Chapter 183: Zhou Tian Shen's Highlight Moment

Shā Lù Jiǎo.

Xú Xiǎo Shòu stood with his arms crossed, staring blankly at the puppet child in front of him, who was doing the same. He asked uncertainly once more, "What's your name?"

"Ā Jié..."

The voice was muffled, but this time it wasn't the previous "Māma" – it had switched to a different word.

Xú Xiǎo Shòu was both surprised and delighted. This guy was finally saying something other than that one word, even if it was just a name – it was still progress.

"Ā Jié, baby, I'm Xú Xiǎo Shòu inviting you again. Do you want to come with Māma?" the young man coaxed.

After Chéng Tiān Mù had formed, Tiānxuán Mén finally stabilized.

Even so, Xú Xiǎo Shòu didn't dare stay any longer. He wanted to head back to the Zhèn Mén and leave as quickly as possible.

Before that, though, he had to deal with the matter of the puppet child Ā Jié.

If it was obedient and controllable, bringing it out would definitely be a powerful weapon, with more benefits than drawbacks.

But Xú Xiǎo Shòu really wasn't sure if this guy would behave, so if not, he didn't plan to force it.

He already had one uncontrollable "berserk giant" – if he surrounded himself with ticking time bombs, something bad was bound to happen eventually.

"Māma..."

Ā Jié's voice was full of hesitation.

After several tests, Xú Xiǎo Shòu discovered he could sense the puppet child's emotional fluctuations through his perception, which was one reason he dared to try controlling this deadly weapon.

"There's not much time for you to hesitate. I need to leave soon, and if I stay any longer, I might get trapped here myself."

Xú Xiǎo Shòu looked up at the sky. "Do you see this world? It's repairing itself, but at its core, it's no different from the pit that trapped you – just a bit bigger, that's all."

"The real world is out there..."

His words suddenly trailed off as Xú Xiǎo Shòu remembered Sāng Lǎo and his matryoshka-like theory of worlds.

Maybe that outside world wasn't the real one either?

"Māma..." Ā Jié gazed at him, seeming a bit tempted.

Xú Xiǎo Shòu didn't dwell on it any further. He smiled in resignation and said, "People live to see a wider, more magnificent world. What's the point of trapping yourself? It's just pointless!"

Ā Jié suddenly stepped forward, uncrossing its arms and gripping Xú Xiǎo Shòu's shoulders with both hands, nodding lightly.

"Māma!"

Xú Xiǎo Shòu's face twitched in pain. He felt like his shoulder blades were about to crack as he hissed, "Alright, I get it. Let go first – don't get too excited!"

Ā Jié looked up, its red eyes full of confusion.

"Let go... Relax your hands! Cross your arms like I am!"

Xú Xiǎo Shòu forced a smile, feeling completely drained.

Oh man, if I take this one out, I can handle a couple of squeezes, but if it gets excited and plays with other kids...

"Come play ball?"

"Sure, sure!"

And then heads would go flying...

"Wāāāh, you kicked your friend to death!"

"Don't cry, I'll hug you."

And then bodies would shatter...

Xú Xiǎo Shòu felt his legs go weak. The thought was too horrifying. If Ā Jié couldn't control its strength, something terrible would definitely happen once it was out.

He started regretting his invitation...

"If you're coming with me, we have to set some ground rules first!"

Xú Xiǎo Shòu kept his arms crossed as a demonstration, and Ā Jié finally calmed down, mimicking him.

"First, you can't attack anyone randomly."

Ā Jié nodded.

"Second, without my command, you have to stay with your arms crossed at all times – that's the most important rule."

Ā Jié nodded again.

"Finally..."

Xú Xiǎo Shòu paused. Did this guy even understand?

It was nodding like crazy, but what if it all went in one ear and out the other?

"Can you shrink?" he asked.

Since it was a puppet, maybe it could get smaller and hide, making it easier to take along.

Ā Jié nodded.

Xú Xiǎo Shòu perked up and instructed, "Shrink!"

Ā Jié kept nodding.

Xú Xiǎo Shòu felt a toothache coming on. This guy was totally unreliable!

Suddenly, the massive child in front of him shrank into a fist-sized iron ball, floating in the air.

Xú Xiǎo Shòu's eyes lit up. It really worked?

Wow, you get me perfectly. Hide as a stone like this, and no one will know.

He grabbed it and asked, "Can you still talk?"

"Māma..."

Two points of red light on the iron ball – probably its eyes – were looking at him.

"Great, from now on, stay like this when there's nothing going on..."

Before he could finish, there was a "pop," and the iron ball sprang back into Ā Jié's full form.

Not listening?

Xú Xiǎo Shòu's heart sank. This was trouble – he hated things that worked sometimes and not others; they'd definitely fail at critical moments.

Just then, a shout came from nearby.

"Xú Xiǎo Shòu, come out and face your death!"

It was unmistakably Zhōu Tiān Shén's voice.

So that's why... Xú Xiǎo Shòu hadn't even had time to feel relieved when his eyes widened – Ā Jié had vanished.

Where would this guy show up? No need to guess.

"Stop! He's not an enemy – don't attack!" Xú Xiǎo Shòu shouted, locking onto Zhōu Tiān Shén's position with his perception and rushing over.

"Remember the rules we set!"

Zhōu Tiān Shén felt a gust of wind behind his neck and turned to see a child with a fist raised.

"Uh, are there survivors in this world?"

He was pleased, but then he heard Xú Xiǎo Shòu's voice and flew into a rage: "So you're one of Xú Xiǎo Shòu's people?

"You scum, destroying the world – die... Wait, it's just a child. This is tricky..."

The tall man hesitated, blade in hand – he never killed kids.

Xú Xiǎo Shòu arrived, and Zhōu Tiān Shén's eyes burned with fury again. Taking out the mastermind would fix everything, right?

"Xú Xiǎo Shòu, you're done for today!"

The fierce killing intent was no weaker than that of the steel puppet earlier. Seeing the look in Ā Jié's eyes behind Zhōu Tiān Shén, Xú Xiǎo Shòu quickly said, "Don't get excited."

"Heh, excited?"

"I'm Zhōu Tiān Shén – I don't get excited over killing you!"

Xú Xiǎo Shòu stumbled a bit. This guy was still lost in his fantasy world!

This wasn't the time for jokes.

"Cut it out. This is Tiānxuán Mén. Sorry, I lied to you earlier – that stuff about a thousand years was all fake..."

"Wait, you've recovered so quickly? You can even get out?"

Xú Xiǎo Shòu was impressed by the effectiveness of his Chí Jīn Yè.

"Hmph, a mere black wall can't hold me, Zhōu Tiān Shén!" The tall man snorted coldly, then realized something was off. "Lied? Are you trying to trick me?"

"Under suspicion, passive points: 1."

Xú Xiǎo Shòu felt dizzy. You believe me when you shouldn't and doubt me when it's pointless?

Zhōu Tiān Shén drew his blade. Facing someone who destroyed worlds, he didn't want to waste words.

What a shame – a thousand years ago, he had seen this guy as a role model, but people were so unpredictable...

"Come on, let's fight to the death!"

Whoosh.

The puppet child appeared in front of him, blocking the way.

Zhōu Tiān Shén raged, "Don't think being a kid means I won't kill you – get out of here!"

His shout made Xú Xiǎo Shòu's heart race. Zhōu, you're really pushing it – even I wouldn't talk to this baby like that...

Sure enough, Ā Jié swung a hand, and Zhōu Tiān Shén – blade and all – turned into specks of light and shot into the sky.

Not even a scream – he was just gone.

A world passage conveniently appeared, and the tall man vanished straight into it.

Xú Xiǎo Shòu: "..."