Don't Be a Deadbeat

Although Eldest Master Lu felt that this thought was absurd, it was in fact the truth. At this moment, all of Ji Yuan's attention was focused on the Big Black Dog beside the cooked food shop.

This supposedly fierce Dog King behaved with extreme gentleness before Ji Yuan, allowing him to stroke its head and back. Even Huli, who had been terrified out of his wits all along, gradually relaxed his taut nerves. Of course, he still did not dare approach—at least, not within the iron chain's maximum reach.

Ji Yuan asked about the time it had bitten the fox, which surprised Huli somewhat. But he had clearly understood the Big Black Dog's movements and expressions, and evidently Ji Yuan had as well. Seeing the dog's reaction, Ji Yuan smiled.

"Just as I thought."

Ji Yuan moved his hand from the dog's head to its muzzle, pulled back its lips to reveal the sharp fangs within, then turned to Huli.

"Perhaps your Little Fox should thank Big Black for sparing its life. If this dog had truly wanted to kill it, a bite to the neck would not have been nearly enough."

At that moment, Eldest Master Lu happened to have deboned a lamb leg bone. He leaned out of the shop and casually tossed it toward the Big Black Dog.

"Big Black, catch!"

"Woof..."

Ji Yuan had already stood up and stepped back two paces when the Big Black Dog barked. The lamb bone spun several times through the air, and before it could hit the ground, the leaping black dog caught it in its jaws.

Crack... Crack...

Though it had been braised for quite some time, the thick, sturdy lamb leg bone lasted only a few breaths in the Big Black Dog's mouth. Under its powerful bite, it