Chapter 79: Folklore Horror (9)
The brilliant morning light poured over the two of them. Through the sunlight, their gazes met, locked for a long moment.
Facing Jian Yuntai’s eyes, soft with a smile, Fuzhu almost thought he was dreaming.
“You’re not mad at me anymore?”
Or…
As others had said, maybe Jian Yuntai’s feelings would shift slightly toward this face. Even if it were only because of this face, maybe he would come to him on his own.
Fuzhu’s heart sank halfway.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a sudden “cluck cluck” sounded from behind Jian Yuntai, accompanied by the fluttering of wings.
Fuzhu turned his gaze back, puzzled.
Jian Yuntai couldn’t hide it any longer. He had to lift the reed chicken in front of him, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face: “I wanted to give you a surprise… but… but this chicken ran too fast, so I even had to knock it unconscious…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Fuzhu leapt up.
He rushed forward and threw his arms around Jian Yuntai.
—He actually knew!
The night before, passing by the chicken coop, Fuzhu needed a big meal while in his transformed state. Other demon hunters would have prepared something their contract beasts liked. But at the time, Jian Yuntai’s attention had been entirely on the couplet hanging on the wall—not once did he glance at Fuzhu.
Fuzhu had always thought Jian Yuntai hadn’t noticed these little details.
He hadn’t expected the other to remember.
Jian Yuntai had given him a huge surprise!
“Cluck cluck~ flutter flutter~” came the wings’ flapping sound.
Thanks to the light injury buff, Jian Yuntai’s stamina had been dropping by the hour. In just one short morning, he couldn’t even catch a single chicken.
He panicked: “It ran away! The reed chicken ran away!” He had spent ages trying to catch it!
Jian Yuntai tried to push Fuzhu away—but he couldn’t.
Fuzhu held him as if using all his strength, as though he wanted to press him into his very being.
“I don’t want the chicken. I only want you.”
Fuzhu’s clear, soft voice echoed in his ears. Jian Yuntai glanced slightly and saw the bruises on his neck.
“…..” Damn, that made him feel a little guilty.
Jian Yuntai felt awkward about pushing Fuzhu away, a mixture of amusement and exasperation swelling in his chest.
He had worried Fuzhu would be angry, so he went to Xiao Liuliu’s house to catch a reed chicken. Yet Fuzhu had worried about his anger. In the end, both had feared making the other mad.
Still, today’s matter had been his fault. Jian Yuntai took the initiative: “I’m sorry.”
Fuzhu retreated slightly, about half a step, looking a little dazed.
Jian Yuntai suggested: “If it’s really not enough… maybe you could pinch me back? Otherwise, I’ll feel too bad.”
He tilted his head high, exposing his neck.
Fuzhu hadn’t reacted yet, but the livestream viewers erupted in cheers:
“Wuwuwu Jian Dadan is so good! This is the perfect wife I imagined 555555!”
“Even though Fuzhu doesn’t care anymore, Jian Dadan doesn’t want to just let it slide. To make sure Fuzhu isn’t sad—if you’re coaxing, you coax all the way, what a divine wife!”
“Admitting your mistake, well done!”
“Fuzhu won’t actually pinch back, right?”
Of course, Fuzhu didn’t pinch back. His gaze stayed fixed on Jian Yuntai’s fair neck, then shifted upward to meet his eyes.
“No,” he said quietly.
Jian Yuntai said, “Then what do you want? I originally wanted to make it up to you with the reed chicken, but it ran away—” He still regretted losing that chicken; he had spent a long time catching it. He paused, then continued, “How about this—name one condition, and I’ll consider it your compensation.”
Fuzhu’s eyes flickered: “Any condition?”
Jian Yuntai said, “Within my ability.”
—Forget him, like me.
Forget Cui Yu, and like me.
The words almost slipped out. But meeting Jian Yuntai’s curious gaze, Fuzhu could not bring himself to speak—they seemed like an impossible wish.
Jian Yuntai had finally reconciled with him. To ask such a thing now would freeze everything again; Fuzhu wouldn’t risk it.
After a quiet moment, he changed his request: “Catch ten more chickens for me. Not one less.”
“…..”
Jian Yuntai froze, trembling: “Ah… ah?”
……
……
When he returned to Xiao Liuliu’s house, Jian Yuntai shamelessly knocked on the couple’s door.
Amid their strange and grateful gazes, he walked slowly toward the chicken coop, his figure heavy with sorrow.
Heaven! Earth!
Why was he catching chickens in the Life Crystal instance?!
Jian Yuntai had cared so much that the reed chicken ran away for a reason. In just one morning, he was now out of breath after walking barely a hundred meters, the light injury buff worsening.
These chickens, if it had been before, would have been caught in minutes. But now…
Jian Yuntai felt utterly confused.
It was so difficult!
Why were reed chickens so smart?
If he went left, the chicken jumped right. If he went right, it jumped left.
After running around the coop several times, Jian Yuntai realized he had been completely outmaneuvered by a bunch of chickens.
“Pfft—” A quiet laugh came from the low wall.
Jian Yuntai looked indignantly and saw Fuzhu sitting there in the sunlight, smiling with his eyes curved in delight.
“……”
He straightened up, suddenly silent.
Cui Yu had never smiled like this. His childhood tragedies had made him cautious everywhere; even his smiles had always been restrained.
Never like now—this smile held no tension, shining brilliantly.
Once… Jian Yuntai had longed to see Cui Yu smile like this, but he never had.
“What’s wrong?” Fuzhu’s smile faded slightly as he asked, puzzled.
Jian Yuntai shook his head. “Nothing.”
Before Fuzhu could ask further, Jian Yuntai quickly changed the subject, pleading: “Can I get a discount?”
Fuzhu lowered his gaze. “What do you mean, a discount?”
Jian Yuntai said, “I mean… catching fewer chickens. Look, I’ve been at this for over twenty minutes and only caught one.”
Fuzhu had just said, “Not one less.” But seeing Jian Yuntai panting and exhausted, he immediately forgot his previous words and was about to nod in agreement.
Suddenly, a “thump thump” sounded outside the chicken coop. Xiao Liuliu’s parents peeked over the low wall, holding a large net. Unable to watch any longer, they said, “Young man, why don’t you use this?”
They raised the net like a supermarket promoter announcing a special deal. “Cover them with this, and you can catch a lot at once.”
“……” Jian Yuntai choked out, “Why didn’t you bring this out earlier?”
“You didn’t ask,” they replied.
“……” Jian Yuntai felt frustrated.
From now on, he would never, ever anger Fuzhu! This fox spirit was incredibly difficult to handle. Scheming and sly, he insisted on making Jian Yuntai catch reed chickens.
While Jian Yuntai silently grumbled in his heart, the livestream viewers were already analyzing the scene like a reading comprehension exercise:
“The little fox’s eyes are always following Jian Dadan. Could he… like Jian Dadan?”
“Didn’t he already say he liked Jian Dadan before? I think he might not really understand what ‘liking’ is. Right now, it’s still kind of immature, but it seems… more complicated than that.”
“Hahaha, Jian Dadan’s expression is so vivid! You can almost see the cursing written on his face, probably wondering why Fuzhu insists on making him catch chickens.”
“It’s probably psychological compensation. Last night, Jian Dadan’s attention was completely on that couplet—Cui Yu wrote it. The little fox was suffering terribly and ignored, and now he wants to use the chicken-catching to show that Jian Dadan’s focus is on him.”
“I feel like he just wants some alone time with his wife.”
The viewers’ comments were entirely accurate.
On one hand, Fuzhu wanted to spend time with Jian Yuntai. On the other, he wanted to make sure of his place in Jian Yuntai’s heart—at least more important than that couplet.
But seeing Jian Yuntai so tired, he couldn’t help feeling concerned.
Fortunately, using the net worked much faster.
Before, in twenty minutes, he had caught only one reed chicken. Now, in the same twenty minutes, he caught eight, without feeling tired at all.
Jian Yuntai felt a strong sense of accomplishment.
No reed chicken could escape his grasp!
The viewers laughed aloud: “Jian Dadan’s classic moment in the last instance was ‘I can’t get hard.’ Now this instance is about catching chickens.”
“I can’t stop laughing, guys, hahaha. Jian Dadan has done so many world-shaking things and has always stayed calm. Why is he so proud of catching a few chickens?”
“Chickens are to please the little fox. Of course he’s happy.”
“I admit it, I ship them, guilty as charged, tat.”
“Hahaha, how do you manage to ship everything? You can’t ship this one, sisters. Shipping this pair would be so unfair to Cui Yu… poor Cui Yu, wuwuwu…”
“Ah, if only Fuzhu were Cui Yu.”
“Damn, saying that makes Fuzhu even sadder…”
Nine chickens had already been caught—only one remained.
Jian Yuntai kept his eyes fixed on the last reed chicken, holding the net, slowly approaching.
Closer! Closer!
He suddenly lifted the net to scoop it up, and it seemed like he would finally catch the last chicken—
Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!
The door suddenly slammed.
The chicken was startled and flew, slipping through the gaps in the net and running away.
Jian Yuntai: “……” Dammit!
He turned angrily and saw Fatty and a few male players peeking in at the door. Seeing him, they said helplessly, “You’re catching chickens now? After all that went down earlier?”
Jian Yuntai stared at Fatty, his mind still on the runaway chicken. “All that went down earlier?” he thought.
Fatty said, “We found traces of Nong Lingling!”
At this, Jian Yuntai didn’t respond immediately. The couple in the farmhouse rushed over, both surprised and overjoyed.
“What? Where is she?!”
“Lingling… is she still alive?”
Xiao Liuliu and Nong Lingling were sisters, both treasures to this couple. Originally, they had already been devastated by Nong Lingling’s disappearance, and now Xiao Liuliu had gone missing too. If Jian Yuntai hadn’t promised to help, they might have hanged themselves in despair—they couldn’t survive otherwise.
Upon hearing the news, they tearfully asked for details.
Fatty was flustered by their questions and ended up pushing the couple toward the other male players, then walked over to Jian Yuntai: “Come on! What are you waiting for?”
Jian Yuntai frowned at Fatty. “Why are you being so forceful? I never said I wouldn’t go.”
Fatty paused, scratching his head with a goofy smile: “I just… got too anxious. What are you doing here?”
“Catching reed chickens.” Jian Yuntai scanned the chicken coop. “There’s just one left.”
“…” Fatty emphasized: “We’ve found traces of Nong Lingling. You still have the energy to catch chickens? Are you serious?”
Jian Yuntai gave Fatty a sharp glance.
Why was he acting so over-the-top, like a bad actor forcing himself into a character, performing in an awkwardly exaggerated way?
Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, Jian Yuntai just focused on catching chickens, completely oblivious to the livestream chaos.
“!!! That’s not Fatty!”
“Damn… I checked Fatty’s livestream, it’s on a blank screen now. A blank screen means the streamer passed out. But the person in front of us… looks exactly like Fatty! What’s going on?”
“I just came from Fatty’s stream over here. Don’t ask… we’re all as confused as you. We were walking fine in the forest, and suddenly the screen went blank. It hasn’t recovered yet.”
“Jian Dadan, you’re so smart! Realize something’s off! Don’t get fooled by this fake Fatty!”
Tap tap—
A soft sound echoed.
Fuzhu lightly leapt down from the low wall. Just a couple of steps in, the other players recoiled as if they had seen a ghost.
“Tap tap tap”— they staggered backward, expressions twisted in disbelief.
One of them trembled as he spoke, “…Are you Cui Yu?”
The “King of Hell’s Wedding” instance had a huge reputation. Even players who hadn’t watched the full livestream had seen clips on social media.
Add to that Cui Yu’s strikingly recognizable face, and they immediately identified him—or so they thought.
Fuzhu slowly lowered his eyelashes, his gaze flickering.
The midday sun shone brilliantly on him, his white hair fluttering lightly in the wind behind him, like moonlight torn apart.
Cui Yu—
It was Cui Yu again.
Who was this person, really? Why did everyone assume he was Cui Yu? Did he really look that similar?
Fuzhu wasn’t a fool.
Earlier that afternoon, while Jian Yuntai had followed him and played around, he had repeatedly avoided meeting Fuzhu’s gaze. That stung in Fuzhu’s heart, leaving a sour ache.
The elders of his clan had warned him not to transform lightly. He had sneered at that advice before, but now he regretted it.
Still, Jian Yuntai had said he would never treat him as a replacement.
Fuzhu remembered that promise clearly.
He trusted Jian Yuntai.
The players in front of him didn’t know what he was thinking—they still assumed he was Cui Yu. To them, it all seemed strange and uncanny.
Before their imagination ran wild, Jian Yuntai’s calm voice cut through: “He’s not Cui Yu. He’s Fuzhu.”
“….” Fuzhu’s eyelashes quivered. A small, quiet happiness bloomed inside him.
The players were momentarily stunned, murmuring “oh” a few times, still not fully understanding.
“Who cares who he is? It doesn’t matter. Forget the chickens for now.” Fatty said, clearly annoyed. “It’s just a chicken. If you want to catch it, do it after we handle the main task.”
As soon as Fatty finished speaking, everyone’s gaze immediately snapped to Jian Yuntai.
All eyes were expectant, pressing silently.
With a big shot like Jian Yuntai present, everyone felt reassured.
Fuzhu also turned his gaze toward Jian Yuntai, lips pressed together, saying nothing.
Under the eyes of the crowd, Jian Yuntai paused for a few seconds, then tossed the net aside. Looking at Fuzhu, he said, “When we get back, I’ll catch the last reed chicken for you.”
“…Alright.”
Before Fuzhu could even finish speaking, Fatty yanked Jian Yuntai away. Several players stomped across the net, crushing it into the mud.
Fuzhu lowered his eyes, staring at the ruined net.
Last night, wracked with pain, he had wanted to eat a reed chicken, but Jian Yuntai’s attention had been entirely on the couplet—even though it wasn’t even written by Cui Yu himself, just the words matched.
Now, after Fuzhu’s successful transformation, he didn’t want the chicken anymore, and Jian Yuntai had caught ten to make up for it.
He had insisted that not a single chicken be missing. Even though Fuzhu had softened later, he hadn’t had the chance to stop Jian Yuntai—Jian Yuntai had stopped himself first.
It seemed like, no matter what happened, Fuzhu always ranked at the very bottom of Jian Yuntai’s priorities, like that net.
Ready to be discarded at any moment.
Fuzhu lifted his eyes to Jian Yuntai’s hurriedly retreating figure, his fox ears twitching slightly.
Thump thump—
Thump thump—
His heart jolted violently, almost convulsing.
Fuzhu suddenly had a terrifying thought, one that instantly froze all the excitement and adrenaline of the afternoon, coating it slowly with a thin layer of ice.
—Could it be that Jian Yuntai’s promise not to treat him as a replacement wasn’t because he valued him or cared for him?
But because… he wasn’t worthy?
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