Even the stray cats and dogs on the street seemed to sense something was wrong and became somewhat restless.
Li Yuheng began to feel that something was wrong.
One or two times could be a coincidence, but so frequent, and with such similar symptoms, there must be something fishy going on.
He took note and began to pay attention to families who were rumored to have been possessed by evil spirits.
That evening, he was squatting under a telephone pole, looking at the residential building across the street that was said to have just been exorcised when Shu Bai silently landed beside him.
"You noticed too?"
Li Yuheng didn't turn around. "Yeah. What a coincidence."
“It’s not a coincidence.” Shu Bai said with certainty, “I’ve been keeping an eye on two of them, and the so-called ‘master’ is the same person.”
Li Yuheng suddenly turned to look at him: "Are you sure?"
Shu Bai flicked its tail: "Of course. I wouldn't mistake that face. Wearing a Taoist robe, holding a compass, putting on airs."
"Then he's profiting from people's fears. He first finds a way to make people sick, then steps in to solve the problem, making money from both sides," Li Yuheng guessed.
The method wasn't particularly sophisticated, but it was very effective.
Especially in these old neighborhoods where information is scarce, people are always filled with fear of the unknown.
“I think it’s more than that,” Shu Bai added. “I smell a very strange odor on him, unlike that of an ordinary person.”
"Someone who practices heretical arts?"
"Uncertain. But it's definitely not a good thing."
They looked at each other and saw the same judgment in each other's eyes.
They can't ignore this matter.
It wasn't out of any sense of justice; it was simply because the scoundrels' behavior had affected the environment they depended on for survival.
The atmosphere on the street is becoming increasingly tense, with people becoming suspicious and less tolerant of stray animals.
If this continues, the teams clearing out stray animals might come back again someday.
“Find him.” Li Yuheng stood up. “Let’s see what he’s up to.”
Shu Bai nodded: "I'll be in charge of tracking. You..."
He paused, seemingly a little reluctant, but still said, "Think of a way to see if you can find evidence that he tampered with it. Don't you know a few... little tricks?"
Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "Now you know how to beg me?"
Shu Bai's face immediately turned cold: "Who asked you for anything? Take it or leave it."
"Do it, of course we'll do it." Li Yuheng smirked. "Keeping this kind of menace around is just a waste of air."
Shu Bai stared at the building for a moment, then asked casually, "Hey, stupid dog."
Li Yuheng was pondering how to expose that charlatan when he heard this and, without turning his head, said, "Spit it out."
Where have you been sleeping lately?
Li Yuheng's ears twitched, and he turned his head, a mocking expression on his dog-like face: "What? Checking your household registration? Or planning a midnight raid?"
"Who cares about ambushing you?" Shu Bai sneered. "Just asking. Look at your messy hair, it's like you rolled around in a garbage dump."
"Bullshit. The place I sleep is a hundred times better than your crappy cardboard box."
"Oh?" Shu Bai raised an eyebrow. "Tell me. Which bridge underpass or which concrete pipe? You're not really sleeping in a garbage dump, are you?"
“That second-floor apartment over there, the one on the east side, which is slated for demolition.” Li Yuheng raised his chin. “The window is gone, but the wall hasn’t collapsed, so it can still keep out the wind. There’s still half a broken sofa inside, the springs are practically popping out, but it’s still better than sleeping on the floor.”
He deliberately went into detail, with a hint of boasting.
That place was a treasure he had recently found, and it took him some effort to drive away the few rats that had been occupying it.
After listening, Shu Bai's cat face remained expressionless, only offering a faint comment: "Not bad. Better than sleeping outdoors."
"What do you mean 'okay'?" Li Yuheng said, dissatisfied. "That's a sofa! Even though it's a bit worn out, it's still a sofa! It's better than your cardboard box, which you can crush with one step."
“What’s wrong with my cardboard box?” Shu Bai immediately defended her territory. “It’s dry, sheltered from the wind, and in a secluded spot. Your lousy place is drafty on all sides; you’ll freeze to death in winter.”
"It's better than your cardboard box, which gets soaked in the rain and the cat and its bed will get moldy."
"Even being moldy is better than you. At least I don't have to fight with rats for territory."
"Who's taking it from the mice? I chased them away! Don't you know what strength is?"
"Your strength is just about stealing a rat's nest?" Shu Bai said dismissively. "Pathetic."
"It's better than some cats that can't even guard a decent nest. Hey? I heard your precious cardboard box was taken by the scrap collector?"
Shu Bai's eyes turned cold: "None of your business. I moved to another place a long time ago."
"Where did you move it to?" Li Yuheng pressed on. "You didn't really go to sleep in that drafty delivery locker, did you?"
"None of your business?" Shu Bai turned his head away. "Anyway, it's better than your rat's nest."
"I told you it's not a rat's den!"
"Who knows? Maybe some rats will come back to visit you tonight."
"If they dare to come, I'll give them extra food!"
"With teeth like yours, you'd be lucky if you didn't get gnawed by rats."
Li Yuheng stared at Shu Bai for a few seconds.
Shu Bai maintained his provocative posture, his back slightly hunched, his whole being screaming: "Come on, let's fight!"
Strangely, Li Yuheng found that he didn't have the urge to immediately retort as he usually did.
He stared at Shu Bai's cat-like eyes, which were still bright in the twilight, and suddenly felt that continuing this meaningless argument was pointless.
He couldn't explain why exactly.
Maybe I just feel...tired?
Or perhaps it's because that pretentious scoundrel hasn't been dealt with yet, and he's too lazy to waste his breath at a time like this.
Or perhaps... it's some other reason he doesn't want to delve into for the time being.
He suddenly stood up and shook off the grass clippings from his fur.
"So annoying." His tone was harsh, but without the previous hostility. "I don't have time to waste on this useless chatter."
He turned to leave, but then, as if remembering something, he turned back and gestured with his chin towards Shu Bai.
"I'm busy, I need to go chat with Da Huang for a while."
After saying that, he walked away without looking back, his tail swaying lazily behind him, looking somewhat dejected.
…
When Li Yuheng found Da Huang, the guy was curled up on a tattered sack, fast asleep, drooling almost onto the ground.
He walked over and, without any hesitation, stretched out his paw and used his paw pad to pry open one of Big Yellow's eyelids.
"Wake up."
Da Huang groggily opened his eyes, saw that it was Li Yuheng, and let out a huge yawn: "...What's up? I was dreaming about gnawing on a big bone..."
Li Yuheng withdrew his paw, squatted down in front of him, and said with a serious expression, "It's getting dark."
Big Yellow: "...Huh?"
He turned his head to look at the sunset that hadn't completely disappeared on the horizon, then turned back, his dog face full of confusion: "So, what?"
Li Yuheng: "So it's time to wake up."
Big Yellow's CPU was practically burning out from his logic, and he was mostly wide awake. He struggled to sit up and said, "No... you woke me up just to tell me it's getting dark?"
"Otherwise what?" Li Yuheng glanced at him. "Sleeping too much can make you stupid. Look at you now, you're not very smart."
Big Yellow scratched its ear, looking aggrieved: "I was sleeping soundly..."
"What's so fragrant? If you keep sleeping, your already limited brain capacity will shrink even more." Li Yuheng stood up and nudged him with his nose. "Get up and move around."
Big Yellow, unable to resist his nagging, reluctantly got up, shook its fur, and said, "What's the point of exercising? It's so late at night..."
Li Yuheng didn't reply, but slowly circled around Da Huang twice, as if checking something, then suddenly stopped and stared at Da Huang's tail: "Why is that tuft of fur at the tip of your tail bald?"
Big Yellow instinctively tucked its tail between its legs: "Huh? Bald? No way! It wasn't bald when I was grooming myself yesterday..."
"Let me see." Li Yuheng leaned closer and, without a word, used his paw to pull out his tail, pretending to examine it. "Hmm, it's a bit sparse. Have you been rolling around in some dirty puddle again lately?"
"No!" Da Huang hurriedly retorted, "I've been very hygienic lately!"
"Hygienic?" Li Yuheng scoffed. "Then where did that mud stain on your hind leg come from?"
Big Yellow quickly turned its head to lick its hind legs, only to find them completely clean, with nothing there.
"Damn it, you lied to me!"
Li Yuheng had already walked to the side, scratching at a few withered yellow leaves on the ground with his paws, without even looking up: "Just testing your alertness. Sure enough, you've regressed."
rhubarb:"……"
He figured it out: Li Yuheng was just bored today and came here specifically to pick a fight with him.
"Hey," Big Yellow leaned closer and asked cautiously, "Are you... in a bad mood? Did you fight with that black and white cat again?"
Li Yuheng paused in her work of brushing aside the leaves, turned her head and glared at him: "What's it to him? I'm in a great mood."
"Then what is this...?"
“I’m just concerned about you. As a dog with a reputation in this neighborhood, you need to be mindful of your image and stay alert. You can’t be like some heartless guys who do nothing but eat and sleep.”
Big Yellow muttered to himself, "But I'm a dog... what's the point of not eating or sleeping..."
"What did you say?"
"N-nothing!" Da Huang immediately stood up straight. "You're right! I'll definitely be more careful in the future!"
Li Yuheng nodded in satisfaction, then circled around the big yellow dog again, as if suddenly remembering something: "By the way, didn't you fight with that spotted dog for something yesterday?"
Big Yellow paused for a moment: "Huh? No, I was following..."
“I clearly saw it,” Li Yuheng interrupted him, his tone certain. “It was right over at the garbage dump, for half a fried dough stick.”
"That's not me!" Big Yellow cried out in utter injustice. "It's that little black dog from the next street! You must have mistaken me for someone else!"
"Really?" Li Yuheng narrowed his eyes. "Maybe. After all, you blondies all look pretty much the same."
rhubarb:"……"
His fur is clearly much lighter than Xiao Hei's!
Li Yuheng seemed to have finally lost interest in continuing to torment Dahuang. He looked up at the sky, which had become completely dark, and yawned.
"Alright, you can go back to sleep."
Big Yellow could hardly believe his ears: "...Huh? Now? You woke me up, nag me for ages, and then let me go back to sleep?"
"Otherwise what?" Li Yuheng looked at him like he was an idiot. "It's already dark. What are you planning to do instead of sleeping? Go steal chickens?"
Big Yellow was completely exasperated by his unpredictable behavior and listlessly slumped back onto the sack: "Dude, next time you're bored... can you go find someone else?"
Li Yuheng had already turned and walked out when he heard this, and then he said, "It depends on my mood."
He stopped at the alley entrance, turned back, and added:
"By the way, be alert when you sleep tonight. Things are a bit turbulent lately, don't fall asleep and get wiped out without even knowing it."
After saying that, his figure disappeared into the night.
Da Huang was left alone on the sack, staring in the direction Li Yuheng had disappeared in, before finally managing to utter a sentence:
"...Who exactly is causing trouble?"
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