Animal Detective

Chapter 383: Chapter 315: I’m Not Even Moving, and You’re Still Whipping Me

The bite sent Yiwan into a frenzy. It bucked wildly on the spot, trying to shake Tian Kui off.

But Tian Kui had captured criminals alive before; it wouldn’t let go so easily.

When it saw it couldn’t shake Tian Kui off, Yiwan dropped to the ground with a THUD, preparing to roll on its back.

Tian Kui nimbly leaped away to avoid being crushed.

It waited nearby, baring its teeth and letting out a low growl.

Yiwan struggled back to its feet and brayed fitfully at Tian Kui, absolutely furious.

Shen Xin seized the opportunity to step forward and whip its rear a few more times with his belt.

He was braced for it to fight back, but unexpectedly, after a few more lashes, Yiwan abruptly stopped braying.

It stood frozen in place, staring intently at Shen Xin.

The next moment, an icon slowly materialized above its head.

None of the bars were filled, but the icon was there.

Shen Xin was surprised. ’So whipping it actually works.’

It stood perfectly still, as if it had frozen up, completely ignoring Tian Kui barking right in front of it.

Shen Xin drew closer and tentatively whipped it one more time.

It didn’t even flinch.

It turned its head to look at Shen Xin, its gaze seeming to say, ’I’m not moving anymore. Why are you still hitting me?’

Dubiously, Shen Xin stepped forward and grabbed the reins. No reaction.

He gave them a tug, and Yiwan began to walk, following along.

It had become obedient.

The middle-aged woman from before hurriedly said, "See? I told you! You have to whip it."

The villagers nearby clicked their tongues in amazement.

Someone said, "That’s not right. Dong Qiang’s donkey is as stubborn as they come. No one but Dong Qiang himself can lead it away. How did it give in so quickly?"

No one had expected Shen Xin to tame the stubborn donkey so quickly.

One person said, "What other reason could there be? It was the whipping. I’ve seen Dong Qiang whip this donkey plenty of times, and real hard, too."

Another person said, "It was mainly the dog. Did you see how fierce it was? It’s a police dog, after all."

The crowd chattered amongst themselves.

The woman even asked, "Officer, what do you need this donkey for? Are you buying it for meat?"

Shen Xin held the reins, and without needing to pull, Yiwan obediently walked alongside him.

Glancing at the donkey, Shen Xin nodded. "That’s right. Solving cases is hard work, so we bought it to have a nice meal."

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Yiwan’s eyelids clearly trembled, and it hastily lowered its head.

Then, the favorability icon above its head actually filled up by one bar.

’Just like Tiger Stripes,’ Shen Xin thought. ’You have to beat them into submission and then scare them a little.’

"Oh," the middle-aged woman said. "Well, you bought the right one, then. Donkey meat is very nourishing. Especially, you know, *that part*. It’s especially good for young men like you."

After she said this, the few other women present started snickering.

Shen Xin’s face flushed, and he quickly led Yiwan away, bidding them farewell.

He checked the spot where Tian Kui had bitten the donkey. There was a wound, but it didn’t look serious. He could get it treated back in town.

Now that it was intimidated and he’d gained some favorability, it was much more obedient.

Shen Xin tentatively let go of the reins. The donkey didn’t run off; it just followed him obediently.

He recalled what he’d read online about donkeys. It said that far from being stupid, they were quite calculating, obeying only those who could prove they were in charge.

As for those who couldn’t, a donkey would even retaliate. They were full of mischief.

Shen Xin recalled a movie about a donkey and worried that Yiwan was only feigning obedience, secretly planning to cause trouble.

’But with my talent to keep it in line, it should be fine.’

Seeing how obedient it was, Shen Xin remembered reading that donkeys have a sweet tooth and like carrots. He asked around the village and bought a bagful.

The moment he took one out, Yiwan’s eyes locked onto it.

Having trained Tiger Stripes, Shen Xin knew what to do. He first issued a warning—no treats for disobedience—before feeding the carrot to the donkey.

Yiwan devoured it in a couple of bites, then bared its teeth, asking for more.

He couldn’t give it one so easily.

Shen Xin recalled reading online that one of the signs a donkey has been truly tamed is its willingness to be ridden.

Shen Xin had ridden a horse before at a film studio when he was younger, so he wasn’t intimidated.

Gritting his teeth, he used Yiwan’s back for support and swung himself up onto the donkey.

There was no saddle, so it wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was manageable.

Yiwan didn’t struggle; it just turned its head to look at Shen Xin.

Without a word, Shen Xin rewarded it with a carrot.

The favorability level didn’t increase, but its willingness to be ridden meant it had likely submitted.

Carrying a person was no effort at all for Yiwan.

"Giddy-up."

Shen Xin shouted the command.

"Dēi" was for turning left, "wō" for right, and "yū" for stopping.

He’d learned this from the internet, and he recalled that Duan Dongqiang had also shouted "yū" before.

Upon hearing the command, Yiwan suddenly bolted.

Luckily, Shen Xin was holding tight to the reins, or he would’ve been thrown right off.

’Just as I thought. This donkey’s a little devil. That was clearly on purpose.’

Shen Xin didn’t hold back, smacking it twice on the head.

It was the same way Duan Dongqiang used to hit it.

The two smacks seemed to do the trick. Yiwan became much more docile and began to amble out of the village with Shen Xin on its back.

Its gait was steady and the pace was decent. For the donkey, this was probably just an effortless, leisurely stroll.

Tian Kui trotted obediently behind them.

At this rate, Shen Xin figured he didn’t need to call for a ride. He might as well just amble back to the station. It was a good opportunity to build up more favorability anyway.

He had to admit, the experience was pretty novel.

Shen Xin couldn’t resist taking a selfie and posting it to his Moments.

Before long, a comment popped up.

It was Sun Zhao.

"Weren’t you supposed to be assisting with a case? How’d you end up on a donkey?"

’Crap,’ he thought. ’I forgot to hide this from the brass.’

Chen Chao was next.

His comment was just two words: "You dog."

He probably thought Shen Xin was slacking off.

Then Ding Yuwei posted a snickering emoji.

Her comment also brought Zhao Tianxing and a few others out of the woodwork.

Zhao Tianxing even sent him a private message: "Comrade Shen Xin, next time you get a sweet gig like this, be sure to bring me along."

"I really am assisting with the investigation,"

Shen Xin grumbled in the work group chat.

Sun Zhao, who was normally quiet but had a dry sense of humor, replied, "An eyewit-ass, I presume?"

A flood of laughing emojis followed.

They were probably howling with laughter.

"Stop laughing!" Shen Xin quickly typed. "Captain Sun guessed right. It really is an eyewit-ass."

That immediately piqued Sun Zhao’s interest. He sent a voice message, curiously asking for details.

Shen Xin briefly explained the situation.

Sun Zhao and the others understood immediately.

Sun Zhao said, "That’s certainly tricky. The key is to find the murder weapon."

Chen Chao added, "We don’t even know what the weapon is. And even if we find it, who knows if we’ll be able to lift any useful evidence. The scene was just too contaminated."

Zhao Tianxing quipped, "Don’t worry. Our Shen Xin can tame a tiger, so what’s one little donkey to him?"

Ding Yuwei also sent him a private message cheering him on. She said she’d just looked it up and that donkeys love carrots, so he should feed it plenty.

Shen Xin glanced at the bag of carrots. In just a short while, he’d nearly gone through all of them.

He casually stuffed the last few into Yiwan’s mouth.

The donkey’s pace was decent.

Shen Xin didn’t rush it, letting it amble along at roughly a human’s walking pace.

They covered the twenty-odd kilometers in just under two hours.

When he got back to the station, he ran right into Guo Jin, who was heading out. The sight of Shen Xin returning on a donkey left Guo Jin utterly dumbfounded.

"Shen Xin, what in the world is going on?"