Page 271

Gu Xiaoxi walked out of the gate with Yun Xiao after sending Shao Changfeng and Zhao Zilong away.

The sentries all recognized her by now, so she no longer had to present her ID when she left.

As for Yun Xiao, she had already requested leave from Gao Yitian, allowing her to come and go with her for a provisional period of two months.

Following Gu Xiaoxi, Yun Xiao asked curiously, "Xiao Xi, where are you taking me for extra training?"

"Just follow me," Gu Xiaoxi replied, glancing back at her with a faint smile.

Moments later, Yun Xiao saw a black Hummer parked by the roadside.

Gu Xiaoxi walked straight over, the person picking her up was Lin Shu.

"Aunt Lin!" Gu Xiaoxi called out politely, and then turning to her, she pointed at Yun Xiao and introduced, "This is a friend of mine. She can communicate with military dogs, but she’s as much a newcomer as I am. I hope you can take her under your wing too."

Lin Shu glanced over at Yun Xiao a few times. She was around twenty, dressed in a clean, crisp military uniform, with a dog sitting obediently by her side, tongue out.

"Is this the new military dog you’ve chosen?" Lin Shu asked.

Yun Xiao looked at Gu Xiaoxi, who immediately gave her an encouraging glance.

Yun Xiao saluted Lin Shu and then responded, "Yes, it was transferred to my care the day before yesterday. It just started following me yesterday."

"Then issue it a few commands; if it can accurately complete them, you can get in the car with me. I don’t want to waste time on someone without the skills," Lin Shu said. It wasn’t that she looked down on people; she just wanted to be sure they were worth her time and effort to train.

Upon hearing this, Yun Xiao quickly crouched down, gently touched the military dog’s head beside her, then abruptly stood up and pointed towards a thicket not far away, where clearly there was a little rabbit.

She commanded Xiao Xiao, "Go, catch it, catch it alive."

She used a verbal command directly!

Standing by her side, Xiao Xiao instantly stood up and dashed into the thicket. In no time, the snow-white dog returned, carrying a little rabbit in its mouth and placed it by her feet, unharmed, with the rabbit still hopping around.

For her second command, Yun Xiao said solemnly, "Walk forward forty steps, then run back!"

Watching, Gu Xiaoxi was inwardly startled. Forty steps! How could a dog count?

But then he saw Yun Xiao simply touch Xiao Xiao’s ear, and the snow-white military dog walked with proud steps, precisely forty, no more, no less – Gu Xiaoxi even counted. Afterward, Xiao Xiao ran back.

Lin Shu’s eyes widened in amazement. Could there really be someone in the world who could communicate with military dogs? Clearly, she found it somewhat unbelievable.

The second command Yun Xiao had given contained two parts, and the fact that the military dog could understand was incredible. Moreover, Xiao Xiao was able to count exactly forty steps, a feat that no dog trainer and military dog could achieve.

Furthermore, having spent only two days with the military dog, Yun Xiao was able to command it.

"Get in the car!" Lin Shu looked at Yun Xiao again, her mind full of shock. Such people were natural-born dog trainers, able to understand a military dog’s habits and thus devise new training commands.

The direct communication she had with the military dog was simply astounding.

Gu Xiaoxi cast an admiring glance at Yun Xiao and then led her into the vehicle.

Xiao Xiao had been eyeing Xiao Xiao with an aggressive stare, but Xiao Xiao humbly and gently followed Yun Xiao, clearly mirroring the temperament of its owner.

During the drive, it was Lin Shu and Gu Xiaoxi who did the talking, while Yun Xiao remained mostly silent.

Fortunately, Gu Xiaoxi understood her and didn’t press her with questions.

They arrived at the Stone Villa (the name Gu Xiaoxi later gave the villa).

Young Master Quan hadn’t returned so early, because he had been on a mission recently and surely had many follow-up matters to handle.

Lin Shu then taught Gu Xiaoxi and Yun Xiao dog training.

Out of the two military dogs, Xiao Xiao was noticeably more mischievous and thus harder to train.

But with Xiao Xiao, as long as Yun Xiao was there, it was always obedient, even ignoring the occasional provocations and trouble-stirring from Xiao Xiao.

Gu Xiaoxi had always believed that she and Xiao Xiao were the most in sync, but now she saw she had been wrong.

"Jump!" Gu Xiaoxi pointed toward a jump obstacle not far away, and Xiao Xiao immediately ran towards it, but instead of jumping, it ran swiftly past it and then circled back, completely skipping the jump.

Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes instantly blazed with fire, and this fellow was running around and frolicking as if he couldn’t be happier. If it weren’t for it being nighttime, he would probably be out there trying to pounce on butterflies.

Meanwhile, Yun Xiao’s Xiao Xiao obediently leaped into the air, jumping over hurdles, then swiftly returned without any stops along the way, very obedient.

After three hours of training in the evening, Xiao Xiao earned a reward as a result of the training—a basin of meat soup.

And Xiao Xiao only got a small bowl of dog food!

"Woof, woof, woof!" Xiao Xiao began to protest.

But Lin Shu decisively tied its leash to a wooden stake, "Tonight no one is allowed to come see it; a dog that isn’t strict and disciplined doesn’t deserve to be a military dog. Without discipline, there’s no order—do you understand, Xiao Xi?"

Gu Xiaoxi glanced at Xiao Xiao and looked up at the sky, feeling a profound sense of desolation in her heart. Xiao Xiao was such a fool; damn, she had been mistaken, "Don’t worry, if it’s being mischievous, I won’t have any sympathy for it."

"Xiao Xiao is very well-behaved! But Yun Xiao, his physical strength is much less than Xiao Xiao’s, suitable for combat, but not for long-distance battles.

Have you tried whether he can keep up with you when running?

" Lin Shu asked, looking at the obediently eating Xiao Xiao and addressing Yun Xiao.

Yun Xiao replied in a calm voice, "I’ve tried; she can’t outrun me."

Just like Xiao Xiao couldn’t outrun Gu Xiaoxi—her physical ability wasn’t bad! She hadn’t really had a chance to compare with Xiao Xiao because she had spent less time here with Xiao Xiao.

When she originally chose Xiao Xiao, it was because he seemed strong and robust. As for how far he could run, she didn’t know.

"Then starting tomorrow morning, both of you will run back to camp; get up earlier in the morning," Lin Shu said.

Neither Gu Xiaoxi nor Yun Xiao had any issue with that.

It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening now.

Lin Shu didn’t continue their training, but let them rest instead.

She was preparing to make dinner.

"Aunt Lin, we’ll help you," Gu Xiaoxi said with a smile, "You should know, I can cook too."

"You’d better go back to your room for a wash quick; Shaoqing’s coming back soon. Then come down to eat together," Aunt Lin said, finally relaxing her stern expression with a smiling face.

Gu Xiaoxi felt embarrassed, having her teach them dog training and also cook for them; it was really hard on one person.

But Lin Shu insisted on not allowing her to help, so she could only take Yun Xiao back to their room.

Yun Xiao, filled with curiosity and reservation towards this unfamiliar place, even looked a bit disconcerted, "Xiao Xi, is this a military base? Is it okay for me to stay here with you? Who owns this place?"

She asked three questions in a row.

As they walked, Gu Xiaoxi turned back to look at Yun Xiao and chuckled, "You finally started to talk. Don’t worry, this is where I live; my room’s bed is very big, big enough for the two of us.

You and I are about the same height, and I have lots of new clothes that I haven’t worn yet.

You can wear them, including the bras you need! "

Yun Xiao’s cheeks turned involuntarily red.

The words of Gu Xiaoxi made her feel even more embarrassed and uneasy.

Seeing her evasive gaze, Gu Xiaoxi was speechless, wrapped an arm around her shoulder with a laugh and said, "Don’t worry, they’re all brand new.

I washed them myself, and they’ve been hanging in the closet unworn.

I have a lot of clothes too, although they’re mostly sports clothes.

You can pick anything you like, even if we wear matching outfits, it’s fine. "

Yun Xiao felt the hands on her shoulders were incredibly warm, and the uneasiness in her heart lessened a bit, though she said bashfully, "Then are there other people in this house?"

"Yes, there are! But it’s fine; we’re here to win the competition and bring glory to our country; he won’t mind," Gu Xiaoxi explained with a smile.

Approaching the door together, Gu Xiaoxi pushed open the room’s door.

What met her eyes was a spotlessly clean white room, with only a light pink blanket on the bed looking especially dreamy.

The entire bedroom radiated with an aura of purity and warmth.

Under the brilliant lights, it was so clean it felt like a heavenly paradise that made one reluctant to step inside.

Yun Xiao stood at the doorway, hesitant to step forward. She had never lived in such a beautiful room and had always thought that the dormitory was already nice.

But this room was not just luxurious; it also had the feeling of a home.

It even made her feel like the whole house was a warm home.

Gu Xiaoxi strode into the room and started searching through the wardrobe for clothes to prepare for a shower.

Seeing Yun Xiao still standing at the door, she curiously asked, "Why are you just standing there silly? Go take a shower; you stink. After washing up, go down and help Aunt Lin with cooking."

Only then did Yun Xiao step forward, treading carefully. The plush carpet muffled her footsteps and, to her, the decorations and furnishings seemed extremely opulent.