"He's tamed!"
Looking at the old wolf that, even when played with by children, showed not the slightest hint of aggression but instead lay on its belly, purring contently, Feng Qing'an couldn't help but marvel.
It's often said that a white-eyed wolf can never be tamed, a common insulting phrase. Yet in reality, if one could actually raise a wolf, feeding it for some time would generally tame it.
Taming a wolf is much easier than taming a person. The old wolf before him had merely lived a comfortable life for half a year before his wildness wore off and he became no different from a domestic dog.
Feng Qing'an felt that even if he were to release the old wolf from its chains, the wolf would probably not run away or hurt anyone; it might even be more docile than a household dog.
Because it was an old wolf. As the saying goes, an old dog knows the way. An aged wolf knows what choices to make so as to live comfortably in its old age when its physical condition in every aspect begins to decline.
"Mr. An, look!"
After enough petting, Er Pang stood up and led Feng Qing'an to a dog kennel in the backyard. When Feng Qing'an bent down, he saw a mother dog lying on a pile of dry straw in the kennel, her belly swollen, with balls of fur nestled against her, eyes squinted joyfully suckling her milk.
...
Really, Feng Qing'an couldn't distinguish between the pups, let alone pick out the best or the worst, though there were inevitably differences; he just couldn't see them.
"System, assess!"
Feng Qing'an had come here early in the morning, not only wanting to complete the tasks issued by the system and obtain the cultivation skill but also to test once more. He leaned down towards the pups and reached out, whispering in his mind.
[Insufficient permissions, please become a Guardian Beast Master as soon as possible.]
The reply was the same as the night before, but with the experience from last night, Feng Qing'an wasn't disappointed; he was prepared.
"Mr. An, how does it feel? Did you find one you like?"
Watching Feng Qing'an pet each pup, Er Pang asked expectantly.
"I..."
Feng Qing'an was about to say no when his hand touched the last pup, which, perhaps having had its fill of milk, let go of its mother's teat, stuck out its little pink tongue, and licked the hand that was touching its head. The moist touch instantly passed through his palm.
"This one!"
Seeing the pup still licking his palm, Feng Qing'an grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and pulled it out of the doghouse.
"Grr~"
Seeing another pup being taken away by an unfamiliar person, the mother dog, still nursing the rest, growled. But when Er Pang walked in and slapped her on the head, she stopped barking.
"Mr. An, this pup seems to be really fond of you!"
"It really is quite charming!"
Feng Qing'an looked at the little fur ball in his hands, his face breaking into a smile.
He did not insist on picking the strongest puppy from the litter, for no matter how strong, it was still just a puppy born to a mountain wolf and a village hunting dog.
Even with the best care and feeding, the most the pup could do was guard the house or perhaps aid in hunting for better game in the mountains—it wasn't very useful otherwise.
The real key lay in the system, and whether it contained methods that could transform a pet beast, for example, turning these ordinary creatures into the demons from storybooks.
If such means existed, then there was no need to focus solely on the strongest in the litter; choosing one that naturally bonded with him and caught his eye would be better.
"Wait for my father to return, and I'll have him take a look for you!"
"Okay!"
It did not really matter to Feng Qing'an. He was focused on the system tasks, thirsting for Cultivation Skills. Even though it seemed a bit off, even holding the puppy in his hands and receiving the owner's approval of the adoption, there was still no notification of task completion.
"By the way, Mr. An, this puppy has just been born, it can't be weaned yet. It needs to stay in my home for the mother dog to nurture it for a while before you can take it, otherwise if you take it now…"
Before he could finish, Feng Qing'an already understood. Puppies and kittens that hadn't yet weaned were tough for people to raise.
"How long should I wait?"
"At least one or two months!"
Er Pang scratched his head embarrassedly,
"Moreover, during this period, Mr. An, it would be best if you come to my house every day. These puppies haven't opened their eyes yet. It would be good if you could be there when they do so that the first thing they see is you."
"Okay!"
Although Feng Qing'an felt it was a hassle, it was necessary, and such matters simply could not be rushed.
Moreover, with one or two months to spare, he could also prepare at home. His parents' mindset might not shift so quickly and they might not agree to adopting the dog.
He found persuading his parents a bit difficult. His only hope was his elder brother, whose success in the Imperial Examination had already been communicated. Even if some matters in the Capital City might delay him, he should return within two months.
When his elder brother returned, by speaking through him, Feng Qing'an hoped to clarify the situation to his parents, thus securing his opportunity to keep the dog.
If he approached them directly, his parents might simply reject the idea, and he truly had little room to argue. What his parents said, went, no matter how clever or mature he was.
As for whether his elder brother would agree to him having a dog, Feng Qing'an was not worried at all. Throughout his life, it had not been his parents but his elder brother, Feng Qingping, who doted on him the most.
Even Yin Shi, who was quite doting herself, would sometimes chase after him with a broom for coming home late—being quick-witted did not always help. He could avoid most common punishments, but some were inevitable.
Yet, his elder brother would always fulfill his requests within his capabilities, even when some demands bordered on the ridiculous.
Growing up, he had little interest in sage scriptures, preferring legends of gods and spirits, but poor families rarely possessed such books; even owning a single one was a luxury.
Nonetheless, whenever his elder brother borrowed books from others' houses and came across a collection of strange stories, he would read through it and then transcribe it from memory at home for him to read.
Indeed, since Feng Qingping had started learning characters, he had a photographic memory. Ordinary poor scholars borrowed books to copy them, but his brother borrowed to read then wrote everything down from memory.
The first time Feng Qing'an had witnessed his elder brother's extraordinary talents, he was amazed, considering him nothing short of a heavenly being. Joining the Imperial Examination and not achieving a title would simply be unjust, yet even living under the same roof, Feng Qing'an still underestimated his own elder brother.