Chapter 11

Cheng Zhiyu had long accepted that Little Black was no ordinary dog, so after the initial surprise that he could write, he quickly took it in stride.

However, after he finished speaking, he noticed Little Black’s entire body went completely rigid.

“Little Black? What’s wrong? Wow, you’re amazing—you can even write! You’re such a magical little dog.” Cheng Zhiyu patted him sincerely and added, “Come to think of it, I didn’t see you on my way to the corner store that day, but you showed up when I came out. It seems your entrances are always special.”

Little Black was praised over and over, his tail wagging proudly. But his right paw trembled slightly—since Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t understand the technique manual he’d written, he’d have to write it again.

Little Black: *Sulking expression*

Unfortunately, his face was already so dark that Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t tell. He just kept going on about how adorable Little Black was.

Little Black: *Stop praising me—I’ll write it again for you, alright?*

Unaware of his thoughts, Cheng Zhiyu knew that Xiao Er, his companion, needed to go out and fight zombies to gain experience, and he himself also wanted to improve quickly so he could reunite with his family.

So, he filled almost all his spare time trying to boost his physical fitness as quickly as possible.

Besides, he still lacked a decent weapon. He hadn’t forgotten how it took a dozen-plus chops to kill a zombie last time, and the blade ended up chipped and ruined.

But finding a weapon wasn’t easy. Having lived in a peaceful modern society all his life, he genuinely had no idea where to look.

This matter would have to be put on the back burner for now.

Another two days passed, and Cheng Zhiyu noticed that although his physical fitness had improved somewhat, the progress was minimal. This kind of training would take years of persistence to show real results.

But he didn’t have that much time, which made Cheng Zhiyu increasingly anxious.

However, he hadn’t been worrying for long when Little Black trotted over with the notebook again, patting his ankle with a paw just like before.

“Little Black, did you write something else? Let me see.” Cheng Zhiyu pulled himself together, smiled, and picked up the notebook, prepared to see more gibberish. But when he saw the contents, he froze.

This time, it wasn’t scribbles Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t recognize—it was legible writing. Although the characters were still crooked, there was no mistaking that they were words.

Curious about what Little Black had written, Cheng Zhiyu read a few lines and suddenly felt something magical, as if he’d entered a weird, trance-like state. Without thinking, he crossed his legs and closed his eyes.

Little Black lay on the floor, his sore paws raised from writing the technique manual. Noticing Cheng Zhiyu’s state, he cocked his head—this human was surprisingly talented.

Assuming it'd be a while for Cheng Zhiyu to finish, Little Black didn’t wait around. He slowly made his way back to his little bed on his sore legs… he needed rest.

—

The room was quiet. When Cheng Zhiyu opened his eyes again, he was surprised to find it had gotten dark outside.

It had been noon when he closed his eyes.

He hadn’t eaten for half a day and should've been starving, but Cheng Zhiyu didn’t feel hungry at all. In fact, he didn’t feel tired either—instead, he felt amped up.

He had a sense that his strength had increased. Looking around, he walked over to the sofa, grabbed the edge with both hands, and lifted one side without even straining.

Cheng Zhiyu’s eyes lit up. His feeling was right—his strength had grown. Before, he could lift the sofa too, but it took effort, nothing like how easy it was now.

Just half a day had brought such obvious changes. Imagine what weeks could do… Cheng Zhiyu bottled up his excitement.

He glanced at the crooked writing in the notebook, his feelings complicated. If he still didn’t realize that what Little Black had given him was extraordinary, he'd have to be clueless.

“Huh? Where’s Little Black?” Cheng Zhiyu was incredibly grateful to Little Black. Without what Little Black had written, it might've taken ages before he could take Xiao Er outside.

But now, he believed it wouldn’t be long before he could take Xiao Er out.

He really wanted to find Little Black and properly thank him. After searching all over the house, he finally found him in the bedroom.

Little Black was lying in his little bed, legs stretched out, out cold.

Cheng Zhiyu’s excitement cooled. He moved quietly, not disturbing Little Black, and gently closed the door.

Hmm… I’ll whip up something tasty to thank Little Black～

So that night, Little Black’s dinner was especially fancy. As he ate, he listened to Cheng Zhiyu’s praises, feeling pretty proud of himself.

He got a big head and that night, he insisted on sleeping on the bed.

He’d had enough of the dog bed.

Cheng Zhiyu looked at Little Black’s serious, furry face and bit back a laugh, messing with him on purpose: “But there’s only one bed at home.”

Cheng Zhiyu rented a two-bedroom apartment, but the other room was tiny, without even a window. It usually served as a storage room and couldn’t be slept in, so there was no bed there.

Little Black nudged Cheng Zhiyu’s leg, patted him, then pointed at himself, indicating he was easygoing and didn’t mind sharing the bed with Cheng Zhiyu.

Although Little Black usually hated being touched by other animals or people, he had to admit Cheng Zhiyu was an exception—his touch wasn’t so unpleasant.

“Ah… you want to sleep with me?” Cheng Zhiyu feigned hesitation.

Little Black’s fur nearly bristled. What did that mean? Was he showing disdain for me?

Just as Little Black was about to blow his top, Cheng Zhiyu backpedaled: “Just kidding. How could I show disdain for Little Black? Little Black is soft, like a little plush toy.”

Little Black was offended. How could Cheng Zhiyu say something like that so earnestly?

I’m a powerful member of the Winged Kind, not some plush toy!

“But I’ll have to give you a wipe-down with water first,” Cheng Zhiyu said. He could tell Little Black was very clean—his fur was black and shiny, clearly well cared for, and it even smelled like sunshine.

But if he didn’t wipe him down, Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t get past his own hang-up.

Little Black: *That sneaky human! He just called me a plush toy, and now he’s showing disdain for me!*

He used his Water Power to wash himself several times a day!

Cheng Zhiyu dampened a clean towel: “Come here, Little Black. Let me wipe you down.”

Little Black sat where he was, unmoving. He was clean!

Cheng Zhiyu: “Even though black doesn't show dirt, Little Black shouldn’t be a dirty little dog.”

Little Black: “…” *You’re the dirty one! Ugh, human!*

To prove he wasn’t dirty, Little Black finally waddled over on his short legs and sat down beside Cheng Zhiyu.

Cheng Zhiyu smiled and first wiped Little Black’s head and upper body. The towel stayed clean, and he was surprised—was Little Black really this clean? It seemed he’d been prejudiced.

Little Black, who used his Water Power to wash himself multiple times a day: *Hmph.*

In the middle of his grumbling, his whole body was lifted into the air. Cheng Zhiyu muttered, “Even though Little Black is clean, since I’ve started, I might as well wipe the other half too.”

Before Little Black could react, Cheng Zhiyu began wiping the other half of his body. As the towel moved over him, Little Black’s fur puffed up all over.

"What spot are you wiping?!"

A moment later, Cheng Zhiyu looked at Little Black, who was sulking with his back turned, and held back a laugh: "Little Black, I really didn't mean to. Look at you, you're so small, it's easy to accidentally hit that spot..."

Little Black turned his head and glared at him.

Cheng Zhiyu immediately shut up and changed the topic: "So, do you still want to sleep with me?"

Little Black: Yes! Otherwise, getting wiped was for nothing?

Cheng Zhiyu carried Little Black onto the bed. Little Black, who lay on the soft mattress, closed his eyes contentedly and sighed, "This is where a member of the Winged Tribe should sleep."

A moment later, after finishing up, Cheng Zhiyu also got into bed. He glanced at the little dog, kissed the dog's ear, and said: "Good night."

He had wanted to kiss him for a long time, but previously held a bias, thinking Little Black wasn't all that clean. Now he could finally kiss him without any hang-ups.

Feeling the warm, soft touch on his ear, Little Black: !!!

You pervert! How... how could you just kiss me like that? Are we even that close?

Little Black was shocked, his paw trembling as he touched the kissed ear, where a trace of warmth still lingered.

This human is really... really outrageous!

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Watching Cheng Zhiyu, who was breathing softly and clearly fast asleep, he gritted his teeth in anger.

Next time he faces this scoundrel, he must be on high alert and stay prepared.

Then the next morning, Cheng Zhiyu kissed him again and said with a smile: "Good morning."

Little Black began to question his life as a beast.

—

With the cultivation method provided by Little Black, Cheng Zhiyu's training progress advanced by leaps and bounds.

Not only his strength, but his speed also improved significantly, though he didn’t give up the boxing he had always practiced.

Before, his punches were weak, but now every punch he threw seemed to carry a swishing sound, and after a full routine, he no longer felt as exhausted as before.

Now he could easily complete a full routine.

Cheng Zhiyu was now full of anticipation for going out to fight zombies.

Besides that, there were two more pieces of good news.

Over the past ten days or so, Little Iron had finally entered its growth phase. However, unlike Xiao'er, it wasn’t as lively. It only occasionally moved its leaves and mostly ignored people the rest of the time.

It seems each plant has its own personality.

Another piece of good news: the five cabbages he planted around Xiao'er had all matured.

Whether it was due to Xiao'er’s influence or the soil in the system space itself, the cabbages grew exceptionally fast, almost changing by the day.

They were now fully mature, though the cabbages remained red through and through throughout their growth, never returning to a normal color.

Fortunately, aside from their red appearance, there were no other changes. After confirming that the red cabbage was edible, Cheng Zhiyu decided to pick one and try it.

With a "snap," Cheng Zhiyu cut the cabbage from the base, carried it out of the spatial realm.