ACIFITFDB – Chapter 21

Chapter 21: A Slipper Hits the Dog’s Face

Having his mouth grabbed, Tangyuan instinctively twisted his head, trying to break free.

Qin Xian tightened his grip, scolding, “Where did you pick up this habit? Licking blood? Be careful of zoonotic diseases. Or have you truly been contaminated by grotesque power?”

“Mmmph…”

Seeing his mouth wouldn’t come free, Tangyuan stopped struggling. His round pupils converged in the center, staring at Qin Xian’s hand. He looked a bit cross-eyed, appearing rather silly.

Qin Xian pushed the dog’s mouth away and released his grip, saying, “No licking me. If you lick me again, I’ll use a slipper…”

Before he could finish, Tangyuan again stretched his head forward, attempting to get closer to the wound.

Qin Xian quickly grabbed the slipper from the ground and raised it high.

Tangyuan instinctively flattened his ears and squinted his eyes, even dodging slightly to the side, but he didn’t move away.

Qin Xian sighed at his demeanor. With narrowed eyes, the slipper “slapped” precisely onto the dog’s side face, avoiding the eyes and the soft cartilage of the nose.

The black dog froze for a moment, then let out a fierce growl, baring its tightly clenched sharp teeth.

“Slap!”

This time, the force was much greater, directly knocking its head to the side.

“Still dare to be fierce? If I don’t truly slap you, you won’t know right from wrong?”

Qin Xian coldly looked down at the dog, which still had ferocity in its eyes, and raised his hand high again.

Tangyuan instinctively closed his eyes at the sight, his ears folding back until they almost disappeared. But the slipper didn’t come down. He opened his eyes and looked at Qin Xian, whose hair was slightly dishevelled on his shoulders, his exquisitely handsome face expressionless.

His voice was stern: “Do you dare again?”

Tangyuan’s ears perked up then flattened again. His gaze became clearer, and he licked his lips, whimpering twice, seemingly trying to appease him cautiously.

Qin Xian put away the slipper and gave a cold laugh, warning, “If you do it again, I’ll teach you a harder lesson.”

With that, he closed the medicine box, picked it up, and returned to his room, slamming the door shut before the dog could try to get in.

Tangyuan narrowly avoided having his nose pinched. Seeing the closed door, he began to paw at the gap beneath it with his front paws, making noise.

Inside the room, Qin Xian ignored him. He stood in front of the mirror, took off his clothes, and turned around. His chest had fewer wounds, but his arms and back bore many cuts and abrasions of various sizes, mostly sustained when the underground room collapsed.

The red and black scabs on his wounds looked terrifying against his pale skin, but they weren’t serious… Of course, he would still need to get a tetanus shot at the clinic downstairs later.

More serious was a large bruise on his left forearm, from falling and being hit by something when he fell off the grotesque being. He hadn’t paid it any mind after the injury, fighting through the pain.

Now that he had stopped, his entire left arm was somewhat immobile.

Qin Xian raised his right hand and squeezed his left arm. He winced in pain but slowly examined his bones.

No fractures. That was much better. A few weeks of applying some ointment and resting should be enough for recovery.

Qin Xian also took off his pants and set them aside. He opened the medicine box, took out the iodine and antiseptic medicine, and slowly began applying it to himself in front of the mirror. The scratching at the door outside suddenly stopped. Qin Xian glanced over; the door was still firmly shut and hadn’t been opened.

He returned his gaze and continued to treat all the wounds on his body.

Afterward, he roughly washed himself and changed into pajamas. Due to extreme fatigue, every movement he made while changing was slow and sluggish. He closed his eyes and fell asleep while his shirt was still over his head. He slowly pulled the shirt off only when his body tilted, falling asleep without even putting his arms through the sleeves.

As he slept soundly, a faint movement occurred by the open window. A shadow-like entity hovered before the window, its pale face greedily watching the person on the bed. Just as it was about to slip through the window crack, it noticed a massive shadow appearing on the outer wall of the building.

The shadow trembled and tried to escape, but the shadow suddenly lunged and devoured it, tearing it to shreds in a few bites.

Qin Xian opened his eyes as if sensing something and walked to the window with a frown. The dark shadow on the outer wall instantly vanished.

Everything outside was normal. The grotesque aura he had just sensed seemed to be an illusion.

Qin Xian slept quite soundly, arguably the most peaceful sleep he’d had since returning. It was also a long sleep, lasting until noon the next day.

When people oversleep, they sometimes feel even more groggy.

He stumbled up as if drunk, his head buzzing. It took a while for him to clear his head. He struggled to get out of bed and was about to leave his room when he tripped over the dog lying at the doorway, nearly falling to the ground.

“You really know how to pick a spot to sleep. Just let me fall and die,” Qin Xian scolded, pointing at the dog’s nose.

Tangyuan tilted his head up and blinked, looking very innocent.

Qin Xian sighed, “Never mind.”

Why argue with a stupid dog?

He opened the refrigerator and took out an egg for himself. Looking at the dog following him, he added two more. He fried the three eggs and poured boiling water into the pan, making two large bowls of egg noodles with a “sizzle.”

He ate the bowl with salt himself, and poured the unsalted portion into Tangyuan’s bowl, placing it in front of him.

Tangyuan lowered his head, sniffing around, seemingly deliberating.

Qin Xian tapped the table with his chopsticks and commanded the dog, “If you don’t eat it and waste it, I won’t bother making it for you next time.”

Tangyuan heard his voice and looked up.

“Don’t look at me, eat,” Qin Xian said, holding his chopsticks and pointing to the bowl in front of Tangyuan.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he extended his hand and chopsticks towards Tangyuan, the dog suddenly opened its mouth and licked them. Its thin tongue brushed against the back of his hand and the chopsticks.

Veins pulsed on Qin Xian’s forehead. He quickly retracted his hand and rapped the dog’s head with a chopstick.

“Woof!”

Tangyuan yelped, his ears drooping as he cautiously looked at Qin Xian.

Qin Xian, with his back to him, washed his hands in the kitchen and said sternly, “Go to the balcony and eat.”

Tangyuan seemed not to understand, but he likely sensed his owner’s anger. He immediately turned and buried his head under the table, slurping up the noodles and soup. Then he lay down under the table.

Qin Xian returned to the dining table, finished his own bowl of noodles, and began checking his body’s recovery.

His various wounds ached with a fine, persistent pain, but they had all scabbed over. His slightly pale skin was covered in small scars, even a scratch on his waist and abdomen. This body seemed to have inherited the strength and speed from the Infinite Stream world; his combat power was significantly higher than average. When he tensed his body, one could still see clear abdominal muscles and a V-line, but many old scars had completely disappeared…

As he observed, he suddenly met the dog’s gaze from under the table. It had also looked up and was staring at him…

Qin Xian covered himself with his clothes in a second and met the dog’s stare.

“What are you looking at? Go play by yourself.”

“…Woof.”

“What does that mean? I don’t understand. Move aside, I have things to do.”

Qin Xian nudged the dog’s thigh with his toe, driving it away. He then opened his phone to check for new messages on the forum.

[Brother Hurry Up and Recover: Hello, Mr. Q. Thank you for saving my brother. Please send me your bank card number, and I’ll transfer the money to you.]

Judging by the forum name, the young girl’s brother should have survived.

Qin Xian slowly typed and asked: [How is your brother now?]

[Brother Hurry Up and Recover: He passed the critical period overnight. The doctors and nurses are very surprised. But he’ll likely need care from now on. He hasn’t woken up yet.]

[Q: The grotesque being cutting off his limbs should have treated him, otherwise, it would be very difficult for him to survive. This also saved his life. But you need to pay attention to your brother’s emotions. People who fall into negative emotions are more likely to attract grotesque beings. It’s very possible something will use his recovered body as bait to lure him. If you encounter any unusual situations, you can contact me again.]

[Brother Hurry Up and Recover: Okay. But I also wanted to ask, is there really a way to restore my brother’s limbs?]

[Qin Xian: No. Please remember that nothing good ever comes for free.]

[Brother Hurry Up and Recover: I understand, thank you, Mr. Q. Um, the card number…]

[Qin Xian: Use your family’s money for your brother’s treatment first.]

[Brother Hurry Up and Recover: Actually, my family is quite well-off, with enough money to treat my brother. The fifty thousand yuan is from my own New Year’s money. Please give me your card number!]

Tsk, this young girl’s New Year’s money was more than his own savings.

Qin Xian no longer refused and readily sent his card number.

A moment later, a transfer message arrived. Seeing his deposit increase by a digit, Qin Xian was in a great mood. Seeing Tangyuan peeking from the side, he reached out and patted the dog’s head hard twice.

Tangyuan startled and took two steps back, tilting his head to look at him.

Qin Xian said, “What? You run when I hit you, but you run away when I pet you?”

Tangyuan froze, then took two steps forward and actively nudged his head against Qin Xian’s hand.

Qin Xian withdrew his hand. “Not petting anymore, go away.”

Tangyuan: “…”

His attitude switched so flexibly.

Just then, a faint sound of a door opening came from the entrance. Qin Xian immediately sat up straight, frowning as he looked at the doorway. Beside him, Tangyuan was a step faster, rushing behind the door and growling threateningly in a low voice.

The sound of the door opening paused, then continued to turn slowly and cautiously.

“Woof woof woof!! Woof woof!!” Tangyuan barked loudly, raising his front paws and stepping on the door panel, his nails scratching with a creaking sound.

“Oh my god! You scared me to death!”

A startled exclamation came from outside the door. Qin Xian heard the familiar voice and remembered that he had asked Lin Qizhi to help feed the dog and hadn’t had time to tell him he was back.

Qin Xian quickly got up and commanded Tangyuan, “Tangyuan! Stop barking! It’s an acquaintance.”

But Tangyuan continued to bark incessantly until Qin Xian grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him away.

Qin Xian, holding the dog with one hand, opened the door and called out to Lin Qizhi, who was turning to run away in fright.

Lin Qizhi then turned back, and upon seeing Qin Xian, wailed, “Brother Qin! You’re finally back. I was still worried today and wanted to see if the dog would starve to death. Oh my, your Tangyuan is really… too fierce…”

He cautiously stretched his head forward and glanced at Tangyuan behind Qin Xian.

Tangyuan’s gaze was fierce, his lips curled menacingly, baring his canine teeth.

Lin Qizhi shivered, then quickly withdrew, clasping his hands together and saying to Qin Xian, “No, no, no! Tangyuan and I might have clashing destinies; it seems like he wants to eat me. Let’s catch up another time when we meet for a meal!”

Author’s Notes:

———————-

Tangyuan: Being hit with a slipper doesn’t hurt at all. Getting hit with a hand [sticks face out]

Qin Xian: …