Chapter 2 Little Devil (2) Goodbye Wife, Waaah
The little devil had a big head and a small body; his short arms couldn't hold Xie Tan, so it looked more like he was lying in Xie Tan's arms.
He could feel the cold, smooth texture of its skin.
He did not act rashly.
The little devil clung to his chest, giggling as if he had received his favorite toy and didn't want to let go for even a moment.
Its puffed-up forehead rubbed greedily against the ends of the hair on his neck.
It was too close; his whole body was ice-cold, but the back of his neck warmed up slightly—the suppressant patch had rubbed off.
So it's because of pheromones?
His eerie pheromones, which were loathed by everyone, were actually quite fragrant in the world of ghosts and monsters.
It seems absurd, yet it also seems reasonable.
The cat was jumping up and down in the air, anxiously circling around them.
Xie Tan, however, remained calm.
The system couldn't help for the time being; the vines couldn't break free, and the little devil wouldn't let go. Things couldn't get any worse.
But the little devil wouldn't eat him; instead, he used him as a pillow and sucked on him.
A bit annoyed. The drowsiness from a week of staying up late washed over him again. Xie Tan frowned slightly: "Quiet."
The little devil's horrified laughter stopped, and he truly fell silent.
Xie Tan ignored it, followed his body's instincts, closed his eyes again, and fell asleep in a short while.
It took Cat No. 7 a while to realize what was happening. It stared at its host with wide eyes, shocked.
What a strong heart.
The ghost was lying on my body, and I just... just fell asleep, meow!
Even more impressively, the little devil, now quiet, fell asleep in his arms—a true sign of infant sleep.
The cat stood at attention, filled with awe.
But soon I started to worry again. If I stay out all night like this, won't I catch a cold? Ghosts must have very low temperatures, meow.
The black leopard cub hovered near Xie Tan's face, trying its best to transfer warmth to him.
When Xie Tan woke up, it was already daylight, and the little devil was nowhere to be seen.
He casually moved his wrist, and the vines fell off on their own.
He had been sleeping in one position on the hard stone table all night, and his whole body was stiff. He got up and moved around a few times, quietly observed the sleeping leopard cub for a few seconds, and gently poked it.
The kid seemed unable to see the system yesterday.
The cat woke up groggily and, upon seeing Xie Tan, immediately began running around him: "Baby, once the sun rises, that little devil will turn into mist and disappear. It's too cold here, let's go, meow meow—"
Xie Tan tied her shoulder-length hair into a small bun at the back of her head.
The crisis of the early kill has temporarily passed, and he can finally check what's on his body.
His cell phone, house key, and a series of inhibitors—all his belongings—were in his coat pocket.
The phone works normally, but all content related to his original world has been cleared and cannot be found.
As for his contact person, he called the deliveryman who usually delivered his orders, but the number was not in service.
The good news is that the money in the phone is still there, meaning it can be used in this world.
The cat nudged his back with its head, urging him to quickly find a place to eat and drink something hot.
Xie Tan followed its kitten-like pull and walked forward: "You only said what you are, but what about your abilities?"
"Meow?" The cat suddenly realized, "Meow, sorry, the start was too exciting, I haven't introduced the system functions yet, please watch!"
The interface he was browsing on his phone suddenly changed, dividing into three modules.
One is a comic book, another is a forum, and the last one is a gun icon. I don't know what it's for.
The first chapter of the comic has been updated, but No. 7 keeps meowing and muttering, so Xie Tan hasn't been in a hurry to read it.
Walking down the street, he realized that no one else could see number 7; only he could see the system.
He first found a fast food restaurant nearby and ordered an unhealthy but delicious burger meal.
The cat wasn't too keen on it, and Xie Tan, fearing it would meow and attack again, made a small concession—changing the iced cola for hot milk tea.
The high-calorie food and hot drinks warmed his body, and he opened the first chapter of the comic, but his fingertip stopped just as he was about to swipe.
The opening screen features a stunning image that fills the entire screen: a boy lies on a dark altar surrounded by vines, his half-length black hair spread out, his appearance beautiful and demonic, like the outline of the moon emerging from the black sea.
His eyes were as black as an abyss, naturally possessing a captivating charm, while the sclera above his eyes added to his world-weariness.
His slender, fragile wrists and ankles were bound, turning red, and the downward angle presented him as a helpless victim.
But his indifferent expression made it seem as if he were the arrogant superior.
The opening image alone ignited the forum's discussion. Xie Tan switched to the forum while reading the comic to see the real-time discussion thread about the plot.
[Wow, is this beauty even humanly possible? It gives off an app rating of 90+.]
My wife stepped on me.
Did the person upstairs say thank you? Also, this is my wife.
Hello, my wife, I am your husband. We were betrothed since childhood, childhood sweethearts, and fell in love at first sight. We followed each other and eventually got married. For ten years, our love has remained as strong as ever, inseparable, harmonious, and our love will last forever...
What? You don't remember? My wife and I were set up. Let's go home, honey. I miss you so much. I cry when I can't see you, and the kids won't comfort me at all.
[The God of Blades silenced all doubts with a single drawing; his drawing skills are still amazing, my god!]
[No fancy decorations, simple clothes and simple color scheme, but it's like a separate layer...]
[A new wife has appeared! I want all her information in this episode!]
[Let me pour some cold water on this. It might all be explained in less than one chapter. Have you forgotten the Sword God's habits...? This is the first character in the series, and according to our old Qi family's ancestral teachings, he's supposed to be sacrificed to the heavens—just a pure story introduction!]
[How could someone so beautiful be depicted as dead? I've been a fan for ten years, and I disagree.]
[Wake up, upstairs! This is a tale of terror. Aside from Lu Lu, the protagonist of a shonen manga who accidentally stumbled into a horror movie set, the God of Swords can kill any living being at any time.]
"We just met and I already have to say goodbye? Honey, take me with you, sob sob."
The repeated calls of "wife" gave Xie Tan goosebumps. He kept a straight face, quickly switched back to the comic book, and scrolled down.
The black mist transformed into a little demon, opened its huge mouth, and leaned down to approach the boy.
When they were only inches apart, the screen went black, and an eerie laugh spanned two pages, finally transforming into the words "little devil" formed by mist.
[As expected, the Sword God was just showing off his still-sharp drawing skills... pure cannon fodder.]
Seeing that he wasn't scared at all, I thought there might be a twist. Oh well.
[Goodbye, my wife. I'll burn paper money for you, sob sob]
Xie Tan raised an eyebrow. Was the author deliberately ending the story here to leave it in suspense?
If he really dies, or doesn't survive to appear again, that's just the traditional tale of the supernatural, a sacrificial lamb to introduce the story, nothing to worry about.
Although readers cheered enthusiastically for this face, the story is long, and who will remember a cannon fodder character who only appeared in a few panels and didn't even leave a name?
But if he makes good use of this opportunity and leaves a deep impression on the reader, that would be the author's narrative ingenuity, a clever foreshadowing.
Xie Tan continued watching, and after his segment introduced the theme, the story officially began.
A top student failed an exam. His eyes were bloodshot, and he stared intently at the test paper, but he couldn't write anything. He stood there holding his head.
The next second, he frantically filled in all the ink, the pen tip tearing through the paper.
The pen falls to the ground, and the next scene is someone jumping out of the window.
In contrast to the corpse lying in a pool of blood, on the other side, the glamorous male celebrity Yuan Luhang is being interviewed.
He debuted as a child star and became a household name for his role as a deaf-mute boy, but his later works were lackluster and he never achieved great success.
It's graduation season right now, and a clip of him solving a problem at lightning speed in a campus task segment of a variety show went viral, plus he's handsome.
After being accused of using a script, he directly confronted the issue by releasing his final exam transcript from a prestigious university, confirming his status as a top student, gaining a large following, and returning to the public eye.
This entertainment interview naturally didn't miss this hot topic. Yuan Luhang waved his hand shyly: "I'm not that great. I just do my job well in each role. As a student, I study hard. As an actor, I focus on filming. Thank you for your support. Please look forward to my next work!"
The entertainment reporter smiled knowingly: "Oh—I heard Lu Hang has some good news lately. Is there a new character he'll be introducing to everyone?"
"Let me keep you in suspense for now, I'm really looking forward to it myself, haha!"
The comic included a few lines of online speculation, suggesting that he is in talks with a famous director for a new film project, possibly for the second male lead.
Xie Tan immediately switched to the comic and searched online. He quickly found that many marketing accounts were indeed spreading it, and the information was more detailed than what was in the comic.
The second male lead in the movie "Qingqiu" is the chief of the fox clan. He doesn't have many scenes, but his character is very attractive. He is a powerful demon who is not to be trifled with. He is cursed and his clan is facing extinction. Knowing the ending, he still stays until the end and becomes the last line of defense. He sacrifices his life to buy time for the male and female leads.
Most importantly, the second male lead is portrayed as an unparalleled handsome man, with the most beautiful face in the world, capable of captivating hearts at first glance, unlike ordinary people.
Although Yuan Luhang is handsome, he can only play a refreshing school heartthrob or a gentle and warm second male lead at most. He's not good enough to play the number one guy in the world; he's not a top-tier handsome guy.
Xie Tan noticed that this director is very picky about casting. If someone isn't suitable for the role, even a Best Actor won't do. Will he really choose Yuan Luhang as rumored online?
The role hasn't been decided yet, but online discussions and interviews have already generated buzz for him, and he and his team seem quite confident.
[A top student committed suicide, and now this celebrity is portrayed as one.]
[Judging from online comments, this role doesn't suit him at all. They need top-tier looks, so the beautiful woman sacrificed at the beginning must have been his target, right?]
The reporter also mentioned that he'd become more handsome; it wasn't just a polite remark.
[Is he the one raising this little devil, stealing other people's luck?]
[This kid's amazing; he's precisely stolen a specific trait from someone else.]
Xie Tan thought so too, and he looked through the previous discussions about Yuan Luhang.
When Yuan Luhang debuted as a child star, he was cute, but as he grew up, he became less refined than when he was a child, and for a long time he was ridiculed for growing up ugly.
In the past few years, he had virtually no presence in the public eye. Recently, his appearance on a graduation season variety show has made him look younger, and his haters have started criticizing him for having plastic surgery.
The incident of the top student jumping off the building happened two months ago, and considering Xie Tan's own example, Yuan Luhang definitely didn't have plastic surgery.
Before appearing on variety shows, he had already stolen someone's appearance by raising a ghost child.
Comparing his face two years ago with his recent face, Yuan Luhang's original appearance was somewhat harsh, while his current clean-cut campus heartthrob look is probably a characteristic of someone who has been robbed.
It's not about replacing the person entirely; rather, it's about subtly adjusting various flaws towards a more perfect possibility, much like undergoing high-end cosmetic surgery.
Yuan Luhang didn't steal my appearance, but rather the concept of "good-looking," just like the academic star's "good academic performance."
Returning to the comic, after the cheerful interview, the scene shifts to a dark but luxurious house.
On the altar were a row of offerings, ritual implements, and an exquisitely carved dagger with gilded seal script. A black bronze doll-shaped deity sat in the center.
Beside the altar, only one hand holding a telephone could be seen.
"Can't someone else go get it? I'm busy... Okay, I'll go see for myself and see if it likes it."
"The shopping mall is close to your place, I'll come find you at eight o'clock... Fans? Just shake them off, drive away normally, they'll follow. I'll take the private entrance of the parking lot to that unfinished music theater across the street, someone's waiting for me there."
After hanging up the phone, the hands turned to the altar, holding lit incense sticks, and respectfully worshipped the child god.
The sleeve slipped down, revealing a birthmark on her forearm, shaped somewhat like a star.
"I'm counting on you again this time."
Wisps of smoke curled toward the doll god, turning from white to black, and the doll god's eerie smile seemed to widen slightly.
[It's Yuan Luhang raising a ghost child. He's already landed the role of the second male lead, so his face will probably gradually look like it did at the beginning.]
He's got both a brilliant mind and top-tier looks; instant fame is just around the corner. But by taking lives… he won't be satisfied; he'll only become more greedy. What is he asking for from that kid this time? Money? Power?
[He said on the phone that he'd see if "it" liked it, and then he came in person. What was he bringing for the little devil?]
[Perhaps this time the wish is even greater, to enhance the demon's magical power.]
A new victim is about to appear.
Yuan Luhang probably doesn't have any new targets; he's still pursuing beauty, since he failed to plunder Xie Tan, and the little devil inexplicably let him go.
According to rumors circulating online, the movie audition is scheduled for this month. Yuan Luhang is getting anxious, probably thinking that he hasn't offered enough and the kid isn't satisfied.
So go buy something to offer to the little ghost and enhance its magical power.
Xie Tan wondered if Yuan Luhang would soon make a new move, continue to cause trouble for him, or find a new target.
He looked down and saw the latter; a new victim appeared at the end of this episode.
A male college student with broad shoulders and a narrow waist wore a ripped denim jacket, carried a bag on one shoulder, and the decorative silver chain on his chest swayed playfully as he climbed the stairs, looking youthful and trendy.
He stopped in front of his house, took out his keys, and a fluffy little monster doll keychain bumped against his prominent wrist bone, which he then scooped into his large palm.
He reached forward, about to insert the key into the lock, but stopped.
Soon, his hand moved again, not turning the lock, but scraping upwards to remove the talisman paper pasted below the cat's eye.
The young man held the talisman, tilted his head to examine it, but couldn't understand what the scribbled characters meant.
Judging from the image alone, it looks a bit like a baby embryo curled up in its mother's womb.
"mischief……?"
The carefree young man didn't pay attention and casually threw the trash into the bin by the door.
But the door closed too quickly, and the resulting wind sent the fallen talisman paper out through the crack in the door.
The motion-activated lights went out, and the talisman lay in the empty stairwell.
After a while, the motion-activated light turned on again.
A note from the author:
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