Chapter 24. Staying overnight at the True Lord's Mansion.
“Nezha arrived a little earlier than you and chatted with me about his recent situation,” Yang Jian explained. “I was at the mouth of the Guan River and couldn’t keep up with the movements of the Heavenly Court in real time, so I learned a lot of new information from him.”
Xiaotian: "What does Second Brother want to know? Why don't you ask me? My information network is definitely better than his!"
"That's not necessarily true, you're not on duty in Heaven." Yang Jian chuckled twice, saying bluntly, "Besides, we're talking about you right now."
Xiaotian perked up his ears alertly: "Talking about me? Is Li Nezha saying bad things about me?"
"No, he said he entrusted you to Jiang Huaisu."
In fact, Nezha's original words were "I'll give your dog to someone more reliable to raise," and the word "entrust" was actually a result of Yang Jian's embellishment.
Xiaotian scoffed, seizing the opportunity to complain: "It's not a matter of entrusting, it's abandoning. When I was living in the Heavenly Court, he didn't care about me at all!"
"If you go to Heaven to stay for an extended period next time, I'll go with you," Yang Jian reassured him.
Nezha: "...Your Xiaotian isn't a child anymore."
Xiaotian: "But I am a dog."
"So what if it's a dog?"
Dogs don't like living alone; they need companionship.
"You can even take human form now, can't you act like a human being?"
"Then you can turn into a lotus root, why don't you just be a lotus root yourself?"
With his brother on the left and his dog friend on the right, trying to balance things became a skill. Yang Jian, never one to mediate, chose to pour the water out.
Ignoring the argument between the lotus root and the dog, he turned to Jiang Huaisu and said:
"Thank you for taking care of Xiaotian."
Jiang Huaisu waved his hand politely and said, "It's nothing, Your Excellency, you don't need to worry about it."
"Second Brother, Susu will be staying at Guankou for a while. Shall we let her stay at our house?" Xiaotian finally shifted his attention away from Nezha.
“Alright,” Yang Jian thought for a moment, “I’ll have someone prepare a clean room.”
The process was so quick? I thought they'd make excuses.
Jiang Huaisu hurriedly thanked Yang Jian, but he smiled and gave her a "no need to say more" look.
Erlang Shen, the Manifestation Saint, seems to have absolutely no airs...
He was quite handsome, the kind of upright and sunny young man who should have been very popular with female immortals, right? How could he have received the label of "clueless"? Jiang Huaisu couldn't understand it.
Perhaps we haven't gotten to know them well enough yet? Some people are warm on the outside but cold on the inside; they seem easy to talk to, but in reality, they are very principled and would never overstep boundaries. These things can only be known after spending a long time with them.
Unfortunately, Jiang Huaisu's curiosity about Erlang Shen remained superficial, and she had no intention of exploring further.
The main purpose of this trip was to experience the local customs and culture. It was a rare opportunity, and thanks to Xiaotianquan's influence, I managed to snag a temporary bed at Zhenjun's residence – could I consider myself a semi-VIP?
Of course, you should have as much fun as you want so as not to waste this precious overnight stay.
Oh, and remember to bring some local specialties for the monkeys when you go back.
“I want to live here too,” Nezha suddenly said.
Yang Jian raised an eyebrow: "No missions scheduled recently?"
"I've finished all the work I was supposed to do. But you, haven't you been a bit too idle lately?"
During the time his spirit descended to the mortal realm, the Heavenly Court assigned him numerous tasks; he was either subduing demons or on his way to subdue demons. The heartless and unfeeling hollow lotus root, as a weapon, was extremely useful.
It was tiring, but at least I got myself a vacation ahead of time.
"I'll be taking a year off here, but that's only a day in the sky. It's better to be idle with others than alone, so please let me stay for a few days."
"Is the Heavenly Palace not comfortable enough? Everyone's crowding into my True Lord's Mansion." Despite his teasing tone, Yang Jian still agreed, "Alright, I'll prepare a room for you too."
Xiaotian's face instantly fell: "Second Brother!"
"What's the rush? I'm not going to steal your food," Nezha sneered.
Xiaotian let out a low bark in his throat. Damn it, he was planning to tell his second brother some embarrassing stories about Nezha's reincarnation in the mortal realm, but Nezha even brought one of the main characters, Jiang Huaisu, along. He never expected Nezha's spirit to be so persistent, actually following him here.
Moreover, she told her second brother about Jiang Huaisu before it could, not giving it a chance to add fuel to the fire!
Xiaotian was very unhappy that his plan had failed.
Yang Jian reached out and patted the dog's head: "Second brother will play with you, Nezha can play by himself."
Nezha: "Hehe."
The dog's tail wagged again, its smugness written all over its face. See? Second Brother still loves it the most!
It was so easily coaxed that it lay down at Yang Jian's feet, belly up, and stopped giving Nezha any attention.
Perhaps it was because he was back on his own turf, but Xiaotian's urge to confide in Yang Jian intensified. He recounted his experiences of staying in the Heavenly Court in great detail. The latter remained silent most of the time, occasionally nodding to indicate that he was listening.
The guest rooms had been prepared, and the maids led Jiang Huaisu and Nezha to their respective rooms.
The windows were bright and clean, the bedding smelled pleasantly of having just been aired out, the tea on the small table was freshly brewed, and the burning incense had a calming effect. Jiang Huaisu had originally planned to go out to buy some daily necessities, but now it seemed unnecessary, as everything here was quite complete.
Moreover, the room is incredibly large; if you shout inside, you might even hear an echo.
As soon as the maid left, Jiang Huaisu, who had been thirsty all the way, could no longer resist. She picked up the teapot and poured a few mouthfuls of tea down her throat, which almost burned her tongue.
I forgot the tea hasn't cooled down yet!
Two natural tears rolled down her cheeks. Like a chicken being choked, she made a gurgling sound in her throat. She spun around twice, but the burning pain still lingered in her throat, neither rising nor falling.
She punched the wall twice in frustration, then began searching the room for ice. Of course, there was no ice. There were no ice machines in this world, and besides, the weather wasn't hot enough to warrant cooling off.
"What's wrong with you?" Nezha stood at the door, watching her wander around like a headless fly.
She immediately turned to look at him. Suddenly, she realized that he might have heard the noise of her hammering on the wall, since their accommodations were both located in this area, separated only by a wall.
She's really regretting it now. She only wanted to air out the new room, which is why she didn't close the doors and windows, and then someone happened to see her doing something so embarrassing. She was screaming and scratching her throat just now; he must have seen it all.
Jiang Huaisu struggled to utter the words, trying her best to appear calm: "It's nothing, the tea is a little hot."
Glancing at the teapot, Nezha nodded knowingly, "It's very hot. I just drank some."
"...Then how come you're alright?" Just as she was about to ask this, Nezha walked over and gently touched her throat. The touch was very light, like a feather brushing against her skin, ticklish.
A soothing coolness immediately rose, dispelling the unbearable burning sensation.
Nezha: "That's good."
Before she could even thank him, he had already turned and left. He even closed the door behind him, displaying a remarkable spirit of doing good deeds anonymously.
Touching her throat, Jiang Huaisu thought somewhat absentmindedly, "Nezha, a god who leans towards fire, seems to have quite a knack for ice magic as well."
They say it's always good to have more skills, so she should learn more tricks in the future. Seemingly useless little spells can sometimes come in handy.
*
Most of the demonic disturbances that occurred within Erlang Shen's jurisdiction were quelled by him personally. With him in charge, virtually no foolish demons dared to defy his authority.
Therefore, even if it's outside his jurisdiction, in more distant places, as long as evil spirits are causing trouble, he will take action once the news reaches his ears. Anyway, he has plenty of time, and he's just idling around.
Nezha is currently staying at Zhenjun's mansion, which conveniently provides him with free labor.
Today, the two great deities went out together again, riding on auspicious clouds, their destination unknown. But with weapons in their hands, it was clear they were going to fight.
No wonder that although Xiaotian was unhappy about Nezha staying overnight at Zhenjun's mansion that day, it didn't really refuse. With its second brother's help, it could barely tolerate Nezha hunting demons with it.
As for Jiang Huaisu, Yang Jian didn't restrict or interfere with her actions at all. As long as she didn't demolish the True Lord's Mansion, she could do whatever she wanted.
She didn't feel neglected at all; on the contrary, she felt a little relieved. Jiang Huaisu was actually hoping to be ignored; it would only make her feel pressured if she were constantly being fussed over.
Nezha might be a little annoyed right now. He finally got a day off, but he was dragged into working overtime without pay. Fortunately, it wasn't some powerful demon causing trouble, and he and Yang Jian would be able to handle it quickly. A round trip wouldn't take long, so they could treat it as a post-meal exercise to aid digestion.
In his spare time, Xiaotian would take the initiative to visit Jiang Huaisu. After all, he had received her care in the Heavenly Court, and now that they were at Guanjiang Estuary, the roles of host and guest had been reversed, so he had to do his best to be a good host.
There weren't any special activities, just eating and drinking everywhere. My second brother wouldn't let me go to places like brothels and casinos.
Even so, Jiang Huaisu was very satisfied. The locals love spicy food, and the food here was the most to her liking she had ever had—spicy enough to satisfy, and incredibly fragrant.
That day, Xiaotian scratched at the door again, and Jiang Huaisu welcomed it in with great anticipation: "Where are we going to eat something delicious this time?"
"How about we skip eating today and go fight instead?" Xiaotian seemed very excited. "Last night, my second brother and I went out and passed by a nearby mountain. We saw a group of little demons gathered together to fight and exchange martial arts skills."
The monsters on that mountain seem to have quite a rich entertainment life, don't they? Fighting in tournaments?
Jiang Huaisu became somewhat interested: "If it's a competition, what kind of reward will the winner get, right?"
"Definitely! I watched for a while, and they were fighting desperately, using all sorts of underhanded tricks, as if they were trying to kill each other. If it were just a simple comparison of strength, they wouldn't go to such lengths."
Hearing this, Jiang Huaisu hesitated again: "I'm not very good at fighting."
"We don't necessarily have to play; we can just watch the excitement! I heard it'll be going to last for several days, and it'll get more and more interesting as it goes on. It's a pity that Second Brother isn't interested in any of this; otherwise, he would definitely dominate the competition."
"Alright... let's go take a look!"
In the forest where Jiang Huaisu used to live, there was no powerful demon king dominating the area, and the lesser demons had no deep-seated hatred for each other; the environment was harmonious. Apart from necessary hunting activities, there were rarely any life-threatening situations.
She was curious about the lifestyles of monsters in other places. Group activities like fighting in arenas must have organizers—was it the local monster leader?
Led by Xiaotian, they quickly found the mountain. A large group of furry and horned monsters were gathered together, making them quite conspicuous. Jiang Huaisu was still in mid-air when she saw the dilapidated arena, which seemed to have been hastily built and not decorated with much care, but the space was very large.
She landed and hadn't taken more than a few steps when she was squeezed into a bustling crowd of monsters. She instinctively looked down, searching for Xiaotian's figure.
She searched for a while without finding it, until a hand landed on her shoulder and a familiar voice sounded behind her: "What are you looking for?"
She turned around, looking confused, and stared at the man with his arm around her shoulder for two seconds. "I'm looking for my dog."
Looking for a dog? Do you know any other dogs besides me?
Jiang Huaisu noticed his tail drooping behind him and asked uncertainly, "...Xiaotian?"
What a burly man! What a real double-door refrigerator! He was shirtless, and his biceps were practically touching her face.
"It's me. Even if you've never seen me in human form, you can't mistake my voice, can you?" Xiaotian said, somewhat displeased.
The enormous leap from a greyhound to a burly man stunned Jiang Huaisu, leaving her frozen in place. How could this be? The dog's human form was completely different from what she had imagined! Its face could barely be considered cute, but its physique and muscles were simply too exaggerated. It had a strange, almost masculine, boyish charm about it.
She turned her head away, unable to bear looking at him: "Could you wear a shirt?"
"...Okay, wait a minute."
Jiang Huaisu soon discovered that Xiaotian was actually the type who looked slim in clothes but muscular when undressed. He transformed himself into a coarse linen shorts, which effectively reduced the amount of skin exposed while also concealing his muscles and physique, making him appear much more refreshing from the outside.
Is this okay?
Jiang Huaisu praised her politely, "Very good! But why did you suddenly decide to change your appearance?"
"Look around, no one has revealed their true form yet. This is a strict requirement for the arena. If you can't even transform, you'll be eliminated before you even step onto the stage."
She glanced around and, just as Xiaotian had said, all the monsters in the arena had transformed into forms close to humans. Although most of them retained some animal characteristics, none of them appeared in their true animal form.
"I also discovered something else."
"What?"
Jiang Huaisu lowered her voice: "Are almost all the people gathered here men? Is there a rule that women can't participate?"
"All of them are men?" Xiaotian was also a little puzzled. "I don't know about that. I only watched one game yesterday, so I don't fully understand the rules."
"I see..."
Although she wanted to ask the nearby monsters for more information about the competition, Jiang Huaisu keenly sensed that this was not a place to strike up a conversation casually. Everyone harbored intense hostility towards each other, and burst into loud cheers whenever someone on stage suffered a humiliating defeat.
In such a situation, if she were to strike up a conversation with them rashly, they might deliberately give her incorrect information to mislead her.
She grabbed Xiaotian's wrist: "Don't be impulsive. Even if you want to fight, it's best to watch a couple more matches and get a better understanding of the situation before you act."
"oh."
Like a large dog that was pulled back by its owner before it charged forward, Xiaotian's eyes still gleamed with excitement. He leaned forward, but at least he managed to stop his reckless momentum and didn't drag Jiang Huaisu onto the stage with him.
He turned his head and asked, "Are you going to fight later?"
Jiang Huaisu shook her head.
Her main purpose in coming was to watch the excitement; she most likely wouldn't participate. However, as a rare female presence in the arena, her standing there seemed somewhat out of place, and the probing glances from those nearby made her a little uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Xiaotian was much taller than her, and when he stood to the side like a wall, he could block most of her view.
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