The feral dog never stopped moving, inching forward again and again. Perhaps every movement caused the bones in its body to throb with excruciating pain, yet that didn't stop it. Its eyes stayed fixed straight ahead, locked onto the cold corpse lying before it.
Every inch it crawled struck the watching villagers like a blow to the soul.
Such persistence. Such resolve. Such unwavering faith.
Was this not nobler than any human?
If I were in its place... could I do the same?
Many of the villagers bore expressions of shock. They realized something both humbling and uncomfortable—they weren't even as noble as a dog.
Time seemed to lose all meaning. Under countless watching eyes, the feral dog finally reached Gou Dan's lifeless body. It leaned against him, laid down beside him, extended its tongue, and gently licked the boy's cold face. Then it looked at Gou Dan—its gaze more complex than most humans'. Finally, it closed its eyes, as if awaiting death.
"A loyal dog indeed," Yi Tianxing said softly as he approached.
He had seen the light in its eyes—that spark of intelligence that rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, that of humans. This dog clearly possessed true awareness and a high level of intelligence.
The feral dog ignored the gazes of the humans, caring only for the child it had lost. Lying there beside Gou Dan, it felt not only sorrow but also deep guilt.
Its life flashed through its mind.
It was already old. Once, it had been a stray born into the wild. Barely a month after it was born, its mother was attacked by other wild dogs while scavenging for food. Not only did they steal her find, but they also mauled her terribly. She returned home only to feed her pup one last time—then died.
Without its mother, the pup had to find food on its own.
Too small to fight or steal from others, it had no choice but to eat feces—anything remotely edible. Hunger was a constant, but it survived. And in surviving, it grew smarter than its kin.
When it grew stronger, it began sneaking into villages at night, killing and dragging off chickens and ducks. It struck only in the dead of night, always going for the throat so the birds wouldn't even have time to cry out. It never targeted the same house twice.
Those days, it ate well.
Well-fed and nourished, it grew stronger than most. The first thing it did then was return to find those stray dogs who had attacked its mother—and kill them. Every last one. It even ate their corpses.
From then on, it became a true devil dog, feared by all. Whoever dared to bully it—died.
In those days, its name could make children stop crying.
It lived this way for over a decade.
It had seen the splendor of the human world and the darkest parts of it too. It had outlived countless other wild dogs, becoming a legend among strays. It didn't even need to scavenge—other wild dogs would bring it food.
But it was lonely.
The others were too stupid. It couldn't relate to them. Its intelligence made it a crane among chickens—a peerless being among mutts.
Were it not for what came next, it would've eventually died—of age, or perhaps under a human's blade. Its bones left to rot in the wild.
But something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, the whole world changed. It was transported to a completely new place—mystical, terrifying. The air was different, the land different. It landed among humans, surrounded by powerful beasts.
It was terrified to stray too far—so it stayed close to humans.
When it landed, it saw something—something that looked like a moldy bun, covered in green fuzz, exuding a strange but irresistible aroma. It didn't know why, but it lunged for it and swallowed it whole.
It immediately regretted it.
The green-fuzzed object wreaked havoc inside it. Pain surged through its body. It began to itch, and then—its fur began to fall off.
Soon, it was completely bald—a naked, hairless dog.
In that moment, it felt like the world had ended.
And when humans saw it, they were horrified. Disgusted. They shunned it.
Except for one boy.
One boy who didn't turn away—who split his only portion of food in half, giving some to the dog and eating the rest himself. It wasn't much. Barely enough for a child. Far from enough to fill the dog's belly. But that tiny portion warmed the dog's heart.
Humans called it ominous. A cursed beast.
No one dared attack it. Those who tried... died mysteriously soon after. Some choked to death on food. Some were killed by beasts. Some tripped and fatally hit their heads on sharp rocks. Every death was bizarre. But the dog knew—it wasn't its doing.
Still... its paws began to grow green fur—different from its original coat.
At first, it didn't believe the rumors. But then—Gou Dan died.
I am an ominous dog.Gou Dan called me Little Green.
The feral dog lay beside the boy, feeling life slip away. All it wanted was to die beside him—to be a good dog. Maybe, just maybe, as the humans said, in the next life they could meet again.
"Do you want to live?"
A voice broke the silence. The dog opened its eyes to see Yi Tianxing beside it.
It blinked once, then began to close its eyes again.
It knew this human—he had killed the Wolf King and avenged Gou Dan. He'd pulled the dog from beneath the wreckage. And he didn't look at it with disgust.
But the dog didn't want to respond. It just wanted to sleep forever.
"You're smart. I can tell you understand human speech."
Yi Tianxing crouched beside it, his voice calm."When people die, their souls remain. This world has reincarnation. A soul, once dead, enters the cycle of rebirth. Do you not want to live—to see Gou Dan's next life?"
The dog's eyes opened fully. It had heard of such things among humans. The thought that had once died now sparked to life.
Yes—if it died, everything would fade. But if it lived, perhaps one day... it could find Gou Dan again.
But it could feel life slipping away—its body fading fast.
"You're special," Yi Tianxing said. "If you survive, your future will be extraordinary."
"To lie here and wait for death—or to fight for life—that's your choice. If you want to live, drink this."
He placed a small bowl of water before the dog.
This was Moonwell Water—blessed, life-giving. For a creature like this, with such will and wounds, drinking it would surely save its life. Yi Tianxing believed in it. The dog was... special.
Yi Tianxing said no more and walked away.
At the village gate, Yang Yanping and Yang Ye had returned under the support of soldiers.
"Brother Yi," said Yang Yanping, bowing deeply, "our Yang Family Village survived today thanks to your righteous aid. Without you, all of us would've perished under the wolves. That Wolf King... was beyond anything we could face."
Yi Tianxing hurried forward, stopping him from bowing further.
"There's no need to thank me," he said, smiling. "After all, I'm human too—and I'm here, in Yang Village. Beasts like that are our natural enemies. If they threaten me, I won't just sit back and die."
He glanced around at the wounded villagers and soldiers.
"General Yang, I've brought some precious healing elixirs. Apply them externally to mend wounds, drink them for internal injuries. I don't have much—use them sparingly. But the sooner they're treated, the better."
As he spoke, he waved his hand—and a large plastic water container appeared beside him.
This was water from the Moonwell, specially collected and stored in his Divine Pearl space. Nearly the entire well had been drained to prepare for this moment.
Every drop of this water was precious—able to accelerate healing, stop bleeding, and regrow flesh. It was nothing short of a life-saving elixir in this world.
He poured a cup and handed it to Yang Ye.
Yang Ye, gravely wounded, didn't hesitate. He took a sip—and instantly felt the pain ease. The pressure in his chest faded. His mind cleared.
Yi Tianxing took a drop and applied it to a wound.
Immediately, a cool sensation spread from the point of contact. The wound began to close and heal at a visible rate. It wasn't fully restored, but the bleeding stopped. That alone was a miracle.