Chapter 150: The Jealous Big Yellow

"Alright, alright!" Wei Xiaoping walked over to Dahuang, patted and hugged its head, and said, "Dahal, how can you act like this? This isn't like you at all! Normally you're so generous to everyone, so why are you being so petty today just because you met two nether-hounds? I brought them back too. From now on, they will be just like you, assisting me on the battlefield to kill the enemy, safeguard the lives of our citizens, and protect our homeland from invasion! We are all working for the prosperity and security of the country, so we are colleagues now. We should respect and help each other!"

Hearing his master's words, Dahuang immediately lowered its head and shamefully covered its face with its wings!

Seeing Dahuang's shy appearance, everyone burst into hearty laughter.

Upon seeing this, the nether-hound leader Ma Laoda and Niu Dahua walked over to Dahuang, rubbing their bellies and heads against Dahuang's wings and flanks to show their friendship.

Seeing the two nether-hounds rubbing against it, Dahuang cast a look of utter disgust, thinking to itself, *I would never want to be friends with such ugly monsters! If it weren't for my master's sake, I'd stay as far away from you two hideous beasts as possible!*

Thinking this, Dahuang slowly spread its wings and pushed Ma Laoda and Niu Dahua away!

At that moment, a rumbling sound rang out.

Everyone was startled by the somewhat familiar yet strange noise, wondering where such a familiar yet unfamiliar sound could be coming from! It was familiar because they had often heard such sounds before, yet strange because they couldn't immediately recall what caused it or where it came from.

Sensing that the source of the sound was nearby, everyone looked at each other.

Then they realized the rumbling sound was coming from the bellies of the two nether-hounds.

Wei Xiaoping suddenly remembered that after returning to the mortal realm, Ma Laoda and Niu Dahua had transformed into real dogs, meaning they, like all worldly creatures, would get hungry and need to eat! It dawned on him that the two nether-hounds must have been starving, which was why their stomachs were rumbling so loudly!

Looking at the two nether-hounds, everyone smiled knowingly.

The two nether-hounds also lowered their heads shyly, whimpering softly as they rubbed their bodies against Wei Xiaoping!

Wei Xiaoping understood and immediately walked over to a nearby soldier's quarters, asking two soldiers to take Dahuang and the two nether-hounds to get something to eat.

Just then, a soldier came running from outside, walked up to Zhang Xiaoyan, and said, "General Zhang, the Grand General is looking for you and wants you to return immediately!"

Zhang Xiaoyan looked closely and saw that the messenger was none other than Zhang Xiaoxian, a subordinate and follower of her father, Zhang Lingpu.

"My father is calling me back? Did he say what it's about?"

Zhang Xiaoxian replied, "Reporting to General Zhang, I am not certain. The Grand General only said that upon receiving the message, General Zhang is to return immediately without any delay!"

Zhang Xiaoyan pouted her lips and said, "That annoying old man Zhang! Every time he sends a message, he never explains the reason, leaving me utterly baffled and clueless!" She then turned to Zhang Xiaoxian and said, "Go back and tell that old man Zhang that I'll be right there!"

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoxian asked in bewilderment, "Old man Zhang?"

Zhang Xiaoyan said aloud, "Oh! You know, my father, your Grand General. Go back and tell him quickly!"

Hearing Zhang Xiaoxian's own father being referred to as an "old man," Zhang Xiaoxian felt the urge to laugh, but managed to hold it back! He thought to himself, *What kind of daughter addresses her own father as an old man? This General Zhang really is a mischievous and playful daughter! The Grand General must suffer quite a lot at her hands!*

"Understood!" Zhang Xiaoxian acknowledged, then turned and headed back the way he came, silently chuckling to himself along the way.

"Brother Xiaoping, has your body fully recovered? If not, I will ask Old Man Zhang for permission to stay here and continue tending to you." Zhang Xiaoyan looked at Wei Xiaoping tenderly, her expression filled with reluctance to leave, secretly hoping that Xiaoping would say he wasn't completely well so she could dote on him a little longer.

Looking into Zhang Xiaoyan's eyes, Wei Xiaoping's mind flashed with a familiar, pretty face from his dreams—the very same Zhang Xiaoyan who had studied alongside him in his past life! The Zhang Xiaoyan before him looked overwhelmingly similar to the one from his past life; apart from their clothing and hairstyles, they were practically identical. Not only did they share the exact same appearance, but even their names were the same. What an incredible coincidence! Could the Zhang Xiaoyan before him be a reincarnation or a time-traveler version of the Zhang Xiaoyan from his past life? This train of thought naturally led him to think of Wei Xiaofan, the sworn brother who had studied with him in their past life, and then to his current younger brother, Wei Xiaofan—the younger brother currently manipulated by inner demons, whose present condition remained entirely unknown! Overcome by grief and pity, he could not help but let out a long, involuntary sigh.

Seeing Wei Xiaoping suddenly heave a sigh, Zhang Xiaoyan and Huang Xianlin, who were standing nearby, feared something might be wrong with his health.

"Brother Xiaoping, are you feeling unwell again?" Zhang Xiaoyan asked anxiously.

Wei Xiaoping replied, "Yan'er, I'm fine. You should head back. General Zhang told you to return quickly, so it must be something urgent. My body has fully recovered to its original state, I'm completely fine! Hurry back; if it's a military order from the Monarch, we mustn't delay!"

Zhang Xiaoyan said, "What Brother Xiaoping says is true. I'll be leaving then, take care of yourself! If anything happens, be sure to send someone to let me know!"

Wei Xiaoping said, "Don't worry, Yan'er, I'm fine. Hurry back now, and don't keep General Zhang waiting too long. If it's a military matter, we truly cannot afford any delay!"

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"Xiaoping, what are your thoughts on Wei Xiaofan being controlled by others?" After Zhang Xiaoyan left, Daoist Master Xuanzhe, Wei Xiaoping, and Huang Xianlin returned to Wei Xiaoping's room, where Daoist Master Xuanzhe posed the question.

The mention of his younger brother, Wei Xiaofan, instantly brought Wei Xiaoping's thoughts back to the battlefield where they had clashed.

Recalling every detail of his conversation with his brother on the battlefield, he felt that after more than a decade apart, his brother had changed drastically! And the reason for such a dramatic change was that his mind had been controlled by inner demons, forcing him to utter ruthless words and commit heartless deeds. What pained Wei Xiaoping the most was knowing that his brother's mind had been manipulated by inner demons to become that way, yet he had no idea who the controller was, nor how to find out!

"Master, I was just worrying about my brother! I currently have no leads whatsoever on how to track down his whereabouts or find the person who controls his mind. I am so useless, Master. On the battlefield, I saw my brother right before my eyes, yet I failed to bring him back. Even worse, my brother actually became a general of the enemy state! When I think about it, I have truly failed my country!" Wei Xiaoping said.

Daoist Master Xuanzhe stroked his beard and said, "Regarding the search for Wei Xiaofan's whereabouts, your Grandmaster and I have discussed it. Based on the information gathered from the battlefield, we can approach this from two directions. First, isn't Wei Xiaofan now a general of the Shihui State? We can start by investigating the Shihui State. As far as I know, Xiaofan is currently a regional king in Shihui—the King of Huicheng. Huicheng is a region in the eastern part of Shihui State, and Xiaofan is its primary administrator and king. We can investigate his whereabouts through the local civilians, soldiers, and people close to him. If the clues lead to a dead end there, we will then target the person who controls his mind. To deal with the mind-controller, we must first figure out the name of this evil technique, and then track down the sect that created such a perverse method."