Chapter 144: The Rogue Dog

Chapter 144: The Rogue Hound

Although Erlang Shen was slightly surprised, he didn't take it too seriously.

He was at the peak of the True Monarch realm, just a step away from becoming a True Immortal. His understanding of the universe had nearly reached the realm of perceiving the "Ultimate Truth"—how many things in this world could still cause him fear or dread?

Even if the Son of Heaven's primordial spirit had suddenly burst forth from his glabella to shatter his vacuum restraint, were primordial spirits really that hard to come by?

Was it strange for a primordial spirit to possess divine abilities?

Was it impossible for a primordial spirit's divine power to surpass that of its original physical body?

Therefore, Erlang Shen simply looked at the Red Kid with a faint smile, waiting to see what other tricks he had up his sleeve.

The Red Kid, however, was acting on his old man's strict orders, which meant he had to slap Erlang Shen right across the face, no exceptions.

Consequently, the Red Kid shattered Erlang Shen's vacuum restraint, spread out his tiny palm, and made a slight swiping gesture. His little hand was at least twenty-four feet away from Erlang Shen when a loud *crack* echoed through the air.

Right there, the little dog started clapping her paws and squealing in delight, "What a great hit! Such a crisp, beautiful slap—"

Little Su thought to herself, *Oh no, is a True Monarch's face really something you can just go around slapping? If Erlang Shen loses his temper, even the entire celestial realm will tremble. Who could possibly stop his fury?*

The slap had been delivered, but the Red Kid felt something was amiss. He felt a stinging pain in his little hand. Tucking his tiny hand behind his back, he spun his fingers like a windmill to dull the aching sensation, while putting on a brazen expression on his chubby face that seemed to say, *I hit you, what are you gonna do, bite me?*

In truth, the Red Kid's mind was boiling over like a pot of bubbling water. *Damn it all! What kind of face is this? Why is it like a sheet of iron?!*

The Red Kid knew the formidable power of his own strike. It was strong enough to flatten a mountain range into nothingness, or turn a solid chunk of iron into absolute void.

Yet, was this guy's face really that thick?

Could he have mastered the ultimate essence of the *Classic of Thick and Black*?

The exact moment the Red Kid broke Erlang Shen's vacuum restraint, Tu Zhe's body regained its freedom. However, he also vividly felt the Red Kid's pain.

The Red Kid had been nurtured by Tu Zhe's own divine consciousness, so his agony was experienced by Tu Zhe as if it were a fracture within his own spiritual awareness.

Tu Zhe felt a series of cracking fissures spreading across his Alaya-vijnana.

*Damn, this is truly incredible,* Tu Zhe thought. *It even cracked my spiritual space? It seems this True Monarch's capabilities are no joke.*

Using his divine sense, Tu Zhe commanded the Red Kid to retreat into the Lingtai spiritual realm to rest and recover.

With a flash, the Red Kid vanished.

Erlang Shen playfully blinked his eyes, casting his third eye toward Tu Zhe's spiritual space, as if trying to get a clear look at what the Red Kid was doing inside.

This behavior crossed a line, showing a blatant disregard for someone else's privacy.

Enraged, Tu Zhe immediately executed a concealment spell to seal off his Lingtai. Erlang Shen's vertical eye was instantly blinded to everything inside.

Nevertheless, Erlang Shen had no intention of escalating the fight. He merely looked at Little Su and nodded, as if to say, *The kid you picked isn't half bad.*

Little Su hurriedly shot a glance at Tu Zhe, silently signaling him to stop making a scene and show a little respect.

Tu Zhe felt utterly exasperated. *Damn it, so what if you're a True Monarch? Does being a True Monarch mean you completely disregard other people's feelings and flash your displeasure the moment you arrive? Well, at least landing that slap means I didn't come out at a total loss.*

*Huh? No loss? Damn it, my spiritual space is cracked! Even though I don't really care, the damage is still quite substantial, you know.*

Therefore, although he needed to save face for Little Su, his concession was decidedly reluctant.

Erlang Shen burst into hearty laughter. "Little Sis, your young lover doesn't seem to have much tolerance, does he? Ha ha!"

A blush spread all over Little Su's face as she twisted nervously and said, "Not at all... Second Brother, you're always teasing me..."

Erlang Shen's expression instantly turned serious. "Well then, let's talk business. Tu Zhe, you have a younger brother named Qin Lei, correct?"

Tu Zhe frowned. *Huh? What's the meaning of this? Are they here to settle scores and assign blame?*

All expression vanished from Tu Zhe's face.

*Damn it, your people brazenly tried to seize a mortal maiden and resorted to violence against an out-of-domain guest, and yet you still think you're in the right?*

Tu Zhe replied with an icy tone, "That's right. I was just about to seek justice from your realm's judicial department anyway. My brother was gravely injured by your Heavenly King Tang Youyou and is still recovering. Does the Great Deity Erlang intend to act as judge and jury for us brothers?"

*Tsk—*

Erlang Shen felt a sudden ache in his teeth. *Damn it, why are you in such a rush? Did this True Monarch ever say I came here to cause trouble for you?*

Still, Erlang Shen understood the sentiment and said, "Look, here's the thing. Someone lodged a formal complaint at the Hall of Miraculous Mist, claiming that Tang Youyou was somehow injured by a minor out-of-domain Son of Heaven, and that the culprit managed to slip away. Word has it that the Thunder Ancestor deity is shielding this out-of-domain Son of Heaven and refusing to let anyone apprehend him. Is that true?"

Little Su quickly recounted the entire sequence of events, painting an exceptionally vivid picture of Tang Youyou's arrogance and unhinged behavior.

Erlang Shen turned to Tu Zhe and asked, "Is that how it happened?"

Too lazy to exchange pleasantries, Tu Zhe simply tossed a video-crystal recording the entire incident with Tang Youyou straight at Erlang Shen.

Catching the crystal, Erlang Shen channeled his divine sense into it and instantly understood the whole cause and effect. He put the crystal away and stated, "This shall serve as the evidence. Tang Youyou attempted to forcefully seize the demon maiden first and inflicted injuries afterward. Though his sudden departure remains unexplained, the general course of events is beyond doubt. As the party in the wrong, Tang Youyou reaped what he sowed by accepting his punishment."

Tu Zhe couldn't help but take a few extra glances at Erlang Shen.

He had previously assumed that Erlang Shen was merely a loyal lapdog to the Jade Emperor of Haotian and the most vicious enforcer in the heavenly court. To his surprise, the man was actually capable of distinguishing right from wrong.

Tu Zhe's expression softened considerably.

From that moment on, the atmosphere among the three individuals and one dog became much more harmonious.

As Erlang Shen sipped the aged jade nectar poured by Little Su, he occasionally glanced at the little dog nestled in Tu Zhe's arms.

Noticing Erlang Shen's gaze, the little dog began to squeak indignantly, "What are you staring at? Never seen a pretty dog lady before? Is your family lacking a gorgeous hound, so you're green with envy?"

As everyone burst into uproarious laughter, Erlang Shen chuckled, "You know, I actually do have a hound at home, but that fellow barks way too much, so I generally don't let him out."

The little dog's interest was instantly piqued. "Oh oh oh! Quick, let him out so I can have a look!"

Tu Zhe knew that Erlang Shen possessed a remarkably powerful Celestial Hound, renowned as the White Divine Howling Hound, possessing extraordinary divine powers. Rumor also had it that he owned a Sky-Pouncing Eagle and a Silver-Winged Steed—all formidable demonic beasts and birds—though Tu Zhe had never laid eyes on them.

Smiling, Erlang Shen flicked his sleeve, and a slender, silver-white hound leaped out.

The hound didn't look particularly terrifying; it was about two feet long, with slender limbs and fur merely an inch long. However, it did possess one distinct "talent"—its bark was utterly hair-raising. Its mournful howls didn't sound like a dog at all; listening to it, one would think it was a wolf pup suffering from a severe case of the flu.

At the sight of this, the little dog was deeply disappointed and said with utter disdain, "Ew, ew, ew! What kind of dog is this? It's a complete disgrace to our canine species!"

The Celestial Hound, on the other hand, instantly fell head over heels for the little dog. The moment he spotted her, his eyes lit up, and he scurried forward to suck up to her.

"Hey there, sister, where are you from?" the Celestial Hound fawned. "Allow this hound to introduce himself. My ancestral home is in Guankou of the Great Fuli World, and I currently reside in the Hall of Miraculous Mist of the Divine Empyrean Jade Capital, enjoying a second-rank military marquis stipend. I am still unmarried, so perhaps you—"

Before the Celestial Hound could finish, the little dog shrieked, "Go to hell!"

With a swift kick, she sent him flying hundreds of leagues away.

Paking her hands on her hips and pointing angrily while trembling all over, the little dog snapped, "What kind of mutt is your dog?! A perverted, stinking, farty, old, rogue hound! Oh dear, oh dear, you're going to be the death of me..."

Erlang Shen laughed so hard he rocked back and forth, clutching his stomach as he gasped, "I can't take it... my heart and lungs are practically bursting from laughter... ha ha ha ha!"

Little Su was also laughing uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking like pear blossoms in the wind, while the maidservants nearby collapsed into a heap of giggles.

Meanwhile, the little dog burrowed back into Tu Zhe's arms, putting on an aggrieved, deeply harassed expression with tears welling up in her eyes.