Chapter 133: 133. Dog Barking

The sunlight was very abundant over the next two days; except for residual snow on individual north-facing slopes or buildings, the snow in other places had basically melted.

It is not cold when it snows, but cold when the snow melts.

Although Luoning is now an Advanced Knight and his physique has been greatly strengthened, he could still feel the drop in temperature over these two days.

Besides that, it was quite damp everywhere.

The rooms were quite damp, the castle paths were quite damp, and the mountain roads outside that had been flowed over by snowmelt were even more so.

Luoning rode his Tayunjv along the mountain road for a distance; some places with more yellow soil were quite muddy, and if a carriage were to pass through, the wheels would likely sink into it.

He prepared to wait another two days before setting off.

In the open space of the Inner Castle, Luoning threw a small wooden stick high into the air, "Black Tiger, catch!"

As the words fell, a black shadow darted out at high speed, rushing toward the stick in the air; at the end of the stick's arc, it precisely leaped up and bit down on it.

"Beautiful!"

Luoning couldn't help but exclaim; that jump Black Tiger just made was at least about 1.5 meters.

Although this height didn't look like much, Black Tiger was only a month old, and its size was only about 50 centimeters. Its explosive power could be imagined for it to jump so high all at once.

Having caught the stick, Black Tiger wagged its tail and ran over quickly.

Luoning was not stingy either; he picked up a piece of dried meat from the ceramic basin Beila was holding and tossed it to the other.

Black Tiger caught it precisely and carried it to a corner nearby to gnaw on.

Although Luoning had separated it from the dog over the past two days, the habits it had learned from the dog were still maintained.

Luoning walked to Black Tiger's side and reached out to take the dried meat away; sure enough, this fellow started baring its teeth and let out a low growl—this was the dog's behavior of guarding its food.

"Bang!"

Luoning slapped it on the head, then successfully took the dried meat into his hand.

"You still dare to guard your food!"

Afterward, he handed the dried meat over and started a second time; Black Tiger's performance remained the same, so it received a second hit, a third hit...

After who knows how many times, Black Tiger seemed to react; when Luoning's hand reached over, it subconsciously shrank back and gave up the dried meat.

At the same time, it wagged its tail and looked at Luoning fawningly, as if to say, "Boss, you eat."

"That's more like it."

Luoning vigorously patted Black Tiger's head, letting it eat the dried meat in peace.

"Alright, that's it for today."

Luoning clapped his hands and washed them in the basin brought over by the Steward, Chahaer.

"After I leave in two days, remember to instruct Ailin to continue such training for Black Tiger to train its obedience. But also pay attention to safety; don't let this little thing bite anyone."

"Very well, my lord, I understand."

Chahaer had also rarely been free to stay in the castle recently, "My lord, when do you plan to set off for Wushan Castle?"

"Around the 15th, I suppose."

Luoning wiped his hands with a towel, "Liya's speed at weaving the silk scarf is quite good; she said it will be finished in another five or six days, so I will wait for her a bit longer."

"Oh right, later you bring me the coat made from the Storm Magic Wolf that the tailor processed so I can organize it; I want to take it with me."

These two items were the birthday gifts Luoning was bringing to Lulansi.

"The Marquis will surely be very happy to receive these two gifts."

"I should think so."

He waved his hand, signaling Chahaer to go about his business, while he leisurely took a walk in the castle.

He strolled to the hall of the Outer Castle and saw Ailin acting like a stern teacher, instructing Dawei, Beila, and the others in literacy; the students below, aged eighteen or nineteen, were all scratching their heads and frowning, looking miserable.

Especially after seeing Luoning appear, they were all nervous to death, fearing that the Lord would come to test them.

Luoning only offered a few words of encouragement, then climbed the tower to watch the squad of Guards returning under the twilight in the west—

In this half-month, the cavalry had also been recruited; although there were not enough horses, it was still possible to train with the Guards first.

After walking around, Luoning returned to the castle and sat at his desk.

Black Tiger, having finished the dried meat, also followed him over; don't look at its small size, its speed at climbing stairs was not slow at all, and sometimes it would even jump several steps at once.

It circled around Luoning's pant legs a few times, and seeing that its master had no intention of paying attention to it, it lay down to the side and started gnawing on the chair leg.

Luoning couldn't be bothered with this fellow; he took out parchment and a Feather Pen to start drawing the shapes of porcelain, providing a reference for making ceramic vessels in the future.

In fact, he had been drawing one or two sheets based on his impressions before dinner every night for the past two days, and there were already seven or eight sheets piled on the table.

Luoning felt that since he had transmigrated, his drawing skills had improved quite a bit; he might even become a famous painter in the future.

"When I have more people under my command in the future, I must compile basic books to collect all my works."

The Feather Pen rustled on the paper, slowly depicting the appearance of a small, heavy-bottomed cup, and describing its size and characteristics on the side.

Luoning was concentrating on his design, and Black Tiger was meticulously gnawing on the chair leg, but suddenly, this "little dog" stopped its movements and stared fixedly at the door.

Luoning did not notice anything unusual until the little fellow let out a whimper.

"What's wrong, Black Tiger?" Luoning stopped his pen and looked over in surprise.

He saw that Black Tiger had already stood up, staring at the door as if facing a great enemy, as if there were something there it feared greatly.

But Luoning took one look and discovered nothing; the manservant Jialun was guarding the corridor outside, and there was nothing unusual.

"What are you acting crazy for?" Luoning laughed and scolded.

Jialun outside also couldn't help but take a look, thinking Black Tiger was baring its teeth at him, so he moved further away, and his figure disappeared from the doorway.

But at this moment, Black Tiger actually started barking loudly.

Luoning had originally wanted to scold it a few times, but an ominous premonition suddenly rose in his heart.

"It couldn't be..."

Without thinking, he quickly used the Detection Wind; within the vision of the Wind Element, he actually sensed that there was a figure standing just two or three meters in front of his desk.

At this very instant, that figure lunged toward him rapidly.

"Damn it!"

Luoning cursed in anger, and having no time to make any other reaction, he kicked off the floor hard with his toes, causing himself and the chair to tilt to one side and roll onto the ground.

At this very moment, a figure dressed entirely in black robes appeared abruptly in the room, and the Dagger in his hand stabbed into the spot where Luoning had been.

If he had not discovered it, this Dagger would definitely have pierced his heart!

"To think you dodged it."

That person let out a sinister, mocking sound, put away the Dagger, and instead drew Along sword, leaped over the desk, and stabbed down from above.

"Get lost!"

The Liuyan Sword was gripped in Luoning's hand, and as Battle Qi was injected into it, it erupted with fierce flames.

"You are not a Primary Knight!"

That person was extremely surprised, yet his reaction was not slow at all; almost simultaneously, he utilized his Battle Qi, condensing it into Along Sword Radiance, while also wrapping it around his entire body to form a set of dark green Battle Qi Armor.

The two swords collided with a loud clang, whipping up a violent storm in the small study, and all the papers on the desk were blown away, creating a chaotic mess.

Black Tiger barked even more fiercely; it rushed forward but was sent flying by a gust of air.

Jialun, who was waiting outside the door, had wanted to come and see what was happening the moment he heard the chair fall, but he never expected such a commotion to be occurring inside the room, and for a moment, he stood frozen in place.

The stalemate lasted only an instant; the black-clad man's immense strength bore down, and Luoning was sent flying directly by the power of that sword strike, slamming heavily against the wall.

"Die!"

The black-clad man did not pause in the slightest, took a large step, and lunged over, raising his long sword, intending to use this strike to sever Luoning's head.

(End of this chapter)