared for defense.

Chun has been missing Xiaoxing and worrying about him ever since he and Zhi went to Yanshan to look for fire. She knew how difficult this trip would be, but she also wanted to train her son, so she reluctantly let Xiaoxing go with them. After only six or seven days away, Chun began to look forward to the return of Xiaoxing and the others. She always asked Qiu suspiciously: "Master, before Xiaoxing left, didn't they say that they would return in six or seven days at the least, or ten days at the most? But now seven or eight days have passed, why haven't they come back yet? Will they encounter any danger or any accidents?"