Chapter Fifty-Four: Lou the Mongrel

"I am neither the emperor nor a high-ranking official of the court and have no right to grant you any official position," Shangguan Chuanyun said.

"Ever since you entered the city, I have taken notice of you," the mongrel official replied. "I have even personally investigated and found that all the guards around you are elite warriors, clearly either wealthy or noble. I thought that if you could favor me with your patronage, my own rise to wealth and rank would be assured."

Shangguan Chuanyun chuckled, unsure what to make of this wild dog’s intentions. He was imitating a government official, and doing it with some semblance of propriety—he seemed to have some understanding of human affairs. Then why, despite such reports of reason and decorum, were there rumors of him slaying and devouring men for their marrow? Shangguan asked directly, "From your conduct, you appear to have some learning, albeit as a dog. Why then do you kill for food, sucking out people's brains and marrow?"

The dog official immediately threw himself to the ground and said, "I beg your pardon, sir. I know that killing for food is wrong. But whenever I watched the county officials collecting taxes from the peasants, they would ransack the people's homes, and after they left, the people would curse them as dog officials who sucked the very brains out of their heads.

I thought, perhaps these men were just dogs who had attained spirithood and become officials. Once, a wolf demon came to the county and devoured all the officials in the yamen, then threatened to eat the townsfolk too. Although the people would beat me whenever they saw me and kick me if they caught me, I am not ungrateful. So I rallied the stray dogs and drove the wolf demon out of the city.

Afterward, with no one to govern, the city fell into chaos—arson, murder, and looting were everywhere. I became the county official and gathered all the dogs under my command. But it was because of a single order I gave that I committed such a grave mistake."

Shangguan Chuanyun was left speechless, though in a way it was a good thing—the mongrel was not truly a vicious demon. If properly restrained, he might even be of use. So he asked, "What order did you give?"

The dog official replied, "Sir, I commanded the pack that, if they saw a person, they should suck out his brains. I never imagined they would take it literally; as soon as they went out, every person they met, they would seize, split open the skull, and suck the marrow. By the time I realized the horror of it, it was too late."

The wild dog demon wept as he lay prostrate in the rain.

"So that's how it was," Shangguan Chuanyun nodded. The demon had no intention to harm, but his words were poorly chosen, and the pack misinterpreted his order. The higher authority’s intent was lost on the subordinates, who did not understand, and thus disaster struck—a classic case of a crooked monk chanting a crooked scripture. But the blame could not rest entirely on this wild dog. Looking at the poor creature groveling before him, Shangguan said, "Rise. You have some understanding of right and wrong, though much is only half-learned. That you managed to do so much harm without further disaster is no small feat. Not all the blame falls on you."

"Thank you, sir," the wild dog demon replied, wagging his tail as he rose.

Shangguan Chuanyun asked, "How did you come to be a demon?"

The mongrel wagged his tail and answered, "I was but a stray in the countryside, ugly and abandoned by my owners to the wilderness. I foraged for scraps and envied those dogs with masters—they could lord it over others with their masters' power. I wanted to find a master too, to be like them, but most people avoided me or even beat me with sticks.

With no choice, I lived among the garbage heaps outside the city, surviving on leftovers. Over time, I lost all my fur, grew thinner and thinner, but somehow my spirit became stronger. One day, after sleeping in a trash heap, I awoke to find I could take on human form. So I decided to visit the county.

There, I saw a wolf demon eating people. Remembering the old master's words about gratitude, I led the pack of strays to drive the wolf away."

Hearing this, Shangguan Chuanyun felt pity—the dog had suffered much. When a dog loses its fur and grows gaunt, it is often a sign that a "dog treasure" has formed inside it, much like bezoar in cattle or pigstone in swine—rare and valuable medicinal substances, worth more than their weight in gold.

Dogs with this "dog treasure" are incredibly strong and fierce, able to overpower several grown men. Normally, their owners would extract the treasure, as the dog would trust them completely, never resisting even if it knew its fate. Perhaps someone had discovered this stray harbored such a treasure, and tried to kill it for the prize. To those ignorant of its value, the mangy, emaciated dog would have been seen as nothing but a pest.

Yet without a master, no one could catch the wild dog, and over time it grew in strength. But what puzzled Shangguan Chuanyun was that, though the dog understood the principle of repaying kindness, it owed little to the townsfolk, who had only ever abused it. He asked, "Gratitude is a virtue, but the townspeople have done nothing but beat and curse you. What kindness do you owe them?"

The mongrel thought for a moment and said, "Sir, you do not know. My sense of smell is keen. Even among the scraps I scavenged from the rubbish, I could tell which household had thrown them out. Most of the food I survived on came from here. If not for these scraps, I would not have lived. The old master said that the kindness of saving one's life is greater than heaven itself. That is why I feel indebted. Were it not for the wolves of Black Wolf Ridge, I would have avenged the locals long ago."

Shangguan Chuanyun had nothing to say. Looking at the dog's golden head and clear, bright eyes—unclouded by any deception—he knew the creature spoke the truth, every word sincere. He sighed, "A loyal and righteous soul indeed."

Even the guards and Jia brothers were moved, feeling somewhat ashamed beside this dog-headed being.

Shangguan Chuanyun, seeing the wild dog wagging his tail and looking at him with those innocent eyes, asked, "What are your plans now?"

At this, the dog's ears pricked up, making his official's hat bounce. He hurried forward, wagging his tail vigorously. "I beg you to take me in, sir. If you can help me destroy the wolf demon on Black Wolf Mountain who killed my benefactor, I will serve you as my master, never to betray you in this life or the next."

Shangguan Chuanyun did not answer immediately. From the dog's words and demeanor, he could see loyalty and virtue. From the start, it was clear that this stray longed for a master. Despite all he had suffered, he harbored no resentment, only hope. Looking at the pitiful creature before him, Shangguan thought, perhaps this is simply his nature, his chosen path.

He nodded and said, "Very well. But tell me, why do you wish to make this choice?"

The mongrel, tail wagging with excitement, replied, "You are the first to speak to me without violence. No one has ever treated me with such calm and courtesy. I believe that a master like you would never beat me."

"Is it really that simple?" Shangguan Chuanyun asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, that's the reason," the mongrel replied earnestly.

Suppressing the stirrings in his heart, Shangguan watched the wild dog wagging his tail before him and suddenly remembered a saying from a dying master: "It is easier to save a beast than a man; I would rather save a beast than a human."

This master had studied the craft of Lu Ban and taught several apprentices, all of whom eventually betrayed him. After they wounded him in a plot for his manuals and artifacts, he escaped, mortally wounded, only to be rescued by his loyal guard dog. The dog kept him alive by bringing food daily, but his injuries were beyond healing. Before dying, the master looked at his faithful companion and uttered those words, then used his remaining power to open the dog's spiritual senses and left him all his possessions.

Shangguan Chuanyun had no doubt about the dog's loyalty. "Do you have a name?"

"Wild Dog," the dog replied, full of joy.

Shangguan Chuanyun shook his head. Was that even a name? "You have attained human form, a being of some cultivation; such a name does not befit you." He glanced at the dog's golden clothing, clearly woven from his own fur—a natal artifact born of instinct, formed for protection after so many beatings.

"From now on, you shall be called Lou Jin, the Golden Dog."

"Yes, Master! Thank you for naming me Lou Jin. I shall henceforth be known as Lou Jin the Dog." The mongrel cavorted with delight, then prostrated himself. "Lou Jin the Dog pays his respects to Master. When I have avenged my benefactor, I shall follow you forevermore."

As Lou Jin bowed, Shangguan Chuanyun suddenly sensed the armillary sphere within his spirit stir. Returning his mind to it, he saw the sphere as before, rotating subtly, but now with a faint glow at the second star of the Western Dipper among the twenty-eight constellations.

"So that is how it is," Shangguan mused. The sphere, a model of the heavens and a monitor of fate, reflected the unity of heaven and man. Lou Jin's destiny aligned perfectly with the characteristics of the Western second star, and so their fortunes became linked, now showing upon the sphere.

Within the sphere, the sun, moon, four poles, five directions, and stars were all present, corresponding to the three talents of heaven, earth, and man. Such a manifestation was not surprising. The sphere naturally regulated fate and harmonized with the cosmos. As for the gray mist that had affected it earlier, its true impact was yet unknown—this would require further study.

Suppressing his emotions, Shangguan Chuanyun opened his eyes to find Lou Jin the Dog watching him anxiously. Seeing him return to himself, Lou Jin began to wag his tail once more.

He had planned to go to Black Wolf Ridge regardless, and now, with Lou Jin seeking vengeance, he felt even more assured. But he could not ignore the mess left here. Fortunately, the destruction was not too great. He said to Lou Jin, "The townsfolk hold deep prejudice against you. Staying here will only bring trouble. What do you intend to do?"