Initially, only one or two small bells gently swayed. Then large clusters of bells shook together, making a rustling sound that startled all four of us!
I noticed that none of the bells facing the window moved at all. The spirit cat probably didn't like sunlight, so I asked Wang Dali to go and pull the curtains.
After that, I took out a marker from my bag and wrote some common words above each bell on the edge of the table. I thought this would allow me to communicate with the spirit cat, just like planchette writing.
However, I had just written two words when I heard a thud. I turned my head to see that Wang Dali had suddenly fallen straight to the ground.
"Dali, what's wrong with you?"
I hurried over to check on him. Just as I was about to press on his philtrum, he suddenly grabbed my wrist with tremendous strength.
Then he slowly opened his eyes. Wang Dali's eyes were distinctly black and white, just like the little girl we saw last night. His expression was also very strange and unfamiliar. The corners of his mouth slowly pulled up into an odd, quasi-smile. I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine like an electric current.
I struggled desperately to free my hand, but Wang Dali nimbly leaped onto the table and crouched there, continuously licking the back of his hand like a cat.
This scene stunned all of us. Wang Yuanchao pulled out his gun and pointed it at Wang Dali. I pushed down his gun, signaling him not to move rashly, and to observe for a while first.
I plucked up my courage and asked, "Who are you?"
Wang Dali ignored me and kept concentrating on licking his paws.
When I asked for the third time, he suddenly let out a lifelike "meow" and pounced at me. We reflexively retreated back a few steps.
It turned out his target wasn't us, but rather the bag of yellow eels I had left on the floor. Wang Dali buried his face in the bag and ate ravenously, crunching the eels' spines and swallowing them whole. I was really worried he would puncture his throat.
I called out to him in concern. Wang Dali looked back with a yellow eel still in his mouth. The eel was still alive and wriggling as he sucked it into his stomach like a noodle.
After eating his fill, Wang Dali crouched on the floor and wet his palms, then smeared them across his face to wash like a cat.
I politely said, "Great immortal, now that you've eaten your fill, may I ask you to leave?"
Wang Dali suddenly darted under the table and slapped the Wealth Ferry Spirit Cat sculpture far away. The figurine rolled clattering on the floor, worrying me sick. Could he be trying to release his true self?
Luckily the sculpture was made of sturdy ceramic, possibly mixed with bone powder, so it didn't shatter when it fell.
Wang Dali crouched with his body lowered, meowing, and continued pouncing at the Wealth Ferry Spirit Cat.
Although the spirit cat was inhabiting Wang Dali's body, its movements were still feline. A cat's movements meant it couldn't possibly pick up the sculpture and smash it, only bat it around like a ball.
I didn't know what would happen if he kept this up, but that sculpture was important physical evidence for this case. I couldn't just let him destroy it. So I called out, "Stop him!"
Just as Wang Dali was about to pounce again, Wang Yuanchao kicked a chair over. Wang Dali did something I never could have expected. He leapt into the air, landing squarely on all fours after spinning three hundred and sixty degrees.
My god! Not even an acrobat could pull that off!
Wang Yuanchao grabbed another chair and roared as he grappled with Wang Dali.
I took the chance to open the curtains. The afternoon sunlight streamed in, and Wang Dali instinctively shielded his eyes with his hands, seeming to be in excruciating pain.
With a crash, the chair in Wang Yuanchao's hands smashed to bits on Wang Dali's back. I worriedly said, "Uncle Wang, don't break him!"
Just as the words left my mouth, Wang Dali lunged and kicked Wang Yuanchao squarely in the chest, sending him stumbling back several steps.
Wang Yuanchao assumed a fighting stance and scuffled with Wang Dali. Although Wang Yuanchao was very skilled, Wang Dali darted around the room like an eel, impossible to contend with using human martial arts.
I racked my brain thinking what cats were afraid of, and suddenly noticed the half-empty bottle of baijiu on the table. I called out to Wang Yuanchao, "Throw me a lighter!"
During a lull in the fight, Wang Yuanchao tossed a lighter over. I caught it and guzzled all the baijiu, the spicy liquor nearly bringing tears to my eyes. Then I flicked open the lighter towards Wang Dali and spewed out the alcohol. Meeting flame, the alcohol ignited into a huge fireball.
Wang Dali let out a shriek and quickly fled to the corner of the room!
I guzzled another mouthful of baijiu, but the small bottle didn't have much left, so the second gulp yielded barely a sip. This was pure bluff.
Wang Dali cowered trembling in the corner, holding up both "paws" to shield his face. Then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed limply to the ground.
I was suddenly alarmed and swallowed the baijiu in my mouth. The fiery sensation spread from my esophagus all the way to my stomach, making me shiver.
I went over and slapped Wang Dali's face. Soon he groggily woke up, "Yangzi, what happened to me?"
"You fainted," I said. Telling him the truth would probably scare him to death.
Wang Dali noticed a strange taste in his mouth and quickly spat several times, then fished a small fish bone from between his teeth, "How strange, why do I have a fishbone in my mouth? Did I eat something?"
Just as I was pondering what to say to distract him, Wang Dali asked again, "Damn, why's the room such a mess, looks like a battle happened!"
"We just released the spirit cat earlier," I explained.
"Oh really? What was it like?"
"Just a big black cat racing around the room, it really wore us out."
I was afraid he would relate it back to himself, but luckily he was simple-minded and lamented, "Why didn't you call me to get up? I really wanted to see what this spirit cat looked like. I don't even know how I fainted, how odd."
I poured Wang Dali a glass of water and told him to rinse his mouth. Soon Huang Xiaotao came back and was about to say something when I signaled her with my eyes not to speak.
Later I heard from someone knowledgeable in this area that my approach had been extremely dangerous, and it was sheer luck Wang Dali's life wasn't lost! After all, different trades are as remote as different mountains, and while I'm skilled at autopsy, when it comes to dealing with supernatural things like this I'm hopeless.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
