Once Ye Wanmian realized that the mangy stray dog wasn't here to cause trouble, she stopped worrying and instead watched her dog, Dahuang, with great interest, eager to see how it would handle the situation.
Xiao Jingcheng was unaware that Ye Wanmian was watching from the side. After confirming through the yellow light ball that the dogs could understand the sounds he made, he took a step forward and continued growling threateningly at the mangy stray dog.
First, he gave the mangy stray dog a good scolding, warning it not to suddenly show up in front of Ye Wanmian with a bloody dead rat again. Humans certainly couldn't eat such things!
The mangy stray dog lay on the ground, its rump slightly raised, whimpering obsequiously twice.
[It says it will never scare Mother again.] The yellow light ball translated for Xiao Jingcheng.
Xiao Jingcheng then tilted his head back and howled twice at the dogs in front of him, his voice drawn out.
Dahuang had told him that this was a necessary step for a dog to claim the throne. Only with the response of other dogs could it be recognized.
Seeing this, the mangy stray dog immediately dropped its obsequious demeanor, straightened its body, and tilted its head back to howl. With the mangy stray dog leading the way, the other dogs behind also stood up straight one by one, tilted their heads back, and howled to the sky together.
"Awwooooo—Awwooooo—"
First, the howls echoed through this area. Then, the echoing howls came from the houses of other families in Qingyu Alley, and from there, they spread to the adjacent Shenshui Alley...
In an instant, the howls of dogs filled every corner, making people turn pale and not daring to move.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the yellow dog, gilding its body and making it look even more imposing and majestic.
Ye Wanmian watched this scene in surprise, and the words of that stinky Taoist priest popped into her mind inappropriately.
—Your dog is actually the Heavenly Hound from the sky reincarnated. It's really something!
She blinked, thinking that perhaps her Dahuang had awakened its divine bloodline after narrowly escaping death.
After the "ghostly wailing and wolf howling," Xiao Jingcheng officially accepted the name "Sangbiao." After stopping, the mangy stray dog took two small steps forward and asked in a low voice what his next instructions were.
Xiao Jingcheng glanced at the gradually darkening sky and told them to leave for now and not gather in Qingyu Alley. Then, he strode forward on all fours, leading Ye Wanmian, and left with his head held high in a dashing manner in front of the submissive dogs.
Ye Wanmian was amused by his appearance and had a hard time holding back her laughter all the way. It wasn't until they got home and she closed the door that she turned around and looked at the yellow dog in the yard with a smile.
"Dahuang, you were really impressive just now! So many dogs bowed down to you!"
Hearing Ye Wanmian say this, Xiao Jingcheng looked at her and let out a few grunts from his nose, looking extremely proud.
Since arriving in the south of the Yangtze River, he had felt that everything was going wrong. Later, he was even betrayed by those around him, cornered by assassins, and had his soul imprisoned. He had no choice but to live in this yellow dog's body.
This experience was undoubtedly extremely frustrating for him. He even suspected for a while that he had done something bad and was being punished by heaven, which was why he had ended up like this.
But by using the yellow dog's body to defeat the mangy stray dog and hunting so many prey in the mountains, he gradually regained some confidence and found the fun and knack of controlling this body.
Just now, leading the dogs to howl at the sky had filled him with excitement and a great sense of achievement.
Even if he had become a dog, he was still the most powerful one among all the dogs. Didn't this prove his ability and talent?
Ye Wanmian put down the bamboo basket with a smile and walked up to him with her hands behind her back.
"Dahuang, you're so amazing! You not only hunted a lot of prey but also commanded a group of dogs. Tell me, how should I reward you?"
Xiao Jingcheng's tail couldn't help but start wagging. He barked at her several times, looking a bit arrogant.
[Now you know how amazing I, the Crown Prince, am! My requirements aren't high. Just give me meat every meal and let me eat my fill. When I return to my own body one day, I won't treat you badly.]
However, the next moment, Ye Wanmian took out a stick as thick as her little finger from behind her back and whipped it at him.
"Woof!"
Xiao Jingcheng was startled by the sudden pain and jumped back to dodge.
"So you've grown some guts, huh? Think you're capable now, don't you?! You've even started disobeying me!"
Ye Wanmian angrily raised the stick in her hand and whipped it at him.
"I've spoiled you too much on weekdays, which is why you've become so lawless! They say spare the rod and spoil the child. I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"
Ye Wanmian whipped the stick without mercy. Although the strength of a woman wasn't great, the stick was so thin that it still hurt when it hit. Xiao Jingcheng immediately commanded his body to run away on all fours to dodge Ye Wanmian's attacks, barking non-stop.
"Woof, woof woof!"
He, the Crown Prince, was actually being beaten by a woman!
This was a great humiliation!
Inside his body, the yellow light ball was jumping up and down anxiously.
[Don't be angry, Mother. It's not Dahuang. Dahuang is very obedient! It's Sangbiao. Sangbiao is bad!]
[Stupid dog, shut up! Without me, you wouldn't even be able to catch a rabbit!]
"Woof, woof woof, woof woof woof!"
[Ouch, be gentle. It really hurts!]
The barking of the dog and the scolding of the woman filled the entire small courtyard. The once neatly arranged courtyard was now in a complete mess. It could truly be described as "a scene of chaos."
Finally, the battle ended with Xiao Jingcheng crawling under the bed and hiding in the corner. He even tried to let out pitiful whimpers.
Ye Wanmian chased the dog around several times and was sweating again. Hearing the sounds coming from under the bed, she softened for a moment.
But then she hardened her heart, put her hands on her hips, and shouted fiercely at the bottom of the bed, "Don't think that just because you're hiding under the bed and making such pitiful sounds, I'll soften my heart!"
"Do you know how excessive your actions were today?! Have you forgotten the experience of being kicked flying and almost dying the other day?"
"Those are noble people from the capital. They could crush the two of us with just one finger. And you still rushed forward without a care for your life. If something happened to you, have you ever thought about what I would do?"
His butt was stinging from the beating. Xiao Jingcheng gritted his canine teeth fiercely and exhaled impatiently.
He knew his limits, so he hadn't gotten too close. He hadn't let the Prince of Mu and the others notice, so why did she have to nitpick about this?
"Whimper..."
Hearing the sobbing sound of the woman, Xiao Jingcheng paused.
No way. Why was she crying again? Just because of this?
Tsk, women were really troublesome.
Remembering how she had treated and taken care of him day and night when he was almost kicked to death by Bu Hua, Xiao Jingcheng crawled out from under the bed and moved closer to the girl who was squatting on the ground, sobbing with her head down. He nudged her arm with his snout, trying to comfort her.
The next moment, the girl looked up and hugged him tightly. There wasn't a single tear on her face.
"Now, let's see where you can run!"
Damn it. He had been tricked!