Chapter 18: Purple Octopus Bro

Chapter 18: Purple Octopus Bro

I woke up, drenched in sweat.

Checking my phone, it was already past nine in the morning. However, I hadn't been startled awake by that strange dream but rather by Tang Yuan, the chubby cat, who had been lying on my chest. He meowed repeatedly until he noticed I was awake before switching to human speech.

"Bai Ci, hungry, food, food..."

I got out of bed, resignedly opening a can for him. "Aren't you capable of transforming into a human form? Can't you open it yourself?"

"Transforming consumes spiritual energy. With how weak I am, maintaining a human form is quite challenging, you know?" Tang Yuan hopped onto the table, his mouth covered in food.

Suddenly, I recalled that Li Fan always seemed to be in human form, and I rarely saw his true body. If that was the case, Li Fan must possess abundant spiritual energy.

"Well, you've got to work harder, little kitty. Look at Li Fan; he's always in human form, wandering around," I said.

Tang Yuan continued to enjoy his meal contentedly. "How can I compare with him? He's incredible, able to transform even when half-dead..."

"Oh? Who were you referring to as half-dead?"

"Tang Yuan... I was at a loss for words," he paused, contemplating before continuing, "I meant that I can't transform due to my half-dead state, but Lord Zun is different. He's amazing."

I rolled my eyes. Tang Yuan definitely had many secrets that I could extract from him someday with a couple of bottles of Dopey Donkey (a type of strong alcohol) to intoxicate him.

Then, I recalled the dream I had and decided to share it with Tang Yuan since Li Fan wasn't around.

"Oh? You dreamed about someone's wedding? Are you craving the banquet?" Tang Yuan asked absentmindedly.

I sighed. "That's not the point. The crucial part is what the bride said to me."

"Do you know her?" Tang Yuan inquired.

"I don't," I shook my head honestly.

I genuinely didn't recognize her. The bride was incredibly beautiful, a celestial beauty, but it wasn't odd that I had never seen her before.

"Exactly, if you don't know her, then ignore what she says," Tang Yuan hopped onto my lap. "Regardless of who she wants you to kill, handle your own affairs. How can she order others around just by kicking her legs?"

To be honest, if Tang Yuan were to participate in a debate, no one could outmatch him. Right now, I found his reasoning particularly convincing.

Yet, this dream left an unsettling impression on me. I couldn't shake off the feeling that the bride knew me and that the person she wanted me to kill was Li Fan.

I sighed. Why were there always troublemakers trying to harm him? Was he some sort of a prized delicacy?

Tang Yuan, after finishing his cat food, fell back asleep. According to him, his health was fragile, and he needed ample rest; otherwise, he might kick the bucket at any moment.

After my meal, I hailed a taxi to head to the hospital, hoping to visit Bai Zhi. In the corridor, I asked the nurse if she had called me the previous night.

The nurse's aunt's expression wrinkled. "Nothing happened, Miss Bai Ci. There was no reason for me to call you last night."

I chuckled. That phone call last night was indeed just a trick from some dead ghost trying to lure me, either for my body or soul.

Heh, how childish.

The nurse watched me laugh foolishly for a while, confused. I didn't bother explaining and simply paid her before sending her off.

"Si-Sister, you're here? I missed you so much! I thought I'd never see you again, wuwuwu!" Bai Zhi rushed towards me the moment she saw me.

I pushed her away irritably. "Scram, are you done yet?"

"I'm done, I'm really done! I want to go eat spicy hotpot, I don't want to have more sick person's food!" Bai Zhi grinned, wriggling around on the bed in the dim light.

I could tell she was trying to divert me, so I playfully smacked her bottom and nudged her aside.

"Alright, let's talk about something serious." I grew solemn. "Where did you get that pendant on your bed?"

"Pendant?"

Bai Zhi sat up straight, sensing my seriousness. After some thought, she replied, "I was out at the night market before, and on my way back, I saw a stall giving away gifts for scanning QR codes. Initially, I wasn't interested, but the woman insisted."

"I was annoyed, so I pretended to scan the code. Then, she slipped that jade pendant into my bag. I didn't even realize until I got home; I have no idea when she did it..."

If not for that woman, Bai Zhi wouldn't have been so unlucky and nearly lost her life. It seemed like that QR code scanning woman was a major issue.

I quickly asked, "Do you remember what that woman who asked you to scan looked like?"

This time, Bai Zhi took a long while to think before shaking her head at me.

"I genuinely forgot, Sister. She wasn't wearing a mask back then, but I just can't seem to recall her appearance. Whenever I try to remember, her face is just a blank slate," I said, feeling utterly helpless. That woman must have been significant, but Bai Zhi couldn't recollect her.

However, I didn't dare to rashly search for her in the night market. If she truly had ill intentions, wouldn't I be walking straight into a trap? So, I decided to wait for Li Fan's return and ask his opinion.

I arranged for Bai Zhi's discharge from the hospital and prepared to take her back to school. As we were leaving the hospital, she suddenly slapped her thigh and announced that she remembered what the woman looked like.

"Sis, although I can't picture her face, I vividly remember a tattoo on her neck!" Bai Zhi exclaimed excitedly, "She had a purple Octopus Guy inked! That tattoo was so ridiculous; it left a deep impression on me!"

Me: ...

Octopus Guy? In purple? Is this woman mentally deranged?

Bai Zhi is my biological sister, and I can tell when she's lying with just one glance.

Her eyes were filled with sincerity now, so could it be that the woman who nearly took her life really had a purple Octopus Guy tattooed on her neck?

What kind of unconventional taste is this?

I spent the entire day at school, catching up on the lessons I had missed; otherwise, I'd fail my courses. It wasn't until around six in the evening that I returned home.

Upon arriving, I found Tang Yuan staring at me with teary eyes, wailing that he was starving to death.

Only then did I realize that he had been hungry all day long. Consequently, I hurried to find him something to eat.

The sky outside had darkened, and I felt a sense of unease sitting on the couch.

Li Fan had clearly said he would only be gone for one night and return today. Yet, it was almost eight, and there was no sign of him – not even a fox's hair.

Tang Yuan, yawning beside me, tried to reassure me, "Don't worry, Bai Ci. He's a big fox; he knows his way back. He won't get lost."

"I know he'll come back, but whether he'll walk or be carried... Ah, what am I saying?" I slapped myself mentally, scolding myself for such wild imaginings.

I must have dozed off while watching a movie on the couch, only to be startled awake by a sudden thunderclap. The rain had started outside.

Pulling the curtains shut, I noticed someone lying in our small garden. After a stunned three seconds, I grabbed an umbrella and dashed out without hesitation.

"Li Fan, get up! Those flowers are incredibly expensive!"

A torrential downpour raged outside, yet I dashed over to him with an umbrella, straining to help him up. He was drenched from head to toe, his face as pale as a sheet. Upon seeing me, he barely managed a glance before his eyes closed again.

"Li Fan, what happened to you? Were you attacked by someone?"

I struggled to straighten his body, allowing his head to rest on my shoulder. That's when I noticed a trail of blood at the corner of his mouth - a stark contrast against his pallor.

Before I could formulate a plan, he suddenly opened his eyes - they were a vivid crimson. With a jolt, he seized my wrist and sank his teeth into my shoulder.