Chapter 20: Into the Wilderness

Tom laid his head on the pillow as he dreamt of a future where he reached his dream. A future where he became an immortal being untouched by all of the things that made him suffer throughout his life. The hours passed by, and the morning came knocking, unlike Tian Chang, who breached Tom's room without any prior notice.

"Wake up. What are you doing sleeping in so late? The sun is about to rise. Don't you know that the early bird catches the worm?" Tian Chang had a unique style of waking up his son.

Tom being the light sleeper that he is, woke up once he sensed that someone had entered his room. As he answered, "Sorry, I wasn't aware that we had any task that we needed to do this early."

Tian Chang dismissed Tom's words with a grin, his voice dripping with enthusiasm as he spoke, "Do you believe that you are prepared for the rigorous training that lies ahead? During your first hunt, we only explored the outer edges of the forest and stayed less than a day. However, for this upcoming trip, you will venture much deeper into the forest and stay for a longer duration than before. We will stay in the forest for a period of five weeks, with our only source of substance being the animals you hunt. In this short period of time, I, the illustrious and unrivaled hunter Tian Chang will forge you into a beast that can track, capture, and hunts its prey with ease. I will ensure that no son of I take any place other than the first rank in this upcoming ceremony."

Tian Chang appeared to have grander plans for the upcoming training session. It seemed that he wasn't satisfied with his son simply being the winner and taking first place; instead, he wanted something more…

"I think I talked for long enough. Now it's time for us to go." Tian Chang said as he looked out of the window to see what time it was.

Tom hastily put on his clothes and rushed to the house's front door, but the equipment was not there. "Where are the equipment we will use in this training?" Tom questioned in puzzlement.

Tian Chang looked at him, giving him a devilish smile while saying, "What equipment? Do you know what this training is called?"

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Tom wasn't aware of its name, so he inquired, "What is it called?"

Tian Chang gave him a wicked grin as he stated the name of the training with a deep voice, "This training is called Beast Cage." Once he said that he looked at his son as he waited for him to cower in fear, but once he looked at him, he noticed that he wasn't afraid; instead, he was excited.

Tom didn't have the reaction of a typical child who had just heard the term Beast Cage. Instead, he looked like a kid who was told that he would receive candy.

After a while of the two of them exchanging looks with only the sound of silence playing in the background, Tian Chang's face changed from a surprised face to a joyful one as he heartily laughed, "Haha, I shouldn't expect anything less from my son. I thought that I had already understood your limits, but every time I think I really know you, you surprise me with something new."

Once Tian Chang spoke, the stillness ended, and with it, he felt that they were ready to depart. However, before that, Tom had one last question to ask, "Where is Mother? I thought that she would give us a big goodbye since she could barely let me go last time?"

"She is busy helping a couple of people from the village. Do you remember Ma Ni?" asked Tian Chang.

Tom couldn't recall anyone called Ma Ni, so he answered with a "No, I don't think that I know him."

"He is the son of Ma Roin. He was the youth that didn't start hunting until he reached eleven years old. This same lad is now quite ill, and your mother is there to help them. If you ask me, I think that his father spoiled him too much, and that is why he got sick." Tian Chang explained the situation with a couple of jokes here and there.

Tom had a gloomy countenance on his face as he said, "Oh, I see, so should we go or wait for her?"

"We don't have time for that. We need to get going now, that is, if you want to become a true hunter." Tian Chang said.

"He is lying." Noor suddenly said.

As he walked out of the house with his face out of Sight, Tom said emotionlessly, "I know. The situation is quite comedic. It's obvious that Li Mei couldn't see her son risk his life, as she couldn't say goodbye, so Tian Chang made up a story for her so that he could protect her feelings."

Tom glanced back at his house only to notice the figure of a person peeking out from the window, attempting to remain hidden from his view.

After that, the father and son duo continued on their journey as they neared the edges of the forest. The father said, "I think this is a good spot for me to take a rest."

Hearing that, Tom questioned him, "You said that we were going to venture deeper into the forest, so why are you resting here?" Tom couldn't wrap his head around Tian Chang's logic.

Tian Chang looked at his son as he said, "No, No, No, I said that you were going much deeper into the forest, not us. You should focus more on the wording that people use."

Tom looked at Tian Chang with a strange look as he asked, "So let me get this right. You want me to risk my life as I go deeper into the forest alone while providing food for the both of us?"

Tian Chang looked pleased as he said, "Bingo, now you get it."

Tom was unable to comprehend this man's plan as he asked him. "But, where is the training in that? How will I navigate in the forest without your assistance?" Anyone who saw the trials Tom went through could tell that he was the farthest thing from a weakling. However, he wasn't about to court death, either.

Tian Chang held his son in his arms and gave him a warm, comforting smile as he suddenly tossed him into the forest, saying, "Sight, they grow up so fast. If we want to see them fly, we need to gently push them out of the nest."