Its Qi was weak, and its fur coat in disarray. Blood dripped off of its body as it lay there licking Meng Hao’s hand. It let off a faint whine, seemingly calling to Meng Hao, seemingly recounting to him the days’ events.
It seemed as if all of the fighting and exhaustion of the day was for this moment, when it could return to Meng Hao’s side to have its head pet. In its heart Meng Hao… was family. They had fought together, they had grown up together. Meng Hao had provided medicinal pills, and whenever he looked over, his gaze was filled with encouragement and warmth.
All of this had caused trust in Meng Hao to grow in its heart. It could depend on Meng Hao, and it would defend him.
The fourth day arrived, and more shouting could be heard. Meng Hao’s body continued to tremble, and he heard the sad howl of the mastiff. He wanted to struggle to his feet, but couldn’t. The poison flare-up filled him with intense pain. Sweat poured off of him, and all he could do was sit there, looking at the magical symbols on the stone stele. That was the only thing he could do.
On the fourth day, nothing came within thirty meters of Meng Hao. But that night, when everything grew quiet, it took the mastiff about one hour to slowly crawl back to him.
Meng Hao couldn’t see it, but the path the mastiff had crawled was a long streak of blood. Its teeth were smashed, its back caved in. It lay next to him, its head twisted to the side as it licked his palm. With weak whines, it seemed to recount the days’ events to Meng Hao.
Meng Hao’s eyes were red. He couldn’t see the mastiff, but he could sense how weak its Qi was. At the moment, he had become just like a mortal, and he knew that without the mastiff there to protect him, he would have been dead on the first day.
But the price paid for his life was the mastiff’s increasingly weak condition. Soon a day would come when it wouldn’t be able to crawl back to him at all….
Meng Hao forced his eyes to remain wide open. He stared at the magical symbols on the stone stele, longing for enlightenment. But no matter how he looked at them, he was unable to gain any understanding. It was as if… they were nothing more than magical symbols that had nothing to do with him, an outsider.
And then, the fifth day arrived….
On this day, the miserable cries that reached Meng Hao’s ears were more intense than ever before. Now, there were people who approached closer than thirty meters. But before they could reach him, they were torn to pieces. Blood showered onto Meng Hao’s body, and he heard the increasingly mournful howls of the mastiff.
That night, it took four hours for the mastiff to return. It didn’t touch him; it just laid there. Blood oozed out of its mouth, and its life force flickered weakly. It seemed only its stubbornness was keeping it alive. Despite its current state, it would fight to watch over the area… and protect Meng Hao.
Meng Hao could barely open his mouth. His body trembled, wracked with pain, and could barely move. But somehow, he was able to force out speech. “Go! Get out… of here…. Do you hear me…? Go!”
He couldn’t see the mastiff. The only thing he could see was the inky black sky.
The mastiff lifted its head to look at Meng Hao. It glanced at the glowing door as if it understood his words. Then it let out a yipping sound.
“I’m telling you to leave!” said Meng Hao, panting, as if it took all the energy he possessed just to say the words.
The mastiff’s body trembled, and its eyes filled with sadness. It struggled to its feet, then walked over to Meng Hao’s side and licked his face. And then… it didn’t leave. It ignored Meng Hao’s orders and lay down next to his side.
Meng Hao’s heart ached. His eyes were filled with veins of blood as he stared at the stone stele. Suddenly, it grew blurry, and it seemed as if he had caught sight of something. And yet, he couldn’t grasp it. Dawn of the sixth morning broke, and the sound of movement could be heard at the foot of the mountain. A roar sounded out as the mastiff struggled up. It gave Meng Hao one last deep look, and then charged away.
As it left, Meng Hao’s hand slowly raised up, quivering. Within his eyes, the Resurrection Lilies flickered. He slowly formed a fist with his hand, and then stood up!
He raised his head to the sky and let loose a roar that had been suppressed for six days. Monstrous killing intent poured from his eyes as he flew into the air. As soon as he flew up, he caught sight of large man wielding an immense club. He had lifted it into the air and was about to smash it down viciously onto the mastiff, who was by now a shapeless wreck.