As Zhang Sanfeng rode on Gai Ci's back, he arrived at the camp just as it was being dismantled. His mother’s angry shout could be heard from afar, “Hurry up and find it!”

“What are you looking for?” Zhang Sanfeng quickly emerged from the bushes, pretending to be clueless.

“Ah! You scared me! No... wait, what have you done? What’s going on?” His mother was startled when she saw Zhang Sanfeng riding on Gai Ci. She couldn’t understand the sudden appearance of the bear.

“Oh, it’s like this, Mother,” Zhang Sanfeng quickly thought of a plausible lie. “I went out this morning to relieve myself. I didn’t want you and the beautiful elf aunts to smell anything unpleasant, so I went a bit further.”

While he spoke, his mother rushed over and pulled him into an embrace, asking, “But what’s with this bear?”

“I found it after I was done,” Zhang Sanfeng explained. “It wasn’t feeling well, so I used a bit of Nature’s Breath to heal it. It was very grateful, and I thought, why not make it my pet and take it with me? I’ve already signed a contract with it. Is that alright, Mother?”

His mother sighed but relented, “Alright, but you can’t just do things like this again. This bear... it’s strange, but as long as it doesn’t pose a danger to you, you can keep it.”

“Thank you, Mother! But... may I know how you came to that conclusion?” Zhang Sanfeng asked, curious.

“Instinct,” she said confidently. “Mother’s instincts are always accurate!”

Zhang Sanfeng felt a sweat drop. Women’s instincts were truly powerful. Just as his mother called for everyone to prepare to leave, one of the scouts returned. Zhang Sanfeng immediately spoke up, “Mother, could you wait a moment?”

He didn’t want to miss the opportunity to retrieve the Nine-Headed Serpent’s body. It was a priceless treasure. He knew that, on the mainland, killing a level nine beast was a rare occurrence, only happening once every few centuries. Every part of the creature was valuable: its core could be used to craft a staff with near-divine power, its hide made for nearly indestructible armor, and its organs were precious alchemical materials. The specific skin from certain parts of its body could even be used to create level nine magic scrolls, each worth a fortune in gold.

“What is it?” His mother asked.

“Mother, there’s a treasure worth tens of millions of gold coins! Would you be interested?” Zhang Sanfeng pretended to be surprised.

“Really? Are you trying to trick me? That’s not something a good child would do,” his mother said, her expression flickering between joy and suspicion.

“It’s true, Mother! I swear!” Zhang Sanfeng quickly reassured her.

“Really? Where is it?” His mother still seemed skeptical.

“Well, first, we need to discuss the distribution,” he said with a sly grin. “I’ll take half.”

“Ha, negotiating with your mother already, huh?” she teased.

“Mother, I’ll probably spend most of my time in the alchemy room, so I need my own funds to buy materials,” Zhang Sanfeng said seriously.

“Alright, alright. I’ll give you some funds when we return, but stop making trouble now. Let’s go!” she urged, clearly eager to move on.

“No, Mother! I’m not lying! There really is treasure. Radar told me about it!” Zhang Sanfeng insisted.

“Radar? You don’t even have a crystal ball. That’s still back in the royal city!” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Mother, I can’t see it without the crystal ball, but that doesn’t stop Radar from telling me what it sees.”

“What did it see?” she asked, clearly intrigued.

“One-half?” he asked, testing her.

“One-half!” His mother sighed, clearly defeated.

“It said there’s a Nine-Headed Serpent’s corpse about a hundred miles in that direction!” Zhang Sanfeng pointed.

“Is it sure it’s a corpse? If it’s still alive, we’d all be its next meal!” His mother was visibly worried.

“The nine heads are gone, there’s a huge hole in its chest, and Radar couldn’t even see its heart from inside,” Zhang Sanfeng reassured her.

“Radar was able to describe all that? Could it have been controlled by the Nine-Headed Serpent?” His mother was still cautious.

“Radar’s soul has my mark on it. Anything it sees is projected directly into my mind. Whoever controls it would have to get rid of my mark first. And can the Nine-Headed Serpent even use soul magic?” Zhang Sanfeng asked.

“But who could have killed such a powerful creature?” his mother wondered aloud.

“It must have been another, even stronger beast. They often fight each other!” Zhang Sanfeng replied.

“Alright, son. I’ll trust you this time, but don’t let me down! Everyone, gather up! Follow my son’s lead!” His mother ordered. “Son, you ride the bear and lead the way. I’ll cast Water Walking on it, so it can move through the swamp without sinking!”

“Yes, Mother, follow me!” Zhang Sanfeng called out, guiding the way with a confident smile.

As Zhang Sanfeng rode on Gai Ci back the way they came, he couldn’t help but admire the Water Walking spell. It was a level five magic that allowed creatures to walk on water with ease. Gai Ci, experiencing this ability for the first time, was visibly excited. The bear hopped playfully on the surface, causing Zhang Sanfeng to be jolted around, though he didn’t mind much. His mother and the elven captain, Aunt Kaelin, followed closely behind.

“Your Highness, where are we headed? There’s a Nine-Headed Serpent deep in the swamp!” Aunt Kaelin asked.

“How many?” his mother inquired.

“Only one,” Kaelin replied. “If there were two, they’d fight over territory. They’re very territorial.”

“We’re going to collect its corpse,” his mother said.

“What?” Kaelin blinked in confusion.

“My son told me the Nine-Headed Serpent is dead, and we’re going to collect its body,” the Queen clarified.

“Good heavens! How does the young master know this? What if it’s still alive?” Kaelin’s voice trembled with concern.

“I trust him. He wouldn’t lie about this,” the Queen said confidently. “And even if it’s still alive, we can’t possibly lose. The Nine-Headed Serpent is slow-moving. We just need to keep our distance and confirm it’s dead. Worst case, we waste a trip. But if my son’s right...” She chuckled, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We’ll strike it rich!”

The elves around them sweat nervously. For them, the Queen’s obsession with gold was something they simply couldn’t comprehend.

The journey of 100 miles took only a little over an hour with the unicorns’ help. Gai Ci, not as fast as the unicorns but still swift, was urged on by a series of hastily cast acceleration spells from the Queen. Finally, they arrived together, and when they saw the towering mass of the Nine-Headed Serpent’s body, the Queen and the elves burst into cheers.

“Oh, my dear son, you are truly remarkable! Who would have thought that your radar could be used to find treasure? This is a great alchemical creation—it will go down in history, I swear!” The Queen lifted him into her arms, her joy overflowing.

“Let’s get to work! And remember, I get half!” Zhang Sanfeng replied with a mischievous grin.

“Alright, alright. But, you’re so small... could you let your mother help you manage it?” she asked, her tone suddenly concerned.

“I’ll need my own magic crystal card and the best alchemy lab! You can supply the materials, and I’ll handle the products—but I want cash transactions! If you agree, I’ll let you keep my share... for safekeeping,” Zhang Sanfeng insisted.

“Deal! You’re a crafty little one!” the Queen chuckled. “Alright, everyone, let’s get to work. Gather the blood first, then skin it. Have ten people on lookout around the perimeter.”

“This is a jackpot!” the Queen muttered to herself as she surveyed the scene.

“What do you mean, ‘jackpot’? It doesn’t look that complete to me,” Zhang Sanfeng asked, confused.

“Of course, it’s complete!” the Queen responded. “Do you realize how powerful level nine beasts are in battle? Even I know to stay away from a Nine-Headed Serpent. The ones we’ve killed in the past were almost always obliterated by magic, and sometimes we couldn’t even find enough intact hide to make scrolls. This is the first time we’ve encountered one that’s been killed by pure physical force! The hide alone could make hundreds of scrolls! At the right success rate, we might even be able to craft five level nine magic scrolls!”

“That success rate seems pretty low...” Zhang Sanfeng remarked.

“It can’t be helped,” the Queen sighed. “The chances are always low.”

“Mother, it’s not going to be finished today,” Zhang Sanfeng said. “Tell everyone to set up camp here, and I’ll go search for the Nine-Headed Serpent’s lair.”

“Alright, I’ll send twenty people with you. Be careful!” the Queen instructed.

“Understood! I’ll see you later!”

With the group of guards his mother had provided, Zhang Sanfeng set off toward the Nine-Headed Serpent’s lair. Thanks to Gai Ci’s keen sense of smell, they arrived quickly. In fact, they didn’t even need to follow a specific path; they could simply follow the stench. The lair itself was a mound made entirely of bones, towering several dozen meters high. At the top was a flat area, the perfect spot for the serpent’s nest. When they all saw the scene inside the lair, they couldn’t help but gasp in shock.