If he were to enlighten the white dog into a Spirit Monster, it would become the Family's trump card for protection. It wouldn't be appropriate to let it return to the village.
The village had too many eyes and ears, making it easy for news to leak. Furthermore, Spirit Monsters were inherently frightening and eye-catching; if exposed, it would no longer be a trump card!
Coincidentally, Chen Changsheng no longer wanted to live in those three thatched huts. He decided to build a residence on the low hill of War Horse Slope, which would also make it easier to look after the tea fields.
After planning everything out, Chen Changsheng returned to his room and went back to sleep.
The next morning, Chen Changsheng announced his decision to build a residence on the mountain, and the whole Family was very supportive!
After all, the tea fields were the Chen Family's greatest source of wealth; they naturally wanted to keep a close watch on them!
After breakfast, Chen Changsheng took out one hundred taels of silver and gathered the able-bodied men of the village to form a construction team.
It was currently the slack season in the village, and many people had nothing to do. Hearing that Chen Changsheng was hiring people to build a house, they flocked to sign up.
Soon, Chen Changsheng had gathered fifty men. He offered each of them two taels of silver to hire them for a month.
The residence on the mountain had to be completed within this month!
There was plenty of bluestone on the mountain, so Chen Changsheng led the men to polish bluestone for the foundation. He then specifically set aside fifty taels of silver to buy blue bricks and green tiles.
Under Chen Changsheng's direction, a simple and unsophisticated blue-brick Courtyard House gradually rose on the mountainside of War Horse Slope. Seen from afar, it looked grand and very imposing!
Chen Changsheng took out another fifty taels to go to the county seat to buy timber and furniture. He also had a well dug in the courtyard, decorating the residence in a very refined and elegant manner.
Once this residence was built, it became the most prominent house in Kaoshan Village, even more imposing than the home of the village's wealthiest man, Headman Liu. One couldn't find such a fine residence within a ten-mile radius.
The fellow villagers looked at Chen Changsheng with envious eyes. Initially, they all thought Chen Changsheng was a spendthrift for renting useless mountain land for farming.
Now, the man had made his fortune and built a large Courtyard House, with more silver than he could spend. If they had built a good relationship with Chen Changsheng back then, they could be asking him for a helping hand now!
Unfortunately, they had mocked him back then. Now, they would have to change their tune and call him Master Chen!
Soon a month passed, and under Chen Changsheng's leadership, the residence was completed inside and out.
This Courtyard House had a total of five wing rooms, a living room, and an ancestral hall. A stone tablet stood at the entrance, and high walls tightly enclosed the courtyard to prevent people from peeking in.
Chen Changsheng was very satisfied with his design, even though he had plagiarized the style of the capital's Courtyard Houses from his previous life.
Especially this large courtyard of over five hundred square meters; it was perfect for the Family to practice martial arts without worrying about being seen by others.
Chen Changsheng went to the county seat to find He Zhang and gave him two hundred and fifty taels of silver to rent the entire low hill of War Horse Slope. As for how much He Zhang kept for himself, Chen Changsheng didn't know.
Regardless, the land deed was in his hands!
With everything ready, Chen Changsheng moved his Family into the Courtyard House on the mountain overnight!
The Family members, who usually lived in thatched huts, were stunned by the grand and bright Courtyard House. They truly never imagined they would live in such a house.
Especially the two children, Chuanwen and Chuanwu; they wandered around the Courtyard House for a long time before the novelty finally wore off.
Chen Changsheng let them choose their own rooms among the five wing rooms—there were plenty to choose from—while he quietly went to the tea fields.
Under the moonlight, the earth was covered in a layer of silver frost.
Chen Changsheng walked to the tea fields and called out softly, "Howling Heaven!"
Soon, a white-furred hound came running with a whimper. With a streamlined body and extreme speed, it moved nimbly among the tea trees like a bolt of white lightning!
Howling Heaven was the small white dog Chen Changsheng had bought a year ago. At the time, the seller said it was a hunting dog from the Southern Border with an excellent Bloodline!
Chen Changsheng had thought the other party was just boasting, but seeing Howling Heaven fully grown now, having him hunt rabbits or foxes would certainly be no problem.
"Come, Howling Heaven, be good. Today I'm giving you a great Opportunity!"
Chen Changsheng first tossed a chicken leg he had brought to Howling Heaven, then stroked the head of the dog as it gnawed on the meat, his eyes gradually narrowing.
"Howling Heaven, for the next ten years, you will be the trump card my Chen Family relies on!"
Chen Changsheng spoke in a long, drawn-out tone. Then, making up his mind, he no longer hesitated and summoned the Family Treasure Trove.
"Spend 50 years of Lifespan to purchase the [Demon Pointing Stone]!"
As Chen Changsheng's voice fell, he felt the sensation of his life being drained particularly strongly this time, nearly making him unable to stand. At the same time, his sideburns turned gray, and a strand of white hair grew on his forehead.
This was because his own remaining Lifespan was only twenty years.
But Chen Changsheng did not regret it at all. He stared intently at the strange, blood-colored small stone before him, his heart filled with joy.
This was the Demon Pointing Stone, his trump card for protecting the Family!
After purchasing the Demon Pointing Stone, the method of use naturally flowed into Chen Changsheng's mind.
He walked up to the obediently sitting Howling Heaven, bit his finger with a serious expression, and dripped a drop of fresh blood onto the Demon Pointing Stone.
"All spirits of heaven and earth, enlighten the monster and seal the covenant..."
As Chen Changsheng bowed his head and chanted, the small blood-colored stone emitted a cluster of complex runes, which then transformed into a beam of blood-red light that shot straight into the top of Howling Heaven's head.
"Awoooo..."
Howling Heaven let out a low growl, clearly a bit startled. Chen Changsheng stroked Howling Heaven's head to comfort him.
Finally, the blood-red light merged into Howling Heaven's body.
[Contract successfully signed. The Beast Master and the Spirit Beast can now communicate telepathically. Do you wish to enlighten the Spirit Beast into a Spirit Monster?]
Chen Changsheng felt a surge of information in the dark. He knew this was the magical effect of the Demon Pointing Stone. Simultaneously, he could vaguely sense Howling Heaven's emotions and thoughts.
"Enlighten it!"
Chen Changsheng said directly without hesitation.
A beam of blood-red light radiated from the top of Howling Heaven's head, and a moment later, another piece of information arrived.
[Spirit Beast: Southern Border Hound. Capabilities are significant in two directions: Hunting and Slaughter. Please choose one direction for enlightenment!]
Chen Changsheng knew this was the key to Howling Heaven generating a talent skill. If he chose the Hunting direction, perhaps it could lead him through the great mountains, but what Chen Changsheng needed was combat power!
He needed martial force as the Family's trump card!
"Enlighten the Slaughter direction!"
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and made his choice. The red light atop Howling Heaven's head completely merged into his body.
[Enlightened in the Slaughter direction. The Southern Border Hound has evolved into a Spirit Monster. Bloodline talent awakened: Copper Head and Iron Bones... Sharp Claws...]
After Howling Heaven merged with the red light, his size first grew by a full circle. Although he still looked lean and streamlined, his physique was now like that of a leopard. His claws also began to shimmer with a cold light like daggers, and they could be retracted into his paws like a feline's.
The basic information of Howling Heaven's talent skills also appeared in Chen Changsheng's mind.
[Copper Head and Iron Bones: Bones become as hard as iron. Fur can block attacks from ordinary blades and swords, while also slightly increasing strength!]
[Sharp Claws: Both claws are extremely sharp, capable of cutting through iron as if it were mud. Fine control allows them to be extended and retracted at will!]
Chen Changsheng stroked Howling Heaven's neck, sensing his surprise and joy at his own changes, and said with a smile:
"Howling Heaven, adapt to your strength first. Tomorrow I'll build a kennel behind the courtyard. You'll live there from now on!"
As soon as Chen Changsheng finished speaking, a thoughtful look appeared in Howling Heaven's eyes. Then, with two whimpers, he went to frolic in the tea fields!
Chen Changsheng couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of the [Demon Pointing Stone]. Not only did it turn Howling Heaven into a Spirit Monster with extraordinary strength, but it even raised his intelligence to the level of a young boy, allowing him to understand the meaning of his words.