Chapter 133: 133 Dog Barking

Chapter 133: Dog Barking

The sun shone brilliantly over the next two days, melting almost all the snow save for what lingered on a few shaded slopes and buildings.

It is never the snowfall that brings the bitter cold, but the thaw.

Even as a senior knight with a greatly heightened physique, Ronin could still feel the sharp drop in temperature over those two days.

Beyond the cold, dampness hung heavy everywhere.

The rooms were damp, the castle paths were slick, and the mountain tracks outside, washed over by meltwater, were in an even worse state.

Ronin rode the Cloud-Treading Steed along a stretch of the mountain path; the loamy sections were so muddy that a carriage's wheels would surely sink into them.

He decided to wait another two days before setting out.

In the courtyard of the inner keep, Ronin tossed a small wooden stick high into the air, calling out, "Black Tiger, catch!"

A dark blur shot forward the moment the words left his mouth, racing toward the airborne stick and snatching it deftly with its jaws just as the trajectory began to dip.

"Beautiful!"

Ronin could not help but marvel; Black Tiger's leap had reached at least a meter and a half.

Though it might not sound like much, the pup was only a month old and barely fifty centimeters long, making such explosive power truly remarkable.

Wagging its tail, Black Tiger scurried back with the stick in its mouth.

Ronin was not stingy either; he reached into the clay basin held by Bella, took a piece of jerky, and tossed it to the pup.

Black Tiger caught it perfectly and retreated to a corner to gnaw on his prize.

Though Ronin had kept the creature separated from the hounds over the past few days, the habits it had learned from them remained intact.

Ronin walked over and reached out to take the jerky away, prompting the beast to bare its teeth and growl low—a classic sign of a hound protecting its food.

Thud!

Ronin slapped the pup lightly across the head and successfully snatched the jerky away.

"You dare growl at me over food!"

He handed the jerky back and tried a second time; Black Tiger reacted the same way, earning himself a second slap, then a third...

After an unknown number of corrections, Black Tiger finally caught on, instinctively shrinking back and surrendering the jerky the next time Ronin reached out.

It even wagged its tail and looked up at Ronin with a fawning gaze, as if to say, "Boss, you have it."

"That is more like it."

Ronin gave Black Tiger's head a firm rub, then let him get back to his meal in peace.

"Alright, that is enough for today."

Ronin clapped his hands and washed them in a basin brought over by the butler, Chahar.

"Remind Irene to keep up this training once I leave in a few days to build up its obedience. But tell her to be careful—we cannot have the little thing biting anyone."

"Of course, my Lord, I understand."

Chahar, enjoying a rare moment of respite in the castle, asked, "My Lord, when do you plan to set off for Wushan Castle?"

"Around the fifteenth."

Ronin dried his hands with a towel. "Leah is making good progress with the silk scarf. She mentioned it would take another five or six days, so I will wait for her."

"Oh, and remember to bring me the coat made from the Storm Magic Wolf that the tailor finished. Pack it up well; I am taking it with me."

These two items were the birthday gifts Ronin had prepared for Rulance.

"The Marquis will surely be delighted to receive them."

"Presumably."

Waving his hand to dismiss Chahar, he began a leisurely stroll through the castle.

Wandering into the great hall of the outer keep, he found Irene putting on the airs of a stern taskmaster while teaching David, Bella, and the others how to read; her eighteen-and-nineteen-year-old pupils were scratching their heads and frowning in utter misery.

Their anxiety spiked the moment Ronin appeared, each terrified that their lord might step forward to test them.

Ronin merely offered a few words of encouragement before climbing the watchtower to watch the guard squads assembling under the western twilight—

Over the past fortnight, the cavalrymen had been successfully recruited, and though they lacked enough mounts, they could still begin basic training alongside the guards.

After making his rounds, Ronin returned to the keep and sat down at his desk.

Having finished its food, Black Tiger trotted along behind him; despite its diminutive size, it bounded up the stairs with remarkable speed, occasionally clearing several steps in a single leap.

It circled Ronin's ankles a few times, and finding its master preoccupied, settled down to gnaw on the leg of the chair.

Ignoring the pup, Ronin drew out a piece of parchment and a quill to sketch porcelain designs, creating references for future ceramic production.

He had been drawing one or two sheets from memory before dinner every evening over the past couple of days, and a stack of seven or eight already sat on the table.

Ronin felt his draftsmanship had improved considerably since his arrival in this world, to the point where he might well become a famous artist in the future.

"When my workforce grows, I must compile an illustrated compendium to preserve all my designs."

The quill scratched across the paper, gradually shaping the outline of a delicate cup while he noted its dimensions and characteristics in the margins.

While Ronin lost himself in his designs and Black Tiger diligently gnawed the chair leg, the puppy suddenly froze, its gaze fixing intently on the doorway.

Ronin noticed nothing amiss until the little creature let out a low whine.

"What is it, Black Tiger?" Ronin paused his quill, looking over in surprise.

He found the pup on its feet, staring at the door as if facing a mortal threat, looking as though something terrifying lurked there.

Yet when Ronin glanced over, he saw nothing; the servant, Galen, stood waiting in the corridor outside without a care in the world.

"What are you acting crazy for?" Ronin chided with a chuckle.

Outside, Galen peeked in and, assuming the pup was baring its teeth at him, shifted slightly out of view of the doorway.

Suddenly, Black Tiger erupted into a sharp volley of barks.

Ronin intended to scold it further, but a sudden, ominous premonition seized his heart.

"Could it be..."

Without a second thought, he conjured the Wind of Perception; through the vision of the elemental currents, he detected a human silhouette standing barely two or three meters from his desk.

In that very instant, the silhouette lunged fiercely toward him.

"Damn it!"

Ronin cursed, with no time for any proper defense; he kicked off the floor, throwing his weight sideways so that both he and the chair tumbled onto the ground.

At that exact moment, a figure clad entirely in black robes materialized in the room, driving a dagger deep into the space Ronin had occupied just a heartbeat before.

Had he not noticed, the blade would have surely pierced his heart.

"To think you avoided it."

The intruder offered a sinister, mocking sneer, sheathing the dagger to draw a longsword before leaping over the desk to impale him from above.

"Get back!"

The Ignis Sword flew into Ronin's hand, erupting into a violent blaze as his battle qi surged into the blade.

“You’re not a junior knight!”

The man was utterly astonished, yet his reaction was swift—he summoned his aura at once, coalescing it into a long, gleaming blade, while simultaneously enveloping his entire body in a suit of dark blue-black armor forged from raw energy.

The two swords clashed with a deafening ring, unleashing a violent storm within the small study; papers on the desk were ripped into the air, swirling in chaotic disarray.

The Black Tiger howled more fiercely, charging forward—only to be hurled back by a powerful gust of wind.

Galen, who had been guarding the door, heard the chair topple and moved to investigate, but he could never have imagined the turmoil within—the room’s chaos left him frozen in place.

The stalemate lasted but an instant. The black-clad assailant’s overwhelming force surged forward, hurling Luo Ning backward with the sheer impact of the blow, slamming him hard against the wall.

“Die!”

The black-clad man did not pause. He lunged forward with a single stride, raising his longsword, aiming to sever Luo Ning’s head with one clean stroke.

(End of Chapter)