Chapter 53: Kind-hearted Jiali

After finishing his daily cultivation, Louis opened his eyes; it was already afternoon.

He had been sitting cross-legged on the bed the whole time, yet his legs felt no numbness at all—this was normal for proper cultivation; otherwise, they would have gone numb, but he still habitually got up and practiced a set of fists to stretch his body.

“Aow～ aow～”

A faint whimper sounded from the corner of the room.

Louis paused, startled; a “coal ball” immediately wobbled toward him from the corner—a tiny black sphere no bigger than two fists, small and fluffy, irresistibly cute, even resembling a baby black bear at first glance.

“Hey, Coal Ball, clap-clap, come here.”

Louis clapped his hands and casually picked up a ham sausage from the table.

The little coal ball ran faster, swaying side to side as if dancing, then—

Plop!

It toppled over completely!

Its four short legs frantically flailed, its mouth continuously emitting urgent “aow-aow” sounds, yet it couldn’t get up.

Louis found it hilarious, crouched down, nudged it gently, and set it upright. “Ah, Coal Ball, Coal Ball—you should change your name to Little Lung Mist.”

After standing up, Coal Ball stretched out its blackened little tongue and licked Louis’s fingers vigorously, its tiny tail spinning rapidly behind it.

He pinched its neck and placed it in his arms, stroking its head with his fingertip.

This was Louis’s newly acquired purebred Five-Black Dog, nicknamed Coal Ball; its official name hadn’t been decided yet. Since acquiring it, he’d kept it confined to his room, spending every moment with it, and it had never seen any other living being besides Louis.

Now, this little creature was utterly dependent on Louis—perhaps because of being raised indoors, or perhaps due to its bloodline.

The Five-Black Dog is a famed breed among traditional guardian dogs, the very origin of the legend that black dog blood wards off evil spirits; likewise, because of this legend, purebred Five-Black Dogs have grown increasingly rare, until now most carry some mixed coloring—even a tongue that isn’t fully black can be considered purebred.

One could say Louis’s purebred Five-Black Dog was hard-won.

In this future world where ghosts and monsters are destined to multiply, possessing such a guardian dog would surely make it a reliable ally, so Louis naturally paid even more attention, investing greater effort.

Raising a guardian dog differs from raising mountain-hunting or wolf-pack dogs—it demands righteous, yang energy!

So every day, he ensures this little thing gets ample sunlight, eats yang-natured substances, and once it matures, he will train it according to secret methods, striving to make it the strongest among the three guardian breeds.

…

The next day.

Louis was practicing Bagua Palm, using it to strengthen his qigong’s dynamic exercises, while Emma watched beside him, deeply bored but forcing her eyelids open, trying to learn something.

At that moment,

Someone knocked on the courtyard gate. When Louis opened it, a girl with her head bowed stood there.

It was their neighbor, Jiali White.

Since the wedding four years ago, Jiali’s family had settled nearby, and Jiali often visited Louis’s home—but since her school advancement, she’d come less frequently.

And whether by coincidence or not, she always came when Louis was on vacation.

“Hi, Jiali.”

Emma smiled and greeted her.

Jiali nodded timidly, then turned her gaze inward, instantly locking onto Louis.

“Emma, Sister Yulunca asked me to pass along a message—she’ll be back in two days, so don’t look for her until then.”

???

Emma’s eyes instantly sharpened. Oh, really? What a coincidence? Could this wicked girl have sensed something?

Wait—what is she planning to do these two days?

Emma stepped forward, quietly shut the courtyard gate, cornered Jiali against the wall, leaned close, and whispered, “Jiali, tell me what Yulunca’s been doing at school lately?”

Funny enough, Jiali was actually older than Emma—she was already in high school, attending the same school as Yulunca. No, more accurately, she’d been with Yulunca since middle school, constantly under Yulunca’s protection.

But Yulunca actually despised her, for being too timid; she’d only help when Jiali was bullied, out of neighborly obligation, and otherwise ignored whether she suffered silent abuse or not.

Even so, Jiali sincerely regarded Yulunca as her third-best friend.

So now, facing Emma’s interrogation, though terrified, Jiali merely kept shaking her head.

Emma narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning dangerous; her finger slid across Jiali’s cheek. “I know. I know what your family is like.”

At those words, Jiali’s expression instantly changed.

“You don’t want your mother to find out why you came here—and never see Louis again, do you?”

“I-I-I… didn’t… want to… see…”

Emma sneered. “Oh? Then I’ll go chat with your mother?”

“No!”

Jiali screamed loudly.

“So, tell me—what is Yulunca doing at school?” Emma repeated.

“….”

After a moment of silence, under Emma’s darkening gaze, Jiali finally spoke: “Yulunca and her group are preparing to form a club and seize the student council position.”

Upon hearing this,

Emma instantly understood.

Of course—that fits Yulunca’s character perfectly: forming cliques, building small factions. No, now it’s gone further—she’s aiming for power and control.

But it doesn’t matter. Even if you plan well, it won’t help.

You’ll be transferring schools soon anyway~

Emma’s lips curled slightly upward.

She glanced at Jiali, head bowed, visibly guilty and distressed, and something stirred in her heart—she actually comforted the girl. “It’s not your fault. I forced you to speak. Besides, she’s my beloved sister—what’s wrong with telling your sister’s news to your little sister?”

“You’re doing good. Even if she finds out, she’ll have to thank you…”

“….”

After this manipulation, Jiali gradually calmed down, even half-dazedly agreed to Emma’s task of spying and reporting.

As soon as Emma released her, Jiali’s expression shifted—first surprise, then anxiety and tension.

Emma’s heart skipped. She turned slightly—and saw Louis holding a glass of iced cola, watching them. Seeing them look over, he raised his glass in greeting.

“Continue.”

“I’m listening.”

???

!!!

Emma forced a strained smile. “I was just checking up on Yulunca.”

“Oh? So you were doing good?”

“Alright, I apologize. I deeply regret it—I’ll never do this again.” Emma didn’t even try to defend herself; she immediately knelt down and apologized.

“Apologize to Jiali.”

“Jiali, I’m sorry. I was wrong just now.”

“Ah, no, no, it’s fine—you were actually… kind of right…”

(End of Chapter)