The two young servants behind him, seeing the black mark under Gu Rong’s nose, mistakenly thought he was a Little Baka. Only after the Little Baka Jiangshi left did the two servants dare to confirm with each other if they had been seeing things.

“Not only a Little Baka, but also glowing green all over, and leaped out of sight in an instant. Too scary!”

“It’s over, it’s over! Never mind the Little Baka Little Jiangshi for now, look at this kitchen! And this dog, is it dead? Can it be saved…”

Gu Rong had already leaped out of the courtyard. However, his hearing was good. Hearing the two servants’ conversation, he tilted his little head: [What’s a Little Baka? Why are they calling Zaizai Little Baka?]

006 looked and saw the smudge of ash under Gu Rong’s nose, clearly ash from the roasted sweet potatoes, making him look exactly like a Little Baka caricature.^[1]T/N: Because the smudge accidentally resembled the stereotypical small, square mustache (like a toothbrush mustache) often depicted in caricatures of Japanese officers or soldiers from the WWII era … Continue reading

006: […]

006: [Little host, you got ash under your nose… Don’t wipe it with your hand. Forget it, I’ll buy you a one-click cleaner when we get back.]

After returning, Gu Rong hadn’t even entered the Yi Zhuang, just reaching the corner, when he saw lights shining from inside.

A large group of people came out in a procession, even carrying a coffin.

Gu Rong immediately spotted Zhuang Yu, Shen Hanxiao, and Daoist Priest Uncle.

The big Jiangshi that had chased him earlier had also been captured. A yellow talisman was stuck to its forehead, and it was being controlled by Huang Daoren.

The stone pillar Gu Rong had thrown had been a great help, directly smashing the big Jiangshi right in front of the players, unintentionally helping them catch the first Jiangshi.

After catching the big Jiangshi, Wu Sandeng gave Huang Daoren a meaningful look and requested to take a look at the Yi Zhuang.

Huang Daoren hadn’t mentioned losing the Jiangshi because he was getting a bamboo basket made for a Little Jiangshi. He just said they had run off from the Yi Zhuang while he stepped out for a cup of tea.

Huang Daoren didn’t know why Wu Sandeng insisted on visiting the Yi Zhuang and felt uneasy, but didn’t dare show it.

What he didn’t know was that he had accidentally made a slip-up earlier, upon seeing the Little Jiangshi, that the Little Jiangshi had a bad temper, already revealing his prior contact with him.

If he hadn’t interacted with it before, how would he know the Little Jiangshi had a bad temper?

Unfortunately, Gu Rong, being hungry, had gone his separate way and hadn’t returned to the Yi Zhuang, instead running off to raid the Town Mayor’s house.

Returning now, he saw the Mayor leading a large procession, also coming to the Yi Zhuang… to steal a coffin.

This wave of mutual stealing, nobody lost out.

Gu Rong didn’t go out directly. Instead, he retracted the [Green Jiangshi] card, hid around the corner, poked out half his little head, and observed secretly.

He remembered! When he shook off the big Jiangshi earlier, he heard that one-eyed uncle say he wanted to catch the Little Jiangshi!

Gu Rong looked down at himself. He was the Little Jiangshi!

That one-eyed uncle wanted to catch him!

Gu Rong hid further back, not letting himself be discovered.

His sharp eyes saw the coffin being carried away – it was the exact coffin he had leaned against while eating the chicken leg earlier.

Gu Rong: [They’re stealing the coffin!]

006 glanced at the bulging Ultraman little backpack on the little host’s back.

Alright, perhaps they stole more.

The procession, carrying the coffin and herding the Jiangshi, quickly departed.

Just as Gu Rong was about to emerge, he saw a tall, handsome man walking at the very end suddenly pause, turn his head, and glance in his direction.

The one looking back was Zhao Jiuquan.

Gu Rong immediately ducked his little head back.

Zhao Jiuquan only paused for a moment, then quickly looked away and followed the main group.

Gu Rong waited until they were completely gone before hopping out and returning to the Yi Zhuang.

–

After returning, 006 bought him a one-click cleaner. After washing up, he lay back down in the coffin and slept.

Meanwhile, Wu Sandeng brought Huang Daoren and the players back to the old mansion. They immediately heard the young servants vividly describing how a Little Baka Jiangshi had come to steal food!

“That’s right! Glowing green all over, leaped ten zhang in one go, about… about as tall as Laifu.”

Laifu was the Big Black Dog.

After the two servants checked, they found Laifu had only overeaten. Seeing that Third Master’s beloved dog wasn’t dead, they felt slightly relieved.

The two words “Little Baka” made everyone present fall strangely silent for a moment.

What a Little Baka!

Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao were suppressing laughter.

The livestream chat was also dying of laughter. All the players’ livestream chats were filled with “hahaha.”

Huang Daoren heard this and knew it was his runaway Little Jiangshi cub.

He knew this Little Jiangshi was clever. Luckily, he ran off to steal food, otherwise, he would have been caught easily just now! He definitely didn’t want the Little Jiangshi cub falling into Wu Sandeng’s hands!

However, Huang Daoren had felt something strange since seeing Gu Rong earlier.

During the day, the Little Jiangshi was just a hopping Jiangshi. How did it become a Green Jiangshi at night? Could it have mutated in such a short time?

And, Little Baka? How did it become a Little Baka?!

Turning his head, Huang Daoren met Wu Sandeng’s slightly probing gaze.

Huang Daoren’s heart clenched, and he instantly braced himself: “Mayor Wu, what are your thoughts?”

Wu Sandeng’s single eye looked at him: “Daoist Huang, why so nervous when the Little Jiangshi is mentioned? Could it be… Daoist Huang also wants to catch the Little Jiangshi?”

Huang Daoren forced a laugh: “Haha, no, no, it’s just that Little Baka… bah, that Little Jiangshi is truly rare. Couldn’t help being curious.”

“Look, aren’t these two young men the same?” He pointed to Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao nearby.

Zhuang Yu: “…”

Shen Hanxiao: “…”

You old 6! (Throwing them under the bus.)

Wu Sandeng shifted his half-smiling gaze to Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao.

Seeing Zhao Jiuquan beside Shen Hanxiao, and remembering the guest’s extraordinary skills from earlier, his expression softened.

He appreciated outstanding young people.

Unexpectedly, Wu Sandeng, who had previously vowed to catch the Little Jiangshi, showed no reaction upon hearing the cub had raided his home, nor did he make any comment.

Not only was Huang Daoren surprised, but the players were also baffled.

This Town Mayor’s way of doing things was truly different from ordinary people, making him unpredictable.

Wu Sandeng chuckled softly, a cold indifference flashing in his single eye: “Leave the gate open. He’ll come back himself. Just wait.”

If the Little Jiangshi could come steal food once, he could come a second time. As long as there’s no shortage of food, the Little Jiangshi will come back on his own. Why bother actively catching him?

–

Wu Sandeng’s prediction was correct. There was no need to specifically catch the Little Jiangshi. With the gate left open and delicious food and drinks laid out, the Little Jiangshi found his way back himself.

Gu Rong was a cub who loved to eat, and his appetite was huge. The food in one Ultraman little backpack, how could it last him a whole day?

Besides, it wouldn’t stay fresh if left for too long. By noon, it was all gone.

After sleeping until sunset, Gu Rong hopped out again, preparing to steal some yummy food!

Originally, Gu Rong hadn’t planned to go back to the Town Mayor’s house. Although the Mayor’s house had the most delicious food, he had been discovered last night, making it inconvenient to return.

Besides, the Mayor now wanted to catch him, this Little Jiangshi cub!

But after wandering around Jiangshi Town for a while, Gu Rong still circled back to the Mayor’s house.

The gate was still open, unguarded, and the house was quiet inside.

Gu Rong let out an “Huh?”, tilted his little head suspiciously, contemplating whether to go in.

006 said: [Little host, maybe we should try another house? They must have prepared defenses. Going back again makes it easy to be discovered.]

Why become a repeat customer!

They had already discovered that a Little Jiangshi had come to steal food yesterday, yet today the gate was still wide open. This was clearly inviting the “cub” into the urn, the same tactic used to trap small animals.

But Gu Rong couldn’t consider that much. His big eyes flashed: [They can’t catch Zaizai!]

When all was said and done, he just wanted to go inside and steal food.

Mainly because the food last night was too sumptuous, Gu Rong had set his sights on this house.

006 merely analyzed the pros and cons but wasn’t worried. With the little host’s strength, it was impossible to get caught just eating something.

Fortune favors the bold; the timid starve to death! Nothing to fear!

Just then, the system went “Ding!” and sent a task.

[Ding! Little Jiangshi, please receive the instance task.]

[Task: The players have captured the first Jiangshi. Please retrieve the Jiangshi tooth within 1 hour.]

[Success Reward: 100,000 points, 1 hour of free activity time.]

[Failure Penalty: Deduct 100,000 points, Green Jiangshi card rendered void.]

Now, he absolutely had to go in.

Soon, another “Ding!” sound, the notification sounded again.

[Ding! Roleplaying as Little Jiangshi for over 48 hours. Reward acquired: Speak 10 sentences.]

Gu Rong’s little face beamed: [Zaizai can talk? What should Zaizai say?]

Suddenly allowed to speak, he didn’t know what to say for a moment.

006: [Can only speak 10 sentences. Little host, please think carefully before speaking.]

Gu Rong: [Okay!]

The priority was the task. 006: [Little host, let’s use the [Hanged Little Ghost] identity card first, select invisible mode. The mansion is so large, we don’t know where the Jiangshi is being held. It might take some time to find it.]

Gu Rong nodded his little head, immediately used the [Hanged Little Ghost] identity card, selected the invisible-to-all mode, and then hopped into the Wu mansion.

The courtyard was also devoid of people, eerily quiet.

Gu Rong was now invisible, moving as if through an uninhabited land. Whether there were people or not, he wasn’t afraid of being caught.

Gu Rong asked: [Where are Big Brother and Little Brother?]

He remembered Big Brother and Little Brother were also with that one-eyed uncle.

006 said: [Maybe they went out to catch Jiangshi… Little host, look carefully! There are people behind the rockery!]

Hearing this, Gu Rong immediately turned his head and looked behind the rockery.

Sure enough, he saw several men dressed as servants behind the rockery. Turning his head again, there were also people hiding behind bushes and walls.

Moreover, they looked nervous, sneaky. Some held talismans and peachwood swords, some held basins of glutinous rice, some were pulling ink lines, waiting in formation, yet still acting furtively.

These props were all specifically used to deal with Jiangshi.

Gu Rong’s clear, bright eyes blinked: [What are they doing?]

006 understood immediately. Sure enough, the open gate was to lure the “cub” into the trap.

006: [Don’t mind them, little host. Let’s quickly find the Jiangshi. Be careful not to be discovered by them.]

Gu Rong quickly refocused. Just as he was preparing to hop away to find the big Jiangshi, the Big Black Dog Laifu darted out from somewhere.

It was as tall as Gu Rong and could actually see the invisible Gu Rong.

Thanks to their revolutionary friendship from last night, seeing Gu Rong, it wagged its tail enthusiastically.

Gu Rong’s eyes also lit up upon seeing the Big Black Dog. He reached out his chubby little hand and patted its head.

The Big Black Dog became even happier, wagging its tail more vigorously. It then bit onto Gu Rong’s Little Jiangshi clothes and pulled him towards the kitchen.

Gu Rong still had a task to do. Eating was important, the task was also important, but the task had a time limit, while eating didn’t.

Gu Rong knew how to prioritize. He could now speak ten sentences, so he said to the Big Black Dog: “Zaizai needs to find Big Jiangshi. After finding Big Jiangshi, then eat food!”

Hearing this, the Big Black Dog didn’t hesitate. Still holding onto Gu Rong’s Little Jiangshi clothes, it dragged him in another direction.

Cub and dog truly had a perfect tacit understanding. Seeing its actions, Gu Rong’s eyes lit up immediately: “Are you taking Zaizai to find Big Jiangshi?”

The Big Black Dog wagged its tail. Seeing Gu Rong understood its meaning, it released its bite and dadada led the way.

Gu Rong hopped along behind.

[The communication between cub and dog is too smooth, completely without barriers!]

[Big Black is too good, actually leading Zaizai to find the Jiangshi! As expected of stealing buddies who ate together!]

[Zaizai and Big Black are the best in the world! Long live friendship! [Gift points]]

[From Mayor Wu’s perspective, this dog is about to betray him out of filial piety!]

–

Led by the Big Black Dog, Gu Rong quickly found the room where the Jiangshi was kept.

The Big Black Dog pushed the door open with its front paws, then stood still at the entrance, looking back at Gu Rong with its tongue hanging out.

Gu Rong patted the Big Black Dog and hopped into the room.

The first thing that caught his eye was the coffin placed in the center of the room – the exact one stolen from the Yi Zhuang.

The big Jiangshi stood against the wall, a yellow talisman stuck to its forehead, its eyes tightly closed, its long, sharp Jiangshi teeth exposed.

Seeing the Jiangshi teeth, Gu Rong immediately hopped over.

He was so small, and the big Jiangshi was so tall; he couldn’t reach the Jiangshi’s head at all.

Gu Rong rolled up his little sleeves, preparing to fly onto the big Jiangshi’s head to retrieve the Jiangshi tooth.

He stepped his left foot onto his right and flew up, stirring up a gust of wind. Because he was close to the Jiangshi’s face, this gust of wind blew the yellow talisman right off its forehead.

The big Jiangshi’s eyes snapped open shua.

Seeing this, the Big Black Dog let out a “Woof!”, turned tail, and ran, leaving only an afterimage.

006: [?]

Livestream Chat: [?!]

The little boat of friendship sinks just like that.