When he was a child, Henry Thompson used to lick this a lot. Of course, thinking about it now, Henry Thompson suddenly started to let his mind wander—when my father gave it to me as a kid, this thing probably hadn’t even been washed, right?

I actually licked it so many times!

It was in my father’s hands, or rather, it had been passed down for so many years—had it ever been licked by a dog before?

If it had been… even if it hadn’t, it still seems pretty dirty. Who knows how many people have worn it? And yet, as a kid, I used to put it in my mouth all the time.

“Better not to think about it. The more you think, the more disgusting it gets!”

Henry Thompson shook his head. Don’t dwell on this stuff. Once you start thinking about it, you realize so many things you’ve eaten would make you sick. It’s better not to know.

“Black Panther was acting a bit strange today, but that also shows there’s something different about the jade sword.”

Henry Thompson speculated in his mind, considering all the possibilities.

Soon, Henry Thompson got up, his hands covered in Black Panther’s drool, and so was the jade sword. He decided to wash up first.

……

Back inside, Henry Thompson went into the kitchen, washed his hands, then poured a cup of boiling water and tossed the jade sword into it to disinfect it.

He planned to visit Ethan Bolton’s house later, and he still needed to bring the jade sword.

If he didn’t bring it, he was afraid someone might steal it. Of course, he also wondered if the jade sword could serve as a protective talisman. Maybe if he encountered the red shadow, the jade sword would be useful. There was no way Henry Thompson would just leave it at home unattended.

Last year, when Ethan Bolton died, the red shadow didn’t attack him. Maybe the jade sword played a role, but at this moment, Henry Thompson couldn’t be sure.

After soaking it in the boiling water for a while, Henry Thompson took out the jade sword and rinsed it with cold water.

Just as he was about to pour out the water from the bowl, he suddenly heard some movement at his feet.

“Woof woof!”

Black Panther actually came in!

Henry Thompson was always worried about Black Panther shedding fur and didn’t want to clean up, so he usually didn’t let Black Panther inside. Black Panther was obedient and never came in before, but just now, he actually followed Henry Thompson into the kitchen!

Henry Thompson looked down and saw Black Panther’s dog face full of anticipation, his eyes fixed on the bowl in Henry Thompson’s hand.

In the bowl was the water he had just used to wash the jade sword.

Henry Thompson’s heart stirred. Suddenly, he put the bowl on the floor. Black Panther didn’t even care that the water was still hot—he stuck out his tongue and started licking it like crazy.

Even when he got burned and whimpered, he still refused to give up.

“Huh?”

“Water… the water used to wash the jade sword?”

Henry Thompson watched silently, speculating about something. Could the water from soaking the jade sword have some special property?

“But that can’t be right. I used to lick it all the time as a kid and never noticed anything special.”

Of course, now that he was grown up, Henry Thompson would never do something so childish.

At this moment, Henry Thompson grew even more curious.

Because he seemed to notice something odd: as Black Panther drank the water, his previously messy and dry black fur, visibly to the naked eye, seemed to become smoother.

And Black Panther’s tail was wagging even more happily.

“Water, the water soaked with the jade sword!”

“Mysterious power?”

“How strange… Could it be that this is the correct way to use the jade sword—soak it in water and drink it?”

Henry Thompson crouched down and petted Black Panther again. The feel was indeed a bit different!

It really was different—much smoother, without that prickly feeling from before.

In that instant, Henry Thompson suddenly looked at the jade sword in his hand, feeling a surge of excitement. Could it be… that soaking the jade sword in water infuses the water with some mysterious power?

The thing he had been desperately seeking, the mysterious power he had always longed to touch—could it be… right there in this bowl of water?

“If this is real, then it turns out I had to rely on a dog to discover the true use of the family heirloom sword?”

The key point is, this sword had been licked by a dog before.

Even though it had been boiled for a while, Henry Thompson still felt a bit grossed out. Of course, if it really worked, never mind a dog licking it—even if… well, even if it was a bit disgusting, Henry Thompson wouldn’t care.

“Does the Starry Sky Sword contain some mysterious power that can’t be absorbed directly, but only by soaking it in water so the power disperses into the water and can then be absorbed?”

Henry Thompson’s mind raced. Black Panther’s fur had become smoother—this definitely wasn’t something ordinary.

If it could do that, it had to be related to some mysterious power.

At this moment, Henry Thompson couldn’t help but laugh and cry. So, I was inspired by a dog and might have discovered the correct way to activate the Starry Sky Sword?

He looked at Black Panther, speechless.

And at this moment, Black Panther had already finished the water, looking completely satisfied. When he saw Henry Thompson looking at him, his tail wagged even more happily, and there seemed to be a new spark of intelligence in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“This dog… really seems to have become more human-like!”

Henry Thompson was shocked. The effect was that good?

The next moment, he looked at the jade sword, suddenly feeling a surge of excitement. Black Panther drank it and was fine, even benefited from it—what about me?

Can I drink it?

If I drink it, can I become one of those mysterious power holders, as elusive as a dragon?

Right now, danger was everywhere.

If he could master some mysterious power at this moment, it would be a lifeline for Henry Thompson!

“Drinking it won’t kill me, right?”

It shouldn’t. I licked it so many times as a kid, and Black Panther is just an ordinary dog—he drank it, licked it, and he didn’t die.