Little Black

After leaving the restaurant, Tong Haichuan bid farewell. Huo Xuan drove Shen Rong home, all the while aware of her lingering gaze.

"You've been staring for ten minutes," he remarked with a smile. "Do I have something on my face?"

Shen Rong's cheeks flushed. She turned away, feigning nonchalance. "I wasn't staring. Just... distracted."

Huo Xuan shrugged. "Well, if I'm distracting enough to make you zone out, I'll take that as a compliment."

She laughed softly. "Are you really leaving for Jiangzhou tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Got things to handle."

"When will you be back?"

"Not sure," Huo Xuan admitted. "I'll be undergoing military training for a while."

Back when he first descended the mountain, Hua Buyi had warned him: Six months to digest what you've learned—then the real tempering begins. Only through blood, fire, and life-and-death trials could his understanding deepen.

Shen Rong didn't pry. Huo Xuan had always been an enigma—a man whose depths she couldn't fathom. "Be careful," she said simply. "Military training is brutal."

When they reached her doorstep, she suddenly leaned in, brushing her lips against his cheek in a fleeting kiss before darting out of the car. "Next time you're back," she called over her shoulder, "you better call me!"

Huo Xuan touched his face, momentarily stunned. "Bold move," he muttered. "And here I was restraining myself from using X-ray vision on her. Next time, I'm peeling back all the layers."

Despite the bravado, the warmth of her kiss lingered—imperfect yet unforgettable.

The next day, Huo Xuan flew to Jiangzhou.

Stepping into his courtyard, he immediately noticed the changes. Lush greenery now filled the space, and a roly-poly black puppy waddled over, barking fiercely at the intruder.

Tiny but fearless, the pup stood its ground against the giant stranger.

Huo Xuan chuckled. "Easy there, little guy. I live here too."

Undeterred by human speech, the puppy yapped louder. Just then, Lin Yue appeared, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him. "You didn't tell me you were coming!"

"Wanted to surprise you," he grinned, then gestured at the dog. "New purchase?"

Lin Yue shook her head. "Aunt Liu found him in a dumpster."

A woman in her forties approached. "Mr. Huo."

"Our previous housekeeper fell ill," Lin Yue explained. "Aunt Liu helps out now."

Huo Xuan nodded. "Pleasure, Aunt Liu."

The kind-faced woman recounted the puppy's origin: "Two weeks ago, I spotted a litter in the trash. The others had starved—only this one survived. I couldn't leave him."

Huo Xuan, a dog lover at heart, said, "Since he's here, let's keep him. This place could use a guard dog."

Back in the room, Lin Yue brewed tea for him. "I did the math," she said. "You spent 130 million at the jade market, but the stones are worth 600 to 800 million. That'll keep us stocked for a while."

Huo Xuan nodded. "I kept three pieces aside for Su Pingnan to carve. The best one will be your grandfather's birthday gift."

Lin Yue smiled, touched. "You're so thoughtful."

He took a sip of tea, then sighed. "I'll be leaving soon for military training. Might miss the birthday banquet—maybe even the Myanmar jade auction."

Lin Yue's eyes widened. "So soon? Is this necessary?"

"Master Hua expects no less," Huo Xuan said firmly, pulling her closer by the waist. "But I'll try to return early."

Though reluctant, Lin Yue didn't want to hinder him. "Missing the auction will upset Father," she murmured. "And I'd hoped to introduce you to the Lin family at Grandfather's celebration."

Huo Xuan grinned, his hand wandering upward to cup her breast. "Eager to marry me off, sister?"

Lin Yue shivered, half-heartedly swatting at him before melting into his touch with a soft moan.

"Little devil," she gasped, cheeks flushed. "Aunt Liu could walk in!"

Just then, the black puppy waddled over, tilting its head at the entangled pair in innocent confusion.

Huo Xuan's fingers tightened teasingly. Lin Yue retaliated by pinching his side—only to accidentally brush against the growing bulge in his pants.

"Ah!" She jerked her hand away, heart racing.

Chuckling darkly, Huo Xuan whispered, "You'll have to face it sooner or later, sister."

Lin Yue finally pushed him off with a glare. "No more of this."

"Next time," he vowed solemnly, "I'll use my other hand."

A couch pillow came flying at his head as he ducked away, laughing.

At lunch, Huo Xuan fed the puppy scraps under the table until its belly rounded.

"Don't spoil it," Lin Yue chided.

Huo Xuan set the dog down. "When Su Pingnan visits in the coming days, you'll host him in my absence."

Lin Yue frowned. "50 million a year? That's excessive. 20-30 million would've sufficed."

"True," Huo Xuan conceded. "But Tianxing needs multiple master carvers. How else will we attract the two southern experts you mentioned? We're building a premium jade empire."

Lin Yue bit her lip. "The Lin family won't like this. Their flagship products overlap with ours."

Huo Xuan met her gaze. "Be honest—how much of Lin Jewelers truly belongs to you and your father? 10-20%? Relying on the family holds you back. Tianxing will dominate the high-end market, leaving mid-range to the Lins."

Lin Yue sighed. "You're right. But some will accuse me of betrayal."

"Let them try," Huo Xuan said. "Soon, the Lin family's jade supply will depend on us. Without them, Tianxing would still thrive—just slower."

Lin Yue's eyes softened. "Father knows you're doing this for me."

Huo Xuan squeezed her hand. "Your battles are mine."

After lunch, Huo Xuan practiced his martial arts in the backyard. The little black dog frolicked around him—rolling in the grass one moment, tugging at his pant leg the next, brimming with mischief.

Midway through his Tai Chi forms, a thought struck him. Scooping up the puppy, he mused: The Buddha Eye's golden light enhances human physiology—could it work on animals?

Ever the experimenter, he channeled a stream of golden radiance into the pup. Immediately, the little dog grew languid, its eyes drooping in bliss as its muscles relaxed completely.

After thirty minutes, Huo Xuan withdrew his gaze. A subsequent X-ray vision scan revealed the golden energy still circulating within the dog's body.

Prolonged infusion allows the light to persist internally, he realized, thrilled by the discovery.

Deprived of the soothing energy, the puppy whined and nuzzled against Huo Xuan's legs in protest.

"Scram, Little Black," he chuckled, trying to shake it off.

Undeterred, the dog clung stubbornly to his calf with its tiny paws, its pleading eyes impossible to ignore.

Over the next three days, Lin Yue visited daily but always left by evening—much to Huo Xuan's frustration.

Then Hua Buyi arrived unexpectedly, accompanied by a towering, dark-skinned man radiating lethal intensity. At 1.8 meters tall with eyes like frozen lightning, his aura of violence dwarfed even Song Shiping's.

The giant sized up Huo Xuan. "This is the kid?"

Hua Buyi nodded. "No special treatment. He follows standard ops."

"Move out," the man ordered, yanking Huo Xuan into a sports car before he could even bid farewell.

As they sped away, Huo Xuan demanded, "Where are we going?"

"Mission." The man's voice was Arctic. "Target's in Jiangzhou—you're not going far."

"I thought this was military training?"

"Every op's a battlefield for us." The man glanced sideways. "Call me Blood Fox. You're under my command now.