Chapter 32: A Secret Organization Independent of the Village Entrance Information Hub

After greeting Yu Xueqing, Ansheng snatched some beef jerky from a delivery box and headed out. Upon reaching the courtyard, he made sure to stop at the flower bed to relieve himself. The original spear-shaped Gentian had been messily repurposed by Yu Xueqing into a makeshift sprinkler. After watering the parched soil with a stream of urine, Ansheng shook himself off and prepared to vault over the wall to the house next door.

Just as he scaled the wall, his peripheral vision caught sight of a green sprout emerging from the dry soil of the flower bed—right where he had previously plugged a dog hole.

"A blooming iron tree?"

Perched on the wall, Ansheng looked on in surprise at the tiny sprout. The flower bed was covered by an awning, and ever since Yu Zhenghong and his family moved to the city, the plants had received no rain, leaving the earth bone-dry. It was only after Ansheng had filled the dog hole and watered it that the seeds, finally receiving nutrients, had broken through the surface.

Ansheng studied it for a moment. Although it appeared to be some kind of shrub or tea plant, he could not yet identify the specific variety. He made a mental note to bring some water for the little sprout when he returned.

"Woof!"

Ansheng jumped into Laifu's yard. With a large piece of beef jerky clamped in his fox mouth, he let out a dog-like bark with a distinct accent. A Labrador, thin as a lightning bolt, poked his head out from the house and barked back at the low wall.

"Woof!"

Seeing that Laifu was in decent spirits, Ansheng leaped from the wall into the yard and offered him the yak jerky.

"Woof, woof, woof..."

Laifu looked at the food, gave a despondent bark to signal he still had no appetite, and sat down, spreading his legs to lick his wound. Seeing this, Ansheng felt a phantom ache in his own "bells." His little fox face crinkled with sympathy as he reached out a paw to pat Laifu in comfort.

"They haven't grown back yet, but who knows? Maybe when technology advances, you can get a pair of stainless steel ones. Besides, it’s not like you didn't enjoy them while you had them."

"You've got a full two months to recover before the next mating season."

Ansheng offered his condolences with a pitying expression. Laifu had once been a street king; relying on his heavy frame and the iron-like tail of a water retriever, he could sniff the backside of any dog he chose.

But now, with his pair of "bells" missing, Laifu had developed a phobia of such social activities. Encouraged by Ansheng's comfort and the salty, meaty aroma of the yak jerky, Laifu regained some of his appetite. After finishing the jerky, he polished off two pounds of dog food to fill his belly.

"Woof!"

Laifu barked at Ansheng, and the pair of fox-and-dog cohorts leaped over the wall. Ansheng was agile, clearing the wall in a single graceful bound. Laifu, lacking the fox’s nimbleness, scrambled at the gate like a prison escapee, climbing the crossbeams with practiced, quiet determination.

"Let's go! Time for a village patrol!"

Ansheng hopped onto Laifu's back, and the dog began trotting through the village with the fox in tow.

"Woof!"

Whenever they passed a house with a dog, Laifu would pause to greet them and ask if they wanted to come out and play. Most stayed inside; they were mostly local hunting breeds who, as night fell, instinctively chose to stay home and guard the property. However, one sheepdog, lured by the invitation for a night stroll and some territorial marking, slipped out quietly.

A fox and two dogs roamed the night streets, occasionally stopping to mark telephone poles and claim their turf. Ansheng didn't participate in the marking, choosing instead to quietly browse the wish list in his mind while listening to Laifu chat with the other dogs. Although a red fox, he shared the canine family tree, and Ansheng could faintly perceive the conversations and pheromones of the dogs.

[I might be dying... I'm sorry, I am so sorry. From now on, I won't appear in your life again—The man was miserable in his drunken state, yet driven by lust, his mind filled with the charms of number 69.]

[Wish Granted: A Glass of Water (Number 69’s technique at the Blue Sea Exquisite Hotel—she’s beautiful, affordable, and even kindly gives her clients a discount; you sent him on his way.)]

"What kind of person thinks about a hotel masseuse when they're supposedly dying?"

As they strolled through town, a bizarre task popped up on his wish list. Ansheng rolled his eyes, barked to signal Laifu and the sheepdog to wait, vaulted over a wall, followed the scent of alcohol to the confused young man who had made the wish, and fetched him a glass of water from the kitchen.

[Wish Granted: The 'little guy' is no longer suffering.]

[Willpower +1]

Ansheng stole some sausages from the fridge meant for instant noodles to give Laifu and the sheepdog a decent midnight snack. Laifu only took a few bites, but the sheepdog devoured his share, looking at Ansheng with subtle, wide-eyed adoration.

Being able to enter houses, steal food, and open packaging—in the sheepdog's mind, this meant Ansheng could snatch food from humans and prevail. A hero!

"Woof!"

Ansheng barked, and the Paw Patrol continued their rounds, marking territory and eavesdropping on village gossip.

[I love her so much... If I had only held her hand back then. Sigh, I wonder if she's doing well. It’s been eight years already—The lonely middle-aged man tossed and turned, reminiscing about his college sweetheart.]

[Wish Granted: The White Moonlight (An eighty-thousand-yuan dowry broke his spirit; now that he’s successful, the things he couldn't get often come with a beautiful nostalgic filter.)]

"A Cao Thief type?"

Seeing the new wish, Ansheng glanced at the eight-story building nearby, his expression strange. In an elevator apartment, and he's worried about not finding a girlfriend? He’s probably climbed more mountains than this single fox has ever seen.

Verdict: Purely a case of being too full and too bored to sleep.

"Woof!"

Ansheng’s eye twitched as he signaled Laifu to keep moving; he didn't want to stand here watching a dog show off his wealth.

[This is trouble. How did a massive wild boar end up in the Thin Dog Ravine? Is the restoration of the Green Mountains really that good? Even though wild boars are no longer on the protected list, private hunting and trapping are still prohibited—Chen Fengshui lay in bed, pondering how to solve the boar infestation.]

[Wish Granted: A Good Hunt. How dare mere pests act out in front of a Second-Class Protected Species? (At first, the villagers of Changxi Town thought it was just one boar, but boars don't travel alone... they have multiplied.)]

"Old Chen?"

As they wandered, they had reached the village head’s house before they knew it. Ansheng looked puzzled.

"The Xia Dong region... is dealing with wild boars too? That really is a strange turn of events."