"Boss, are these cages sturdy?" I shuddered inside.
Rows of snarling fighting dogs bared their teeth, staring at me like I was some kind of monster. Every one of them was in attack mode. If not for the chains locking their cages, they probably would have lunged and torn me to pieces.
The boss stood at the door, puzzled. "Never seen this happen before. Sir, were you a professional dog slayer or butcher in a past life?"
"I don't even dare kill chickens, let alone dogs." These fierce dogs looked strong and dangerous, but they weren't what I wanted. They seemed to have some inexplicable hostility toward me—no way could they be tamed.
"Do you have other dogs here?" I asked stubbornly. This was the biggest pet dog shop in the market. If I couldn't find what I wanted here, I probably wouldn't find it anywhere.
The boss took a sharp breath and said meaningfully, "Today's really strange. Well, since you're here, I'll show you my prized collection."
We walked past two rows of cages to a separate enclosure at the back.
Even before we got within ten meters, the hunting dogs inside started roaring wildly, shaking the iron bars so hard it sounded like the roof might blow off. The constant banging and clanging against the cages was deafening.
"Keep your distance. These dogs have histories of attacking people. Normally they should have been put down, but I just can't bring myself to do it."
"Okay." I was actually starting to look forward to this. Judging by their sensitivity to yin energy, one of these dogs might be worth buying.
Inside the enclosure, the cages were reinforced and doubled in size compared to the ones outside.
The boss pulled off the black cloth covering the first cage and pointed: "Italian Spinone, one of the world's most dangerous dog breeds. Once it attacks, it won't stop until it's dead or you are. It even likes to eat its prey—people included. Known as the cruelest killer in the dog world. Used to be a favorite of the Mafia, symbolizing terror and power."
The dog inside was huge, the size of a yearling horse, barking fiercely.
"I don't recommend you buy this one. It's fully grown and after its previous owner died, no one has been able to tame it."
The boss unveiled the second cage: "Italian Cane Corso. Used to drive cattle to slaughterhouses by biting them so butchers could kill them. Also used to hunt large game like wild boars. Very agile and responsive. Courageous and resilient, fights to the death until victory or death. The hellhound Cerberus in many films was modeled on this breed."
"These dogs can be trained with effort and make loyal protectors. If you really want one, it's a flat 30,000."
Thirty thousand. The boss's words dazzled me, but I only had two hundred bucks in my pocket, which I thought would be more than enough.
Without noticing my embarrassment, he lifted the cloth from a third cage: "Pit Bull, also called American Bulldog. A strong 30-kg pit can beat a 75-kg Caucasian Ovcharka, can kill two shepherd dogs in three minutes. Among fierce dogs, it's the cruelest and most aggressive. This purebred pit has injured many people and is extremely hostile, so I'm offering it at a discount—15,000."
Seeing I still kept a poker face, the boss revealed a fourth cage: "A purebred Tibetan Mastiff, placed here on consignment by a wealthy businessman from Zhejiang who went bankrupt. There's video proof—it once fought three starving wolves and didn't lose. According to the consignor, it's priced at 100,000."
I licked my dry lips. A hundred grand for a dog? Insane.
"Boss, what's in the last cage?" Just curious, I asked.
The boss hesitated. "That dog isn't for sale. If you don't like anything else, you might as well go."
"Not for sale? Don't tell me it's a protected species or something—that'd be illegal."
"No way. Look if you want, but it's no good dog anyway." He pulled off the cloth, revealing an ordinary-looking wolfdog lying lazily inside.
"Hidden so well, I thought you kept a lion." Compared to the other imposing dogs, this one was pretty average.
The boss smiled bitterly: "Its official name is Chinese Rural Dog, what we usually call a 'street dog.'"
"You can't judge a book by its cover. If it's kept in the innermost cage, it must be special. Tell me about it."
The boss looked a bit embarrassed but went on: "This dog was consigned by a scruffy Daoist priest who was broke at the time. He offered to trade the dog for wine."
"Trading a dog for wine? That's quite carefree." I studied the dog carefully. Strange though—the other dogs barked nonstop, clearly afraid of my yin energy. But this one just lay calmly, unconcerned.
"The priest said this dog is the guardian of Changbai Mountain. It chased away Siberian tigers, fought bears, and bit to death giant snakes six or seven zhang long. It drank from the heavenly lake and ate Lingzhi herbs."
"Is that so?" One zhang is about three meters. Let alone those giant snakes, this dog's tail was barely over a meter.
"Boss, you're exaggerating." Anyone with common sense wouldn't believe that.
"That's what the priest said. I didn't believe it at first either, but I noticed this dog was unusual." The boss pointed at the other dogs: "Those fighting dogs are brutal and can't be kept with others, but this street dog is different."
"One time, a clerk left the door open and a pit bull ran out. None of us grown men could stop it. We were about to call the cops when this street dog suddenly appeared and barked once. The pit bull obediently went back to its cage."
"A few months ago, my wife brought our kid to the shop. The kid had a high fever and my wife wanted to rush to the hospital. As I started the car, my wife said the fever had gone down. When we came inside, my son was playing on the floor with this dog."
"You should've seen it—the dog sat proudly by the door, and all the other dogs were silent, not a single bark."
"Even stranger, when the kid left, this dog bit onto the kid's clothes and wouldn't let go. We had to cut the clothes off. Since then, the kid never got sick again. When we went home for New Year, we found out the clothes were made by my sister-in-law for her own child, who drowned in the reservoir. She gave the new clothes to my son."
"Boss, I came here to buy a dog. Why are you telling me stories?" After all that, I knew the boss probably wasn't lying. But as a streamer on The Netherworld Live Show, I had to hide my identity and appear normal.
The boss looked embarrassed. "Sometimes I think it's weird myself. This dog has been sold a few times but always sneaks back. I finally decided to keep it here and feed it well. It's been good to my family."
"You've got loyalty and kindness." The boss's words touched me. A spiritual dog like this was exactly what I needed.
"How much for this dog? I'm serious about buying. Give me a price."
"It's not that I don't want to sell. Even if you take it today, it might sneak back tomorrow. You'd just waste your time and I'd have to refund you."
"That's my problem. Just give me a price." I pretended to be eager, reaching into my pocket.
"The priest set the price. You'll have to pay this much." The boss held up five fingers.
"Five hundred? Too expensive. Two hundred is fair."
"Five hundred thousand."
"What?!" I spun around suddenly, stepping on something and stumbling into the nearby cage.
The Tibetan Mastiff inside, already annoyed by me, smelled the meat scent and lunged at me!