New discoveries
Xu Youling carried a stool and a piece of corrugated cardboard scribbled with large characters to the entrance of the building. Weekend afternoons were a bit busier than usual, with residents coming and going. He felt a bit awkward, sitting with his back straight beside the cardboard, almost putting on the air of an honest elementary school student with his hands on his knees.
This was far more awkward than working in the real world. Xu Youling was incredibly thin-skinned. When he was working part-time at a neighborhood pet shop, he'd even resorted to swapping shifts for the occasional flyer-handling shift. Most of his work involved interacting with small animals indoors. Asking him to yell at people to come to his shop was worse than a punch in the face.
"Ahem... don't miss it if you're passing by!" Xu Youling gritted his teeth, not knowing where to look as he spoke aimlessly to the neighbors passing by. "Full body treatment for the spirit body... to restore the owner's emotional state... the offer is only valid today!"
Taking the first step is always difficult, especially for Xu Youling, because his self-proclaimed attractive shouting sounds like the hum of a mosquito in the eyes of outsiders and is blown away by the cold wind.
Looking at the indifferent passers-by, Xu Youling touched his nose and pretended to be busy rearranging the corrugated cardboard that was already very straight.
"Meow..." The orange cat walked to Xu Youling's bench, tilted its head and looked at him for a while, revealing an expression of "watch me demonstrate", and then tilted its body -
It fell to the side of the road like a big caramel milk pudding, with its four legs facing the sky and its soft belly exposed.
"Could you please be a little more mindful of your privacy?" Xu Youling looked at the orange cat's arrogant demeanor and made a sharp and suppressed sound like "i-human parents gave birth to an e-human child". He then held the corrugated cardboard in front of him to cover himself, revealing only the upper half of his face which looked relatively calm.
He had just finished embarrassingly scolding his cat when a girl with pigtails hurried down the corridor, holding a fat chinchilla hamster spirit. She was so hasty that she almost tripped over an orange cat lying across the road.
"Be careful!" Xu Youling quickly dropped the corrugated cardboard and grabbed the little girl, squatting down to pat the dust off her skirt. "Are you okay?"
The little girl was fine, but the hamster was frightened by the orange cat and started squeaking desperately.
"Stop screaming, stop screaming!" The little girl helplessly covered the hamster's mouth. "It's just a big stupid cat, don't be afraid of it!"
The orange cat stood up angrily and scratched Xu Youling's trouser leg to show that adults do not bear grudges.
"Your hamster seems very scared..." Xu Youling looked at the trembling chinchilla bear with some concern, "Why don't you try to comfort it first?"
"No, I'm not its owner. It's the spirit of my friend." The little girl was so anxious that she kept jumping up and down. "What should I do? Will it die?"
"No, it won't die." Xu Youling took the hamster confidently, feeling its nervous trembling under its tiny claws and warm soft fur.
A spirit isn't an ordinary animal, but a mysterious condensation of spirit that coexists with its owner. Unless something catastrophic happens to the owner, the spirit won't die inexplicably. This hamster was probably so uncomfortable and frightened because it was still relatively weak and this was its first time away from its owner's spiritual energy supply.
"Okay...it's okay..." Xu Youling carefully held the hamster in his palm and stroked its fine fur. "Your owner will be back soon. It will be very quick."
"You...can you do this?" The little girl circled around him, not daring to reach out and touch the hamster. Her face flushed red. "If it dies, will my friend be in trouble? It's all my fault..."
Xu Youling was also unsure. After all, whether it was comforting Pei Zhi's German Shepherd, cleaning up Song Qi's lop-eared rabbit, or bathing Zhou Yinglan's munia, all of these had at least passed through the medium of "cleaning".
It would be ridiculous to think that just kneading it can restore it to its original state!
Xu Youling felt uneasy, but he tried to be gentle and precise as he massaged the chinchilla's plump back. Memory Pet Shop seemed to have taken in a hamster that needed anesthesia. How did he cooperate with the attending doctor to calm it down?
"It's not shaking anymore!" the little girl suddenly cried out, joy and fear almost surging at the same time, "Look at it... is it okay?"
Xu Youling carefully smoothed the chinchilla's fur and rubbed its soft ears. He held his breath until the chinchilla, which had just been limp in his palm, suddenly twisted its plump little body, seemingly regaining the energy to escape.
"Don't run away." Xu Youling quickly grabbed its waist and abdomen in mid-air to prevent the chinchilla from turning around and biting his fingers.
“You’re here!”
A few chaotic footsteps sounded closer, and the little girl screamed in surprise. She rushed over and hugged her friend who was still holding a bag of snacks and looked confused. "I was scared to death... I'm glad you're okay..."
"Don't let the spirit body leave you too far, or something bad will happen." When the two little girls finally separated, Xu Youling put the hamster back into the girl's palm.
"I just separated not long ago, and I haven't learned this yet..." The owner of the chinchilla bear let the little hamster lie back on his shoulder, "Thank you for saving my spirit body!"
"It's just a small matter." Xu Youling pursed her lips and waved her hand gently.
The hamster lay quietly on the girl's shoulder and stared at Xu Youling for a while, then turned its head and bit the ends of its owner's hair twice.
Xu Youling felt a little confused. He watched the two girls chattering as they walked back to the corridor, then sat back on the bench and held the corrugated cardboard in front of him.
If the previous spirit body was restored to its original state under his hands because it was rarely cleaned, then what was this chinchilla bear? It was just a simple massage and kneading, which anyone could do, obviously...
Why am I the only one who can soothe it?
Xu Youling opened his palms to examine his fingerprints and joints, but couldn't discern any difference. The afternoon sun slowly moved past, and overhead, the clouds cast a winter's dull white.
-
After the evening, Xu Youling had more and more guests.
The spiritual body of the young office worker in Building 10 next door was a Shih Tzu, which followed its fashionably dressed owner in a sloppy manner. Xu Youling called out to the other party tentatively, combed the Shih Tzu's hair and tied a small braid on its head, making it look much prettier and neater.
The office worker held his refreshed little spirit body in his hands, looked around, and enjoyed the first discount price of the day.
As the story goes, the nearby residents were attracted by the changes in the little Shih Tzu and slowly gathered around, cautiously releasing its spirit body for Xu Youling to play with.
Xu Youling tried his best to satisfy everyone's spiritual bodies within the limited scope of the equipment: he wiped away the tear marks and eye dirt for Garfield, simply washed the golden retriever's tail that was tangled with some hair oil, checked the parrot's flight feathers that were cut too short... Someone even held up a fish tank and showed Xu Youling his spiritual body - a river crucian carp.
"..." Xu Youling raised his head and asked sincerely, "How do you usually carry it with you?"
"My mental image is a stream. I usually don't let it out unless something unexpected happens," the girl answered sincerely. "Well, there was one accident... and it almost dried up."
Xu Youling stared at the fish tank for a while, then silently pushed it back: "Well... my current level is not enough to do fish beauty treatments..."
During this period, the orange cat acted like a big boss, lazily lying beside Xu Youling's bench, generously allowing passing adults and children to touch its belly, playing the role of a good mascot.
Xu Youling hadn't fully confirmed her special ability to soothe spirits, so naturally, she hadn't considered using it as a business proposition. But perhaps because few people in this world offer beauty treatments for spirits, curiosity was plentiful, and even those who weren't sentinels or guides gathered to watch.
Watching the beautiful and somewhat reserved guide combing the spirits' hair, kneading and massaging them, coaxing them to lie down or sit down in a gentle voice, and following his professional yet cautious movements, it was like a wonderful pet show documentary.
Xu Youling always carefully observed the condition of his master, but he still could not come to any accurate conclusion. After all, it was too mysterious to think that just by soothing the spiritual bodies, one could improve their or even the master's condition.
Of course, he did not forget to politely refuse the sentry who had the same request. It was enough to embarrass himself in front of Pei Zhi alone.
It seems that if I want to open a store in the future, I should hire some sentinel apprentices. Xu Youling quickly turned his thoughts to the distant road to becoming the richest man.
When it was completely dark, Xu Youling closed the stall. Although it is best not to start a business with the people around you, the gimmick of spiritual and physical beauty is enough, and it can also be supplemented with the soothing effect of not letting it go, Xu Youling thinks the price is relatively reasonable.
He counted the cash flow tonight, a considerable sum, at least enough to make up for the shortfall he'd made from studying for exams and not working—all thanks to his kind-hearted roommate, Song Qi. The original owner seemed to have no sense of saving, leaving Xu Youling feeling rather strapped for cash, and his hands were tied to everything he wanted to do.
Not anymore in the future.
Xu Youling clenched his fists, lowered his head, picked up the orange cat, which was as tired as a pool of melted pudding from being cute too much, and strode home.
-
Song Qi got off work very late, but he didn't feel any resentment towards working overtime. Instead, he felt a little happy.
"My boss was severely scolded by his direct leader. I felt so good! He scolded him in front of us, a bunch of minions. What's the meaning of this?" Song Qi shouted as he threw down his coat.
"It seems like the whole department is doomed." Xu Youling joked, "Then why are you still working overtime so late?"
"I'm just pretending for them. My slacking partner and I have been slacking off." Song Qi slumped down on the sofa, the nose of a lop-eared rabbit popping out of his pocket. "Hey, we had a big melon today."
Guides are naturally adept at sensing emotions and gathering information, and are particularly sensitive to this kind of gossip. Although Xu Youling doesn't use his guiding abilities as easily as other guides, he's also aware of this trait. He gathered the corrugated cardboard with some resignation: "What did you hear again?"
"Expeditionary Force! Military Headquarters!" Song Qi sat up straight, a mysterious expression on his face. "Previously, the Expeditionary Force had a sentry who was exceptionally capable, but had a terrible personality and numerous black marks on his record. For some reason, the military wouldn't expel him... He was sent back shortly after returning from the battlefield. It's so strange, he didn't even have time to recuperate! Can you guess why?"
"Why?" Xu Youling's throat was a little tight.
"It is said..." Song Qi looked around, as if to confirm that the wall had no ears, "He came down from the battlefield, and when he was unconscious... he invaded a guide and directly..."
"Ah?" Xu Youling's heart was beating wildly. He couldn't help but put his hand on his chest and asked anxiously, "How could this happen? This is too... What's the name of that sentry?"
"Uh... I only know the pronunciation. It seems to be... Pei Zhi. Yes, that's the name!" Song Qi nodded firmly. "How disgusting!"
A feeling of fear instantly crept up Xu Youling's spine to the back of his head. He gripped the corrugated cardboard in his hand tightly and almost couldn't stand.
Another character in the accident must be named after him.
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