Chapter 210 – Nightmare from Ten Thousand Years Ago – Lucky Star Bai Tang (06)
The toolman Mu Quyan looked at the disheveled Wei Kexin, placed his palm over his chest, and felt the bulging pocket where the little squirrel was still sleeping, its warm breath puffing softly against his hand.
Mu Quyan looked up and asked, “Why are you alone?!”
Perhaps due to the mutual influence of the male and female lead halos, Mu Quyan didn’t feel much guarded against Wei Kexin, and Wei Kexin, in turn, had an inexplicable trust in Mu Quyan.
“Qi Jiu is inside. We came across a girl with one leg—he got injured,” Wei Kexin said.
Mu Quyan followed Wei Kexin into the room. Qi Jiu had just stepped out of the wardrobe. Given his current mental state, it was already impressive that he could move on his own.
Mu Quyan sized up Qi Jiu. His cheeks were sunken, dark circles hung under his eyes—he looked like someone from the cultivation world who hadn’t slept in days.
In contrast, Wei Kexin—aside from being a bit dirty and messy—was in fairly good shape.
This must be the difference between a female lead and the cannon fodder around her. But with Bai Tang in the picture, the original romance between the male and female lead was doomed—now it was the cannon fodder’s time to rise.
“Can you still walk?” Mu Quyan asked Qi Jiu.
Qi Jiu nodded. “I can.” Though his condition looked terrible, he was a top athlete. And after confessing to Wei Kexin, he had regained a bit of energy.
“Alright then, let’s talk as we walk. Otherwise, the Shadows will find us sooner or later.” Mu Quyan supported Qi Jiu out of the house.
“By the way—where’s Bai Tang?” Wei Kexin had felt something was missing earlier. Now, seeing Mu Quyan helping Qi Jiu, she suddenly realized Bai Tang was gone. Given how much Mu Quyan cared about Bai Tang, how could he possibly not be worried?
“We got separated.” Mu Quyan didn’t fully trust Qi Jiu and Wei Kexin, so he wasn’t going to tell them everything. Besides, he wasn’t lying—he and Tang tang really had gotten separated earlier.
“Then let’s hurry and find Bai Tang.” Just imagining that adorable, obedient boy being captured by the Shadows made Wei Kexin’s heart ache. She even thought she heard him calling out to them for help, but no one responded, and he was dragged into the darkness.
She looked to Mu Quyan and Qi Jiu for their opinion but was shocked to find no worry or concern on Mu Quyan’s face. A chill ran through her.
She could tell there was a deep bond between Bai Tang and Mu Quyan. The boy clearly cared a lot about him. Yet now, Mu Quyan had no reaction at all. Could it be that he had been faking it all along?
Looking at Mu Quyan supporting Qi Jiu, suspicion rose in Wei Kexin’s heart. He didn’t even care about Bai Tang—why would he kindly help Qi Jiu?
Wei Kexin squeezed between them and took over supporting Qi Jiu herself. “I’m scared to walk alone.”
Mu Quyan narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything. These days, it wasn’t easy being a good person—and he didn’t want to be one either. As long as he and Tang Tang could get out safely, that was enough.
With the combined protagonist halos and Bai Tang’s lucky koi aura, the group moved forward without encountering the woman in red or the one-legged girl again.
The pouch over his chest shifted. Feeling the movement, Mu Quyan unfastened the button and peeked inside.
Inside, the little squirrel was wide-eyed, staring up at him.
The space in the pocket was small, so the squirrel hadn’t been sleeping very comfortably—it couldn’t even turn over. But since it was in his beloved’s pocket, it still managed to sleep soundly.
“Squeak squeak squeak——”
The squirrel dug its tiny claws into Mu Quyan’s shirt and climbed up to his shoulder.
“Where did that squirrel come from?” Wei Kexin asked curiously.
In this space, apart from them, no other living person who entered had managed to leave alive. How could there be another living creature here? And it wasn’t even scary—could it be some kind of important item?
“You’re awake? Still sleepy? It’s dangerous out here—why don’t you stay in the pocket, okay?” Mu Quyan gently placed the squirrel back into the pouch.
But the squirrel wasn’t willing to give up so easily. It poked its head out again and squeaked at the gray-faced Qi Jiu.
“Squeak squeak squeak——” Qi Jiu’s condition was rapidly deteriorating. He looked like he was close to death.
“Hello there, little squirrel…” Wei Kexin liked small animals and had no resistance to cute, fluffy creatures.
“Squeak squeak squeak——” Bai Tang climbed out of Mu Quyan’s pocket and jumped into Wei Kexin’s palm.
“Aww, you’re so well-behaved~” Wei Kexin gently stroked the fur on the squirrel’s back. It felt smooth and silky to the touch.
Mu Quyan narrowed his eyes. “Tang Tang…” How could he let another woman touch him?
A jealous man was the scariest thing.
Bai Tang could hear the displeasure in Mu Quyan’s voice and turned around to leap back onto him.
The man and squirrel began whispering to each other about who knows what. All that could be heard was Mu Quyan saying, “No, I don’t agree.”
“Tang Tang, be good, okay~”
“I can’t let you take that risk…”
Wei Kexin and Qi Jiu had no idea why Mu Quyan was fussing with a squirrel—or why he had named it Tang Tang. Wasn’t Tang Tang Bai Tang’s name?
“Alright then, but if anything strange happens, I’m going to spank you.”
“Squeak squeak squeak——”
Mu Quyan turned to glance at Wei Kexin and Qi Jiu. “Wait here for a moment,” he said, then walked toward the corner ahead, using the wall to block their view.
Bai Tang transformed back from a little squirrel into a human. He stood stark naked in front of Mu Quyan, making the latter nearly get a nosebleed.
“Turn around, quick~” the boy said in a soft, childlike voice, his cheeks flushed bright red.
Mu Quyan obediently turned his back. Inside the spatial dimension, Bai Tang quickly took out some clothes and began putting them on. But before he had finished dressing, Mu Quyan turned back around.
“Ah… You’re not allowed to peek!” Bai Tang said, face burning with embarrassment.
Seeing Bai Tang’s clothes all twisted and out of place, Mu Quyan stepped forward to help. “Don’t move, Tangtang. Let me do it—it’ll be faster.”
He knelt down, tugged out the shirttail Bai Tang had stuffed messily into his pants, rebuttoned the buttons Bai Tang had done wrong, and finally cupped the boy’s little feet to slip on his shoes.
Mu Quyan didn’t even ask where the clothes came from. After all, Bai Tang was a squirrel spirit—it wasn’t strange if he could conjure clothes out of thin air.
“All done,” Mu Quyan said hoarsely.
“Mhm, thank you~” Bai Tang replied softly.
The two stood very close. Their warm breaths mingled, brushing against each other’s faces.
Bai Tang’s skin was soft and smooth, with a faint layer of downy fuzz on his delicate cheeks. A flush, slightly deeper than a healthy pink, colored his face—he looked just like a ripe, juicy peach, tempting enough to take a bite out of.
That was exactly what Mu Quyan thought— and exactly what he did.
He slowly leaned in, and Bai Tang could feel the breath against his face growing increasingly warm and damp. Shy, he tried to dodge, turning his head—only to find himself face-to-face with Mu Quyan’s approaching kiss.
Their lips met. Mu Quyan’s large hand cradled the back of the boy’s head as he gently savored the sweetness of the moment.
When the kiss ended, Mu Quyan took Bai Tang’s hand, lifted it, and kissed it softly.
“Tang Tang, once we get out of here… let’s be together.”
Bai Tang’s face flushed bright red. He gave the tiniest of nods, the smile tugging at his lips impossible to hide.
“Mu Quyan, are you still there?”
Wei Kexin, noticing how long Mu Quyan had been gone and uneasy about leaving Qi Jiu alone, called out.
Her voice burst the pink bubble between Mu Quyan and Bai Tang.
Mu Quyan stepped out with Bai Tang. Wei Kexin’s eyes widened.
“Bai Tang? When did you get back? Are you okay?!”
It had been a long time since Bai Tang had encountered a female lead who was kind both inside and out. Faced with Wei Kexin’s warm concern, he felt slightly out of place.
“I’m fine, nothing happened,” Bai Tang replied.
Then he spotted Qi Jiu behind her, swaying unsteadily. The shadows under his eyes had deepened. Knowing Qi Jiu couldn’t hold on much longer, Bai Tang bypassed Wei Kexin and took Qi Jiu’s hand.
“Relax. Everything will be okay. We’re all going to make it out of here,” Bai Tang said.
Qi Jiu knew his own condition—he wouldn’t last much longer. But being comforted by the very boy he’d nearly gotten killed filled him with guilt.
“I’m sorry.”
He could only hope that after his death, they wouldn’t blame Kexin, and would make sure she got out safely.
Bai Tang shook his head gently. Wei Kexin started to move toward them, but Mu Quyan held her back.
A green glow began to rise from the palm of Bai Tang’s hand, slowly flowing into Qi Jiu’s body.
Beneath the skin of Qi Jiu’s arm, streaks of green light coursed along his veins. The color quickly spread throughout his body, and soon his entire form was glowing with a faint, eerie green. In the dim, abandoned old city, the sight was both bizarre—and oddly comical.
“Pfft—hahahahaha!”
In the observation room, Qiu’er burst out laughing, clutching her stomach and collapsing into little A’s arms.
“Look at the cannon fodder—doesn’t he look like he’s got a field of grass growing on his head? Falls for the female lead, but guess what? There’s no grassland at home, and that fills me with despair, Miss Wei~”
Qiu’er sang playfully, taking screenshots like crazy from the monitor.
This was the first time a female lead had been “greened” (i.e., cheated on)—a moment worth treasuring with some priceless screenshots.
“You, seriously…” Xiao A looked helplessly at Qiu’er, holding her back to stop her from laughing herself onto the floor.
Bai Tang withdrew his ability, and Mu Quyan no longer stopped Wei Kexin.
Wei Kexin stepped forward to support Qi Jiu, while Mu Quyan pulled Bai Tang into his arms.
“Are you feeling okay? Sleepy? Want to nap a bit more?”
Mu Quyan had already prepared his pocket in case Bai Tang wanted to turn back into a squirrel and go to sleep—it was always safest when he stayed right there.
But Bai Tang had just woken up and was feeling full of energy.
He looked at Qi Jiu. The dull gray tone on Qi Jiu’s face had completely disappeared, replaced by a healthy, honey-colored glow.
“I feel great—like I’m back at my peak, just before the school sports meet started,” Qi Jiu said to Wei Kexin. He meant it. He’d been certain he was done for, but to his surprise, things had taken a turn for the better—Bai Tang actually had such powerful abilities.
Both Qi Jiu and Wei Kexin looked at Bai Tang with deep gratitude.
“Tang Tang, you’re my lucky star—literally the koi incarnate!”
If Mu Quyan hadn’t been holding her back, Wei Kexin might’ve rushed up and kissed Bai Tang all over.
Even so, the way Wei Kexin looked at him—with eyes burning like an overenthusiastic fan meeting her idol—still made Bai Tang feel a bit numb inside.
“No need to thank me…”
Of course, thanks were still necessary. After expressing their gratitude, Qi Jiu and Wei Kexin also learned Bai Tang’s secret.
Mu Quyan sternly warned them to tell no one. They both promised to keep it absolutely confidential.
From then on, as they continued their journey, Bai Tang was tightly guarded by all three of them. At the slightest breeze or rustle, the trio would instantly form a protective circle around him and go on high alert.
Author’s Note:
I’m heading home tonight, and I’m on a tight schedule trying to update the chapter, so I don’t have time to reply to comments right away. I’ll respond to everyone once I reach the station waiting room. Love you all, mwah~