**Chapter 6: The Beautiful Woman as a Disaster – Luxianbei**
While Luxianbei was wandering around the store, Fat Second Grandpa handed Bai Kai a cigarette, and the two began to smoke and chat, trying to extract useful information from each other’s words.
Fat Second Grandpa wanted to know information about Luxianbei, while Bai Kai was curious about the trends of urban legends from him.
However, both were old foxes in the game; who would truly discuss such matters?
Bai Kai shamelessly steered the conversation toward a certain exceptionally proportioned girl from the underground world, while Fat Second Grandpa maintained a stoic expression as he recounted his heartless business methods.
After several rounds of exchange, the ground was littered with the fragments of their dignity.
…
After carefully examining the large belly crystal bottle for a moment, Luxianbei furrowed his brow slightly. He could basically confirm that what was inside the bottle was the same kind of substance he had obtained recently when stopping the transformation into an urban legend.
For it to be displayed on the shelves of a ghost market store meant it was a good item, and the fact that he could enjoy it for free every day made it even better. It was practically a supreme product.
But he wondered…
As he pondered, Luxianbei turned his gaze toward the shelves, scanning the small tags underneath each item.
Fat Second Grandpa, whose weight was almost measured in tons, usually wouldn’t get up when customers came into the store. Instead, he would let the customers choose independently based on the small tags under each product that had pricing and brief descriptions, giving the store a somewhat self-service vibe.
“Spirit Puppet, depending on strength, can resist one to three curses… 300G gold.”
“Spirit Flask, depending on strength, can absorb one to five curse energy… 500G gold.”
“Spirit-enhancing Armor (Replica), speed enhancement spell solidified spirit energy item… 950G gold or equivalent items for exchange.”
…
Luxianbei, you really have a knack for finding survival gear among so many selections.
Awesome!
After viewing the tags of seven or eight items, Luxianbei withdrew his gaze and looked back at the big belly crystal bottle, slightly furrowing his brow in contemplation.
After roughly studying the various items on the shelf, he found that most of the things in this shop were settled with gold or spirit energy materials, with only a very small portion using cash, and every single item had a description except for that bottle of black liquid.
“…”
Was it placed in the wrong spot?
Or did the owner not intend to sell it at all?
No way, he had to ask whether this thing was worth anything; it was very important to him.
Thinking this, he cradled the large belly crystal bottle with both hands and walked towards the store entrance.
“Boss, what is this? I see that other products have labels, but why doesn’t this one?”
Fat Second Grandpa and Bai Kai looked towards Luxianbei’s voice. Upon seeing what he held in his hands, their faces visibly changed, and the corners of their mouths twitched uncontrollably.
“You fat b*stard, how dare you carelessly place this kind of thing? A whole bottle—if it spills, half the ghost market will come to take you down!”
“No, I, I…” Fat Second Grandpa protested, “It’s just that I’ve gained another fifty or so pounds recently, making it even harder to move around!”
“Previously, I had a helper watch the store. Perhaps he took this out for a customer to sell and casually left it here after selling it, then…”
“I’m fed up with you, you careless fatso. To get this business to where it is now is a talent in itself,” Bai Kai mockingly retorted as he walked towards Luxianbei.
…
Luxianbei had always thought that this black substance, which had appeared as he stopped the transformation into an urban legend, might have some value but should not be too high.
However, seeing Bai Kai and Fat Second Grandpa’s anxious demeanor and whispered exchanges now made him feel an inexplicable sense of panic.
This thing isn’t simple! It seems not only valuable but quite dangerous?
Caught in his daze, Bai Kai had already reached his side, snatching the large belly crystal bottle from him and placing it steadily on a nearby shelf, then turned to Fat Second Grandpa and gave him a look, signaling him to take care of it properly.
From a distance, seeing Bai Kai’s eyes, Fat Second Grandpa slightly nodded and responded affirmatively with his eyes, then wiped the sweat that was beading on his forehead, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Seeing their relieved expressions, Luxianbei became even more puzzled and pressed, “Why are you two so tense? As if that thing is a bomb.”
“Well, in a sense, it is a bomb, and it’s a toxic gas bomb,” Bai Kai explained.
Luxianbei, “……” So I’ve turned into a toxic gas producer?
“Yup, that thing is called ‘disaster water.’” Fat Second Grandpa said while wiping the sweat from his forehead as he continued to explain.
“Who told you to blab!” Bai Kai shot a glance at Fat Second Grandpa, annoyed.
He thought it was best not to let Luxianbei know about the origins and uses of such a sinister item anyway; after all, he wouldn’t be encountering it anytime soon.
But now that Luxianbei already knew, Bai Kai might as well patiently give him a further introduction.
“Disaster water is a kind of filthy spirit energy aggregate that is difficult to purify. It is basically only used for poisoning, depending on its purity, it can cause illusions or lead to irreversible mental confusion.”
“Only those particularly sinister spirit ability users and urban legends would have something like this.”
“Master Bai is correct.” Fat Second Grandpa chuckled in agreement, “As the saying goes, a beautiful woman brings disaster; whoever gets involved with this stuff is doomed. Who in their right mind would play with such things?”
Luxianbei, “……” Who the hell is ‘the beautiful woman brings disaster’? Who’s not in their right mind? Kindly watch your words!
“Is this thing valuable?”
“Not particularly valuable, just a bit dangerous,” Bai Kai shrugged.
Not particularly valuable… Luxianbei stared emotionlessly at the shelf, suddenly finding the previously cute crystal bottle rather displeasing.
“Yeah, yeah,” Fat Second Grandpa agreed with a contemptuous expression, “Mainly because this thing is too useless, very few people buy it; the price is basically fluctuating between 0.9 and 1.2 times the value of gold.”
Luxianbei, “？？？”
What kind of family do these two come from?
They actually refer to something with a price similar to gold as not valuable?
Thinking of this, Luxianbei instinctively touched his pants pocket, where he still kept today’s portion of disaster water. He hadn’t found an opportunity to hide it in the ceiling compartment of the bathroom earlier when he got home.
The thought of having an additional seven or eight pounds of this substance at home made him feel like he was about to hit the jackpot.
…
Ever since realizing the value of disaster water, Luxianbei’s gaze had not left the large belly crystal bottle until Bai Kai pulled him away.
Bai Kai dragged him to the side, patting his shoulder, “Xiao Bei, don’t dwell on that; our purpose today is much more important than that.”
Luxianbei remained expressionless, lacking enthusiasm as he glanced at Bai Kai.
What could be more important than a little bit of money?
“Xiao Bei, soon you will be drawing spirit patterns.” Bai Kai said solemnly.
“Once you finish drawing the spirit patterns, you will quickly receive your first task. Do you know how high the d*ath rate is for new spirit ability users when they undertake their first task?”
Seeing Bai Kai unusually serious, Luxianbei also restrained his urge to sprinkle sarcasm, focusing on his eyes and shaking his head.
Bai Kai raised three fingers and then slowly retracted one, “The data from last year was 31.4%, meaning that about one in three will d*e.”
“Therefore, for your safety, I’m preparing to give you a few spirit energy items for self-defense before your task, like this…”
“Wait a minute!” When Luxianbei heard Bai Kai wanted to give him something, he suddenly remembered something and interrupted, “I’ve already seen it, and I know what I want.”
“……” Bai Kai silently assessed Luxianbei, then said with a serious tone, “Xiao Bei, be clear, you can’t have them all. My budget is only 1000G gold; even the landlord’s family has no surplus.”
“Facial care, body maintenance, building rapport with customers… as the most handsome guy in Huacheng, my daily expenses are quite extravagant.”
Wow! This is the first time I’ve seen someone talk about spending money on beauty and flirting with girls in such a fresh and refined way! Luxianbei sarcastically thought, then disingenuously replied, “Tsk, only children want everything; adults know it’s not sustainable.”
Since he couldn’t have it all, he could only… As he pondered, he turned his gaze to the spirit energy item he had secretly noted down earlier.
“I want this!” Luxianbei picked up the spirit-enhancing armor replica and a stack of talisman paper from the shelf.
An item that enhances speed? Bai Kai smiled, “Wise choice, deeply to my liking.”
Perhaps due to the fact that he had also chosen spirit patterns aiming to escape, Bai Kai didn’t find escaping anything shameful; in fact, he somewhat agreed with it.
However, upon seeing the sum of the two items’ prices, he was suddenly not happy.
One item was 950G gold, and the other was 51G, just about 1001…
Bai Kai twitched the corner of his mouth, “Xiao Bei, this, this smoke bomb talisman works similarly to a smoke grenade, it’s not very useful; let’s not…”
“No way, godfather, I want it~!”
“……”
“Buy, buy them all! Also add this lightning flash talisman, okay? Of course, a smoke bomb and a flash bomb go better together!”
Women and such, how can they be more important than my precious son! Bai Kai thought.
When buying things, this routine really works every time… Luxianbei shrugged without a hint of expression, unreservedly taking the stack of lightning flash talismans.
While acting cute might be embarrassing, it’s effective; why care about dignity? It can’t be eaten!
…
In the suburbs of Huacheng, at Amber Hall.
Jiang Li was bent over her desk, carefully sifting through the documents she had brought back, finally picking out four to five tasks suitable for Luxianbei to carry out. Stretching lazily and tidying up the scattered folders on the table, she took a sip of the now-cold tea, picking up her notebook and confirming once again.
[Visits for Urban Legends in Happy Neighborhood], [Collection of “Missing Person” case materials]… [Reinforcement and Data Survey of South Suburb Slaughterhouse]…
“With these four or five tasks, he should be able to get through his rookie period,” Jiang Li murmured to herself. “They are all simple tasks; if something still goes wrong…”
As she spoke, she picked up a file that had been untouched on the table and opened it. Inside were advertisements introducing various cemeteries around Huacheng.
“This one is too old-fashioned, not suitable for young people… this one looks good, just a bit small…”
Jiang Li was precisely this kind of meticulous person, always liking to make preparations in two ways.
While carefully screening tasks for Luxianbei, she also mentally prepared for the possibility of his task failure, early on selecting suitable burial grounds for him.
Bad luck? The Siye Society’s people have never known what bad luck is; they’ve dealt with even worse situations!
…
Luxianbei declined Water Brother’s invitation to go to the bathhouse for a mutual back scrub and spa relaxation. By the time he returned home, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
“Come on, come on, don’t be cowardly; my, let’s redo it if we fail!”
As soon as Luxianbei opened the door, he heard a soft and excited voice. Stepping inside, he immediately saw Jumeng holding a notebook.
She was wearing an oversized T-shirt that she had dug out from Luxianbei’s wardrobe, her white and shining long legs crossed while sitting on the couch, with a pair of pink cat ear headphones bought at an unknown time on her head, holding in her left hand a bottle of soda and in her right hand some crispy chicken, playing games for five minutes and complaining for half an hour.
Luxianbei, “……”
If the residents of Peach Source knew that their deity was like this behind the scenes, would their faith collapse on the spot?
Sometimes Luxianbei felt that he was really in a tough spot; while others could politely smile when they found certain things too cringe-worthy to verbalize, he could only look on expressionlessly.
“I say… you should take a break? Be careful not to d*e suddenly?”
It wasn’t until Luxianbei spoke that Jumeng noticed his presence, raising an eyebrow with a grin, “Oh! You’re back! Did you manage to hunt the core of the urban legend last night?”
“No.”
“Okay then, you must be tired as well; want some chicken?” Jumeng said, lifting a half-eaten chicken leg toward Luxianbei.
Luxianbei sat next to Jumeng, taking the chicken leg from her hand, “Does this count as an indirect kiss?”
Jumeng stared intently at the computer screen, her fingers dancing over the controls, then nodded lightly and said, “It does, but I don’t mind.”
“Oh, since you don’t mind, then I don’t mind either,” Luxianbei said expressionlessly, raising the chicken leg to his mouth and tearing off a large chunk.
Stinky Sister, playing these games every day, do you think I would be embarrassed? Naive! Luxianbei sneered inwardly.
The silent competition between Luxianbei and Jumeng over the majority of the apartment’s activity space had become a routine of trickery and counter-trickery.
Catching a glimpse of Luxianbei actually eating the chicken leg, Jumeng blinked in surprise.
What’s going on? To prevent this guy from stealing my fried chicken, I’ve already taken a bite out of all of it; didn’t expect him to…
Has he thickened his skin to this extent?
Jumeng thought, tilting her body sideways and lying down on Luxianbei’s lap, then said softly, “Dare I lie down for a bit?”
“Be my guest.” Luxianbei shrugged expressionlessly, while one hand seized another piece of chicken wing that Jumeng had already bitten into and shoved it into his mouth, the other hand playing with Jumeng’s long hair, lightly twisting it around his fingers.
“Luxianbei…”
Is this finally my win? Luxianbei felt secretly pleased and responded, “Hmm?”
“Something hard in your pants is pressing against my head.” Jumeng said softly.
Luxianbei, “？？？”
I’m not, I didn’t, don’t say such things; there are so many people watching!
I don’t feel anything; how could I not know?
Wait a minute…
Luxianbei squinted his eyes slightly, reached into his pants pocket to rummage around, and pulled out a palm-sized crystal bottle.
Jumeng’s eyes widened at what Luxianbei pulled out, and she jumped up instantly, retreating several steps while pointing at Luxianbei and exclaiming, “You, you’re so disgusting!?”
Luxianbei, “？？？”
“Where did you get this? Do you know what this is? It’s disaster water! Do you know what disaster water is?”
“To put it bluntly, it’s waste produced from the vast spirit energy system cycle of this world; it’s disgusting, you actually collect this stuff!”
Luxianbei, “……”
What a beautiful girl, why does she always use such strange metaphors related to poop? Is she really just a spirit related to plants?
d*mn! Although ‘the beautiful woman brings disaster’ isn’t a good title, why does it turn into ‘the sh*t-collecting boy’ in her hands? My dignity took a dive!
However, others may laugh at my insanity, but I laugh at their inability to see through things; me and my money cannot be separated for even a moment.
Luxianbei resolutely thought, silently stowing away the crystal bottle, then pointed at the laptop that had fallen onto the couch and said, “Miss Mengmeng, it seems your group instance has ended.”
“What?” Jumeng looked taken aback for a moment, then turned around, picking up her laptop and starting to operate it.
“Oh no, how can you all… no, I was the one leading the charge! You all did great!”
Luxianbei, “……”
I clearly saw that it was an accidental keyboard press that caused the character to rush toward the BOSS first, and then the teammates won on their own!
Who the traitor is here is already quite obvious, right?
Jumeng, eternal pit!
Luxianbei inwardly scoffed as he turned upstairs, changed his clothes, quickly washed up, and then packed his bag, preparing to head to school.
One must never slack off in studies; once you relax, you become addicted and end up like Jumeng.
It’s possible to not even meet her standards; at least she’s a somewhat washed-up deity, capable of ensuring her own youthful appearance and graceful figure.
As he passed through the living room, he exchanged glances with Jumeng, catching a look full of disdain from her.
…
Throughout the entire morning of classes, Luxianbei occasionally zoned out, his thoughts unconsciously drifting back to his disaster water, while the teacher lectured above, and he pondered below.
“The Book of Changes says, the ancient would tie knots to govern, and later sages changed it to written contracts…”
Luxianbei, “……”
Unexpectedly, even Jumeng found the disaster water uncomfortable, meaning its destructive power is greater compared to the lower-tier urban legends.
“… The ancients had no written language, and there were matters of oaths…”
Luxianbei, “……”
Looking at it this way, perhaps I shouldn’t sell all the disaster water; I should keep some for self-defense.
“… In addition to using knots to record events, later it developed into using beads for recording…”
Luxianbei, “……”
d*mn, I can’t think about that anymore; I must pay attention in class, or I won’t be able to do anything well!
Luxianbei slapped his cheeks, forcing himself to focus on what the teacher was discussing.
When someone concentrates entirely on doing something, time always passes particularly quickly.
By the time Luxianbei snapped back to reality, the bell signaling the end of class had already rung. He packed his things and was about to leave when he suddenly felt his phone in his pocket vibrate a few times. Taking it out to take a look, he couldn’t help but frown.
The screen displayed a message from Jiang Li that read only one sentence.
“Today is suitable for drawing spirit patterns; if there are no special circumstances, please come to Huacheng Folk Customs Administration around noon.”
Is it finally happening? After reading the message, Luxianbei’s gaze slightly sharpened.
