After a long and brutal beating, the big yellow dog finally ended and went off to harass female dogs in the street, completely satisfied.

Zhao Youliang was left lying on the ground alone, his face covered in tear stains and scratches.

The neighbors who had just heard Zhao Youliang's screams all turned to look at the paper-making shop with sympathy.

And she taught her child: "Did you hear that? You must study hard from now on!"

"If you don't study hard, you'll only be able to work for others and get beaten up by dogs every day!"

......

After a long while, Zhao Youliang finally managed to get up with difficulty. Like a wronged young wife, he began to tidy up the overturned tables and chairs and put the paper figures back in their original positions.

There's a saying that goes: As long as a person is alive, life must go on.

After tending to his wounds, Zhao Youliang strode out the door with firm steps... heading straight for the steamed bun shop.

Ahem, health is the foundation of everything.

How can we continue to live without capital...?

Looking at the pitiful Zhao Youliang, Uncle Gangtou, the owner of the steamed bun shop, was filled with sympathy.

Out of sympathy, they didn't even ask for money for breakfast.

"Quantum, did you just get beaten up by a dog again?"

"Sigh, you really are a troublemaker. You know you can't beat a dog, so why did you provoke it in the first place!"

"Look at this beating, he's completely disfigured."

Zhao Youliang was speechless, and could only channel his grief into his appetite, stuffing buns into his mouth with all his might.

Seeing his dejected state, Uncle Gangtou felt even more sympathy and continued to comfort him.

"Quantum, don't be too sad. Who in town hasn't been beaten up by your big yellow dog?"

"It's just that you get beaten up the most... Oh right, there are people who are worse off than you."

"That scoundrel Ma was yelling all night last night, probably because he got beaten by his dad for not doing his job properly."

"It didn't stop until almost dawn."

Fatty Ma is the town mayor's son, the one who told Zhao Youliang and Xiao Li ghost stories yesterday.

People are all the same: when they are down on their luck, if they know that someone is even more unlucky than them, they will feel much better instantly.

Zhao Youliang was one such example.

"Haha, Uncle Gangtou, are you serious?"

"That fat guy should have been beaten up a long time ago. All he does is bully the villagers and harass men and women."

While Zhao Youliang was happily listening to Uncle Gangtou's story, on the other side, in some unknown mountain...

The little dumpling stood up, clasped its little paws together, and kept kowtowing and bowing to the old man who called himself Master Gray Six.

It kept making squeaking noises, as if it were praying for something.

Uncle Grey was still in good spirits, and his simple clothes were without a single wrinkle.

Looking at the little mouse that kept kneeling before him, his face was full of doting and helplessness.

"You little brat, why are you so annoying? I've said no, and that means no."

"The opportunity to become a shaman is something that can only be encountered by chance and cannot be sought; it depends entirely on each person's own karma."

“That child named Zhao Youliang has no affinity for immortality at all. How can I, your ancestor, help him?”

At this point, Uncle Grey grabbed the little dumpling who was still kowtowing and put it on his shoulder.

"Besides, haven't I already helped that child twice?"

"Give him a talisman and a 'celestial flag,' and that's about all you can do to help."

"Everything in this world has its own cause and effect. Interfering too much in the cause and effect of others is not good for either party."

After hearing what Master Hui said, Little Dumpling's eyes flickered.

He only just realized that the "immortal flag" brought back by the big yellow dog was a gift from his ancestor, or rather, a secret support for Zhao Youliang.

Otherwise, these magical treasures aren't as common as cabbages; how could the big yellow dog have gotten them so easily?

Besides, in today's society, you can't even find a cabbage on the street!

Seeing that Little Dumpling understood his good intentions, Gray Sixth Master smiled.

"Alright, that's fine then."

"I don't care if you like playing with that kid Zhao Youliang, just remember not to mess with the things in the shop."

"trouble."

When talking about the items in the paper-making shop, Uncle Gray frowned slightly.

The little dumpling nodded while squeaking, indicating that it understood.

After hesitating for a moment, it called out to Gray Sixth Master a few more times, while also stretching out its little paws to massage its ancestor's shoulders.

While enjoying the moment with his eyes closed, Gray Sixth Master also showed a helpless expression.

"You little rascal, you're really something. Looks like you're sticking with that kid Zhao Youliang."

"Aren't you afraid of danger? You could lose your life at any moment."

"Like I said, the things in the paper-making shop are very troublesome."

After Uncle Gray finished speaking, Little Dumpling didn't rush to answer. Instead, she pondered for a while before nodding emphatically.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

Seeing this, Master Hui laughed heartily, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

"Very well, this is how the descendants of the Hui family should be!"

"Fearless in the face of death, loyal and righteous!"

"Since that's the case, then I'll tell you: if you want to completely resolve the paper-making shop issue, you'll have to ask the young general for help."

"However, like the young master, he has been out of touch with worldly affairs for a long time; even I, the patriarch, don't know where he is..."

Mentioning "Little Master," Gray Six's eyes were filled with longing.

Speaking of the mysterious "young general," he was still hiding and playing on the "ruins" in the courtyard.

Beside him was a large, clumsy-looking worm with a black pot on its head and shifty eyes.

Achoo!

"Oh my god, why did I suddenly sneeze?"

"Thinking about us, cursing us, catching a cold – Eighth Master, Eighth Master, someone must be missing us!"

Upon hearing this, the lanky man known as Eighth Master looked disgusted.

"Miss you? Who would miss you, you little brat!"

"If you said you were just thinking about Mr. Xiao and happened to scold you, I might believe you!"

"Is that so?" The man, who was called the young general and the little bastard, was clearly insecure after being told off by the big snake.

Although the man was middle-aged, his face still showed a childlike innocence... or rather, a silly look.

He's just as stupid as the giant snake next to him.

"Oh my god, we've realized we retired too early."

“They shouldn’t apply for retirement after fifteen years (Note 1), they should have caught bad money for a few more years.”

"When we were here, the security was so good that even rats didn't dare to come into houses to steal oil!"

The big worm didn't refute the middle-aged man's words—because what he said was a fact, but also nonsense.

With the Gray family head keeping them in check, what rat would dare to break in and steal food?!

Not only did they not dare to steal, the little mice also spontaneously organized themselves to go out at night to keep watch and patrol.

They were just waiting to find the bad guys so they could inform the "Young General," the middle-aged man, and get some snacks in return.

Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for public security not to be good...

Note 1: The statement that police officers can officially retire after 15 years of service is not something I made up, but rather a relevant national regulation.

The only difference is that if you retire early, your pension will be much less.