Volume One: The Cemetery of Eight Coffins – Chapter 48: Stray Dog

I hurriedly waved to Guo and ran over, asking, “Guo, what’s wrong with this dog?”

Guo looked at me for a few moments before recognizing me. He laughed heartily, “Li Yang, I haven’t seen you all in ages! Where’s your third uncle?”

“My third uncle didn’t come today. He specifically asked me to bring you twenty thousand yuan. He said it’s to settle the debt, and besides, you’ve always taken good care of us. The rest is just a small token of our appreciation.”

Guo quickly waved his hands, “That won’t do. I can’t accept money for nothing. This little shop of mine isn’t owed much anyway. I’ll just keep what’s owed for the meals, and the rest you should take back. Please thank your third uncle for me.”

I smiled. “The money’s already here, it’s in the car. Don’t refuse. So, what’s up with this dog?”

Guo tossed aside his broom and said, “A few days ago, this stray dog showed up out of nowhere. I felt sorry for it and tossed it a steamed bun. Who knew it would push its luck and come here every day? You know, my humble place can spare some leftovers, but with the dog around, customers complain it’s dirty. So I had to chase it off, but it just won’t leave no matter what I do. Isn’t that infuriating?”

I waved my hand, “Forget it. Do you have any steamed buns? Give me two baskets.”

Guo was a little surprised. “You’re not planning to feed the dog, are you? I’m telling you, you’ll never fill it up. Be careful or it’ll stick to you.”

I handed Guo a hundred yuan. “If you have sausages or anything like that, bring some too.”

Guo shook his head, took the money, and brought me a few sausages and two baskets of hot, steaming buns. Carrying them, I walked over to the dog. The stray eyed me warily.

I crouched down, emptied the buns and sausages onto a plastic sheet, and backed away.

The dog watched for a while, then darted forward and devoured the food ravenously.

Watching from a distance, I felt deeply satisfied.

But just then, I suddenly heard the sound of a car door opening. I turned to see someone opening my car door, grabbing something from inside, and then bolting away.

Damn, my money! A thief!

I shouted and took off after him. He must have overheard my conversation with Guo and realized there was money in the car, seizing the chance for an easy grab.

But the thief was agile. I’d only taken a couple of steps before he’d already dashed twenty or thirty meters ahead.

Panic seized me. I barely knew my way around here, and if the thief escaped into one of the apartment buildings, I’d never find him again.

Just then, a black shadow shot past me like an arrow, heading straight for the thief.

It was the black dog.

I hadn’t expected the dog to be so fast. In the blink of an eye, it was behind the thief, barking furiously, and pounced, bringing him down.

The thief screamed in terror as the black dog bared its teeth, growling menacingly. The thief didn’t dare move a muscle. From the look of things, if he tried to resist, the dog would tear him apart.

I rushed over in a few strides, snatched the twenty thousand yuan from the thief’s hand, and gave him a sharp kick in the rear.

With the black dog looming over him, the thief didn’t dare make a sound. I figured it was better to let sleeping dogs lie—since the money was safe, there was no need to make a bigger scene.

I waved him off. The thief glanced fearfully at the dog, then scrambled away as fast as he could.

By then, Guo had caught up as well. Watching the thief’s retreat, he said, “That guy’s a notorious local hoodlum. Lucky your money’s safe—what a relief. We owe it all to that dog; it’s really a good one.”

I handed the twenty thousand to Guo. “You’d better take it now, before something else happens.”

Unable to refuse, Guo thanked me profusely before leaving.

I felt a sudden affection for the black dog. I’d only just given it a bite to eat, and it had already helped me—proof enough that it was intelligent.

I approached the black dog. It had dropped its fierce demeanor from before, wagging its tail and sticking out its tongue, treating me as though I were family.

I crouched down and said with a smile, “Would you like to come home with me?”

To my surprise, the dog seemed to understand, wagging its tail and circling me excitedly.

I beckoned, and the black dog followed me back to where my third uncle used to live. I got some water and gave the dog a bath.

Once I’d dried it off, I realized how handsome the dog actually was. Its black fur, though patchy in a few spots, was otherwise lustrous and shiny.

After its bath, the dog was clearly more comfortable, leaping around with joy.

Perhaps fate had brought us together, for after that brief encounter I was already reluctant to part with it.

I studied the dog and said, “I can’t think of a good name for you. You still look a bit scrawny, so how about calling you ‘Iron Pillar’? I hope you’ll grow strong and sturdy.”

The black dog whimpered as if it understood, sticking out its tongue and giving me a look that seemed to object.

I tapped its nose. “You don’t get it. We country folk have a saying: ‘A homely name keeps you alive.’ It might sound plain, but you’ll get used to it. Iron Pillar…”

I called the name, and to my delight, the dog wagged its tail and came over to lick me, as if responding to its new name.

My fondness for it grew. To be safe, I took Iron Pillar to a pet hospital for a full checkup. The results were good—apart from a few minor injuries, the patchy fur would regrow in time. Though Iron Pillar was fierce, he seemed to understand the medicine was for his own good, and endured it patiently.

I asked the vet about the hard, knobby lump on Iron Pillar’s forehead.

The vet examined it and shook his head, saying, “It looks like bone calcification, maybe keratin. But I’ve never seen a dog grow horns before, and we can’t really be sure. To be honest, we can’t even identify the breed. Just bring him back in a while for his vaccinations.”

I nodded.

Just then, my phone rang. It was my third uncle, sounding elated—he told me to hurry back, that business had come our way.

I quickly gathered my things and Iron Pillar and rushed back to the company.

My third uncle and Chen Tao were huddled over something. When they saw me return with a horned dog in tow, they were both surprised.

I patted Iron Pillar’s head and said, “His name is Iron Pillar. I picked him up.”

“Iron Pillar, this is Third Uncle, and this is Brother Chen.”

Iron Pillar politely circled my uncle and Chen Tao, making everyone in the room burst out laughing. Both of them took an instant liking to the dog.

My uncle looked at Iron Pillar and said, “This dog’s something special—a dog with horns, that’s quite the spectacle. But the name you gave him… it’s a bit rustic.”

I waved it off. “If Iron Pillar likes it, that’s all that matters. It’s just a code name anyway. And who’s to say—a horned dog might just be a dragon’s offspring.”

My uncle squinted and said, “Iron Pillar’s timing couldn’t be better. He might really be able to help us.”

I asked, “So, what was so urgent you called me back?”

My uncle waved me over. “Come look—there’s news about the two hundred thousand yuan.”

(End of this chapter)