Chapter 77: Diverging Paths of Man and Dog [First Update]

Luffy felt a surge of joy in his heart; he hadn’t expected that holding Zhao Liying would feel just as wonderful as before. The faint fragrance, the enchanting touch—such delight, so warm and comforting. She didn’t move at all, letting Luffy embrace her, feeling the broadness of his body and the sense of security it brought her. Her body relaxed, tingling and soft, nearly collapsing into his arms.

“Ding! The red envelope has been successfully opened. Congratulations, host, you have received ten Matchmaker’s Red Threads. They have been sent to your storage compartment.”

“Seriously? I’m not the Matchmaker—why give me Matchmaker’s Red Threads?” Luffy thought it was useless at first, but then realized it might be very handy. For example, if he secretly tied a Red Thread to Qin Bailin’s wrist, wouldn’t that mean Qin Bailin would never love anyone else again, only him? The thought made him quite happy.

With that in mind, Luffy gently let go of Zhao Liying.

“How was it? The hug of love, did it help you forget your fear just now?” Luffy smiled at Zhao Liying.

“Mm, thank you.” Zhao Liying’s cheeks were flushed. She looked down, shyly avoiding Luffy’s gaze.

“This is for you.” Luffy took out two Red Threads. “These are Matchmaker’s Red Threads. Tie one to the person you like and one to yourself, and you’ll be able to be together.”

“That’s amazing!” Zhao Liying was curious, quickly taking the threads and examining them before putting them away. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” Luffy smiled and turned to leave.

Zhao Liying followed behind, thinking about how she might tie the Red Thread to Luffy later. She returned to her residence.

Luffy headed home.

At eight o’clock in the evening, Mabi appeared before Luffy.

“Boss, I heard you gave Zhao Liying two Matchmaker’s Red Threads?” Mabi asked respectfully.

“Yes, I did. Why? Have you got your eye on that girl?” Luffy looked at Mabi in surprise.

“Not me. It’s a stray dog I picked up—it’s fallen for another dog. That dog looks just like the one who saved me when I was young, so I wanted to repay the favor. I came to ask you for two Red Threads so the two dogs can be together,” Mabi explained sincerely.

“You’re not talking about the Teddy Sacred Beast, are you?” Luffy was baffled—was Mabi joking, wanting to use Red Threads on dogs?

“Boss, how did you know? The Teddy’s fallen for someone, so when Zhao Liying said you had Matchmaker’s Red Threads, he kept pestering me to ask you for them. He even promised to give me a seventh-tier crystal core if I got them.”

Mabi couldn’t help but smile.

“If you give me a seventh-tier crystal core, I’ll give you the two Red Threads,” Luffy replied, seeing the benefit.

“Alright, boss.” Mabi took the Red Threads and dashed away excitedly, transforming into a Teddy.

“Damn!” Luffy hadn’t expected the Teddy Sacred Beast to disguise itself as Mabi just to get the Red Threads.

“You’re not planning to tie the Red Thread to Xiaolongnu, are you?” Luffy immediately chased after him.

How could this dog be so clever?

“Woof woof...” The Teddy nodded smugly.

“Come on, do you really think you’re human? Dogs and people are different—you should give up now.”

Luffy quickly used his Smoky Dream Violet Steps to catch up, surprised at how fast the Teddy was. He also activated the “Movement” secret technique, overtaking the Teddy and blocking its path. “So you can transform too, huh? Dead dog, hand over the Red Threads!”

“Woof woof...” The Teddy looked aggrieved, clutching the Red Threads and unwilling to let go, as if saying he and Xiaolongnu were truly in love.

“Little Teddy, tie the Red Thread to your master. I don’t even like you—you’re funny! I like my master, not you. Who said true love? Give up your doggy dreams,”

Suddenly,

Xiaolongnu appeared beside Luffy, speechless. This Teddy was crazy, even shapeshifting into human form. If she hadn’t been hidden next to Luffy all along, she wouldn’t have known about the Teddy’s transformation abilities.

“That’s right, master is correct. Dogs and people are different.”

“Woof woof!” The little Teddy was heartbroken, tears streaming from his eyes.

“Little guy, get lost!” Luffy was speechless, kicking the Teddy away. The creature was too mischievous, barely a few months old and already dreaming of flying away with Xiaolongnu. Then he looked at Xiaolongnu, graceful and elegant.

“You’ve been hiding by my side all along?”

“Of course. I know everything you do. I didn’t expect you to treat Zhao Liying so well. Why not treat me better? I’m a peerless beauty!” Xiaolongnu looked at Luffy, hurt.

“Jealous?” Luffy opened his arms and hugged Xiaolongnu. She was adorable and innocent, even the Teddy liked her. He hugged her to comfort her.

Xiaolongnu grinned slyly, holding Luffy tightly.

Moonlight draped like gauze, the two held each other for a long time before letting go.

Xiaolongnu vanished, hidden from sight.

Luffy received a call from Zhang Rishan. “Brother Fei, you’re incredible! You took out the Wang family’s second strongest. The Wang family is on high alert, acting like they’re facing a great enemy.”

“Haha, but the Wang family’s young master escaped. Was the person who saved him your master? He looked a lot like the one who saved you last time,” Luffy asked curiously.

“No, that guy isn’t my master. He’s a formidable seventh-tier expert. But I saw traces of a wild beast on the surveillance I set up nearby. Just as you guessed, it’s a cat demon, and it’s acting strangely, heading toward your house,” Zhang Rishan said with a laugh. “But be careful, Brother Fei. Wang Da Shao and the Wang family head are planning how to deal with you. They’re thinking of targeting your parents.”

“Oh, good. Once I deal with the cat demon, I’ll go to the Wang family and wipe them out. Let’s see how arrogant they can be,” Luffy replied calmly. The cat demon coming toward his house was interesting.

He turned to head home, the night air slightly cool.

Worried something might happen at home, Luffy quickened his pace. Using the Smoky Dream Violet Steps and the “Movement” secret technique together, he arrived at his house to find several women confronting a human-sized black cat, all looking serious.

They were injured, clearly having fought.

It seemed placing them there for protection had worked. Now that he was here, the cat demon was doomed. To dare commit crimes near his home—how foolish.

(End of chapter)