The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

"Judging from this, you're not doing a very good job as the head of the family," Chang'an said with a smile.

Little Black raised its head, stuck out its tongue, and asked in a simple-minded manner, "What...what do you mean by that?"

"All who come are guests, and besides, you and I have some acquaintance. It's one thing for you not to show me hospitality, but why did you lock me up?" As he spoke, he patted the golden wave behind him that separated him from the secret realm.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hei grinned, tilted his head back, and looked very proud. "Hahaha, who told you to be Brother Kang's apprentice?"

"Master? Right, before Master left, he told me to listen to three people, besides Senior Sister Hua..." He suddenly raised his head, "You two are actually human!?"

Little Black grinned again, as if laughing, and cheerfully replied, "Humans are our best friends."

Old Bai snorted coldly and said with utter disdain, "Humans are such lowly creatures, just like you dogs. How can they be compared to us?"

"Then why are you here with us?" Chang'an asked, puzzled.

"Because you are Xiaokang's apprentice, you have the opportunity to become a less lowly human being like your senior sister," Lao Bai replied emotionlessly.

Xiao Hei quickly interrupted, "Hehehe, let's get started with the training."

"train?"

“That’s right. Now close your eyes and imagine yourself wearing golden armor, holding a dragon sword, and facing a vast, dark army all by yourself,” Old Hei said excitedly.

"But all I want to do right now is find a place to get a good night's sleep, since I came here to sleep anyway," Chang'an said with a wry smile.

Old Bai sneered, "Alright, then you better not think about tigers or bears when you sleep, or you might have a nightmare, hehehehe."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a ferocious tiger leaped out of the water. Its gaping maw seemed capable of swallowing three Chang'an kingdoms in one gulp.

The tiger roared, the powerful sound waves nearly shattering his eardrums. His legs felt like they had turned into soft mud, and he didn't know whether he was retreating or sitting on the ground obediently waiting to die.

Despite this, Lao Bai didn't even glance at him. Instead, he fiercely berated Xiao Hei, who was standing to the side, "You old codger, what's with all this talk about dragon swords and golden armor, and heavy troops pressing in? You yourself have barely even seen these things a few times, and you expect this brat to come up with them right away?"

She was very angry, and her voice was hoarse and aged, but she looked adorable.

Xiao Hei didn't dare to refute, but just stuck out its tongue and looked up at Chang'an.

Just as the tiger was about to pounce on Chang'an, a huge, pure white creature burst forth from the water with a loud splash. It had a single horn, a jade face, and was enormous. It swallowed the tiger whole and flew straight into the air.

Little Black was so excited that it barked, "This is the jade-faced giant dragon that attacked the Three Venerable Palace! This kid has a really quick reaction."

Old Bai maintained his dismissive expression and sneered, "But what should he do next?"

The giant dragon twisted its body in the air, circled several times in the boundless starry sky, and suddenly fell, rushing towards Chang'an like a tidal wave.

Who can stop this dragon?

"And Brother Kang! Kid!" Little Black wagged its tail excitedly.

The sound naturally reached Chang'an's ears, and a bright light flashed between the dragon and Chang'an.

At the same moment, the dragon seemed to be swallowed by the light, instantly turning into countless water droplets that floated in the air and slowly fell.

Bathed in golden light, they resembled rare pearls, dazzling and radiant.

When the golden light faded, Xiao Hei and Lao Bai realized that the person blocking Chang'an's way was not Kang Ping Le, but a bald man whose head was illuminated with a golden light.

Xiao Hei immediately retracted its tongue, tilted its head, and asked in surprise and doubt, "Who is this hairy...bald kid? How come that hairy kid has seen other people subdue this giant dragon?"

Old Bai slowly withdrew his disdainful gaze and chuckled, "You really don't recognize this monk?"

Xiao Hei craned his neck and looked closely before slowly speaking, "Look at the bead he's holding, could it be..." He suddenly looked surprised, "Could it be Old Gu? This kid has met Old Gu before."

Old Bai licked his paws, but his eyes were fixed on the little monk. He sneered, "He's just another guy with the Dustless Pearl. Compared to Xiao Gu, he's still far behind."

Xiao Hei nodded, then stuck out its tongue and said in a silly tone, "That's right, the Dustless Pearl. No wonder it was able to subdue this giant dragon."

"Hehe, look at this old senile me. If I were still alive, I would be nothing but bones by now. How could I have seen this kid?"

Old Bai licked his fur, his tone slightly relaxed, and said, "At least we've achieved our goal."

Xiao Hei said innocently, "Purpose? I thought we were just here to watch the show..."

Old Bai scoffed, "We're here to see this kid's martial arts foundation. Before, whether it was a ferocious tiger or a giant dragon, killing him was easier than stepping on an ant. What can you possibly learn?"

Xiao Hei was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said, "You mean, this bald kid can subdue a giant dragon, but he might not be able to beat this hairy kid?"

"Hmph, that's exactly right."

Xiao Hei looked even more puzzled. "Then what exactly makes this guy so powerful? How can he make the Dustless Pearl work for him?"

When Chang'an was terrified by the giant dragon, the image of Lu Xiaosan immediately came to mind.

The image of Lu Xiaosan in his mind was now standing there blankly, silent and motionless...

Still reeling from the shock, Chang'an suddenly caught a clear glimpse of Lu Xiaosan's back. The feeling was like a scumbag on his deathbed suddenly seeing his first love—suffocating yet tinged with a touch of warmth.

For Chang'an, that figure was familiar, yet terrifying.

But Chang'an's increasingly rapid breathing was slowly returning to normal.

Because he couldn't smell that stench, and someone who doesn't smell can't possibly be Lu Xiaosan.

"It's all an illusion, all my dream... He can never come back..." Chang'an smiled bitterly, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

The two of them stood there silently for a long time.

Old Bai frowned. "Why hasn't this monk made a move yet? Even if he's not very strong, he shouldn't be standing still."

Xiao Hei couldn't help but shout, "Kid, since he's not going to make a move, you should hurry up and kill him!"

Chang'an sighed and slowly said, "It's not that he didn't want to make a move, he was planning to suffocate me..."

"Smoke to death?" Xiao Hei was very puzzled.

Chang'an replied, "This was originally his ultimate weapon against humans, but unfortunately it's useless against me."

He smiled slowly and said, "Besides, this fake him doesn't smell at all. What harm could he possibly do to me?"

Before the two old men could say anything more, he had already drawn a sword and rushed forward, thrusting the sword towards Lu Xiaosan's heart.

The latter, with its awkward and hurried steps, not only failed to dodge but instead met the attack head-on.

The longsword pierced his heart, and Lu Xiaosan's face was full of resentment, as if he was angrily blaming himself for not having a suitable weapon.

However, that ferocious expression, like his person, quickly turned into mist and slowly dissipated.

Xiao Hei shook his head, "They really have absolutely no basic knowledge."

Old Bai, on the other hand, "at least he can now freely change whatever he wants."

She turned her head and found that Xiao Hei's eyes suddenly lit up for some reason, and drool was flowing down like a waterfall. One of its tails was even shaking like a propeller.

Old Bai was stunned for a moment, then looked towards Chang'an with extreme vigilance, where he saw nothing but that:

Her skin was as white as snow and her face as bright as the moon; she was alluring and captivating; she was a beauty that rivaled all others, a national treasure...

Seeing this, Lao Bai's eyes flashed with ferocity, and he let out a long, low growl.

Meanwhile, Xiao Hei was already beaming with delight, "What's that kid thinking about all day long? Honestly, hehehe..."

Old Bai stared wide-eyed. "What? You think he's pretty savvy, huh?"

Xiao Hei was completely absorbed in the reading, muttering through his drunken eyes, "Wow, wow, this kid learns really fast."

Old Bai couldn't hold back any longer. He jumped onto the dog's bed and unleashed a barrage of cat-like punches at the dog's face. Although there was no real harm done, the insult was still quite strong.

The little black dog quickly stepped aside, shook its head, and stuck out its tongue, looking both bewildered and innocent.

Old Bai roared, "You old lecher! Do you know that this kid has a wicked heart?"

Xiao Hei replied righteously, "That's not right. As for food and sex, they are the basic human desires! If this kid is thinking about a bunch of men, then he's truly up to no good!"