Please Spare the Dog

Everyone present erupted into an uproar.

You Baojiang looked at the puppy in Zhuang Hong's hand, his thoughts thrown into chaos.

He could not understand it. Two days ago, he had used every method at his disposal and still failed to catch this puppy. Why could an ordinary person handle it so easily today?

Unable to hold back, he asked, "Could you let me try?"

Naturally, Zhuang Hong did not mind letting him try. He could try however he liked; it had little to do with Zhuang Hong. Still, he offered a reminder. "This puppy is very dangerous. Do not let it bite any vital spots."

With that, he casually tossed the puppy onto the ground.

The puppy regained its freedom. Its four short legs blurred as it ran. After reaching a point five meters away from Zhuang Hong, it actually turned back and snarled viciously at him.

"Woof woof woof!"

It sounded like it was cursing filthy insults.

Seeing this, You Baojiang immediately stepped forward to seize the puppy.

However, when he scooped out with one hand, he caught nothing. The puppy flashed behind him and leaped up to bite, but You Baojiang nimbly dodged. He reached out again, his hands splitting into nearly a dozen afterimages as they sealed off every direction the puppy could evade through.

Yet he still grabbed nothing. The puppy's figure vanished, and when it reappeared, it was already at his feet.

You Baojiang froze. "How is that possible..."

This scene was no different from two days ago. Yet what he could not understand was why Zhuang Hong, this utterly ordinary-looking man, could handle it so casually.

Unwilling to believe it, he tried several more times, but still could not catch the puppy. He could only retreat and widen the distance between them.

When he looked at Zhuang Hong again, his eyes were filled with uncertainty and alarm.

Could this young man be one of the legendary Heaven Treasury Warriors?

The people around them were also dumbfounded. Only with such a stark comparison did they realize how extraordinary it had been for Zhuang Hong to catch the puppy.

For a time, the entire area around the small courtyard boiled with excitement, everyone flushed red with exhilaration.

Meanwhile, Lord Thousand Shadow White Dragon, having displayed his might once more, regained his confidence. He trotted up to Zhuang Hong and barked provocatively, "Woof woof woof!"

Then White Dragon Assault slammed toward Zhuang Hong.

Zhuang Hong's expression did not change. He lightly hooked out with his foot, flipping the puppy into the air, then reached out and caught it. Lord Thousand Shadow White Dragon's scruff once again fell into Zhuang Hong's grasp.

Its limbs flailed. In the end, it helplessly barked out a question mark. "Woof?"

"Boom—"

The scene exploded. Everyone still found it difficult to believe what they had seen with their own eyes. It was simply too fantastical.

It looked as though You Baojiang and Zhuang Hong had put on a performance together.

Only those who had personally stepped forward knew this was no act. Thousand Shadow White Dragon, whom they had been unable to subdue, had truly been captured by this young man who did not even look like a warrior.

A question arose in their hearts. "Who... exactly is he?"

Xiang Dongping was even more speechless. He stared blankly at his own hands, recalling what Liu Yueling had told him on the road. Filled with confusion, he thought, Could Zhuang Hong really be a monster hunter? But... what exactly is a monster hunter?

Liu Yueling, meanwhile, had long wanted to reach out and stroke Thousand Shadow White Dragon's fluffy white fur. With Zhuang Hong's cooperation, she finally got her wish and laughed excitedly.

Just then, an elderly man dressed in splendid robes came running from the distance, surrounded by a crowd. Though old, he moved as swiftly as if he were flying.

The dark-skinned man at the registration desk was overjoyed to see him and hurried forward. "Village Head!"

The newcomer was none other than the head of Luo Family Village, the most respected man in the village.

Before Village Head Luo even arrived, his voice had already carried over from afar, drowning out the surrounding clamor.

"Hero, please spare the dog! You must not harm its life!"

Village Head Luo looked at the struggling puppy in Zhuang Hong's hand and let out a long sigh. "Everyone, the story of Thousand Shadow White Dragon is a long one. Young Hero Zhuang, please come with me and take a look. You will understand once you see it."

With that, Village Head Luo led the way into the small courtyard.

The others followed in confusion and gathered outside the courtyard to wait.

Soon afterward, two villagers carefully carried a child's skeleton out of the house.

The instant they saw the skeleton, everyone erupted into an uproar. This was far beyond their expectations.

At the sight of the skeleton, the puppy in Zhuang Hong's grasp immediately began barking madly, seemingly deeply dissatisfied that they had touched it.

Liu Yueling asked in confusion, "Is Thousand Shadow White Dragon protecting him?"

Village Head Luo nodded, then slowly began to explain.

"Thousand Shadow White Dragon is actually just a loyal little dog. It has never taken the initiative to harm anyone. It merely wants to protect its master. If we do not approach the small courtyard, it quietly lies at the door. It is a good dog.

"Perhaps it simply does not know that its master is already dead and will never return."

The way everyone looked at the puppy changed in an indescribable way.

"Its master was named Luo A'ming, a child from our Luo Family Village. Thousand Shadow White Dragon was merely a puppy that he brought back from the wilderness, one that had only just opened its eyes.

"Perhaps it was several years ago. Everything was still fine that year. At least every household had food to eat. But later, that drought changed everything. Life became incomparably difficult for everyone. Then the trolls from the polar regions invaded southward, and the imperial court conscripted soldiers to head north and resist them. Luo A'ming's father enlisted, because it meant one less mouth to feed at home, and he could also send his military pay back.

"But not long after Luo A'ming's father headed north, news of his death came back.

"Luo A'ming's mother could not bear the blow and threw herself into the river. That left only Luo A'ming and the puppy to depend on one another. He was only six years old then.

"Later, during one winter, Luo A'ming died of illness in this room. By the time I discovered it, it was already too late."

As Village Head Luo spoke to this point, everyone fell silent.

Everyone had heard of the drought from several years ago. Some did not even wish to recall those scenes.

As a prince, Xiang Dongping clenched his fists tightly. Only at this moment did he realize that, despite his supreme status, he was completely powerless in the face of such things.

Village Head Luo continued, "After Luo A'ming fell ill, the puppy kept guarding the doorway. It wanted to protect its master in its own way and wait for him to recover. It waited for more than a year, guarding this place day and night.

"At first, we merely wanted to bury Luo A'ming. But there was nothing we could do about this puppy. We thought it might be some kind of divine beast, so we had no choice but to ask others for help. Who would have thought..."

Everyone knew what happened afterward. What no one had expected was that no one could do anything to the puppy, and Luo Family Village had inexplicably made a fortune from it.

Finally, Village Head Luo turned to Zhuang Hong and pleaded, "Therefore, Young Hero Zhuang, please do not make things difficult for this puppy. It is not some vicious dog. It may even be the cub of some ancient divine beast. If we treat it well, perhaps we will receive blessings in the future."

Zhuang Hong smiled faintly and casually released the puppy, tossing it onto the ground. He instinctively reached for his notebook, but ultimately restrained himself.

"Woof woof~"

After barking twice, the puppy immediately ran to Luo A'ming's remains. It whimpered as it nudged them with its head, then finally lay down beside them.

The fierceness from before was gone from its expression, leaving only a trace of sorrow.

Everyone was moved. None had expected the famous Thousand Shadow White Dragon to have such a story behind it.

Liu Yueling softly said, "Perhaps it knew long ago that Luo A'ming was dead. It simply did not want to leave this small courtyard and chose to wait for that impossible miracle..."

Village Head Luo added, "Next, we will bury Luo A'ming in the courtyard and set up a stone tablet before it, recording Thousand Shadow White Dragon's story upon it, so that everyone who comes here will know its tale."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

He turned to Zhuang Hong and said, "Young Hero Zhuang, please keep Thousand Shadow White Dragon under control for the time being. We will immediately bury Luo A'ming in the courtyard so that he may return to heaven and earth as soon as possible. Once that is done, we will erect a stone tablet before the courtyard and record Thousand Shadow White Dragon's story upon it, so that everyone who comes here will know its tale."

Zhuang Hong nodded.