Chapter 002: The plight of the crouching and the pitiful

The Hound of Heaven's heart suddenly sank; he had followed Yang Jian for several thousand years and truly understood this person far too deeply.

Yang Jian's gaze suddenly sharpened, as fierce as a blade

The Celestial Dog wandered through the less frequented alley, lost and dejected, tears streaming down its face, murmuring repeatedly: "I am sorry, Master, I am sorry! But I am powerless... I have no magic left, I cannot bear to watch you die! I am sorry, I am sorry..."

Is it possible that death is also a form of luxury?

The old beggar sat by the fire, marveling as he said to the Howling Celestial Dog: "Brother, I must say, this person's life is quite resilient. However, being in such a half-dead state will only burden you, and you will have to bear the consequences in the future"

The Hound of Heaven bowed down and pleaded: "I am sorry, boss. However, it has been raining all day, and there are too few pedestrians in the city..."

With all my strength, I barely managed to open my eyes.

"Third Sister, Third Sister... it is my fault towards you, Second Brother... Chenxiang, have you really split Mount Hua or not?"

The Hound of Heaven trembled as it took a few coins from its bosom and, in a flattering manner, presented them to the leader of the group.

Yang Jian withdrew his gaze with a sense of despondency. After a brief examination of his internal condition, he found that the completely destroyed meridians held no hope whatsoever, leaving only a trace of true essence, barely sustaining his weakened heart pulse

The expressions of disdain from the Meishan brothers, the eyes of Chen Xiang resembling flames, the tone of Sun Wukong filled with glee at others' misfortune, the voice of Zhu Bajie laced with sarcasm

His pitiful appearance is sure to earn him a few extra coins

Brother, I miss mother, I miss father. Can we go home? I want to be with mother

Since last night, he has not dared to look his master in the eye; he cannot imagine what expression the proud master would have at this moment

For thousands of years, it has remained unchanged, always willing to accompany oneself, never leaving nor forsaking.

That person impatiently said: "Tomorrow you take this little fellow with you."

In a daze, Yang Jian slowly awakened from the endless haze and nightmares upon hearing the words of the old beggar

Unexpectedly, Yang Jian did not appear particularly angry; instead, he gazed indifferently towards the distant horizon, revealing a profound weariness, as if everything had become irrelevant to him.

The sound of wind and rain outside the temple grew increasingly urgent, while the flames in the fire pit inside the temple became ever dimmer. The dilapidated altar, under the reflection of the fading firelight, cast eerie and grotesque shadows. This night was long and unbearable

The Hound of the Baskervilles, who was lying on him and weeping, was so overjoyed that it almost jumped up, exclaiming: "You’re awake? Master, you’re awake? I... I thought you would never..."

The scene of the axe striking down the agarwood reappeared before his eyes, and he suddenly understood. As he drew upon his internal energy, he felt as if ten thousand knives were simultaneously cutting into his dantian, and he immediately fainted again

With a stumble, he fell heavily to the ground. The Celestial Hound, disregarding his own safety, rushed forward to help Yang Jian, who had been thrown quite a distance. In the midst of the chaos, he lowered his head and finally met his master's gaze.

The Howling Celestial Dog? This silly dog

He searched for the Howling Celestial Dog with his gaze, only to find that his entire body had become completely immobile. When he opened his mouth to speak, he could only utter a few indistinct syllables from his throat

This is today's share

Yang Jian's body trembled incessantly, and his hands and feet were unusually cold

Seeing the terrifyingly pale face of the Hellhound, the remaining words were swallowed back down, and shaking his head, he walked away

Everything, everything is swirling in a nightmare like a revolving lantern

Choking in one breath, the violent coughing triggered a suffocating pain

But what hurts more is his heart

The narrow alleys were left behind, and the Cerberus unknowingly had exited the city gates, wandering aimlessly through the overgrown woods.

The Celestial Dog gently wiped the fresh blood still flowing from the corner of his mouth, unable to hold back his tears.

Although that was his willing choice

The celestial dog lowered its head in silence, attentively caring for its master

Sweat dripped down his face, the rope knot deeply embedded in his shoulder, burning with pain

Tears streamed down the cheeks, falling upon Yang Jian. The Celestial Hound knelt on the ground, feeling utterly devoid of strength, murmuring: "Do not give up, my master, I implore you, please do not give up! The Celestial Hound... the Celestial Hound cannot be without its master..."

Look, this person really resembles a dog

Master

The Celestial Dog brought a bowl of water to his mouth, forcing a few sips in, but immediately, the water mixed with blood was spewed out.

In a daze, a childish voice gently emerged.

In the bustling city, people come and go, indifferent gazes occasionally sweep by, and occasionally someone might toss down a couple of coins, but more often there is mockery and jesting.

He also does not wish to listen

It has been quite a few days, hasn't it? The Celestial Hound has lost a lot of weight, with a face full of unkempt whiskers and even more disheveled hair.

Her face displayed only disdain and contempt, and her emotionless voice was cruelly unavoidable

One person pointed at the Howling Celestial Dog and laughed

An old beggar took the bowl from the hands of the Howling Celestial Dog and sighed, "This won't do, young man, don't be too sad. Someone like him can only suffer even greater torment while alive..."

The sorrow in his heart was surprisingly clear, and he strained to look towards Mount Hua, but the weeds and trees obstructed all lines of sight

The bonfire on the ground was dazzlingly bright, and he felt a wave of dizziness. After a while, he finally realized that he was in a dilapidated earth temple.

Dear elders, I implore you to show some compassion and spare a few

But suddenly, that timid little face transformed into the elegant and ethereal woman beneath Mount Huashan, whose coldness could freeze the sunlight.

There is also the unspoken rejection and hatred from the third sister

A few people scolded the old beggar harshly and, after giving him a lecture, left with an air of authority, slamming the door behind them

The whispers of the onlookers gradually turned into deafening laughter, while the mischievous children threw stones and rotten vegetable leaves around, considering it a perfect game. The adults not only did not intervene but instead remarked: "Do you see? If children do not strive for improvement, these two are the examples to follow!"

After tossing the copper coins a few times in his hand, the man said with considerable displeasure: "Is this all? You lazy black bastard, your grandmother is too lazy!"

Heavy footsteps approached, and a few people barged in through the rain. A loud voice called out: "Hey, old geezer, and you too, little black devil, it's time to pay up, hand over all the gains from today!"

Another person walked over and kicked Yang Jian, exclaiming: "Oh, this kid actually came back to life? Black bastard, your grandmother, you really have some skills!"

The celestial hound let out a hoarse howl, turned around to embrace its master, and then dashed out of the crowd at full speed

For thousands of years, who would dare to adopt such a brazen attitude towards him? Yet, his brothers and sisters were completely unresponsive, and the Celestial Hound desperately tried to push him back, but did not dare to utter a single word of reprimand to those few individuals

Second brother, I am so scared! There are people on the street cursing at us again, but we are not wild children

He looked up at the sky with concern and said, "A day has passed, how much money did you earn today? The boss will come to collect the usual fee again, don't provoke him for no reason!"

No, don't hit my brother anymore! Brother, it's all my fault, I'm not hungry anymore, let's return the steamed buns to them, I really am not hungry!

The celestial dog raised a pile of fire, supporting him against the broken wall of the dilapidated temple, slowly feeding him a bowl of extremely thin rice porridge

The wooden cart with the master lying flat is being pulled by a rope from behind, while the Celestial Hound kneels on the ground, slowly moving on all fours, crawling and begging as it goes

However, as his consciousness slightly recovered, the intense pain that felt like being flayed alive almost caused him to faint again

I hate you

The hand of the Celestial Dog suddenly froze, and then began to tremble uncontrollably, stammering, "Master..."

Yang Jian felt a sense of confusion in his heart. After a while, the scenes at the foot of Kunlun Mountain flashed through his mind one by one, ultimately coming to a halt on the image of Chen Xiang raising his axe to strike, his expression filled with rage.

I hate you, I no longer have a brother like you. Congratulations, you have finally succeeded, paving your path to power with the lives of my entire family, begging the Queen Mother to restore your throne as the God of Justice with all my happiness!

Suddenly recalling the wager made at Lingxiao Hall, he was taken aback, and in an instant, he forgot all the pain and discomfort

The Celestial Dog wept as it spoke, "I am sorry, the Celestial Dog is too foolish to understand your intentions! However, let us return for now, the wind here is too strong, and your body cannot withstand the cold. Aside from that dilapidated temple, we truly have nowhere else to go!"

Another person raised an eyebrow and said, "Look at that person he is pulling along, so young yet has fallen to such a state, I really don't know what sins he has committed"

Upon waking up again, the sky was completely dark, and the wind and rain were mingling outside

The swirling leaves of stone vegetables, the clamor of mockery and ridicule, intertwine to form a chaotic net, tightening little by little

Remember, if I don't see this kid in the city tomorrow, you should be prepared to collect his body by evening

Yang Jian's gaze remained fixed in the distance; he knew that the Celestial Hound was crying, yet he could not discern the murmured whispers.

Yang Jian's body trembled violently, and sweat once again soaked through his robes

Is it time to split the agarwood at Mount Hua? Is the hour of the rat approaching?

Are you still alive

The Celestial Hound did not dare to look at Yang Jian, only lowering its head to serve its master as he lay down to rest. The old beggar, seeing the troubled expression on his face, could not help but sigh: "Little brother, you should listen to the elder's words. They can say it and do it; do not recklessly endanger your friend's life for no reason!"

Do not die, Master... If you die, what am I to do?

The corners of the mouth twitched slightly, yet no words could be spoken.

He felt a great pain in his heart

A violent cough erupted from the throat, followed by an unbearable discomfort akin to internal fire scorching the insides

Yang Jian let out a light grunt and finally mustered the strength to open his eyes