Chapter 50 Riding a Dog?
“Don’t worry, I guarantee your safety,” Miss Ming Shan said, patting her ample chest, promising Li Changluo with confidence.
No wonder she agreed so quickly—it was because she was offering compensation.
Am I really the kind of shameless person who sells his body for profit?
Li Changluo was so angry he jumped up from the ground, pointing at Miss Ming Shan and shouting, “Absolutely not—”
“Hm?”
Li Changluo grinned, “At least two guest rooms.”
“All right, I can arrange that,” Miss Ming Shan replied briskly.
This only confirmed Li Changluo’s suspicion—
This must be a suicide mission.
Damn it, is it too late to escape now?
But under Miss Ming Shan’s murderous glare, Li Changluo dared not ask any more questions.
He had no choice but to brace himself and prepare to crawl inside. The fire in the stove was nearly out; even if he crawled in, a single breath could extinguish it.
Yet the flames inside were strange. Li Changluo saw them constantly changing colors—now white, now black, now ordinary red.
He stared, transfixed—
Beep… beep… beep.
Suddenly, his phone rang, startling him into a shout. He glanced at Miss Ming Shan, wanting to answer.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if suppressing immense rage, then nodded slightly, her expression promising dire consequences if another delay occurred.
“Who is this?” Li Changluo answered a call from an unfamiliar number.
“Hello, big brother, do you know where my father went?” It was a cute, childish voice, soft and innocent.
What the hell?
Where did your father go? Shouldn’t you ask your mother?
“No idea,” Li Changluo replied irritably, ready to hang up.
“Wait, big brother.”
“…”
“Do you want to buy Power Pills?” The little girl asked timidly.
…
Damn it!
There’s no defense against this.
Li Changluo wished he could trace the signal and see what kind of people these were.
“Are you done yet?” Miss Ming Shan’s patience was worn thin.
If the stove fire weren’t about to go out…
She’d probably chop Li Changluo up right here in the kitchen.
He hung up, then slowly prepared to stick his head into the stove.
---
Just as Li Changluo felt a wave of heat, it was already too late.
A gust of black smoke rushed out.
Unable to dodge, Li Changluo squeezed his eyes shut.
The acrid smell of smoke overwhelmed him; the ashes made him cough violently, nearly suffocating.
He scrambled to his feet and wiped his face—it was covered in soot.
Now, Li Changluo was probably darker than the Black Child.
“Oh dear, my memory is hopeless,” Miss Ming Shan exclaimed.
“How could I forget to tell you—you can’t do it like this. You need Ah Huang to take you in.”
“Oh, getting older, so forgetful, my memory must have been eaten by a dog.”
She slapped her forehead, avoiding Li Changluo’s gaze, turning to look at Ah Huang and berating herself.
Ah Huang, lying by the stove, rolled over happily.
Li Changluo, his face smeared with ash, stared at her in confusion.
You were just laughing...
You did that on purpose, didn’t you?
And worst of all…
That damned yellow dog was laughing along—what was that supposed to mean?
“Ah Huang!” Miss Ming Shan called.
Ah Huang reluctantly got up, walked over to Li Changluo.
“Ride him,” Miss Ming Shan said with a smile, pointing at Ah Huang.
Li Changluo stared in surprise—
This was his first time riding a dog.
How was he supposed to do it?
Should he hug the dog’s head?
Or…
Step on it like flying on a sword?
How dangerous.
How thrilling.
But suddenly, Li Changluo felt his back heat up—Ah Huang had leapt onto his back, its paws resting on his shoulders.
…
Wait, the plot’s wrong?
Being ridden by a dog?
Before he could react, he felt his whole body flying toward the stove.
Smoke filled the air, making his eyes water; the burning sensation nearly drove him mad.
But the most annoying thing was—a Chinese rural dog was riding on his back, carrying him through—
The belly of the stove.
Who was carrying whom, really?
It didn’t matter anymore.
“I hope you can ignite it,” Miss Ming Shan murmured wistfully, watching the stove. She hadn’t told Li Changluo everything—the bonfire skill could light the fire, but not everyone was capable.
---
The stove had always burned strong, but recently, the flames had dwindled for no apparent reason.
She had no idea when the innkeeper and the others would return.
If the fire in the stove went out, the consequences were unthinkable.
Now, she could only pin her hopes on this young man, treating him as a last resort.
She didn’t expect him to rekindle the flames, just hoped he could keep them alive until the innkeeper returned.
Then everything could be resolved.
As for any danger to Li Changluo?
Miss Ming Shan hadn’t given it much thought.
When Li Changluo’s feet touched the ground, he saw, in the middle of the stove’s belly, a massive square cauldron.
From outside, he hadn’t seen such a thing.
He guessed it was because he’d shrunk.
He walked up to the cauldron. Fire flickered inside, just as it had from outside, its colors constantly shifting.
But it was dimming, almost extinguished.
“How did you learn the bonfire skill? It’s been years since I’ve seen someone like you,” a voice said.
Li Changluo searched around. No one was there—only the cauldron.
Could it be…
The cauldron was speaking?
Damn, better pay respects.
In stories like this, the cauldron—
Was either a sealed deity or a legendary artifact.
Then it would transfer its centuries’ worth of spiritual power to him?
With the divine cauldron in hand, he’d rule the world?
First thing, deal with that foul-mouthed woman outside who dared to threaten him.
Ha ha ha.
“Hey, can you pay attention when others are talking?”
“And, hugging the legs of the Cauldron of Rebirth—aren’t they hot?”
Li Changluo, happily clutching the cauldron’s leg, was snapped out of his reverie. He saw that the speaker was none other than Ah Huang, who had entered with him.
Now, Ah Huang had taken human form, wearing a black-and-red traditional robe, dog ears twitching, whiskers on his face, and a dog’s nose.
Compared to monsters who could fully transform, he looked a bit odd.
“My name is Lu Xiaohuang,” Ah Huang lay on the ground, wagging his tail and licking his paw.
“So it was you talking just now?”
“Yes.”
“I know your name now, but…”
“What?”
“Could you please stop sniffing my butt?”
…