Dog Elder looked like he'd been scared stiff. Was this the legendary "dog-eyed and dumbfounded"?
Through the screen, Zhang Yuanqing saw Curly Teddy's reaction in the video and nearly couldn't suppress a smile.
He had once used the Great Detective Pipe from the White Tiger Guard warehouse to profile Zhang Zizhen, and understood that his late father was a gentle, chuunibyou, serious man.
He did not have any particularly great personal charisma, nowhere near as interesting as the colorful characters Zhang Yuanqing knew.
But that sort of personality was easy to imitate. So Zhang Yuanqing let a warm smile bloom on his lips and said in a hoarse voice:
"Long time no see, old friend. Surprised to see me?"
There was a little calculation behind those words—he wanted to see how Dog Elder would respond.
On the other side of the screen, Dog Elder stood frozen for a long while. Then he cautiously moved closer, bringing his head before the screen, his black button-like eyes reflecting a bluish glow.
He stared deeply at the old friend on the screen. "You're not Celestial Master Zhang. Who are you?!"
Zhang Yuanqing could not tell whether it was an illusion, but Dog Elder's voice suddenly seemed to grow much more weathered.
In an old, low voice, Dog Elder said:
"Celestial Master Zhang has already returned to the Spirit Realm. I confirmed it myself. Who exactly are you, and why are you impersonating him to call me?"
Zhang Yuanqing put away his smile and said seriously:
"Old friend, I am Celestial Master Zhang. I never returned to the Spirit Realm. Back then, I had no choice but to fake my death. All these years, I've been hiding abroad, and only recently returned to my homeland."
Dog Elder sneered. "Utter nonsense!"
He suddenly bared his