"Right," the large, fat demon agreed, and together with the small demon, their gazes converged on the wolf demon's face.
The wolf demon coldly regarded the large, fat demon and the small demon, who were chattering away. "Are you done? If you are," he tilted his head, "then speak. But before you do, please be clear: I have absolutely nothing to do with you."
"You're so nice," the small demon pouted.
The wolf demon, looking at the small demon's continuous attempts to act cute towards him, felt nauseous. "Well, you speak, but could you retract that dog's mouth? Really," he cleared his throat, "it's disgusting."
Hearing this, the small demon obediently pulled back his mouth and said, "You're quite direct."
"Begin," the wolf demon gestured with his chin.
"Let me tell you a secret, the past life of your body's owner was our master."
"Are you guys Hu Yuan's... no, are you guys his past life's dogs?" the wolf demon exclaimed, agitated.
"Why are you so excited?" the large, fat demon asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Look, your future master gave his body to me, and your future master will be leaving soon. How about this, you guys follow me from now on," the wolf demon arranged, feeling confident.
The large, fat demon and the small demon exchanged a glance. The small demon said, "Boss, he's the same as us, a canine. Although he's an ancestor, he's still a demon, right?"
"Yeah," the large, fat demon nodded.
"What do you guys mean?" the wolf demon asked, staring at their faces as they inexplicably started discussing amongst themselves.
"We were raised by immortals, and you are a demon..." the large, fat demon turned to look at the wolf demon, "It somehow feels like a demotion."
"Demotion?" the wolf demon questioned. "No, what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly, our original status was quite high, and our master was also quite high. After following you," the large, fat demon chuckled twice, "it just feels like several levels have been dropped."
"Are you looking down on me?" the wolf demon asked, displeased.
"It's not exactly looking down," the large, fat demon said, pulling the small demon back two steps. "It's just that we don't approve."
"I am Hu Yuan now."
"Our master is Hu Yuan's soul, not his body," the small demon said, pulling the large, fat demon back another two steps.
"Why are you backing away?" the wolf demon asked, confused.
"We've said so many offensive things, if we're too close to you, what if you hit us?" the large, fat demon said, tightly clutching the small demon's arm.
The wolf demon deliberately shifted his gaze to their arms and hands and said, "You're quite afraid of me."
"We are afraid. You could injure Mu Anxiao, let alone us, who are just minor demons. Of course..." the large, fat demon swallowed nervously, "we're scared."
"Then why do you say I'm low-class?" the wolf demon said, deliberately looking at his own palm.
"We're just comparing you to our master," the small demon corrected.
"Is your master that great?" the wolf demon asked.
The small demon's eyes darkened. "If not for Master, we wouldn't exist."
"Yes, without Master, we wouldn't have lived this long at all," the large, fat demon said, his gaze fixed on the wolf demon's chest. "Master, it's us, Master... We want to talk to you. Could you come out for a moment?"
The wolf demon, utterly bewildered, looked down at his chest and then back at the large, fat demon, whose voice was starting to crack. "Are you guys crazy? Didn't you say you wanted to tell me your story? Why are you talking about this again?" He deliberately crossed his arms in front of himself. "Can you stop looking?"
"Master, I miss you," the small demon said, his lips quivering.
The large, fat demon choked back a sob. "Master, when all the other dogs looked down on us, you saved us. You said we were two foolish dogs, both too foolish to protect ourselves. Do you remember?"
Inside the wolf demon, Hu Yuan's eyes welled up with tears the moment he heard their voices. Immediately, he remembered the words he had spoken to them. Back then, she was a little girl. Back then, they weren't here, but in the past, a very distant past, a past he could never return to.
"Back then, Master looked down on us," the large, fat demon said again.
The small demon lowered his eyelids.
Hu Yuan sank into deep memories, recalling his past self.
On the muddy path of the village, a girl in white appeared before two dogs being bullied. "You two foolish dogs," she said, "if those dogs are bullying you, can't you just avoid them? Why let them bully you, you're so stupid!" As she spoke, she crouched down and gently patted their heads.
They both looked up at her, tears welling in their eyes.
The girl smiled at them. "Quite perceptive. But why are you different from them?"
"Woof woof woof woof." The two of them barked.
The girl pointed a finger at her ear, understanding their words. "Are you saying that people don't want you, and people only like dogs that can guard the house?"
"Woof woof woof woof." The chihuahua barked.
The girl laughed. "How can you guard the house when you're so small?"
"Woof woof woof woof." The chihuahua barked again.
The girl laughed again. "You're fierce, indeed, but you're small. Looking at you, I can't help but laugh."
"Woof woof woof..." the scruffy dog barked twice.
The girl shifted her gaze to the scruffy dog's face and smiled. "What are you barking for? He's your little brother, you should protect him, but when those big dogs were bullying you, I didn't see you protecting him."
"Woof... mm-hmm." The scruffy dog lowered its head.
The girl reached out and stroked its head. "They say dogs don't live long. I met you as soon as I came down, and we get along quite well. If you're willing, follow me from now on."
Upon hearing this, the chihuahua and the scruffy dog simultaneously looked up at the girl with their watery eyes, indicating their agreement.
The girl smiled. "You want to follow me?"
"Woof woof woof." They barked in unison.
Then, an old woman from a nearby humble thatched cottage came out, looking at the two weak dogs barking ferociously on the muddy ground. "What are you barking at?" she said sternly. "Bark any more, and tomorrow I'll kill you two beasts and eat you."
Hearing this, the two dogs whimpered twice and lowered their heads.
The old woman glared at them, then turned and went back into the house.
The girl glanced at the old woman's retreating back as she entered the house and smiled. "That old woman is really fierce, but she seems like a good person. She must have fed you."
The two of them kept their heads down, not daring to make a sound.
"Come, I'll take you somewhere," the girl said, standing up as she noticed their fear.
They looked at each other and whined softly.