Little Yellow and Second Miss

"Little Yellow was a child with a bitter fate. Abandoned by family when young, they wandered the streets, lonely and helpless.

Fortunately, Second Miss Fang of the Fang Family, Fang Ling, rescued them and brought them back to the residence. From then on, they had full meals and someone to care for them.

Yet Second Miss Fang herself was also a pitiable soul.

Born of a concubine, she lost her mother in childhood. The matriarch of the household was a forceful and miserly woman, so Second Miss suffered greatly herself. In the vast Fang Residence, she was an existence that could be ignored, living even worse than some servant girls.

But Miss was kind-hearted. She always repaid grievances with virtue and took everything in stride, though she rarely smiled.

After Little Yellow arrived, the two had each other for company. Miss became somewhat happier, and her smiles were always pure and adorable.

How wonderful it would have been if time had remained in those youthful years.

But Heaven did not grant people their wishes. Miss grew up, slim and graceful, inheriting her mother's beauty, and her reputation gradually spread.

Naturally, Miss did not care about such things. I only wished she had looked less like her mother, so perhaps what came later would never have happened.

But what was meant to come still came.

When Miss held her coming-of-age ceremony, someone came to propose marriage. He was a young nobleman.

Since ancient times, marriage had been decided by one's parents and arranged through matchmakers. This was the natural order. I knew Miss was unwilling, but she still agreed.

She had always been obedient, and this time was no different.

Though she was born of a concubine, she would still be a concubine when married over. Perhaps that was simply her fate.

But even her small request to take Little Yellow with her was refused.

Having kept each other company for nearly ten years, Miss and Little Yellow shared a bond deeper than anything. It could be said they were each other's only support.

The young miss went to plead with her father and the matriarch, but it was useless. The matriarch had never liked Second Miss. Many said she was jealous of Miss's beauty, though no one knew whether that was true.

Perhaps the only time the matriarch ever smiled at Miss was when she received all those betrothal gifts in exchange for her.

Second Miss had no choice. She wept day and night, and the only thing she could do was spend more time with Little Yellow.

Yet before the wedding could take place, news came again that the young nobleman was arranging another marriage.

This time, he was marrying a principal wife. If it had been anyone else, Miss might not have cared, but the chosen wife was the Fang Family's legitimate daughter.

That legitimate daughter was no easy person to deal with. Most of the suffering Miss endured from childhood to adulthood had something to do with her. Whether the matriarch envied Miss's beauty remained open to question, but the legitimate daughter's jealousy was plain for all passersby to see.

Whenever word returned to the Fang Residence that Miss was more beautiful than the legitimate daughter, Second Miss could not escape a vicious beating from her.

Little Yellow protected their mistress many times and nearly got beaten to death for it.

Miss despaired. She had thought life might improve a little after she married out, but it seemed it would remain as before.

As I said, Miss was a kind and cheerful soul. Though she was heartbroken, she still waited obediently to be married.

Even living in the mud, she had never given up.

Yet no one expected that two days later, Miss would hang herself. The reason given was that she was unwilling to marry as a concubine.

But many people discussed it in secret. Second Miss showed no signs of suicide. She had endured for so many years—she would never kill herself at the most beautiful moment of her life. Perhaps it was..."

At the entrance to the residence, a servant told this story to a youth in plain clothes. When he reached the end, his voice became very low and somewhat indistinct.

But Bai Jing could guess what the man wanted to say. Perhaps the legitimate daughter had done it.

"So that is Little Yellow."

Bai Jing looked toward the mourning hall inside. In its center lay a female corpse that had not decayed.

Just as the servant had said, the corpse was indeed exceptionally beautiful. Alas, she had died just after coming of age.

Beside the corpse stood a yellow dog taller than a person.

From time to time, it rubbed against the corpse's face, its eyes filled with boundless reluctance to part.

"Little Yellow was originally just a little yellow dog. Who would have thought that not long after Second Miss died, it would turn into a monster and remain by her side? No one dared approach it," the Fang Residence steward added.

Bai Jing nodded, then walked in alone.

Little Yellow had become Big Yellow. It had remained in this room guarding Second Miss and injured quite a few people who tried to approach. After that, the Fang Residence abandoned the room and never concerned themselves with it again.

The Fang Residence steward could not bear to watch any longer, so he secretly had someone send a letter to Shangqing Mountain.

First, they wished to subdue the dog demon before it harmed anyone else. Second, they wanted to bury Second Miss, so she could rest in peace beneath the earth.

"Little Yellow."

The servant peered cautiously from the doorway, not daring to enter. Yet Immortal Master Bai Jing walked straight into the mourning hall without any preparation.

The Immortal Master truly is an expert. That dog demon is so terrifying, yet he dares enter alone without even taking a single treasure, the servant thought.

"Roar!"

Seeing a stranger approach, Little Yellow bared enormous, razor-sharp fangs and let out a roar like that of a lion or tiger.

Yet Bai Jing shook his head. Looking at the somewhat withered yellow dog, he said, "If you keep transferring your qi and blood to your mistress, you will die yourself."

The reason Second Miss's body had not decayed after several days was that the yellow dog had been channeling the power of its own bloodline into her.

"Roar! Roar!"

Little Yellow answered only with furious roars, as if issuing threats and warnings.

Bai Jing paid it no heed and walked closer step by step.

When this yellow dog had first awakened, it must have possessed the strength of the Second Stage of Qi and Blood. But it had expended too much of its heart's blood and was now severely weakened. It was naturally no match for him.

"Roar!"

Seeing that the stranger would not heed its warning, the yellow dog lunged at him like a bolt of lightning.

Clang!

Seeing the dog demon unleash its might, the servant stumbled back and fell to the ground in fright.

Yet Bai Jing kept one hand behind his back. As the yellow dog pounced, he shifted slightly aside and, with the speed of a thunderclap, seized the dog demon by the scruff of its neck with his right hand.

The servant watched as the fierce dog demon, weighing several hundred jin, was effortlessly grabbed and lifted by the Immortal Master, unable to move any further. At once, reverence and admiration filled his eyes.

"Your mistress was kind by nature. In other people's eyes, she deserved only pity and admiration for her beauty. Yet after her death, you injured people. What will others think? They will only say that the deceased Second Miss of the Fang Residence raised a dog demon that hurt people. Her life was already bitter enough, and after death, she must gain a bad name because of you. Is it worth it?"

As Bai Jing spoke, the yellow dog's proudly unyielding head immediately lowered. Its intelligent eyes revealed a pitiful grief, and tears gathered within them.

"You have lived for so many years, so you should understand that when a person dies, it is like a lamp going out. Doing this will bring no result. Instead, you will leave Second Miss unable to rest in peace and unable to be buried."

His added words made the dog demon abandon all struggle.

Bai Jing then set Little Yellow down. It hung its head, making no further move. Only humanlike whimpers came from its mouth, one after another.

Bai Jing said nothing more. He picked up the female corpse and walked outside.

When he reached the doorway, he found another person standing in the distance—a young man.

"Roar!" The yellow dog, which had just calmed down, began snarling again.

Bai Jing immediately understood. This must be the young nobleman who was to marry Second Miss.

He saw the young man's eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the girl in Bai Jing's arms.

"Little Yellow!" Bai Jing called out. The dog demon stopped roaring. It could not defeat this youth.

"If you wish to pay your respects, then follow me," Bai Jing casually said as he passed the young man, then headed toward the far end of the street.

Not long after.

A new grave stood on the outskirts of the town.

Little Yellow's enormous body leaned against the grave, its gaze vacant. From time to time, it rubbed its great head against the grave dirt and stroked the tombstone Bai Jing had erected with its paws.

Bai Jing exchanged a few words with the young nobleman, then took out the Bounty Notice and had the servant sign it. He said:

"So long as you do not provoke this yellow dog, it will not hurt anyone."

"Yes, yes, yes." The servant looked at the enormous Little Yellow. He could hardly hide fast enough—who would dare provoke it?

Afterward, Bai Jing left without lingering.

Yet the town's turmoil did not settle with Second Miss's burial. Rumors spread that the legitimate daughter had murdered the concubine-born daughter, and in the end, the entire city was enraged.

The young nobleman's family also exerted pressure, demanding that the Fang Residence give an explanation. The authorities could not withstand the pressure from the people and had no choice but to intervene.

Within a few days, the legitimate daughter confessed and was sentenced.

Second Miss received justice, drawing many people to pay their respects.

Yet as time flowed on, she was still forgotten. Not a single person in the world remained who cared for her. Only an old yellow dog kept her company day and night, guarding beside her lonely grave.