The beast had never suffered such humiliation. If it weren’t for the several bloody holes in its body, it would have pounced and bitten the man’s neck off!

As Xie Shuci observed the horrifying wounds on the dog, he felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

“You dumb dog, let’s make a deal,” Xie Shuci patted the dog’s uninjured belly.

The demon cast a disdainful glance at him as if to say, “Do you want my inner core? I’d rather self-destruct than give it to you.”

Xie Shuci understood the meaning in its eyes and sat cross-legged on the grass, crossing his arms. “You’re a powerful demon who has lived for two hundred years. Is it appropriate for you to bully a little brat? Don’t tell me that you injured him because you couldn’t control your claws. He’s just a kid. Do you think he can run as fast as you? Even if the people in town killed your tribe’s demons, it has nothing to do with Ah Dong. Why take your anger out on him? Oh, right, Ah Dong is the kid you almost scratched to death.”

Usually, demons capable of forming inner cores had a naturally benevolent nature. Even if it sought revenge by killing humans for the sake of its tribe’s demons, its inherent nature remained pure. Although it intentionally injured Ah Dong the previous night, Xie Shuci always believed this point and came with a glimmer of hope.

Upon hearing his words, the demon sadly closed its eyes.

But then who would avenge its deceased tribe?

It liked humans, was close to humans, and had never taken a life in these two hundred years. It had also taught its descendants the same. But what had it achieved? What had it gained?

“I won’t kill you, and I can save you. I won’t even care about how you seek revenge on others in the future. But you must voluntarily hand over your inner core. Only your inner core can save Ah Dong. Be sensible and don’t be ungrateful.”

The demon was depleted of spiritual energy, and its wounds continued to bleed. It had no strength to resist Xie Shuci. If it refused, Xie Shuci could take advantage of its weakened state and kill it to retrieve the inner core.

However, Xie Shuci didn’t want to resort to that. It would be disgraceful, and he had never taken a life before. In his previous world, he would avoid even being near his mother when she was gutting fish, and he would walk around dead mouse bodies on the road, feeling nauseous at the smell of blood.

But convincing a powerful demon to voluntarily give up its inner core was extremely difficult.

A fragment of a technique he had seen before in comics flashed through Xie Shuci’s mind—mouth manipulation technique. In any case, he would use a combination of changing the subject and appealing with emotions and reason.

“Husky, I think you should be smarter. Your two hundred years of cultivation have been ruined. You won’t make any progress in your future cultivation, and you might be struck by heavenly thunder at any time. Keeping the inner core is useless.”

“If you hand over the inner core, not only can you save a pitiful young life, but you can also guide those who have erred back onto the right path. Isn’t that more meaningful than seeking revenge by killing?” 

Xie Shuci rambled on, not caring whether it made sense or not.

“Think about it. If you kill them for revenge, their families will harbor the same resentment toward your descendants, perpetuating an endless cycle of revenge. It would be better to take a different approach, be magnanimous, and use the inner core to save Ah Dong’s life. Make them feel ashamed, make them regret the foolish things they’ve done. This way, you would have both taken revenge and saved a life, avoiding being struck by heavenly thunder. It’s a win-win situation, and the only price is that you can’t achieve human form. What’s so good about being human anyway? Look at how majestic you are in your beastly form. I truly admire it!”

“Do you agree? If you agree, just give a ‘howl’.”

The demon listened to his nonsensical ramblings with less interest than contempt, looking at Xie Shuci as if he were an idiot.

Xie Shuci coughed dryly. How foolish of him! How could he have thought he could fool a powerful demon who had lived for two hundred years? If it were an ordinary person, they would have drawn their sword and chopped him to pieces after hearing his words.

As expected, the mouth manipulation technique from the comics was all a lie. Only fools…

“Awoo.”

The demon, lying on the brink of death, suddenly let out a howl.

Xie Shuci, “?”

Xie Shuci looked at the demon with a blank face, and the demon, no longer disdainful, gave him an approving glance. Its excited expression seemed to say, “Human, you’re truly amazing! You’re absolutely mind-blowing!”

Xie Shuci, “…”

Oh, almighty god, I, Xie Shuci take back what I said earlier. The mouth manipulation technique is truly divine.

Xie Shuci fed the demon a pill, took off his outer clothes, and carried it out of the barren mountain.

Walking back on the road, Xie Shuci couldn’t believe how easy it had been. He had effortlessly tamed a two-hundred-year-old wolf-dog demon. Damn, he was truly awesome! Why did he go through the trouble of sending Little Blind away? It wasn’t necessary at all!

As he walked out of the forest onto the main road, Xie Shuci heard a neigh from up ahead.

The sound seemed familiar to him, so he quickened his pace and circled a few large trees to see what was happening on the road.

A small white horse stood in the middle of the road, kicking its hooves. Beside it stood a young man in white. Under the moonlight, these two white figures were particularly conspicuous.

Xie Shuci was stunned when he saw them. Who else could it be but Xie An and the immortal crane?!

Weren’t they supposed to have left with Li Song? Why were they here?

Xie Shuci approached with confusion and noticed that Xie An had dirt and grass stains on his body as if he had just fallen.

Unaware of Xie Shuci’s presence behind him, Xie An pursed his lips, raised his left hand, and rubbed his palm, which had scraped and was oozing blood. Perhaps feeling that there was no one around, he rarely revealed a hint of vulnerability, lowered his head, and blew a breath into his palm to relieve the pain.

That appearance, how pitiful he looked.

Xie Shuci immediately forgot why he had appeared in this place and quickened his pace to approach Xie An. His footsteps crushed dry twigs, producing a faint sound that was distinct in the quiet forest path.

Xie An’s expression froze, and he suddenly turned his head to look in Xie Shuci’s direction.

He cautiously grasped the sword at his waist, tightly pulled up the reins, and assumed a stance ready to launch an attack.

Xie Shuci’s steps faltered as he suddenly realized a possibility. He tentatively called out, “Little blind?”

Xie An’s expression stiffened, and he let go of the sword handle, hastily pulling the immortal crane in the opposite direction, seemingly deliberately avoiding Xie Shuci. In his haste, he nearly stumbled on a stone.

“Little blind! Can you hear me?” Xie Shuci’s face lit up with hope, and he hurriedly caught up, closing the distance in just a few steps.

The doctor had said that Xie An would regain his hearing within three days after the acupuncture treatment. Considering the days, it happened to be the third day!

However, Xie An didn’t stop his steps because of Xie Shuci’s words. During Xie Shuci’s pursuit, Xie An stubbornly walked forward with his head down, holding the immortal crane. The immortal crane took a few steps but refused to move any further. Xie An finally let go of the reins and left on his own, his back showing a resolute determination.

“Hey…” Xie Shuci anxiously called out from behind, but Xie An was determined not to let him catch up, almost breaking into a jog.

Xie Shuci couldn’t understand what was happening but couldn’t let him go alone. He placed the silly dog next to the immortal crane, signaling the immortal crane not to move, and then hurriedly caught up.

The little blind boy couldn’t see and stumbled along. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xie Shuci caught up and grabbed his arm.

“Xie An, can you hear me?” Xie Shuci asked excitedly.

Xie An struggled to pull his hand back, but Xie Shuci held on tight. “What happened? What’s wrong with you?”

Xie An’s nostrils twitched, most likely detecting the scent of blood on Xie Shuci. His face changed, and he momentarily forgot to struggle. He reached out and felt around Xie Shuci’s chest. When he felt a wet patch, Xie An’s expression turned even grimmer. He opened his mouth and asked silently, “Are you injured?”

“No, it’s not my blood,” Xie Shuci replied.

Xie An breathed a sigh of relief, forcefully pulling his hand from Xie Shuci’s grip, and turned to leave.

“Don’t… Little Blind, let’s talk things through. What’s going on?” Xie Shuci rushed forward and hugged Xie An from behind.

Xie An’s footsteps paused, his lips pressed tightly together, and he pried open Xie Shuci’s hand, writing, “I won’t be a burden to you.”

“Hey, when did I say you’re a burden? You’re not a burden to me.”

Xie An wrote again, “You want to be a great hero, I don’t want to hold you back.”

Xie Shuci, feeling helpless, said with teary eyes, “I’m not going to be a great hero. Great heroes always live on the edge of a blade. I’m too afraid of death. How could I dare?”

Xie An didn’t respond further, only removing Xie Shuci’s hand and preparing to leave.

Panicking, Xie Shuci apologized, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let you go. I don’t dislike you, nor do I consider you a burden. It was my lack of consideration. I was actually thinking of finding a time to bring you back.”

“Really?” Xie An hesitated as he wrote.

“Absolutely true, I am a dog if I lie to you, I swear!” Xie Shuci raised his right hand to make a promise.

Upon hearing this, Xie An finally relaxed his tense body, a smile of suppressed laughter appearing on his face. “Puppy.”

Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back.  “I’m the puppy for deceiving you before, but I’m not deceiving you now.”

Xie An smiled without saying a word.

Curious, Xie Shuci asked, “Didn’t you leave with Li Song? How did you come back?”

Xie An’s expression darkened, and he opened his lips to explain, “I didn’t want to be criticized. After Young Master Li gave me a sword, I left alone on horseback. But unexpectedly, it brought me back here.”

Xie Shuci sighed. After regaining his hearing, the proud-hearted Little Blind must have overheard the discussions among the other disciples, which he couldn’t accept. So, he chose to part ways with Li Song and the others.

“This horse has intelligence. It’s good. You don’t need to leave anymore. You can continue following me in the future,” Xie Shuci reassured him.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Xie An’s lips as he nodded in agreement.

Xie Shuci led them back to the inn.

Along the way, the immortal crane carried the unconscious silly dog, while Xie Shuci held the silent Xie An by his side.

As they reached the entrance, a sword light flashed, and the wooden door was instantly split in half, flying in all directions.

Before Xie Shuci could react, Xie An stepped forward, shielding him behind his body.

“It seems that Young Master Xie has succeeded.” 

The Daoist in the green robe said, pointing his long sword with a sharp aura.

Xie Shuci cautiously poked his head out from behind Xie An. The lobby of the inn was filled with disciples from the Li family. Each one held a sword and seemed eager to test their skills, casting intense and eager gazes toward Xie Shuci.

“Oh, damn it!” Xie Shuci quickly blocked the immortal crane, carrying the silly dog, behind him. How did these bastards find out so quickly?

“Young Master Xie, hand over the demon. I have no intention of fighting you,” the Daoist in the green robe said.

“Fuck off! It’s something I found. Why should I hand it over to you?” 

Xie Shuci maintained a calm expression, but inside, his heart was pounding.

Forget about the Daoist in the green robe; Xie Shuci might not even be able to handle an ordinary disciple. Moreover, he had Xie An by his side. Wasn’t this like a buy-one-get-one-free promotion?[1]

“Xie An, this has nothing to do with you. When we start fighting, stay away,” Xie Shuci whispered.

Hearing this, Xie An turned his head, his lips moved slightly, “Can you handle it?”

He even raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Of course! Listen carefully, no matter how much I scream and how horrible it sounds, don’t interfere. It’s just for show, you understand?”

Xie An, “…”

Xie An didn’t respond, but he placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

The Daoist in the green robe, sensing a formidable opponent, sternly commanded the other disciples, “Step back!”

“?” 

Xie Shuci was puzzled. What were they afraid of in the face of a blind man? They had weapons, didn’t they? A bunch of cowards.

With that thought in mind, Xie Shuci stepped forward and forcefully drew the sword from Xie An’s waist, shouting loudly, “Let me show you my prowess!”

However, to Xie Shuci’s surprise, the Daoist in the green robe revealed a pleased expression and exclaimed, “Good opportunity, attack!”

Xie Shuci was momentarily stunned, but quickly reacted in anger, “Damn it! Who do you think you’re looking down on?”

---

[1] He’s saying it’s like giving a ‘buy-one-get-one-free offer’ for killing. Kill one and get the other for free to kill.