Chapter 52: Kind-Hearted Carrie

When Louis finished his daily cultivation and opened his eyes, it was already afternoon.

Although he had been sitting cross-legged on the bed the entire time, his legs were not the least bit numb. This was actually the normal outcome of correct martial arts practice; otherwise, numbness in both legs would be inevitable. Nevertheless, out of habit, he got out of bed and performed a set of boxing forms to loosen up his body.

"Awoo... Awoo..."

A faint whimper sounded from the corner of the room.

Louis paused and stopped his movements. A "little black coal ball" immediately wobbled its way toward him from the corner. This tiny black ball was only the size of two fists—small, furry, and delightfully goofy. At first glance, one might even mistake it for a baby black bear.

"Hey, Coal Ball, clap clap, come here."

Louis clapped his hands and casually picked up a ham sausage from the table.

Little Coal Ball ran even faster now, swaying from side to side as if dancing, and then...

Plop!

Its body tilted to one side, and it actually wiped out completely!

Its four short little legs scrambled frantically in the air while it let out urgent whimpering sounds, but it just couldn't manage to right itself.

Amused, Louis squatted down, poked the little creature, and set it right. "Ah, Little Coal Ball, Little Coal Ball, why don't you change your name to Little Clumsy?"

Once it was standing, Coal Ball wagged its black little tongue and licked Louis's finger frantically, its little tail spinning wildly behind it.

Louis pinched the back of its neck, scooped it up into his arms, and rubbed the puppy's head with his thumb.

This was a purebred Five-Black Dog that Louis had recently acquired. Its nickname was Coal Ball, and he hadn't yet thought of a formal name. Ever since he got it, it had been kept exclusively in his room, living in constant companionship with him and never laying eyes on any other living creature besides Louis.

By now, the little fellow was extremely dependent on Louis, perhaps due to being raised indoors, or perhaps because of its bloodline.

The Five-Black Dog was a renowned breed among traditional ward-off-evil dogs, and the very origin of the legend that black dog blood could exorcise evil spirits. Because of this very legend, however, the population of purebred Five-Black Dogs had dwindled over time. Nowadays, most possessed mixed coats, and even those with tongues that weren't entirely black could still pass as purebreds.

Suffice it to say, obtaining this purebred Five-Black Dog had not been easy for Louis.

In a future world where ghosts and malevolent spirits were destined to be rampant, having such an evil-repelling hound meant he would undoubtedly have a reliable helper. Naturally, Louis invested more care and effort into raising it.

The raising of an evil-repelling hound was different from that of mountain-tracking dogs or wolf packs; what it required was upright and unyielding yang energy!

Therefore, every day he made sure the little creature soaked up plenty of sunlight and consumed yang-aligned substances. Once it reached adulthood, he would train it according to secret methods, striving to make it the strongest among all hounds.

...

The next day.

Louis was practicing Baguazhang, using the martial art to supplement the dynamic aspects of his qigong. Emma watched from the side, feeling deeply bored, yet she forced her eyelids open, trying to learn a thing or two from it.

Just then,

A knock sounded at the courtyard gate. Opening it, she found a girl standing there with her head lowered.

It was Carrie White, the neighbor of Louis and the others.

Ever since the wedding four years ago, Carrie's family had settled nearby, and Carrie herself frequently came over to Louis's house to play. However, ever since she advanced to higher grades, the frequency of her visits had decreased.

Moreover, whether by coincidence or not, whenever she did visit, it always happened to be when Louis was back on break.

"Hi, Carrie."

Emma greeted her with a smile.

Carrie nodded timidly, then shifted her gaze inward, her eyes instantly locking onto Louis.

"Emma, Big Sister Yolenka asked me to pass along a message. She said she'll be back in a couple of days, so don't go looking for her for the next two days."

???

Emma's gaze instantly sharpened. Good grief, what a coincidence? Could this wicked girl have sensed something?

Wait, what was she planning to do these next two days?

Emma stepped forward, seamlessly closing the courtyard gate and cornering Carrie. She leaned in close and lowered her voice, "Carrie, tell me what Yolenka has been up to at school lately."

Ironically, Carrie was actually older than Emma. She was already a high school student and went to the same school as Yolenka—or rather, to be precise, she had been with Yolenka since middle school and had spent years under Yolenka's protection.

Yet Yolenka actually rather disliked her for being too cowardly, so she would only step in to help out of neighborly obligation when Carrie was being bullied. At other times, whether Carrie was subjected to the silent treatment or other forms of bullying, Yolenka simply didn't care.

Even so, Carrie genuinely considered Yolenka to be her third-best friend.

Therefore, facing Emma's interrogation, even though Carrie felt terrified, she could only shake her head repeatedly.

Emma narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning dangerous as she slid a finger across Carrie's cheek. "I know, you know, what the situation is like at Carrie's house."

As soon as those words left her mouth, the expression in Carrie's eyes shifted instantly.

"You wouldn't want your mother to know your real purpose for coming to my house, and then never get to see Louis again, would you?"

"I—I—I... no... didn't... want to see..."

Emma sneered contemptuously. "Oh? Shall I go have a chat with your mother then?"

"No!"

Carrie let out a sharp cry.

"So, tell me, what is Yolenka doing at school?" Emma repeated her question.

"..."

After a brief moment of silence, under Emma's increasingly dark gaze, Carrie finally spilled the beans. "Big Sister Yolenka and the others are preparing to establish a club and then seize control of the student council positions."

Hearing that,

Emma understood immediately.

That really was entirely in character for someone like Yolenka—forming cliques and running small factions. Oh wait, she had gone a step further now; she was out to seize power and influence.

No matter, though. No matter how well you plan, it won't do you any good.

After all, you'll be transferring schools soon anyway~

The corners of Emma's lips curved slightly upward.

She glanced at Carrie, who stood with her head bowed, looking distressed and consumed by guilt. A sudden thought struck her, and she actually began to comfort the other girl. "Alright, this isn't your fault. I'm the one who forced you to tell me. Besides, she is my dear older sister, after all. What's wrong with a younger sister knowing what her older sister is up to?"

"You've done a good thing. Even if she finds out, she'll still have to thank you..."

"..."

Under a flurry of sweet-talking manipulation, Carrie gradually calmed down and even dazedly agreed to Emma's mission of being an informant.

No sooner had Emma let go of her than Carrie's expression changed—first to surprise, then to apprehension and nervousness.

A jolt went through Emma's heart. She turned slightly to look, only to see Louis holding a cup of iced cola, watching the two of them. Seeing them look over, he even raised his cup in a gesture of salute.

"Go on."

"I'm listening."

???

!!!

Emma forced a stiff smile. "I was just concerned about Yolenka."

"Oh, so you were doing a good deed then?"

"Fine, I apologize. I feel deeply ashamed of this, and I'll never do it again." Eschewing even the pretense of an excuse, Emma executed a textbook slide-kneel and apologized instantly.

"Apologize to Carrie."

"Carrie, I'm sorry. What I did just now was wrong."

"Ah, no, no, it's fine. You actually... made a lot of sense..."