Looking down at Xiao Hei by his feet, tail drooping and head lowered, Yang Hongzhi said, half-angry, half-amused,
"You little rascal, I've told you to take things seriously. Look at you—can't even block Xiao Hui's attacks. Once you recover, you're getting some proper training."
Whimpering softly, Xiao Hei cast an aggrieved look at Yang Hongzhi, as though the man were subjecting him to cruel abuse. Yang Hongzhi ruffled Xiao Hei's dog head and said helplessly,
"What's the matter with you? You don't want Xiao Hui roughhousing with you all the time, only to leave you injured each time, right?"
Xiao Hei whimpered pitifully, looking as if he were struggling to accept fate. After a while, he stopped his quiet whining, resigned to his situation. Covering his forehead, Yang Hongzhi felt a fleeting jealousy of Feng Yuan—for his Xiao Ji actually trained itself on its own initiative, a scenario which would never happen with Xiao Hui or Xiao Hei.
