Chapter 12: The Dog That Burned Shadows
Lin Ma's morning began with smoke.
A low rumble echoed outside the eastern walls of the Ji residence. The sky was still dim, and most of the disciples had not risen yet. But the scent of burning filled the air like a warning.
He opened his eyes and immediately flinched.
A sharp canine face stared back at him.
Jet-black fur, glinting red eyes, and breath that shimmered with heat—this was no ordinary dog.
Lin Ma stumbled backward, hitting his back against the cold stone wall of the servant's quarters. The beast stood still, tail wagging once—casually—as if it had no care for the chaos it had caused.
> [System Message: Companion Trial Initiated – "Flamefang, the Forgotten Guardian"]
> Objective: Prove Worth through Command.
> Failure: Injury or Death.
"Great," Lin Ma muttered, voice cracking. "What is it with these pets trying to kill me?"
Just then, the courtyard doors flew open. Disciples shouted. Flames erupted where the dog stepped, searing the dirt. Someone screamed, "It's a spirit beast!"
Panic was about to break loose.
Lin Ma, still unsteady, raised his voice. "Stand back! I'll handle it!"
He didn't know how. His limbs still ached from the punishment task yesterday. But he could feel the connection—the same pull he had felt with Xiao Bai.
The dog turned to him, ears twitching. A wisp of fire flickered between its teeth like a smirk.
> [Flamefang awaits your command.]
Lin Ma took a breath. "Sit."
The dog snarled.
"Sit, or I rename you 'Scorchy.'"
The beast blinked. And then—to the astonishment of the watching disciples—it sat.
Whispers rippled through the crowd. Spirit beasts obeyed only masters. And this was the second time Lin Ma had tamed one without force.
A voice from the rear called out, "He's tricking them somehow! He must be using a talisman!"
It was Ji Chengyun—Yanyu's arrogant cousin, and the youngest outer sect leader. His robes were embroidered, but his eyes showed insecurity.
"He's a conman. You all just wait—he'll cause more disasters!"
Lin Ma ignored him.
> [Trial Phase Complete.]
> Companion Bond Formed: Hei Gou – "Flamefang, the Forgotten Guardian."
Skill: Hellfire Breath – Scorches falsehood and reveals inner malice.
The name Hei Gou settled into Lin Ma's mind like an echo. The beast now sat beside him, ears alert, tail flicking embers across the stone path.
Yanyu appeared moments later, drawn by the noise.
Her gaze flicked from Lin Ma to the now-calm beast, then to the crowd.
"Enough," she ordered. "Disperse. This matter falls under the inner family's concern."
The disciples bowed reluctantly and backed away. Ji Chengyun glared but retreated too.
Lin Ma didn't miss the way Yanyu studied Hei Gou.
"You shouldn't be able to control that beast," she said. "It burned a storage shed three years ago. No disciple dared go near it again."
"Maybe it just needed manners," Lin Ma replied.
She didn't smile. But her eyes didn't seem as cold as before.
Hei Gou grunted. Lin Ma turned to him.
"What's your deal?"
The dog didn't speak like Xiao Bai, but the connection in Lin Ma's mind was clear.
A flash of memory entered his thoughts—an old temple, vines coiling around a forgotten altar, a young boy lighting incense and whispering prayers. Then screams. Fire. Darkness.
Hei Gou had once guarded a sacred place—now lost—and had been waiting centuries for a new master.
Lin Ma placed a hand on the beast's head.
"You waited a long time, huh?"
The dog licked his hand—once. Then growled in the direction of the inner court.
Lin Ma followed his gaze.
The mist that clung to the inner court walls shimmered unnaturally. Like smoke that didn't rise. Like breath that didn't belong to anything living.
Yanyu noticed it too.
"You feel it?" she asked.
"Something's watching."
> [New Mission Triggered: "Eyes Behind the Veil"]
> Objective: Investigate the aura surrounding the Ji inner court without alerting its source.
> Reward: Partial system access—Divine Tracing Eye (Passive Ability).
For the first time, Lin Ma felt a chill not from fear—but anticipation.
Something was wrong inside this family. Something more than just disdain for an unwanted son-in-law. Something darker.
And now he had a hellhound at his side.
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End of Chapter 12