Chapter 18: No Return

Rong City, evening.

Yan Zhongze swayed his folding fan as he stepped out of the city lord’s mansion, intending to indulge in some wine and entertainment.

Just as he was about to board his sedan chair, he suddenly paused.

“What’s wrong, young master?” a servant approached.

Yan Zhongze pondered for a moment, feeling something was off, and asked, “Is Ling Mountain far?”

The servant immediately understood, “I will send someone to check again.”

Yan Zhongze raised his hand and commanded, “Send two Martial Realm experts.”

The servant’s face changed, hesitating to speak.

Yan Zhongze turned around, his voice cold, “What? Are my words not to be followed?”

The servant lowered his head, “No, no, it’s just that sending Martial Realm experts for this matter… wouldn’t it be an overreaction?”

Yan Zhongze scolded, “Is it your place to judge?”

The servant quickly knelt, “I dare not! I’m just afraid the city lord might not approve.”

Yan Zhongze: “I’m his own son, what’s wrong with using two people? Go! Do as I say!”

The servant: “Yes!”

—————–

Ling Mountain, thatched cottage.

Xiao Ranshu, being lazy, didn’t eat much for dinner, just a couple of bites. Instead, she found a basin for White Flame, filled it with a large portion of rice, and poured some braised goose sauce over it, mixing it with the leftover bones and meat from lunch.

She patted White Flame’s big head, “Eat more, gain some weight.”

Hearing this, White Flame lowered its head and started devouring the food, finishing it all and even licking the basin clean.

Almost overeating.

Seeing how much the dog could eat, Xiao Ranshu chuckled, “Let’s fatten you up for a couple of days, then when you’re stronger, we’ll go hunting for rabbits in the mountains. We can’t just freeload all the time.”

Zhang Da Niang’s family went up the mountain every day, cooking and cleaning, and she always felt quite embarrassed.

But White Flame interpreted this differently.

It couldn’t just freeload; it had to work!

After dinner.

Xiao Ranshu lounged lazily on the rocking chair again.

With the charcoal burning, tea brewing, and enjoying the pastries Lao Zhao brought back from the city.

One person, one dog, one mountain, one house—life was as carefree as a deity’s.

When the night completely fell, moonlight sprinkled down.

Xiao Ranshu got up and returned to her room, calling White Flame to sleep.

White Flame initially followed, but upon looking up, it saw the incense placed on the narrow table.

It stopped in its tracks.

The incense smoke wafted gently, emitting an unusual aura.

That was…

Something from the Divine Territory!

White Flame immediately looked towards its master, noticing she was yawning and had already entered the side bedroom.

Halfway there, Xiao Ranshu turned back, seeing White Flame still at the door, not intending to come in.

“Not coming in?” she waved with a smile, “Then guard the door for me, such a good dog.”

Country dogs are so much better, not like those pampered city dogs that need to sleep on beds.

Receiving the command, White Flame lay down at the threshold of the main house, not moving.

The night was quiet all around, White Flame watched the courtyard gate, occasionally glancing at the incense on the narrow table.

What exactly was the master’s identity?

Her soul was special, her energy astonishing.

She must be an extraordinary God Lord!

But why in such a remote place?

White Flame furrowed its brow, calmly analyzing and thinking.

It had heard that some God Lords with unstable divine statuses needed to reincarnate and cultivate, and to avoid getting lost in the mundane world, they would bring one or two indicators.

This incense…

It seemed like an indicator!

Thinking this, White Flame lowered its head in disappointment.

Which God Lord was the master’s true form?

How long had she been a deity…

Those lofty God Lords were surrounded by numerous Guardian Spirits, each one eagerly offered by their respective clans, presenting their most promising members.

The Azure Wolf clan had served the gods for generations, once the foremost of the Eight Hounds Lineage.

But now, they had fallen so low that they no longer even qualified to be chosen.

The Azure Wolf clan was extinct, leaving it without any family background, which equated to lacking a powerful martial force to rely on.

If the master were to have disputes with others in the future, other gods could immediately mobilize the families behind their Guardian Spirits. Only White Flame could not, as it had no clan relatives to assist.

When the master reincarnates and learns of this…

Would he still want it?

As White Flame’s mood sank.

Xiao Ranshu’s voice rang out from inside the house: “White Flame, can you close the door? It’s a bit cold.”

White Flame immediately stood up, extending its paw to gently close the main door.

Xiao Ranshu turned over in the blanket: “Good dog, so clever!”

White Flame’s gaze grew resolute.

One lifetime of companionship was not enough, then two, three…

It would strive to cultivate, aiming to match the ancestral Canglang Wang, so that when the master reincarnates next, it could immediately find this incense and protect the master until the end of his worldly cultivation!

The long night stretched on.

Listening to the even breathing from the bedroom, White Flame slowly closed its eyes for a nap.

After an unknown amount of time.

White Flame’s ears twitched, and it suddenly turned its head towards the courtyard gate, its tail hanging low, a fierce glint flashing in its eyes!

On the mountain path, two Martial Realm practitioners had stepped onto the stone steps.

“Is this the place?”

“Correct, at the mountain top.”

“Didn’t they say two people came here? Where are they?”

“Exactly, they never returned, so the young master sent us to check and bring them back to Rong City.”

“Hah! Just a reclusive woman, I think those two were delayed by her beauty? I want to see how beautiful she is, how does she feel?”

“Haha! Don’t let the young master know! Or else… pull out her tongue before playing?”

“You have quite the ideas! Did those two get too carried away?”

“Better be careful, those two were after all Warriors…”

“Anyone below the Martial Realm is trash!”

“Ordinary people can’t compare to us two! Among so many martial practitioners, the Martial Realm is one in ten thousand!”

“For true experts, the Martial Realm is just the beginning. I heard the second young master recently hosted an Enlightenment Realm expert? The Enlightenment Realm, such a distant level…”

“Martial Realm, Inner Observation, Purity of Heart, Enlightenment… too far apart!”

As they chatted, they leisurely walked up the mountain.

Compared to others climbing, even while talking, their speed was noticeably faster, and soon they reached the mountain top.

But unexpectedly, a dog stood at the gate of the courtyard, seemingly waiting for them.

In the night, the dog’s eyes shone brightly, like two glowing sapphires!

They exchanged glances, a look of surprise in their eyes, never having seen such a dog.

Before they could speak…

White Flame suddenly pounced forward!

Its speed and lethality were unimaginably terrifying.

The two Martial Realm practitioners couldn’t even see its movements clearly, and in the blink of an eye, they were knocked to the ground.

One had his jawbone crushed by White Flame’s paw, along with his tongue, mouth, and nose, his face a bloody mess.

It was the one who had suggested pulling out the tongue!

The other had his spine completely broken, his eyes closing instantly, his fate unknown.

White Flame didn’t even blink an eye. It grabbed the two men and leaped a hundred meters away in a few bounds, intending to throw them off the cliff.

But just before tossing them, it suddenly thought of something and threw them to the ground with such force that one of them suffered a cracked spine.

White Flame didn’t care whether they lived or died. It tore open their clothes and began rummaging through them.

It found two bulging money pouches.

Disgusted by the dirtiness of the pouches, it kept only the silver inside and flung the pouches along with the two men off the cliff.

Let them fall to their deaths! Let them be smashed to pieces!