It Wants to Eat Me

Ever since the master of Luo Family Village issued the bounty a year ago, everyone who had come to get rid of the monster, no matter how strong they were, had failed without exception.

At first, this little dog had not been so difficult to deal with. Every now and then, someone could catch it for a second or two. But gradually, it learned how to fight people and became elusive as a ghost. In recent times, no one had been able to catch it.

Everyone believed that perhaps no one would ever be able to catch it again. That was why people said that whoever caught it would become the Number One Expert Under Heaven.

So when the onlookers burst into laughter, they were not mocking the contestant in the arena for being weak. They simply found the absurd scene amusing.

After all, they thought it was only natural that he could not defeat the Thousand Shadow White Dragon.

If someone could truly capture the Thousand Shadow White Dragon, that would be the strange thing.

But Xiang Dongping did not know that. He thought the people around him were laughing at him, which made him feel deeply embarrassed.

He was a dignified First Prince, yet he had fallen into such an awkward situation. For a moment, he wanted to find a crack to crawl into, but he quickly restrained himself and calmed his mind.

He circulated the power within his body, forcibly suppressing the agitation in his heart. Focusing all his attention on the little dog, he launched another attack.

This time, he did not dare let his guard down in the slightest and unleashed all his strength.

Leaping, dodging, pouncing like a tiger, reaching back to grab...

Yet no matter how he struggled, the result was the same. He did not even touch a single hair on the dog.

The blow hit him hard.

In the end, after his waist was scratched by the dog's claws, he helplessly retreated and admitted defeat.

He stared at his own hands in disbelief, as if doubting whether his nearly ten years of cultivation had all been fake.

"How... how is this possible!"

Liu Yueling comforted him, "Don't be sad. Even Earth Treasury Warriors can't catch it. It's normal that you couldn't either."

At that moment, Zhuang Hong took out a small red bottle and poured a drop of Red Medicine into Xiang Dongping's hand. "Put it on the wound. It can speed up your recovery."

Then something happened that no one had expected.

After chasing Xiang Dongping out, the little dog did not return to squat by the entrance of the small courtyard as usual. Instead, it stared at Zhuang Hong and slowly approached him, growling low in its throat.

"Grrr~ Woof woof woof!"

Anyone watching closely would notice that the little dog's nose twitched slightly, as if it were smelling something. Then glistening drool dripped from the corner of its mouth.

The famed Thousand Shadow White Dragon was actually drooling at Zhuang Hong!

This was an unusual situation that had never occurred in more than a year.

The dark-skinned man at the registration desk abruptly stood up and immediately turned to instruct his companion beside him, "Something unexpected has happened. Go get the village master, quickly."

After speaking, he immediately fixed his gaze on Zhuang Hong, his face full of wariness. This little dog was the lucky dog of Luo Family Village. If something happened to it, or if someone took it away...

At that moment, everyone's attention was focused on Zhuang Hong, and they whispered among themselves.

"Huh? What's wrong with the Thousand Shadow White Dragon? It seems to have taken quite a liking to that strangely dressed young man."

"That doesn't look like affection, does it? It's drooling. It seems to be craving the meat on him."

"Could that young man be carrying some kind of meat it likes?"

"No. They've tried practically every kind of food these days. Every so often, it only drinks some water and takes a couple bites of meat. It isn't even interested in bones. I've never seen it act like this before. Look at those little eyes—they're practically glowing."

Liu Yueling asked in amazement, "Zhuang Hong, what does this little guy want to do?"

Zhuang Hong said expressionlessly, "It wants to eat me."

"Eat you? It really does look that way!"

Just as everyone was guessing what the little dog wanted to do, it barked "Woof woof!" and charged at Zhuang Hong in full view of the crowd. Its four short legs moved incredibly fast, and then it bit down on Zhuang Hong's ankle.

However, this Void Spirit was pitifully weak. Even after biting down hard, it did not break Zhuang Hong's skin.

Zhuang Hong was also a void creature, so the little dog's Space-Breaking Defense Technique had lost its effect on him.

Zhuang Hong lowered his head and carefully examined this void creature, which seemed to have been born not long ago, falling into deep thought.

Though the little dog looked weak, it was still a Void Spirit and belonged to an enemy faction. Should he just kill it?

As far as Zhuang Hong was concerned, since he had chosen to fight the Void Spirits, he absolutely could not show even the slightest mercy. Mercy toward an enemy was cruelty toward oneself.

Even if the other party was an innocent-looking, adorable little puppy.

It was just that this Void Spirit was far too small. Even swallowing it whole would not be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth. Perhaps he should raise it a little bigger before killing it?

With that thought, Zhuang Hong bent down and reached out to grab it.

The little dog instinctively let go and tried to dodge, but it could not escape Zhuang Hong's hand. Zhuang Hong casually seized it by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up, letting its four short legs struggle desperately.

Yet this simple grab and lift stunned everyone present. The previously noisy little courtyard instantly fell silent.

What had they just seen?

The Thousand Shadow White Dragon had been caught by a young man who looked terribly frail!

That was almost impossible.

"This can't be true, can it? The Thousand Shadow White Dragon was caught?"

"Who is this kid? Does anyone know him? You can tell from that haggard face that he's no ordinary person."

"I don't think that kid is particularly strong. He must have used some kind of trick."

"Wait, I noticed that kid didn't pay. Could it be that you can catch it without paying?"

"Hiss— That's possible!"

It was not only the people around them who were stunned. The famed Thousand Shadow White Dragon was also dumbfounded. No matter how forcefully it kicked its four short legs, no matter how it tried to use its ability to travel through space, it could not break free from the restraint on its neck.

This was utterly unscientific to it. Since the time it had first become aware, this had never happened before.

Its eyes darted around as it twisted and struggled, unable to stop itself from letting out a strange cry. "Woof?"

Liu Yueling's eyes were wide with excitement. "Zhuang Hong, you caught it?"

Zhuang Hong chuckled. "Did you forget what I am? I'm a professional monster hunter."

"Zhuang Hong, you're the Number One Expert Under Heaven now! Hahaha!"

As she spoke, she curiously reached out to touch the still-kicking little dog, but her hand found nothing.

Xiang Dongping's eyes were practically bulging from their sockets. Every cell in his body seemed to be filled with the four words: utterly unbelievable.

He had personally fought this puppy and knew just how formidable it was. Even after giving it everything he had, he had not managed to touch a single hair on it.

Something's wrong. Something's wrong. There must be a problem somewhere. Zhuang Hong must have used some method to lure the Thousand Shadow White Dragon, then made his move... but what method did he use?

Everyone was thinking about how Zhuang Hong had caught the little dog and trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.

Just as Zhuang Hong was hesitating over whether to casually kill the little dog, a white figure drifted over from not far away and landed a short distance in front of him.

The man appeared to be around forty. He wore a white robe, with a jade flute tucked at his waist, and carried himself like a true master.

The moment he appeared, the crowd erupted in surprise.

"One of the Anlan Ten Great Experts, Phantom Hand You Baojiang? Why is he here? Didn't he leave two days ago?"

"It really is Phantom Hand You Baojiang. There's no mistaking him."

"My guess is that after suffering a setback against the Thousand Shadow White Dragon, he was unwilling to leave just like that. So he hid nearby and secretly observed. Now that he has seen someone successfully catch the Thousand Shadow White Dragon, he could not resist showing himself."

You Baojiang cupped his hands toward Zhuang Hong. "Little brother, I am You Baojiang. I greatly admire your ability to catch the Thousand Shadow White Dragon. Could you tell me how you caught it?"

The surroundings immediately fell silent. Everyone looked toward Zhuang Hong, waiting for his answer. They also wanted to know how he had done it.

Even Liu Yueling was full of anticipation.

"Woof woof woof~"

Zhuang Hong glanced at the puppy in his hand and casually tossed it to the ground. While the puppy was still confused, he bent down again, grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, and lifted it up once more.

"I caught it like this."

"Woof?"