Chapter 16 The Princess's Beloved Dog 2 The puppy wants to be the princess's companion...
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the holes in the dilapidated temple roof, casting dappled patterns of light on the dry ground.
Yuezhi was frying fish on a thin stone slab. The tender fish belly sizzled as it was grilled, the oil seeping out, the skin curling up, and emitting an enticing aroma.
She carefully turned him over, while Pei Heng, who was lying next to her, was already drooling so much that he kept tapping the ground with the tip of his tail, his mouth practically overflowing with saliva.
"Alright!" Yuezhi placed the largest piece of fish belly, with its crispy, golden-brown edges, onto a clean leaf and pushed it in front of Pei Heng. "Aheng, try it!"
Pei Heng immediately leaned over, anxiously blew on it, and carefully took a bite. It was so hot that he kept panting, but he couldn't bear to spit it out. His fluffy tail wagged even more enthusiastically.
Yuezhi ate some herself, and her eyes crinkled with satisfaction.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Yuezhi packed up, her tone becoming serious: "Aheng, we have to leave here."
According to Pei Heng, they had been living at the bottom of the cliff for three days since he found her. Three days was enough time for the Yulin Kingdom and the Changxu Kingdom to meet and send people to find them. This place was the border between the two countries, and they could not stay for long.
Pei Heng immediately raised his head, his ears perking up alertly.
Yuezhi looked around the dilapidated temple that was drafty and leaky. "Moreover, this place is too rudimentary. There is no salt, no warm clothes or bedding. It's bearable now in the summer, but it will definitely be unbearable in the fall. We need to find a place where we can truly settle down."
Pei Heng blinked his dark eyes, leaned forward, and gently nuzzled Yue Zhi's hand with his head, looking a little shy.
He whispered, "Princess, I have a master and a cave in the demon realm. It's not big, but it's very safe and warm in winter. If you'd like, we can live there..."
The demon realm? Yuezhi was taken aback for a moment, then a big, untroubled smile bloomed on her face. She reached out and vigorously rubbed its fluffy head. "Okay!"
Far from the crowds and the world, no longer bound by the shackles of identity, with the loyal Ah Heng by her side.
The demon realm is the perfect place to go.
Upon hearing this, Pei Heng was so happy he almost jumped for joy. He tried to steady himself, and with feigned composure, he flicked his tail and explained, "However, most of my demonic power was used up when I saved the princess, and it hasn't recovered yet. I can't fly back, so I can only walk. The shortest route to the demon realm is through this forest, into several towns on the border of the Jade Lin Kingdom, and then over a mountain."
Upon hearing that they would be returning to the territory of Yulin Kingdom, Yuezhi was silent for a moment, but soon she nodded: "If we are careful, we should be fine."
As she spoke, she began to work on the magnificent wedding dress.
She removed the most conspicuous gems and pearls one by one, discarded the heavy, ornate outer garment embroidered with golden phoenixes, and wore only the relatively simple red petticoat underneath.
Next, the phoenix crown that symbolized her status was disassembled into pieces of gold jewelry for easy carrying.
Pei Heng watched her efficient movements, his eyes filled with trust.
A man and his dog embarked on a journey.
During the day, they traveled through the forest, and with Pei Heng by their side, no wild animals dared to approach or disturb them. At night, they would find a dry and sheltered place to rest.
That night, they rested in a soft haystack. After walking all day, Yuezhi was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep. Pei Heng stayed by her side, keeping watch for any movement around them.
At that moment, the air in front of it rippled slightly, and a soft light shone forth, unfolding into a picture like ripples on the surface of water.
On the opposite side of the painting appeared a beautiful woman with affectionate eyes and skin as white as snow. Behind her, nine fox tails swayed lazily, burning with a bright red flame.
"Little Heng'er?" Pei Yao spoke lazily, her gaze sharply sweeping past the white dog and landing on Yue Zhi, who was fast asleep on the haystack behind it. She raised an eyebrow, a hint of amazement flashing in her eyes.
"Oh, is this the little princess you were so desperate to find? She's so pretty."
Pei Heng shifted his body awkwardly, sitting up straight on the ground to try and block his master's view, and whispered, "Master... I want to take her back to the demon realm."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yao frowned slightly: "Mortals are not allowed to enter the demon realm, have you forgotten the rules? Unless..."
She drew out her words, a sly glint in her eyes, "She agreed to be your partner?"
Pei Heng froze instantly, and the tips of his ears turned suspiciously red.
It dared not look its master in the eye, making muffled gurgling sounds in its throat. Finally, it nodded slightly and squeezed out a single word through its teeth: "Mmm."
"Really?!" Pei Yao's worry was replaced by huge surprise, and her nine tails wagged happily. "Good boy, you are indeed my good disciple! You found yourself such a beautiful companion so quickly. You've really grown up and are a grown-up dog now!"
She laughed heartily, and with a casual wave of her hand, a golden streak passed through the "Thousand Mile Painting," landing in front of Pei Heng and transforming into a pouch.
"This is the treasure pouch you've always wanted. I'm giving it to you as a gift."
The white dog picked up the treasure bag, feeling both happy and guilty.
"Alright, alright, I won't disturb you two anymore!" Pei Yao smiled and lowered her voice, "The demon's life is long, and I only hope that you two will form a bond soon so that I can have a litter of chubby puppies to play with!"
"Master, Master!" Pei Heng's entire dog face instantly turned bright red. In a panic, he swatted away the "scroll" in the air with a paw, severing the connection.
It put away its treasure pouch, its heart still pounding wildly. Having puppies... it didn't even dare to think about it!
After calming himself down, he tiptoed back to Yuezhi's side, curled up next to her, and lay down so that she could snuggle up to him for warmth.
Feeling the even breathing and body temperature of the people around him, Pei Heng's heart was filled with an immense sense of happiness.
It remembered many years ago, when it was a weak puppy, abandoned by its mother shortly after birth, lying dying by the roadside, almost trampled to death by the chaotic crowd.
The princess was just a child then. She stepped down from the magnificent carriage, carefully picked it up with her soft, warm little hands, wiped away the blood and dust from it, and tucked it into her sleeve to take it back to the palace.
Those six months were the happiest days of its life.
The princess secretly fed it milk, saved the meat paste for it, slept with it at night, and played with it every day.
However, the princess was not favored in the palace. After her dog was discovered, it was roughly thrown over the palace wall. Through the high, cold palace wall, it could never see the little figure that had given it warmth again.
Knowing that dogs have short lifespans while humans have long lifespans, it desperately sought opportunities to see her again and embarked on the path of cultivation.
In the demon realm, it had been keeping a close eye on news from the Jade Unicorn Kingdom's palace. Because the palace was protected by dragon energy, demons could not break in. When it learned that the princess was leaving the palace to get married, it rushed over without hesitation, hoping to see her one last time and have her pat its head again...
I never imagined I would witness her in a fluttering red dress jumping off a cliff.
Now, the princess sleeps peacefully beside it, her breathing steady. As if sensing its warmth in her dream, she unconsciously reaches out and gently places her hand on its fluffy head, stroking it tenderly as she did many years ago.
Pei Heng gently rubbed her palm, letting out a satisfied, soft purring sound from his throat.
Being able to protect her like this is its greatest happiness.
*
Yuezhi looked delighted and turned to the fluffy white dog beside her, earnestly instructing, "Aheng, the village of mortals is just below. There are good and bad mortals. You can't be like you are with me, wagging your tail foolishly at everyone you see. Be careful, or you might get tricked by someone with just a chicken leg!"
Yuezhi was amused by its appearance and reached out to rub its very soft ear tips: "So smart!"
They came down the mountain and entered the village.
Yuezhi selected a few kind-looking villagers and used the gems and pearls she had taken from her wedding dress to exchange for some durable cakes and dried meat as provisions.
The third place we went to was run by an exceptionally warm and welcoming older woman.
Seeing that Yuezhi was beautiful and had an extraordinary air about her despite wearing a simple red dress, and that she was accompanied by a majestic and beautiful white dog, the old woman couldn't help but ask her a few more questions about her background.
Yuezhi had already prepared her explanation. She lowered her eyelashes, her voice carrying a perfectly measured hint of sadness: "I was sold by my family, and I just escaped from... from that place."
Upon hearing this, the old woman was immediately heartbroken and sighed repeatedly, "What a tragedy! Such a beautiful girl..."
Without saying a word, she not only gave Yuezhi a lot of dry food, but also rummaged through her chests and found a half-new, clean cotton quilt and a set of neat coarse cloth clothes that belonged to her own daughter. She stuffed them into Yuezhi's hands, saying, "Girl, take these! They'll at least keep you warm on the road!"
A warm feeling welled up in Yuezhi's heart. She insisted on stuffing a small piece of gold jewelry into the old woman's hand and left amidst the old woman's nagging instructions.
She found a quiet spot to change into her new clothes, carefully tied the quilt, dry food, and water bottle with rope, and then patted Pei Heng's strong back: "Aheng, thank you for your hard work!"
Pei Heng proudly raised his head, then bent down to let Yue Zhi secure the luggage to his back.
It is much larger than an ordinary dog, yet it moves with ease while carrying its pack, and even walks with its head held high because of its sense of mission to "bear a heavy responsibility".
The man and his dog, carrying their newly acquired treasures, continued their journey in high spirits.
Not far from the village, a nimble tabby cat suddenly darted out of the roadside bushes. It nimbly ran to Yuezhi, not only unafraid of strangers, but also meowed and lay down at her feet, revealing its soft belly. Its round cat eyes looked at her innocently and expectantly.
"Oh, what an adorable kitten!" Yuezhi exclaimed in delight as she crouched down and gently stroked the kitten's head.
The tabby cat purred contentedly and rubbed its head against her fingers.
Yuezhi found it amusing and picked it up.
The tabby cat nestled obediently in her arms. From an angle where Yuezhi couldn't see, it raised its chin and cast an extremely provocative glance at Pei Heng, who was glaring at it from the side.
Pei Heng instantly bristled!
"Woof! Woof woof!" he barked angrily, remembering his agreement with the princess that he couldn't speak human language in places where there were people, and could only express his dissatisfaction by barking loudly.
Yuezhi quickly freed one hand to comfort him: "Aheng, be good, it's just a kitten, it's okay, it's not fierce."
Pei Heng struggled to suppress the low growl in his throat, his chest heaving violently.
At that moment, he clearly heard the cat's triumphant and provocative meow in the language of monsters: This woman is gentle and beautiful. Being her companion will surely bring me great nourishment. I will make her my companion.
Upon hearing this, the tabby cat, far from being frightened, deliberately sniffed deeply at Yuezhi's neck and continued meowing: Liar! She doesn't smell like you at all! Besides, how could a princess like me fall for a stupid dog? She would definitely prefer an elegant and beautiful cat like me!
These words were like a needle, piercing Pei Heng's most sensitive and insecure feelings.
The princess didn't smell of him, and he didn't even have the courage to confess his feelings...
It was just a lucky dog demon who was rescued by the princess and was delusional about wanting to stay with her. How could it dare to hope to become her partner?
It stopped baring its teeth at the cat and slowly drooped its ears. Its eyes, which had always been bright and sparkling as it looked at Yuezhi, became watery and pitiful, like a child whose treasure had been stolen but dared not make a sound.
Yuezhi immediately noticed the change in her dog, smiled, gently put the tabby cat back on the ground, and patted its bottom to signal it to leave.
Then, she squatted down in front of Pei Heng, cupped its fluffy face in her hands, gently combed the downy hair behind its ears with her fingertips, and asked softly, "What's wrong? Is our Aheng unhappy? Are you jealous?"
Feeling the princess's gentle caress and focused gaze, Pei Heng's whimper subsided, his wet eyes looked at her, and the tip of his tail twitched slightly.
Yuezhi continued to coax patiently, "Sweetie, I'm just going to hug it. See, I've let it go now, haven't I? I love Aheng the most. He's brave, reliable, and he even helps me carry things. Nobody can compare to him!"
Upon hearing this, Pei Heng's tail started wagging again, the amplitude increasing, showing a mix of embarrassment and undisguised joy.
It secretly glanced at the tabby cat still standing on the road, seemingly unwilling to give up. Its eyes instantly regained their spirit, even carrying a hint of smugness, and it silently conveyed in the language of the beast: See? The princess likes me the most! She only touches me!
The tabby cat flicked its tail, seemingly bored, meowed, and disappeared into the bushes.
Having driven away the "foreign enemy," Pei Heng refocused his gaze on Yue Zhi's face, which was so close to his.
She was looking at it with a smile, her eyes gentle, sunlight dancing on her long eyelashes, her gaze filled with unconditional trust and affection...
Pei Heng felt as if his heart had been struck hard by something, and a clear and intense emotion burst forth, quickly spreading to every part of his body.
He gazed intently at Yuezhi, his obsidian eyes reflecting her image.
He didn't want to just be her puppy.
I want to stay by her side forever, kissing and hugging her, not as a pet, but... her partner.
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