Chapter 32: Dog Training
byChapter 32: Training Dogs
Beros agreed to Wen Ying’s “date” because he wanted to clarify the matter about the doll when there were no other demons around. He was going to go crazy if he didn’t get to the bottom of it!
Wen Ying said firmly, "Of course there is."
Beros believed that once he knew the truth about the doll, he wouldn’t keep thinking about it or feeling inexplicably annoyed. His eyes were eager.
Wen Ying's expression was solemn and earnest. "Would you believe me if I said I don't know the meaning of wagging one's tail?"
Beros slammed his tail on the floor tiles, causing the pavilion to tremble slightly. Looking at Boros, whose face was dark and surrounded by black aura, Wen Ying’s heart quivered.
”Wen Ying, you’re telling me you don’t know something even a newborn baby would be aware of?” Beros's voice rose unusually high. “Are you playing with me?!”
The terrifying pressure bore down on Wen Ying, making his face turn pale. The magic within him instinctively activated, forming a protective shield for its foolish master.
Realizing his overreaction, Beros’ boiling magic calmed down, but his expression remained grim.
Aruda had mentioned that Beros had no interest in the things that these succubi enjoyed. Why then was he so agitated? Wen Ying scolded himself inwardly for carelessly tangling his tail with others.
Beros had come to alleviate his distress and dispel the unusual disarray he felt, but Wen Ying only made him feel worse. He didn’t beat around the bush and directly questioned, “You didn’t do anything with that doll, did you?”
After asking, Beros suddenly suspected that the doll might be enchanted, otherwise, why would he have been feeling strange and restless lately.
”Were absolutely sure,” Wen Ying didn’t know why Beros was asking this, but there had already been too many misunderstandings. He immediately answered to prevent any new ones from arising.
Beros wore a skeptical expression, “Not even Aruda?”
Wen Ying was puzzled as to how Aruda was involved in this. He instinctively replied, “No, the doll has always been on my bed. My great-grandmother never touched it.”
As the words faded, both sides fell into a simultaneous silence.
Only after speaking did Wen Ying realize how… peculiar and ambiguous his words were. He looked at Beros, who wore an expression of great shock, and found himself equally terrified.
Something felt increasingly amiss, an indescribable unease. Beros restlessly swished his tail, and Wen Ying watched the thick, lengthy appendage with trepidation. It didn’t resemble a dog’s tail; instead, it bore a striking similarity to the tail of Scarlet, a member of the Wyvern clan.
He feared that with a single sweep of Beros’s tail, the very pillar supporting the pavilion, which stood mere inches behind the dragon, might be shattered into splinters.
Beros remained silent, his demeanor intimidating. Wen Ying attempted to change the subject. He gently pushed the food box over and suggested with caution, “Why don’t we eat first? Grandma prepared it for me, it’s quite delicious.”
Beros made no pretense of politeness and directly took the chicken leg, which was not tender, but in his mouth, he tore the meat apart swiftly and swallowed it down.
Why was he so vexed? Beros stared at Wen Ying, but he couldn't vent his frustration on this guy as if he were a magical beast. Mirror Demons were such fragile creatures; they could die easily, and if he accidentally killed Aruda, that troublemaker would come looking for him again.
Beros was so utterly exasperated that merely looking at Wen Ying caused him discomfort, and thus he spoke gruffly, “You can leave now.”
Wen Ying rose to his feet and attempted to take the food box, but was stopped by Beros, who firmly stated, "Leave the meal behind."
Wen Ying: "..."
Brushing against Wen Ying’s hand, a strange sensation flickered through Beros, indescribable yet tingling, though he couldn’t pinpoint where. He quickly let go and reached into the food basket to grab a chicken leg, continuing to eat while giving Wen Ying a look that said, “You can leave now.”
Suddenly, Wen Ying felt significantly less afraid of Beros. This was because, in his recent perusal of short videos, he had come across ones that trained dogs to guard their food. He now realized that the three-headed hound of the Demon Realm exhibited this same protective behavior over its sustenance.
Wen Ying mused to himself that if he dreamed tonight, he would certainly have a dream where he was a dog trainer, disciplining and taming Beros for his possessiveness over food.
Leaving the pavilion with empty hands, Wen Ying didn't have anything to eat and headed to the cafeteria for lunch.
Over lunch, he encountered the young human instructor of the 'Disguising as Humans' class, who stood nervously and uncomfortably beside the ground floor food service counter, yet hesitated to make a purchase.
Wen Ying observed for a moment and noticed that standing not far from the human teacher were three or four demons, seemingly chatting while nibbling on their bread, but their gazes would frequently drift towards the teacher.
He walked straight towards Lu Qingtao, smiling as he greeted him, "Teacher, haven't you eaten yet either?"
Lu Qingtao was taken aback for a moment, recognizing Wen Ying as a student from Class One. He nodded, then hesitantly asked, "Um, could you help me get some food?"
Wen Ying replied, "If they summoned you to work here, didn't the demon who did so provide you with meals?"
"Y-yes," Lu Qingtao handed his card to Wen Ying. "This is the meal allowance they gave me."
Wen Ying placed both hands on Lu Qingtao's shoulders, turning him towards the food window and gently pushing him forward. Lu Qingtao was alarmed, glancing repeatedly at the laughing demons who were eating and chatting.
The demons looked over as well. Upon seeing Wen Ying, their expressions darkened, and they immediately strode over, blocking their path. Lu Qingtao instantly became nervous.
"Were you going to inform Teacher Feng Luo about this?" Wen Ying asked nonchalantly.
Upon hearing this, the demons burst into laughter.
"One always cries for the teacher when in trouble? That's hilarious. What a weakling coward."
"I advise you to mind your own business. This human has offended Lord Wu Shaluo. If you don't want to die with him, scram immediately."
Lu Qingtao was both fearful and conflicted. Although the demon speaking up for him was a student, he was still a teacher. He couldn't let his student be implicated. Based on the conversations between the demons in class, Lu Qingtao guessed that this white-clad demon wasn't powerful and was quite ordinary in the Demon Realm.
"Perhaps you could—"
Before Lu Qingtao could finish his sentence, Wen Ying scoffed. "If you want me to leave, have Wu Shaluo come himself. You're not capable of doing that yet."
He was tired of these demons acting as if the Mirror Demon was weak whenever they mentioned him. The constant contempt and ridicule were wearing on Wen Ying's mood, especially since he was starving, which only made him feel worse.
He wondered how the protagonists in those 'pretending-to-be-weak' movies and novels felt when faced with constant disrespect and mockery. At first, Wen Ying hadn't been bothered by it. But as he gained better control over his powers, such words became increasingly irritating, like a weak man constantly gaslighting his partner.
He couldn't defeat the demons at the top of the pyramid, but could he not handle these bottom feeders? Looking at their faces, Wen Ying realized they weren't from Class One. Today, they would learn that the Mirror Demon could also crush them.
Wen Ying rubbed his fists together, challenging them provocatively. "I'll give you a chance to become the ranking tournament's champion. Do you dare to challenge me? I accept your challenge."
Wen Ying had studied the rules of the ranking tournament thoroughly after being disadvantaged by his lack of knowledge before. In the academy's tournament, a demon had to accept at least one challenge within three days. If injured, with a doctor's certificate, minor injuries allowed for an extension to once every seven days, while severe injuries required recovery before another challenge could be taken.
Yesterday, all the demons on campus had undergone a ranking match, allowing them to decline challenges for the next three days.
Many demons were biding their time, waiting for those three days to pass so they could challenge Wen Ying and seize the top spot. None of them believed that Wen Ying would accept a new challenge within this period.
These demons were taken aback. They hadn't expected such a sudden stroke of luck. Immediately, they asked, "Are you serious? You won't chicken out once we get to the arena, will you? If you're scared now, you can still back out. But if you run away today, you won't have that chance in a few days."
Lu Qingtao sensed that they were goading Wen Ying and promptly grabbed his arm, whispering, "Don't agree to their proposal. They're provoking you!"
Something suddenly hooked around his neck, pulling him up into the air. Lu Qingtao was initially confused, but his expression soon turned to terror as he twisted his head and saw a cold, menacing face, radiating an overwhelming aura.
He recalled that this tall demon was also a student of Class One, and didn't seem to get along with Wu Shaluo.
Perseus's arrival had caught the attention of all the demons, but surprisingly, he had come over to them. Wen Ying looked at the food box in his hand and asked in surprise, "You finished it all?" How long had it been? Was this guy a glutton? He dared not voice these thoughts.
"Thought I'd bring you some, so you don't go back and tell Aruda I'm mistreating you," Perseus said, his gaze shifting to the other demons. Without saying anything further, they already felt intimidated.
Wen Ying was taken aback. He hadn't expected Perseus to actually bring him food. Considering Perseus's possessive attitude towards his meal just now, Wen Ying somehow felt touched at this moment.
Given that his previous bout of emotion had been crushed by Perseus's insensitive words, Wen Ying wisely refrained from asking too many questions this time, lest his newfound sentiment be shattered again by Perseus's lack of emotional intelligence.
Thus, Wen Ying revealed a smile. "Thank you."
Beros's tone was harsh. "You look hideous when you smile, so don't do it."
Wen Ying: "???" He touched his face in disbelief, realizing too late that his white appearance didn't appeal to the demonic realm's aesthetics. He slowly let go of his resentment, but the gratitude he felt for Beros bringing him food was now gone.
The demons standing nearby were relieved to see Beros treating Wen Ying poorly.
"Lord Beros, you're right. Just looking at such a demon dirties our eyes."
"Too ugly!"
"Exactly, he has no self-awareness, wandering around like this."
"Disgusting."
Wen Ying, who had just let go of his anger, felt his temples throb as the demons took turns insulting him. His smile faded, and his gaze turned icy cold.
Before he could react, Beros whipped a particularly vocal demon away with his tail. The demon was sent flying a few meters and landed on the ground, dazed and confused.
To a demon, such force was clearly child's play, sending them only a few meters away.
"…Lord Beros?"
Beros turned to Wen Ying, "Didn't you want to accept his challenge just now?"
Wen Ying nodded.
"Then let's go."
"…Alright." Wen Ying didn't know what had suddenly come over Beros. He actually wanted to finish his meal before dealing with that demon.
Lu Qingtao watched the demons leave in confusion. Suddenly, another demon approached from behind, leaning on him with his tall figure and whispering flirtatiously into his ear, "Teacher~ Wasn't it quite an entertaining show, don't you think?"
Lu Qingtao was dazed.
Succubi indulge in desire and pursue this delightful sensation. Essence's face flushed with excitement as he gritted his teeth, "That bastard Beros mocked me for being ruled by my hormones all day. It serves him right for not noticing."
As an expert in emotions, he deduced that Beros must have feelings for Wen Ying but was unaware of them himself.
Boros truly had an unusual taste in aesthetics. No wonder he wasn't interested in those before; he preferred the color white.
Essence caressed his own face with a smile in his pink eyes, brimming with satisfaction. His soft, husky voice whispered into Lu Qingtao's ear, "Teacher~ You're so handsome. Would you be interested in playing with me?"
His hand reached for Lu Qingtao's neck.
"Favoritism between teachers and students is forbidden within the academy, didn't you know?" Feng Luo's cold voice interrupted from the side, instantly extinguishing Essence's desire. He looked at Feng Luo with a pout.
In the middle of the day, only the on-duty teacher was present in the arena. Upon seeing a group of demons approach, the teacher asked, "Are you here for a ranking match?"
Boros pointed at one of the demons and said, "He wants to challenge Wen Ying."
After the demon was paired with Wen Ying on the arena, he regained his arrogance. However, just as he finished his boast, Wen Ying swiftly cast an R-card "Speed Boost" and another R-card "Dispel Magic Claw," materializing the shadow of a giant tiger's claw over his right hand. The demon's arrogant face was left with an unforgettable scar.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Wen Ying then used the R-card "Slow," slowing down his opponent's movements. With the "Dispel Magic Claw" aimed at the demon's face, he unleashed a barrage of attacks. Equipping himself with the R-card "Impenetrable Fortress," he strengthened his vulnerable body to withstand the demon's instinctive counterattack.
The demon possessed strong combat instincts. Despite being beaten until he couldn't open his eyes, he still managed to gather lightning on his body. After Wen Ying dodged, he pulled out a basic lightning spell card of the same attribute from his pocket.
The two thunderous orbs collided, and the demon's orb shattered Wen Ying's foundational thundercloud before surging towards him.
The opponent wore a pleased expression.
Wen Ying used lightning-attracting vines to buy time, replicating the demon's thunder orb on the spot. Amidst the other's astonishment, he returned the spell right back at its caster.
Below, Beros watched with slightly relaxed brows. He wasn’t that weak after all; there was still something worth seeing.
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