Chapter 22
Bang!
The gold brick, as thick as a baby's forearm, slammed onto the table with a heavy thud. Xie Xubai, who was wiping the table, looked up and his pupils dilated in shock.
The little tentacle, which had accidentally lost its strength and dropped the gold brick, trembled as if it were panting. Then, it laboriously dragged the pupa over and held it high in front of Xie Xubai.
Here you go!
It lacks an upper body capable of rolling things up, relying solely on its fragmented cross-section for support. Consequently, its half-body trembles precariously, almost turning into a sieve.
Xie Xubai quickly took it, and when he held it, he could feel its heavy weight even more clearly.
The thought that he had only ever seen such a large piece of gold in legal programs about cracking down on organized crime made the unreality of the situation even stronger.
"Sweetie, where did you get this from?" The little tentacle seemed to be not very intelligent and had a simple mind, so Xie Xubai asked it softly in a tone that was used to coax a child.
[I took these from the bed. There are still plenty left. I'll go get you more if you need more.]
There are many more?
Seeing the little tentacles wriggling around and eagerly offering their treasures, Xie Xubai was both amused and exasperated, thinking to himself, "Truly worthy of Lu's name, 'The Money-Grubber.'"
He didn't delve into the origins of the gold brick, wrapped it in clean paper, and put it in his briefcase. The next second, a small tentacle reached out and touched his wrist.
Can you keep touching me? It feels so good.
Seemingly feeling its tone wasn't sincere enough, it pitifully added a sentence.
Please, sir.
It's really easy to hallucinate those well-behaved children who are polite and clingy.
Seeing the little tentacle trembling, seemingly still in pain, Xie Xubai couldn't help but soften. He said, "But I'm going to sleep now. If I don't sleep now, I'll be sleepy tomorrow."
The little tentacle interpreted this as a rejection, and immediately curled up into a ball in despair. Not long after, it heard Xie Xubai calling out to it: "So be good in a little while, and don't bother me."
The little tentacles looked over with surprise.
Xie Xubai got into bed in his pajamas, lay on his side, patted the empty space next to his pillow, and said with a gentle smile, "Come here."
Although many years have passed, he still vaguely remembers the scene of his mother patting his back to lull him to sleep.
In an instant, the little tentacles became excited and thrashed about, rushing forward without hesitation and shrinking under Xie Xubai's palm.
Xie Xubai poked his head out and said to the dog under the bed, "Ping An can sleep on my other side, okay?"
The dog didn't say anything, just kept staring at the young man.
If you look closely, you'll see that from the moment the tentacles appeared, the dog tensed all its muscles, bared its sharp fangs, and remained in a state of high alert.
Xie Xubai and Gouzi met eyes, as if Xie could read the deep question in each other's eyes, and Xie calmly shook his head: "Baby is fine, I know."
Perhaps because they were concerned about him being "held hostage," the little creatures, without thinking, revealed their fierce and monstrous expressions the moment they saw the tentacles appear, roaring in order to drive them away.
But now that the vengeful spirits had calmed down, they all crowded into the living room outside, and not one of them dared to come within ten meters of the small tentacle.
Xie Xubai learned from the players that Ping An in his normal state possessed the strength of an A-level Ghost King; the mere mention of his name was enough to make most players tremble with fear.
So how powerful are these tiny tentacles that even an A-level Ghost King has to be wary of? And what level of destruction could they cause if they went berserk?
The tiny tentacles wriggled happily under Xie Xubai's palm, seemingly unable to believe that they had achieved their goal so easily, and were too excited to stop.
Xie Xubai patted it to calm it down, then smiled at Ping An and said, "Alright, Ping An, you've been through so much today, you must be tired too. Let's get some rest, okay?"
After about ten seconds, Ping An finally gave in.
It jumped onto the bed, but instead of turning to Xie Xubai's other side as instructed, it lay down near the lower part of the tentacles, making it easier to keep an eye on this mysterious intruder.
Xie Xubai rubbed its head and stroked down its taut back muscles, gradually calming the irritable dog down.
He bent down and kissed the dog's forehead again, smiling gently, "Sweet dreams, sleep well."
The dog glanced at him, then finally retracted its fangs, whimpering and closing its eyes.
The little tentacle beside it seemed to understand that this was a very intimate gesture, and desperately wanted the young man to kiss it in the same way. But its limited rationality told it that it couldn't be in such a hurry and had to take it slow.
The humans it likes deserve all its patience.
The little tentacle thought this way, and it did it.
The youth needed rest, so it tried to calm its excited emotions, barely moving for the first half of the night, quietly nestled in the youth's palm like a silent little stone.
Until late at night, when all was quiet, it finally couldn't help but hum softly twice.
It hurts...it hurts...
It was at this moment that slender, strong fingers reached out and gently rubbed its broken body.
The young man propped his head up with one arm, closed his eyes, and slowly hummed a lullaby from his memory. The melody was gentle, and his voice was delicate and warm; even in the pitch-black night, it didn't sound out of place.
The little tentacle was quiet for a few seconds, then, driven by some unknown emotion, its cry of pain became three times louder and three times more real.
[Ouch! It really hurts! I'm so angry, if only I could beat him...]
It kept chattering and complaining.
Xie Xubai hummed a song without stopping, acting as a dutiful listener. His fingertips gently patted the trembling tentacle, soothing it and accepting all its resentment and pain.
Meanwhile, Yan Shuo's hand, which was trying to recall his body, froze in mid-air.
A few minutes later, he turned his head thirty degrees to the right, expressionless, as if listening, and rested his chin on his hand.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night was thick and dark, and countless mutated monsters lurked in the shadows.
Yan Shuo could "hear" the roars of those monsters all the time, sometimes mad, sometimes frantic, never stopping.
But today is different; there are some other voices.
Gentle and calming.
As time passed, Yan Shuo's breathing gradually slowed, and a subtle ripple finally appeared in his cold, indifferent eyes.
The next morning, when the bank store opened, Xie Xubai took his card to withdraw money and then went to the store to buy a new mobile phone.
Seeing the message on the messaging app indicating successful account login, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Nowadays, platform accounts are basically linked to mobile phone numbers, so in some ways the SIM card is more important than the phone itself. Luckily, when the phone was crushed, the SIM card was sandwiched between fragments of the circuit board and escaped being soaked in the slime, so it still works normally; otherwise, it would have been a real disaster.
The little tentacle, completely unaware of the huge trouble it had almost caused its beloved human, wrapped itself around Xie Xubai's wrist and grinned foolishly.
After spending the night together, it discovered that it preferred young people.
And perhaps because it slept very well last night, when it woke up this morning, a tender bump had sprouted from the broken limb section, and it will probably grow new tentacle tips soon.
My good mood lasted until I saw Lü Xiangcai in front of the company building.
The little tentacle, hating everything associated with the house, immediately "furious" and grabbed Xie Xubai's wrist, trying to turn back.
But Xie Xubai looked closely and suddenly realized that something was wrong. He grabbed the little tentacle and said, "Be good, something seems to have happened. Don't move."
Lu Xiangcai was not standing alone at the company's main entrance; many dejected employees walked out one after another around him.
Those people, some carrying plastic bags and others holding cardboard boxes, brushed past Lü Xiangcai, who stood motionless.
Occasionally, someone would catch a glimpse of Lü Xiangcai's indifferent expression and indignantly curse, "What kind of skills does that kid have? Why are we being fired but not him?"
"Look how smug he is! He's even deliberately standing here watching us leave. It's infuriating!"
"What's there to be arrogant about? So many people resigned, he'll be kicked out sooner or later."
Lu Xiangcai remained silent.
Watching the lower-level employees stride forward, stepping over the shadows under the porch, and easily walking into the bustling, wide, and brightly lit street, they kept muttering to themselves.
He pursed his lips, his eyes growing increasingly sinister, a faint crimson glint in them: "You really want to stay?"
“Sure,” Lü Xiangcai said with a smile, “I’d be happy to help.”
The employees who hadn't completely left suddenly froze, their eyes glazed over, and a thick, decaying deathly aura gradually spread across their once vibrant faces.
Just then, a commotion nearby caught Lü Xiangcai's attention.
When he saw Xie Xubai walking towards him, the violence in his eyes vanished, and he could barely contain his surprise.
"You didn't reply to my messages last night, I thought you weren't coming!"
As they spoke, the employees, looking bewildered and still shaken, touched their hearts and fled in panic.
Xie Xubai withdrew his gaze and sighed, his expression complex and unspeakable.
He took the gold bars and the sulking little tentacles out of his briefcase and handed them back to the other person: "My phone broke, and I didn't get to buy a new one until the bank store opened at nine o'clock this morning. I sent you a message on the way here to explain, but I guess you probably didn't see it."
Lu Xiangcai's pupils constricted as he watched the writhing little tentacle. He grabbed it, his voice rising sharply: "How did you get to him?! Do you know he might be...!"
Upon seeing Xie Xubai's questioning gaze, Lü Xiangcai quickly fell silent, rubbing his throbbing temples to comfort himself: since the other party is still standing here unharmed, he probably hasn't attracted that person's attention.
He waved his hand: "It's nothing, just pretend I'm talking nonsense. But are you really planning to continue working here? I told you, it's very dangerous."
Lu Xiangcai's tone was a bit cold and dejected.
Xie Xubai noticed his disappointment and smiled: "The world is very different now. For me, where wouldn't it be dangerous to work? Besides, if I quit now, wouldn't these kids be left to starve?"
The ghosts crawled out of Xie Xubai's sleeves, blinking their big eyes.
Lu Xiangcai looked over and saw that Xie Xubai had actually dared to keep a strange creature as a pet. His lips twitched: "As an ordinary person, your adaptability is truly astonishing... Wait a minute?"
He noticed the invisible mark of the Ghost King on the ghost's body.
These strange creatures actually have owners?
In Lü Xiangcai's vision, wisps of red blood emanated from the edges of the brand, spreading out like a kite string until they disappeared into the bushes not far away.
From within the bushes, a cold, scarlet single eye silently watched the building before it, filled with immense apprehension and vigilance. Yet, when it looked at Xie Xubai, a hint of tenderness unconsciously appeared.
In an instant, Lu Xiangcai's mind was filled with a turbulent storm and a deafening roar.
Shock, disbelief, ecstasy and many other overwhelming emotions almost overwhelmed him.
By the time he realized what was happening, he had already grabbed Xie Xubai's hand, his breathing rapid and uneven, his eyes fixed on the other man: "How did you do that? Tell me how you did it?!"
"—How were you able to bring a demon king out of its cycle?!"
Author's Note:
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