As for whether the Crimson Flame Guardian Hound was truly a Friendship evolution, even Jiang Xing himself wasn't entirely certain.
But that didn't stop him from voicing his speculation.
Because doing so would draw more scholars' attention and interest—
After all, when ordinary people heard Goldie's story, they simply found this reunion—spanning twenty years, transcending life and death—deeply moving.
But Pet Beast scholars were profoundly shaken.
After Jiang Xing proved the Friendship Theory, although he had opened the door to a new field, most scholars were still focused on one thing: "finding more emotional energy."
After all, there was still a vast gap between "the existence of Friendship" and "Friendship evolution."
Just like the old Personality Hypothesis.
Due to uncertainty in research, it had remained only a hypothesis for decades.
Only after Jiang Xing proved it did it become a foundational pillar of Pet Beast studies and return to the forefront of scholarly attention.
No one knew whether "Friendship evolution" would become the next "Personality Hypothesis," requiring a long period of time before it could be proven.
But…
Just as the scholars were still hesitating about whether to follow this path—Jiang Xing stepped forward and kicked the door to this new field wide open, placing "Friendship evolution" directly in front of them!
Although it was only a hypothesis and lacked strict proof, when combined with the remarkable result of "undead Pet Beasts revived through Friendship," it was more than enough to push some already wavering scholars to make a decision and devote themselves to researching Friendship evolution.
Just as Pet Beasts are always driven to pursue strength, scholars are always chasing the kind of power that can bring about a qualitative transformation in Pet Beasts—
In the end, the goal of Pet Beast research is evolution.
Everything else is merely scenery along the way.
…
Once the Undead Guardian Hound and the Crimson Flame Guardian Hound—these two loyal types of Pet Beasts—became fully known to the public, it was only natural that many Beast Tamers fell in love with them and planned to raise them.
Raise a Howl Hound first, and after it dies, it becomes an Undead Guardian Hound.
One Pet Beast, two uses—how great is that?
Sensing their thoughts, Jiang Xing added one final note.
"However, emotions also require a bond, and the Beast Taming contract serves that role."
"Only by relying on a shattered contract can the emotions between a human and a Pet Beast transcend life and death, reconnecting once more."
"But unfortunately…"
"The return of these spirit hounds does not restore the contract. The Beast Tamer must permanently bear the damage caused by the contract's destruction."
"And because they are revived after death, the spirit hounds themselves inherit that broken contract and can no longer form a contract with anyone."
"This is likely the price that must be paid for recalling the dead."
"…???"
The audience was completely stunned.
Wait, what?!
Their idea of raising a Howl Hound just to eventually obtain an Undead Guardian Hound had only just begun to take shape—and it was immediately crushed… then stomped on a few more times.
[Mental trauma] + [Unable to form contracts]—that price was simply too terrifying!
Any Beast Tamer in their right mind would never make such a choice.
Who would have thought that such a gifted Pet Beast would actually be a "waste Pet Beast"?
Many viewers experienced a sharp emotional whiplash and felt deeply disappointed.
Jiang Xing, however, continued calmly.
"That's all for the origins of the Undead Guardian Hound and the Crimson Flame Guardian Hound."
"Now, back to the main topic—"
"These loyal spirit hounds once paid the price of their lives to maintain order and stability across China, protecting countless homes—and even lives."
"Now that they have returned as heroic spirits, it is my honor, as the presenter, to award them the medals that are long overdue."
As Jiang Xing finished speaking, the camera shifted.
He stood in a plaza. In front of him were rows of police officers standing in formation, their expressions solemn.
Beside them, the Undead Guardian Hounds sat upright, heads held high, posture straight.
At this moment, the Crimson Flame Guardian Hound and the Undead Guardian Hound at Jiang Xing's side trotted away, returning to the officers and merging back into the ranks.
Jiang Xing also stepped forward, walking to the side of the man in the silver mask.
Looking at the Crimson Flame Guardian Hound beside Meng Yuan, he said: "Crimson Flame Guardian Hound Goldie—on February 7, 2006, fought alone against three poachers, blocking their attack for half an hour until nearby village officers arrived, saving a ten-year-old child… and ultimately died from severe injuries."
A police officer beside him held a tray.
Jiang Xing took a medal from it and hung it around the Crimson Flame Guardian Hound's neck.
He raised his hand in salute and stepped forward.
"Undead Guardian Hound Black—on August 19, 2026, together with three companions, blocked a Tusked Savage Boar that had broken into the village. While protecting a villager who had been targeted, it rammed the boar aside and was pierced through the body by its tusks… and ultimately died from severe injuries."
Jiang Xing placed the medal around the Undead Guardian Hound's neck and raised his hand in salute.
"Undead Guardian Hound Mango—on July 24, 2026, while accompanying officers in pursuit of a fleeing murderer, was attacked by Terror Rats lying in ambush. In order to protect the officer, it had its vital point bitten through… and ultimately died from severe injuries."
"Undead Guardian Hound Milk Candy…"
Across the entire plaza, only Jiang Xing's voice could be heard.
It was as if even the wind had come to a halt.
Feeling the solemn atmosphere, watching as medal after medal was bestowed, the audience's turbulent emotions seemed to be drawn into the scene, gradually settling down.
As they listened to Jiang Xing recount these stories, and saw these pairs standing together, a realization slowly dawned on them.
Each Undead Guardian Hound represented a Howl Hound that had once loyally protected others and sacrificed its life.
Each officer had endured the shattering of a contract, the trauma to their mind, and the pain of losing their partner forever.
Perhaps compared to when they were alive, they now possessed greater power.
But compared to that power, perhaps what the officers truly wished was that they had never left in the first place.
This was not something worth envying.
Realizing this, many Beast Tamers felt a sense of release.
To die and return—such a defiance of the natural order—would be strange if it came without a cost.
Moreover, mental trauma and contract rupture were things inevitably experienced when losing a Pet Beast.
Rather than calling them a price… it was better described, in Jiang Xing's words—as the emotional bond between Beast Tamer and Pet Beast, completely transcending death, guiding the spirit hounds back home.
The so-called price was nothing more than an obstacle they had already overcome.
…
"A power that transcends death…"
From thousands of miles away, even Dr. Amru seemed to be moved by this atmosphere.
He remained motionless. Only after the ceremony had completely concluded did he slowly raise his hand, remove his monocle, and come to a realization.
For many years, he had studied undead Pet Beasts, seeking to shatter the boundary between life and death—yet he had never broken through the "boundary" within his own heart.
Deep down, in his understanding, life and death had always been clearly divided.
After death, everything belonging to the living completely vanished. Even if something remained, it was merely the accumulation of residual energy—something that could be deciphered, something that could be manufactured.
Yet he had never imagined that the emotional bond between humans and Pet Beasts could transcend death.
"Life and death… perhaps they are not entirely opposed."
"Friendship… the emotional bond between the living and the dead is the link that connects them."
"And that price, which defies the natural order and must be paid…"
Dr. Amru picked up his phone and sent a message to Jiang Xing.
"This lesson of yours has resolved a question that has troubled me for many years."
"Thank you."
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