Chu Qiguang continued, "Lao Hei's life was one of pain, of sorrow, of struggle. He spent his days fighting just to eat his fill and stay alive. Now that he is gone, it is perhaps a form of release."
Listening to Chu Qiguang's words, the dog monsters couldn't help but feel a touch of sorrow for their fallen comrade, even though Lao Hei had exploited them in life.
Chu Qiguang went on, "Before Lao Hei passed, the ones he worried about most were all of you. That's why he begged me to look after you."
The white dog, Bai Pi, asked, "Who on earth are you?"
Chu Qiguang sighed. "Lao Hei and I both scratched out a living in the mountains once. You could call us old friends." He glanced over at Lao Tu and Xiao Tu among the dog monsters, lowering his voice. "I truly want to help you."
Lao Tu and Xiao Tu told the dog monsters beside them, "This guy is with a cat monster, so he must be a monster too. Probably from another demon tribe."
"Should we trust him?"
"He seems like a decent person."
"He knows so much about Lao Hei's past, so he must have been Lao Hei's friend from the mountains."
Between Lao Hei's tragic tale and the assurances of Lao Tu and Xiao Tu, most of the dog monsters' wariness faded. Next, they joined Chu Qiguang in burying Lao Hei.
Seeing Chu Qiguang personally carve a wooden tablet for Lao Hei's grave and conduct a funeral following human customs, the dog monsters looked upon him with increasing goodwill.
Watching Chu Qiguang, Qiao Zhi couldn't help thinking, 'Do you really need to go this far?'
Chu Qiguang replied, "If you're going to do something, see it through to the end. Lao Hei can't have died for nothing."
Qiao Zhi: "..."
Once Lao Hei was buried, a sudden savory aroma filled the entire abandoned temple, drawing the gaze of every dog monster.
They turned their heads and saw Chu Qiguang quietly set a wrapped package of fried pork on the ground.
"I brought this meat for you. Have a taste."
Xiao Tu, having tasted food from Chu Qiguang before, was the first to lose control and sprint forward. Bai Pi tried to stop him, but Xiao Tu had already gulped down a huge mouthful of meat.
As he wolfed it down, the other dog monsters, already famished, could hold back no longer and rushed forward as well.
Chaos erupted in an instant. Chu Qiguang chuckled. "Don't rush, don't rush! There's plenty more at my place."
By the time the dog monsters finished eating, the way they looked at Chu Qiguang had changed completely. Their eyes seemed to sparkle.
To these dog monsters, who had starved for years, food was an irresistible temptation.
A Shar-Pei wrapped its paws around Chu Qiguang's calf and yelled, "Dad!"
Chu Qiguang could tell at a glance that this dog had real potential as a sycophant—a true lapdog.
Patting the Shar-Pei's head with a laugh, he asked, "What's your name?"
"My name is Da Tou," the Shar-Pei replied.
Chu Qiguang said, "From now on, you're my godson. As long as I have a bite to eat, so will you."
Seeing the other dog monsters eagerly edging forward, the white dog, Bai Pi, couldn't help urging, "Calm down, everyone..."
Yet when Chu Qiguang produced another package—this one of twice-cooked pork—the temple erupted. Over a dozen dog monsters crowded affectionately around Chu Qiguang, all but ready to leap into his arms and become his dogs.
Chu Qiguang happily petted them one by one, patting this one on the head, scratching that one under the chin, giving each one a hug, asking for their names, and even trimming their claws and grooming their fur.
"You're all good dogs."
"You've had it tough."
"Don't worry. I won't ever let you go hungry again."
A flurry of moves to win their hearts—when had these dog monsters ever experienced such treatment? Their eyes shone brighter and brighter as they looked at Chu Qiguang, and tails wagged uncontrollably behind them.
Chu Qiguang looked at them with utter sincerity. "Trust me. Nobody in this world understands dogs better than I do.
"I've gotten along with all dogs since I was little. Follow me from now on, and I guarantee you'll eat your fill every single day. You'll never have to resort to petty thievery again! I will make Qingyang County's dog monsters great again!
"And then there's Qingyang Daoist Temple! They're the ones who killed Lao Hei! All the persecution we've suffered was caused by them; everything is their fault! I promise you all, we will definitely have our revenge!"
As they chewed on the meat, the dog monsters listened earnestly to Chu Qiguang's speech. Without realizing it, their attitude shifted from neutral to friendly, and from friendly to reverent.
Watching them wolf down the meat, Chu Qiguang secretly lamented in his heart: 'Every single one of them costs silver. Seventeen dog monsters in all—just feeding them will take one or two qian of silver a day. More importantly, once these dogs are well-fed and start breeding, their numbers will skyrocket.
'If I want to subdue other minor monsters later, I'll run out of silver even faster. I need to find a way to land a few more projects.'
Still, Chu Qiguang had no regrets; in fact, he felt it was well worth it. With these dog monsters, gathering intelligence and passing messages in the county seat would be far more convenient. After all, ordinary humans never bothered hiding secrets in front of a dog.
Chu Qiguang then made an agreement with the dog monsters. They would continue using the abandoned temple as their den, but starting today, they were forbidden from attacking humans, mugging, or stealing.
As a reward, Chu Qiguang would have Qiao Zhi and Chen Gang deliver food every day, enough to sustain the pack.
In return, all the dog monsters had to do was roam the town each day or monitor specific people and places on Chu Qiguang's orders, providing him with a wealth of intelligence. For dog monsters who had spent their whole lives prowling the alleys and begging for scraps, this was child's play.
With matters regarding the dog monsters settled for now, Chu Qiguang gave them their first assignment: track the movements of the cat monsters and, ideally, pinpoint where they stayed.
Qiao Zhi's heart stirred upon hearing this. He knew Chu Qiguang had set his sights on the cats after all. But thinking back to what Chu Qiguang had just said about integrating into human society, Qiao Zhi opened his mouth, yet said nothing in the end. He could only think to himself: 'Why do I feel like my goals have somehow changed without me noticing... Is this good or bad?'
***
Back at the courtyard, Chu Qiguang thought about how he should find a house of his own and move out. Otherwise, living with Wang Cailiang would become inconvenient sooner or later.
'If I buy a house, a decent, slightly larger courtyard would cost at least a few hundred taels of silver. Renting would also take dozens of taels a year.'
Considering the rent-to-price ratio in this world, Chu Qiguang felt renting was worse than buying, but buying would require a massive sum upfront. Factoring in the costs of renovation, furniture, servants, and everything else, he figured renting was better after all.
'Never mind... I'm still in the early stages of my enterprise. Every bit of silver should be spent where it counts most. Besides, I won't be staying in Qingyang County for long anyway. Renting it is.'
Lost in thought, Chu Qiguang walked up to Chen Gang and lightly patted his cheek.
Chen Gang woke to find Chu Qiguang's face hovering in the dark. Scared nearly out of his wits, he almost choked on his own breath.
He asked resignedly, "What is it?"
From Chen Gang's perspective, Chu Qiguang's smile was dripping with villainy: "Get up. I've got something good to feed you."
Chapter 46