Chapter 10: Loyal Dog Da Jin

I had always thought that the old man’s constant calls for “Great Gold” were for his grandson. Never did it cross my mind that “Great Gold” was actually the dog he raised.

“Where is the dog?” I asked the woman anxiously.

“It’s dead! That dog bit my son. Xiaogang got upset and beat it to death!” the woman replied to me.

Oh no, this was truly a disaster.

I had always believed that the haunted grave in their home drew in wandering spirits, and the reason the child acted as if he had rabies was because he was possessed by a dog’s soul. Of course, I’d figured that out the moment I saw the child.

And the truth was just as I thought.

What I hadn’t expected was that the soul possessing the child belonged to their own dog.

This changed everything.

If it had been a stray dog’s spirit, I could have simply exorcised it or sent it away. But since it was their own dog, things were much more complicated. I needed to find the dog’s remains and handle them properly. Otherwise, even if I resolved the haunted grave’s curse, further disasters could erupt because of the dog.

Now I finally understood why the boy suddenly lashed out and attacked Li Bo during the exorcism.

It was the classic tale of a loyal dog defending its master.

Because of the Feng Shui problems in the Gu family home, the dog’s soul remained after its death. When it saw Li Bo performing the exorcism, it believed Li Bo was harming the old man. So it possessed the boy to protect its master.

Dogs are different from humans.

Humans have three souls and seven spirits, while dogs have only one soul and three spirits.

Moreover, after a dog dies, its soul doesn’t pass through the gates of the underworld, the Yellow Springs Road, or the Bridge of Forgetfulness like human souls.

Dog spirits go straight to the Hall of Shadows and then enter the cycle of reincarnation.

Of course, sometimes a dog’s soul cannot enter the netherworld due to special circumstances.

Just like this dog named Great Gold—after its death, because the Gu family’s Feng Shui was disturbed by the haunted grave, its soul lingered.

Under normal circumstances, a dog’s spirit rarely possesses a human.

The possession of the boy by the dog’s soul was pure coincidence.

First, because of the haunted grave’s curse.

Second, the boy was young, his life force weak.

Third, the dog’s soul absorbed much negative energy in the cursed house, strengthening its soul. Driven by a desperate urge to save its master, it possessed the boy regardless of consequences.

“What about the dog’s remains? How did you handle them?” I asked the woman.

I was deeply concerned—if the dog had been buried, it might be manageable. But if they had cooked and eaten it, the trouble would only deepen.

“I... I... I don’t know! Xiaogang dealt with it!” She looked toward Gu Xiaogang.

Gu Xiaogang heard our conversation and was about to turn around when I quickly shouted, “Don’t stop! Keep throwing!”

I hurriedly limped over to him.

---

When I got in front of Gu Xiaogang, I said, “Keep your hands moving. Tell me, what happened to the dog? How did you handle it?”

“I... well... I took it to Da Liu’s house in the north of the village and had it stewed!” Gu Xiaogang hesitated before answering.

Stewed! My God.

This was a catastrophe.

“It bit my son, and I had to take him for rabies shots for ages!” Gu Xiaogang explained.

“You...” I pointed at Gu Xiaogang and sighed deeply.

Even after death, the dog called Great Gold, trapped in this house and unable to reincarnate, still sought to protect its master.

Moreover, although the dog was raised by the old man, the boy named Pengpeng had surely spent much time with it. To the dog, the boy was also one of its little masters.

How could such a loyal dog bite its own master?

“Did your son ever hit the dog?” I asked Gu Xiaogang.

Before he could answer, his wife spoke up, “No, Pengpeng actually liked Great Gold. Even if Pengpeng was naughty and bullied Great Gold, the dog always endured it, never barking at him.”

Just as I thought.

A dog is mankind’s most faithful companion.

As the saying goes, ‘a child never despises his mother’s ugliness, and a dog never despises its home’s poverty.’

No matter how a master treats it, a dog will always be loyal.

“When did Great Gold bite Pengpeng? What was the situation?” I asked.

“It was just recently,” Gu Xiaogang replied.

After he spoke, his wife continued, “Yes, that day Pengpeng was napping on the sofa. Suddenly, Great Gold started barking at him furiously. I yelled but it wouldn’t listen—it just kept barking at Pengpeng.”

“And then? Did it ignore all attempts to stop it and just rush up to bite Pengpeng?” I asked.

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened. I couldn’t stop it; it lunged and bit Pengpeng on the waist. There was blood immediately!” said Gu Xiaogang’s wife.

Hearing her words, I sighed and shook my head helplessly.

“You... It was saving Pengpeng! I really don’t know what to say to you. Not only did you kill it, you even stewed it. You...” I felt genuinely uncomfortable.

After hearing her description, I understood.

It was all because their house’s haunted grave attracted wandering spirits.

Pengpeng was just a child; when he slept, his resistance to evil was even weaker. Great Gold must have sensed something trying to harm Pengpeng and acted desperately to protect him.

Remember, though dogs have only one soul and three spirits, they possess spiritual eyes and can see things ordinary people cannot.

Sadly, the Gu family misunderstood its protective actions, leading to its tragic death.

---

“Saving Pengpeng!? But it bit him so badly, almost tearing off his flesh. How could I keep it after that? What if it went mad and bit him again?” Gu Xiaogang protested.

“Sigh... Think back carefully. When Great Gold was barking at Pengpeng, what state was Pengpeng in? Did he wake up?” I asked his wife.

“Uh...” She paused to recall.

“I don’t think so. He didn’t wake up! Pengpeng only woke after being bitten, when I hit Great Gold with a cup and chased it off... Then I called Pengpeng several times before he finally woke up,” she said as she remembered.

“There you have it! Think again—in normal circumstances, Great Gold’s loud, persistent barking should have woken Pengpeng long before,” I said.

“Yes, you’re right! Great Gold was really loud, and barked fiercely!” she nodded.

“After Pengpeng was bitten, you had to shout many times before he woke up. Doesn’t that seem odd to you?” I pressed.

“This...” She hesitated.

I exhaled deeply and shook my head.

“So... Mr. Yu... What should we do now?” Gu Xiaogang and his wife grew anxious.

I didn’t answer them. Instead, I scooped more salt, tea, rice, and beans into Gu Xiaogang’s arms, instructing, “Keep scattering them until both of them wake up!”

“Alright!” Gu Xiaogang nodded obediently and continued tossing them behind him.

“Uncle Wang, I can’t handle this alone anymore—I need help!” I walked over to Uncle Wang and whispered.

“Huh? Who are we going to call?” Uncle Wang asked.

Because the master was renowned and respected among our peers, I knew quite a few people in this circle. But major cases like this were always handled by the master, and he’d be the one to reach out for help.

Even though I knew many, I couldn’t think of a suitable contact.

“Do you have Master Miao’s number?” I asked Uncle Wang.

“No! It was always Mr. Zhang who contacted him. I never kept Master Miao’s number,” Uncle Wang replied.

“How about Master Xie? Do you have his number?” I asked again.

“No, either!” Uncle Wang shook his head.

But immediately after, he said, “You could ask Li Bo—he might have it!”

I slapped my forehead. “Of course, Li Bo should know.”

So I hurried toward Uncle Wang’s car, where Li Bo was resting.

“Li Bo!” I called, opening the car door.

But when I opened the door and saw Li Bo’s condition, terror struck me—I cried out in alarm, “This is bad!”