Moo!
As the bell rang, a clear moo echoed, as if coming from a place impossibly far away.
Everyone’s expression changed instantly when they heard the sound.
I... I didn’t do anything!
Harvey Li jolted in fear and dropped to the ground. The group formed a circle, scanning their surroundings.
The lawn—the lawn is degenerating!
Yvette Ye was the first to notice something wrong, her voice trembling as she spoke.
In everyone’s eyes, the far eastern edge of the lawn, once lush and green, was now turning gray-white at a speed visible to the naked eye.
More and more gray-white color rushed in from the horizon, sweeping toward them.
What’s going on?
Kevin Qin’s expression was grim. He was badly injured, but didn’t dare relax for a second.
Jenna Jiang and the others immediately gathered their inner qi, staying on full alert.
Everyone’s gaze locked onto the distance, watching the grassland degenerate closer and closer.
The grass is being eaten.
Evan Lin suddenly spoke, and everyone froze at his words.
Soon, they spotted a black dot at the edge of the field.
At first it was just a tiny speck, but as it drew closer and grew larger, they realized it was an old yellow ox.
It looked just like any ordinary old yellow ox from the outside world, its jaws constantly chewing. Wherever it passed, all the grass seemed to obey some invisible command, flowing straight into the ox’s mouth for it to chew.
The ox was coming from afar, moving fast.
The ox wasn’t particularly large, but at its hooves and tail, five different colors of fur could be seen, giving it a mystical appearance.
Yellow ox boy, herding the yellow ox; the ox eats grass yet never is full, if it’s not full, what to do, oh what to do?
As the yellow ox approached, a crisp child’s voice singing the nursery rhyme drifted closer and closer.
Only then did everyone see that a child was lying on the ox’s back. He looked about seven or eight years old, leaning back against the ox, wearing a white shirt and little straw sandals.
He and the ox came together, and wherever the ox passed, not a blade of grass remained.
Everyone realized the gray-white color was because the grass roots were rising from the ground, revealing a layer of frost beneath the lawn.
A kid? Kevin Qin was tense.
A mysterious ox and a random cowherd kid appearing in this mysterious realm.
Just looking at them made everyone feel chills deep in their hearts.
Hello.
Yvette Ye looked ahead at the approaching yellow ox and cowherd, hesitated, then called out.
But the cowherd kept singing that strange nursery rhyme, never acknowledging Yvette Ye. He stayed on the ox’s back while the ox kept eating, its hooves never stopping.
Is that a person or a ghost?!
Harvey Li’s scalp tingled, his face pale. "Is it a person or a ghost?!"
He couldn’t help but shout again.
He’d thought this mysterious realm would be full of magic artifacts, maybe even a stroke of great fortune.
But now everything felt bizarre and unsettling, far beyond his imagination, leaving him frozen in place.
If escape were possible, Harvey Li would’ve bolted long ago.
What do we do? Jenna Jiang asked, looking at Kevin Qin.
Kevin Qin’s expression was downright ugly. He’d wanted to attack the ox and the boy, but neither had shown any sign of hostility.
Meanwhile, the grassland ahead was degenerating fast. Everywhere they looked was gray-white, as if the whole world was covered in snow.
Are we seriously supposed to keep going forward now?
This road looks like it never ends!
The old yellow ox carried the cowherd past the group, still chewing nonstop. Despite its small size, it never seemed full, swallowing the endless lawn into its belly.
Everyone watched the ox and cowherd warily. The child kept singing his nursery rhyme, sounding more like a bored kid killing time.
Evan Lin silently observed everything, staring at the ox. He felt like he’d seen it somewhere before, but couldn’t remember.
Just as the cowherd and yellow ox were about to move away, the boy—who had never sat up or looked at anyone—suddenly stood up on the ox’s back.
His face was calm, his childish features showing no emotion at all, almost numb.
He didn’t glance at anyone else, just stared straight at Evan Lin and asked, "You’re not coming along?"
Hearing the cowherd’s voice, Yvette Ye and the others’ faces changed. The child, who looked only seven or eight, gave off a bone-deep sense of coldness when he spoke.
It was as if a soul not meant for that body was lodged inside a small frame.
His gaze was so calm it was frightening, giving the impression of desolation and exhaustion.
Be careful. Yvette Ye stood beside Evan Lin, and Kevin Qin and the others crowded around him, faces tense.
The old yellow ox stood still, still chewing grass, but maybe because the cowherd had stood up, it stopped moving forward.
Once the grass in its mouth was gone, it started mooing impatiently, as if urging the cowherd to hurry up and feed it more.
What exactly are you?! Kevin Qin shouted sharply.
But the cowherd never looked at him, keeping his expression blank and staring straight at Evan Lin.
You’re not coming along?
The cowherd asked again, his voice betraying no emotion.
He didn’t seem like a seven- or eight-year-old child, but more like an old man.
Go where?
Evan Lin looked at him, meeting his gaze.
To...
The cowherd opened his mouth, but after the first word, he frowned, as if thinking hard. His expression kept shifting—sometimes confused, sometimes pained, sometimes fierce, sometimes blank.
Come take a look.
He looked at Evan Lin again and spoke once more.
As for where, he didn’t say.
Alright.
Seeing Evan Lin nod, the cowherd lay back down on the ox’s back. As the ox mooed, he started singing the nursery rhyme again.
Yellow ox boy, herding the yellow ox; the ox eats grass yet never is full, if it’s not full, what to do, oh what to do?
The yellow ox started walking forward again, eating grass and swaying its tail as it went.
In the silent, empty world, only the nursery rhyme and the yellow ox brought a hint of life to the road.