Chapter 88: Has the Meatball Become Spiritual? 【4K】
Near the Happy Neighborhood, there is a music restaurant bar called the Banyan Tree Society.
Perhaps due to the lengthening of the night and the apparent increase in urban legends, this somewhat quaint restaurant has seen its peak business hours shift from the evening to around noon.
The charm of good food is simply that great.
Even if people worry about encountering urban legends, they still change their schedule to enjoy the cuisine during the day.
Just past noon, the business at the Banyan Tree Society is just right; the servers are nearly overwhelmed with work, but most of the business comes from takeout orders, and there are hardly any customers in the countryside-style hall.
In a corner of the hall, in a booth separated by a screen, Lu Yibei sits across from Hua Xieyu. After leaving Mudan Street, the two headed straight here.
There are very few guests during lunchtime, which helps avoid the possibility of being overheard, and it is only less than five hundred meters away from the Happy Neighborhood.
Although several spiritual ability users and urban legend seekers have inquired about the prices of the mass-produced spirit energy items, so far, none have finalized transaction details with Du Sixian.
If necessary, the urban legends lying in wait in the underground parking lot of Happy Neighborhood can be fully armed and mobilized at any time. In Lu Yibei’s view, this is arguably the safest place within Huacheng, besides Banshan Primary School.
At this moment, Hua Xieyu sits silently with her head down, not daring to look Lu Yibei in the eye, seemingly like a child caught doing something naughty.
After waiting for a moment and seeing she still hasn’t spoken, Lu Yibei silently sighs, pours a cup of hot tea, and passes it to her, gently asking, “What is it?”
Hua Xieyu looks up at Lu Yibei, but quickly averts her gaze, stammering, “What—what should I say?” Although she isn’t a child, she indeed did something wrong, which makes her particularly timid.
When Lu Yibei had called her name just now, it implied that he most likely already knew about her scheme with that man. Participating in that scheme in Dawn City is quite serious, second only to crimes like child trafficking, betrayal of brothers, or seducing sisters-in-law. Being caught could lead to being confined in alleys marked with pink lights.
Being confined in those alleys, “Xianren” would feel as if their legs had been broken, unable to jump anymore, subjected to heavy “labor” daily.
“…”
Even if this isn’t Dawn City, normal people would feel angry if someone intends to deceive their feelings, right? Besides, that man seems to want to not only deceive Lu Yibei’s feelings but also to swindle his money and endanger his life. If it were me, I certainly wouldn’t be able to hold it in, Hua Xieyu thinks.
“Of course, it’s about the urban legend incident you wanted to report to me!” Lu Yibei says with a hint of sarcasm, “Didn’t you tell Brother Qi Dong before that you discovered a very serious urban legend incident and must tell me in person?”
Though Lu Yibei is not a competent Siye Society operative, he can still be considered a somewhat competent king of urban legends. He wouldn’t stand idly by while serious urban legend incidents are about to happen in Huacheng.
Moreover, to ensure that the word “disaster” is removed from the red wanted list of the Siye Society, he promised Xing Yuan that there won’t be any incidents in Huacheng for at least the next year or two.
“Eh?” Hua Xieyu shows a moment of surprise upon realizing that Lu Yibei didn’t confront her for the scheme. She quickly regains her composure and purses her lips, “The urban legend incident I want to report is actually, um, how should I say this? I’m not sure how to start.”
Once she begins, she realizes that explaining everything about MR. S and that man would be difficult without touching on her original purpose for coming to Huacheng.
It feels as if everything has returned to the starting point.
That feeling is like discovering that a seemingly innocent little cat at home is actually an undercover agent sent by an aggressive cat faction to gather data on its owner for a potential invasion by the Catnip Army.
Is this meatball spirit just pretending to be harmless?
Just like that urban legend story about something disguised as a pet that infiltrates human homes to eat the next-door neighbors’ children. That would be terrifying!
As she quietly thinks this, she continues to secretly observe Wang Ying.
She watches as the snow-white ball of flesh falls to the ground, wriggling for a moment before gradually condensing back into human form, standing up with wide, watery eyes, scanning the room, and emitting a series of “yiya” sounds, before dashing towards the panicked little urban legends.
This time, her steps are much steadier than before; although still not up to normal adults, it seems she has overcome the possibility of tripping on flat ground.
In the apartment’s living room, chaos ensues—
“Quick, run!” False Teeth shouts, “Don’t get caught! I heard from the witch that thing eats everything!”
“d*mn it!” Mafun curses fiercely, “Why is the Eye not here at this time?”
“Clearly, it was that thing that secretly swapped the witch’s comical audio collection with the ‘Gospel Sacred Canon’ expecting to exorcise it. In situations like this, sacrificing the Eye should resolve the issue, right?”
“But I feel like she doesn’t have any malice?” Sleep Dress quietly voices her concern.
“You think? Then why are you running so fast?” Looking at Sleep Dress rushing ahead, False Teeth and Mafun both complain.
After realizing running with her short legs wouldn’t work, Wang Ying stops, sits down lazily, tilts her head, and seriously observes the little urban legends.
A minute later, it seems she finally understands why she can’t catch those little legends. Her eyes light up as she stands back up to initiate her third dash.
Then, her demeanor suddenly becomes eerie.
Her tiny, pale body grows dense, jet-black fur.
Slithering forward, suddenly sharp teeth emerge beneath her skin, bouncing and rolling.
Finally, amidst a fit of giggles, she floats up into the air, adjusts her form, and with a whoosh, darts towards the fleeing Mafun.
Right on target.
One cannot deny, this really is, as the second generation of the Inheritance Beast, Lu Yibei secretly thinks.
As the king of countless magpies, Lu Yibei has been equipped with flying ability and numerous complex powers since the day she awakened her self-awareness.
However, apart from herself, she’s welcomed countless young urban legends before, witnessing what the majority of them are capable of.
Indeed, as an inheritor of powers overseeing offspring, she not only plays the role of a matchmaker but also sometimes serves as a midwife.
Newly born second-generation urban legends, aside from other aspects, usually take almost a year to learn to fly, just like a human infant learning to walk.
And at this moment, Wang Ying—having just awakened—has seemingly mastered flying just by observing Sleep Dress, like a blank sheet of paper picking up a skill instantly.
That’s way more capable than that dog thing!
In these times, how could there be an A-grade urban legend that doesn’t know how to fly? Isn’t that something else entirely?
In the living room, after catching Mafun, Wang Ying gently floats back down, obediently sits, holding Mafun up to her mouth.
“Hmmm! I’m gonna d*e! That thing is going to eat me, save me, save me!”
Watching the tiny mouth draw closer, Mafun emits a terrified shout. In the next moment, the scream halts abruptly.
Just as all the urban legends in the room think that Wang Ying is about to swallow Mafun, she actually pouts and gives Mafun a quick peck, leaving a glistening drool behind, followed by a series of giggles.
“Oh?” False Teeth exclaims, suddenly a bit envious of Mafun.
“I—I said she doesn’t seem to have any malice,” Sleep Dress weakly adds.
Lu Yibei is taken aback, “Wait, did I misunderstand? The Inheritance Beast doesn’t want to devour those little urban legends, but is just playing with them?”
In a moment of clarity, Lu Yibei stands up, hands on her hips, proudly puffing out her chest. She suddenly feels like she can do it!
That feeling is akin to discovering that your pet cat, thought to be an invader from the stars, is actually quite harmless and could be easily subdued by a simple cat toy.
Thus, with a flash, she descends downstairs, grabs Wang Ying, who’s sitting with Mafun, silently chants a spell, and subdues her, placing her on her lap.
“Look at this living room you’ve turned into a mess! What happened here?”
“Can’t you behave a little better? And if you want to play, at least put some clothes on first?”
“Plus, could you at least look human during the cutscene?”
Lu Yibei rambles on, raising her small hand, giving a swift smack to Wang Ying’s bottom
Ah, what a relief!
So, you’re the Inheritance Beast, huh? Were you trying to annoy me before? And now? Don’t behave, I’ll still deal with you!
Lu Yibei thinks, as her hands keep smacking Wang Ying’s derriere, just like how Lu Yibei herself was once treated by her cousin during her time in Spring Breeze Villa.
This round? This round is you bullying me, so I’ll bully you back, “Child”! It’s only fair!
—
After leaving the Banyan Tree Society, Lu Yibei and Hua Xieyu reach the street, and he waves to stop a taxi. When it pulls up, a familiar face appears through the window.
“You?”
“It’s me. Shall we go?”
Lu Yibei exchanges a brief, mutual nod with Uncle Zhang Shan, taking Hua Xieyu into the car. Just as they settle in, he suddenly remembers a serious issue, his expression darkens, and his brows knot together. Wait a minute, did I just engage in a simple eye contact exchange with Uncle Zhang Shan?
I can’t even do that with Hua Xieyu, but I can with Uncle Zhang Shan? Isn’t that weird?
Thinking of this sends a chill down Lu Yibei’s spine. He quickly pulls back his thoughts, forcing himself not to dwell on such strange directions, steadies himself, and tells Uncle Zhang Shan, “Uncle, please take us to the Jingyi Apartment Complex in University City.”
“Of course!” Uncle Zhang Shan responds, starting the car and driving down the road.
In the car, everyone sits in silence.
As the scenery outside shifts continuously, Lu Yibei begins to sense something unusual. Something’s off!
Why is Uncle Zhang Shan so quiet today? He hasn’t asked me to tell him urban legends? It can’t be that he suddenly found my money more interesting than urban legends, right?
Thinking this, Lu Yibei straightens up, glancing through the rearview mirror at Uncle Zhang Shan, only to see his eyes fixed ahead, an empty expression, brows furrowed, and a somewhat gloomy face.
While Lu Yibei is observing Uncle Zhang Shan, it seems he notices Lu Yibei’s gaze, his peripheral vision glancing at the rearview mirror, locking their gazes together.
The next second, just as they enter a tunnel, the taxi suddenly accelerates, throwing Lu Yibei back against his seat.
Steadying himself, Lu Yibei looks ahead, his heart plunging like it was hit hard, then begins racing wildly.
Through the windshield, he sees the taxi speeding over a hundred and fifty, heading straight for a bus, with no intention of veering off course whatsoever.
The scenery outside blurs with the speeding, as a gust of wind rushes through the partially rolled-down window, creating a low and hollow sound.
d*mn it, I was careless!
Just now, Hua Xieyu mentioned that man is everywhere, how did I neglect the possibility that he could disguise himself as Uncle Zhang Shan? This is going to be a big problem!
At that moment, the taxi is less than a meter from the bus—an imminent and devastating crash about to occur!
Boom!
The violent impact arrives as expected.
Accompanied by a loud crash, screams, the sound of shattering glass, and the screech of twisted metal all flood into Lu Yibei’s ears.
As the clamor swirls, flashes of that car accident from years ago flicker through his mind.
Rainy night, car troubles, canyon, screams, explosions.
An uncontrollable fear quietly rises within him.
However, just as he closes his eyes and shields himself, driven by the instinctual dread of the car accident, a familiar voice rings in his ear.
“Hey hey, silly boss, scared, huh?”
Lu Yibei is taken aback, lowering his hands and looking out the window, where the once illuminated tunnel now appears swallowed by darkness, empty, devoid of any vehicle’s presence.
…
d*mn it, Proxy Player Sister! This time, it’s a bit over the top, isn’t it?
While he mentally grumbles, he gazes at the driver—a Proxy Player Sister clad in a taxi uniform, her expression flat, “How dare you show up?”
“What do you mean not doing something critical, and then pulling this stunt to scare me?”
“Hey! Is the customer service there? I want to change my Proxy Player.”
In the midst of his complaints, Proxy Player Sister pouts, “Come on, don’t be so stingy! Other proxies wouldn’t treat you this well—they might even PUA you!”
Lu Yibei, “Aren’t you doing that to me right now?”
“Besides, I wasn’t leaving you hanging! I was actually helping you out!”
“Helping me?” Lu Yibei rolls his eyes.
“Yes!” The Proxy Player Sister insists, “If you had conflicted with that guy just now, the whole Mudan Street—no, likely all of Huacheng—would have been finished!”
She speaks as if saying, “I didn’t want to act against him, but was afraid I couldn’t control myself,” so serious that she adds, “Really.”
Lu Yibei pauses, feeling a bit subdued as he asks, “Is it really that serious for Huacheng? What’s the secret behind that guy?”
“Well…” Proxy Player Sister taps her chin thoughtfully, mumbling, “He’s probably the Solar Eclipse Society President.”
“Huh?” Lu Yibei gasps, feeling like an electric shock coursed through him, his scalp tingling.
“So, just now, I almost ambushed the Solar Eclipse Society President?”
“What do you think?” Proxy Player Sister rolls her eyes, “Thank goodness I stopped you in time; otherwise, that achievement would have gotten around, and Zhang Hainan would likely respect you even more.”
Lu Yibei, “…”
See? What did I always say? In this world full of urban legends, it’s best to avoid conflict if possible, or you might just hit a solid wall.
With Ju Meng transforming into a magpie and now facing the impersonation of the Solar Eclipse Society President, this is just great! Lu Yibei thinks.
In this moment of thought, Proxy Player Sister interrupts again, snapping him back to reality.
“Don’t be so tense!” she explains, “Actually, I’m not completely sure he’s the Solar Eclipse Society President.”
“I just sensed the aura of Black Sun Fire on him, which is the stuff that can create Black Sun Seed, and made that conclusion.”
“In summary, as long as your spirit energy fluctuation remains at a true Cataclysm Grade, just steer clear of him.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Lu Yibei frowns, “If he can disguise himself as a member of the Special Action Team, he can impersonate anyone. Even if I try to avoid him, I can’t always escape, can I?”
“That’s where your modified spirit patterns come in.” Proxy Player Sister lifts her chin a bit, her expression bursting with pride, “Remember that red dot?”
“If Black Sun Fire appears near you, that thing will react, and the closer you get, the stronger the reaction becomes.”
“You’ve probably experienced what that reaction feels like just now, right?”
That burning sensation? Lu Yibei muses, furrowing his brows.
He originally thought that was meant to guide him but now realizes it was actually a warning to run from danger.
“Last question?”
“You said to avoid conflict with that man before I reach Cataclysm Grade. What about after?”
The Proxy Player Sister snorts dismissively, “Of course, you can do whatever you want!”
“Do whatever? Isn’t that a bit too imposing?”
“Not at all, trust me, witches don’t fool other witches!” she speaks with conviction, “The only—”
“The only what?” Lu Yibei suddenly becomes anxious.
“Nothing.” The Proxy Player Sister casually brushes it off, “I might just be overthinking. If anything really happens, I’ll let you know then.”
The only concern is that the guy may not be my perceived Solar Eclipse Society President—
Or perhaps just someone trusted within the leadership, granted partial control of Black Sun Fire? That would be ideal!
Proxy Player Sister thinks, fragments of images flashing quietly through her mind.
