19: Hong Ling! Xiao Bei! Hei Huang!
A few days later.
Cao Nie had cultivated the Nine Tribulation Heaven Burning Extinguishing Dao Palm to the third level.
He had just come out for some fresh air.
When he saw the butler, Cao Hui, approaching him.
“Clan Leader, Miss Hong Ling has returned, and she brought two people with her.”
A hint of joy appeared on Cao Nie’s calm face.
In his previous life, Hong Ling had visited him and was one of the few people who cared for him.
What was this about bringing back two people?
Cao Nie lowered his brows in thought.
Some fragments of memory flashed through his mind.
He lay dying in the woodshed, his legs broken, and his body reeking.
Hong Ling didn't mind his smell and treated his injuries.
At the entrance of the woodshed, a young man covered his nose and mouth, saying with a look of disgust, “Junior Sister, the Wood Returning Pill was a reward from the sect. How could you give it to this good-for-nothing?”
Hong Ling glared at the young man, “Senior Brother, I won't allow you to speak ill of my Elder Brother. It's all Ye Chen and his mother's fault for harming Elder Brother like this, and Foster Father too, not even caring for his own son. Once my cultivation improves, I will definitely seek justice for Elder Brother.”
The young man frowned and said, “Junior Sister, you should not get involved in this. I heard Clan Leader Cao has already broken through to Return to the Void, the same realm as our master. If you want to seek justice for your good-for-nothing Elder Brother, who knows how long that will take. Listen to Senior Brother, you might as well send him on his way, so he doesn't suffer anymore.”
Hong Ling glared angrily, “Xiao Bei, do you love me or not? Do you know that Elder Brother took special care of me when I was little? If it weren't for Elder Brother, I would have been bullied by others.”
Xiao Bei reluctantly pulled Hong Ling out, “Alright, alright, I love you, isn't that enough? Come out, it stinks in here. I'll bandage his wounds.”
After saying that, Xiao Bei walked into the woodshed.
At this moment, a voice came from afar, “Miss Hong Ling, the Clan Leader wants to see you.”
Hong Ling turned and instructed Xiao Bei, “Xiao Bei, be gentle. I'm going to see Foster Father. If you haven't healed Elder Brother's injuries when I return, I'm not done with you.”
Xiao Bei waved his hand indifferently, “Alright, go ahead. Trust me, it's fine.”
Seeing Hong Ling leave.
Xiao Bei threw the gauze in his hand and said impatiently to Cao Nie, “Bandage it yourself. I'm not in the mood to serve a good-for-nothing like you.”
As he spoke, he even kicked Cao Nie's injured thigh.
This made Cao Nie roll on the ground in pain.
Wang Cai, who was nearby, saw this scene and barked furiously at Xiao Bei.
Xiao Bei was so angry that he kicked him, “Damn it, a stinky dog dares to bark at me? See if I don't beat you to death.”
Soon, Wang Cai becameDying.
It was just an ordinary dog; if Xiao Bei hadn't held back, it would have died long ago.
“Xiao Bei, are you done bandaging? Foster Father wants to see you.” Hong Ling's voice came from afar.
Xiao Bei's attempt to kill Wang Cai was interrupted.
He bent down, picked up the gauze, and quickly bandaged Cao Nie.
His movements completely disregarded Cao Nie's well-being; what should have taken dozens of breaths was bandaged in half a breath.
Cao Nie grimaced in pain.
Seeing this, Xiao Bei directly kicked Cao Nie and then walked out.
“Hong Ling, let's go. It's fine now.”
“Is it really bandaged? Let me see.”
Hong Ling was about to enter the woodshed to check, but Xiao Bei directly pulled her away.
“No need to look, you don't trust me to handle things?”
Cao Nie looked at the dying Wang Cai nearby.
He cut his wrist and used his blood to save Wang Cai.
This blood contained the medicinal power of the Wood Returning Pill, which was working within his body.
Indeed, after Wang Cai drank his blood, its breathing was no longer weak; at least it wouldn't die.
Next began the days of the man and the dog relying on each other.
Cao Nie was able to live so long thanks to Wang Cai stealing things from outside for him to eat.
Inside the Listening Rain Pavilion.
Cao Nie came back to his senses and looked at Cao Hui, saying, “Where are they now?”
Cao Hui replied, “Clan Leader, Miss Hong Ling went to the ancestral hall to pay respects to Clan Leader Cao Kun.”
The ancestral hall enshrined the spirit tablets of all seventeen Clan Leaders of the Cao Clan since the first generation.
Cao Nie was the eighteenth Clan Leader of the Cao Clan.
“After she finishes her respects, bring her to the Reception Hall to find me.”
“Yes, Clan Leader.”
Cao Nie had already decided to take Hong Ling for himself.
Xiao Bei simply wasn't worthy of a good woman like Hong Ling.
He had his own selfish reasons: good women should not be let down, and bad women should not be wasted.
Hong Ling was a good woman, and Shen Yunyue was a bad woman.
He wouldn't let any of them off.
After Cao Hui left.
Cao Nie hurried towards the place in his memory.
The vast Cao Mansion naturally had clan members who couldn't cultivate, and these people needed food, which meant they needed a woodshed to stack timber.
About a dozen breaths passed.
Cao Nie arrived outside a woodshed on the south side of the Cao Mansion.
As soon as he appeared, he saw Wang Cai guarding the woodshed.
It looked just as it did when they first met in his memory.
Similar to the Five Black Dog in his first life.
Completely black, with narrowed eyes, sleeping.
A metal chain was locked around its neck, the length of which allowed it to freely enter the woodshed.
It seemed to have heard footsteps.
Wang Cai opened its eyes.
It stood up and barked furiously at Cao Nie, then stood still, staring at Cao Nie without blinking.
Cao Nie actually saw excitement and happiness in its eyes.
Cao Nie walked over in confusion.
As soon as he approached Wang Cai's territory, Wang Cai pounced on him, rubbing its entire head against him, its tail wagging rapidly, circling around Cao Nie.
Cao Nie bent down and reached out to stroke Wang Cai's head, frowning slightly.
Why did this Wang Cai seem so familiar with him?
“System, Wang Cai couldn't have also been reborn like me, could it?!”
Cao Nie had to suspect.
The first time he met Wang Cai in his previous life, it kept barking at him.
Wang Cai's behavior was usually only directed at its owner.
“When encountering a reborn dog, please make the following choice for the host:”
“Choice One: Give the obtained soft egg to the reborn dog. There is a chance to give birth to the Truth Listener bloodline. Reward: Alchemy Technique: Azure Emperor Longevity Elixir Scripture, Upper Scroll.”
“Choice Two: Turn around and leave. Everyone you meet from now on will be ungrateful. Reward: Ten waste pills.”
“Choice Three: Take the reborn dog back and make it into a dog meat hotpot. Eat it all. Reward: A basin of Gluttonous Hotpot.”
“System, I choose one.”
“Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Alchemy Technique: Azure Emperor Longevity Elixir Scripture, Upper Scroll.”
Cao Nie took out the soft egg he had obtained from his first choice.
The soft egg was milky white, shimmering with a faint white light.
Cao Nie pushed the soft egg forward.
Wang Cai seemed to understand Cao Nie's meaning.
It opened its mouth and swallowed the soft egg.
Then, its eyes rolled back, and it fainted directly.
“The reborn dog is fusing with the Truth Listener bloodline. The phenomena during the bloodline's birth have been automatically shielded.”
“Clan Leader, is that you?” A confused voice came from behind him.
Cao Nie unlocked the chain, picked up Wang Cai, and turned to look at the newcomer.
Seeing Cao Nie's appearance, the person immediately knelt and bowed, “Greetings, Clan Leader.”
Cao Nie nodded and took out one hundred thousand spirit stones, handing them to the other person, “I'm taking Wang Cai. These are your compensation.”
The person looked at the storage ring in his hand, about to refuse, but when he looked up, Cao Nie had already disappeared.
A very faint voice came from afar, “From now on, you shall be called Black Emperor.”