Chapter 82: The Roast Chicken Contest

The next moment—

Boom!

It was slammed directly onto the ground with brutal force.

“One, two, three, four…” As Xiao Yang swung the Ghost Mastiff around, he counted out loud like a chant.

Only after he had slammed it more than ten times did he finally stop.

From the Ghost Mastiff’s mouth came a series of weak growls, clearly still unwilling to yield.

But Xiao Yang didn’t continue; if he kept going, the Ghost Mastiff would probably die after just a few more throws. That would mean losing five thousand taels of silver for nothing.

With a thought, he purchased ten Rejuvenation Pills from the system’s marketplace and gave them to the Ghost Mastiff to heal its injuries. At the same time, he strengthened the Ghost Mastiff to level seven, making it even more resistant to a beating.

“Open your mouth!” Xiao Yang pried open the beast’s jaws, tossed the ten pills in, and even kindly helped it swallow—by shaking it up and down.

At this moment, the Ghost Mastiff was caught between pain and pleasure. It had never imagined it could advance its cultivation so rapidly—second level, third level… in the blink of an eye, it reached the seventh level of Lesser Demon.

But the Ghost Mastiff knew in its heart that even as a seventh-level Lesser Demon, it was no match for the man in front of it.

As its cultivation broke through, its wounds healed at a visible speed. In less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the injuries had scabbed and fallen off.

With a roar, the Ghost Mastiff’s strength surged after being nourished by the pills. In the next moment, it bared its sharp fangs once more, ready to battle Xiao Yang again.

“Heh, you really don’t learn your lesson, do you?” Xiao Yang chuckled, already making his move.

He intended to show the Ghost Mastiff the true gap between them. In a flash, he appeared behind it. The Ghost Mastiff’s rear tightened instinctively, but before it could react, a large hand gripped its hind leg.

It tried to kick back, but its strength was nothing compared to that gripping hand.

The wind whistled.

Whoosh!

It was sent flying again, then smashed into the ground. Just one impact left its head buzzing.

But Xiao Yang didn’t pause, swinging it back and forth relentlessly. The Ghost Mastiff had no way to fight back.

A whole incense stick’s time passed before the Ghost Mastiff could endure no more.

“Not bad, not bad, you actually lasted this long.” Xiao Yang smiled, buying another twenty Rejuvenation Pills.

“Come on, open your mouth and recover so we can keep working out,” he said, trying to feed the Ghost Mastiff, but this time the beast had had enough and stubbornly refused to open its mouth.

“Be good!” In the end, it still couldn’t escape Xiao Yang’s grasp. He pried its jaws open and poured in the pills by force.

Now the Ghost Mastiff’s sounds had changed; gone was the angry growling, replaced by a hint of pleading.

“Hurry and recover, so we can continue,” Xiao Yang said with a grin.

The Ghost Mastiff shuddered. If it could speak, it would surely have said, “Anything involving humans, you refuse to do even half, but this… oh, woe is me!”

Anyone would break under such treatment. In the end, the Ghost Mastiff chose to submit. It realized that if it didn’t yield, it wouldn’t even be allowed to die.

Looking at the Ghost Mastiff lying at his feet, Xiao Yang said innocently, “If you’d behaved like this from the start, would I have needed to hit you?”

He even reached out to pat the Ghost Mastiff’s head. Though it was clearly uncomfortable, the beast didn’t dare open its jaws to bite. Who knew what would happen if it did? If you can’t resist, you might as well try to enjoy it.

“This still won’t do,” Xiao Yang said, worried there might be problems in the upcoming matches. He directly boosted the Ghost Mastiff’s cultivation to the Demon Master stage. Even with this newfound power, the beast didn’t dare make a move—it had been thoroughly cowed.

Having done all this, Xiao Yang led the Ghost Mastiff outside.

“Young master!” Hao Wenlong looked at the Ghost Mastiff with a touch of sympathy. He had sneaked a look earlier and seen the beast swung by its hind leg and smashed into the ground. Luckily, the arena’s tiles were sturdy, so there was no need for repairs.

“Let’s go, Wenlong,” Xiao Yang said, preparing to leave. He no longer felt like buying crickets. He’d just pick one from the system marketplace—there was no need to browse the stalls. Even if he did, he wouldn’t know how to choose a good cricket. Besides, even the weakest one, after a few enhancements, would be invincible.

Just then, a young girl walked over, instantly becoming the center of attention—not because of her looks, but because three roosters followed her, each strutting proudly behind.

“Uncle, could you tell me the way to the cockfighting preliminaries?” she asked, stopping before Xiao Yang.

What?

Xiao Yang nearly choked. Did he really look that old? He wasn’t even twenty yet! She actually called him “uncle”?

“Uncle, do you know the way to the cockfighting preliminaries?” the girl asked again, making Xiao Yang’s face darken further.

“I don’t know,” he replied coldly, turning to leave.

He had barely taken a few steps when he heard muttering behind him, “People from North Desert City really don’t know how to respect their elders or care for the young.”

He stopped in his tracks and turned back. He hadn’t planned to argue with a little girl, but since she’d said that much, as a citizen of the Beidou Kingdom, he had to set the record straight.

“Little girl, I’m only a few years older than you, and you call me uncle?” Xiao Yang looked up, displeased.

The girl was momentarily stunned. She pointed at herself, uncertain. “Are you talking to me?”

“Yes, you, little girl,” he replied.

The girl was dumbfounded. She was, after all, a princess of the Poison Lord Kingdom. To be called “little girl” to her face—how could she tolerate that?

“Do you know who I am, old man?” she demanded.

“I don’t care who you are,” Xiao Yang retorted, preparing to leave.

But she blocked his path.

“Wait!” the girl said angrily, stomping her foot. The three roosters had already surrounded Xiao Yang.

The Ghost Mastiff, already in a foul mood, bared its teeth threateningly, growling low. If Xiao Yang hadn’t pressed its head down in time, who knows what might have happened.

“Move aside. I truly don’t know where the cockfighting preliminaries are,” Xiao Yang said calmly. He wasn’t lying—the arena was so large he really didn’t know the way.

“Hmph! If you don’t want to say, forget it. It’s not like I care to know.” As she spoke, she sized him up. When her gaze landed on the rooster nestled in Xiao Yang’s arms, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes.

“I really don’t get it. Why are there Cochin chickens in a cockfighting contest? Did they switch from fighting to roasting chickens?” Though young, her talent for sarcasm was impressive—her words shot out like a barrage.

Xiao Yang ignored her completely. There was no point wasting words on a brat.