Chapter 57

#I have finally appeared before you once more.

Ever since that day, Xie Zhuo stopped going outside.

He no longer followed after Xie Ling. It was as if he had lost interest in the winds and flowers of the outside world. After that day, he seemed to become reclusive.

Each day, the clansmen would come to offer him soul power. Once the ritual was complete, he would sit in his tent in a daze, motionless for hours on end. The only sign that he was still alive was the occasional swish of his large tail.

I watched this unfold with growing anxiety and helplessness.

I knew that the winds and moonlight from outside could no longer make it through the tent flaps to reach him.

I had to find a body—one that could move, that could contain my soul—so I could reach Xie Zhuo’s side once more.

Once again, I began to crash around like a headless fly.

I still hadn’t found anyone whose soul could resonate with mine. But I had changed!

My worldview had expanded. I had already tried drifting into flowers and stones—so with all the countless things in this world, why limit myself to just people?

Other living beings were just as viable.

And so, once Xie Zhuo stopped leaving his tent, I too stopped being “human.”

I tried “chasing” an ant. I tried “invading” a butterfly.

But without exception—I failed.

Clearly, entering the body of a living creature that already housed a soul was far harder than entering lifeless stone or fluttering petals.

Even if those tiny lives held only the faintest of souls, each one had its own will, its own resistance…

I spent a long, long time searching for a soul that could resonate with mine.

So long, in fact, that I nearly lost all hope.

I began to doubt myself—was I truly such a unique soul in this world? So unique that no other soul could harmonize with me?

I might have once taken pride in that. But now, it only filled me with unbearable anxiety.

As if the heavens wanted to push me to the brink before granting me hope.

One afternoon, after Xie Zhuo received the daily offering and, as usual, I floated out of his tent to search for “living things.”

I stopped being picky. Flies, mosquitoes—whatever crossed my path was a potential match.

I tried them all!

None worked.

Just as I sank into disappointment, on the edge of the snowy forest, I suddenly heard a faint, dying whimper—it was the sound of a puppy.

I drifted toward it. On the outskirts of the forest, I saw a light yellow-furred pup lying on the ground, incredibly weak. Its eyes were nearly shut, but it was using the last of its strength to cry out, its voice thin, sorrowful, struggling and helpless.

One of its hind legs looked malformed, just a stub quivering uncontrollably at its side.

Not far away, a larger dog was slowly walking away.

The puppy’s cries made the larger dog hesitate and glance back occasionally—but in the end, it continued on, step by step, until it vanished into the vastness beyond the forest.

The pup had been abandoned by its mother. It was barely clinging to life.

I floated closer, watching it struggle to survive. It reminded me so much of Xie Zhuo… so heart-wrenching…

And in that very moment—

As my soul brushed against a small part of the puppy’s body, I suddenly felt warmth.

The next instant, my entire soul was pulled into the little pup’s body.

Weak, trembling, yet still warm—it accepted me.

My soul… had merged with this dying one!?

Why?

I didn’t understand. I couldn’t grasp the key to this soul resonance. All I had done was think of Xie Zhuo when I saw the pup…

I had simply felt sorry for it—just as I felt sorry for Xie Zhuo…

As that thought crossed my mind, a warmth suddenly flowed through my new body, as if resonating with my emotions.

It was as though this tiny soul could sense my empathy—it was responding to me, gently comforting me.

It was telling me: even though it was small, struggling, and on the verge of death, it was still willing to offer me a place of refuge, a home—because it understood me.

And in that moment of clarity, I realized: true resonance wasn’t like how I’d tried to force my way into stones or petals. It wasn’t about domination or control.

I had to empathize with the soul.

If all I had in mind was using it, how could that be called resonance?

In a flash, I also understood why Lord God Ji was able to find one soul after another in the sealed Undying City.

Because…

As a god, he had seen the suffering of all things. In the Undying City, each soul he resonated with had been because he felt their pain—and they, in turn, felt his.

Over the span of millennia, he came to possess the most compassionate gaze of all the gods…

Having grasped this truth, my mind suddenly felt clearer—though in this form, I wasn’t even sure where my “mind” was supposed to be.

But in that instant, I seemed to perceive the world’s patterns more distinctly—the struggles of life in every crevice, the unyielding will coursing through bloodlines.

It felt like… I understood this world just a little bit more.

And with that understanding, as I began to breathe using the puppy’s body, I became aware of the faint traces of soul power drifting in the air, scattered throughout the world.

I borrowed that soul power and used a technique I’d learned at Kunlun to mend the body’s meridians. Slowly, my breathing became easier, the pain subsided, and using the pup’s still-functioning three legs, I propped myself up.

I staggered a few steps forward.

Yes. I had found a body whose soul resonated with mine. I had healed this dying body!

At last!

I had become a dog!

I rushed toward Xie Zhuo’s tent—using my three remaining legs—at the speed of eight galloping horses!

Ever since Xie Zhuo disappeared, I had waited far too long. It had been too long since we had truly “seen” each other.

I had never felt such urgency in my life.

I dashed through the forest, past the Snow Wolf Tribe’s dwellings, causing quite a few startled cries. Finally, I crashed right through the flap of Xie Zhuo’s tent—my three legs leaving the ground as I soared inside, landing by the edge of his bed.

I stood there on three legs, looking up at Xie Zhuo, who was sitting at the bedside.

He had become powerful from receiving soul power daily. He must’ve heard me approaching, must’ve guessed what kind of creature was about to burst in.

Yet when he saw me, his eyes still widened in surprise and confusion.

I lifted my head high, my gaze locked on him. Then…

I stuck out my tongue and wagged my tail.

Dog instincts! I couldn’t control them!

My long-suppressed emotions were impossible to contain any longer. I couldn’t hold back—I scrambled up onto his bed with my three legs, clumsy and awkward, posture twisted and ridiculous, but I managed to climb up there all the same.

Xie Zhuo looked like he’d been startled by this little puppy version of me. He stared at me blankly, frozen in place, as if he had no idea what to do.

“Xie Zhuo, Xie Zhuo!” I called out to him in my mind, but all that came from my mouth were soft little whimpers.

I used my fluffy head to nudge away the hands in front of him, and with all three of my working legs, I scrambled to climb up on him—until I’d wriggled my whole body into his arms, letting his scent wrap around me completely.

“I finally appeared in front of you again.”

Cradled in his arms, I looked up at him. He blinked down at me, and finally, he raised his hand. But he seemed hesitant—not because he was afraid of me, but… as if he were afraid of breaking me. His hand hovered in the air for a long time without touching me.

I stood up a bit and nudged his palm with my nose.

The tip of my nose was damp and a little cold—like it sent ripples through his palm. He flinched ever so slightly and pulled his hand back a bit.

“Don’t be scared.” I pawed at his hand. “You won’t break me!”

I let out a few excited yips and scratched at one of my own ears. “See? Now I have ears just like yours!”

“Arf arf arf!”

I let instinct take over and wagged my tail—furiously, like a leaf caught in a storm. It swished back and forth, smacking against his legs with loud thwack thwack thwack sounds.

I told him excitedly, “I have a tail just like yours too!”

“Arf arf arf!”

Xie Zhuo didn’t say a word, but after watching me for a long while, I saw the big tail behind him start to sway ever so slightly too.

See? That’s good. Today, you smiled—a little more than yesterday.

—

Author’s Note:

Yes! It’s a bit short!

But I just couldn’t wait for you to see it!

Look!

The heroine turned into a dog! From today on, she’s Fujiu the Dog!

Woof woof woof!!