Chapter 2: Woof Woof
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To prevent any mishaps, along the inner wall of the round valley, every two to three meters stood a dog-headed man wielding a weapon.
Most of their attention was fixed on the ladies, as today’s guests were quite prestigious, and mistakes were absolutely unacceptable.
Strong Brother was still sulking in the kitchen, doing menial tasks.
But deep down, he knew he was actually the least dangerous one among the three.
As he watched the banquet unfold,
the Great Demons seemed to maintain a façade of politeness, but who knew what kind of treatment the women would face once the festivities concluded?
And judging by the vibe, that white-clad fellow, who was likely a high-ranking member of Ji Shen, seemed particularly keen on Little Musashi and Cold Little Rain—there was a strong chance he’d hand them over to the lord of White Feather City.
What to do?
He couldn’t just sit by and let the two ladies jump into the fire pit.
Wait, what about Little Musashi’s weapons?
If he could retrieve her twin swords, perhaps her extraordinary skills could give them a fighting chance.
Using the excuse of carrying a tray, Strong Brother glanced around and noticed only two dog-headed men guarding the entrance. Maybe he could sneak past them?
But before he could make a move,
the Dog-headed Man Chief suddenly appeared beside Fu Yetian, brandishing Little Musashi’s katana.
Strong Brother was taken aback but dared not stare too long at the white-clad man.
He could sense the guy was power-packed; if he showed even a hint of hostility, he’d likely be immediately noticed.
Could it be… that the white-clad man wanted to investigate their backgrounds?
Thankfully, his dog-headed appearance was quite convincing; he probably wouldn’t blow his cover just yet.
Just as Strong Brother prepared to slink back to the kitchen, however, the Dog-headed Man Chief’s gaze landed on him.
“You, come here!”
He gestured beckoningly toward Strong Brother from a distance.
Strong Brother thought about playing dumb, but all the others nearby stepped aside, leaving him totally alone in the Chief’s line of sight.
No excuses left.
With a heavy heart, Strong Brother shuffled over.
“Master, it’s him,” the Dog-headed Man Chief said.
Fu Yetian looked at Strong Brother with keen interest.
If the dog-headed men had just recently transformed from animals to half-human, half-dog, they might be too slow-witted to tell the difference between Strong Brother and an ordinary dog-headed man.
But in Fu Yetian’s eyes, Strong Brother had too many flaws.
Let’s not even mention the dog head’s materials; a human body suddenly sporting a dog head just looked ludicrously off-balance.
Under Fu Yetian’s penetrating gaze, Strong Brother felt as if he were n*ked, utterly uncomfortable.
Seeing Fu Yetian silent for a moment, the Dog-headed Man Chief added,
“Master, I too have doubted this person’s origins. I intended to detain him until you arrived, but he sneakily slipped in here and blended in with the kitchen crew.
My incompetence warrants your punishment.”
Fu Yetian chuckled, “No need. Without this person, we might not have satisfied our guests today, so this actually saves me from having to concoct any other schemes.”
As he spoke, he picked up one of the katanas presented by the dog-headed men.
He drew it out into the sunlight,
the blade glimmering coldly, a palpable aura of danger wafting forth.
“Good sword!” Fu Yetian praised, “But I’ve never seen a design like this—definitely a rare item.”
He then turned to Strong Brother, “Do you know where this sword is from?”
Strong Brother was fully aware that he was just an NPC; as a player, he should have a great psychological edge.
After all, players play the game, while NPCs merely serve as props to enrich the player’s experience.
Even if virtual reality games made NPCs convincingly lifelike, they remained digital entities that didn’t exist apart from the game.
Thus, players often treated NPCs with indifference; in some games, once players grew powerful, they’d just m*rder everyone in sight, leaving a trail of NPC corpses behind.
It’s all fake anyway—what was the harm?
However, this time, facing Fu Yetian,
even though the white-clad man spoke with a slight smile, his immense power felt like an invisible hand pressing down on Strong Brother’s head, making it impossible for him to even lift his gaze.
He had never encountered such an intimidating NPC.
When the white-clad man posed the question, Strong Brother almost blurted out Little Musashi’s story without thinking.
Thankfully, rationality kicked in at the last moment. He struggled to reply briefly, “Both swords are from the East.”
“The East…”
It seemed to be the first time Fu Yetian had heard that name; he nodded, “It must be quite a remote place.”
“Yes, Master.”
Strong Brother called him “Master” so smoothly, it felt wrong not to honor the white-clad man’s stature.
“Keep an eye on this person. After today’s matters conclude, I’ll interrogate him in detail.”
“Yes, Master.”
The Dog-headed Man Chief gave a nod, and the two hefty dog-headed guards that had been watching Strong Brother stepped forward, pinching him like a little chick and squeezing him between them.
Little Musashi’s swords were handed off to one of the dog heads.
“Woof woof,” one of the dog-headed men glared at Strong Brother,
as if to say, “Don’t think about slipping away this time.”
Just when Strong Brother thought he was about to be taken back to that filthy, stinky dorm, the two dog-headed men turned around and snuck into the kitchen, huddling in a corner.
“Woof woof!”
One dog-headed man pinned Strong Brother down while the other scavenged for scraps from the kitchen.
These two treated the leftover food like treasure, stuffing their faces and looking utterly satisfied.
Strong Brother sighed, “Are you two really that pitiful? Let me help you with some food.”
Dog-headed men, “Woof woof? Woof woof!”
Having been a helper in the kitchen for almost an hour, he had developed a bit of familiarity with them.
Under the nervous yet expectant gaze of the two dogs, Strong Brother brought back two platters of pastries.
“Here, eat up.”
The two dog heads exchanged looks;
it was their first time encountering such exquisite-looking food.
After cautiously placing it in their mouths, the sweet, fragrant taste seemed to unleash all their taste buds—the deliciousness made them want to cry.
“Woof woof… sniff sniff…”
“Sniff sniff… woof woof…”
These two nearly bit their own tongues off, and in the end, they licked each finger to make sure they didn’t miss a single drop of flavor.
You know what they say—“a mouthful of food grants a shorter tongue”—the dogs’ attitude toward Strong Brother changed instantly.
“Woof woof!”
The meaning was clear: as long as you don’t run off, we won’t shortchange you.
……
God knows how he gleaned so much from two mere “woofs.”
Could it be… he truly had potential to be a dog-headed man?
But those two swords remained firmly behind one of the dog-headed men, leaning against the wall without budging an inch.
What could he possibly do to snag Little Musashi’s weapon without being discovered?
Strong Brother was in a bit of a bind.
