Chapter 29: Boss Lu, I Must Be Your Dog in My Next Life

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Boss Lu, I Must Be Your Dog in My Next Life

Lu Wu was completely numb.

The second mission had just begun, and Lu Wu felt like she was going to fail before she even got started.

She opened her mouth but didn’t know how to explain.

Even if she started gnawing on a pig knuckle herself, she probably couldn’t convince these people that it was perfectly fine.

Sigh!

This jumping to conclusions was toxic, and she was the one getting poisoned by it.

Letting out a long sigh, Lu Wu wracked her brain for a solution, only to turn her head and see a familiar figure.

...

I am a little yellow stray dog. People call me Dahuang. I was born in the small town of Xiaohe Town.

My birth may have been humble, but I refuse to accept my fate.

Destiny may be set, but I believe that a dog can conquer destiny.

I’ve been secretly observing the human way of life, diligently studying all sorts of knowledge just like them.

Then one day, a flash of insight struck my mind and I became intelligent. I knew then that I had become what those humans call a demon beast.

From that day on, all the stray cats and dogs on the streets acknowledged me as their boss.

But I looked down on such things.

Leading a gang of lackeys to run rampant wasn’t my ambition.

I am a dog destined to become the Dog Emperor!

So, I gave myself a name: Ao Tian. Gou Aotian.

Those humans used to say that anyone with that name is destined for greatness.

After my awakening, I learned how to cultivate. I also knew that Xiaohe Town could no longer contain a magnificent being such as myself.

So, after a failed attempt to scam Boss Lu, I set out for the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons.

I had a premonition that I would find a way to become stronger here.

However, disaster always strikes when you least expect it.

On my very first day, I stumbled upon two powerful demon beasts locked in combat.

Sand and stones flew, and the sky itself went dark.

I’m at a loss for words; I can’t quite describe the terrifying scene.

Being far too weak, all I could do was lie flat on the ground and wait for the battle to end.

Thankfully, those two seniors ignored a small fry like me, so I just waited on the sidelines until their fight was over.

One died, the other was injured.

The avian senior was ultimately strangled to death by the serpentine senior.

Its enormous body lay on the ground, its eyes wide open in death, staring directly at my hiding spot. Meeting that gaze, which remained piercingly bright even after all life had fled, a single thought filled my mind.

I must become stronger!

Perhaps my call was so loud that destiny answered.

The serpentine senior, though not dead, was grievously wounded, on the verge of death and unable to move.

He called me out, telling me to fetch him medicinal herbs to help him recover. He promised to reward me afterward.

After weighing the pros and cons, I agreed.

This wasn’t cowardice; this was discretion being the better part of valor.

Human wisdom always guides me forward at critical moments.

Even if humans don’t like me, I deeply love those adorable humans, especially Boss Lu, who makes the meat buns.

SLURP.

I brought the slobber-soaked herbs to the serpentine senior.

His serpentine pupils narrowed, and a sense of crisis nearly overwhelmed me. Fortunately, the serpentine senior didn’t harm me and kept his word.

After eating the herbs, his injuries recovered slightly.

The senior dug out and swallowed the avian beast’s Demon Core. I could feel that his cultivation had improved even further.

As for the remaining bird meat, the senior gave it to me as my reward.

So much meat! As a newcomer, I was dazzled by the sight.

I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it.

Although the meat wasn’t as fragrant as Boss Lu’s buns, I was still very happy.

I swore that once I became strong, I would go scam Boss Lu again and become her dog.

I ate my fill.

After gorging myself, a wave of heat spread through my body.

It was the abundant Spiritual Power contained within the demon beast’s flesh. I followed my instincts and absorbed that Spiritual Power.

I was getting stronger; I knew it.

But I was also walking towards death.

By the time I realized something was wrong with my body, it was too late.

The Spiritual Power in my meridians had turned black.

I was poisoned.

Why didn’t any beast tell me that the meat could be poisonous too?

Dragging my badly poisoned body, I found the serpentine senior, but he just looked at me coldly.

His narrowed pupils held a coldness of absolute zero.

"Oh, I thought you knew."

Those icy words made me feel as if I were lost in the snows of a harsh winter.

So it was true what humans said about demon beasts being cold-blooded and ruthless. Even among our own kind, we don’t look out for each other.

I was so sad.

The poison was too potent.

And I hadn’t yet learned how to neutralize poisons.

I could only rely on my instincts to gnaw on some medicinal herbs. They slowed the poison’s effects, but I was still taking one step after another towards death.

I panicked.

Could it be that I, Gou Aotian, was fated to fall here?

Day by day, my body grew weaker.

The Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons was no longer suitable for me. One day, upon opening my eyes, I dragged my exhausted body and began to walk out of the valley.

I don’t know how long it took, but I eventually saw the gorge entrance.

And, drifting from the gorge, the scent of meat.

It smelled so good.

In my heart, that fragrance could rival Boss Lu’s buns.

Ah, I thought of Boss Lu again.

If only I could eat Boss Lu’s buns one last time before I die.

With that thought, I headed towards the source of the meaty aroma. My vision started to go black, blurring before my eyes.

Perhaps it was the poison’s effect, but I thought I could faintly see Boss Lu.

But how could that be possible?

I grinned, my whole body twitching. I didn’t need to look to know how ugly I must have appeared.

I couldn’t walk another step and collapsed next to the phantom Boss Lu.

If there is a next life, I will definitely...

"Huh? Dahuang, are you okay?"

Lu Wu raised her eyebrows in surprise, looking down at Dahuang, who had collapsed at her feet.

The patrons had said that while this yellow dog seemed to understand people, it was still a demon beast and posed a certain danger to ordinary folk.

Someone had once tried to find and drive Dahuang out of Xiaohe Town, but they returned empty-handed.

’I can’t believe Dahuang went into the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons and got so badly poisoned.’

Looking at Dahuang’s emaciated body, ravaged by poison, Lu Wu felt a bit helpless.

She noticed the kindness and attachment in Dahuang’s eyes and couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. But she didn’t know how to cure poison, and she wasn’t carrying any Detoxification Pills.

As for asking the others for help...

She glanced at the crowd, who looked on with complete indifference. Considering the huge mess the master of assumptions had created for her earlier, it was doubtful anyone would lend a hand.

In that case, a desperate remedy was her only option.

After a quick glance at the system’s description of the braised pig knuckle, Lu Wu fished a hot one out of the pot. She removed the bone, tore the skin and lean meat into strips, then picked up Dahuang, pried open his mouth, and stuffed the meat inside.

’Love Pig Knuckles Even in Death. Special effect: Detoxification.’

As for how potent the detoxification effect was, that would depend on whether Dahuang was tough enough to survive.

A faint swallowing sound could be heard. Dahuang was cooperating with Lu Wu.

Dahuang, who already had one... no, two paws in the underworld, smelled the aroma of meat wafting from the mortal realm.

For a dog, meat is impossible to refuse.

Not to mention, this meat was being given to him by a Bodhisattva who looked suspiciously like Boss Lu.

When Dahuang tasted the meat, he was overjoyed.

Alas, his simple mind couldn’t find the words to describe such a delicacy.

"WOOF! WOOF!"

He barked weakly, expressing his gratitude.

Thank you, kind person, for letting me go on my way as a well-fed ghost.

I hope there are meat buns and pig knuckles in heaven, too.

Dahuang closed his eyes peacefully.

’Goodbye, Boss Lu. In my next life, I will definitely be your dog.’