Chapter 35: Divine Pet of the Mountains!

The two returned home.

Li Siyu changed into an indigo Hanfu. "I'm heading out to film my video. I'll leave... Xiaobai in your care."

"Xiaobai" was the name she had chosen for the puppy after they returned. Before leaving, she cast one last lingering look at the little dog.

Once Li Siyu had left, Zhang Hao placed the cage in the sunniest spot in the courtyard, opened the door, and waited quietly. One of the ways to raise a Mountain-Calling Hound is to ensure it gets plenty of sunlight when it is weak.

[The Mountain-Calling Hound absorbs the essence of the sun and moon, feeds on the treasures of the mountains, and draws upon the spiritual energy of the peaks...]

Ancient texts state that from a young age, a Mountain-Calling Hound must be fed items gathered from the mountains—whether medicinal herbs or meat, everything must originate from the wild. By consuming these mountain offerings and absorbing their spiritual energy, the hound develops the future ability to track down rare mountain treasures and dispel the illusions cast by mountain spirits and wild demons.

Of course, to truly cultivate a Mountain-Calling Hound, feeding alone is not enough; it requires a unique method of training. However, given the current state of "Xiaobai," training would have to wait. The priority was simply to help the little creature recover.

Zhang Hao suddenly remembered that when he was preparing the [Dipsacus] decoction last night, there were some scraps left over—specifically the leaves and small, fibrous bits of the root. Though these were mere trimmings and, in his eyes, possessed little medicinal power or spiritual essence, they were perfectly suited for Xiaobai in its current state. If he were to feed the puppy an entire root of [Dipsacus] right away, the little hound would likely drop dead from an overdose of energy.

With this in mind, Zhang Hao didn't hesitate. He stood up, went to the kitchen, and searched for the scraps from the previous day. He finally found them in a clean bag. Thank goodness he hadn't thrown them away yet.

He took the scraps out and examined them in his hand. They were already low on spiritual energy, and after sitting out all night, most of what remained had dissipated. Still, this was far better than feeding the puppy that goat milk powder.

He placed the scraps on a cutting board and minced them into fine, powder-like grains. He grabbed an unused bowl, put half of the minced [Dipsacus] into it, and carried it out to the courtyard. Seeing the goat milk powder sitting by the cage, Zhang Hao hesitated for a moment before picking it up and tossing it into the trash bin. Goat milk powder? Not even a dog would drink that.

He looked at Xiaobai, who was still huddled in the cage, shivering, and sighed. He placed the bowl in front of the cage and waited.

Before long, Xiaobai in the cage slowly raised its head. Its eyes remained tightly shut, but its little black nose twitched, sniffing the air. After sniffing for a while, it struggled to its feet, swaying unsteadily. It moved with great difficulty, slowly making its way out of the cage toward the bowl.

One step, another step, and another...

Xiaobai was still far too weak. While other puppies would have been bouncing and playing by now, it found even walking to be a grueling task. Zhang Hao sighed helplessly. If he had found the puppy at birth, it wouldn't be in this state; it might even have been ready to join him on his mountain treks.

It took several minutes for Xiaobai to emerge from the cage, which was three times its size, and stumble its way to the bowl of minced [Dipsacus]. It sniffed the contents again, then opened its mouth and began to lick at the fragments.

Watching the puppy eat, Zhang Hao rubbed the stubble on his chin, his eyes narrowing. This little guy was almost certainly a Mountain-Calling Hound. To be able to smell the scent of mountain treasures at such a young age and actually attempt to eat them—only a Mountain-Calling Hound could do that.

Xiaobai ate slowly. Zhang Hao was in no rush; he just sat nearby, watching quietly without disturbing it. Once the bowl was empty, the puppy continued to lick the bottom.

Zhang Hao picked it up by the scruff of its neck, looked at its round, full belly, and muttered, "That's enough. You've eaten so much, don't you worry about bursting?"

Xiaobai kept its eyes closed, its four snow-white paws flailing in the air, its mouth wide open to reveal cute, tiny fangs as if it were protesting or letting out a powerless, angry growl.

"Tsk, you little thing, you're actually quite cute," Zhang Hao chuckled and set it back on the ground.

After eating the [Dipsacus], Xiaobai’s spirit had improved significantly. It was no longer the shivering creature huddled in the cage; it began to explore, though since it couldn't see, it kept bumping into the bowl or the cage. Zhang Hao didn't stop it; he just sat by and watched.

Puppies that haven't yet opened their eyes must learn to identify objects and navigate through touch, smell, and sound. It was a necessary part of their growth. If he protected it too much, it would lose those vital instincts—a classic case of doing more harm than good.

When Xiaobai grew tired of walking and playing, it simply flopped onto the ground, rested its little head on its paws, and fell into a lazy nap in the sun. Zhang Hao found it amusing, yet undeniably adorable. The thought that this tiny creature would one day grow into a massive beast, standing as tall as a man and rivaling a Tibetan Mastiff in stature, made him chuckle even more.

Still... the name "Xiaobai" was a bit too ordinary; it didn't reflect the uniqueness of a Mountain-Calling Hound.

He pondered. He would have to think of a better name later.

Zhang Hao slapped his knees and stood up. He would let the little one sleep while he began preparing the items for the Fox Wedding. That was the real priority right now. With that thought, he dove into the side room and began to study the *Illustrated Records of Mountain Trekking* with patient, meticulous care.

...

At noon, Li Siyu walked into the courtyard, wearing her indigo Hanfu, carrying a vegetable basket in one hand and lifting her hem with the other. She wiped the light sweat from her forehead and immediately looked toward the spot where Xiaobai was sleeping.

"You're back." Zhang Hao emerged from the side room and stepped forward to take the basket.

Just then, Xiaobai seemed to wake up. It raised its head, opened its mouth in a yawn, and though its eyes remained closed, it stood up on shaky legs, sniffing the air, and wobbled toward Li Siyu.

Li Siyu was surprised and delighted. A smile bloomed on her face as she crouched down to gently stroke the puppy's smooth fur. Seeing that the little one’s energy had improved so much, she couldn't hide her smile. "It looks so much better."

"Of course. It finally had a full meal and a good nap in the sun, so it's bound to look better," Zhang Hao replied casually.

Li Siyu paused, full of curiosity. She remembered the man who sold the dog saying that Xiaobai could only drink a little goat milk, and not much at that. How could it possibly have had a full meal?

"Did you feed it something?" she asked.

Zhang Hao nodded. "I did."

Li Siyu paused, her gaze immediately falling on the goat milk powder in the trash bin. Her heart skipped a beat. "What did you feed it?"

"The leftover scraps of [Dipsacus] from last night. I minced them up," Zhang Hao replied without hesitation.

Li Siyu’s pupils constricted. Her expression was a mix of shock and bewilderment as she looked at Xiaobai, then at Zhang Hao, and finally at the impeccably clean, gleaming bowl sitting by the cage.