Chapter 27: The Dog Fight Begins

Kong Xueli was not trying to dampen spirits; as someone who had been involved from start to finish, he genuinely believed that Shen Shi had no chance of winning.

If nothing else, just look at the Gongsun family’s dog—it allowed a small creature to ride on its back and play. That alone drained most of Kong Xueli’s confidence.

If it were the modern era, Kong Xueli would have quipped, “If the contest is about being adorably dumb, you’d definitely win.”

Shen Shi smiled at him and said, “I must take part in this bet, but rest assured, Brother Kong—I still have some confidence.”

Kong Xueli could only sigh.

He figured that Shen Shi had been provoked by the Qian brothers into accepting the wager. Shen Shi cared about his reputation; now that he had agreed, it would be hard to back out—he’d have to grit his teeth and go through with it.

He had no idea that Shen Shi, intent on besting the Qian brothers, had already dug a pit for them—just waiting to bury them in it. As Shen Shi gradually gained the memories of his predecessor, his dislike for the brothers only grew.

If he seized this opportunity to turn the tables and ruin them, wouldn’t life be much easier afterward?

The Qian brothers, seeing Shen Shi approach, immediately stepped forward, as if afraid he might refuse. Qian Shengju cupped his hands and said, “Brother, we’ve been waiting for you.” Their gazes shifted to the fierce dog held by a servant nearby.

They scrutinized the black mountain dog and both wore expressions of disdain.

The dog was not small, but ever since the little creature had ridden on its back, its gaze had lost all ferocity. It even seemed… a bit fearful. Yes, it was afraid of the little creature.

This seemed to hint at the extraordinary nature of the little one, and Shen Shi was quite pleased.

Shen Shi then glanced at the Qian brothers’ fighting dog. Its expression was vicious, its eyes lifeless. From the cropped ears and docked tail, it was clear this dog had been bred as a fighter from birth. In dog fights, an uncut ear or undocked tail could be torn, resulting in serious consequences. Dogs have thick veins in their ears, and a torn ear poses a grave threat to their lives due to blood loss. Cropping prevents this and saves lives.

It seemed the rumors were true—this was indeed a fighting dog raised with witchcraft. Shen Shi had only heard of such dogs, never seen one. Even staring at it for a moment made his eyes uncomfortable.

“Since we’re all here, let’s begin!”

Both sides had brought their fighting dogs, ready for the wager. The crowd burst apart, gathering around the ring. Shen Shi and the Qian brothers, as hosts, faced each other for a round, exchanged glances and snorted, then turned to lead their dogs back to their respective boxes.

It was like a boxing match, both sides making final preparations before the fight.

Shen Shi entered his box and reached out to touch his dog. The Gongsun servant immediately tensed. “Young Master Shen, please don’t touch it. Sometimes it bites even us…”

Yet Shen Shi had already laid his hand on it.

A low growl—at the touch of a stranger, the dog bared its teeth in warning. But the little creature slapped its paw down on the dog’s head, and the dog instantly became docile, even letting out a soft whimper tinged with grievance.

Seizing the moment, Shen Shi grabbed it, sprayed a mouthful of talent, then a mouthful of spiritual energy, and whispered in its ear, “Blackie. How’s that? Not bad, right? If you win for me, your reward will be huge!”

Yes, this was Shen Shi’s trump card—bestowing the dog with wisdom and spiritual power. If even this couldn’t secure victory, Shen Shi would accept it. At worst, he could find another way to reclaim his house.

The dog called Blackie was unusually practical. With its intelligence enhanced, it understood Shen Shi’s words and absorbed his spiritual energy.

How did Shen Shi know? When the talent was released, Shen Shi’s vision opened up. Words appeared above Blackie:

Blackie.
Mountain Dog.
Wisdom increased, intelligence awakening.
Spiritual energy bestowed, mountain dog bloodline activating.

And its gaze lost all ferocity, replaced by a greedy, fawning look, begging Shen Shi for another dose. But it was futile.

“I told you—only if you win will you get a reward!”

Little rascal! I won’t be swayed by your eyes.

The servant and the little fox spirit were dumbfounded.

The servant was astonished because this dog rarely listened to anyone; he’d never seen it behave so fawningly. Even when paired with a female, it scorned her with pride.

The little fox spirit was shocked—intelligence awakening! He was opening the dog’s mind! Was he succeeding? Or not?

Awakening intelligence was the first step for ordinary animals to transform into spirits, to break free from their muddled existence. Yet this first step eliminated ninety-nine percent of all creatures.

So when she saw Shen Shi casually bestow intelligence upon an animal, how could she not be amazed?

Kong Xueli and the others, with ordinary eyes, were clueless and said foolishly, “Brother, it’s just a beast—it can’t understand human speech.”

Shen Shi quickly restrained the now irate Blackie, saying, “Brother Kong, I treat it sincerely; it will surely repay me in kind.”

Having absorbed talent, the dog now understood human speech. If Shen Shi hadn’t held it back, it would have shown Kong Xueli what it meant for humans to underestimate dogs.

Just then, outside, Qian Shengwen’s voice rang out, “Shen Shi, stop dawdling and get on with it—you’re bound to lose anyway!”

Hearing this, Kong Xueli stopped worrying about Shen Shi’s “foolishness,” his face full of concern for Shen Shi.

Gongsun Ce said nothing. But his attitude said it all—neither had any confidence in the outcome.

Shen Shi just chuckled. “Since they’re so eager to meet their end, let’s oblige them.”

He was far more confident than Kong Xueli and the others. And rightly so—Blackie was now almost a spirit. On its own, it had a forty percent chance of winning. The spiritual energy Shen Shi bestowed had doubled its strength. If it still lost, Shen Shi would have to wonder whether the opponent’s dog was even real.

The dog fight began.

The two fighting dogs entered from opposite sides. The Qian brothers crouched beside their dog, rousing its fighting spirit.

Beside Blackie was the little creature, who had climbed down from Blackie’s back. Revitalized, Blackie’s spirit shone through its eyes, which now fixed on its opponent with a proud and lofty gaze. Anyone watching would sense the dog’s arrogance, bolstered by its master.

“Begin.”

At the command, both sides released their dogs. The two dogs charged wildly at each other, and as the distance closed, they both raised their forelegs and leaped at their opponent. The two massive dogs collided with a thunderous crash.