Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Spirit of the Hound

“Dog spirit?” I was a little confused.

“A dog spirit is the soul of a dog with spiritual sensitivity, after it has died,” Old Liao said, standing up and regarding the various skincare products on display in the shop with curiosity as he answered my question.

Old Fu nodded. “Our Huanhuan is usually lively and cheerful, but somehow he ended up attracting a dog spirit.”

I knew Huanhuan; he was indeed a lively child, always running in and out of the alleyways in his split pants. He was a bit of a handful, often causing trouble for the neighbors.

But Old Fu was well-liked in the neighborhood, so nobody minded when Huanhuan snacked and drank for free at the little shop.

“Old Fu, what are the symptoms if someone is possessed by a dog spirit?”

Old Fu looked deeply troubled, his hands trembling slightly. “Lately, Huanhuan often likes to lie on the ground, sniffing things with his nose. He fights over food, and sometimes even bites people.”

Well, that certainly sounded like dog-like behavior.

Just then, a naked-bottomed child came running down the alley. The little shoes on his feet slapped loudly against the ground as he wobbled over toward us.

“Uncle Zhang, why are you here? Did you bring me anything to eat?”

Looking into his innocent eyes, I crouched down and patted his head. “Huanhuan, have you been listening to your grandpa lately?”

“Hmph, of course I have! Xiao Hao from next door wanted me to steal hawthorns, but I didn't go.”

He puffed up his cheeks and pretended to be angry, his cute act making both Old Liao and Old Fu laugh heartily.

Huanhuan ignored our laughter, reaching out his small hand to tug at my sleeve. “Uncle Zhang, there’s a dog behind you, watching you.”

My smile froze. I turned sharply, but there was nothing behind me.

“Old Liao, did a dog just run behind me?” I asked.

Old Liao looked at me, puzzled. “No, there’s only us here.”

A chill ran down my spine. Suddenly, I felt a wet sensation on my hand. Looking down, I saw Huanhuan crouched at my feet, licking my fingers with his tongue.

I quickly pulled my hand away and looked at the child on the ground. Huanhuan no longer looked innocent—his pupils were turning a dark yellow, and he bared his milk teeth at me, drool dripping from his mouth as he made low, guttural growls.

“Oh no, Huanhuan, my dear boy, why are you like this again?” Old Fu cried, scrambling over and scooping Huanhuan into his arms.

The frail boy struggled desperately in Old Fu’s grasp, his whimpers turning into savage howls.

“Woof!”

A fierce bark burst from his mouth, and Huanhuan twisted to bite Old Fu’s arm, ignoring his grandfather’s attempts to comfort him.

Blood welled up from the torn flesh on Old Fu’s arm, sweat beading on his forehead. Old Liao hurried over to separate them.

But Huanhuan’s small teeth were clamped tight, and it took all their strength to pull him away. Old Liao held the panting boy, whose mouth was smeared with Old Fu’s blood, his head twisting back as if he wanted to bite Old Liao too.

I quickly told Old Fu to wash his wounds. Looking closely, I could see several similar bite marks on his arm.

Clearly, this wasn’t a recent problem.

“Ah, what a disaster… why did this have to happen to us?” Old Fu cried, clutching his arm.

I glanced at Huanhuan, still thrashing in Old Liao’s grasp, limbs flailing, desperate to attack anyone holding him.

“Go find something to ward off dogs!” Old Liao shouted anxiously when he saw me standing there in a daze.

Right, Huanhuan was possessed by a dog spirit—something dogs feared might help.

I rushed inside, searching everywhere. Dogs were afraid of torches, but I couldn’t make one now. I was frantic.

In my panic, I noticed a pile of firecrackers in the corner of Old Liao’s small shop, probably for children to play with.

I quickly grabbed a box of snap-pops, struck one, and tossed it toward Old Liao.

“Hey! Are you trying to blow me up? Can’t you find another firecracker?” Old Liao yelped from outside.

I found a string of firecrackers, lit them, and threw them outside.

A series of loud bangs erupted, filling the narrow alley with excitement. Children came running, clapping and laughing around the firecrackers.

Huanhuan finally quieted down, his eyes showing fear. Old Liao, seeing he had stopped struggling, gently set him down.

As soon as he touched the ground, Huanhuan crawled to the corner, lying low and staring fearfully at the firecrackers, whimpering like a frightened puppy with its tail between its legs.

The commotion brought neighbors from all around, their faces full of curiosity.

“Hey, Old Fu, Xiao Zhang, what are you two up to—opening a new shop?”

“Congratulations on the grand opening! Old Fu, are you renovating your store?”

“That’s great! No more shaving in the street. Last time, a car drove by and covered me in dust.”

The neighbors chatted and joked, the firecrackers popping, children clapping, and laughter echoing through the alley.

Old Fu, having cleaned his wound, waved at the neighbors.

“It’s nothing, just kids playing with firecrackers.”

“Gosh, Huanhuan is so mischievous. Why set off firecrackers when it’s not even a festival?”

People started talking about the children again.

“Hey, look, why is Huanhuan lying on the ground? And his eyes—they’re yellow and black, how creepy.”

“That kid’s possessed, I swear. The other day my Xiao Hao got bitten by him, left a big scar on his arm.”

“You know, I saw Huanhuan in Old Fu’s shop a few days ago, barking at people from the floor.”

I pressed a hand to my forehead. Huanhuan’s strange behavior would soon become the talk of the town. We had to solve this dog spirit problem quickly.

Old Liao scooped Huanhuan up and carried him back inside as the firecrackers burned out.

“Alright, everyone, time to head home with your children,” I called, waving to the crowd. Gradually, people dispersed.

Once Old Fu, Old Liao, and I were inside, Old Fu closed the glass door with “Haircuts” and “Shaves” painted in bold letters.

“Xiao Zhang, you saw how mad Huanhuan gets. What are we going to do?”

Old Fu was so anxious he stamped his foot, sweat beading on his sparse white hair.

“Don’t worry. When Huanhuan calms down, we’ll ask him what happened,” Old Liao said, helping Old Fu to a chair.

Before long, Huanhuan stopped making those doglike whimpers and sat up, stretching.

His pupils had returned to normal, pure black human eyes.

“Grandpa, Uncle Zhang.”

Seeing Huanhuan back to himself, Old Fu held him on his lap, looking him over anxiously.

Old Liao took out a chocolate candy from his bag and handed it to Huanhuan.

“Huanhuan, answer a few questions for us and I’ll give you some chocolate, okay?”

Huanhuan’s big eyes sparkled as he stared at the chocolate, swallowing hard.

“Okay!”

“Good boy!” Old Liao smiled, ruffling his hair and placing the candy in his palm, then gave me a meaningful look.

“Huanhuan, do you often see a little dog?” I asked, patting his mushroom-shaped head.

Huanhuan nodded obediently. “Yes! There’s a little dog. It comes to play with me every day, it’s so good!”

Old Liao and I exchanged glances; it was definitely a dog spirit.

“How long has it been playing with you?”

“A long time! It’s really nice, shakes hands, brings me balls.”

“What does the little dog look like?”

“It’s a yellow dog, with a tuft of black fur on its paw.”

I stood up and pulled Old Fu aside.

“Old Fu, this really might be something supernatural. Have you noticed anything strange on Huanhuan’s hands or feet recently?”

“Yes! One day, he suddenly had a black mark on his foot.”

“Did Huanhuan have any birthmarks before?”

“No! I know every mole on that child’s body.”

“Has anything happened recently—like abusing or killing dogs?”

“No, never! Huanhuan loves animals. We’ve never kept a dog, but we’d never do anything like that.”

That was odd. Cats, dogs, cows, geese—animals with some spiritual awareness—rarely seek revenge unless provoked. What was the story behind this yellow dog with a tuft of black fur?

Old Fu frowned, clutching his trousers tightly, deep in thought.

“Old Fu, if there’s anything you’re hiding, you must tell us. This is about Huanhuan’s life!”

“I just remembered—half a month ago, I took Huanhuan to a dog meat restaurant. We had dog meat hotpot… I think it was called Hu’s Dog Stew.”