Chapter 7

The intimate behavior of the Great King towards Wu Rui made the entire cafeteria fall into a deathly silence.

This is a Tibetan Mastiff, not a pet dog. Oh my, Great King, where is your dignity? Black Dog used to be very proud, never giving anyone face except for his master, the Ghost Doctor. But today, he actually nodded and wagged his tail at Li Mang. Strange things happen every year, but there have been particularly many recently. This is the most bizarre strange event in the Yanhuang Compound this year.

Especially the Ghost Doctor, the dog's owner, felt as if ten thousand grass mud horses were galloping over his head. His face burned, and the way he looked at Li Mang was subtly different.

"Cough, cough... Great King, stop fooling around!" Li Mang lightly kicked him.

If it were before, the Great King would have surely pounced on the person who kicked him, pinning them down tightly. If there was any resistance, he would even bite. But now, not only did he not do that, he wagged his tail even more enthusiastically, clearly showing his flattery.

Seeing the Ghost Doctor walking over, the people around also gathered closer. Li Mang was filled with regret. If he had known, he would have just had breakfast in his own courtyard. Why come to the cafeteria to make himself uncomfortable? Now he was fidgety and uneasy.

"... Senior Ghost Doctor, and everyone, good morning!" Li Mang stood up with a stiff smile, his voice slightly stiff.

No one responded to him. Although the Yanhuang Compound did not have a clear hierarchy, Li Mang was just a messenger, a junior office worker. Apart from the little brat and Old Cao, who were a bit eccentric and treated him as a 'friend,' no one else would even give him a second glance. They were the type who could bully him whenever they wanted.

The Ghost Doctor gave the Great King a strange look, then turned his gaze to Li Mang. Confusion and doubt flashed in his eyes as he stared at Li Mang and asked, "Li Mang, are you very familiar with the Great King?"

"Sort of." Li Mang knew that the more he said, the more he would slip, so he kept his response simple.

"Did you spend time with the Great King yesterday?" the Ghost Doctor asked again.

"Yesterday? I was in bed all day, never left the house!" Li Mang answered cautiously. He was playing with words. He said he didn't leave the house, but he didn't say he wasn't with the Great King. This way, even if it was exposed later, he could still be justified.

"... I'll check your body again." The Ghost Doctor said, then without waiting for a response, he grabbed Li Mang's wrist.

"Oh no!" Li Mang's face turned pale. He had forgotten about this. With the Ghost Doctor's powerful medical skills, he would surely be able to gather a lot of information from his body.

"... " The Ghost Doctor finally released Li Mang's wrist after a long time. He stared at Li Mang, his eyes filled with surprise, making Li Mang even more uneasy, unable to meet his gaze.

Clearly, the Ghost Doctor had noticed the changes in Li Mang's body. Not only were his injuries gone, but his constitution had also mysteriously improved. These obvious changes were surely noticed by the Ghost Doctor, otherwise he wouldn't be so shocked. Li Mang had never doubted his medical skills.

Fortunately, the Ghost Doctor didn't go crazy or expose him. Instead, he patted the Great King's head and said, "If I'm not in the compound in the future, let the Great King follow you!"

"Ah... Okay!" Li Mang agreed, though he wasn't sure what the Ghost Doctor was thinking, this was the best outcome.

The Great King seemed to understand something and wagged his tail happily at Li Mang, leaving everyone speechless. They were also secretly amazed. Li Mang was on the rise! To actually gain the favor of the Ghost Doctor. Of course, they were more curious about the reason.

"Everyone, don't gather here. Go and have breakfast!"

Yang Fan, the bespectacled man, called out from outside. The crowd dispersed. Unlike Li Mang, who was a 'staff member,' Yang Fan was a 'manager.' He had real power and was also a 'superhuman.' Naturally, everyone gave him face.

Yang Fan came to Li Mang's side, his expression somewhat strange. He looked him up and down before asking, "Your injuries are better?"

"Thank you for your concern, Manager Yang. My body is fine now." Li Mang replied straightforwardly.

"That's good. Take another day off today, and start work officially tomorrow. It's been very busy recently." Yang Fan patted Li Mang's shoulder affectionately, then went to get his meal without saying anything else.

Seeing the atmosphere around him was off, with strange looks being cast his way, something that never happened before, Li Mang hurriedly finished his meal and left the cafeteria without waiting for the little brat.

When he returned to his courtyard, Li Mang found his back drenched in sweat, but he had no time to care. After locking the courtyard gate, the house door, and the room door, he paced around the room, his face full of anxiety.

"Almost forgot, this is the Yanhuang Compound. Any slight movement will be investigated. Everything else is fine, but the secret of the Shanhaijing must not be discovered!" Li Mang knew the danger of possessing something valuable. Now that he lacked the strength to protect himself, the secret of the Shanhaijing must not be revealed!

The Ghost Doctor had already noticed the changes in his body, but based on Li Mang's understanding of his character, the Ghost Doctor probably wouldn't inform the Yanhuang management.

However, this could only be hidden for a day, not forever. Once his constitution continued to improve, it would eventually be noticed. After all, the Yanhuang Compound was full of extraordinary people, not just the Ghost Doctor, and there were many with strange abilities.

"I need to find an excuse, a reason for my strength, to avoid being caught off guard in the future!" Li Mang began to organize his thoughts.

Currently, his abnormality mainly manifested in his strength, which was three times what it used to be. Although he hadn't tested it, Li Mang was confident he could surpass the naturally strong little brat.

Of course, the little brat was only eight years old, and his strength would only grow as he got older, something Li Mang couldn't compare to. He could only envy. However, since eating the wild chicken from the Shanhaijing world increased his strength, he wouldn't worry about his strength not improving in the future.

But, what does being strong mean?

"Strength is also a superpower!" Li Mang's eyes shone brighter.

A superpower is just a general term, referring to abilities that are different from ordinary people. It's not just about controlling wind, fire, lightning, and thunder. Exceptional memory, strength, and other such abilities are also considered superpowers, as long as they have special value.

His body only changed after being burned in a fire. If he attributed this 'superpower' entirely to that fire, no one would suspect that he had the Shanhaijing inside him.

Refining the details, this excuse could be made more convincing, but the only flaw was with the Ghost Doctor, or rather, the Great King.

Why did the Great King keep barking last night? If the organization investigated, it wouldn't be hard to find out that it was because Li Mang fed him bones. After all, there were hidden cameras in the compound, and the Great King's unusual behavior towards him earlier would make people suspicious. This was the flaw in his excuse for gaining superpowers.

"I need to probe Senior Ghost Doctor's thoughts."

Adjusting his sun hat, Li Mang turned to leave. But he accidentally saw the wooden cabinet by the bed, raised his eyelids, thought for a moment, and then went over to take out the jade wrapped in clothes, the wild chicken feathers from the kitchen trash can, and a raw chicken from the freezer, and brought them all back to the Shanhaijing world to bury. He also thoroughly cleaned the courtyard.

This lie wasn't enough; he needed to destroy this evidence. Otherwise, if it was discovered during an investigation, the matter would be truly inexplicable.

After doing all this, Li Mang reviewed everything to ensure no other evidence was left behind. Only then did he leave his courtyard and walk calmly to the Ghost Doctor's residence.

The Ghost Doctor's small courtyard was relatively secluded, at the foot of a mountain, with a small lake in front. The environment was better than other places, showing the Ghost Doctor's high status in the Yanhuang Compound.

"Woof, woof!"

The Great King saw Li Mang's arrival and came out first, wagging his tail happily. Li Mang couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. He couldn't really argue with a dog, especially since he was the one who had tested the chicken on the Great King first. He just glared at the black dog.

The Great King, however, was shameless, perhaps thinking Li Mang was being affectionate. He danced around happily, jumping over a meter high, making Li Mang's mouth twitch. It seemed the black dog had also benefited from the wild chicken, which explained why he was so affectionate today, unlike his usual fierce nature.

"Is Senior Ghost Doctor here?" Li Mang didn't dare to enter the Ghost Doctor's courtyard without permission.

"... Come in!" The Ghost Doctor's deep voice came from inside.

"Click!" Li Mang pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in quietly. In the living room, he saw the Ghost Doctor busily organizing the medicine cabinet.