01. Prologue
Inside the rented room.
Tang Xihe sat opposite a little monster. The monster, which looked like a dog and a rabbit, was talking animatedly and incessantly. Tang Xihe seemed to be listening attentively, but in fact, she had been daydreaming for a while.
What is this? There's no such monster in the original story!
It has a rabbit-like body shape, flashy tortoiseshell colors, and 'rabbit ears' on both sides of its head. Its fluffy, petite body emits a high-pitched voice like the squeaking of a doll.
The bizarre aesthetic of the human-faced, beast-bodied creature—could it be a lost pet from a monster-themed story? Or a monster from later in the original work?
Tangxi raised her phone and pointed it at the monster, but before she could even scan and identify it, the monster got angry.
Hey! Are you even listening to me?!
The tiny "rabbit demon" in front of her was so angry that it jumped up and down, leaping three feet high under Tang Xi's astonished gaze. Its two long ears flapped like wings: "I've been talking for ages, and you've been spacing out the whole time!"
"Sorry, sorry, I was distracted," Tang Xihe said calmly, putting down her phone without any apology. "So, you want to sign a contract with me to return that primordial spirit that inexplicably fell into my body to you in the form of a master-servant contract?"
The story begins a few hours earlier.
·
The abandoned building was surrounded by overgrown weeds. A pale gray barrier and array were faintly visible beneath the weeds, and three figures moved about in the dimly lit corridor.
The building seemed to exist in two different worlds. Under the influence of the barrier, the three people who were lying in wait seemed to be searching for their target in a deathly silence, and a sinister and eerie atmosphere spread throughout the space.
The three individuals, each traveling independently, met at the corner. They were all startled by each other and froze in place, staring at each other. They could hear each other's breathing, and a chill swept over them.
"The intelligence is incorrect; there are two demonic entities! They have already taken form! We request support from a blessed land!"
One of the opposing sides shouted and retreated, not forgetting to pull out a magical artifact from his back—a palm-sized, multicolored triangular flag.
The other two were taken aback, and they retreated to create distance, while simultaneously drawing out their magical artifacts for defense.
"Wait a minute! It's a misunderstanding!"
"We're here to catch it too!"
As soon as the words left their mouths, the three of them acted simultaneously. The triangular banners raised a howling wind, the short bayonets cleaved through the waves, and the defensive shields ripped up two waves of air walls.
The magical artifacts clashed, creating a thunderous roar that sent sand and stones flying and the air vibrating. The narrow corridor was filled with a whirlwind of dust and dirt. Something hidden in the corner of the abandoned building was startled by the shockwave and emerged from its secluded spot, quickly leaping up the stairs.
Tangxi, who was passing by outside the building with a camera in her hand, was startled by the loud noise. She stopped in her tracks, tested the strength of the array in the abandoned building, and muttered to herself.
"Is there a fluctuation of spiritual energy?"
As he looked up, the pale gray array beneath the weeds flickered rapidly, the ripples from the powerful spiritual energy colliding quickly disappearing. Tang Xi shook her head, thinking it was an illusion, and continued fiddling with her camera.
"Here!"
The attacker's eyes narrowed, he stopped wielding the triangular banner and pointed it in a certain direction. Six eyes caught sight of an orange light leaping upwards from the corner of the stairs. With a few shouts, they all gave chase.
The orange dot of light was extremely fast, and with a few leaps it left the three pursuers two floors behind. In a panic, it fled to the rooftop and stopped at the tightly closed entrance, jumping around in a frantic manner.
—There's no road left!
The point of light slammed into the locked door of the rooftop, but was bounced off by the barrier on the door and rolled down to the corner of the next flight of stairs. As if sensing that its pursuers were approaching, the orange point of light on its body suddenly lit up, and then, centered on the point of light, starlight suddenly scattered in the air, like sparks bursting from a sparkler.
After leaving behind a trail of colorful sparks, it flew out the window without hesitation.
The pursuers arrived at the spot where the light disappeared and happened to see the scattered light spots at the corner of the stairs. The three of them took out their magic items such as Qiankun bags and gourds and shone them on the light spots in mid-air.
...
Nothing happened. The three of them silently watched as the starlight gradually dissipated, their demon-catching artifacts remaining still.
One of them quickly pulled out a compass, and seeing the crooked, serpentine needle spinning rapidly inside, he was so angry that his vision blurred: "Another trap! Let's get out of here!"
One of them looked out of the building unwillingly, only to see a young man dressed as a sorcerer, holding a camera and looking around blankly. He quickly shrank back and shouted, "Someone's here! Let's get out of here and report back to the boss!"
at the same time.
Tangxi looked around with her camera in hand.
"Tsk, something feels off. Oh well, nobody's here."
Tang Xi, holding her camera, muttered to herself as she changed angles: "This angle is great, I'm a genius!"
Tang Xihe, a third-year student in the Department of Earthly Immortals, was casually learning photography techniques while his classmates had already started forming teams to complete tasks.
In the eyes of other teachers and students in the academy, studying photography techniques in a world where spiritual power reigns supreme is simply a waste of life, outrageous. Extremists might even go to Tangxi and criticize him.
—That's why Tangxi only dared to learn in secret.
If he were to run into his classmates and be bombarded with questions, Tang Xihe had several excuses he could use to get away with it, but he found them too troublesome.
Tang Xi raised her camera, looking for the perfect angle to photograph the eerie abandoned building. Suddenly, a strange halo appeared in the camera lens, as if a golden-orange laser pointer had shone into the lens.
Tang Xi frowned slightly, moved the camera away, and was about to see what was going on when a golden object struck her right in the forehead, followed by a scream of despair in mid-air.
"Ah—my primordial spirit!"
·
"Are you even listening?! Ah! I can't get my primordial spirit back! If this continues, I'll disappear in less than three years! Quickly sign the contract! Through the master-servant contract, you will return my primordial spirit to me!"
The little monster in front of me burst into tears.
"What does this have to do with me? It was your own carelessness."
Tangxi scratched her nose, thinking to herself that this monster wasn't very big, but it had quite a temper. "Sorry, sorry, I was just a little distracted. What did you say you were? Bubble or Bubba?"
What kind of lat?
The little monster was a bit confused, wondering what new trendy meme this was that I didn't know about, then confidently put its hands on its hips:
"I'm a very powerful demon! Unlike other low-level demons, I can predict danger! As long as you sign a contract with me and return your soul to me, I can help you avoid major dangers!"
Tang Xi's face twisted for a moment: "What kind of monster introduces itself like that? It sounds like a scam."
After hearing what it said, Tang Xi confirmed one thing: this monster was indeed a monster that had never been mentioned in the novel "Cultivating Immortals and Destroying the World".
—Is it a variable? Why? Because of my existence as a transmigrator?
Pipi was struck dumb.
It disliked being looked down upon, feeling like a troublesome commoner being studied by the emperor, so it flapped its two big ears and hovered in the air within the range of Tangxi and its eye level.
"Anyway, that's the situation. I was just strolling around in the forest when suddenly a lot of people tried to capture me! Even after I escaped into the city, they kept chasing after me, saying they wanted to take me away for dissection and research!"
Pipi said, feeling wronged, "I'm only five hundred years old! I'm still a baby! I don't want to die!"
Tangxi and the Yaopu APP can be used to check.
Seeing that he ignored her, Pipi's ears drooped: "How about a contract..."
"You don't even know what kind of monster you are, how can I make a contract with you? What if I can't finish my graduation thesis next year and can't break the contract with you? What will I do then?"
"Why can't we terminate the contract?" Pipi asked, puzzled.
"The academy has a rule that monsters listed as research subjects for graduation theses cannot be released from their contracts until the thesis is completed." Tang Xihe tilted her head to look at Pipi. "My major is Earth Immortals, but you're not an Earth Immortal. And what should I classify you as?" As she spoke, Tang Xihe lightly flicked Pipi's big ears. "A rabbit demon?"
"ah……"
Pipi crashed, "Why are there so many rules for writing a graduation thesis?"
The rules for human cultivators are really troublesome.
"Let's not talk about the thesis, let's talk about you." Tangxi rubbed her chin. "You said your primordial spirit fell into my body? Why didn't I feel anything? A demon's primordial spirit couldn't be absorbed in an instant..."
—Unless it's not a demon.
Tang Xi was startled by her own thoughts, and her gaze toward Pipi became slightly more serious.
If it's not a demon, then what is it?
Tangxi has lived in the world of the novel for too long, silently observing the protagonist and waiting for the right opportunity. Now she has actually forgotten many of the other monster characters in the novel.
"How should I know! I'm not a human cultivator... Anyway! I must get my primordial soul back! Quickly feel it! I saw my primordial soul fall into your forehead with my own eyes!"
With a light leap, Pipi floated into the air and landed on Tang Xihe's shoulder. The fluffy, soft ball rubbed against Tang Xihe's cheek and said ingratiatingly, "A contract! Can't you humans make contracts with a lot of monsters?"
"Students need to accumulate 100 task points before they can sign a contract."
What kind of rule is this?
Pipi's gaze was unfocused. "What points? The Immortal Alliance has set so many new rules?"
"You're still a baby, it's normal that you don't know."
Tang Xihe lifted the soft thing on her shoulder and put it on the ground. "How about I take you to the Monster Management Bureau? Maybe I can get a 'Good Citizen' flag, earn some credits, and graduate early."
"..."
Pipi blinked her big, watery eyes and remained silent.
Tang Xi pursed her lips, then suddenly an idea came to her mind, and she sat up straighter.
"I can make a contract with you."
Pipi's eyes lit up, and he suddenly held up a finger: "The Concealment Talisman costs 50 Immortal Coins, and the Barrier Talisman costs 200 Immortal Coins."
"...Hmm? Hmm."
"A concealment talisman can be used for seven days, and a basic barrier talisman can be used for a month. In other words, if you need me to provide you with a place to hide your aura, you will have to go without food or water for a month just to conceal your aura, which will cost at least 400 immortal coins."
Pipi froze, his two big ears practically sparking as he rubbed them together: "I...I have no concept of human money..."
Tang Xi quickly took out her phone and found some pictures online.
"Look, this is a basic barrier talisman. The yellow card below says ¥2.00. I wasn't lying to you, was I? A basic barrier talisman costs 200 Immortal Coins."
Pipi nodded obediently, then gave a blank "oh," his clear eyes revealing four bright words: I don't understand.
Tang Xihe calmly put her phone away.
"There might be unexpected expenses, so let's say you'd need 500 immortal coins a month to conceal your presence even if you didn't eat or drink. If we include three meals a day, it's just another mouth to feed at home. With your small body, you probably can't eat that much, so even if you need 1000 coins a month for food..."
Tang Xi touched her conscience and said seriously, "I am a very honest person. If you live in the same room with me, I can waive your rent. So, you will have to spend at least 1,500 fen coins per month to live with me."
Pipi was so touched that her eyes welled up with tears: "You're so kind! You even take care of my food, drink, toileting, and sleep!"
Tangxi and Weiwei nodded. "My friends all say I'm a good person."
"Wait, something's not right..."
Tang Xi's eyelids twitched. "Something's not right?"
"Why don't we just make a contract? After the contract, you'll be my master, and you'll provide me with protection..."
Tang Xihe's expression remained unchanged: "Yes, you're staying at my house, so isn't that me providing you with shelter?"
Pipi nodded thoughtfully, then said with a troubled expression, "But I don't have any immortal coins?"
"It's okay, just owe it to me for now." Tang Xihe smiled kindly. "You can work to pay it back."
Pipi was so frightened that he quickly covered his neck: "Work? Monsters can't take over human jobs! It'll be terrible if they find out!"
"We'll stay at home; the Immortal Alliance won't find out." Tang Xihe pointed randomly.
"Wash the dishes, sweep, mop, hang the clothes to dry, and oh right, my sister's room—that pink door. You don't need to go into her room. There's dirt in every nook and cranny, and dust under the sofa. Remember to clean the kitchen range hood every month to remove grease, and don't use the same cleaning tools you use to clean the toilet... Got it all?"
Pipi's dizzy, mosquito-coil-like eyes immediately focused, and he stood at attention, saying, "Okay! I understand!"
Tangxi nodded with satisfaction and turned to leave.
"Hey? Don't go! Aren't you going to form a contract? My soul!"
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