Chapter 10: Do You Like Humans More, or Urban Legends More?
“Put it on!”
Luxianbei confidently picked up the skirt, then weakly let it down.
“Water Brother, is this skirt a bit too short? It won’t cover anything, right?”
“It is a bit short, but it will definitely cover you. Hurry up and change; I’m not looking!” Bai Kai said, turning his back and covering his eyes.
Seeing Bai Kai turn away, Luxianbei picked up the skirt again and swallowed hard.
Though she had lived less than twenty years, her life experience told her that life is about constant compromise, weighing options, and giving up things in pursuit of the greatest happiness.
So…
She made a compromise.
————
Two minutes later.
Luxianbei changed into a floral bodycon dress, wearing a three-quarter sleeve jacket, standing in a corner of the room, quietly watching Bai Kai busy himself, the smooth back accentuated by the faint visibility of Ifrit spirit patterns.
In that appearance, if she were to smoke a lady’s cigarette, she would be just like a “good” girl—smoking, dying her hair, and getting tattoos, but with a good nature.
During Bai Kai’s brief absence from the Siye Society, he not only brought back clothes for Luxianbei to disguise herself but also three spirit energy items.
One was a ceramic jar used to collect disaster water, its body **, with the mouth shaped like a big mouth, the inside dark and bottomless.
Another was a pale, thin, almost seamless piece of human skin.
The last was a metal pendant meant to help Luxianbei cover her spirit energy fluctuations.
Bai Kai placed the ceramic jar on the ground, pressed both hands against the jar, and murmured a few incomprehensible incantations.
The jar then seemed to come to life, wriggling and shaking a few times, and with a “buzz!” sound, a multitude of eyes opened up on its surface, greedily devouring the disaster water in the room.
Taking advantage of the jar’s consumption of the disaster water, Bai Kai picked up the human skin doll, placed it on the sickbed, and lightly touched its chest with his fingertips, injecting spirit energy.
As the spirit energy flowed in, the human skin doll began to visibly inflate, wriggle, and change shape, evolving into a body identical to Luxianbei’s before her transformation into an urban legend.
Luxianbei stood in the corner of the room, playing with cosmetics she had never touched before, occasionally stealing glances at Bai Kai’s busy figure, feeling warmth rising in her heart.
She suddenly realized that Water Brother was still that seemingly unreliable yet incredibly reliable elder; no matter how she changed, he wouldn’t do anything to harm her.
“Thank you, Water Brother!”
Hearing Luxianbei’s words, Bai Kai froze for a moment, then turned to her with a pale expression.
“What the hell! You…”
With thick, coarse eyebrows, a monkey-like face, and lips resembling sausages covered in spicy oil…
Bai Kai thought that being able to transform such a delicate face into something like that of a pretty girl demonstrated Luxianbei’s talent to some extent.
Sigh! Like a ghost… he silently sighed and stepped forward, grabbing a cotton pad soaked in makeup remover to help Luxianbei clean her face.
After using seven or eight cotton pads and almost half a bottle of makeup remover to clean Luxianbei’s face, Bai Kai picked up a beauty sponge, soaked it, squeezed it dry, and applied foundation, gently spreading it with two fingers.
“Xiao Bei, your skin tone is a cool white, suitable for a pink-toned foundation; as for the lipstick, this TF black tube No. 10 applied thinly would be a good fit…”
“Wait, Water Brother!” Luxianbei interrupted, “How come you’re so skilled?”
Bai Kai lightly tapped Luxianbei’s head, “Of course, I learned it from the sisters at the club. Xiao Bei, you’re going to be a big girl now, you need to understand these things. Next time, I’ll have the sisters at the club teach you.”
“I can go back to how I was…” Luxianbei said, feeling despondent.
Probably can.
“Ah?” Bai Kai was momentarily stunned, pouting, “What a pity.”
Luxianbei, “???”
————
In the Well Courtyard Garden of the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau.
Jiang Li sat on an old wooden chair, crouching beside her was a gloomy-looking girl holding a big black umbrella.
“Senior, do you think Luxianbei has any problems?”
Ever since she randomly encountered Bai Kai in front of the Siye Society, she had been feeling somewhat uneasy.
It wasn’t that she doubted Bai Kai was up to something, but she was concerned about Luxianbei’s condition.
She always felt that Luxianbei’s situation was likely much worse than what Bai Kai had said.
After all, drawing spirit patterns was a very dangerous task, the higher the core level of the urban legend used during the drawing process, the greater the risk if something went wrong.
This was something she deeply understood.
Hearing Jiang Li’s question, the girl slowly rolled her eyes, as if she suddenly “came to life,” and responded in a slow, soft voice, “I don’t know, I’m just a mushroom.”
Jiang Li looked at the girl beside her, her lips parted, wanting to say something but hesitating.
“…” After a moment of silence, the girl, rarely speaking more than one sentence to others, continued, “Though I’m just a mushroom, I think Luxianbei has no problems.”
No problems? Jiang Li felt a sense of relief wash over her, silently exhaling.
This girl was like the mushroom that had always lived alongside the old building of the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau, the longest-serving and most unique among several staff members.
Because her spirit patterns were special, and she had long considered herself a mushroom, she could always see things that others couldn’t.
Some say what she sees is life and d*ath fate, while others say she sees the goodness and evil in people’s hearts.
So if she said Luxianbei had no problems, then Luxianbei certainly had no problems.
In every sense, no problems.
Jiang Li thought for a moment, then withdrew her gaze from the girl, pushing herself up with her cane, just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard the girl say, “Someone’s coming.”
As soon as the words were out, the soft sound of high heels clicking against the floor came from the nearby corridor, and Bai Kai appeared.
He was accompanied by a tall girl in a sexy short skirt.
The girl had cascading brown hair, deep blue eyes that seemed like jewels, pure and lustrous, with elegantly arched eyebrows, a delicate nose, and soft lips.
With a light application of makeup, a trace of allure was added, blending two elements together in a simultaneously contradictory yet subtle manner, exuding an astonishing charm.
She looked somewhat familiar… Jiang Li scrutinized the girl, frowning slightly, and stumbled forward to greet her.
————
“Water Brother, is it really okay?” Luxianbei asked softly as she walked alongside Bai Kai, unable to hold back her anxiety.
Not long ago, hearing Bai Kai’s plan, she thought it was a bit crazy.
Dressing in high heels and a tight bodycon skirt made it hard for her to walk; would this really work?
Bai Kai’s lips didn’t move, and he squeezed out a voice between his lips, “Don’t worry; just try not to talk. I’ll handle any situations that arise.”
“We need to be quick; your spirit energy fluctuations are too strong, the pendant won’t hold for long.”
Luxianbei parted her red lips, wanting to say something but hesitated, then nodded.
At this point, what other choice did she have but to trust Water Brother? Surely she couldn’t just burst out with a double-k*ll, right? That kind of scenario only happens in novels, it’s not realistic, Luxianbei thought.
After passing through the dimly lit corridor, they entered the small garden, and the scene opened up brightly.
Looking around, Luxianbei immediately spotted Jiang Li standing in the middle of the path, her heart instantly leaping into her throat.
As if sensing Luxianbei’s panic, Bai Kai gently patted her back and discreetly positioned himself in front of her.
“Hey, Officer Jiang!”
Jiang Li looked at Bai Kai, who was grinning, seemingly wishing to inspect Luxianbei more closely, but then withdrew her gaze, staring intently into Bai Kai’s eyes and asking, “Who is this young lady?”
“Oh, her!” Bai Kai smirked carelessly, “A sister from the club. Since it will take time for Xiao Bei’s spirit patterns to stabilize, I was just bored, so I invited her over to hang out.”
Hearing Bai Kai emphasize “hang out,” Jiang Li seemed to realize something and unabashedly displayed her disdain on her face while her gaze drifted toward Luxianbei.
Luxianbei’s exquisite features were hidden beneath foundation, leaving no discernible color or special expression; as her gaze fell, Jiang Li tilted her head in confusion upon noticing Luxianbei’s long, trembling legs.
“She seems a bit unwell?”
Bai Kai followed Jiang Li’s gaze with his peripheral vision and, in an instant, his mind raced as he quickly responded.
“This, this is just, uh, the old still as steel! You know, it’s kind of embarrassing to say, haha!”
As he spoke, he seemed to boast, swaying his waist back and forth.
Luxianbei, “???”
Enough already! Is this how you handle it?
Jiang Li’s cold face suddenly turned a shade of crimson; she indeed understood what Bai Kai was trying to convey.
But at that moment, she suddenly felt that sometimes, knowing too much isn’t a good thing.
Bai Kai, you really are something!
Seeing that both girls fell silent, Bai Kai nonchalantly shrugged, “Since everyone here has no objections, I’ll take my leave?”
“I’ll take the young lady back, and then I’ll come back to take care of Xiao Bei!”
Jiang Li lowered her head slightly, rubbed her temples, and silently waved her hand.
Seeing this, Bai Kai held onto Luxianbei, just as he prepared to leave when they spotted the girl with the big black umbrella who had silently appeared behind them, causing Bai Kai’s expression to change, and he halted his steps.
Crouching in the Well Courtyard Garden, the girl, who only moved for work, unexpectedly blocked the way, causing Bai Kai to panic, his heart racing, and sweat beading on his palms.
Jiang Li stood to the side, quietly watching as the girl gradually approached Bai Kai and the other girl, her eyes revealing something odd.
Could it be that the senior noticed something wrong with Bai Kai and that girl?
Completely unaware of what was happening, Luxianbei stared bewilderedly at the gloomy girl, her approach slow and slightly taken aback.
In the next moment, the pallid face came close to her, nearly touching nose to nose.
The dull, colorless black eyes locked onto Luxianbei’s, and she felt as if invisible hands were slowly reaching out from the air, inch by inch pulling away her disguise, allowing them to see her soul without reservation.
A suffocating sense of pressure rushed over her, and Luxianbei felt her heartbeat pause for a moment; just then, the girl’s slightly hoarse voice echoed in her ear.
“Do you… like humans more, or urban legends more?”
In an instant, countless voices erupted in Luxianbei’s ears like a tidal wave, directly striking her soul with the most severe reprimand and questioning.
As the voices gradually faded, Luxianbei stared blankly for a long time before snapping back to reality, forcing a smile onto her stiff face that looked worse than crying.
“Of course, I like humans more!”
“…”
The girl silently stared at Luxianbei for a moment, then wordlessly turned away, returned to the flowerbed, and crouched back down, changing back into a lifeless mushroom.
(Later, there will be another 4K update. Thank you all for your monthly votes!)
