The Great General departed from Yunzhong, sweeping through Yin Mountain, purging the Northern Plain, reaching High Watchtower to the west, penetrating into Henan, advancing as far as Longxi, capturing 23,000 heads of captives, and returning with over a million horses, cattle, and sheep, with all armored soldiers intact. He was granted the title of Marquis Changping with 3,800 households...
Thus, Henan was established as Shuofang County, relocating the Four Countries and Eight Provinces, with a population of 600,000 settled there.
A signal arrow streaked across the clear sky, flying against the wind, and the bone-made arrowhead whistled loudly over the prairie.
Amidst this sound, a swift horse galloped over the hills, racing across the plains, raising a trail of dust on the vast grasslands.
The young rider on the horse was bareback and shirtless, his skin dark red, face tattooed with Qing Shou, and still with broken shackles on his feet, clearly a fugitive slave of Northern captive origin.
"Giddyup! Giddyup!" "Hahaha! Running so fast!" "Almost out of encirclement! Don't let the prisoner escape, lest we become a laughingstock!" "Hey, hey! Don't shoot my horse!"
Then came a commotion, as a group of burly, bow-wielding, alcohol-reeking scions from the General's family followed over the grassy hills.
They were all drunk, faces flushed, hollering and joking as they rode, neither fast nor slow, following behind the escaping slave, shooting arrows drunkenly which flew erratically past the slave.
This archery style, like throwing arrows at a drinking game, would have infuriated their forefathers who cleansed the Yin Mountain and Northern Desert decades ago.
But it didn't matter. The Immortal Palace had solidified its rule for thousands of years, the Three Constellations were firmly seated on the throne, the Four Sects and Eight Provinces reigned over the Twelve Countries. The world had laid down arms and galloped across Nanshan for a long time. Why fear a few nourished prisoners?
Especially when they brought dogs.
Seeing the fugitive slave, nimble and skilled in riding, was about to escape the hunting circle, the leading Chasing Knight shot a high-flying arrow emitting a golden whistle.
Suddenly, a large pack of hunting dogs sprang out from all directions on the prairie. Compared to these lazy noble knights, they were more like a disciplined army, closing in from all sides like a giant net!
These wolfhounds, large as tigers and leopards, eyes shining coldly, blood hanging from their fangs, accelerated visibly, charging straight at the fugitive slave!
But that slave was formidable too, swaying left and right on horseback, leaping away from the wolves' bites, and even with agile ape-like arms, he caught a stray arrow and drove it into the eye socket of a lunging wolfhound.
"Damn it! My dog!" "This cunning slave!" "Bite him! Bite him! Kill him!" "Don't hurt my horse!"
The knights shouted loudly, clamoring in chaos.
The wolfhounds lunged left and right, though trapping the horse within the hunting circle, but because the slave seized a sharp arrow, they couldn't drag him down from his horse, only repeatedly pouncing, tearing him until blood flowed freely.
Seeing his mount slowed by the hounds, the fugitive slave knew there was no escaping fate, yet he was unwilling to surrender!
Rather than being captured, tortured, and humiliated to death, it was better to die under the open sky like his ancestors! On the grassland!
A loud shout! Like thunder in the sky! It startled the pursuers almost off their horses!
The tattooed fugitive slave leapt off his horse, punching a wolfhound so hard that its skull burst! Hot blood splattered across his face!
In that instant, his whole body erupted with muscles, his blood surging, his stature growing to seven feet! Transformed into a monstrous humanoid with green face and fangs!
"Demonization!" "This scoundrel has awakened!" "Switch arrows! Switch arrows!"
The nobles sobered up from fright, quickly drawing armor-breaking hunting arrows, relying on the archery and horsemanship they had practiced, though not proficient, to drive the hound pack to encircle the demonized giant, urging their horses to gallop around him, drawing bows and shooting arrows from five steps away, a rain of arrows flying thick and fast, turning the barebacked fugitive slave into a bloody porcupine!
"Awooo—!! Barbarian Bone Tengger!"
The fugitive slave roared, enduring the fierce rain of arrows and the biting wolf teeth, unleashing a ferocious wrath! With a pull, a twist, a tear! He caught a wolfhound, ripping its head apart, tearing it in half!
In a blood rain, the slave roared, the pack howled, the horses neighed, the nobles screamed!
And just then! A black shadow suddenly darted out of the hounds!
It was a child crawling on all fours, hair disheveled, scampering like a dog!
This Dog Boy, small and not even as big as a wolfhound, but suddenly burst with speed! Whoosh! He leapt onto the horse just abandoned by the fugitive slave, yanking the reins fiercely!
The horse reared, raising its front legs, stomping towards the giant's head!
The fugitive slave, startled, raised a hand to grasp a horse leg, bracing for impact!
Meanwhile, the Dog Boy, seized the moment to vault onto the fugitive's back, suddenly yanking out those stray arrows lodged all over him, piercing them straight into the fugitive's eyes!
The fugitive slave was blinded! Roaring in agony! He swung the horse leg, wielding the horse like a war hammer, striking wildly, blood and flesh splattering!
The Dog Boy clung to his back, pulling out stray arrows, viciously stabbing at the fugitive's eyes, ears, mouth, nose, heart, lungs, throat, and underarms, stabbing relentlessly, flipping flesh and gushing blood!
"Awooo ah Tengger! Tengger ah ha ha ha ha!"
As the fugitive finished swinging the horse to clear the surrounding hounds, reaching to grab the Dog Boy on him, it was already too late.
The Dog Boy thrust an arm directly into the fugitive's mouth! The arrow pierced through his heart, punctured his heart chamber!
The mountain-like beast of a fugitive slave's screams cut off abruptly, collapsing under the eyes of the heavens, a blood river flowing onto the green grassland, just like his ancestors.
"You damn brat! I told you not to hurt my horse!"
Then, the nobles on their tall horses reacted, whipping the Dog Boy fiercely on the back.
The Dog Boy didn't resist, just curled up on the ground, holding his head, silent as a stone.
"Enough, enough. I'll compensate with a horse for you, but don't hurt my Head Dog!"
"Yeah, we caught this demonized Hu Lu, a major achievement for sure, the Commander will certainly reward us!"
"Besides, this little guy trained the dog well? What's the secret?"
"Hehe, indeed. I bought a hundred kids from the slave traders, fed them with our family's secret medicine, and only this one survived.
Look, not even in Foundation Establishment yet, keen and fast, already sharper than a wolfhound! How about letting me train some for you guys?"
"Good idea! I've heard a new batch of slaves transported from the Royal Capital recently, assigned to us Armored People; perfect fit!"
"Really! Then I'd better pick a few females first!"
"Hahaha! Great idea hahaha!"
So in laughter and banter, the scions on both sides dismembered the demonized giant monster, peeled off its skin, dismantled its bones, wrapped its body in horsehide, and returned.
The dog pack surrounded and licked the whip marks on the back of the 'Head Dog,' whose size wasn't even half of theirs.
The Dog Boy, serving as Head Dog, didn't make a sound despite the beating. He growled low, commanding the pack to form ranks, following and guarding behind their masters, escorting them all the way back into Shuofang City, then returned to the camp, allowing the dog pack to rest in the kennels.
Only at this moment could the Dog Boy grit his teeth, curling up in the cold steel cage, licking his wounds like a lone wolf, hiding his claws and fangs, gently closing his eyes, and falling into a peaceful dreamland.
Then the boy opened his eyes.
He found himself wearing a shark-skin-like rubber suit, lying in a coffin-like virtual cabin, soaked in some orange-red liquid.
Looking at the white ceiling beyond the glass lid, with whip scars burning on his back, he had difficulty distinguishing dream from reality.
Until a pleasant female voice came from beside his ear.
"Experiment successful, genetic template deviation value at zero, Cadet Chen Xuantian, memory synchronization progress at one percent."
Then the virtual cabin stood upright, the lid opened automatically, and researchers in dust-free suits swept into the lab, manipulating various mechanical devices to start checking and collecting the boy's physiological data.
The boy was in a daze for a moment, allowing the automatic arms to complete blood-drawing and dental checks, before the memories about 'himself' began to surface like stones emerging from water, parting the clouds, clearly appearing in his mind.
His name was Chen Xuantian, a military academy intern for two and a half years, studying quantum communication, fond of singing, dancing, playing basketball... ouch...
Subconsciously, he supported himself on the edge of the cabin to sit up, suddenly feeling a pain in his hand, looking down at his right hand, he discovered a fractured finger bone.
This was... from gripping a broken arrow, stabbing it into that giant monster's mouth until it snapped completely... but wasn't that a dream...
"Wow, congratulations, congratulations! Finally, someone successfully fused with this genetic template! You're awesome!"
Chen Xuantian raised his head, looking at the man in a black suit who appeared next to the virtual cabin at some point. His appearance gradually overlapped with the memories.
The principal smiled warmly, disregarding that the boy's right hand was fractured, grasping it tightly, shaking it.
"Brother Xuantian, welcome! The task of saving the world now belongs to you!"