37. Dog Hero

Night falls.

Jin Lanyue lay on the bed, next to which was Xiaobai's doghouse.

The little dumpling looked at the puppy, petted it, and said, "Little White, this will be your home from now on."

The puppy buried its head in her palm, nuzzled against her, and its light brown eyes were wet, as if tears were falling like those of a human child.

"Don't cry, don't cry..." The little dumpling quickly and gently stroked its fur. "No one will bully you anymore, I'll protect you!"

The puppy nestled against her warm little hand, rested its head against her hand, and curled up to fall asleep.

The little girl's hands were a little sore, but she held her breath and looked intently at her puppy.

Then she rested her little head on the edge of the bed, without pulling her hand away, and fell asleep.

-

The next morning.

Today is a day off.

Jin Lanyue jumped up, her little arms a bit sore, but she shook them off and was still full of energy: "Little Bai, Little Bai, wake up!"

The little white dog twitched its ears and wagged its tail happily.

After a night's rest, it looked much better.

The servants washed the little dumpling's face and then served him breakfast.

"Come on, let's eat first!" The little dumpling took out the warm meat porridge from the food box first. "Mommy specially asked the kitchen to make this, it smells so good!"

The puppy sniffed it closer and then immediately began to wolf it down.

The little dumpling squatted beside it, gently stroking its back fur with its tiny hand: "Eat slowly, there's still plenty left."

The servants washed her hands and served her breakfast.

Having just finished breakfast, Jin Lanyue couldn't wait to take out the medicine bottle: "Time to apply the medicine."

She carefully parted Little White's fur: "Does it hurt? I'll be gentle."

The puppy lay obediently, occasionally licking her fingers to express its gratitude.

After applying the medicine, the little dumpling tied a small red ribbon around its neck: "This was given to me by my mother, and now I'm giving it to you!"

The puppy made a whimpering sound.

"Come on, let's go play in the garden!" Jin Lanyue picked up the puppy and ran into the yard.

"Second brother is on holiday today too!" the little dumpling said, skipping along. "We can play with second brother!"

Upon arriving in the garden, the little boy was looking around for his second brother when a strong, clear voice rang out—

"Hey! What kind of monster is causing trouble here!" The second brother, holding a wooden sword, somersaulted in front of them.

"Wow! Second brother!" Jin Lanyue exclaimed in surprise, "He's so handsome!"

"Well, it's nothing special." The second brother tossed his bangs over his head, looking rather reserved.

"So awesome!" the little dumpling exclaimed admiringly, then suddenly remembered something and held up the little dog in her arms, "Second brother, look, this is Little White!"

The second brother put away his "sword" and curiously leaned closer to examine it: "Huh? This isn't an ordinary dog, it's..."

He suddenly widened his eyes: "This is a dog-like knight-errant burdened with a blood feud!"

"Huh?" Jin Lanyue looked bewildered.

"Look at its wounds!" the second brother said, pointing seriously at Little White's injuries. "These are clearly the result of a three-hundred-round battle with the bad guys!"

He suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I am Jin Yong, and I am willing to take you as my disciple and teach you unparalleled martial arts!"

Xiao Bai tilted his head, looking confused.

The little dumpling tilted its head, looking confused: "But... if it's about taking on a disciple, why does the master kneel?"

The second brother paused for a moment, then jumped up from the ground: "Uh, this...that..."

Finally, the second brother slapped his forehead and said, "Because I'm the kind of master who's quite polite!"

"Oh, oh!" The little dumpling exclaimed without suspicion, "Second brother is so nice!"

The second brother nodded haphazardly, then quickly changed the subject: "Enough talk, I'll teach you martial arts right now!"

He stared at Xiaobai with a serious expression on his face: "You are my first disciple. You must study hard and carry forward our sect in the future!"

"First, let's learn some light footwork!" The second brother leaped onto the stone bench in one stride. "Watch closely, this is called 'Wind, Cloud, Thunder, Heavenly King's Holy Step'!"

"Wow!" The little dumpling clapped her hands. "Second brother is so amazing! And his name is so cool!"

"You flatter me, you flatter me," the second brother said, his ears turning red as he proudly struck a cool pose on the stone bench. "Ahem, well, little apprentice, it's your turn."

The little dumpling put Little White down and clenched its fist to encourage it, saying, "Go, Little White!"

Little White slowly took two steps, looked at her second brother on the stone bench, then turned to look at Little Dumpling, and finally sat down on the ground with a thud.

"noob……"

"Can't you learn it? That's alright," the second brother said. "Your internal strength is not as profound as mine, so it's normal that you can't use such advanced moves as mine. Let me teach you a simple one!"

"Watch closely! This move is called—Primordial Blood Raven Emperor Step!" He struck a pose, "Ha!"

Then he jumped off the stone bench and assumed a second posture: "Sink your Qi to your Dantian, hurry as the law commands! Stop!"

"Wow—" the little dumpling exclaimed without thinking, "So handsome!"

Although she had never heard of these moves and lines before, she was still captivated by her second brother and became his little fangirl: "So awesome! So awesome!"

"So-so," the second brother waved his hand dismissively, though his heart was already brimming with pride.

"Little Bai, Little Bai! Go for it! Be as awesome as your second brother!" After cheering for her second brother, the little dumpling started encouraging Little Bai.

Encouraged by the little dumpling, Xiaobai finally moved two slow steps, and then hopped around a bit.

"Yay! It worked!" The little dumpling jumped for joy.

"Great! You've got talent!" The second brother exclaimed excitedly, waving his arms and legs. "Next up is 'Thunderous Dragon Hand that Shrouds the Sun'!"

He struck an exaggerated pose, wildly waving his hands at the air: "Ha! Prepare to die!"

Little White also barked and waved its front paws.

"That's amazing!" The second brother exclaimed excitedly, his face flushed. "Junior sister, look! It's truly a martial arts prodigy!"

"Yes, yes!" the little dumpling cheered. "Sect! The Dharma Sunshine is great!"

"Let's make our sect shine!" said the second brother. "Come, little disciple, let me teach you another move!"

The second brother drew his little wooden sword: "Watch closely! This move is going to be really cool! Take this—the ultimate cleave of the Sin-Transcending Overlord Sword!"

He started wildly slashing with his small wooden sword again.

"Ahhh, so handsome!" the little dumpling screamed.

Xiao Bai looked back at her in confusion, not understanding but doing as she was told.

It waved its little paws, and since it didn't have a sword, it bared its teeth instead.

"Well done, that's it!" The second brother was even more excited. "Let me teach you a few more tricks!"

And so, all morning, the garden echoed with cringeworthy slogans—

"Take this! The Overlord's Roar of the Peerless Dharani!"

"Woof woof!"

"Take this! Blood Moon Shattering Star Golden Lion Divine Force!"

"Awoo!"

Jin Lanyue sat on the swing, cheering continuously.

Xiao Bai has completely let go, going from not understanding to fully integrating, jumping around with her second brother, showing no signs of depression whatsoever.

Not far away, Jiang Xiyue and her entourage watched them silently for a long while.

She was planning to take the children out for lunch, but ended up accidentally witnessing this "martial arts tournament."

She heard the servants behind her trying to suppress their laughter. She gripped the ground with her toes and held back her laughter for a long time before she finally mustered the courage to continue watching.

Honestly...

It's clearly the kids who are embarrassed, but she's the one who's feeling so ashamed and awkward.

Only after mentally preparing herself did Jiang Xiyue steel herself and step forward to interrupt their game: "Alright, you guys... stop for a bit, it's time for lunch."

The second brother looked disappointed and said with lingering reluctance, "Ah, but I still have eighteen martial arts skills I haven't taught you..."

"Alright, stop talking now." Jiang Xiyue couldn't take it anymore; if he kept talking, her embroidered shoes would be ripped through.

Jiang Xiyue scooped up Jin Lanyue and abruptly ended the "martial arts tournament".

But the little dumpling hadn't had enough yet, staring longingly at her second brother and Xiaobai, which made Jiang Xiyue's heart pound with fear.

I hope her sweet, adorable, well-behaved, and sensible little daughter never turns out like this!