Chapter 81

Chapter 81

The otherworldly realm thrummed with latent power.

After the initial shock and bewilderment, the first to speak was the "Giant Wolf," its voice trembling: "Impossible. The Stone Deity is long gone."

"It can't be him."

The other ancient deities gradually shook off their stupor. Nethermoon was right—it couldn’t be the Stone Deity. Sang Huaiyu’s work left no loose ends.

So... who was it?

The laws of this realm were not so easily bent. The "stone curse" just now was so similar, even comparable to the Stone Deity’s, clearly indicating a deep understanding of his rules.

Since when had such a person appeared in this world?

The ancient deities exchanged glances.

Meanwhile, the silent "Twisted Figure" wore a peculiar expression, sensing that the "Stone Deity’s" aura just now bore a faint trace of the human it had encountered earlier.

But the other deities brushed it off, believing it had been left cowardly after Sang Huaiyu wrested its Authority from it.

Nethermoon’s lip curled.

"If you can’t capture that human, I’ll do it myself."

"Don’t go crying later about how terrifying an ordinary human is."

Muffled laughter rippled among them. The "Twisted Figure" remained expressionless. Seeing how little they cared, it muttered a biting reply, just loud enough to carry, waiting to see how Nethermoon would fare.

...

Shi Yu yawned. After trying and failing repeatedly to teach the Little Monster the stone curse, he realized the creature likely wasn’t cut out for it, hence its inability to learn.

Watching the Little Monster slump, despondent, Shi Yu offered token reassurance.

"This stone curse isn’t all that useful anyway."

"Look, your lightning is great."

"You can even create firework bursts with it."

"Wala?" "R-really?"

Shi Yu nodded. "Really."

The Little Monster pawed at the ground. "Wala..."

Mama... won’t think I’m dumb?

Shi Yu paused. Wasn’t that obvious?

But under that wide-eyed, hopeful stare, he lied with a shake of his head.

Sure enough, the Little Monster brightened at once.

"Wala!" *[sound of excitement]*

Mommy... likes this.

It’s gonna... set off fireworks for Mommy!

Before Shi Yu could react to stop it,

a rainbow-colored bolt of lightning suddenly exploded in the evening garden of the villa.

The blinding flash tore through the sky, so bright that the living room instantly illuminated.

Sang Huaiyu, working in the living room: ...

*Little Monster?*

He frowned slightly, thinking for a moment before hanging up the phone and walking to Shi Yu's door.

A few minutes later, Shi Yu hastily hid the petrified pen on the table and opened the door.

"Mr. Sang."

The pajama-clad young man stood obediently in front of him, looking slightly surprised by the knock.

Sang Huaiyu gave him a gentle look.

"Sorry to disturb you."

"I could’ve sworn I saw 'lightning' in the garden earlier."

"Little Monster acting up again?"

His gaze dropped to Shi Yu’s stomach.

Shi Yu: ...!!!

Of course—the evil god noticed.

Now he’s on his case.

Shi Yu instinctively touched his stomach. Since it was his fault, he had no choice but to cover for the little troublemaker.

"Well, it's nothing. I suddenly wanted to see fireworks, and Little Monster misunderstood, so it tried to make one happen."

Close enough to the truth, right? Maybe the evil god would buy it?

Is that so?

Sang Huaiyu looked thoughtfully at his abdomen and smiled. "As long as it’s not bugging you."

"Originally, I thought if it was being disobedient, it would need a good lesson."

His tone was casual, but Shi Yu inexplicably sensed a hint of "menace" in it.

*Shi Yu: ...*

Wait—how’s the evil god planning to ‘teach it a lesson’?

He froze for a second, but before he could say anything, Little Monster suddenly shrieked, "Wala!"—like it just remembered something.

The Little Monster had been feeling all afternoon like it had forgotten something, but no matter how hard it tried, it just couldn't remember what it was.

Only now, upon seeing its father and hearing him mention "educating" it, did the slow-witted Little Monster finally realize with belated clarity.

"Wah!"

Dad, shut it up!

And now... "educate" it too!

Shi Yu had never seen the Little Monster this angry before. He was baffled.

Sang Huaiyu just raised an eyebrow. "Don’t mind it."

Just as the furious Little Monster was about to complain, its father's phone rang.

Shi Yu's attention was also drawn.

The caller ID read "Property Management," making Shi Yu's heart skip a beat. He had a bad feeling.

Wait… No way…?

As it turned out, Shi Yu was right. As soon as the call went through, the property manager’s voice came through.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Sang. We got a report of a bright flash near your place. Everything okay?"

The flash was bright and colorful, but it had only appeared in one spot near Sang Huaiyu's home. They didn’t think much of it, figuring it was just some rich-person experiment—after all, wealthy people often dabbled in eccentric hobbies.

Still, for the safety of the villa district, they had to call and check.

Shi Yu’s face burned at the manager’s hesitant tone.

Meanwhile, the previously furious Little Monster, upon realizing it had caused trouble, gradually quieted down until its "wah" cries vanished completely.

Guilt written all over it.

Shi Yu: "..."

Both human and ghost stood there like scolded kids.

Sang Huaiyu hung up and smirked at them.

"What’s with the face?"

"No big deal. I told them it was probably just a wiring glitch."

"I’ll get it looked at tomorrow."

Shi Yu exhaled in relief and nodded. "Don’t sweat it, Mr. Sang. I’ll keep the Little Monster in line so it doesn’t pull this again."

Ugh, so embarrassing. Thankfully, this was a high-end villa district where houses were spaced far apart. Otherwise, the whole neighborhood would’ve complained.

Sang Huaiyu hesitated, fingers twitching. Seeing Shi Yu—barely an adult himself, still fond of fun—vow to discipline the Little Monster, he couldn't help but smile.

"I’ll handle it."

"No need to worry."

It’s not like there’s no use in gaining money and social status with a human identity.

"If it's the Little Monster causing trouble, it needs to be taught a lesson."

"But if it's Xiao Yu... then there's no need for that."

Shi Yu didn’t fully process the meaning of Sang Huaiyu’s words until the door closed behind him.

Wait.

What did he mean by "no need to discipline" if it was him?

Shi Yu touched his stomach, feeling like the statement was kinda leading.

Was Mr. Sang implying that even if he trashed the place or caused some huge mess, he wouldn’t be held accountable?

No, that couldn’t be it, right?

Maybe he just thought Shi Yu was an adult, unlike the Little Monster, who was still a child, so there was no need for discipline?

His mind was all jumbled up. If posting on the forum again wouldn’t blow his cover, Shi Yu would’ve started a new thread to ask for advice right then.

Ugh, he couldn’t keep thinking about this.

He was reading too much into it.

Yes, he must be reading too much into it!

After reassuring himself, Shi Yu abruptly turned over and closed his eyes to rest.

Outside the door, Sang Huaiyu held back the urge, recalling Xiao Yu’s expressive face just moments ago, and slowly lowered his gaze.

Hmm, if Xiao Yu made a mistake like the Little Monster, he’d probably… let it slide?

Sang Huaiyu glanced upstairs, waiting until the breathing in the room steadied—Shi Yu must have fallen asleep—before standing up.

……

The next day, the building staff did come by.

But it was just a quick inspection, and they left with a friendly attitude.

Shi Yu and the Little Monster finally breathed easy.

Just as Sang Huaiyu looked up, he saw Shi Yu’s fluffy-haired head popping out from the bedroom. His voice was gentle. "You can come down now."

"Got it."

Shi Yu let out a relieved sigh, though his expression remained a bit kinda weird.

"Mr. Sang, why did you tell the building staff that it was a child messing around and accidentally messing with the power supply?"

Wouldn’t that mean everyone now knew he had a child at home?

Shi Yu couldn’t forget the shocked expressions on the building staff’s faces—completely unprepared for the untouchable Mr. Sang to already have a child.

His secrecy had been tight.

Sang Huaiyu’s expression was calm. After Xiao Yu came downstairs, he said, "The Little Monster’s arrival is coming up. It’s better for people to get used to having it around early rather than springing a kid on everyone, right?"

"Really?"

Shi Yu was skeptical but then it occurred to him.

"Wait, if the Little Monster isn’t born in a human form but keeps its current pudgy tentacled form..."

"How would everyone adjust to having it around?"

Only then did Shi Yu realize he had forgotten this crucial detail.

This little guy might not look like a human baby at all!

Noticing his confusion, Sang Huaiyu gave a light laugh.

"Don’t worry, it will have a shapeshifting ability once it masters the Thunder Authority."

"I see."

"It won’t affect its survival."

"Mimicry?"

Shi Yu was puzzled.

Sang Huaiyu nodded. Though unsure about Xiao Yu’s circumstances, he explained, "The Little Monster is a godspawn. Humans and Horrors below its level naturally won’t be able to see its true form."

"Only beings of higher rank can see what it really looks like."

So, an evil god might see the Little Monster’s weird tentacle-covered self, while ordinary humans would just see it as no different from a human child?

"Well, that's something."

Shi Yu grew curious again.

He wondered what he himself would see.

Hearing its parents discuss its birth, the Little Monster, who had sulked all night and inexplicably forgotten about it by morning, made a small "wala" noise, a bit sheepish.

It wanted to look like its mother!

Imagining itself lying in its mother’s arms after birth, the Little Monster got all excited thinking about it.

Just then, Sang Huaiyu glanced at it and remarked, "I just remembered—we haven’t prepared much baby stuff yet. Should we go shopping together?"

"What?"

"We have to get ready already?"

Shi Yu blinked in surprise but then realized it made sense.

According to the evil god’s estimate, a month or so was coming up fast.

Human babies require tons of prep work before birth—stuff like hiring a nanny, arranging hospital visits, getting the nursery ready, buying a stroller, and so on.

Shi Yu realized he hadn't done squat to prepare.

Feeling a twinge of guilt for a moment, Shi Yu tried to act more responsible when meeting Sang Huaiyu's gaze.

"Sure, that works."

"Since we have time today, we can take a look first."

The weekend happened to be free of overtime for the evil god; his expression softened.

Half an hour later, Shi Yu, wearing a mask, arrived with Sang Huaiyu at the largest baby superstore in City B.

The mall was at its busiest, but considering Shi Yu's current discomfort in crowds because of his baby bump, Sang Huaiyu had directly booked the exclusive high-end members’ section on the top floor.

Grabbing a cart casually, he turned around.

"Grab anything you like."

Shi Yu nodded, then remembered that since they were shopping for the baby, they should probably consider Little Monster's opinion, right?

He reached out and touched his abdomen.

Little Monster cooed "wala wala," covering its eyes.

Whatever Mom gets... it’ll love.

Shi Yu: "..."

Right, forgot it’s a total mama’s boy.

Pushing the cart together, Shi Yu stared blankly at the baby formula aisle for a long time but couldn’t figure any of it out.

"Will it need to drink formula after birth?"

Technically no—but isn’t shopping the whole point?

If Shi Yu wanted to feed it, Little Monster would eat it, like it or not.

Sang Huaiyu said casually, "We can buy some to try."

With that one sentence, Shi Yu, his shopping urge kicked in, tossed a cute-labeled formula can into the cart.

Little Monster blinked cluelessly. Though it didn't know what formula was, it understood it was something Mom bought for it and couldn't help sniffing eagerly.

Feeling the movement in his belly, Shi Yu gave his belly a pat. "You can't drink it now."

"You can have some once you’re out."

Little Monster gave a happy "wala" and bobbed its head obediently.

The members-only store on the top floor was quiet, making shopping a breeze. Shi Yu had never heard of this before. After buying formula with Sang Huaiyu, they ducked into a kids’ clothing store.

As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a cheerful salesperson.

"Welcome! Are you two shopping for children's clothes?"

The assistant, undoubtedly a top seller, didn’t bat an eye at two men shopping for baby stuff.

Snapping back to reality, Shi Yu replied sheepishly, "Yes, we're planning to buy a few pieces of children's clothing."

"Great! Could you share the child's age so we can recommend accordingly?"

The sales associate said gently.

Shi Yu resisted the urge to glance at his own belly.

"Must be for a newborn."

"About a day or two old."

So it's a baby?

The sales associate nodded and led the two to the shelves on the right.

"These clothes are all designed for newborns."

"The fabric is soft and comfortable. Feel free to touch the fabric."

Shi Yu reached out and felt the fabric, his eyes lighting up.

Wow? They really are comfortable.

Kids' clothes have gotten this good now?

Shi Yu was surprised for a moment, then glanced to the side.

The sales associate could tell the two were valued customers and enthusiastically recommended more items.

"This little yellow duck set is a bestseller in our store—not only is it extremely comfortable, but it's also absolutely adorable."

"You might consider getting one for your child. You won't regret it."

Shi Yu: ...

He felt tempted.

This little yellow duck set was so soft—Little Monster would look adorable in it.

Perhaps it was a case of "a mother's eyes see only the best in her child." After a moment's hesitation, Shi Yu picked up this standard newborn yellow duck outfit.

Then his gaze moved to the green Little Monster set next to it.

Wait, this one also seemed... pretty cute?

Sang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, recalling the inky-black appearance of the Little Monster he had seen before, then glanced at the yellow-green hues of the little duck and Little Monster outfits, falling into a brief, eerie silence.

"What's wrong? Do they not look good?"

Having chosen the clothes, Shi Yu turned back, slightly puzzled.

Sang Huaiyu thought for a moment. "They're super cute."

They just didn't quite match the Little Monster.

For the naturally coal-black Little Monster, these colors were probably a bit too... harsh.

But wasn't that what young ones were for—to be played with?

Sang Huaiyu didn't interrupt Shi Yu at all.

Shi Yu scratched his ear, feeling like the god's expression had been strange.

Still, it’s pretty cute.

No wonder these two items are bestsellers.

Shi Yu saw absolutely nothing wrong with his taste.

After a messy shopping spree where he bought way too much, though there were still a few items left unpurchased, he was completely worn out.

Shi Yu planned to rest for a while after paying.

Just as he was about to take out his bank card, the god caught his hand.

At the brush of fingers, Shi Yu stiffened for a moment, but Sang Huaiyu didn’t even blink, tilting his head slightly.

Shi Yu felt the god’s platinum curls graze his hand as he heard him say:

“I’ve got this.”

“Take a break if you’re shopped out.”

The back of Shi Yu’s hand tingled slightly as Sang Huaiyu gently ran fingers through his hair.

“The lounge is right over there.”

“I had them whip up some boba.”

Shi Yu went silent.

A few minutes later, Shi Yu sat in the lounge, taking a sip of boba.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the moment Sang Huaiyu had run fingers through his hair.

Did he have to make it seem so effortless?

He frowned slightly. He’d turned to stone when Sang Huaiyu touched his hair earlier.

But… it was just a touch. The other hadn’t done anything inappropriate.

Why was he overreacting?

Without thinking, Shi Yu peeked forward, but the second Sang Huaiyu tensed like he’d felt it and started to turn around, he snapped his head back down.

Sang Huaiyu only walked over after finishing the payment.

“All set.”

“You weren’t waiting too long, were you?”

Shi Yu: “Nah.”

To prove he hadn’t been sneakily watching earlier, Shi Yu added,

“Just killed time with some boba.”

Sang Huaiyu nodded.

Looking at Xiao Yu’s pathetic attempt at playing it cool, he fought the urge to reach out.

But since he’d already touched Xiao Yu’s hair earlier, he held back, though barely.

On the other side.

While the two were shopping at the baby supply store.

Back at the Ability User Association, Wang Shan had just returned from a quick errand during his lunch break and couldn't help but share the news.

"You won't believe this!"

"Guess who I ran into when I went to pick up my stuff?"

"Who?"

Wen Jingjing took a bite of her cup noodles and looked up, puzzled.

It was just a quick trip to pick something up—was it really that big a deal?

Wang Shan cleared his throat. Even though he wanted to string them along, he couldn't hold back: "Mr. Sang!"

"Oh, what's so strange about that?"

It's not like they'd never seen Mr. Sang before. Although he hadn't been coming to the Association much lately, there was no need for such a reaction, right?

Wang Shan shook his head: "Of course I wouldn't be this excited over a normal encounter."

"But I ran into him at a baby supply store!"

Wang Shan's wife had ordered a few cans of formula from the baby supermarket last week, and the clerk said they had time at noon, telling him to pick them up. Who would've thought he'd coincidentally see Mr. Sang there!

Wang Shan was still reeling from the sight: "At first, I thought I was mistaken, but when I looked again, it was definitely Mr. Sang—no doubt about it."

"And he was shopping with his boyfriend."

The hall was dead silent, making his excited voice stand out even more.

Wen Jingjing choked on her noodles when she heard "Mr. Sang" and "baby store" in the same sentence.

Hearing that he was accompanied by his boyfriend made her even more astonished. She widened her eyes and lowered her voice: "You mean that Mr. Shi?"

Wang Shan nodded: "I didn't see his face, but judging by his back, it should be him."

"But what were they doing in a baby store?"

They couldn't be planning to adopt a child, could they?

Wen Jingjing and Wang Shan exchanged glances, unable to resist speculating. Unnoticed by them, Shen Yan, who'd been sorting files in a nearby office, suddenly froze.

Baby supply store… Shi Yu?

Shen Yan froze for a moment, tightening his grip on the papers in his hand.

Logically, this had nothing to do with him, yet for some reason, he found himself instinctively listening in, his refined and handsome face unreadable.

Unfortunately, Wang Shan had only seen them from behind and hadn't noticed anything else.

Shen Yan pressed his fingers to his temples and lowered his gaze back to the files.

Perhaps it was due to the recent sudden upheavals in City B, but upon hearing news about Shi Yu, he found himself unusually distracted, his thoughts kept wandering.

After a while, Shen Yan glanced at his phone again.

Should he... send him a message and ask?

After hesitating for a moment, Shen Yan went ahead and picked up his phone.

Shi Yu had just gotten into the car and fastened his seatbelt when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate.

Hmm?

Who'd be texting him now?

Puzzled, he picked it up, only to find a name he didn't expect.

Shen Yan, Dr. Shen?

What did he want?

When Shi Yu opened it, he saw that Dr. Shen was just checking in on his health.

It seemed like a standard Ability User Association check-in, keeping tabs on regular folks who had encountered Horrors before.

It was weird that it was Dr. Shen instead of Wang Shan, but Shi Yu politely replied.

"I'm fine, Dr. Shen."

Shi Yu’s focused typing made Sang Huaiyu raise an eyebrow.

"Is it Shen Yan?"

Huh?

How'd Mr. Sang know?

Shi Yu flinched and turned to look at him.

Sang Huaiyu’s expression was calm. "Pretty sure I spotted Wang Shan at the store earlier. He probably saw us there and reported it back to the Ability User Association."

That made Shi Yu want to chuck his phone.

Wait, so was Dr. Shen fishing for info now?

But wouldn't people just think he'd put on weight rather than being pregnant if they saw him in loose clothes?

Shi Yu let out a slow breath, unsure why Shen Yan had messaged him at this moment.

Sang Huaiyu curled his lips, pleased to see Shi Yu not hung up on texting that human anymore.

His godlike face glowed even brighter.

Shi Yu froze for a second. He had been about to speak, but his cheeks warmed as he gaped.

Noticing his dazed expression, Sang Huaiyu let out a low chuckle. "Xiao Yu, wanna kiss?"