Chapter 154 He confidently told the other person to lean on his shoulder and sleep, but after only a short while, he...
She had confidently told He Zhao to lean on her shoulder to sleep, but after only a short while, her arm went numb and she couldn't move it. After turning off the alarm, Qiao Yanyu had to come back and massage He Zhao's shoulders and arms to improve blood circulation.
He Zhao was a little embarrassed, but Qiao Yanyu didn't think it was a big deal.
After finishing all that, He Zhao turned and fled into the kitchen as if escaping, preparing the things he would need for his stall that evening. Xiao Hei thought He Zhao was going to make something delicious again and wanted to follow him in, but Qiao Yanyu caught him and pulled him back.
She explained to Xiao Hei, "It's not for us to eat, it's for the stall at night, it's for the ghosts to eat."
"?" Little Black's big eyes were full of questions. It thought it had misheard, or that Qiao Yanyu had misspoke, but she really looked serious. Little Black was just a watchdog and didn't know anything about He Zhao, so when it suddenly heard that it was going to feed ghosts, it felt that this world was too absurd and completely different from what it understood.
These days, even ghosts can eat? Are there really people doing business with ghosts?
"So you have to stay with us tonight and protect He Zhao properly. You absolutely cannot let any other ghosts or people harm He Zhao." Qiao Yanyu instructed Xiao Hei in a serious tone. Xiao Hei let out a "woof" to indicate that it understood.
It wouldn't let He Zhao get hurt in the slightest. Ever since eating He Zhao's braised pork noodles, Xiao Hei had decided—He Zhao was its own mother. Anyone who dared to touch He Zhao would have to step over its own body!
Qiao Yanyu put Xiao Hei down only after making sure it understood. She went back to her room to take a shower. She hadn't showered for a whole day and night, and her body must smell terrible. It was a wonder that He Zhao hadn't reacted at all, letting her lean on him for so long.
When Qiao Yanyu came out after showering and drying her hair, He Zhao was just about to move his things outside. Xiao Hei was also ready to go out with her.
Qiao Yanyu's leg was almost fully healed, so she didn't need to take a taxi anymore. However, she definitely couldn't drive a motorcycle, as the doctor had specifically instructed. So this time, Qiao Yanyu rode in He Zhao's car. He Zhao had to drive and couldn't look after Xiao Hei, so Xiao Hei could only nestle on Qiao Yanyu's lap.
The electric scooter sped through the night streets at 80 miles per hour. They'd left a little late, but still managed to reach their usual stall location by 10 PM. Qiao Yanyu got off the scooter carrying Xiao Hei, put Xiao Hei aside, and helped He Zhao set up the stall.
Little □□ wasn't busy, but she still followed him around like a little shadow.
After finally setting up their stall, He Zhao sat down, one on a stool each with Qiao Yanyu. Xiao Hei got impatient; it paced around for a while before He Zhao realized that he had bought so many things but forgotten to buy some things for taking Xiao Hei out. For example, a water bottle, a leash, and an outdoor dog bed.
With no other option, He Zhao moved a chair to the other side of himself and carried Xiao Hei onto the chair.
Xiao Hei wasn't happy with the hard chair, but seeing He Zhao and Qiao Yanyu sitting on it, he could only suppress his dissatisfaction and sit obediently.
The first customer of the day was Mud Demon. It went to the other side of the stall, intending to order as usual, but froze the moment it saw Little Black. To He Zhao, as long as Little Black didn't revert to its true form, it was just an ordinary, harmless little dog.
But for the Mud Demon, this little black creature was a bit too exciting.
That wasn't a dog, it was a gigantic creature! Its yang energy was terrifyingly strong; even though it was just a small thing lying on the seat, looking up revealed the shadowy figure of a colossal being. Moreover, Xiao Hei's natural aversion to ghosts and monsters was no joke; just getting close made me feel pressure, even greater than the pressure Qiao Yanyu exerted on them.
After all, Qiao Yanyu was a human, and she knew how to conceal her yang energy, while Xiao Hei didn't understand. It might even think that its abundant yang energy made it very powerful, and it would only show off how awesome it was, never actually trying to hide its yang energy.
The mud ghost stammered, "What...what is this thing?"
It extended its trident and pointed it in the direction of Little Black.
He Zhao explained, "It's Xiaotianquan. It's a new member of our family now and it's responsible for protecting me, so it came along to set up the stall."
"...So there really is such a thing as the Howling Celestial Dog."
Hearing He Zhao discussing him with the guests, Xiao Hei raised its neck and head high. Although its body was small and inconspicuous from the other side, its abundant yang energy still frightened ghosts.
“Yes, but it’s not pure. It seems to only have the bloodline of the Celestial Hound. If it’s the Celestial Hound from mythology, I guess… um…” He Zhao couldn’t find a good adjective, but the Mud Demon nodded: “If it were pure, I might have turned to ashes by now.”
Seeing that Little Black showed no aggression, Mud Demon was a little relieved. It sighed, "Actually, it looks... kind of cute."
This was clearly an attempt to please Little Black, but Little Black just snorted and remained unmoved. Because of Little Black's presence, the Mud Demon wasn't as lively as before; it looked more like a mouse seeing a cat, completely docile.
Little Black is indeed quite impressive, being a descendant of the Celestial Hound.
He Zhao asked it a few more questions, such as how the other ghosts were doing today, whether they encountered anything strange, whether there was more information about the part before it became a ghost, and whether it knew anything about the Tonghuan Society.
The Mud Demon shook its head; indeed, there was no useful information.
The other guests were also unusually well-behaved and quiet in front of Xiao Hei, completely unlike their usual boisterous selves, as if afraid that Xiao Hei would devour them when He Zhao wasn't looking. Of course, even the Celestial Hound could swallow the sun; for a dog with the bloodline of the Celestial Hound, swallowing a ghost was more than a piece of cake.
Moreover, if you get swallowed by a dog, you're truly annihilated, with no other options left.
After the stall was closed, Xiao Hei stood up from its seat, shook its fur, and looked quite proud. It raised its head at He Zhao, its meaning clearly: "How about it? I did a good job today, didn't I?"
I'll make you some bone stew later.
He Zhao gave Xiao Hei a perfunctory reply before taking Qiao Yanyu home. Perhaps because Xiao Hei was there, Qiao Yanyu seemed much more at ease and was able to peacefully rest her head on the table for a while. He Zhao could tell that Qiao Yanyu was quite worried because of him.
Was she afraid of being harmed by bad guys? Or was it for some other reason? He Zhao knew she wouldn't get an answer from her, so she remained quiet, letting Qiao Yanyu understand that she could be fine on her own. She just hoped that Qiao Yanyu could quickly resolve that "Joyful Gathering" and then continue living peacefully with her.
On the other hand, He Zhao knew that there were definitely more than just one or two villainous organizations like the Tonghuan Society, and other villains might come looking for trouble in the future. Qiao Yanyu would definitely spare no effort to continue fighting the villains. But He Zhao still hoped it would end soon, so he could at least get some rest.
She now has a sense of anxiety about her partner being a public official, or rather, the kind of public official who carries risks; she is genuinely worried.
Back home, Xiao Hei was put in its doghouse on the balcony. Qiao Yanyu and He Zhao said goodnight and went back to their respective rooms. He Zhao, lying in bed, should have gone to sleep early, since Qiao Yanyu was back. This was the first time in several days that Qiao Yanyu had slept at home with him.
He Zhao suddenly jumped out of bed. She realized—this wasn't right. Weren't they a couple? Even if they hadn't yet experienced the "great harmony" of life, they were still a couple, lovers. They had confirmed their relationship, yet they were living under the same roof but sleeping in separate rooms every day. Was this appropriate?
"Ahhh..." He Zhao grabbed her hair. She hadn't thought of this at all and hadn't even mentioned wanting to sleep in the same room as Qiao Yanyu. But now wasn't a good time. If she brought up wanting to sleep with Qiao Yanyu now, it would be very strange.
She was busy, and I was bothering Qiao Yanyu with such a trivial matter.
She lay down again. The small bed, which had once felt so comfortable, now felt awful no matter how she tried to sleep. He Zhao tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep, feeling resentful. When she woke up the next day, Qiao Yanyu had already gone out, probably busy with something again, leaving only Xiao Hei at home.
Perhaps noticing that He Zhao had gotten up, Xiao Hei wagged its tail and came closer, its starry eyes seeming to say: "Where's the bone you promised yesterday?"
He Zhao yawned: "Wait a minute, let me brush my teeth and wash my face first. We'll just have something simple for lunch, and I'll make some pork rib soup for dinner, and I'll bring some to Sister Qiao too." Today was He Zhao's day off, and she had plenty of time, so she was happy to go to the Countermeasures Bureau to deliver dinner to Qiao Yanyu in the evening.
She doesn't mind doing a little more now; after all, she was going to have to make an extra dog anyway, so bringing some for Wang Yu and Li Xia wouldn't be a problem. She doesn't want Wang Yu to find out and come crying to her, saying she's treated worse than a dog.
Hearing He Zhao say that, Xiao Hei was finally satisfied. He squatted down in front of He Zhao's door, waiting for her to come out and make lunch.
Normally, He Zhao would just go out and grab something quick for lunch. But now, with an extra mouth to feed, He Zhao had to pull herself together and cook something. Because she got up late, what she made was quite simple: she took out yesterday's leftovers, some scallions, and eggs, and made a fried rice dish.
Xiao Hei's bowl was gleaming with gold; not a single grain of rice or scallion was left. Seeing this, He Zhao was finally satisfied: "A dog that doesn't pick at its food is a good dog."
She washed the dishes and chopsticks, picked up Xiao Hei and went out. He Zhao explained to Xiao Hei, "We'll go to the pet store first and pick out a dog leash for you."
Little Black was dumbfounded. It struggled in He Zhao's arms. As a celestial dog, even if it wasn't purebred, how could it wear a leash! If its mother's other puppies found out, they would definitely laugh at it mercilessly!
Unfortunately, it couldn't resist He Zhao. He Zhao smacked its bottom hard: "Stop making a fuss, or I won't give you any ribs tonight. You can just suck on the bones then."
--hateful.
Xiao Hei stopped moving.
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