Chapter Twenty-Four: The Little Nest!
Puppy—no, that’s not quite right! Little wolf cub—well, that doesn’t seem accurate either! Now I understand, the correct answer: this is a litter of wolfdog pups!
Li Zhao was a clever man. He looked at the adorable litter before him and, recalling his previous encounter with the wolf pack, quickly pieced together the story. After the White Spirit Dog was released into the deep mountains, she encountered the pack of green wolves. Instead of conflict, they coexisted, and together produced this litter of wolfdog pups.
Though wolves and dogs are not of the same species, they share a common ancestor, and there is no reproductive barrier between them; they can produce healthy offspring.
As for the father of these wolfdog pups, it was surely the fierce Green Wolf King. With the proud nature of the White Spirit Dog, she would only choose a strong mate, never a weak one! This also explained why the Green Wolf King was driven off by her—he might seem invincible in the mountains, but in truth, he was just a henpecked husband. Ha!
Heavens, the offspring of the Wolf King and the Dog Queen, inheriting all the strengths of both parents—one could imagine how formidable these pups would be when grown. If all eight banded together, not even tigers or black bears would dare challenge them.
Li Zhao, a devoted dog lover, could hardly contain his excitement at the sight of the litter. He wondered if he could negotiate with the White Spirit Dog for one to raise himself. But all eight pups were so endearing—it was a painful decision to choose just one. Wait—wasn’t it eight? No, there were nine!
As he pondered, another pup wriggled out from the haystack—a wolfdog cub much smaller than its siblings, nearly half their size. It was the runt of the litter.
Someone might ask, what is a runt? It refers to the smallest and weakest among a litter of animals. For dogs, it’s called the ‘runt pup.’
In nature, survival of the fittest prevails. The runt pup, being so weak, can hardly compete for food and is likely to starve. With nine pups, this likelihood increases, as a mother dog only has eight teats; the runt stands little chance of getting any.
So, does that mean the runt is the worst? Not necessarily. As the saying goes, ‘When God closes a door, He opens a window.’ In a litter, the runt may be physically weakest, but often possesses the highest intelligence. If it survives, it could become the most outstanding of the bunch.
Thus, those who truly understand dogs often prefer to adopt the runt.
As if to prove this point, an amusing scene unfolded—
The runt scrambled to its mother, but all eight teats were occupied. Unable to compete by strength, it would starve without milk. What to do?
First, the runt yelped, hoping its siblings would make room. But the pups, true to their wolfish nature, fought fiercely for milk, showing no kindness.
Frustrated, the runt launched a campaign of annoyance: biting ears, tugging tails—relentlessly disturbing the strongest sibling. Interrupted during feeding, the strongest pup grew furious. Too young to know right from wrong, it lashed out indiscriminately.
With angry yelps, the strong pup rampaged through the nest, overturning its siblings. The others joined in the fray, and chaos ensued—so much so that even the White Spirit Dog couldn’t stop them.
Seizing the moment, the runt darted to its mother, grabbed the largest teat and drank greedily, its little belly swelling with satisfaction.
After feeding, it settled demurely at its mother’s side, as if to proclaim: ‘Everyone else is naughty; only I’m well-behaved!’
“Remarkable, truly remarkable! A model for us all!” Li Zhao exclaimed.
Li Zhao witnessed everything and could not help but give the runt a thumbs-up. It was indeed the cleverest of the litter, so resourceful at such a tender age. What feats might it achieve when grown?
As the saying goes, ‘Of nine pups, there must be a mastiff.’ Should the runt survive, surely the crown would rest on its head!
After spending some time in the cave, Li Zhao prepared to depart. Though he longed to take a pup home, he did not act on his desire. The bond between mother and child was sacred, and separating them for his own pleasure was something he could not bear.
“Take good care of your pups here. If fate allows, I’ll return to visit you all.”
“Woof! Woof woof!” came the response.
Li Zhao exited the cave, heading back toward Qianlong Hill. But before he had gone far, the White Spirit Dog chased after him, carrying a wolfdog pup in her jaws—the mischievous runt!
“What does this mean? Are you giving it to me?”
“Woof woof!”
“Thank you, truly! Rest assured, I will raise it well, nurture it into the king of dogs!”
“Woof woof!”
“Awuu!”
The White Spirit Dog placed the pup on the ground, licked it repeatedly, then returned to the cave, pausing often to look back, full of reluctant affection.
Sensing its mother’s departure, the runt wailed anxiously. Li Zhao quickly scooped it up, caressing it with care.
Li Zhao understood the White Spirit Dog’s intentions: first, to repay him for saving her life; second, for the pup’s sake.
The cave was at the edge of Mount Zhongnan, chosen for its relative safety from predators. But where beasts are fewer, food is scarcer.
Thus, once the pups matured, the White Spirit Dog would lead them and the wolf pack back into the deep mountains where food was plentiful and humans scarce—better conditions for their growth.
The runt, though intelligent, was too frail to survive the hardships of deep mountain life. It would likely perish from exhaustion or fall prey to predators. Its chances of survival were slim.
Better then to entrust it to Li Zhao, who would care for it well. The saying, ‘Pity the hearts of parents everywhere,’ applies not only to humans, but to all creatures.
“Little one, from now on, stay by my side. I’ll treat you as my own brother. We’ll feast together, roam the world, see the most beautiful sights!”
Hmmm, the relationship seems a bit odd—if you’re my brother, then the White Spirit Dog becomes… ugh, that’s awkward!
On the way out of the mountains, Li Zhao lavished the pup with affection, lifting it high and showering it with kisses. It was so dark in the cave before, he hadn’t seen the pup clearly. Now he could finally examine it—the runt was male, with a coat of steely blue, save for a patch of flame-red fur on its forehead, just like its mother. It looked uncanny.
‘Runt’ was too unseemly a name; it needed something worthy.
Lucky… too common, only tasteless people would use it.
Rascal… too soft, lacking in spirit.
Overlord… quite imposing, but a bit too sinister!
What name would suit it?
Ah, got it—Yaksha!
In Buddhist lore, there are the Eight Legions of Heavenly Dragons, eight types of beings unlike humans. Yaksha ranks third: tall, lightning-eyed, clawed and fanged, its ferocity rivaling that of the Asura—a formidable deity!
Truth be told, naming the pup ‘Yaksha’ had nothing to do with Buddhism. The real reason was that, as a child, Li Zhao loved the animated series ‘Inuyasha.’
The protagonist was a dog demon: proud, indomitable, with an untainted, childlike heart—ten stars for charm. The show had a profound impact on Li Zhao, and naming the pup ‘Yaksha’ fulfilled a childhood dream.
“From now on, your name is Yaksha—bold and majestic! Only someone with taste could come up with such a name. Agree? If so, give me two barks.”
“Awuu!”
“Ha ha!”
Cradling little Yaksha, Li Zhao returned to the Black Dragon Spring. The bamboo basket filled with mugwort and sweet flag was still there, but the tiger’s corpse was gone, leaving only a pool of blood and wolf tracks nearby.
Clearly, the wolves had consumed the body, leaving not even a bone. The other three tigers’ bodies were likely gone as well—saving a lot of trouble!
Li Zhao shouldered the bamboo basket and continued out of the mountains, but before long, four figures appeared on the path.
“You scared us! Jiulang, are you all right?”
“I’m fine. There was no good mugwort nearby, so I walked further into the mountains.”
“As long as you’re safe. And this?”
“Oh, just something I found in the mountains. Isn’t it adorable?”
It was Aunt Qing, Bai Mo, Jin Bao’er, and Uncle Cai. They had grown worried when Li Zhao didn’t return and had ventured into the mountains to look for him.
In response to their questions, Li Zhao said he’d been delayed by searching for good mugwort. As for the wolfdog pup in his arms, he claimed to have picked it up along the way.
Nearly every household in the area kept hunting dogs, which often roamed the mountains and sometimes gave birth outdoors, so finding a puppy was not unusual.
As for the encounter with assassins and the mortal combat in the forest, Li Zhao revealed nothing—not because he distrusted Aunt Qing, Bai Mo, and the others, but to spare them worry.
Besides, four deaths were involved; the matter was far too serious, and the fewer who knew, the better.
“Brother Zhao, can Bao’er hold the puppy?”
“Ha ha, of course! But be careful, this little fellow is feisty!”
“What’s its name?”
“Yaksha!”
“Awuu!”
...
The group returned to the small shrine and happily celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival. Yaksha officially became a member of the family; the rest need not be detailed.
In the days that followed, Li Zhao grew more cautious. He practiced his martial arts diligently, reduced his excursions, and always carried a blade when he did venture out, to guard against further mishaps.
He also intensified surveillance of the front courtyard. Li De and Madam Zheng, having failed once, would surely scheme again. What would their next move be?