“What did you say? Oh, you mean your name is South River?” Emily Bennett laughed, “That sounds pretty nice. From now on, I’ll call you Little Nancy.”

Emily Bennett ignored the almost murderous look in South River’s eyes, picked up the razor, and carefully shaved the short, soft fur around his abdominal wound. She gently applied a special healing ointment, pressed on a breathable gauze, and finally wrapped it up layer by layer.

After tending to the wound, she fetched some warm water and slowly combed and washed out the fur that had become matted and knotted from dried blood and dirt. The warm towel carefully wiped behind the ears, the neck, the base of the tail… cleaning every single spot.

While doing all this, Emily Bennett suddenly felt a bit dazed, as if the scene and time were strangely familiar. She remembered that when she was a child, she had also raised a little dog like this. It was originally just a stray she found by the roadside, filthy all over, and she had personally brought it home and washed it clean bit by bit in the bathroom. When it first arrived, it was very irritable and hard to approach, resisting her attempts to get close. But later, it became her closest companion, staying by her side through a lonely childhood. Emily Bennett sighed, wondering if, after her death in that world, anyone would take care of the little animals she kept in her villa.

It took several basins of water before South River’s fur finally revealed its true color—a stunning silvery white. He turned out to be a very rare silver wolf. Unfortunately, at this moment, the silver fur, soaked through and repeatedly wiped, clumped together in tufts, exposing large patches of skin and a thin, bony body underneath.

South River no longer struggled. He lay there motionless, ears drooping low, no sound coming from his throat, his gaze fixed on the corner of the wall, as if a layer of mist had clouded his eyes.

Emily Bennett released the restriction, and the little wet wolf silently curled up, wrapping his tail around himself and burying his head, looking utterly aggrieved. Emily Bennett lifted his soft body, changed to a clean mat, patted his head, and sat cross-legged beside him, beginning to recite the Golden Arrow Summoning Mantra that could promote the healing of external wounds.

“Qiang chu yu hui, Tai Xuan zhen guang, miao yin pu zhao, du wo ku e…”

With each line of the mantra, Emily Bennett gently shook the imperial bell in her hand, which rang out with a crisp, tinkling sound.

Those incantations, carrying a strange rhythm, intertwined with the soul-soothing chime, swirled and lingered around the formation.

The little wolf, gravely wounded yet stubbornly holding on, finally closed his eyes bit by bit to the sound of the chanting.

……

Author’s note: South River (Canis Minor), located near Sirius.

Chapter 9

Winter nights fell early, and the house was already aglow with lights. The injured little wolf slept soundly in the spirit-gathering array, his fur now dry and transformed into a fluffy ball of silver. Emily Bennett was tempted countless times to reach out and scoop him up for a good, hard cuddle.

“Oh my, what a beautiful little dog. It’s silver-white—so rare.” Sarah came out of the kitchen, pausing in delight. “How did it get so badly hurt? Did someone bully it?”

“Shiniang, this is a little wolf, not a dog. I picked him up in the mountains. Be careful, don’t get too close, or he might bite you.”

“It’s a wolf?” Sarah was a bit surprised. “It’s fine, he’s just a little one. Just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t eat the chicks.”

Watching Sarah’s departing figure, Emily Bennett thought for a moment and set up a Four-Pillar Heavenly Net Array around the outer edge of the spirit-gathering formation. No matter how small, this was still a wolf demon with offensive capabilities. She needed to prevent the little wolf from waking up and escaping while she was away, possibly harming Sarah or ordinary townsfolk.

The square Four-Pillar Heavenly Net Array was set up, a dense web of electricity flashing briefly in the air before vanishing from sight. The little wolf demon sleeping at the center of the formation twitched his ears uneasily.

Winter nights were cold. Emily Bennett gently wrapped a small blanket around him, then shook the imperial bell and recited the Golden Arrow Summoning Mantra several more times before going back to her room to rest.

In his dreams, South River kept hearing a strange bell.

That clear sound chimed, accompanied by a low, rhythmic chanting, spreading far and wide in his dreams.

The woman’s chanting was ethereal and vast, sometimes distant, sometimes close. It was like when he was a child, sleeping in his mother’s tail, listening to the wind bring waves of pine.

A warm current from who knows where crept up his limbs and bones, seeping into his aching wounds. The gentle, endless stream eased his pain, and his body, long tormented, finally relaxed, allowing him to sink into a rare, soft dream.

But all dreams must end. South River opened his eyes in the darkness of night.

He found himself still the humiliated captive caught by humans. The sky was completely dark, the courtyard shrouded in shadows and silence.

He looked around warily. That hateful human was nowhere to be seen, leaving him alone inside the eaves and railings.