The clouds run and wind chases as if a creditor chases a debtor. The entire sky sketches hue of black and gray, which sets off a very bleak picture against the backdrop of biting cold and intermittent sounds of winter scorpion-flies.

It’s depressing. It’s the same weather and there’s another death.

In a small house with two rooms and a lobby, stood a small eight-year-old boy. He has paper-thin arms and legs, with chisel cut chin and cheek bones, protruding neck bones and shallow skin.

Even though he looks malnourished, his eyes seem exceptionally clear and he exudes an elegance and superiority that looks brings irony to personification.

Looking at the arm length life in his hands, Zi Yang remembered his mother’s last words.

“Yang’er, I’m sorry I can’t stay. Believe in yourself and don’t feel guilty…... Everything will work out. Be brave, take care of your and your brother’s health and remember…... Auntie Jing promised three favors to me. Don’t use them unless absolutely necessary. Remember! Take care. Be brave, son. I’m sorry.”

Even though he has an adult soul, Zi Yang’s emotions are in a mess. He traversed through time and space to this world eight years ago.

During an expedition to search for alleged fossils along with his doctoral professor, his feet slipped and he fell back from a mound onto the fossil bones. The fossil bones, assumingly of a dinosaur type animal, pierced into his spine and he bid farewell to his life.

Just when he thought he died, he woke up in his mother’s amniotic fluids with no sense of direction and another blob of meat next to him. He remembers snatching bulk of the nutrients from his brother’s share in the womb.

Due to insufficient nutrients, it was difficult to maintain his brother’s life during delivery and his mother made the decision to sacrifice her beast taming space and all remaining energy to supply nutrients to womb.

Her beast partners also did not object to sacrificing their energies and lives. Had Auntie Jing not ensured their lives; they would have died as early as then.

Subsequent years had not been easy for the family. For a single mother, she had to maintain eight more years of pregnancy while earning a living and taking care of body crippled Zi Yang.

Yes, Zi Yang’s not sure if it is metaphysical or real. His spine after rebirth still hurts and its feels stuffy. It’s like carrying a mountain on his back. For this reason, he’s been unable to walk until his fifth year, and it still takes laboriously long time and effort to do daily activities.

Snapping out of the memories, Zi Yang carried his brother, whom his mother named Zi Ming, to his beast shop store front. There are the remaining beasts of her mother and his only reliance now.

“Zi Yang, you should rest here tonight. We will figure out other things tomorrow. Don’t worry, I will take care of the little one with you.”

Speaking is black and white furry creature, the national treasure of China, a Panda. She’s Mama Mei, mother’s only remaining beast now. She was also appointed as Zi Yang and Zi Ming's godmother by their mother before her death. Zi Yang could hardly hold back upon hearing these words. He fell on the floor hard. Fortunately, Mama Mei reacted in time and took over the baby.

Next morning, Zi Yang washed up and decided to plan how to live from now on. Anyhow, he was also a doctoral student – can’t he even plan his life until adulthood?

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

In two hours, Zi Yang had a frustrating answer – It’s difficult.

Damn, it’s broken. He’s crippled, unable to feel spiritual qi due to his mountain carrying spine. Finances are a mess.

There’s only a storefront with few sellable beasts – five small pandas, fortunately contains a pair; a couple of water frogs and some Euterpe berries which can be used as beast food. There also some intermitted bamboos and some rose daisies whose dew can provide a calming effect when drunk as tea.

Zi Ming’s body is also inherently deficient. It’s will take loads of gold to make up for innate deficiency. Hello, eight years and little one could not make for the loss of origin in the womb. Is he incompetent or what?

Damn, what are you thinking? You’re the one who snatched the nutrients in the first place, remember? Yeah, right. Alright. What to do? What to do?

Right, ask Mama Mei. Maybe, she knows. He did as he thought, “Mama Mei, how did mom earn money for our expenses? Our income seems insufficient for food?”

Mama Mei had just finished breastfeeding Zi Ming. She came in to the shop counter with him and replied in a silvery voice, “Yi Nuo would take us to collect herbs and other resources from the pine forest hills to the east of the town. Sometimes, we would encounter special materials and special eggs too.”

Speaking of eggs, Zi Yang remembered the two beast eggs his mother had frozen using Tianxian company’s frozen capsule technology. Those are eggs that his mother left for them to contract with. Well, that’s if he ever becomes a beast master that is.

“Oh, don’t worry Zi Yang, Mei believes you will definitely become a beast master.”

“Thank you, Mama Mei. Should we also take go to the pine forest hills next Sunday?”

Mama Mei agreed. Pine forest hills are known for the pine trees and nutritious nuts. There are no significant danger and it is renewable resource jointly managed by City Management and Beast Master Association. Citizens need to provide past of the gain to the officials and the rest belong to themselves.

The next few days were spent cleaning up the house, and making some small plans.

Like deciding to give up on school, and enroll for state provided citizen awareness classes. It was better to prepare books at home, and look for safety instructions and the know-how of the world at state-run evening school.

Like preparing for alternate means of gaining strength. In the dangerous world of beast taming, even with all the regulations – strength comes first. If the two brothers were to live well, we need strength.

Considering inability to feel spirit qi, Zi Yang decided to develop blood qi martial arts. Anyway, he was also a doctoral student and he’d read tons of material on martial arts in novels and ancient cultural text books. Could he not find a way out?

“Wait, how does it sound like a jinx? Never mind, I am overthinking. Why are things so miserable for me?”

Zi Yang took a deep breath to console himself. How good would it be to have transmigrated into a rich household with a few maids. His family would be alright then. He could have a happy family in at least one life. It’s certainly not for his own comfort and fantasies – well, alright, a little bit.

Unfortunately, it seems novels do make sense. Reincarnation is a skill and it seems I am not so skilled at it. He himself couldn’t remember how many times his defense line has been broken this week.

Sometimes he still can’t believe that he would travel to a world of spirituality where anything can evolve into spirits and become beast contacts.

This is true for animals, plants, vegetation, and even landscapes such as mountains and rivers.

There are gundams who fire lasers like Darth Vader, huge animals who can cause hurricanes, floods and earthquakes, weapons who generate spirits and freely poke without users, and, natural spirits such as thunder elves who are born of thunder and roast entire areas with electric discharge.

This is a world of strength, progression, evolution, struggle and survival.

For a weak creatures like Zi Yang and Zi Ming, curling up in a corner under the protection of the state may seem feasible but leaving one’s fate in others’ hand buries hidden dangers. As the ancients said, born in adversity, died in comfort.

Without strength, it sucks!