Chapter 6: Betting

Zu An stared at her tender, delicate little fist, and for a moment, couldn't help but question life itself.

"It's really unsatisfying for me to personally beat up a weakling like you," Chu Huanzhao said, whistling outside. "Lapdog, come in!"

Zu An: "???"

A girl this young already has a lapdog? Don't men in this world fear facing severe legal consequences?

Only when he heard a dog bark in the distance did Zu An realize his mistake. She was calling a real dog. But that naming skill, tsk tsk tsk, it seemed to be a family trait.

However, his smile quickly faded as a creature the size of a leopard ran in, staring at him with glowing green eyes.

Though it looked somewhat like a dog, its size was ridiculously huge!

"Good boy, Lapdog," Chu Huanzhao said, crouching down to affectionately stroke the monster's head. The creature continuously wagged its tail, clearly enjoying the attention.

Seeing the giant beast before him, Zu An couldn't help but swallow. "You call this thing a dog?" He noticed bloodstains around its mouth and finally understood why he had heard chewing sounds from outside earlier.

"Hmph, scared now, are we?" Chu Huanzhao sneered, pointing at him. "Lapdog, bite him! Bite him hard!"

Upon receiving the command, the large dog sprang towards Zu An with a whoosh. It moved with such practiced familiarity, clearly accustomed to this kind of action.

Seeing its gaping maw, Zu An was scared out of his wits. If a dog this size bit him, his arm might be torn off. Crucially, he knew the horror of rabies; who knew what viruses were in the dog's mouth? There were no rabies vaccines in this world, so a single bite could be fatal.

What's more, it had just eaten a raw rat; it might even carry plague viruses!

Zu An's body reacted faster than his mind. He quickly jumped aside, and the stool by the bed was instantly shattered into pieces when the dog lunged at it.

Damn it all!

Zu An didn't think his body was as sturdy as the stool, so he ran for his life. He had initially planned to run to Chu Huanzhao to use her as a shield, since she said she wouldn't personally intervene. But to his dismay, she had already scurried outside and was now gloatingly watching his predicament through the window.

And to top it off, she had even closed the door!

While inwardly cursing her mother and sisters, Zu An ran around the table. In a pure speed contest, he definitely couldn't outrun the large dog, so he could only evade it by constantly circling and changing direction.

The dog was too large to crawl under the table, which gave him a moment to catch his breath.

However, his body was already weak; he had been struck by lightning earlier and just taken a punch. Before long, Zu An felt like his lungs were about to explode. Several times he felt a chill down his spine and could faintly smell the pungent, fishy breath of the giant dog behind him. He was running purely on willpower.

In fact, his ability to run for so long was already surprising. It was likely thanks to his earlier cultivation of the "Phoenix Nirvana Scripture," which had slightly enhanced his physique. However, since he had only just begun cultivating, it couldn't help him against such a massive beast.

"Stupid dog! Why are you just chasing from behind? Can't you jump over the table?" The girl outside the window stamped her foot in frustration. Her normally clear and pleasant voice now sounded like that of a demon.

The giant dog seemed to understand its master's words. It let out a howl, then leaped directly over the table, pouncing towards Zu An.

In a hurry, Zu An quickly overturned the table to block in front of himself. But the giant dog's head immediately crashed through the tabletop and lunged to bite him.

Fortunately, its body was stuck behind the table. Zu An, with his back to the ground, pushed against the table with all his might, while desperately kicking at the dog's belly. In a matter of life and death, he exerted every ounce of strength, but the disparity in power was too great, and the giant dog's head kept drawing closer.

A pungent stench filled the air, and saliva from the giant dog's mouth dripped onto his face. Its front paws incessantly clawed at the tabletop, which, like paper, was quickly ripped into numerous holes.

Watching its dagger-like teeth and claws, a chill ran through Zu An. "I'm going to be killed by a dog; this is an utter disgrace for a transmigrator!"

Wait, a dagger?

A flash of inspiration struck Zu An. He suddenly remembered the poisoned dagger he had drawn earlier.

He frantically pressed 'B' in his mind, summoning the dagger from his inventory. Just as he grasped it, the crumbling table finally gave way, scattering completely. The giant dog let out a growl and lunged for a bite, coincidentally biting directly onto the dagger.

Since its name was "Lapdog," it obviously loved licking things. The giant dog's tongue instinctively flicked out for a lick, but its tip was cut by the sharp dagger. Immediately, strange, obscure black runes enveloped its entire body. It stiffened, then fell straight down, completely lifeless.

"It's really dead?" Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, he had no energy left to think about anything else, lying sprawled on the ground, not even wanting to move a finger.

"Lapdog, what's wrong with you?" Chu Huanzhao, who had been watching her beloved dog dominate from outside the window, saw the tables turn the next second. Confused, she ran inside to check, but no matter how she called, the dog showed no reaction.

"You actually killed my Lapdog!" Chu Huanzhao finally realized her beloved dog was dead, and she instantly flew into a rage.

Rage Value: 233!

Zu An was too weak to respond, but he instinctively returned the poisoned dagger to his inventory. Playing it safe was key; he shouldn't expose his trump cards if he didn't have to.

The giant dog's body and the table had been blocking the view, so she likely hadn't seen what happened.

"You'll pay for Lapdog's life!" Tears welled up in Chu Huanzhao's eyes. Her parents were always busy with official duties, and her sister was away for most of the year. There was hardly anyone in the mansion to play with her, so Lapdog was practically her only friend.

Her small, delicate boot brutally kicked Zu An. Rage Value: 101010...

Zu An groaned. He was utterly exhausted and found it hard to dodge. Fortunately, she was kicking his backside, where there was enough flesh to somewhat absorb the blows.

Seeing his condition, Chu Huanzhao felt even more unsatisfied. She suddenly pulled a whip from her waist and, with a flick of her wrist, lashed him.

"Ow!" Zu An, already completely drained, found the strike agonizingly painful. The pain was so intense that it made him bolt upright.

Seeing his exaggerated reaction, Chu Huanzhao nodded in satisfaction. "Now you know how powerful it is, don't you? My sister, worried I might be bullied, specifically got me this weapon—the Whip of Wailing. It amplifies an enemy's pain tenfold; no one can endure it."

"Whip of Wailing?" Zu An swallowed. Just by the name, it didn't sound like anything good. Amplifying pain tenfold—no wonder it was so unbearable.

However, to his surprise, he noticed a significant increase in the golden substance within the first magic array on his body, much more than what the previous punch had added. The array was now almost full. He figured it was the combined effect of her earlier punch and this whip strike.

This cultivation method is truly messed up!

Zu An inwardly cursed the person who created this cultivation method, thinking, "That person must be a masochist!"

Still, he was curious what would happen once an array was completely filled. At this rate, a few more lashes from this girl might just do it.

But the mere thought of that soul-searing pain made him shiver. Forget a few more lashes; he couldn't even stand one more.

If it were just the pain, perhaps he could endure, but his body was too weak. He'd been struck by lightning, then bitten by a dog, and now looked as if he could pass out at any moment. He strongly suspected the next lash would be the end of him.

Seeing his silence, Chu Huanzhao assumed he was scared. She didn't lash out again, but instead said, "Heh heh, scared now, aren't you? If you kneel down right now, kowtow, and apologize to me, and then lick my shoes clean, perhaps I, your granny, might be in a good enough mood to spare you."

She sat casually in a chair, crossing her legs and wiggling her toes, making her legs appear exceptionally slender and beautiful. If those online "gentlemen" from his previous life saw this, they would undoubtedly utter phrases like "legs for days."

"Pah!" Zu An was furious. Perhaps some perverts would eagerly seize such an opportunity to lick, but was *he* that kind of person?

Chu Huanzhao sneered, "You actually have some backbone. How about this, let's make a bet?"

"What's the bet?" Zu An asked warily. This little brat in front of him was practically a sadist; he needed to be careful.

Chu Huanzhao flicked her whip. "If you can take three lashes from me without crying out in pain, I'll drop the matter of you killing my Lapdog. How's that?"

A flicker of excitement flashed in her eyes. A whip that amplified pain tenfold—how could any ordinary person endure that? She made this bet precisely to offer hope before crushing it, to watch him try to restrain himself and endure, only to inevitably fail and wail, thus satisfying her grudge.

"She's really a pervert!" Just as Zu An was about to refuse, an idea suddenly struck him. He remembered the "Sugar Mama's Joy Ball" he had drawn earlier. At the time, its function seemed useless, but it appeared perfectly suited for this situation.

"Alright, it's a deal!" Zu An said in a deep voice. His only concern now was whether the keyboard (system) was reliable. If it didn't work as advertised, he'd be doomed.

"Wait, what if you lose?" Chu Huanzhao asked.

"What do you want?" Zu An thought the beautiful girl in front of him was just missing two horns; she was practically a little devil.

A strange excitement gleamed in Chu Huanzhao's eyes. "I, this young lady, grant you the privilege of kneeling down and licking my shoes."

Zu An's face darkened. He thought, "How can the Chu family have someone as perverse as you?" He then said, "That's not fair. Unless, if I win, you have to lick my shoes too."

Chu Huanzhao sneered. "You're not in a position to bargain. First, pay for my Lapdog. If you want to bet on shoe-licking, you can do that after you win this one." She didn't believe for a second that he could win.

"Fine!" Zu An was also getting angry. This girl was truly too perverse. He decided he would redefine the meaning of that word for her.

Just as Chu Huanzhao was about to raise her whip, Zu An quickly said, "Wait!"

"Trying to back out?" Chu Huanzhao frowned.

"I need a drink of water first." Zu An needed to find an opportunity to use the "Sugar Mama's Joy Ball." Chu Huanzhao snorted but didn't stop him; she wasn't in a hurry.

While drinking, Zu An secretly summoned the "Sugar Mama's Joy Ball." Looking at the sparkling steel wool ball in his mind's eye, he couldn't help but swallow. "How do I even use this thing? I hope I don't actually have to rub it *there*."

"Rub it on any part of your skin," a line of text appeared on the virtual screen, as if it had heard his unspoken question.

Zu An didn't care about anything else. With his back to Chu Huanzhao, he rubbed the ball in his hand. He then noticed an additional line of description for the "Sugar Mama's Joy Ball" on the screen:

**Usage successful!** For one hour, any pain inflicted upon you by a woman wealthier than yourself will be converted into pleasure. Note: This does not reduce damage, but it will prevent fatal injury by locking your health at one last drop if a wealthy woman inflicts a lethal blow.

**Durability:** 2/3

Zu An was too exhausted to complain. This darned, useless item wasn't even permanent, and it looked like it could only be used two more times. This keyboard (system) was truly a scummy merchant!

"Are you done yet, dawdling like that?" the girl's impatient voice came from behind him. She was clearly tired of waiting.

During the new book period, there will be two chapters daily, usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon.